2012 US Figure Skating Championships: Novice Pairs Short Program

1) Chelsea Liu & David Perini
   Music: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

• Ooooo we love their coaches Meno & Sand
• 12 & 19, come on? An age spread like that makes it difficult to compete internationally if you do progress to that level because he'll age out of Jr before she ever ages in
• Nice skating her nonetheless
• Nice speed on the twist, but she crashed a little on the exit
• Really llow death spiral position
• Cute program overall, they hit their elements

29.09 (TES) + 28.87 (PCS) = 38.83

2) Elise Middleton & Robert Hennings
   Music: Minnie the Moocher

• They have a lot of style in their skating, I like their look a lot
• He can't get her up in the lasso lift, looked like poor timing on the prep
• She singles the jump
• I like this program, but just not their best work today
• I can tell this is a strong team with promise and I look forward to their free skate
• Oh heey Karen Kwan!

13.27 (TES) + 25.03 (PCS) = 27.07

3) Victoria LoRusso & Timothy Habeeb
   Music: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

• Thank the lord this is Willy Wonka, otherwise I'd wonder what was up with the costumes
• Only a split single twist there, I don't know if that was intended or not
• A lot of singles in this program, I don't know if that was planned or what
• A little bit of a strange ending there but a cute program overall
• She's the Golden ticket! Such a cute idea!

8.88 (TES) + 18.09 (PCS) = 18.07

4) Danielle Viola & Alexander Johnson
   Music: Tango De Los Exilados

• This is what's cool about novice, they are both older than some of the seniors, but they are new to pairs skating so they're in novice
• Nice split twist
• Nice stretch from her in the lift
• They are very well matched, wonderful unison in every aspect of the program
• Good use of the arms and head on musical nuances
• Really nice stretch out from her on the throw
• I'm amazed at how good they are already, they look like they've been doing this for a long time
• Lost a lot of speed on the end, but a very crisp, clean program

 (TES) + 28.59 (PCS) = 33.82

5) Hannah Klopstock & Chadwick Phillips
   Music: Pink Panther

• How did I know this would be Pink Panther?
• Both landed the jumps really low, but in unions, how cool is that?
• Foot down on the throw
• Good energy out there
• I'm happy to see Meno and Sand coaching up a lot of these young pairs, they were the best US team in the last 20 years

16.32 (TES) + 24.88 (PCS) = 27.60

6) Christina Zaitsev & Ernie Utah Stevens
   Music: Chardash

• Very nice posture and stretch from her in the lift
• A simple throw, but nicely landed
• They have great speed and they look really nice together
• A little wobbly on the the SBS jumps, but they land them
• This is interesting music, I don't know that I've heard it before
• That was a very nice performance, they look good together

23.09 (TES) + 27.50 (PCS) = 33.90

7) Alexandria Shaughnessy & James Morgan
   Music:

• Shout out to James, my twitter friend, we've been talking about the Patriots all day
• They are beautiful and so elegant
• Really nice flow out of the throw
• I love their expression, they look much better than novice
• This team was such a pleasure to watch

24.97 (TES) + 30.28 (PCS) = 37.02

8) Allison Smith & Anthony Evans
   Music: Music of the Night

• I'm afraid I'll judge their program too harshly because of the music choice
• She puts a hand down on the throw
• She seemed nearly perpendicular to the ice rather than parallel
• She takes a fall on the SBS jump

18.06 (TES) + 24.60 (PCS) = 27.91

9) Alexis Donahoe & James Rappold
   Music: Legends of the Fall

• Aww, I'm a sucker for Legends of the Fall
• They have a nice smooth quality about them
• This pair spin is quite slow
• This is a little slow-moving for me, not a lot of content
• The footwork is very simple, and there are a lot of glaring unison errors in the mirroring
• They finished before the music and then she broke character...my biggest pet peave

 (TES) +  (PCS) = 20.78

10) Caitlin Fields & Jason Pacini
   Music: The Filk Machine

• Really nice throw
• Great speed and good energy
• I really like this pair a lot, they're fun to watch

26.70 (TES) + 30.21 (PCS) = 38.13

11) Lianna Thomas & Gene Fu
   Music: Tango de los Exilados

• Oh no, that was a terrible fall, he slipped holding her overhead
• How she got up to keep going is beyond me
• She has to be in pain, she had trouble getting through the split twist
• That was a courageous performance for her to get up and keep going

6.22 (TES) + 15.34 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 13.11

12) Nancy Zu & Robert Przepioski
   Music: Zorba's Dance

• Fall on the first jump
• Lost it a little on the death spiral, had to stop short of the required revolutions
• Oh no, another fall on the throw, this is not the performance they were hoping for
• Again, another courageous performance to keep going after the falls

14.08 (TES) + 17.92 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 20.10

Start No.	Name	Score
1	1	Chelsea Liu, Broadmoor SC Devin Perini, Los Angeles FSC	38.83
2	10	Caitlin Fields, Coyotes SC of AZ Jason Pacini, Fort Collins FSC	38.13
3	7	Alexandria Shaughnessy, SC Of Boston James Morgan, SC Of Boston	37.02
4	6	Christina Zaitsev, IN World Sk Acad FSC Ernie Utah Stevens, IN World Sk Acad FSC	33.90
5	4	Danielle Viola, WA FSC Alexander Johnson, Broadmoor SC	33.82
6	8	Allison Smith, Dallas FSC Anthony Evans, Stars FSC of TX	27.91
7	5	Hannah Klopstock, Orange County FSC Chadwick Phillips, Los Angeles FSC	27.60
8	2	Elise Middleton, Los Angeles FSC Robert Hennings, Los Angeles FSC	27.07
9	9	Alexis Donahoe, Charleston FSC James Rappold, Charleston FSC	20.78
10	12	Nancy Xu, Peninsula SC Robert Przepioski, Peninsula SC	20.10
11	3	Victoria LoRusso, SC Of Boston Timothy Habeeb, Colonial FSC	18.07
12	11	Lianna Thomas, SC of NY Gene Fu, SC of NY	13.11