The Skate Canada SP was waaaay better than SkAm, maybe because no one was skating with an injury? Although I’m pretty sure the women landed more triple axels than the men....
Nathan was either going to have a fantastic skate or another really bad one, and he decided to go towards fantastic. His 4Lz was a little shaky, but everything else looked good. I like the program, although the choreo isn’t as memorable as some of his other programs. There was a lot of two-foot skating as well, which is weird, since Nathan’s skating skills aren’t the best in the world but they’re good enough that he can handle more complex material. Although he did skate right after Jason, which doesn’t help.
Jason was AMAZING. He was on fire and deserves every single PCS and GOE point in the world. Sinnerman is a work of art, and he scored a 94 with no quad. That is true testament to his quality and magic and grace, and I am 100% fine with Jason Brown: Skate Canada silver medalist.
Keegan was also amazing. His knees are made of rubber, because how else does he save his wonky jumps? He has so much heart in his skating, and his k& c was SO FRIGGIN CUTE. Also, his spread eagle? *chef’s kiss* Gorgeous.
I’m glad to see Makar and Evgeni do well in the SP, although I know it won’t last in the free. Props to Evgeni’s crazy 4S save and Makar’s crazy 4Lo. Also, a moment of silence for our fallen man Roman, and Team Japan’s 3As at this event.
The women were absolutely bananas. And so was the PCS.
Mai Mihara was stunning, and underscored on PCS because she skated first :( I'm so glad to see her back and happy. Even though her jumps are tiny, they're rotated, and she still has lots of speed out of them.
Karen was also stunning, although her combo was not. Her spirals are to die for, but her and the 3-3 are not friends this early in the season.
Wakaba! Wakaba! Wakaba! She looks so confident and happy! Not a fan of the program, but she skated so well! I can't wait for her free. One of the standouts for sure.
Alysa was another standout. Even though the 3A was under, the rest of the program had so much speed and power and confidence. I love the music, and Alysa has really improved in skating skills and quality.
Alena looked really hesitant on her jumps. They were all a little rusty, and she wasn't near her old level of performance. Also, the music was a weird cover and cut. At least she landed the 3A and looked happy at the end.
Tuktamysheva is incredible, and I adore her so much. She really fought to get out that combo, and her 3A looked as good as ever. Her PCS was waaay too high. The only category she deserves above an 8.5 for is PE, which she is very good at, but her especially her SS mark should be way lower. She still deserves second place, just not so high a score. A 76, maybe?
I like Kamila lot. She has loads of natural talent. Her spins and flexibility are incredible. She's a solid performer and has good jumps, although her combos are a little wonky. She creates beautiful moments in her programs thanks to her flexibility, so Dani G actually did something right! Her PCS was still too high, but she was nice to watch and I'm glad that she landed her 3A. But her costume... can she skate in some gorgeous black lace creation, instead if a salmon-colored burlap sack? Blech.
Sui and Han OGM 2022! They are gorgeous in so many ways, and had a really solid SP. I'm happy to see Sui is healthy and they're not too hindered by injury.
James and Radord seem really disconnected to me, especially Eric. He looks very flat and distracted while skating, and never interacts with Vanessa. I'm glad MT/M are ahead of them, and had a much better skate here than at Finlandia.
Pavliuchenko/Khodykin were HILARIOUS. The program was literally ever single Italian stereotype ever. They skated well, but I'll just leave you with this.
