#ratetheskate

Oh anon, you have decided to make me cry haven’t you?

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it/ I have decided to stan forever

There aren’t enough words to describe just how much I love this FD. Let’s just say I love it so much that I’m probably one of a very few people to love it even more than I love Umbrellas. For me’ this FD is just magical.

Where do I start? The amazing transition performed to perfection? I mean really, just look at this gif, there’s grace, there’s control, there’s flexibility, the extensions and lines are simply amazing:

Then you have Scott’s amazing spread eagle, he doesn’t even wobble for a second, completely secure while holding Tessa once again during a gorgeous transition:

And the step sequences. You have no idea how much I love these step sequences. They skate in close hold for so long, performing so many turns flawlessly, changing directions, all of it while remaining in character:

Even the simpler lifts they performed, they made sure to extend and keep a perfect posture while creating yet another picture perfect moment (I mean really, just look at the way Scott straightens his back and extend his arm while Tessa hit he pose while using her core strength):

And of course, everything is even more clear when you look at it in slow motion - look at the edges and the turns and the unison:

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / I have decided to stan forever

This one has been in my inbox for ages and I had no time to give it the attention it deserves until today. I’m not even sure if you are referring to the FD or the SD but since my answer is identical for both it doesn’t matter much.

So let’s dive in, shall we? When they worked on the FD it was during a season in which Tessa has her second surgery. They were not at their best and had everything to prove as reigning Olympic champions trying to defend their world title. The logical thing to do? play it safe, go with something they know, something comfortable. To go with Mahler 2.0 which worked so brilliantly for them just a season ago. Instead, they took a style they never tried before, a style that is super hard to translate to the ice, and nailed it.

The opening moves were epic, the epitome of Latin and for a team that just won the Olympic with a soft and romantic style that was also relatively young (21 and 23), they sure knew how to bring in the sexy vibes. 

They kept the flow and the Latin theme during the transitions:

They also had some epic lifts, the second one here became so popular it made a comeback in 2018 Latin program and is still highly popular when they tour:

But mostly (and especially after recent events) It just has to be said: to do a Latin program for 04:30 minutes (with no pattern to fill in the time) is extremely ambitious, but to do it in a season when you are coming back from a major injury and surgery is borderline insane in the best way possible. It takes a team that is not only about the win to do something like that, to know that you want the win badly but are willing to risk it in order to push yourself and the sport because you also care about the process and about the mark you will leave on the sport.

Bonus gif #1 - SD epic opening moves:

Bonus gif #2 - SD epic NTMLSS:

Bonus gif #3 - EDGES PORN:

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it/I have decided to stan forever

So this is the last #RateTheSkate I have left and I wanted to save the best for last. To be fair, I didn’t fall in love with this FD right away, I was busy being anxious about the comeback and I’m not a huge fan of Sam Smith’s voice or contemporary styled FDs. But by NHK I was completely in love with it. More than anything it is yet another example for how they could come back and skate to a different style than ever before yet still nail it while making a program that is so very them.

In both ACI and SCI, it was obvious that Latch is a work in progress but by NHK it was close to perfection for me, not only because they cleaned up the little kinks but also because they really managed to nail the emotional interpretation. Tessa and Scott have always been good at telling a story in their programs and while we will likely never know the true and full story behind Latch it still very much felt genuine and as if every movement had a purpose, from the first beat of the music. 

There are a lot of “one person falls down and the other person catches him” moments during the FD that fits the story perfectly, and both fall in a way that really shows the trust they have in each other, always knowing the other one is there to catch them. This blind trust sets the tone of the FD for me.

The first stationary lift is just amazing, they traveled a little (and I do mean a little compared to what we are seeing this season) with it at the beginning of the season but the more they performed it the better it got, and nothing shows it better than the gif fro diamond at TTYCT, Scott barely moves an inch.

And while the straight line lift didn’t work for me at the beginning, the change they made in it for NHK made it so much better and so much prettier. 

The program was full with so many little moments of connection that the energy of the dance managed to draw everyone else in while still remaining very intimate and private (this is a trait that Tessa and Scott have like no one else before - the ability to connect with each other like there’s no one else left in the world yet draw the audience in with and make them feel like they are a part of it as well).

And of course, the perfect closing pose that just became more and more intimate and intense.

Not to mention that closing pose always led to their perfect hugs.

