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Bofrost Cup 2004 - Sunday, November 28th

On Sunday we caught the dance practice of the best group, which was nice, because I could photograph them there and didn't have to during the actual competition (everybody wore the same costumes anyway). Wing & Lowe were definitely the most photogenic couple or at least Megan was the most photogenic person, she always looked good on my photos.

The ladies LP wasn't that bad, just kind of short :P I think if the DEU holds Bofrost again, they need to allow at least 10 skaters for each discipline, not only 8, because about 2 will always withdraw anyway, so I don't think they'd ever have fields that are too big for the jumping contest. Or they should simply ditch the jumping contest, because honestly most people don't like it anyway :P At least it was the #1 reason that some of the people in the audience around us named as the reason why they won't come anymore next year. I personally don't mind the jumping contest, but I would prefer normal SP's anyway and since due to the jumping contest the DEU is always allowing so little entries it has a bad effect on the attractiveness of the competition.

Kristin Wieczorek opened the ladies LP. She wore a greenish golden dress. She stepped out of a 2flip, then did a 3loop-2t, a 2salchow and a 2axel. Generally she enters her jumps a bit slowly. She did a 3t-2t, fell on the 3loop, and stepped out of a 3toeloop. I think at the moment she's only attempting toeloop, loop and salchow as triples. She has a good basic speed, but needs more power in her skating. She did a long spiral that covered much ice and she had good flowy and edgy footwork. She has a nice style, promising presentation and nice to watch, because she is a tall girl with long limbs and lines.

Denise Zimmermann badly 2footed her 3flip, I doubt it was ratified. She then fell on her 3loop. She was quicker over the ice than Kristin. She did a 3toeloop and a nice 3salchow. She then did a fast energetic footwork sequence to upbeat music. She did 2axel, 2toeloop and 3salchow-2toeloop(fall on the second jump). As always she had detailed choreography and presented her program nicely, she's a quite natural "performer" and knows how to sell a program with lots of energy, but I think she needs to clean up some of her elements and improve the centering of her spins.

Constanze Paulinus did a 3toeloop, 3salchow (stumbled out of it after landing on wrong foot), 3flip (clean but a bit wild), 2loop, 2axel, 3lutz, 3salchow-2toeloop. It was a rather good performance, even though she did better at Nebelhorn IIRC. She is a powerful skater with a bit more of an athletic style. I think she could be second at German Nationals (or first if Anette Dytrt screws up), because even if her presentation isn't that strong, she has all the triples and can land them or most of them usually.

Jane Bugaeva wore a lovely red dress and skated to James Bond (for example Goldeneye). She started with a powerful 3flip into 3toeloop sequence and also had good speed. She only did a 2z-2t unfortunately. She then did 3salchow and 3loop without problems, but screwed up the flip into a wonky double on which she unfortunately fell too. She then did a back hydroblading element into a 2axel and finished with a 3toeloop. It wasn't a perfect performance (a bit of a pity, because in the first practice we saw of her, she had done a perfect or nearly perfect run-through and generally - apart from one run-through that was completely off - she was very solid on her jumps in practice), but it was still a very good skate and very enjoyable. She also seems to be more of a competition performer, because in the competition she skated with way more spark and power than in practice. She is very charming and refreshing to watch. We also liked that she isn't a typical "American Ice Princess" style skater, not that there is anything wrong with that, but there are already enough of those ;) And even if she is very small, her body and look isn't "child-like" like some other American juniors.

Jane Bugaeva wore a lovely red dress and skated to James Bond (for example Goldeneye). She started with a powerful 3flip into 3toeloop sequence and also had good speed. She only did a 2z-2t unfortunately. She then did 3salchow and 3loop without problems, but screwed up the flip into a wonky double on which she unfortunately fell too. She then did a back hydroblading element into a 2axel and finished with a 3toeloop. It wasn't a perfect performance (a bit of a pity, because in the first practice we saw of her, she had done a perfect or nearly perfect run-through and generally - apart from one run-through that was completely off - she was very solid on her jumps in practice), but it was still a very good skate and very enjoyable. She also seems to be more of a competition performer, because in the competition she skated with way more spark and power than in practice. She is very charming and refreshing to watch. We also liked that she isn't a typical "American Ice Princess/Baby ballerina" style skater, not that there is anything wrong with that, but there are already enough of those ;) And even if she is very small, her body and look isn't "child-like" like some other American juniors.

