The Golden Goose

NOTE: Here's a clip from last month. Check out the 3:05 mark for The Goose.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are everything ice dancing should be. Brilliant skating. Appropriate music choice. Graceful athleticism, without the cheap, distracting kitsch.

They easily — EASILY — won the dance event this afternoon in Kitchener. Their closest rivals, the French, aren't even performing in the same category.

The program is beautifully choreographed and moving. 

In an element that will surely be talked about throughout the season, Virtue, balancing on Moir's thigh as he sits in a low spread eagle, does a spiral, then throws herself into a loop jump. 

It was unique. It was totally unexpected. And a perfect example of why this team is owning ice dancing in 2009/2010. Afterward, the duo explained they were going to call the move: The Goose. Others had been saying it was The Eagle. But that's too American, they said. (Bonus points for patriotism.)

What a great finale to Skate Canada International. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje were also stunning in their Phantasia routine and walked away with a bronze medal.

Congrats to all.

For anyone around, Nexxice as well as Battle fan favs Barbara Underhill and Ron Duguay are performing this evening at the exhibition gala.

Golden Joannie talks The Long

A kick in the face

Russian pair Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov had a heart-stopping performance for all the wrong reasons.

For a full terrifying minute, Trankov skated, jumped and lifted his partner — all with a stray strap dangling off his pant, dragging precariously close to his blade. After a particularly nerve-racking lift, the referee stopped the performance.

Later, about halfway through the restarted program, the audience shrieked when it looked as if Trankov was going to kick Mukhortova in the face. Remember this.

The Russians were able to pull the crowd on side, despite the fact that they were skating to the holy Canadian Love Story. For a RUSSIAN pair to skate to this piece of music, so soon after Salt Lake, I think this was a poor choice. It seems too soon for anyone to skate to this — 8 years, but only been 2 Olympics — especially the Russians.

(***UPDATE: I caught David Pelletier in the hallway and asked him about it. Apparently, Pelletier heard the music for the first time at the ISU event in Paris. He was rinkside when the first notes started to play, then looked up "because it's such a beautiful piece of music." Afterwards, the Russian coach came up to him and asked his thoughts. Mukhortova had apparently always wanted to skate to the piece, ever since watching Jamie and David in Salt Lake. Pelletier said it was a nice feeling that he and Jamie had inspired someone like that and he wasn't at all offended. "It's not my music, it's (the composer's) Francis Lai's."***)

Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison had a let-down of a performance with numerous bobbles and missteps, but the two managed to pull off a bronze. The Germans, without the ridiculous make-up, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy were amazing. It was some of the best figure skating I've seen in a while. I wish a few of their entrances had a bit more speed, but never for a minute did I doubt either of them was going to land strongly on one-foot. ... even if they singled the axels.

Plus — I think she skates tightless. Which is pretty awesome. Very Surya Bonaly.

Tessa and Scott discuss errors

Making a spectacle of themselves

After a respectable performance by Canadians Andrea Chong and Guillaume Gfeller, the original dance turned into a parody of itself. For some reasons unknown to all, the ISU selected: Folk or Country as the theme. There is nothing sensual, mature or gripping about hoe downs folks.

In a scene out of Blades of Glory, a lederhosen wearing brother and sister duo from Germany — Carolina and Daniel Hermann — performed to a medley of yodelers and cheesy German folk music. The big finale — he motioned to spank her. She fake slapped him. Then the Russian pair in full out sailor costumes with little white hats. Next a cowboy hat wearing American duo. And then more Wild West. The French pair, also performing to country music, amped it even further. She wore cowboy bootcovers and carried a whip. Even the Blades of Glory writers didn't go this far.

I'm proud to say our Canadian teams not only skated well, but all looked like athletes. Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje performed a mature and sharp Spanish Flamenco routine. Weaver expertly flipped a red fan throughout. She owned the prop, not the other way around. It was passionate. And sexy. And drew the crowd in.

Tess Virtue, who along with her partner Scott Moir, wore a beautiful and mature black and white gown during their Flamenco. They sold the style with their skating, not their outfits. The strategy appeared to work. Even with a few bobbles, Virtue and Moir remained comfortably in the lead.

