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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
