Ice Dance Observer: October 30, 2017

SKATE CANADA RECAP: THE PODIUM VIEW FROM THE CANADIAN PRAIRIE

by Anne Calder 

Regina, Saskatchewan, hosted Skate Canada, the second event of the 2017 Grand Prix Series, from October 27-29. Ten ice dance teams from seven ISU countries competed for placement, prize money, and points to qualify for the GP Final in Nagoya, Japan, December 7-10.

The 2017 Skate Canada podium was a North American sweep: Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (CAN), Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (CAN), and Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue (USA) took home the medals.

Short Dance: Canadians Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir dominated the segment with five level 4 elements and a record-breaking score of 82.68. Their music choices broke from the more familiar and traditional Latin sounds as they used a rock-infused samba, rhumba, and cha cha.

“It was a bit of a challenge to rise to the level of that music, and one that we were eager to attempt,” Virtue said. “It was important that we put a twist and showcase the Latin rhythms and movements in a different way.”

The program opened with intricate not-touching footwork to The Rolling Stones’ samba rock, “Sympathy for the Devil.” Moir’s open shirt, hand movements, and crisp edges channelled a perfect Jagger swagger. The Rhumba pattern and partial step sequence used an instrumental selection from The Eagles’ “Hotel California” as a rhumba bridge to Carlos Santana’s cha cha, “Oye Como Va,” and the twizzles and rotational lift.

Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje gave Canada a one-two short dance placement with a personal best 77.47 score. The 2015 Four Continents champions earned level 4 for the twizzles, lifts, pattern, and partial step sequence. The judges gave their level 3 side-by-side footwork a 2.67 GOE.

The couple danced to “Tango” by Dianne Reeves and “Do You Only Want to Dance” by the Julio Daviel Big Band.

Weaver explained their music choices. “With Latin rhythms, it’s easy to get chopped up into different pieces. We wanted it to be a very cohesive feeling, so we chose [the] Cuban genre. We start with the bolero and end with the mambo.”

Americans Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue earned the same levels as the second-place Canadians, but had a time violation deduction of one point, because their program went just over three minutes.

The U.S. national bronze medalists were third with a sultry dance to musical selections that included “Le Serpent” by Guem et Zaka, “Cuando Calienta el Sol” by Talya Ferro, and “Sambando” by Los Ritmos Calientes. The program earned a season best score of 76.08, five points higher than they scored at the U.S. Classic.

A slim margin of 1.74 points separated the fourth, fifth, and sixth place teams, who were around 12-13 points beyond the fight for the podium.

Representing Spain, Olivia Smart & Adria Diaz earned a personal best score of 64.34 in their Grand Prix debut. Americans Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker followed with 63.10. The 2017 world junior silver medalists, Russians Alla Loboda & Pavel Drozd, scored 62.60 in their Grand Prix debut.

Free Dance: Virtue & Moir struck gold and won their seventh Skate Canada title. The reigning world champions earned level 4 for their fast-moving twizzles, spin, and three spectacular lifts that maxed out the GOEs with all +3 marks. Their program components scores had 14 individual marks of 10.00 for a total of 58.70 out of a possible 60 points.

Virtue wore a new, sleek burgundy dress and Moir wore charcoal as they passionately portrayed their Moulin Rouge characters throughout the dramatic performance that scored 117.18. Their final score of 199.86 was the highest ever ice dance total. With level 3 step sequences, though, they still have room for that score to grow.

After the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, Virtue & Moir left competitive skating. Last season, the couple returned and won every national and ISU international event that they entered.

Previously at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, the team won gold. In Sochi, they won silver. They are now aiming for their third Olympics. So what is different in this run for the Games?

“There is a strange sense of calm in our training,” Virtue said. “We’ve created the training environment and the team that we want. We’ve been executing our plan pretty perfectly for where we want to be physically and mentally. So what feels different right now is that kind of serenity and an understanding of the process in a deeper and more meaningful way.”

Weaver & Poje arrived in Regina with new music, choreography, and costumes. After skating their “Spartacus” program in Montreal at the Autumn Classic International, they felt something was missing. Their coach, Nikolai Morozov, suggested that they dust off their 2011-12 favorite, “Je Suis Malade.”

Six seasons had passed since they placed fourth at the 2012 World Championships in Nice with the French ballad. There were new rules, additional elements – choreographic lift and spin – and an old costume, which needed to be replaced.

The 2014 World silver medalists made the adjustment smoothly. The twizzles, spin, lifts, and diagonal step sequence earned level 4; the circular footwork was level 3. Just as the Americans had a -1.00 deduction in the SD that cost them a placement, Weaver & Poje were hit with a similar penalty for an extended lift in the free dance, for the rotational lift that had an awkward setup and, thus, traveled slowly. It was déjà vu, and they placed third in the segment. The total of 190.01 was enough for them to claim the silver medal by a .58-point margin.

Hubbell & Donohue were second in the free dance and third overall. Their blues program to the instrumental “Across the Sky” by Rag N’ Bone Man, and “Caught Out in the Rain” by Beth Hart brought steamy, sensual vibes to the arena.

The judges gave the 2014 Four Continents champions all +2 and +3 GOEs; the spectacular in-sync twizzles earned a +3 from eight of nine judges. Their overall TES was only one point lower than Virtue & Moir. The program received 113.35; Hubbell & Donohue’s total was 189.43. Both marks were personal best scores.

A 25-point gap separated the podium from fourth place.

The free dance resulted in a final placement shuffle for the fourth, fifth, and sixth teams.

Hawayek & Baker moved up a spot after a fourth-place dance to Liszt’s “Liebestraum” (165.20), now in its second season. Loboda & Drozd also stepped up a notch with their fifth-place Chicago program (155.72). Smart & Diaz slipped down to sixth after a twizzle error in their seventh-place dance to “It’s a Man’s World” and “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” (154.81).

Cup of China is the next Grand Prix Series event and will take place November 3-5.

ICE CHIPS 

• Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir broke two ice dance records at 2017 Skate Canada.
• Jean-Luc Baker’s mother, Sharon Jones Baker, represented Great Britain in ice dance at 1986 Skate Canada, the last time it was held in Regina. She was back in Regina again to cheer on her son.