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it /I have decided to stan forever

I love this program for many many reasons, but one of them is for sure the fact that this program just might be the first collaboration Tessa and Scott had with Marie France and Patrice who choreographed this program for them. And it really was a great program. I mean, there’s something about it that fit them perfectly, they were in a perfect age to portray these young and carefree lovers.

It also gave Scott plenty of opportunities to enjoy his favorite spot: 

Plenty of opportunities to flirt:

And also really emphasized the fact that these two people have spent most of their lives holding hands, so there’s really nothing more true about it. 

So Yeah what’s not the stan about it…? 

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it /I have decided to stan forever

No surprises here. When I first discovered Tessa and Scott in 2014, this OD was the first program I found and watched and the one that totally got me hooked, so hooked that I searched and found every single video of this OD from Vancouver with every possible commentary for it. There are many many reasons to love it but the one that I want to mention is perseverance. This was a difficult and risky OD for a team that was struggling with injury and they had their share of issues with it. It wasn’t perfect for a long time (in fact it made them lose GPF 2009/10) but they didn’t give up until they nailed it. In a time where skaters hurry and change programs all the time, especially in an Olympic season, Tessa and Scott kept this OD and made it epic right on time. Let’s break it down, shall we? 

From the minute they stepped on the ice they were completely in character and even their opening pose was powerful (allowing Scott to enjoy his favorite spot):

Then, you have Scott’s amazing spread eagle circling Tessa (in a very similar way to what he does at the beginning of MR) while they are both in perfect posture, completely in character and of course working the hell out of that skirt:

Then they go into their step sequence, so many turns, close hold and again completely in character:

I mean really, just look at the edges and the precision of the movement: 

The twizzles might not have been the best they ever had, but they get all the credit for always switching it up and going for difficult ones which fit the programs and have so many changes of movement in the arms (int the first sequence) and an amazing exit (in the second):

And then comes the lift, I swear to god I have no idea how this lifts is even possible but it’s quite possibly one of the most effective lifts I’ve ever seen in terms of winning over a crowd: 

Every transition they used had a purpose and fit the program and allowed them to amp it up just a little more:

And let’s talk about the NTMLSS ok? because it’s the epitome of what a NTMLSS should look like and is the best part of the program for me. This is what we mean when we say Tessa and Scott skate as one. This was once again amazingly difficult, completely in character and completely in sync.

Just in time to finish completely on point with just as much fire and energy as they had when it started:

Whoa, Baby. 

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / I have decided to stan forever

So the Funny Face FD is an interesting one for me. The bottom line is that I never managed to connect with it as much as I do with TS other programs. But still, whenever I watch it (which truth be told isn’t often) I admire pretty much everything about it. 

First, it would be necessary to acknowledge to the versatility that TS showed leading up to this program, even just between Great Gig, Mahler and Hip Hip that they did in the years prior to Funny Face - it’s fair to say that during every single year of their careers TS did something completely different for their FD, and Funny Face is just another example for it. Not many teams can reenact an iconic due from a movie (and we see it often lately because of La La Land) but TS managed that to perfection, they had everything, from the costumes, to the movement, to the facial expressions and they really brought it to life during the FD.

And then there’s the skating. Funny Face has some of my favorite lifts that TS ever did, they were all very complex and daring (that one when Scott is on one leg and Tessa is balancing on her own against his neck? INSANE!).

And of course, we have the step sequences, which were as always so complex and so in character while being executed with wonderful edge work and flow.

And even in a program that was mostly fun and light, they still managed to find the right moments to connect with each other (it’s their trademark for a reason).

This program might not win any popularity contest, but there’s no doubt it was still very very good.

Bonus:

One of my favorite moves from the FD, looks simple yet perfect.

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it / I have decided to stan forever

How do you know my love for Tessa and Scott knows no bounds? they made Bieber tolerable for me. And say what you will, but their ability to take even a Bieber song and make it into such a fun program, full of flirt and sass - how can I not love it? It’s not a groundbreaking EX, and it’s not their best EX, but it made me smile so often while watching it that you can’t argue with it.

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it / love it/ I have decided to stan forever

For me, Marchei/Hotarek are the biggest waste in terms of them splitting and not doing shows. They are made for shows, always fun, always engaging, and making everyone enjoy them. This SP is a perfect example for it, they are funny and playful all along and the highlight is without a doubt the step sequence at the end of the program. Their Olympic version of it, followed by their joy for nailing it is definitely a favorite of mine.