Welcome to the second Grand Prix Series event of this season, Skate Canada in Regina, Canada. A much smaller number of my favorites has been assigned to this one, but I was still really excited to watch the short programs regardless. Unlike in my Rostelecom Cup post, in this one I will be talking about my faves in the men, ladies and pairs categories, and not just the men. Timezone wise (as well as live stream wise) this competition was a nightmare for me with. For example, Shoma Uno skating at way past 2am so I had to catch up on the men's short program in the morning.
Anyway, without further ado, let's just jump right in.
Men
Jason Brown - USA - I am Hamilton trash and I'm pretty sure everyone knows that, so when I heard that one of my absolute favorite skaters would have a program set to my favorite song from the musical, The Room Where It Happens, I was overjoyed. I knew that Jason and his team would do an amazing job with this one and I certainly wasn't disappointed in any sort of way. When Jason takes the ice and they call is name you can just see the happiness radiate off of Jason's face and smile. He is like a beautiful ball of sunshine and watching him perform this program with so much fun is just amazing. I honestly just sit there and smile the entire time because honestly how could I not? This program fits him perfectly allowing him to show off his great artistic skills and expression making him a true artist on the ice. Honestly I just love this program and I love what Jason did with it and the way he performs it. I need him to make Team USA for the Olympics and just rock the Olympic ice because he deserves it so much. Can't wait to see his free skate and just see him bloom and grow even more as the season continues.
For his short program Jason received a total of 90.71 points. He is currently in 3rd place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Shoma Uno - Japan - Another one of my favorite skaters with a program set to a piece of music I adore, Vivaldi's Winter. This program is breathtakingly beautiful, marvelously choreographed and timed, and Shoma's artistic expression is just top notch amazing. His costume, that reminds me of last years free skate one but this time in shades of gray instead of red, fits perfectly into the picture. Overall I am a big fan of Shoma and his skating, his programs are always very difficult, this one definitely again on a high level, though he's mastering it with easy it seems. Love this program!
For his short program Shoma received a total of 103.62 points. He is currently in 1st place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Patrick Chan - Canada - Patrick is a good skater, but unfortunately he is accompanied by a sort of inconsistency when it comes to jumps. He didn't fall this time, but he touched down at least once, which was a shame. This is a really nice program, smooth and emotional, fitting with the music. Patrick's costume is quite simple in shades of gray but that underlines the choreography nicely. There is certainly room for improvement but it's easy to see that this is a very promising program. I'm actually quite surprised I must admit. I'm usually not that big of a fan of Patrick's, but this is a good one.
For his short program Patrick received a total of 94.43 points. He is currently in 2nd place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Ladies
Marin Honda - Japan - Marin looked absolutely lovely in her dress accompanied by a beautiful choreography and music. It was a delight to watch her, even if she unfortunately fell once. Despite that she did an amazing job and I can't wait to see her perform this program at its fullest potential at some point in this season. Seeing her sit in the kiss & cry afterward slowly but surely breaking into tears was really sad, even more so because she did really good and thus there was no need to cry. Looking forward to her free skate!
For her short program Marin received a total of 52.60 points. She is currently in 10th place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Ashley Wagner - USA - I like Ashley a lot, not only because she's rink mates and besties with Adam Rippon (whom I adore) and shares a coach with Nathan Chen, but also because she's a good skater. Watching her perform her short program was fun because you could see that she was having a lot of fun, too. Her dress was black and simple but still very pretty. I'm not quite convinced by the ponytail she had going on, but it was still a solid performance that I enjoyed watching. Curious to see her free skate and grow as the season continues.
For her short program Ashley received a total of 61.57 points. She is currently in 7th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Anna Pogorilaya - Russia - I was really excited to see Anna again on the ice after her disastrous free skate at Worlds last season where she fell more times than not, a truly sad sight that honestly made me cry right along with her. This time though she performed beautifully and without any falls. Her red and gold dress was very pretty and fit her marvelously, as well as her music and choreography. She did struggle just a little in a few places but besides that she did great and I enjoyed watching her a lot. She's definitely up there on my list of favorites among the ladies so I hope she'll continue to work on her SP and get better and better as the season continues. Would love to see her represent Russia along with Medvedeva at the Olympics next year.
For her short program Anna received a total of 69.05 points. She is currently in 2nd place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Rika Hongo - Japan - Rika wasn't on my radar before Skate Canada but I am now really interested in. Her program was really awesome, her costume red, black, sparkly, and intricate, and her performance really good and artistic. Everything fit beautifully together and I am definitely putting her on my list of ladies to follow this season.
For her short program Rika received a total of 61.60 points. She is currently in 6th place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Kaetlyn Osmond - Canada - Is it just me or was she awfully overscored? Home turf must do that trick for you, or a judge who just really wanted you to lead, though this is just me being a negative nancy I suppose. I really liked her dress, she looked very pretty in it, but watching her program felt like she was doing one thing while the music something completely else and, even if you'd play the wrong one, it probably wouldn't make too much of a difference. I mean sure she is a good skater, but I don't think she should've gotten that many points and have such a big lead on Anna Pogorilaya (whom I thought actually had the best performance out of all the ladies). Nonetheless I will follow her this season to see how her scores will compare and to see that rivalry play out on the ice, probably in the same way that I follow Nathan Chen to be honest.
For her short program Kaetlyn received a total of 76.06 points. She is currently in 1st place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Pairs
Vanessa James / Morgan Cipres - France - I adore these two, easy as that. They have so much chemistry between them and artistry in their skating and expression it is unbelievable, and they just keep on getting better and better. I've so far loved all of their programs and this one is no different. The choreography, set to Make It Rain by Ed Sheeran, was beautiful and fit on the dot, their costumes with Vanessa's blue dress and the blue accents in Morgan's shirt and vest were perfect and underlined the program just right. I could watch them skate all day, every day and not get bored any time soon. I am sure they will go far this season, their throws are definitely improving and I can't wait to see this program performed at its full potential soon.
For their short program Vanessa and Morgan received a total of 73.04 points. They are currently in 10th place. If you want to watch their performance you can do it right here.
And that's it for the short programs at Skate Canada. Next up the free skate and the question of who will medal from my little list of favorites. Let me know what you think and whom you are rooting for in the comments below, or on twitter (@Alice_Reeds).
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