#they were doing the seasons curve lift before vm?

[sunskate]

Kaitlin & Jean-Luc as juniors - they were SO good! this is their 2nd event together, JGP Chemnitz in Germany, when they'd been together for all of 4 months - the glide, the edges, the dance ability, the cheekiness and flair are all there, especially in the short - she was 15, he had just turned 19 a few days before - they won silver, behind Stepanova/Bukin

[macaroni-rascal]

This is a genuine question but what’s up with Fabbri Guinard and always copying VM’s lifts? First the farrucas lift and now the Carmen/MR rotational lift (you know the one) and the come what may lift. They never do it with the pizzazz that VM are able to do it, so they just end up looking so awkward. Why then?

It's not exclusive to F/G, many teams have done V/M lifts, or lifts that V/M made popular/did really well. Countless teams have the done the hip hip chin chin rotational lift, lots of teams have done the season curve lift, etc. I could think of more but I woke up from a nap 25 minutes ago and things are fuzzy.

The fact of the matter is that Virtue and Moir were the best lifters in the business and no one, in my opinion, has come close to them, so anyone doing a lift they've done before, whether V/M were the first to do that lift or not, aren't going to do it as well as Tessa and Scott did it. Just the way it is.

[saucylittlesmile]

Anonymous said:

Taking it way back with this ask: Do you remember the scoring during their Worlds 2013 FD? They were marked down to level 3s in two elements, per the video commentary. I've been watching and reading articles about the 2012-2013 season recently but haven't found many reputable blogs/opinions on that season. Also, do you think that they could have done anything that season to beat DW or were things already staking up against them?

Oh, it’s been a long time since I looked back at the scoring for this event, aside from some generalized memories.  I can’t say it’s good for my “they wuz robbed” mentality.  ;)  And actually, I’m not sure that I’ve ever really broken down the scores for these programs to see where the exact differences occurred; I guess it was before I started doing that, and have never gone back to do so.

So, obviously, the pics above show the protocols for DW and VM from the Worlds 2013 free dance.  The most important thing to note here is that they had identical base scores, technically, and yet DW won the free dance by over a point.  A point was a lot at the time, because the difference was all GOE and PCS (with the new -5/+5 GOE spread, of course a point is nothing anymore, regardless of tech).  

Both teams received their level 3s on their step sequences and level 4s on all the other elements (except their choreographic lift, which is always scored as a level 1).  They also had identical GOE on their twizzles (this surprised me), and their choreographic lifts.  DW had the higher GOE in the spin, the curve lift, and in both step sequences (that hurts, are you kidding me?).  

VM had a combination lift (straight line + rotational) and a rotational lift; DW had short lifts, a straight line and two rotational lifts.  No matter how these lifts are compared, VM’s short rotational lift (yes, aka cunniliftus) won the GOE; however, depending on which short rotational lift gets lumped in with the straight line lift, for comparison’s sake, makes a difference; one version means that VM had the upper hand, the other version results in a tie.  In any case, in the lifts other than the curve, VM had the advantage as an overall.

In PCS, the difference was less than a half point, in DW’s favour.  Given the range of possible scores and the number of categories, of course, this is not much; but my personal belief that VM are the better skaters (even if I remove elements from the equation), this is also a blow.  The actually managed to tie in linking footwork/movement,performance, and interpretation/timing.  DW otherwise came out on top in skating skills and choreography.  (Ouch.)

The only visible error (aka, us commoners, without various angles to replay) was that Tessa’s leg came down during the twizzle exit, sooner than intended - never mind that it was still more of a running edge out of that twizzle than we’ve ever witnessed before or since - both of them stopping at the same time, on one foot without a foot down, to the music! - still the most impressive exit to a twizzle I’ve ever seen.  The slight error didn’t impact the technical score and the GOE for the twizzles was the same for both teams.  The score differences were elsewhere, and can be chalked up to ‘personal preference’.  

Or, ‘momentum’, that dreaded figure skating word.  The word that seems to be synonymous with ‘pre-judging’ or ‘I increased my tech so my PCS goes up’ or ‘I did well before so now I still do, at least according to the scores’. I’ve discussed before that there seemed to be a lot of ill-will following VM’s 2012 Worlds win with Funny Face over DW’s audience-friendly Die Fledermaus, and it’s possible that the grumbling about it gave DW an advantage in the 2012/2013 season, as some might have wanted to ‘right a wrong’, shall we say.  VM did have some error issues early in the season, as they (as usual) had ambitious programs and needed more time to master them (DW tended to come out of the gate with the same level of program that they continued to have all season).  

And of course, there was the 4CC debacle, something I’ve also discussed before - although VM had (finally) won the short program over DW in that event, and up until their pause in the FD, were doing well and theoretically on the path to gold, that pause created a stir in the skating world.  Despite the fact that it was within the rules at the time, and despite the fact that two other teams also used a pause in their program that season, it was VM who were at the center of the controversy surrounding it, as people seemed think they were taking advantage of it or using it to ‘take a break’ (which is so ridiculous I cannot even express it).  I think that 4CC really swung that momentum in DW’s favour; at that point, it didn’t seem to matter if they were considered equally in terms of content; all subjective scores, or nearly all, were decidedly DW.  

Of course, we didn’t take into consideration the SD at Worlds that year, which (apparently) did have a twizzle error from Tessa (I did try to look at it myself a long time back but was quite inconclusive about it).  But regardless, this post is about the FD, and their loss at that part of the competition, rather than the overall.

[ntmists]

vm prince??? jk i know what your answer will be 😂 pls still do that one if you want hahah but i’ll give you a couple others too: vm sympathy for the devil, vm funny face, shibs paradise, hd......r&j

vm prince:

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / i have decided to stan forever / i may not be able to do it for myself but i’ll always do it for the prince sd

what do you think my answer will be?! 😂 that this short dance conceived me, birthed me, raised me as one of their own? that tessa’s game face before the program starts makes me ptfo? that whenever i hear kiss’s opening strums and that UGH! anywhere i bang my head as if i have a flow? that the dald no touch died so this could be immortal? that the point during “i’ll show you what it’s all about” is a gunshot to a judge’s head? that scott’s control in using a besti as transition has me in a chokehold? that scott and tessa are the only team to no hand the 3 turn and therefore are the only team ever? they could’ve rested on laurels and brought out old standbys but no - they debuted a new curve lift that progresses throughout the season, by inches and centimeters, until it’s become signature v/m, and this strive for excellence is what truly separates them from the pack. this is the superbowl tribute prince deserved!! petition for midnight blues to be renamed moirnight virtues, and to quote besp, fifteen seconds into worlds: THEY’VE WON IT ALREADY IT BEING MY HEART

vm sympathy for the devil:

