2010 Skate Canada – Short Dance Battle at the Top

Photographs by Robin Ritoss

Nine ice dance teams skated to a variety of music, a sometimes befuddling mash-up of themes and rhythms, and when it was all done, only 0.01 separated the top two teams. Third and fourth places are only 0.24 apart. Let’s go to the protocols to see what the numbers tell us.

Unlike the ISU Junior Grand Prix events, everyone received credit for both sections of their “compulsory” dance. The value of the second portion of the Golden Waltz is higher than the first. The first section is worth 2.5 for level 1, 4.0 for level 2, 5.0 for level 3, and 6.0 for level 4. The second sections levels are 3.5/6.0/7.0/8.0.

For the Golden Waltz, both Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier (pictured, left) and Sinead & John Kerr earned a base TES value of 13 points. The Kerrs went 4/3 in the levels (6 points + 7 points) whereas Crone & Poirier reversed that, going 3/4 (5 points + 8 points). The Kerrs “won” the Golden Waltz with +1.5 points from GoE of the two patterns. Crone & Poirier received +1.14.

Both teams had a level 4 rotational lift. As for the Grades of Execution, both teams netted an additional point from their GoE, keeping them tied for that element. The Kerrs (pictured, right) had eight +2s and one +1. Crone & Poirier had seven +2s, one +1, and one +3. (A +2 average earns 1 point, not 2, like it is in triple jumps.)

Crone & Poirier pulled ahead on the remaining two elements, receiving higher levels in the midline non-touching footwork and the twizzles. The Kerrs were one level lower than the Canadians on both elements. A level 3 twizzle has a base of 5.0 whereas the level 4 is 6.0. The difference is even greater between a level 3 midline (6.5 base) to the level 2 the Kerrs received (5.0 base). With all positive GoE (five +1s and four +2s), the Kerrs received an additional 0.71 for their twizzles for a total element score of 5.71. Crone & Poirier’s GoE (two +1s, six +2s, and one +3) gave them an additional 0.93 for a total element score of 6.93.

Even though the Kerrs had higher GoE on the Midline (six +2s and three +1s earning them 1.71 points versus five +2s and four +1s earning Crone & Poirier 1.43), that wasn’t enough to overcome the 1.5 point difference in a level 2 versus a level 3 midline sequence.

Higher PCS by more than two points gave the Kerrs the victory in that portion. Of the 45 individual marks, the Kerrs had only two in the 6s. The remainder were 7s and 8s, the high being a pair of 8.75s. Although two judges had them in the 8s, Crone & Poirier’s PCS ran from 6.0-7.75.