Annie Bellemare's LP unfortunately fitted her practice performances better than the jumping contest had. She didn't seem to have a coach with her btw, instead Viktor Kraatz was with her, I guess he was the Canadian team leader again. Viktor certainly isn't "invisible" for Stefka and me this year, he seems to be omni-present at all our events ;) Annie's jumps were 2a, high 3flip-2toeloop, 1f, 3loop fall, 3toeloop, 2lutz, spread eagle into 2salchow. She is powerful on the ice and has good ice coverage.

The Free Dance was opened by Slattery & Lee. They wore red and black costumes and skated to "Xotica" if I recognized it correctly. I was impressed with their beginning, it was nicely choreographed, can't really describe it though :P Their circular was rather good and I also was impressed with the choreography of the dance, there was always something going on and it created a nice mood. They had a solid skate, no real mistakes, just some minor roughnesses/sloppiness. I think their OD was the better skate for them though, it looked more polished and ready overall, but it still was a good showing in both competition portions for them. I think their lines need some improvements in this dance. Their lifts are quite difficult and also the holds aren't bad, I think it was a demanding program for a new team of their level. And they're interesting to watch.

The first thing we heard from someone sitting behind us when the Beiers took the ice was "Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi!", LOL, (that is an old German "Indian movie", losely based on Karl May's books, there were a lot of those films made in the 60's or so and I think they were really bad and stereotypical pseudo-Indian (obviously :P ) films, but they were really popular some decades back in Germany. The one the lady behind us mentioned was exactly the same thing I thought of when I first saw the Beiers. I wouldn't be surprised if Kati Winkler rented it from the video store after deciding that she'll do an "Indian" FD for the Beiers, LOL. (see the movie poster: http://www.deutscher-tonfilm.de/wudha1-1.gif ) Anyway, I think the Beiers were better overall than in the OD. I like the first part of their FD, the first minute or so, until the music changes for the first time, but afterwards I think they kind of lose the concept and the dance isn't really going anywhere. The music is somewhat random (especially the slow part that really sounds pretty much like a generic female ballad) and I think there also could be 1 or 2 cuts less. Overall they had a good skate though and they skated with more energy and power than in the OD. They had a minor stumble in the diagonal footwork if I saw it correctly. And being nitpicky, I think their costume dominate too much during their spins especially, all you see is white fabric everywhere, instead of their positions properly.

Haunstätter & Höhnlein had a Gypsy Kings/Latin FD, their selections were "Mamboleo", something slow and "Volare", the same fast songs as in C&S' current exhibition. The costumes were very fitting to the theme. I think their dance was the easiest and the most open, lots of side by side skating, they had better lifts than in the OD though and their circular was well done. They were fighting with their twizzles (most of the teams were anyway today), but didn't make a real mistake on them. I think they didn't convey the Latin feeling so well and were lacking some spark, but they did a good effort. I think their OD was definitely both the stronger skate and the stronger program though. But they are also a team that's nice to watch.

O'Connor & O'Dougherty wore red costumes. They have music from Moulin Rouge, but it aren't very well-known selections and it are two rather soft songs, the second one is a ballad. I think it might have been nice to have one more powerful piece in the FD maybe, but on the other hand the selections they chose suited them well. They did a back shoot the duck lift that really impressed me. (generally I'm warming more to STD lifts this year, because most of the teams are doing them better now and are finding better looking positions). They again had fast and flowing circular footwork, the diagonal footwork was also fast. It was a very harmonious program with good speed and flow and execution. Maybe as said before it is lacking some fast part for more excitement, but it is pleasant the way it is too. They really have very good lifts, I think from a competitive point of view, but especially from an aesthetic point of view too, they are all very impressive and beautiful, actually they had my favorite lifts in the competition. They were impressive without forming all kinds of pretzels with their bodies. I think Jonathon can only do his twizzles well in one direction right now, the other direction were kind of scary looking and 3turnish, but he managed them in the competition, after having some problems in the warm-up. It should be exciting at British Nationals , I hope they capture one of the spots for Euros. I think they should have good chances, because they have good programs (especially the OD ) and they are good skaters. It's hard to compare them to the Kerr's because they have such different styles and strengths and the Kerr's also seem to be "en vogue" with the judges right now. And of course it's impossible to compare them to Humphreys & Baranov, because I haven't seen them in 2 or 3 years :P