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / i have decided to stan forever / made me feel grown

disclaimer: every vm program is gonna get an i have decided to stan forever but not gonna lie i had to think about this one….i think it may be because of the pattern. their edgework is always spectacular for gravity is their best friend but we’ve also seen them do rhumba thrice in their senior career (SO FAR) when there are other patterns in they haven’t got to do that i’d rather see (turning silver samba into golden for example). that being said, i appreciate them so much for choosing music selections from the auntie and uncle rock stations over a sea of despacitos and i’m sure we thank them all for the choreographic ticks that spices up this program. it’s not even the neck kiss face caress combo heard all over the world: i’m talking about the ina bauer samba rolls, the partial step sequence in the above gif that dares judges not to put them first, how perfectly the rotational lift fits with oye como’s beats. still - ”we don’t remember pyeongchang short dance choreo” translates to “rhumba lives don’t matter” and frankly i agree

vm funny face:

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / i have decided to stan forever / if you want a broadway pattern isu it’s right here

here’s the thing. if this free dance we’re from any other team, it would be their best free dance. but this is v/m and we all know they operate on another level so i understand why it’s lower-tiered among everyone’s ranks, especially when it’s in between brilliant incredible hip hip chin chin and amazing show stopping carmen. i still like it a lot because it’s another notch to their versatility portfolio and if this were on the hands of a different team it may come off as cheesy but tessa and scott are just the right amount of cheeky here hehe; i miss their combination lifts and the straight line rotational combo at the end is one of my faves, and the s’wonderful step sequence subtly takes my breath away it’s so lovely to watch i love their holds and as usual they leave no music note untouched….so i guess this is me coming out as a funny face apologist

shibs paradise:

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / i have decided to stan forever

if we’re ranking the trilogy fds i’d put this after fix you and before evolution; i really liked this fd a lot but i wasn’t completely sold on it at first because they were struggling on both elements and interpretation during the season? but BOY did they come through when it mattered the most (aka the olympics individual event we love our silver bronze medalists); everyone talks about shib twizzles and rightfully so they are truly the best in that element but! look at this stationary lift level 4 tho: look at how solid alex is and how maia extends her arms and points her toes….i miss them and i want them to be the first ice dance gold medalists from the usa :)

hd….r&j?

leaving you with this it’s what you deserve

[chelsanitys]

So it sounds like you're stanning Stepanova/Bukin this season? what would you say their best and worst qualities are?

i wouldn’t say i’m stanning step/buk? i’d say that my natural instinct is to root against pc because i don’t want them to end their career with ten world titles. so that, combined with the freshness and ingenuity of s/b’s fd, has created the perfect conditions for me to root for a team i normally wouldn’t root for

as for best/worst qualities, i think worst is pretty well documented. sasha….is not really a good skater lol. she has improved a lot in the past few years, but she still has no knee bend, and long coltish limbs that don’t always extend. as a team, i think their biggest flaw is that they’re sloppy. they don’t have a lot of polish or refinement. the exits of their lifts are messy, the arms don’t always match in synchronized elements, the lines aren’t always clean. it’s the tiny details that they miss, but those are the crucial things that complete the picture and separate champions from everyone else. also, i think they have a lot of chemistry, but they don’t always capitalize on it. the rostelecom performance of their fd left me a little cold and it took me a while to realize why. and i think it’s because they are extremely external skaters - they are always mugging at the judges and performing for the judges. often, they will make direct eye contact with them. which is fine, for certain programs. but i really think this particular fd could benefit from a more intimate mood between them. for example, they do a curve lift early in the fd where her legs are wrapped around his waist and its very remniscient of the lift at the end of vm’s carmen. the difference is that scott was always looking at tessa during carmen, and focused on her, and focused on maintaining the energy and connection between them. at rostelecom, ivan was literally like smirking and making eye contact with the judges during that lift, while sasha had her groin pressed to his and was writhing around on his waist with her sex face. i think for this fd to peak, they need to hone in between them a little more, and make sure the sensuality feels more genuine and not a performative gimmick, which is what it seems like when they keep mugging at the judges.

as for best qualities……idk, i think they just have energy i like. someone said on twitter that they always look like they smell murder right before they skate, and that really sums them up imo. i can’t think of any other team that so fully commits to a program like they do. like you know they want it, you can feel their drive and their fire lighting them up from the inside. i don’t know if it’s because they beat pc at junoir worlds in 2013 only to watch them skyrocket to multiple world titles and an olympic medal while they languished in russia behind mediocre teams, or if it’s because they were banned from olympics last season because of [redacted]. they’ve had setback after setback and i think they can feel in the wind that now is their time, and they’re refusing to let it slip away so they skate with a fierceness and a vigor i don’t think a lot of other teams do. also, that fd this year really is just *chefs kiss*. like its the perfect antidote to the airy-fairy gadbois style, and i think it’s also the formation of an artistic vision and identity that seems authentic to who they are, and is a stark contrast to their rivals. they feel like the right team for the right moment, when the marie-france style is maybe starting to feel a little stale, and pc might be under pressure to show a little of their own versatility this season. they’re like pc were in 2014 - something different and a breath of fresh air

[the-poutine-routine]

Have you talked much about Valse Triste? Could be fun to go back to their first senior fd!

Ok… let’s do this *cracks knuckles* *plays vm spotify playlist*

Hi anon! I mean I’ve mentioned Valse Triste I think...? But never have I ranted about it in great detail, so... um yeah... I guess I’ll do that now.

Overall thoughts:

I think as a whole Valse Triste was super fitting to who Tessa and Scott were as skaters at the time. The music had both a sense of levity and of maturity that matched the situation of being a couple of kids thrown into a competition with a whole bunch of seasoned ice dancers. I guess the main thing that stood out to me as they performed was- to steal one of the commentators’ phrasing- how automatic they look. Even after skating together for only ten years (I know, it’s such a short amount of time), they fall into hold together so easily, they always know where the other is on the ice. Moreover, they look so prepared, they go through all the elements so smoothly and precisely as if they never have to even think about what’s coming next. 

They look like they have something to prove.

So I love Valse Triste, it’s probably one of my favorite programs of theirs (that’s a lie, they’re all my favorites). I guess I see it as almost a pre-cursor to Mahler. It has the same sort of mood that I can’t quite find the words for right now... a brightness and joyfulness but with the faintest undertones of melancholy (damn, I sound like a pretentious asshole). 

