I remember arriving late to a local competition one year and asking a friend afterward how her skate went. She replied, "I cleaned the ice." Perplexed for a moment, I didn't know what to say, but she explained that she fell so many times there was essentially no need for a Zamboni. Ouch. Maybe the rink was cursed for the ladies skating in Kitchener, Ontario because in the Free Skate, they cleaned the ice.

As a skater, that's the last thing you want to do in your program. You train hard all year, you aim to do your best and not think about how the others do. And although you have to pay attention to them to know how far to push yourself, there's a certain point where reality sets in and you know what you have in your program and all you can do is skate well. If you win when others have fallen, or if you don't skate your best, it's bittersweet. If you're a good competitor and you make friends with the other skaters, you're also rooting for the others to skate well. It hurts to watch them fall too.

Canadian Joannie Rochette is in a position of wonderful opportunity right now. She took the silver medal at the World Championships last year, behind Yu-Na Kim. She and American Rachel Flatt are the only skaters so far this season to approach or match Kim in Short Program or Free Skate scores. Although signs point to Kim being unbeatable, it's not over yet. Rochette will be back in her home country at the Vancouver Olympics. She's a powerful skater with a style much like Michelle Kwan's, and she's hungry to win. Coming into Skate Canada as reigning champion, all eyes were on her, but the event was not what any of the skaters wanted leading up to the Grand Prix Final.

At first, the ladies' Short Program provided some clean routines. American Mirai Nagas's style, jumping, spinning, artistry, speed and attention to detail makes a beautiful picture on the ice. She sparkled, vaulting into a light triple-double combination that heralded a flawless performance. For a former U.S. champion vying for one of only two spots on the U.S. Olympic team, she skated well. But she was followed by Alissa Czisny, also a U.S. Champion, whose Zorro SP dazzled, flawless, intricate, with breathtaking spins, beautiful choreography and a mature style. Czisny pulled into the lead at 63 points. At that point, I was thinking it would be a tough group for Rochette to beat. Not so fast.

Japan's Akiko Suzuki followed, winner of the Cup of China. She stepped out of her triple flip and skated an otherwise clean program, but she didn't command the ice like Czisny and fell in the standings after the SP. American Caroline Zhang, yet another strong American who burst onto the world scene as winner of the Junior Worlds a few years back and hasn't quite peaked yet as a senior skater, came out and performed a triple lutz-triple toe along with a polished, determined program. Unfortunately, as in the past, her jump wasn't fully rotated and was downgraded as a result. Her layback, however, is one of the very best. Laura Lepisto of Finland skated well, gaining a new season's best for her and pulling into fourth after the Short.

Finally, Rochette took the ice, cheered on by the Canadian crowd. She nailed her triple-double combination at the start and the audience began clapping with her music early on. All her jumps were high, her speed quick, and her footwork complex. She gained a new personal best Short Program score with 70 points, winning the Short and gaining a giant lead overall. If she remembers anything from Skate Canada, I hope it's that program. She deserved to feel great about that and it earned her the win.

In the Free Skate, Suzuki started off her "West Side Story" program with a series of solid jumps, but fell midway on one and stepped out of another. She's an edge jumper, not a toe jumper, and she was off her game. I don't see her on the podium in Vancouver, if she even makes it onto the Japanese team.

She was followed by Caroline Zhang, who fell on her first triple flip combination. A beautiful skater with a lovely "Nutrcracker" program, it looks like 2010 probably won't be her year to go to the Olympics - she's just not consistent. She finished in eighth.  If she ever makes it onto an Olympic team, my bet is it will be 2014. The U.S. has two spots. Sorry to say this, but if I had to choose, she wouldn't be on it.  (My dream team would be Czisny, Flatt and Wagner, except we can only have two this year. And don't forget Sasha Cohen is scheduled to try for a comeback at U.S. Nationals as well. Nagasu - she's young and has time to mature before Sochi.)

Canadian Amelie Lacoste skated next, stepping out of her first jump and falling on another. Phaneuf is atletic but he "Ave Maria" performance lacked the elegant polish Zhang of leaders in the event. Cynthia Phaneuf, Canada's next best hope for Vancouver, a high jumper with beautiful style, fell on 3 jumps. It was almost as if she wasn't mentally there. I could tell she's landed the jumps hundreds of times; she just didn't put herself fully in them. I really felt for her going into the Kiss-and-Cry area - they were playing Timbaland's "Apologize," with the lyrics "It's too late to apologize... it's too late" on the loud speakers in the arena after she skated. As if she needed to hear that.

