Go Back to Competition and Show Reviews Index
NOTE: When broadcast on CBS, this competition was re-named "The Metropolitan Open."
September 23, 1995
Well, I just drove five hours to NYC and five hours back to NOT see my favorite skater. But I did manage to have fun anyway. ;)
Silly competition: ISU sanctioned event, so ISU rules for scoring and for factored placements. Why silly? Only three competitors in each event! And the short program is important becaaaauuuse....
Comments on the women's event:
Chen Lu skated a new short program to new age-y type music (sorry, I'm terrible at recognizing music) wearing the pink dress with a rose in back she wore for the exhibition at '95 Worlds. Beautiful skating and nice music, but not very well coordinated... I think this is just because it is so early in the season. She kept having problems with the lutz in warm-up, but then landed it perfectly for the short.
Nicole also had a new short program. The music sounded like a muzak version of some very horrible pop song - but I could be wrong. The costume was also pretty abysmal. She put her foot down all wrong for the lutz, kicked up a lot of ice, and fell... she had been flutzing it in the warm-up but could not scrape her way out of that one! It looks like she puts her free leg down so that her foot is alongside the skating foot and then toes in... is this normal??
Michelle had another new short (she replaced Katarina Witt, who was supposedly injured). This was refreshingly nice, to Spanish guitar and flamenco music. She wore a ruffly red dress and even stuck in some ubiquitous Oksana moves as musical interpretation. She looked taller? Great color on her, if not the best dress. Slight mistake on the lutz combination (which she landed perfectly in warm-up) - she didn't have any flow out of the lutz and had to grind to a halt before putting in the double toe. Nice extension, but still slow.
For the long, Nicole wore a lemon colored dress with pale green sequins made to look like faux Native American beading, along with fringe on the bottom of the dress and a headband. My friend Sarah and I turned to each other in fear: "oh god! Not a 'Pocahontas' program!" Part of the music was vocal, so I supposed that will be different in other comps. Luckily, Nicole made a good come-back in the long and skated very solid. Great double axel and triple flip, but still a very curious lutz. Great spins. I wish she were doing something a little more interesting, but that's just me. Ever-present hydroblading maneuver included.
Michelle had a new long program as well. Don't know the music... sorry. Her costume was very purple (although not the purplest costume we would see that evening!). She skated very well, with the exception of a popped triple lutz which cost her the competition. She has better flow and much improved line (which I think is because she seemed taller), but she still needs to work on her ice coverage. It just can't compare to the power of Chen Lu or especially Nicole, who makes any ice surface look too small for her. Of course, I had to remind myself that Kristi Yamaguchi is not a particularly powerful skater or a skater with big jumps, so perhaps that is not so important after all.
NB: this was actually Michelle's exhibition
Chen Lu skated her "Last Emperor" program and it was unfortunately a complete disaster. She had been doubling the lutz in warm-up and just before she began her program, she took a bad fall on an attempted triple - not a good way to start out. First she fell on the triple lutz, and then doubled the flip and the loop. After that she popped another two triples ... I think she landed two triples total and looked dejected and lifeless throughout... she didn't even finish with the music.
It was my impression that Lu seemed unprepared for this competition, whereas Nicole and Michelle were much more confident in both programs. Crowd was very into Nicole.
The pairs' short programs were a classical routine for Bechke & Petrov in which she two-footed the side by side double axels (I knew they were going to place last before the competition began, right?), the unkillable "Romeo and Juliet" program for Kovarikova & Novotny, and what my friend Sarah entitled the "Headbanger's Waltz" for Meno & Sand ("Mangled Remains of Music Once Known as The Blue Danube"). The new title got its name from my wondering what precisely the lift exit with sweet little Jenni's head inches from death had to do with a nice waltz. :) K&N's program had much more power and grace to it and won easily with a clean performance.
For the long programs, Bechke & Petrov skated to "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" in unattractive blue and black costumes. I sense imminent CBS chacking. It was a nice program ending with a drawn-out Bobbit lift, but as I said, they were there to come in third. Kovarikova & Novotny skated a new program to "New York, New York" (way to get the crowd going). She wore a pretty black dress with beading around the top and lowe back (backless up top) with fringe at the bottom; Rene was stuck wearing boring plain black with vaguely baggy sleeves. It was a cute program but skated a bit klunky, as if they weren't very comfortable with it, particularly with some interlocking steps. A clean performance from Meno & Sand was enough to beat it and such was delivered, to the "Nessun Dorma" program (with vocals by Luciano). I described Todd's vivid purple jumpsuit as something to fight crime and tooth decay in. Anyone?
I was a little curious as to how Scott Hamilton and Paul Wylie were going to handle the "short program" requirements, but they both did just fine. Scott, in a shiny gold lame button-down shirt and what appeared to be glden yellow *slacks*, skated to "in the Mood" with a clean lutz combination to come out in front. Paul opted for his '92 Olympic short program and wore an all-purple costume. It was the grapiest. Problems throughout (stumble on flying spin entrance, looked like he two-footed the double toe on his lutz combination, stepped out of final spin), but your usual Paul panache.
Well, needless to say I was pissed that Aleksei wasn't going to be there (!), but I was happy that of anyone, Todd Eldredge was his replacement. And yes, Todd did do a new short program!!! I'm sure the music is something obvious but I can't name it... classical... Romantic? (yes, I realize that I am naming 99% of skating music). The program was great... another good mixture of light humor, grace, and powerful changes of pace (as in "Les Miserables," for one), but I think by the time he does this at Worlds it will be even richer than those earlier programs. I really liked it; however, Todd was not on and fell on the triple axel combination. He did land one triple axel in warm-up, it would be the sole triple axel of the competition! Oh, am I mad? The costume! The costume for this program is fabulous!!! The top is what I would call saffron color (reddish-brown) over leggings of the same color with I believe a black waistband. The top has gold stitching on it in a criss-cross brocade to resemble quilting, and there is a gold band down the front and around the bottom, as well as a gold mock turleneck top. I loved it - I hope my pictures turn out!!
NB: This turned out to be an OLD Todd program, to "The King and I," which I had never seen before!
Another note on fabrics - the boards were swathed in a teal velour. Sarah and I wondered how many Oleg Tataurovs could be dressed from head to toe in it. :)
Scott's long program was to the "Hungarian Rhapsody" by Liszt. No stripping or oxygen masks - just a plain black top and trousers. Great skating; unbelievable crowd response. How old is this guy??? Paul skated to what I assume was "JFK" - ends with salute? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with this program. He also skated very well but it was enough to catch Scott. Todd again had problems in the long. He came out wearing the costume from "Les Miserables" - the greyish-white top and the pink velour pants with the sash. Boy, was I confused. Does this mean he has a new long program or not?? He skated to "Gethsemane," unfortunately one of my least favorites of his programs, and couldn't pull off the triple axel again. I wondered what he spilled on the "Gethsemane" costume at Worlds to make it unwearable. :) Curry? Borscht?
Scott Hamilton was the overall winner and the comp will be on CBS, as I could see Vern and Tracy over my shoulder above the kiss 'n' cry.
I think I would call the competition "Best of Some of the Rest of the Best," personally.... :) But I had a good time and was happy to see some new programs.
Go Back to Competition and Show Reviews Index