It’s almost like with Mahler they’re just a couple of kids dancing, showing the world what they’ve got; while with Valse Triste they’re just a couple of kids dancing, showing the world that they have something to give.

Initial notes on the limitations of my analysis: 

Normally I like to give my overall thoughts (see above) at the end of these nonsensical rants, but this got insanely long and in depth (and illustrated) so I’m adding a break.

ALSO, normally when I’m doing analyses it’s from a specific competition and I’m comparing vm’s scores to another team, however, with this one, I’m not really out here arguing that Tessa and Scott were lowballed, so more than anything, I’m comparing them to themselves at present. I’m not saying that they were better or worse at any given time (although obviously Valse Triste was more than ten years ago, so they did make a lot of improvements from them until 2018...)

And, as always, I am no ice dance expert so everything that I say may or may not be complete and utter bullshit.

Oh, one last thing! I get super in depth about the program and all its elements yadda yadda, but then I have a blurb about why IJS isn’t that great of a judging system at the end so that might be worth while to read even if you don’t care about the rest of my rambling soooo yeah...

Ok hi! Hope you’re doing well!

Anywho, here’s the video that I watched. I used Worlds because, in theory, that should be their best skate / the best representation of the program as a whole. 

Ok, so here’s the protocol:

The judging, base values, component scoring, etc. have all obviously changed quite a bit since 2007, however I’m too lazy to re-learn IJS based on the 2007 system, so we’re just going to have to make do with my knowledge of the 2018 system. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Technical Element Scores (aka me blabbering incoherently because I wrote this part after doing PCS and my brain no longer wants to be organized):

The first thing I noticed about the TES when looking at the protocol was that while vm got everything called (because they’re freaking legends. Oh my god.), they didn’t have super great GOEs. I guess this kind of makes sense, particularly in the lifts you can kind of see them setting up for them rather than letting them flow with the program.

I think to give this entire shit show of a post a bit more organization, I’m going to break each element down by type and give some quick, spur-of-the-moment, rapid-fire thoughts. Kapeesh? 

Lifts:

I think it’s interesting how accurate of a representations Tessa and Scott’s lifts can be to the timeline of their career. The lifts in Valse Triste are all very low to the ground. Tessa has her head almost touching the ice in the straight-line lift, for example.

While the strength and balance needed to execute the lift are very obvious from looking at it, it’s not big or reaching outward like good ol’ cunniliftus or the curved lift from Prince and Moulin Rouge do. However, this isn’t a bad thing, it’s actually more fitting with the program and with who they were as skaters at the time. While they were spectacular ice dancers even back then, they also were just a couple of kids. Having huge lifts in this particular program probably would not only not fit musically, but also almost make it seem as if vm were trying too hard... if that makes sense? (Sorry, it sounds like I’m throwing shade, I promise I’m not, I really do like the lifts and think they’re perfect given the program).

Step Sequences:

Although this isn’t necessarily a technical attribute, I guess what stood out to me most about the step sequences were their confidence. They execute each turn so exactly, there’s no long drawn out edge going into them, every thing about the step sequences ooze self-assuredness, sort of like they’re saying “We’ve practiced this ten trillion times. We know what we’re doing. We’ve got this.”

Spin:

Honestly, I don’t have all that much to comment on this. A spin is a spin is a spin. What I notice more than the spin itself is the transition into and out of it, how quickly they execute it, and the speed with which they move out of it. 

Twizzles:

Again, not much to say here... they’re twizzles... Scott does get a bit off on the second one but somehow manages to save it and come out at the same time as Tessa which is pretty amazing hehehe. 

Program Component Scores:

Obviously, little baby 2007 Tessa and Scott had a bit of work to do before they became the Ultimate Ice Dancers Supreme™ that they are now, so there component scores were all in the 6-7 range (which is still pretty darn respectable), rather than maxing out in the 9-10 range like they did (crying that I have to use past-tense) in their later career.

Skating Skills:

Honestly, they’re fine? I mean yes they’re very good, but they still do have some work to do. I don’t know… they have very good edges and extensions as per usual, but they do seem to lack a bit of the up-and-down smooth knee bend movement that is super representative of Canadian skating and that they have boatloads of later on in their career. On a bit of a tangent, however, areas in which they do need to improve their skating skills almost lend themselves well to the program (the power of negative space, eh?). They add to the sense of innocence and youth of the program? As in as much as I love the Valse Triste, I think a lot of its meaning and pizzazz would not at all be fitting to a present day vm. 

Linking Footwork / Movement:

So I’m going to equate this to the part of the score that’s now called “Transitions” because… yeah… I just am, I’m assuming it’s more or less the same thing. The transitions were actually one of the main things I noticed upon my re-watching of this program. I don’t want to say that their transitions were simpler than they are now, per se, as that makes it seem like they were bad back in the Valse Triste days, but they kind of were… simpler. Rather than using turns and footwork to link together elements, Valse Triste more used crossovers, mini lift-like moves (Tessa looping a leg over Scott, etc.)

 and body movements to move from one element to the next. Now, in some ways, this is nice- especially as someone who is not an expert on every. single. ice. dance. element. (particularly those from 2007)- as it really accentuated … oop, writing pause, Come What May just came on and I need to take a sec to look forlornly into the distance … OK SO it really accentuated where each element ended and another began. However, if we’re thinking about flow, which is something that every program really should have, more full? (that’s a weird word, I know) transitions help the more modern vm programs to seem a lot more cohesive than much of their earlier work.

Choreography:

I know that technically on the protocol sheet, “Performance” comes before “Choreography” ties in to what I just blabbered about regarding transitions so… Ok so yeah, not going to lie to y’all, I’m not really a huge fan of Marina-esque choreography. She uses a lot of hops (brief side note: apparently vm got criticism for using hops to pick up speed, but this was literally part of the choreo. What gives?) and pauses as transitions which not only breaks up the elements and takes away from the cohesiveness of the program as a whole, but also doesn’t always make sense given programs with particularly um… ethereal… music, such as Valse Triste, or Mahler, or Seasons. 

That being said, something that the choreography does do very well, is being matched appropriately with the music. Although some of this obviously plays into the “Musical Interpretation / Timing” score, the fact that specific body movements or elements were chosen to go at certain points in the program as the mood and temp of the music evolves is very telling of a well-choreographed program. A prime example of this is how the circle step sequence (starting here) is set to a much more lively piece of the music, which makes sense choreographically as they are required to complete multiple turns in quick succession. 