Rubleva & Shefer had costumes in black and red and skated to a selection of Tangos (including some well-known ones). They had a good clean performance, with good dance spins and solid twizzles. They also had no problems with their footwork. Their lifts are all complicated and by now certainly Code of Point optimated, but I didn't find some of them that pleasant to watch, because sometimes they are too pretzel-y. But that is the only negative point I have about their FD and that aside it still was my favorite program in the competition, it has as usual for them lovely detailed choreography and interpretation. I have had a soft spot for them for quite a long time, I hadn't seen them often, but whenever I saw them I really liked them. They are lovely to watch and very charming. And they have definititely come a long way since their Barbie Girl Latin OD from 99/00, LOL. I think their main point that they will have to improve in the future to bring their skating to the next level is their speed and ice coverage.

I had expected to like Delobel & Schönfelders' FD better than on tv, because last years' program I hadn't liked on tv either, but then was quite impressed by it when seeing it live at Worlds. However, this time, if there was a difference between seeing their FD on tv and live, unfortunately it was that live I liked it even less :P I simply don't see any connetion between their music and their choreography and movements, which makes the whole dance uninteresting and unemotive/cold to me. It looks like a display of strong technical elements to me (even though their strong technical elements would be even stronger if they ever managed to perform all of them cleanly in one program :P ), but I don't find much "dancing" or interpretation of music. They had a relatively solid performance without any major mistakes, but some minor shaky moments, like Olivier having a little stumble out of the last twizzle in a series (generally his twizzles in this performance weren't that convincing) or a shaky exit of their last lift.

Wing & Lowe skated to Zorbas the Greek, well they aren't Romanova & Yaroshenko, but I think it is a rather nice program and of course nice music. I like it better than last years', but not as much as their Beatles FD. Like most other teams, they were fighting a bit with their twizzles, but managed them. It was a good skate overall, no mistakes. I think the last section of their dance (before and during the final straightline footwork sequence) is basically very nice, but they aren't quite able to keep up with the speed of the music. Even though I think they are doing a reasonably good job with it, I think this is a bit of a strange music choice for them, since it doesn't exactly play to their strengths or style of skating. I mean it would be a perfect choice for a team like C&S or B&A for example, but quick sharp movements that would be needed for this music aren't exactly what Wing & Lowe excell at. One other problem for them is IMO, that Megan is very expressive and outgoing and has lovely facial expressions, but Aaron only seems to have one facial expression that is usually frozen onto his face. But I still always enjoy them anyway (well maybe except for when they skate to a ballad from Julio Iglesias in the exhibition).

Denkova & Stavisky had a good clean skate without any problems. They also were more expressive and energetic than Del & Schön, so I liked them better than Del & Schön, even though I find the overall impression of their FD rather quirky. I also don't think this program really highlights their strengths, since it doesn't display their unison well, because most of the time they just seem to be throwing body parts everywhere or banging their heads.

And last but not least the gala...

The Beiers of course did their "Dreams on Ice" official Worlds song exhibition again. I dislike this song so much. I still don't know why Worlds in Dortmund needed to have an official song anyway, I wasn't aware Worlds usually has one :P The program was your "usual ice dance exhibition", stroke lift stroke stroke lift stroke stroke pose stroke stroke lift stroke stroke pose stroke stroke spin stroke stroke lift.

