2012 US Figure Skating Championships: Junior Short Dance LIVE Commentary

1) Cassandra Jeandell & Damian Dodge
   Music: Let's Get Loud/Sway

• Good twizzling unison until the 3rd, they got a little close
• Looked like a little misstep on the first Cha Cha sequence
• A little bit of a botched hold on the 2nd Cha Cha sequence
• They went with the standard girl in bright costume and guy in all black
• He is definitely the star of this team, I love his facial expressions!
• That rotational lift in the haircutter position was wild, she looked like she was about to fly away
• He is an amazing performer, I'm loving him

20.42 (TES) + 17.12 (PCS) = 37.54

2) Roxette Howe & Mark Jahnke
   Music: El Beso Del Final/Dance With Me

• Very passionate piece, right from the beginning
• Nice change of position lift with him in that low squat
• They both have very expressive upper bodies
• She looks like Lynn Kriengkrairut
• Good clean edging on the Cha Cha patterns from what I can see

25.57 (TES) + 17.76 (PCS) = 43.33

3) Jessica Mancini & Tyler Brooks
   Music: Haitian Lady

• That's quite an elaborate costume she has on there
• She's grown up a lot since last year
• Good use of the arms for drama's sake by Jessica
• She really plays to the audience well
• I really like the Cha Cha compulsory patterns
• Their height difference is pretty huge, it's impressive that his posture is so good
• Wow, nearly hit the wall there
• This piece is very seamless, you don't see it as separate elements
• Nice rotational lift with his change of height, she breaks form a little on the exit 

26.00 (TES) + 19.81 (PCS) = 45.81

4) Jenny Dzierzanowski & Vinny Dispenza
   Music: Hot Hot Hot/Smooth

• Wow guys those names are mouthfuls!
• Major unison issues on the twizzles, she did at least two rotations lest than him
• Her posture needs some work
• I'm really surprised we haven't heard more hot, hot, hot this season
• He seems to be much more advanced than she is, or else he copes with the nerves better
• This piece is really picking, they're really building
• Oh no, a double fall, and just when they were getting their momentum!

16.09 (TES) + 13.98 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 28.07

5) Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager
   Music: Chilly Cha Cha/Besame Mucho

• Very fiery and sharp right from the beginning, they are really going after it
• Very very close together on the twizzles, slight lack of unison on the arms in set #3
• Lauri seems a little hunched over, very nice posture from Travis
• Nice change of position lift, but very close to the wall
• Nice clean holds in the Cha Cha sequences, good use of arms to accent
• Travis is a great partner
• Very solid, no visible errors other than posture

28.35 (TES) + 25.04 (PCS) = 53.39

6) Rachel Parsons & Michael Parsons
   Music: Psychedelic Sally

• Love these kids!
• I love this piece of music
• Very cute costumes, very age appropriate, I love the full skirt
• Nice change of position lift, a little choppy in the position changes
• Michael has beautiful leg line
• Slight unison issue on the not-touching sequence
• Michael was just a hair faster than Rachel on the twizzles
• I like her positions a lot on the rotational lift
• Really clean edges on the Cha Cha patterns from what I can see
• Good speed and flow throughout
• They are really well matched in terms of size and height

28.93 (TES) + 21.87 (PCS) = 50.80

7) Alexandra Aldridge & Daniel Eaton
   Music: I Need To Know

• Here comes my favorite team right here!
• Alexandra is working it tonight
• She has great hip action, and she's working the Meryl Davis double ponytail!
• Great entry into the straight line lift
• I've never seen her so sassy before
• Great use of the free arm
• They are getting really close to the boards
• This is so fast right here at the end and they are really keeping up their energy throughout
• Tiny stumble by Alexandra toward the end, they started to get slightly out of control toward the end, but fantastic overall

27.71 (TES) + 26.71 (PCS) = 54.42

8) Elliana Pogrebinsky & Ross Gudis
   Music: Relax Max

• These costumes don't scream Latin to me, they look more Egyptian or something
• This team looks very novice to me for some reason
• Mirroring twizzles are always hard to see unison issues, I suspect that's why teams do them
• This program is a little slow moving for me
• Nice team, but they had a tough act to follow

25.86 (TES) + 20.81 (PCS) = 46.67

9) Amanda Bertsch & Sam Kaplun
   Music: Medley

• I think I love that dress....it's very Tanith Belbin
• Slight unison issue right at the end of the twizzle
• Really good speed
• I like that layback lift
• I like her expression a lot
• The thing I love about ice dance is that they know how to stay in character

25.08 (TES) + 19.80 (PCS) = 44.88

10) Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter
   Music: Kaboom/Gabrie's Oboe

• OMG I love their grand entrance to center ice, how dramatic
• I love a good boot cover!
• They are precious, younger than most of the Novice teams
• Their foot work is great in that Cha Cha pattern
• This piece of music is fantastic for this dance
• They are fantastic, I love the joy they show out there
• Really nice twizzle set
• I don't know how I feel about Gabriel's Oboe over a Cha Cha rhythm
• They are cute, but I don't get the theme, the costumes, or the elaborate entrance
• This piece was short on Latin, but heavy on cute

28.20 (TES) + 20.91 (PCS) = 49.11

11) Danielle Gamelin & Alexander Gamelin
   Music: Corazon Espinado/La Vide es un Carnaval

• Holy big hair
• Wow she almost clipped his head with her skate, that would've been horrible!
• Really close holds in the Cha Cha patterns
• Really unfortunate double fall into the boards just as they were clicking along
• He's just a hair faster than her on the twizzles
• She looks shaken up after that fall, I hope she didn't hurt herself
• Nice upside down lift
• Really good dance from them, very sad about the falls

19.36 (TES) + 18.96 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 36.32

12) Kaitlyn Hawayek & Michael Bramante
   Music: Sway/Tequila

• Slight unison issue on 1st twizzle
• OMG they had identical facial expressions coming out of the 1st twizzle
• I really like that color on her
• This team is really high energy
• Fantastic speed on the rotational lift
• Great death drop spin
• She is thrilled with that performance, as she should be!

25.50 (TES) + 21.35 (PCS) = 46.85

13) Madeline Heritage & Nathaniel Fast
   Music: Make You Feel My Love/Rolling In The Deep

• I'm not loving that costume on her at all, it's too muted for Latin
• Nice backbend lift
• This dance is very smooth, but it's not latin at all
• Putting bongos under Adele does not a latin dance
• This team looks very mature
• Slight stumble in the 2nd Cha Cha pattern, a little bit of a hold issue
• They look to have lost their focus and speed a little
• That final rotational lift got a huge audience response!

28.43 (TES) + 20.39 (PCS) = 48.82