Performance & Interpretation / Timing:

So, I’m just going to lump these two together because I’m lazy, because I can, and for reasons that I’ll explain in a hot sec. As always, I think Tessa and Scott did a stellar job of performing this program. Something that they excel at more than probably any other team ever…? is portraying characters and I think this program is a prime example of that. They make use of every body movement and ensure that everything is timed perfectly with even the smallest accent in the music. 

Ok so sort of a choppy transition here, but in skating, I am kind of a huge fan of facial expressions (which doesn’t necessarily make sense, as I’m totally one of those people who will beat someone up if they say that figure skating isn’t a sport, but that’s besides the point). The video is not the best quality because like… 2007… but even without being able to see specific minute details of either of their faces, you can tell that they are emoting. For example…

…here you can sort of see their faces and what they’re doing with them which is great, obvs, but more than that you can almost tell the emotion that they are feeling / portraying from their extensions and from their overall body language / movement. They really emote through their entire beings which is a skill that many ice dance teams don’t even come close to doing.

The limitations of IJS:

That hot sec that I mentioned in why I lumped Interpretation and Performance together? That one? Yeah, that hot sec is right now. 

Ok, so, one of the things I struggled with in trying to separate out each specific program component to look at is that any skating program is meant to be viewed as an entire entity. Yes, there are individual elements and individual components that all make up the program, but any skater and choreographer worth their salt (is that a saying? I don’t know) will try to add some sense of musicality and flow to a program, whether it be through having a storyline for the program or simply having certain movements that tie everything in the program up in a neat package from beginning to end. 

This being the case, it’s really hard to look at a program and parse out which movements are part of choreography, what pieces are thought up by the skater themself as part of the performance, etc. So… yeah it was hard. 

Another thing to note is that judging bias is a real thing. In this case I don’t think any biases necessarily came from judges being paid off or playing favorites or anything, but simply due to expectations. It’s not even anything to do with vm themselves, but with every newer senior team. First of all, when a team is placed higher in world rankings, they will skate in a later group at Worlds. This means that in the later groups there is a much higher expectation for the teams to do better and thus when a newer / lower ranked team is particularly good, the judges might be blindsided a bit and not give them that high a score simply because they did not expect that team to be good and consequentially do not see them as good (psychology, anyone?).

Another result of being in an earlier group is that the judges and tech panel aren’t going to want start right off the bat by giving all +3 GOEs and 10.00 component scores. There needs to be somewhere for the scores to go throughout the competition. So pretty much the earlier teams might be scored particularly harshly as they are pretty much setting the bar and being a baseline off of which all the other teams are going to be judged for the rest of the competition. (I mean technically, teams aren’t supposed to be compared to one another but like………)

Wow wow wow ok you made it! Yup, that was very long and probably made no sense and had like twenty different moods because I skipped around while writing it, but maybe you thought it was worth the twelve hours it took you to get through it? Probably not...

Anyway, thank you so much anon for inspiring my ranting :) 

[sunskate]

GP 🇫🇷 FD- omg Hannah and Ye 😭 that was beautiful - emotionally they're going deeper, not a false note - i hope they keep killing it and being rewarded so we can keep seeing them happy and hear that ahahehe laugh of hers

Olivia and Tim had some mistakes today, but i don't care lol she said in an interview earlier in the season that her turns weren't clean in practice right before that competition, but they were going for the expression first and then refining - the fine tuning and conditioning will come over time - they're still running out of energy at the very end of the FD. but i do love watching her- her OFt is huge, she makes the position changes in the serpentine lift look languid. he's a good lifter

Dupayage/Nabais had a twizzle issue and lost a couple spin levels, but i still really like this oddball program

lol the way Mark rolls the r in Corpse Brrride is great. he brought up VM twice today

L/LeG - so nerve-wracking 😨 watching that torn piece of her dress flying long and loose - glad they made it through without snagging it. this program works so well for them. and we got a slightly different angle on how she's holding herself up at the end

CPom look beautiful, and the program is gorgeous - Christina's getting so good, a bit more extension in places, keeping her frame open (idk what you call that- in that little clip of VM coaching Shoma they talk about this) esp when she faints or swoons across him would elevate this even more. i wish that lovely Sui/Han spin position started about 3 beats later with the swell of the music. Anthony looked so steady this time on that curve lift when he's on one foot. i don't totally get the other curve lift where he hoists her on his shoulder and then swings her back again

i love this program- there are great touches in the storytelling like at the end of the twizzles when he grabs her wrists, and swooshes her around in a lunge- like he has her more in his web from then - i want them to rise further with this FD, i hope it gets even more ferocious, more dreamy, or both

the US judge had them in 4th behind L/LeG in the FD (and L/B in 6th wha?) and gave McN/S a far bigger push 🤷🏻‍♀️

the camera work at this event - whyyy lol we don't need to see CPom's twizzles from foot level way across the rink and traveling away - don't be arty, just show us the skaters. why change cameras mid-twizzles for L/B

L/B are lovely skaters - i wish she'd fully extend her legs in the RoLi and ChLi - her dress is simple and elegant and perfect for her and this program; i like that his shirt isn't matchy matchy. the fact that i'm focused on the costumes probably means i wasn't totally caught up in the program this time

Lolo and Nik! i was glued to this program - he looks downright balletic in the twizzles, more emotional - the heightened music is bringing out good things, they're so invested. and she's amazing. this one made me 😭

and G/F- respect but not love is my general reaction to them. i wish it was more

[sunskate]

When people say Christina’s skating was technically weak before moving to IAMO, could you provide some examples of what that looked like or means or explain what has changed? My “goal” for the season is to get better at understanding the technicality of ice dance :)

i'd love someone who can be more technically detailed chime in on this question, but i watched this video of them skating Farrucas at Lake Placid in 2019, which was the first time i saw them live - and omg how they've grown

back then, they were doing types of lifts where he does a lot of the work- he's lifting and spinning her. many places you can see he's pulling or pushing her, and their speed is determined by how fast she can go. you can tell he could go faster. the video quality isn't great, but sometimes you can see the mark their skates make on the ice, and she's kicking up snow on some turns. she's not as deeply or smoothly curving into the ice as now.

i'm not saying any of this to criticize - Igor favors his male skaters and underestimates his female skaters. in a TSL interview he was asked to talk about VM and DW, and he didn't say a word about Tessa or Meryl, just talked about how good Scott and Charlie were - if he treated female Olympic gold medalist dancers like this, you can imagine what teen Christina's experience in that camp might have been

anyway, her performance quality- in 2019 she has less control over her limbs and her carriage isn't as open as now. the intentional quality all the way through movements isn't there yet

2023 Christina has face, she uses her upper body beautifully and expressively, her skating has more flow and glide, and she's SO strong - their handstand lift would be unimaginable for 2019 Christina. and most of all, she looks more confident and like her skating is personal - i know that's not technical, but it makes a big difference in how performances feel. their RD depends on feeling free

[macaroni-rascal]

Waxing poetic idea: virtuosity

First of all, what a concept for a waxing poetic, we love the pun, we love it all. Second of all, I have no idea just how long this has been sitting in my inbox, but better late than never, I suppose!

