Still recovering from Worlds PSED (Post Skating Event Depression), but I'll try to organize my thoughts on the final two events :) I'll do the ladies first since it will be brief. I only saw the final two groups (well, most of them - I wandered the concourse during Sotnikova and was dying with laughter when I spotted a guy sleeping out there. Seems he wasn't too enthralled by the ladiezzzz either). Anyhoo, it was great to see Gracie skate pretty well. I'd like to see her work on her posture in the offseason and add more difficult transitions. I hadn't watched her long program much this season, and I just noticed it was kinda empty.
Ashley's program was beautifully constructed, but she really needs to add that triple-triple. I know she can do it! Zijun Li gave one of my favorite performances. Her Sleeping Beauty program was quite lovely! I just shook my head when Kaetlyn Osmond fell twice and got a standing ovation. Someone who did deserve a standing O and who received a rousing one was Yuna Kim. I've never been a fan, but this really was a spectacular performance. I usually don't care for Carolina Kostner's skating either, but I enjoyed her "Bolero" program very much. It was so mature and just flowed from end to end. And all done with a bloody nose!
On to the free dance! The first group was very entertaining. I've always wanted an ice dance team to skate to Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, so I was thrilled to see Tobias/Stagniunas use the piece. I loved their interpretation, especially the transition into the circular footwork, beautifully done on a powerful beat of the music. Hurtado/Diaz were also a highlight of the group for me. They've improved so much under Dubreuil/Lauzon! Wonderful sexy choreography.
It was amusing to see how many teams Igor and Marina had their hands on at the event. There appeared to be a contest over who could stand at the boards the most times. During practice, their respective entourages/co-coaches took up a mile stretch of the boards. But back to the skating... Zhiganshina/Gazsi's free dance is still one of my favorites of the season. No one could ever accuse them of not being 1000% committed to their zombie character.
Both Chock/Bates and the Shibutanis skated wonderfully, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that Ilinykh/Katsalapov received higher PCS than both teams. The Russians' Ghost free dance becomes more ridiculous with each performance. I hope in the post-Meryl & Charlie era that we'll see Chock/Bates and the Shibutanis battling for the national title and continuing to push each other. The haters can hate, but I love the pairing of Chock/Bates. I think they have great chemistry, and they can do both fun and romantic programs with ease. I'm excited about their future! I've liked Weaver/Poje's free dance a lot since I first saw it at Skate America. I couldn't identify the changes they made for Worlds, but I liked this version, too! Kaitlyn is such a rock star for coming back so quickly from injury.
Now for the top tier - Virtue/Moir were the first to skate in the final group. They skated their Carmen program better than they have all year, but it's still not my cup of tea. I much prefer Cappellini/Lanotte's Carmen. I like the romantic and subtly sultry style of C/L's program, and I'm so glad to see them skating with a lot of confidence now after some tough seasons.
Davis/White never cease to amaze me with how they always skate their best in the biggest moments. They did it yet again in London, putting every ounce of emotional and physical energy they had into the free dance. Their gliding face-to-face spirals make up one of my favorite moments ever in a skating program. And seeing Meryl and Charlie stand atop the podium in Canada was truly a special moment!
I was still too excited over Meryl and Charlie's victory to pay much attention to Bobrova/Soloviev and Pechalat/Bourzat's programs, so I don't know if the judging was fair there. If we have to have a Russian team on the podium (seems like that's a given heading into the Olympics), I'll gladly take B/S over I/K. B/S have made great strides this season, and I loved seeing how happy and excited Ekaterina was at the medal ceremony. It was really cute!