Ice dancing, by far my favourite event in ISU competition, has had a hard enough time defending its honour. They make it too easy for the critics.

Here's a thought: if your skating outfit comfortably blends in at a Halloween party — pick something else. Stick to getting your twizzles on time.

 

There's no face paint in figure skating

CANADIAN PRESS

Looking like goofs.

On a short side rant: What is up with the German pairs team? This immensely talented duo looked like complete goofs skating around in clown make-up. Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy looked less like World Champions and more like Disney on Ice chorus line skaters during their short program. Yes, they skate to Send in the Clowns, but does that require face paint? Were the frilly, circus costumes not enough? (Savchenko actually had little red sparkly heart stickers on her skate boot...)

For one thing, the make-up was horribly distracting from an otherwise exceptionally choreographed and well-performed program.

For another, although I'm probably wrong, doesn't the ISU have rules about outfits being overly costume-y. Maybe that's just in the synchronized skating world. But I swear I've heard of deductions being given for this kind of thing. Will investigate. Stay tuned.

Szolkowy explained the paint origins during an afternoon press conference: "we had a show and everybody said my face was too dark."

Dude. Your face is dark. You're black. (And a damn good-looking black man at that. Run with it.)

Is it just me, or is there something horribly unsettling about one of the only black figure skaters in the entire world painting his face white...

Two out of four ain't bad at Skate Canada International

Canadian ice was only twice lucky for our national champs.

Joannie Rochette and dance pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were all sensational; each finishing at the top of their respective events. But for Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison and the always-adorable Patrick Chan the hometown crowd was not enough.

Dube popped the side-by-side salchows. Chan went down on the triple axel, doubled a triple toe and nearly fell out of two spins.

Dube shrugged it off.

“I’ll just do it tomorrow,” she said afterwards.

Chan laughed when a reporter asked if his confidence was shaken.
“I’ve already forgot about the short program,” he said.

With only an extremely modest skating career under my belt — extremely modest —  I can only imagine what it must feel like to have an entire arena howl and gasp as you slide across the ice. A collective — clap! — as spectators clasp their hands to their mouths.

On the flip side, to have an arena of cheering fans, bedecked in red and white and maple leaf everything, screaming your name — talk about an ego trip.

And that’s the thing with figure skating. There’s not often middle ground. You win. Or you don’t. You’re on your feet or on your butt.  Then again, that's why we love it so much, right?

Through all the fights and physical abuse, the cheating, the heart ache something about this wonderful and messed-up soap opera of a sport keeps us coming back.

There was once a time when I could obsessively recite the top 10 skaters in every event, what music they were skating to and what they did the previous season. Today, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that after years of scandal, figure skating and I went on a bit of a break. Sure I tuned in for the big competitions, Worlds, nationals, the Olympics, but we needed some space from the day-to-day stuff.

Canada’s international showing last year pulled me back. Battle of the Blades renewed the woo. Now I’m happy to report: figure skating and me are getting back together. And judging by the fans in Kitchener this weekend, I have a feeling the public en masse has invited the sport back into the marital bed.

I’d be curious how much Battle has to do with it.

Tomorrow, the original dance will start at noon, then the pairs, men’s and ladies’ free program.  If you’re in the GTA, it’s worth a trip down the 401.

In conclusion... an encore bloggin' presentation

Three weeks ago, I was ushered into the "talent" lounge at Maple Leaf Gardens, I shamelessly helped myself to half a dozen deliciously creamy carrot cake squares, and waited for Jamie Sale and Craig Simpson to finish their afternoon rehearsal.

The paper wanted me to do a "Final Four" countdown story. Going into the interview, I was wavering between two teams. Sale and Simpson or Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux? I had been going back and forth for weeks.

Bourne and Lemieux had been consistently stellar. Bourne is — in my humble opinion — the most beautiful female skater in the world. I liked Bourne and Lemieux's chemistry. I liked that they were ice dancing, instead of packing each program with non-stop lifts and cheap thrills. They skated together as a unit, rather than performing side-by-side solos. 