When I think virtuosity I generally think about music, so for the purposes of this post, I am going to focus on how Virtue and Moir are masters of musicality, as I can make a separate post about their general talent and skating skills.  

I truly believe that Tessa and Scott were (and continue to be) the most musically inclined ice dance team ever. It’s nothing new, but Paul MacIntosh their old coach has spoken before saying there as just something natural about them and their ear for music, Tracy Wilson commented on them  as juniors and early in senior as a team that really listened to their music and that they used their edges and knee bend to match the rhythm of the dance, etc. It was obvious that this team just had a certain ability and flow that went above and beyond what had been previously seen in the sport. 

They were ice dancing to music, not figure skating to background noise.

There was always an impression that music meant a lot to them, and the emotional connection they felt to music was very important, the program they hated the most (Malaguena) was because they didn’t chose it themselves, and the program they had the most trouble with emotionally (The Seasons) was because they also couldn’t form a connection and tried to force something. The stunning thing about Tessa and Scott’s skating is that nothing ever looks forced, it all seems to be placed and done to maximize their ability, the music, and the art of figure skating. So, cmplpete with hyperlinks as well as gif credit, lets get into it.

I say that Valse Triste is one of my favourite free dance of theirs, but I don’t think people get just how much. In terms of how much a song can be elevated by movement, VM did everything correct with Vale Triste. 

This perfect moment in the beginning where the music is drawn out and sweeping and so their movements match perfectly, I just love the ina bauer moment right on that first long violin sound, followed by Tessa’s nice deep long edge and then another sweeping movement. Also, the last lift directly on the crescendo of the music, when Tessa raises her hands into the air when the silence holds, and then again, that lovely piece of silence  while Tessa is balancing on Scott and his squat. Then the last moment with Scott’s arms and the violin again... All of this matches the music so well, it very much feels like they had this choreographed already, and then Jean Sibelius wrote Valse Triste for them. So stunning.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg was just a piece of mastery in terms of hitting musical highlights. The first lift was so effective, all the of the step sequences were musical and lilting and joyous. I also love the moment in this gif, the abandon in their movements echoes the abandon in the song as Catherine Deneuve sings “je ne peux pas, je ne peux pas” and it really does feel like they can’t help but move this way. I don’t need to understand French to feel it, they made the movement match the music so well that it becomes universal. Special shout out to the fucking stunning backwards inside edge they both hit as they go around the corner. *chefs kiss*

What I also love about their virtuosity and their musicality is that they never really settled. They picked a very difficult piece of music for the Olympic year because it was the only music they felt any connection with. It was a hard program because they really took time to highlight the music, and the accents are quick and staccato. What’s stunning, is that I think anyone who watches/knows vm can perfectly hear the music that should be playing over the gif, and nothing else COULD be playing. So often, especially recently, I watch  ice dance programs if feels like any generic music could be on and it wouldn’t change much. Tessa and Scott could never. Every movement and every moment is deliberate and on theme.

Tessa and Scott’s dance holds are a literal thing of beauty and should be studied. That doesn’t have much to do with what I am writing about currently, but I thought it needed to be said. Nights and Days is an all time favourite programs. We love a wango. I love the opening especially and how they go from a nice easy arm movement to two quick poses, then Tessa’s moment with that leg and giving that face, that hit the opening notes so well, only to have the music really begin with their leg kicks.

Let’s talk about how a waltz goes counterclock wise on a dance floor and is quick-quick-slow and Tessa and Scott started their program going counter clock wise around the rink, and having their movement begin slow-quick quick, slow-quick quick...because I’m never not thinking about it

There are so many moments in their free dance to Hip Hip Chin Chin that I desperately love and that I have yet to see gifs of it. Besides the stellar and iconic opening footwork, the coolest twizzles (accenting the drums with their transition into each twizzle), and some very cool lifts (I mean, hello temptation lift), I love the step sequences and the transitions in this program so much. Some favs include:

Tessa’s booty pop to the drums and her arm on “rhythm”

Tossing Scott and a literal hip hip chin chin

Hitting twizzles and free legs on beat

Tessa just in this moment and her arms

The “I can’t resist” moment and the silence as they just pull in on beat, throw their hand up on beat, and hug on the ice sensually 

That little kick they do in the step sequence right on the double beat

Anyway, that program is a fucking wonder and the fact they only did it once fully in competition is a small tragedy.

Tessa’s twizzle from the Waltz goes on right on that stunning lick of effervescent music lives rent free in my head and will until I die.

As does the extension and flair Tessa gets in this one small hand and arm movement. More character in this tiny little one second gif of carmen than in the entirety of Davis and White’s Notre-Damn that year, quote me.

Carmen, in and of itself, is so fascinating and intricate from a music standpoint, they hit all the moments so well. Tessa’s second leap into the air on the curve lift, the ending pose for the  twizzles, that rad as hell and incredibly difficult transition where Scott all but throws Tessa face first into the ice and she lands in a sort of lunge that took all season to perfect. I could go on.

I truly am, one day, going to make a post about Dream a Little Dream and how it is the best short dance program ever performed. In terms of virtuosity it is unmatched. Again, it is that type of program where you can so easily hear the music playing the background because everything just...fits. I can hear Ella crooning “stars shining bright aboooove you” as Tessa rounds around Scott and his arms flow along with the melody. I also love the moment with “sycamore tree” and the transition there. Shout out also having the solo lady twizzle in the finnstep right on the boom of the music. There are too many moments to count. The whole program is magic.

Another special shout out to the latch step sequences and especially how they changed the diagonal step so that Tessa’s double twizzle hit right on the music and created such a moment. I also love the straight line lift and how with the changes made so it was timed perfectly to be in a moment of silence between lyrics. Tessa and Scott know how to use the moments of silence and stillness just as much as they know how to use the moments of intensity and attack.

Moment of appreciation for the guitar lick during the rumba where they kick in as they get that chocktaw key point before the inside 3-turns. Iconic behavior.