Daniel Weiss announced that Nönnig & Bleyer have officially retired and this would be their final performance. They did a fun comedic "Latin" number to the song "Maria" by Stefan Raab. I have seen this somewhere before, but I don't remember where.

I never really like Stannick Jeannette usually, but his exhibition was simply FABULOUS. I heard this show will be broadcast somewhen in January, this will be a highlight to have on tape. I think he was skating to Charlie Chaplin , something upbeat, then "Smile" (thankfully without lyrics) and at the end there was some random Rap music *huh* He was wearing a bowler hat, suit and had a walking-stick as prop. It is hard to describe the number, but it very very clever and entertaining and funny and charming. He really made use of the props in a way that enhanced the program. He also skated forward over nearly the whole diagonal of the ice on one foot while juggling successfully with 3 balls. His appearance was kind of odd, because he had big black fake eyebrows and also had done something strange with his hair, LOL. It was a roundabout cool number, without being silly like other "fun" exhibitions with props often are *cough*Laurent Tobel*cough*

O'Connor & O'Dougherty skated to "Angels" by Sarah McLachlan. They again had very nice lifts. It was nice for a slow dance program.

Fitze & Rex skated their Mission Impossible SP.

We were informed by Daniel Weiss that Samuel Contesti's dad was a football player. He skated to a fun, upbeat French song. It was a dancy program with cool steps and fun to watch.

Wing & Lowe skated to "Crazy" by Julio Iglesias. I usually like them, but it was very boring.

Handke & Wende skated their Tango SP. They skated with a lot of attack and spark, but had some problems with a lift and it was just too obviously a competitive short program, it was definitely their weakest performance of the weekend, well I'm glad they had that in the exhibition, LOL.

We got the synchro team "Berlin 1", who showed their Anatevka SP. I don't have much of a relation to synchro skating.

We were told that Annie Bellemare wouldn't be skating, because she injured herself. Strangely the 4th and 5th placed lady didn't skate either, so we only got 2 ladies *huh* , even though we got the whole Top 6 in dance and Top 5 in pairs and men.

Matt Savoie was his usual jazzy bluesy self in his exhibition.

Rubleva & Shefer wore their OD costumes from last season, but had a new exhibition to some French chanson. It was smooth and lovely to watch, it wasn't just lift-centric, but very dancy. At this competition they really were the dance team I had liked so much from Junior Worlds last season :) , after they had not been that convincing at Nebelhorn Trophy.

Constanze Paulinus skated a GFB program to Sarah McLachlan. At least the "ballad singer of the night" at this exhibition was Sarah and not someone barfy like Celine Dion.

Marcoux & Buntin did a really cool and dancy Rock N' Roll, fun!

Ben Ferreira's program was definitely the best program I've ever seen from him, it was really entertaining and powerful (even if I hate to admit that BlueRidge is always right :D ). The music was something REALLY famous that has been used before, but Steffi and I both weren't able to come up with the title anyway :P He was very energetic and expressive and had good steps.

Delobel & Schönfelder did that program with the rope, to Gladiator. I don't like such programs with props at all (Jeanette is the exception to the rule this time :D )

Jane Bugaeva did an energetic charming number to "you don't own me" (at least that line was in the song so often that it simply must be the title :P ). She had one fall (splat on stomach) on nothing, but it was lovely anyway.

Steffi said after Borzenkova & Chuvilaev that this exhibition program alone was worth the trip to Bofrost Cup and I definitely agree with her, it was simply amaaaazing! They skated to "Adagio" by Lara Fabian, a song that I usually don't like, but what they did with it was just perfect. There was not one move or moment in the program that wasn't totally impressive, a great program overall, with amazing elements, like the lifts, and elegance. They got a big ovation from the audience.

Stefan Lindemann did a bluesy number, I thought it might have been the same as last year, but Stefka claimed it was a new one that just looked similar to the one from last year. He had good steps.

Denkova & Stavisky did the eyebands program again. Daniel Weiss managed to be annoying, while introducing them. But actually he was only annoying about 2 or 3 times in this exhibition, which is quite a good overall result for him :P