![]() ![]() With a performance this strong, there’s no question they earned it. And the post-season glory, as fallout from Russia’s doping violations meant a bronze medal here was enough to send them to Pyeongchang. At this tense Nationals, where a deep field of talent battled for only two pairs of tickets to the Olympic Games and World Championships, Zahorski and Guerreiro’s confidence brought them the edge. One of the mandates of ice dance is to use the music to its fullest potential, and this team didn’t waste a beat, from the sassy hip shimmies in their transitions to the precise timing of their twizzles. While other teams struggled to squeeze their styles into Latin rhythms, the samba and r(h)umba were a perfect fit for Zahorski and Guerreiro. Russian National Championships Short Dance Once or twice, they chose style over substance and put a foot out of place, but the big elements were terrific, especially their difficult twizzles, which burst out of a clever and challenging entrance. In the relaxed environment of this senior B event in Poland, their confidence showed through, and they maintained the character of their dance flawlessly. Kaliszek and Spodyriev, with their upbeat charisma and unflagging energy, are the rare team that can pull off the style and make it look modern. It says a lot about the current state of ice dance that a ballroom-themed program feels like a daring choice. They won gold by a margin of almost 18 points, a blowout of proportions seldom seen in ice dance. That doesn’t mean the program is short on showstopping moments, though – listen to the crowd gasp, then scream with delight, for a straight line lift in which Buckland flips Coomes upside down, then kicks her back like a pendulum when she grabs his free leg. There’s a smoothness and connectedness to their skating that’s rare in ice dance these days, with the difficult technical elements blending seamlessly from one to the next and advancing the narrative of the program. So Coomes and Buckland did what you do when you want one last Olympics before you call it a day: they showed up to the Olympic qualifying competition and slayed. In their absence, no British ice dance team had been strong enough to preserve an Olympic spot for their country. These are the programs that have stuck in my mind since I first watched them, and that I think represent the best of this season in ice dance.Īfter a long and painful recovery from an injury that might have ended the career of a less determined team, Coomes and Buckland returned to the ice with an early hurdle. My selection rules are simple: one program per team, competitive programs only, all juniors and seniors are fair game. Still, I have my preferences, and especially in ice dance, they often swim against the tide of mainstream internet opinion. I do my best to include athletes and programs beyond my personal favorites, and to spotlight programs that wowed me despite my prejudices. I’ve planned a “best of” for each of the four disciplines, plus three halls of shame: a combined dance and pairs post, and individual posts for the worst of ladies and men.Īny greatest hits list is going to be subjective, and I can almost guarantee that you’re not going to agree with mine. If all goes well, my look back at the past season will consist of seven posts. ![]() ![]() And there was no way to shorten my list of the season’s biggest disasters. When I asked a friend to help me narrow down my lists of best performances, she instead convinced me to add more. Because it was an Olympic year, everything seemed heightened in 2017-18. ![]()
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