What I love is that they dig deep into their music, really listen, and really try and make their movements and their program not only match the music, but elevate the music to the point where you hear things you maybe didn’t before because it never got highlight in that way before. 

I love that they aren’t afraid to not only hit the big, in your face “rooooxaNNE” moment, but it’s that they chose to put it at the end of their twizzle sequence which needs perfect timing, perfect synchronicity, and perfect attack. Not to mention, the amazing head-head moment with the violin right after. But then! It’s not just the end of the twizzle sequence, because they also accent the music every where in between because the first set is on beat to the music as is the second set which leads into their arm transition in character and then we get the big moment. With Tessa and Scott, their musicality is such that they create these little micro pockets of moments amidst one giant moment that is their full program; because the twizzles fit perfectly in the program, but the twizzles also stand alone as their own moment of tension and release -- just magnificent.

Off topic, but gosh it always amazes me just how fast they are going into and through this lift. As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s not just the big accents they are hitting, but the small ones as well. It took me half the season to realize there is a lovely little piano lick right as Tessa backflips and rises up into position, just as the music is rising along with her and once again, it just feels right.  No other teams owns the ice and owns their music quite like them. Because it’s not just that they are so musical, its that they have the ability to skate to all of these different types of music, and look at home in every single one. In that, they are objectively unparalleled.

When Tessa and Scott skate, it almost feels like the music is asking them to create something, and is ultimately grateful for them doing so.

[macaroni-rascal]

what do you think is VM’s worst (relative to the rest at least) program? can we get a mini wax poetic about why it’s worse lol

This is so fun, I can’t stand it. Easiest answer ever:

Won’t You Charleston With Me.

I decided to just choose from their senior career, but even if I was looking at their senior and junior career (the whole Malagueña thing), this program would still come out on the bottom, for a few reasons:

Lack of flow, lack of speed, lack of training time, awkward looking lifts.

However, there are a couple really cool moments that I will always love from this program, and be forever sad they didn’t have the time to make it something super special, because you know they would have killed this program from start to finish.

They do start quite strong in the program, the first little bit with the fast music is fun and has the two best parts of the program back to back, when they mug the judges like the icons they are, and I do love the quick footwork leading up to that part too:

And also the little hop they do in close hold:

Both are lovely little moments that make you think the program is going to maintain that energy and speed, but alas, it does not.

The no touch midline is quite slow, and while it does have some nice little musical touches, it doesn’t have the pop or attack they’d normally have, like in dark eyes the year before, or like the iconic midline from farrucas they would have the next year.

The entrance into their spin is super cool though and I love it, I am so glad I found a gif of it: Tessa does an illusion spin while holding Scott’s hand while he does a spread eagle into ina bauer around her, right into the spin. So! Cool!

The spin, however, is just tragic.

Who allowed this to happen? This was a mistake! It always was a mistake, and I hate it so much.

I don’t like choreographed kisses, they just aren’t good. VM make it the least awkward and cringe it could possibly be...but it’s still not great. I do, however, appreciate Tessa turning her toe out.

I don’t like either of their lifts in this program either, I think they just look a little too laboured, which comes back to not enough training time, etc. The straight line lift looks like something weapo would have done two seasons ago...and that is saying something. They are definitely difficult, but not executed properly.

Like the midline, their diagonal step sequence has awesome musicality, but lacks speed, precision, and finesse. They come to an almost complete stop in the middle of their already quite slow step sequence, just for this stunning piece of transition, and again, who allowed this to happen? 

The move they are doing in their second lift so illegal, it’s hilarious. But, that’s fine because it’s not good anyway, and it lead to the creation of one of their most iconic lifts of all time, the curve lift from farrucas, so I can’t be that mad. It just wasn’t done cooking yet.

I do like that they book ended the opening and closing poses, they definitely got into the character of the dance, and there were some fun moments. I would say I have watched this the least of all of their programs and that’s just fine with me. 

[saucylittlesmile]

Do you think it was a travesty that MR didn't end up scoring higher than the French's FD?! Was it fair? Why do you think that happened? MR clearly got the bigger audience (as well as global!) reaction and was the more powerfully executed program imo. Just mind boggling that a masterpiece like MR didn't score the highest. Thank God they won gold. Also, do you know who the Eurosport commentators are? Love their VM commentary & they're clearly fans since early on. Would love VM interview with them.

::acknowledgement that I am biased, have always been biased, will always be biased regarding VM’s skating: I think they are the best in terms of artistry and technique and marrying the two together and so my answers reflect said bias, which I also then tend to think is completely justified::

I pretty much always think that VM should win.  For as long as I’ve been a fan, I tend to see their programs as being difficult enough and well executed enough that even if they make an error, I think they can still deserve to win, because everything else is so well done (kind of like, when skater falls on a jump but still pulls off the win... it’s not always pretty, but if it’s Patrick or Yuzu, the argument can certainly be made that they still deserved it).  

The audience reaction may have an effect on the judges, but it mostly shouldn’t and often doesn’t.  (VM’s Funny Face never got quite the reaction that DW’s Die Fleidermaus did, but it did deserve and got the win; but the season before their Latin FD got a huge reaction at Worlds and was beaten by DW’’s tango.)

But, I loved MR and they executed it so well at PyeongChang - the only element in the individual program that I thought was a little less than what they were capable of, was their dance spin (it travelled more than it should have and I’m sure it affected the GOE).  It was cleanly skated technically, so sound and sure and confident; they found the balance between fiery passion in the first half (without getting a little too intense like at GPF) and tender love in the second; they never lost their focus, even as they did their curve lift and the audience went wild but they still had things to accomplish.  

I think that the bias was there that would have had PC winning gold - I won’t start in on that right now, but I feel it was fairly obvious.  If it hadn’t been for a lost level in the SD, and a little lost PCS/GOE due to their distraction from Gabi’s dress (still not enough lost, IMO - which sounds awful, but regardless, judging ought to be of whatever is happening on the ice then and there, and they were more composed than expected considering the issue, but still much more off than the marks reflected, when comparing to other skaters) - VM would have been a silver.  The FDs were not far apart in the overall score, but still on the losing side.  

But just as important as critiquing the marks for PC, is to note that VM came out and handled the pressure and delivered - they could have made silly mistakes or dropped levels, and they didn’t.  They weren’t handed the win - they came out and made sure there was no reason to say they didn’t deserve the gold.  They dared the judges not to put them first.  

Gosh, even now, so proud of them for that.  

