2003

Skate America

Pairs Event

by Maggie Doyle

 
Standings
Place Team Country SP FS
1 Qing Pang & Jian Tong CHN 1 2
2 Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov RUS 2 1
3 Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang CHN 4 3
4 Utako Wakamatsu & Jean-Sebastien Fecteau CAN 3 5
5 Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn USA 6 4
6 Elizabeth Putnam & Sean Wirtz CAN 5 6
7 Larisa Speilberg & Craig Joeright USA 7 7
8 Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash USA 8 8
9 Veronika Havlickova & Karel Stefl CZE 10 9
10 Veronika Pla & Yannick Bonhuer FRA 9 10

 

Short Program

 
Starting Order - Short Program
  1. Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn
  2. Larisa Spielberg & Craig Joeright
  3. Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang
  4. Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikgonov
  5. Marylin Pla & Yannick Bonheur
  6. Elizabeth Putnam & Sean Wirtz
  7. Veronika Havlickova & Karel Stefl
  8. Utako Wakamatsu & Jean-Sebastien Fecteau
  9. Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash
  10. Qing Pang & Jian Tong

 


The Chinese team of Qing Pang and Jian Tong were the final competitors and blew away their competition with their lovely and clean program to "Illumination by Rolf Lovland.  Highlights included a huge double twist, nice side-by-side triple toe loops and a big throw triple loop. Their spins seemed improved although there was a slight unison problem on their change foot combination spin. For their efforts they received a total element score of 35.00 and a total short program score of 67.08. Their weakest marks were for transitions where they received a 7.65 on a ten-point scale from the five judges whose marks counted. For skating skills they had 8.10, performance and execution they garnered an 8.20. For choreography they received an 8.05 and an 8.10 for interpretation with a total for Program Component scores of 32.08. 

Russia's Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov finished second at this stage with 64.94 points, which gives the Chinese a 2.14 lead going into the free skate for Saturday. The Chinese skate 9th for the free skating program and the Russians will be the final competitors. Petrova and Tikhonov had a higher transitions score of 7.90 and a higher choreography score of 8.20 and but finished behind the Chinese in the other program component aspects, skating skills (8.05), performance/execution (8.10), and interpretation (7.95). Their component total was 32.16 and their total element score was 32.78.

They skated a clean performance to untitled music by Baxter and included strong side-by-side triple toe loops, and a nice throw triple loop.

The pair's press conference was cancelled due to timing constraints since the men's competition followed so closely with Michael Weiss the first to skate. The pair draw was still going on at that point, so no skaters were available for quotes at that point. 

Canadians Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau continued a strong Canadian pair tradition for third place at this competition stage. Their total short program score was 56.88 with 31.12 for total elements and 25.76 for factorized total program component score. Their component scores were all in the 6.10 to 6.60 range. This team is coached by Richard Gauthie and their music was "Kirwani" by David Visan. She put her hand down on the throw triple loop and they did not have their best double twist tonight. Their lift caught people's notice with its unusual splits positions and this team has potential. 

Another Chinese team, Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang took fourth place with 56.14 in total short program points. With a total element score of 30.46 and a total program component score of 25.68, they beat out the Canadian team of Elizabeth Putnam and Sean Wirtz by a margin of 4.12 going into the freeskating programs. The Chinese, skating to "All Alone" by Joe Satriani, had a huge double twist and strong lift but did easier footwork; a mediocre death spiral and their spins were very slow. She saved her throw triple loop but bent at the waist upon landing. They need to step things up for the freeskate to move up in the standings. 

The Americans did not dazzle here in Reading at this competition stage but also could move up in the freeskate. Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn sit in sixth place with 51.12 total segment score points, earning 26.32 for total element score and 24.80 for total program component score points. She fell on their side-by-side triple toe loops in the "Farandole' by G. Bizet. They are now coached by Isabelle Brasseur and Rocky Marval and will skate fourth in the freeskate.

Larissa Spielberg and Craig Joeright follow in 7th place with 50.82 for total segment points, which gives Scott and Dulebohn a slim. .3 lead over them going into the freeskate. Spielberg and Joeright had a higher total element score of 28.34 but were slightly lower with their total program component score of 22.48. This team did side-by-side double Axels instead of triple toe loops in their Tango program from the Indochine soundtrack.  This team skates sixth in the skating order for the freeskate, the last team before the top four group competes.

