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Inside Edge
The lowdown on Skate Canada
| Source: |
CBC Sports |
| Date: |
November 6, 2007 |
| Author: |
Kurt Browning |
It is the Monday after the Skate Canada event and I can't help but
wonder about all the different emotions that the competitors must be
feeling today.
Most of them had a good time last night relaxing together at the
closing banquet after the exhibitions but today is travel day and back
they go to their families, rinks and the work that waits for them to
get ready to do it all again.
The flight home from a big event was always a time of reflection for
me. Usually I was sitting beside my coach Michael Jiranek and we would
have time alone to talk about what had happened and what needed to
happen in the future.
Mao Asada won the ladies event but is thinking that she will need to
use this as a stepping stone to get even stronger to attain that world
title she deserves. For Joannie Rochette the week was bitter sweet. I
spent a few days with her in the summer and she has improved since
then. Seeing her do the triple flip-triple toe combo in the warm up
made me proud.
Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison are probably shaking their heads and
smiling just a little more than usual as they savour their medals from
Skate Canada and Skate America. The last couple of weeks have been
very exciting and successful for them.
Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue won the dance event ... no, they dictated
and owned the dance event offering something to the crowd and judges
that possibly no other dance team competing has but them - the power
to make everybody forget everything going on and see only their
skating. OK, that was over the top, but it is true that when people
watch them there is nothing about this team to distract you from their
skating. Nothing that gets in the way of enjoying - and that is pretty
great stuff.
For the past week I have been rehearsing in Toronto for a stage show
that includes acting, dancing and singing. Yes, I will have to sing
and the thought makes doing a triple Axel again seem easy. Getting
ready for Peter Pan meant giving up coming to the whole Skate Canada
event and flying in Friday night and leaving Saturday morning very
early only to come back on Saturday night to work Sunday in Quebec
City.
When I arrived on Friday I was a bit flustered and overexcited about
my first day at work for the CBC. I grew up on the CBC and standing
there holding a microphone with that famous logo on it got me so
excited that I started talking like I was on fast forward. Jeff Buttle
and I both had an off night, but I am sure as the season goes along
that we will both improve. The only event I was able to take in fully
was the men and so here is my take on what went down.
The short programs Friday night were kicked off by Vaughn Chipeur. He
is a handsome guy and after talking to some of the staff at CBC it
seemed they all had the same thing to say about him - smart and easy
going. He seems young on the ice - he is I suppose - but there is
something about him that makes you hope for him when he skates his
programs. Honesty. He seems himself out there and it is refreshing. A
big jumper, he started with a large triple Axel and by the end of the
program had started the evening off with a positive skate.
We will jump forward to the final grouping of skaters now as they were
ranked and in this way saved the best for last as they
say. Christopher Mabee of Canada did not try a triple Axel for his
combo but chose instead to go with a triple flip - triple toe
combination. This plan really worked as he got positive GOE on this
combo (bonus points) and ended up with a good skate. I thought his
upper body movement within the choreography was better and it does not
look like he will be giving up his spot on the world team to anybody
without a fight.
Yannick Ponsero seems to be drafting along behind his teammate and
world champion Joubert and was throwing quads in warm up. A big lean
made it impossible for him to pull it off during his program, but when
the dust settled he was sitting in second place giving himself a
chance to gain points and some cash at this event. Then Jeff stepped
on the ice.
We are all making a fuss about his quad and wondering when and where
it will start happening and even though I suppose it has to be done, I
wish in a perfect world we could leave him alone ... but that is what
it's like to skate at the top of the world and the pressure on him
seems to be growing. He fought hard for his jumps but a slip on simple
crossovers destroyed his entrance to his Lutz and sure enough gravity
had its way with him. He was saved again by amazing skills in the
other areas, but I am sure this did nothing to help out his
confidence.
Kevin Van Der Perren had an OK skate - slow near the end, which he
repeated in the long. He will need to work hard to bring up his
skating skills so that we all don't just think of him as a jumper and
then it was time for the final guy.
I was nervous for Brian because I know how hard being a new world
champion can be, but even when he had to turn the quad-triple into a
quad-double and struggled a little bit on his Axel, he seemed to keep
his head together and the audience clapped in time for the last half
of his skate. He really put it out there and his energy kind of saved
the night.
The long program on Sunday afternoon was ... I have to go take care of
a four-year-old right now ... more later.
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