I don’t know who the commentators were, though I think they may have changed over the years?  They tend to run hot and cool with VM, but when they’re running hot, their commentary is the best.  :)

[saucylittlesmile]

Anonymous said:Hi! I know you explained how P/C's lifts achieved level 4, but weren't that difficult for the top ice dance teams because of things like the balance or Gui's position or Gabi's position, etc. I also noticed that H/D's lifts seem a bit simple like P/C, especially their lift in the SD? Could you explain how it's able to achieve level 4? Also does it seem like H/D did more difficult lifts before going to Gadbois?

HD, of course, have the same lack of height difference that VM have, and that can make it more difficult to have intricate/acrobatic/pure strength lifts.  In some ways, the trend for the Gadbois style is probably a blessing for teams like HD/HB/etc because (if the judges aren’t playing favourites), the seamless lifts trend can make things easier on them.  

Part of why VM are able to do what they can do, despite their similarity in size, is Scott’s incredible blade control and Tessa’s incredible body control.  But if either of those (or both of those) is lacking in another team, then they aren’t going to have the same results. 

There is no team skating at their level that is doing a lift that isn't considered to be a level 4, if performed correctly. 

That said, I’ll have to go back and watch HD because I don’t study other teams the way I do VM.

***

Okay, so looking at their 2017/2018 SD curve lift - it was not a new lift for them, dating back to at least 2013/2014 (pre-Gadbois, also pre-Gadbois style trend),  though they added to the exit to fit with the rules of the season.  Sorry I don't gif.  It is in this video at about 2:32.  (x)  To achieve a level 4 in this lift, the entry is 'unexpected with little evident preparation'.  Zach achieves a difficult position (spread eagle).  Madison achieves a difficult position (cantilevered, only one point of support).  The exit has significant movement. (I didn't go back and look at the rules for this, so this is just paraphrased from memory.)

It is a simple lift.  (I always reiterate this, so I'll say it again:  simple does not always equate as easy.)  Madison, with Zach's help, steps onto his skate - achieving the 'lift' - while he is in spread eagle position.  They use several points of contact to start Madison into her position, but quickly let go, except for Zach holding onto her free leg (which also touches his side).  After the required amount of time, they move into their exit. 

Actually, this exit is a really interesting one to me, as it harkens back to a serpentine lift.  Zach puts an arm around her waist, and she steps off his foot, while her previously free leg drapes on his thigh for support.  Her (now) free leg touches the ice to complete the lift portion. Zach, meanwhile, switches from an outside edge, to an inside edge, curving in the opposite direction of the lift.  Finally, they get into an upright position, and then do a pretty, minor lift of Madison while turning, again in the opposite direction of how they were skating.

Anyway, that's the one lift.  I haven't gone back to look at other lifts with the idea of analyzing them... maybe one day.  Sorry for the bad screenshots, LOL.

[saucylittlesmile]

There has been a lot of reaction to VM's... situation this season, and I am not against talking about it.  I kept my mouth shut (or my words to myself, anyway) when I saw that various people were accusing PJ of being too supportive of PC and/or anti-VM.  Maybe I should have given my opinion then, but I didn't.  But now I see that some people are starting to badmouth Bev too?

These women have supported skaters, skating, and VM for years.  They don't deserve to maligned because they aren't doing exactly what some people wish they would.

When I first learned of PJ, it was through her live commentary on a CBC affiliate station called Bold, back in 2010.  She was doing live commentary, because that's what Bold did - literally aired it, like how we see it on a livestream now.  For hours she would talk about the performances, giving every skater her attention, giving constructive criticism when appropriate but always finding positive things to say too.  She loves this sport, and yes, she supports the skaters.  And she has given plenty of that support to VM over the years.

And Bev?  Not only has she covered VM since they were young, she writes things like this:

https://bevsmithwrites.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/something-rotten-in-the-state-of-sochi/

And before Sochi, she wrote their Skate Canada profile.  I can't get the original to open, but a little digging gives us a partial glimpse:

So what is it that they do so well that makes them the best ice dance team in the world, perhaps of all time (Robin Cousins once compared them to Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.) Well, the way their bodies move, for one thing. They stretch their bodies. One canny expert explains that they straighten their knees and point their toes, they extend their necks upward, they open their chests, using their entire bodies to interpret music. Virtue in particular has a very mobile torso and they both arch their backs to create shapes, and they involve their hips and shoulders like no one else to produce movement that the style and rhythm of dance commands. Their movement is beautifully coordinated. They complete their movements, with extended legs and arms. The tension in their bodies’ changes as the music dictates. The tension is never static. The foxtrot of the short dance this season calls for a sway – and they have a gorgeous sway – and the rise and fall of a soft knee. Says Ann Shaw, guru of international ice dance: “You’re supposed to have an elegant look, and use your knees in the foxtrot and have a syncopation of approach. [In the quickstep] they have an elegant upright, light airy look, and they have the best interpretation of the rhythms required of anybody this year. They interpret the quickstep and foxtrot like nobody else does.” Speed? It’s supposed to come from rhythmic knee action, since the rules specifically discourage excessive amounts of toe steps. This is no problem for Virtue and Moir, because, Shaw says, they are the most powerful skaters in the world. Speed is just the velocity across the ice, no matter how you get there. It is not the same as power. Some are fooled by speed, but how is it generated? Virtue and Moir have a hidden power, that comes from deep knee bends, and it allows them to float across the ice. Their stroking is so smooth and well-matched, that it appears effortless. What’s more, Virtue and Moir can vary their speed and change direction seamlessly – important in the transitions category of the program component mark and also the choreography category to some extent. They can slow to a stop, and then regain top speed in three or four strokes. The variation of speed allows for the shades and light of interpretation. They change dance holds frequently, easily, eschewing the same-direction skating that is so much easier. “Their movement from one hold to another is just like little rose petals unfolding,” Shaw said. “It’s superb. They skate in close relation all the time. But you are never aware that they are changing hold. They sort of fold into each other – and I think that is superior to anybody.” Footwork? Virtue and Moir have challenging footwork with big curves. The size of the curve that a skater’s edge creates is important, and never more so than in footwork sequences. Virtue and Moir trace huge arcs with their edges both into and out of their turns. They have dainty, precise feet. Lifts? From a young age, when Virtue and Moir began to learn more difficult lifts, Virtue was taught to feel like she was doing the lift herself, rather than the male partner forcing the woman somewhere and the women reacts. “She moves herself from one position to another and she doesn’t wait for Scott to move her,” says Marijane Stong, known for her knowledge of dance, music, and costuming. “That was when she was quite young and she has maintained that. Ballet dancers don’t wait for the man to put them somewhere.” In other words, Virtue has an ability to manage her own body in the lifts. Rather than Moir supporting Virtue, there are fewer points of contact between them during a lift, and Virtue extends her own free leg, without help from the partner. The positions in their lifts require a lot of strength in Virtue’s core and hips and back. Their style of stroking also is taxing on the legs, knees and thighs. This team is physically strong.