Then I met the pint-sized Sale. With all the charm of a small town girl and a grin on her face so huge her upper lip had all but disappeared, this Edmonton darling would soon win my — and apparently the country's — vote. 

Sale knew from the beginning, she said last night after the win, that Craig Simpson was the best guy in the bunch. Absolutely. Of all the pairs, Sale and Simpson were the most evenly matched. They were the only team in the final three where I spent just as much time watching "the guy"  as the "the girl."

Judge Sandra Bezic said at the finale she had never intended on making this a show about men learning to figure skate. She wanted to create something new and exciting. That's the thing about something a show like Battle of the Blades - it sort of takes on a life of its own. At home, I think people wanted to watch the men learn to figure skate, but with the hard edge of a hockey player. Simpson embodied this. And I think, with Sale's tenacity, this put the Alberta pair over Bourne and Lemieux.

Simpson's commitment to learning the sport, the jumps, the stroking, the foot work, the edges — rumour has it he has a mean camel spin, although I wish we'd had a chance to see it — was evident week to week. He obviously has formed a deep respect for the sport I love. He and Jamie battled through injury, which restricted his movement. This forced the pair to get creative impressing audiences.

But it wasn't just their tricks. It was their presence. I tell my own skating team all the time: don't be lazy with expression. The easiest kind of is love or "femme fatale sexy." Hey, put me centre ice, with professional hair and make-up, a slinky dress and some R&B — see if you can stop me from. Not to take anything away from Bourne and Lemieux or the "90-second lovers" Marie-France Dubreuil and Stephane Richer. Both of these pairs nailed the kind of chemistry dance teams work years to achieve, but there was something special about the way Sale and Simpson came together. They never did the romantic thing. They connected on another level. In this way, they were unique in the group of eight.

When I sat with them three weeks ago, Simpson recounted seeing a 16-year-old Sale working her buns off in Edmonton. This almost paternal relationship showed throughout the series.  You saw it on the ice, and also during those behind-the-scenes vignettes — where the pair would bicker and fight in a way that only old friends could get away with.

The right team won last night. Now, I just hope Simpson doesn't give up figure skating.

So there you have it — until next season. 

In the meantime, if you're jonesing for some more figure skating bloggin', we've decided over here on the Star side to keep the blog going. For now, I'll be sticking to major competitions. I'm heading to Kitchener this weekend for the Skate Canada event. I hope you'll check back. Thanks so much for reading guys, thank you Melanie for the pics each week and a special thank you to all of you who have been commenting — even those of you who are horribly, horribly wrong. Keep them coming.

;)

I should probably get back to my day job now. Has anyone heard if anyone's been shot?

Sale and Simpson win Battle of the Blades

Robyn Doolittle
Staff Reporter

With no French judge in sight, Jamie Salé and Craig Simpson became the first ever winners of Battle of the Blades, CBC’s smash hit series that will surely become a staple in the network’s annual programming.

The Alberta duo beat out the previous week’s winners, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux, to snag the Crystal trophy and $100,000 for their charity, The Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre.

“I don’t think we ever thought we’d be standing here. We all wanted to be, but it’s definitely hard to believe right now,” a breathless Salé said afterwards. “I was really nervous heading into tonight.”

The “90-second-lovers” Marie-France Dubreuil and Stephane Richer were the first to be eliminated in last night’s finale episode.

It hasn’t been announced officially — yet — but whispers about a second season have become decidedly less hushed with each passing week.

Last night, Salé said she would definitely be game for another season.

It was seven weeks ago, in a resurrected Maple Leaf Gardens, that eight seemingly misfit pairs teams of hockey stars and figure skating champions got off to a — surprisingly — unshaky start. An arena-rock theme opening night eased the NHLers out of their shoulder pads and into multi-hued sequins.

That first night, the duos wowed nearly 2 million viewers with death spirals, platter lifts, and some modest footwork. By episode two, most of the men had swapped their hockey skates for toe picks and the CBC could declare a bona fide hit.

In this most Canadian of reality shows, an average 1.7 million viewers across the country have tuned in for each episode. Celebrity guest judges, such as Don Cherry, Katarina Witt and most recently Doug Gilmour, have appeared on the series. For Sunday’s final battle, hundreds of people were lined up for hours outside the Gardens, hoping for a chance at rush tickets.

