Canadian Joannie Rochette Wins Ladies Skate Canada Title

Canada's Joannie Rochette capped off the weekend with a great free skate and a Skate Canada win. Her free skate score was 124.25, more than 15 points better than the closest challenger, and she won the competition by more than 20 points. So, things are looking good for the Canadian. I do have to say she was heads and tails ahead of the competition with both technical elements and presentation. Just an absolute beautiful skate. What a great weekend for Canadian skating! They showed they are going to have some major contenders at the 2010 Olympics.

Japan's Fumie Suguri was third in the free skate with a 105.94 and screwed up a jump (but no fall) but came in 2nd in the competition. She was pleasant enough and I liked her music. Her excitement when she was done was adorable.

I was happy to see America's Alissa Czisny skate a mostly clean program (she stepped out of a triple lutz landing but no deductions). She was lovely, earned a 108.26, which moved her into third place. Maybe this can boost her confidence for the rest of the season.

Italy's Carolina Kostner did better than her short program, but the first half of her free skate was about as shaky as you get without falling. I also don't like her footwork or presentation. But she managed to jump into the fourth place slot with a 104.20. I do think maybe the honeymoon is over between her and the judges; at least the ones at Skate Canada.

Caroline Zhang of the United States did not have a good day. She popped a triple lutz, and fell on a triple flip. As beautiful a skater as she is, she just has not looked confident at Skate Canada. Her 97.52 place her in fifth.

See the rest of the results at Icenetwork.com.