#guignardfabbri

Hubbell/Donohue - I think their tango has gotten a lot better since U.S Classic. I can see the chemistry now, which is a plus. And the curve lift looks really good, it is just so simple (which isn’t that much fun). Madi’s tango kicks look nice, which is a big plus. The fd…Look i’m never going to be the biggest fan of them doing Romeo and Juliet and that’s just the way it is. That being said, I liked Madi’s dress better this time, it looks smoother and they are performing it more. But Zach, holy overacting there in the end. Now get your levels this week!

Guignard/Fabbri - Of the programs of theirs I have watched, I’ve liked one, and neither of these programs are going to change that. Their variation of the twizzles is cool, but the second set of twizzles is always a nail biter with them. They also do the Weapo-Lift in both programs, which…I don’t mind that you get inspired by what other teams are doing, but it really loses it’s effect when you use it in every single number (and when Weapo does it with more speed).

Zagorski/Guerriero - Her hair is awesome. They are one of the teams that I think make really stunning photos, but they lose me when I see them in movement. They are both really tall, but neither of them feel like they have full control over their movement, which makes them feel gangly to me. I really dislike her tango kicks (minor pet peeve with a lot of teams for me). Also him pushing Quinn when they got of the ice after the warm-up is a big no. He is now on the same level as Paul Poirer, which you don’t want to be. This was their first outing since they’ve had injuries during the summer so there were definitely bobbles (I would’ve had them off the podium tbh). The fd is good music for them (I love Blues for Klooks) but i feel that there were parts that they just skated through it. I remember thinking during Pyeongchang that Tiffany projects a lot to the judges but not really to other parts of the rink - I’m not sure that was the case here because of the camera angles, but it feels quite likely tbh. Currently, I think Sinitsina/Katsalapov beats them for Russian #2.

McNamara/Carpenter - I know that the camera can be deceiving when it comes to things like speed, but that was the first thing I noticed when they came on - their speed. And it seems to come from the ice, not from hopping across it. The fact that they were the first team to get all the key points in the pattern attest to that. Lorraine has lovely arms, but her posture is really distracting for me. She always seems a bit hunched over. I’m not sure if it is intentional in the lift in the rd, but it is especially glaring there. I know the fd isn’t what they usually do, and that it isn’t that unique in terms of what other teams do, but I don’t think it’s that bad either. They are showing that they can handle that style/are versatile and then they will hopefully go back to doing more unique programs. I really like Quinn’s attitude. I am actually really looking forward to seeing them in Helsinki - I wanna know if it feels like they are projecting when you’re in the rink with them.

Fear/Gibson - They’re my new favourites. Really hoping they keep beating Twydale/Buckland and get to go to Euros and Worlds this year. They didn’t get all their levels in the rd, but it was such an improvement from their challenger, where I didn’t notice them until the free dance. Their disco-fd is so much fun to me. There are so many things l like in it that I’ve already mentioned in tags before, but they bear repeating. Their slide is so good! And their lift as well. It was a shame that Lewis didn’t get that twizzle, but that means (along with other things that weren’t as smooth as they can be) that there is still room for their scores to improve.

Kaliszek/Spodyriev - I have a soft spot for them - she seems like such a sweetheart. That being said, they have really had bad luck with the patterns. Neither the latin last year nor the tango this year suits them at all. I do like the stationary lift in the rd, but the rest doesn’t really feel like a tango to me (maybe if she didn’t wear green? idk). The free is just a big no, although I appreciate that they are trying new things (it’s a post-olympic year!)

Müller/Dieck - Their tango really felt like a tango, which I appreciated. They also actually looked at each other and connected, which I also appreciated. The music with the clicks and clunks that never really built - not so much. The fd with the cancer theme is…just a really bad choice lmao. Voice-overs and hospital sounds is not the way to make an audience excited about you.

Nazarova/Nikitin - Black boots on the lady is always a yes from me. They were really focused on not getting anything wrong technically and you could really tell. The tango was a generic tango with some very literal choreography thrown in - i.e. ”we gonna bunny-hop” with bunny ears thrown in. The fd didn’t really have any highlights either for me. The stationary lift in the beginning was different in a quite good way. They didn’t really seem happy with their performances either.

Twydale/Buckland - He seems like a super solid partner, but is definitely focusing a lot on what needs to be done and not on performing. She doesn’t have as solid skills, but at least she is performing. The tango is very Igor. The fd isn’t really a coherent program either, and seems like a typical ”Igor adjusting to the current style of ice dance”.