For many of the guys, it was an awkward transition. Tie Domi opted to stay pick-less until his elimination two weeks ago. Glenn Anderson wiped out the second week. Most, at least initially, struggled with skating in time to the music.

Simpson perhaps put it best. Battle of the Blades, he said Monday night, is “peak into their world and try to survive.”

Of all the men, Simpson, a former Edmonton Oiler, best adapted to the new skating style. He wowed audiences and the judges with his figure skating skills. He was the first and only man to execute a freeskate jump. It was a feather in his cap that would help edge out the other teams.

By the third week, it became obvious Battle of the Blades was a competition between two teams: Salé and Simpson vs. Bourne and Lemieux.

Bourne, a World Champion ice dancer, along with her Stanley Cup winning tough guy partner, shocked everyone when they emerged as the sensual team with deep edges and on-ice chemistry.

Salé, whose 2002 Olympic skate with husband David Pelletier exposed widespread judging corruption, is a freeskater by comparison, whose strengths lie less in artistry and more in power and acrobatic maneuvers. But Salé has also been struggling breaking in new skates, which she purchased for the series. She was still unable to jump by the finale.

And if that didn’t put them at enough of a disadvantage, Simpson has battled a back injury throughout the show. There were weeks when it was unclear whether he would be able to compete. While other teams began experimenting with above-the-shoulder dramatic lifts, Simpson and Salé were restricted to moves more typical of an ice dancing team.

But when the votes were tallied, Canada voted for the quirky team from the west, whose Austin Powers movie-week performance was easily the best of the series.

All eight teams had a brief reunion for Monday night’s finale, performing a group number to the show’s theme song, There will never be another tonight.

Isabelle Brasseur and Glenn Anderson, Jodeyne Higgins and Ken Daneyko, Christine Hough-Sweeney and Tie Domi, Kristin Lenko and Bob Probert and Barbara Underhill and Ron Duguay were all back. Underhill also reunited with her former partner, Paul Martini, who has been a coach on the series, in a special farewell skate while Underhill’s daughter sang. It was the first time Underhill and Martini have skated together since they retired at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1998.

Much like the first episode, when Underhill and Duguay blew away the competition with a fast and powerful hockey skates performance, on Monday night, Underhill once again stole the show.

The Final Battle

(NOTE: This post is best enjoyed with the following link playing at full blast in a separate window.)

Seven weeks. 

Eight teams. 

And then there were three. 

Each vying for the same prize. Charity be damned.  Crystal trophy - who cares? Battle of the Blades is a tournament of World-level champions, ruthlessly competing for the most coveted bragging rights any rink in the world has ever seen.

Jamie Sale and Craig Simpson.

The only remaining "freeskate" pair. They are fast. They are skilled. Simpson was the first, and only male, to tackle a jump. It was a waltz jump. And it was glorious. His bad back has forced the team to invent innovative below-the-shoulder lifts. Head stands. Splits. Crazy spread-eagle blade-on-thigh movements. Tonight, they did the most epic vertical-airplane spin lift that twisted and flipped and blew my mind. This is the team of elements.

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Claude Lemieux. Lemieux the singer. Bourne the vixen. Together they are chocolate, wrapped in fine wine, topped with rhinestones. When Bourne is on the ice, it's hard to see anyone else. Lemieux's sex appeal is the yang to Bourne's passionate ying. And tonight, Bourne, the World Champion ice dancer, laid the smack down to the freeskatin' Sale with a quantum-sized throw salchow. I said in the beginning: this is the team to beat.

Marie-France Dubreuil and Stephane Richer. The 90-second French lovers. They are the epic underdogs. They've  been in the bottom two half the time. There's a reason they've hung around. Their creative lifts. Their connection as a pair. Richer's ass. They earned the first 6.0. And they got the last one too. They're dynamic and have the most powerful lifts. They've fought through injury and been on the brink of defeat, always to triumph in the end.

Who will win? I have no idea. But figure skating already has.

Boom.

Thanks again Mel for all the pics throughout this!