That Slow Dance

Finally, my first taste of Nebelhorn: the Shibutanis. This video could not make for a better start to my following of the international season. I love them, and I love this program.

Being a sibling team presents a number of challenges to and limitations on their programs, obviously--the intense romance and sexual tension that simply oozes from Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir is (should be?) impossible, and would be so highly problematic if it were. The Shibutanis have dealt with this well, though, without becoming cutesy or gimmicky, and they have made music choices that bring an element of romance onto the ice without actually implicating them. This was true of their exhibition from last season, which I adored, and it is true of this FD, which has a very similar era and feel.

In this musical sense, this program is very trademark Shibutani--or what I hope will become their trademark--but their lifts have the very clear Marina Zoueva/Igor Shpilband mark. The entrances and exits for their six-second lift in particular, while gorgeous, are quite reminiscent of both Tessa & Scott and Meryl Davis & Charlie White. Looking at these three teams has also led me to conclude that the coaching pair really knows how to dress their teams. Maia's dress is beautiful, and it makes her look even more mature than she already does.

One thing that really stood out to me was how much their twizzles have improved. They were by no means poor last season, but this time they were remarkably sharp, fast, and together. The sparse audience noticed it, too. :)

Apparently there are a few technical issues in this program as it stands now, but it is early in the season and I can't imagine anything slipping by Zoueva and Shpilband's eagle eyes (unless, of course, they are distracted by having too many top teams under their tutelage at once, which is something I've been wondering about ever since Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates announced their coaching change).

Nebelhorn Love

Nebelhorn Nebelhorn Nebelhorn! I usually don't get anywhere near this excited for the Nebelhorn Trophy (despite its awesome name--that was the real reason I had to write it four times in the first two sentences, obviously) because it generally showcases new talent that I don't yet care about or older talent that just isn't making it elsewhere. This year, however, there are some aspects to this competition that make it quite intriguing.

In terms of competitors, I am a little mystified that there are no Japanese ladies, as I am sure there is no shortage of girls who dream of becoming the next Mao Asada. Even Kanako Murakami could probably benefit from competing here and getting some early feedback as a senior. There is also only one Japanese male competing, which is also a little odd because there must be many boys out there who think Daisuke Takahashi is really, really cool. Heh.

So in terms of competitors actually competing, I am very excited to see how Felicia Zhang & Taylor Toth and Maia & Alex Shibutani do. They have both moved up to seniors for the first time this season, and sadly history has shown that junior success does not necessarily mean senior success. I have confidence that these two teams have the talent and commitment to pull the transition off, but I do need to see it happen! In addition to seeing where they stand in relation to other senior teams, I'm also eager to just watch their new programs--if I did a little research I could at least know what music they are using, but my Internet is being uncooperative and I think I kind of like being surprised.

Have I said this already? Kevin Van der Perren needs to retire as soon as possible. I should start making a list of skaters who need to retire. So far on this list are Kevin, Fumie Suguri, Rena Inoue & John Baldwin, and possibly Alissa Czisny and Miki Ando. I can understand why Alissa and Miki have decided to continue, but I honestly can't see them getting anywhere that she hasn't been already (or to get where they have already--such as the National and World titles, respectively). Oh, and Rachael Flatt. Please.

The dance field is pretty full (I am not really sure what the rules for entry are here), and includes Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte and Nathalie Pechelat & Fabian Bourzat. Hrm. How did I just only now realize that Anna's name means "angel hair pasta"? Anyway, those are two solid top-10 teams that really have no business competing at Nebelhorn, although perhaps they aren't scheduled to compete until the end of the Grand Prix circuit, in which case it would make sense that they would want some earlier feedback and competition. At any rate, it will be interesting to see how the Short Dance (ugh) is performed by some top teams.

Let the season begin! :)