These women aren't stupid.  They aren't blind.  They know that figure skating isn't perfect.  They don't need us to tell them that.  They've been in it for longer than most of us have been fans.  And they surely don't need people saying they've betrayed VM or Canada.

The judging issue is a problem, but it's been a problem for.... well, for years and years.  Decades.  And I don't' have a problem with people talking about, wanting to bring attention to it.  And hey, you don't want to follow PJ or Bev''s stuff, then don't.  But please don't start dragging down people who are here, promoting a sport that gets relatively little attention, when the real issue lies with the ISU and the politics it allows.

[saucylittlesmile]

Not that anyone asked for this, LOL.  But breaking down, a little bit, the FD protocol...

StLi4 - Stationary Lift level 4.  Generally speaking, at this level of skating, most teams will achieve a level 4 on their lifts, unless something goes wrong (which can be a dramatic and scary moment, or can be a little technical detail such as not holding a difficult position for a long enough period of time.)  On the other hand, lifts are also where a team can easily incur a penalty by going over the time limits set for lifts. 

VM received great GOE for this, ranging between +2 and +3.

~

STw4 - Sequential Twizzles level 4.  Love these twizzles, but I will be a mess for the season because not only will they need to do the twizzles perfectly, they are so timed to the music that any change in timing will make the element fall flat.  This is a huge risk for them, but they have taken twizzle risks before, and when done well, it can be an incredibly impressive highlight - even casual figure skating fans who tune in just every four years can see when twizzles are good or bad.  It is a very visual, quite possibly the most easily understood element in ice dance. 

VM got good GOE for these, mostly ranging in the +2.

~

ChSp1 - Choreographic Spinning Movement level 1.  The first of two elements that will continue to confuse people trying to read protocols all season long, LOL.  Ice dance teams have to complete two of three possible elements that are labelled as "choreographic" - a spinning movement, a lift, or a twizzling movement.  There are rules for each, but not as many as for the traditional elements. 

No matter what a team does, as long as they perform the choreographic element, they will receive a level 1.  Every time.  It is always a level 1; that is the set base value for this element.. 

The only thing that "counts" in a choreographic element is the GOE.

VM received basically a half-split of +2 and +3 for their Choreographic Spinning Movement (this is when Scott  has Tessa around the waist, and one hand on her leg, and Tessa is briefly lifted into the air in a semi-split position while Scott spins across the ice, and then the move is repeated, and then Tessa does a half rotation 'throw' jump).

~

CiSt3 - Circular Step Sequence level 3.   One of only two elements not to receive a level 4, and it is, of course, both step sequences.  Edge, turn, who knows, LOL?  Well, they will know, and work on improving it. 

Their GOE was mostly +2 here, and they will work on that as well.

~

RoLi4 - Rotational Lift level 4, their Carmen/Latch hybrid of death-defying entrances.  This lift I can ramble on and on about the difficulty and how happy I am that they've included it here. 

VM received a majority of +3 here, and unless you've seen it live, it's hard to explain how sudden it is, and why it gets such a reaction from the crowd.  It was a tiny bit rough here, but that's more noticeable, I would think, on video than it would have been in real life like the judges were seeing. 

~

Sp4 - Spin level 4.  I'm happy with their spin choice here.  Spins have often caused VM level issues in the past - usually not enough rotations -  and so this lift, which is pretty and effective, if it gets them the levels, I'm good. 

They also got pretty good GOE on it, mostly +2 with a sprinkle of +3, and since we could see the exit was not as smooth as we were expecting, the marks are great to me.

(Random - actually this level 4 seems to have been a hard one for teams this competition; only Gilles/Poirier, Lauriault/Le Gac and Robledo/Fenero also received a level 4.  Everyone else was level 3 or level 2.)

~

DiSt3 - Diagonal Step Sequence level 3, so again a lost level somewhere in the realm of edges and turns.  They'll ferret it out and work on it.

Their GOE was slightly better than the circular step sequence, with a range of +2 and +3.

~

CuLi4 - Curve Lift level 4, with their 'recycled' Prince lift (which really, they debuted in What's Love exhibition, but anyway...).  I've already talked elsewhere about their differences in the lifts, and they do it so well.

So well, in fact that there is a reason they are using it again - perfect element score!  Level 4, all +3 GOE.  Acrobatic lifts do not necessarily equal more GOE; sometimes the 'simpler' lift succeeds, if the lift is done well and is impactful - and this lift is, striking gorgeous lines from both of them, and hitting the swell of the music, and then going into a tender exit.

~

ChLi1 - Choreographic Lift level 1.  This is the other choreographic element that will always be marked as a level 1.  The twist entry up, but then Tessa/Satine collapses into Scott's arms.

GOE on this was a larger range, like their twizzles, with one +1 to +3s. 

For a larger perspective on the choreographic elements, VM scored 2.82 and 2.68 on their elements.  WP received 1.84 and 2.54 on theirs; GP got 1.98 and 2.26 on theirs.  While I know VM will be out to improve their marks overall (as will everyone of course), within the medals, VM still outscored their competitors on these elements.

As an interesting note,  as sometimes happens, WP actually had a lower base score (technical levels called, because their two step sequences were level 3 but their spin was also called a level 3) than VM, but also lower than GP.  GP's base score was the same as VM's, but in GOE and (particularly) PCS, is where GP couldn't make up the ground. 

~

PCS was good for VM, as is normal for them, given that they are... VM.  They received three 10.00, two from a single judge.  But they received them in different categories - one for performance, one for composition, and one for interpretation of the music/timing. 

Also interesting to note is that unlike the SD where they had ranges going down to 9.00, here their lowest score was 9.5.  This set of judges liked this program and what VM were doing with it, and are just looking for those cleaned up details on elements to give them the GOE and PCS.  They received a full 5 points higher than WP for PCS alone.

Opinion moment/preachy moment - so even if *we* as fans or as haters take issue with some of VM's choices, it is important to remember that it is not necessarily judged in FS the same way.  Flashback to Funny Face, which at the beginning of the season, no one thought could beat Die Fledermaus, and of course it technically won at GPF (even if the marks were retroactively acknowledged and too late to change in the official books, because there was literally a long-lift marking issue in which the base value was too low), won 4CC, and won Worlds.  As of this comp, the judges like this program.