Synchronized Skating

Congratulations Nexxice! MIU had a beautiful performance that won them the free skate and brought them only 0.67 away from first place. They earned four 10s in program components (two for interpretation, two for choreography/composition) and surprisingly, Nexxice did not receive any 10s.

Of course, a huge congratulations to Team Paradise/Russia for earning a podium spot for the first time.

I’m disappointed that Team Surprise couldn’t hang on to third place. They were definitely capable - they actually had the highest base value of the event (48.40), the same as Nexxice. If they hadn’t lost the three mandatory deductions in addition to GOE marks, they would have earned 4th place. They had lower GOEs throughout the whole program, so I’m not sure they could have bumped up to third. Quick rewind to the short program: Team Surprise was the only team to get the TC4 call. But I guess this makes sense since they’ve been doing it since 2010. They were actually the only team to get all their calls in the SP. I’m glad they’re going home with a mini medal!

After looking at the protocols, it looks like the intersections (both the intersection itself and the point of intersection) and pivot block were the toughest to get called.

Sigh. Poor Haydenettes, they missed a lot of calls (pivot block, circle, whip intersection and point of intersection, and moves element). I think their GOEs were strong enough that had they received their intended calls, they could have been a contender for 4th.

Current standings

Highest technical score: Team Sweden 1 (Team Surprise) - 34.02

Highest program component score: Team Canada 1 (Nexxice) - 37.62

Overall, the short program scores are substantially lower than last year (the highest TES in 2014 was 39.21). But as always, the top few spots are up for grabs going into the free skate.

Nexxice: Currently in first. No surprise here. By far the best pivoting line element of any team tonight...it seemed to defy physics!

MIU: Currently in second. They looked to have skated the short program of their lives, and were noticeably disappointed with their score.

Team Surprise: Currently in third!! They will always be one of my favorite teams because of their innovation and distinct skating style. I find myself rooting for them no matter what, and I would be so thrilled if they can hold on to third place.

Rockettes: Currently fourth. It will be a close race between them and Team Surprise.

Team Paradise: Currently fifth. They also looked disappointed with their scores. I thought the program started off strong, but there were bobbles in the twizzles nearing the end of the program. I love how they can adapt to any style and embody any character they are given.

Haydenettes: Currently sixth. They’re only one place lower than they were in last year’s SP. Hopefully they can skate a clean LP and secure 6th place or higher. Team Paradise seems to be their most direct competitor, so we’ll see who can edge forward in the free skate.

One overarching thing I noticed (and loved) was how all of the top teams have a distinct skating style, just like singles skaters do. Every team has created a sort of identity for itself that makes them immediately recognizable.

Here are the changes you need to know:

Junior Short

Triangle is replacing angled as the required intersection

No hold element must be 4x4 block, specifically

Pivoting element will be a block, replacing the line

Traveling element will be a three-spoke wheel, replacing the circle

Junior Free

Required pivoting element will be line, replacing the block

Required traveling element will be circle, replacing the wheel

Choice of linear element (block) / rotating element (wheel), replacing line and circle, respectively

Senior Short

Box is replacing whip as the required intersection

Move element unsupported spiral now only needs to be execute by half of the team (instead of full team) - team has free choice of other fms they want to include

No hold element must be 4x4 block, specifically

Pivoting element will be a block in three lines, replacing the line

Traveling element will be a three-spoke wheel, replacing the circle

Senior Free

Required pivoting element will be line, replacing the block

Required traveling element will be circle, replacing the wheel

Choice of linear element (block) / rotating element (wheel), replacing line and circle, respectively

IMPORTANT NOTE: Synchronized spin element is being considered as required element for the 2016-2017 season. Currently, teams choose between a move element, pair element or synchronized spin element. Pair is the most common choice...but if everyone starts doing the SSE next season, we know why.

The 2015 ISU World Championship Gala on Sunday featured an exhibition from Finland’s Team Unique, who took the opportunity to put 20 skaters on the ice instead of the regulation 16.

The first half of the program remains relatively unchanged, and features 16 skaters. Four more enter during the no hold element and from there, they have added the more audience-friendly, “wow” elements not seen in the senior short program - making the best possible use of such great exposure.

ShanghaiDaily.com reports that negotiations between ISU and the Shanghai Sports Bureau are ongoing.

Team Unique was invited to exhibit at the ISU World Championships Gala Exhibition in Shanghai on Sunday. Yle.fi reports that their appearance is part of ISU’s strategy to gain more visibility of the discipline. “PR is particularly important now, as the International Olympic Committee is currently considering its Olympic qualifications for the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea,” the article states.

In my opinion, this is one of the best possible teams to represent the entire sport of synchronized skating, especially with Worlds in Asia - a part of the world where synchro has great potential to expand.

Now that the national championships have concluded, we can see how each team's score compares before they go head-to-head in Hamilton. First is their 2015 Nationals score, then their 2014 Worlds score.

Marigold IceUnity (FIN1) 223.74 (2014 Worlds - 223.45)

NEXXICE (CAN1) 219.06 (2014 Worlds - 220.88)

Les Supremes (CAN2) 214.66 (2014 Worlds - 197.01)

Rockettes (FIN2) 213.48 (2014 Worlds - 220.66)

Haydenettes (USA1) 210.55 (2014 Worlds - 196.90)

Team Paradise (RUS1) 202.45 (2014 Worlds - 211.82)