The third American team of Kathryn Orscher and Garrett Lucash preformed to "Still got the Blues" by G. Moore for 8th. They fell in unison on their side-by-side triple toe loops but had a very nice throw triple Salchow. Their total short program score was 46.44 with a total element score of 25.16 and a total component score of 22.28. They go into the freeskate 4.38 lower than their American teammates in 7th place. They have an early draw of second to skate for the freeskate on Saturday.

 
Short Program Placements

Place

Team Country
1 Qing Pang & Jian Tong CHN
2 Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov RUS
3 Utako Wakamatsu & Jean-Sebastien Fecteau CAN
4 Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang CHN
5 Elizabeth Putnam & Sean Wirtz CAN
6 Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn USA
7 Larisa Speilberg & Craig Joeright USA
8 Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash USA
9 Veronika Pla & Yannick Bonhuer FRA
10 Veronika Havlickova & Karel Stefl CZE

 

Free Skating

 
Starting Order - Free Skating
  1. Marylin Pla & Yannick Bonheur
  2. Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash
  3. Veronika Havlickova & Karel Stefl
  4. Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn
  5. Elizabeth Putnam & Sean Wirtz
  6. Larisa Spielberg & Craig Joeright
  7. Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang
  8. Utako Wakamatsu & Jean-Sebastien Fecteau
  9. Qing Pang & Jian Tong
  10. Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikgonov

 

Free Skating Placements
Place Team Country
1 Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov RUS
2 Qing Pang & Jian Tong CHN
3 Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang CHN
4 Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn USA
5 Utako Wakamatsu & Jean-Sebastien Fecteau CAN
6 Elizabeth Putnam & Sean Wirtz CAN
7 Larisa Speilberg & Craig Joeright USA
8 Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash USA
9 Veronika Havlickova & Karel Stefl CZE
10 Veronika Pla & Yannick Bonhuer FRA



China's Qing Pang & Jian Tong won overall with 185.04 points despite finishing second in the freeskate to the Russian team of Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov who had 184.92 points, giving the Chinese a margin of victory of just 0.12 for both programs. This team skated to "Variations on a Theme of Paganini" and opened with nice side-by-side triple toe loops but he fell on the double Axel in this sequence. Their lateral triple twist was huge but it only has a base value of 4.5. The throw triple Salchow was big and they also completed a throw triple loop. Tong stepped out of their solo side-by-side double Axels. 

Because this was so close, it is unfortunate that the new Code of Points system only selected five of the eleven judges for the score once they drop the highest and lowest marks from the seven judges randomly selected. Different judges randomly selected into the group of seven judges could have changed this result in favor of the Russians. 

The Russians skated to "The Circus Princess" by E. Kalman, opening with a double Axel, triple toe loop combination. He stumbled out of his side-by-side triple Salchow and held on the their solo double Axels. Their total element score was 54.22 while the Chinese bested them in this portion with a total element score of 56.52. The Russians had a higher score for total program components of 65.76 over the Chinese teams score of 61.44.

Teammates from China, Dan Zhang &Hao Zhang took home the bronze medal with their "Grofin Mariza" by Kalman. They were fourth in the short program, third in the freeskate and third overall with 171.26 total points for both programs. For the freeskate, this team earned 115.12 for total freeskating points. Zhang & Zhang had the highest total element score in the freeskate with 59.12 but they fell short on their program components score with a 56.00. 

Americans Tiffany Scott & Philip Dulebohn finished fifth overall but fourth in the freeskate after a 6th place result in the short program. They reprised their "Les Miserables" program here, landing their opening triple toe loop - double toe loop combination. She landed her throw triple Salchow and her throw triple loop but she fell on the side-by-side Double Axel. Their strength is also their unison on elements. 

This team had 159.28 total points with 108.16 points for the freeskating. Their total element score (54.96) and their program component score (53.20) put them 5.78 ahead of the Canadian team of Utako Wakamatsu & Jean Sebastien Fecteau who finished fifth in the freeskate, but there was too much ground to make up from their short program. 

American teammates of Larissa Spielberg & Craig Joeright placed seventh in both the freeskate and overall with 136.54 total points for their new "Romeo and Juliet" program. This duo was assigned while here to Skate Canada and will head directly to that competition from Reading, Pennsylvania.She fell on her throw triple loop and put the foot down on her throw triple Salchow as well as two footing their opening side-by-side double Axel. 

Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash of the USA finished in 8th place in both the freeskate and overall with 130.16 points. He missed his side-by-side triple toe loop and singled his Axel while she slipped during their footwork for their "Spartacus" program. 

 

2003 Skate America Pairs Medalists

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