Lepisto of Finland wore a rich red dress with beautiful stone work. I couldn't help but admire it, along with nearly all of the ladies' dresses in Canada. Unlike Cup of Russia where a few times, I couldn't help but ask WT?? Lepisto had a smooth program at the start, followed by little problems with a couple of her landings.  Still, she had less mistakes than most and took second in the Free Skate, earning a bronze medal overall.

Nagasu, this year's "Carmen," seemed to be robotically going through her choreography during her Free Skate, minus any facial expression, but her technique was excellent for the first half. She has a beautiful layback, although she traveled a bit. She had one misstep in her footwork sequence that put her off balance going into her next two jumps in the middle of the program, so both landings wobbled. She didn't smile until the bows, and even that looked forced. She knows she can do better, and although she placed third in both the short and long programs, her points put her in fourth overall, just two points away from the bronze.

Alissa Czisny began her program with an elegance and concentration that I haven't seen in the past. She's been reportedly working on her confidence with Brian Boitano and his coach Linda Leaver and it shows. Her "Dr. Zhivago" program had a smoothness to it that many others did not. Unfortunately, she had a couple of odd take-offs on her triple lutz and triple loop late in the program that led to falls. Scott Hamilton in his commentary kept repeating that Czisny has "every great quality" that a winning skater needs. She's just not there yet. However, if she nears her peak at Nationals, she could still have a shot at the podium in Vancouver.

Rochette, as leader from the Short Program, took the ice last to a rousing welcome by the crowd. She opened with a triple lutz-double toe-double loop. Then she stepped out of her triple flip and put a hand down on the triple loop, like nearly every other skater in the event. Following that, she doubled two more jumps. This is to be expected early in the season, but it was a bit surprising that none of the ladies in Canada skated cleanly at a point where many are qualifying for their countries' Olympic teams. Maybe it was the Canadian ice taunting them.  "What a strange event," remarked Hamilton. I agree.

To recap the other groups, the Mens' event welcomed Canada's Patrick Chan back to the ice after time off due to injuries, but he faltered, placing sixth overall. Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, a medal favorite for Vancouver, tore up the ice in the Free Skate winning that event, but American Jeremy Abbott was on fire in the Short Program and did just well enough in the Free Skate to beat Takahashi by 1.68 points overall. Incredibly close. Alban Preaubert, this year's rocker dude, skated a Rolling Stones and classic rock medley earning the bronze. Canadians Joey Russell finished 10th and Jeremy Ten took 12th. Americans Stephen Carrierre placed 8th; Armin Mahbanoozedeh finished 9th.

In the Pairs event, three Canadian teams competed - Dube & Davison, Langlois & Hay, and Moore-Towers & Moscovitch, placing 3rd, 4th and 6th respectively. Americans Denney & Barrett placed 5th and Yankowskas & Coughlin took 7th. German two-time World Champions  Savchenko & Szolkowy came out with a daring new Free Skate and earned a new world record, above China's Shen & Zhao. Obviously, they won, sending a message to Shen & Zhao heading into the Olympics. Russians Mukhortova & Trankov took the silver after a wardrobe malfunction on his pants. Only in figure skating. (Or the Superbowl half-time show!)

Ice Dance final results were not in when I posted this, but Canadians Virtue & Moir stole the show with a phenomenal score. They will be tough for Belbin & Agosto to beat. Pechalat & Bourzat of France took the silver, but twenty points behind the leaders. Canadians Weaver & Poje placed third and Cong & Gfeller came in 8th. Americans Samuelson & Bates placed 5th and Hubbell & Hubbell - 6th.

Next up: Grand Prix Final in Tokyo, December 3rd-6th! I'll continue writing on my blog here at BlogHer about figure skating in-between events, and the big event coverage will be included in the main editorial feed. I'll be profiling the top skaters who qualified for the Final and analyzing what it takes for them to win leading up to the Olympics. Also note: U.S. Nationals will be January 14th-24th in Spokane, Washington.
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Sarah Granger can't wait for the Olympics!