French Cup 2018: Russians, the big winners

Having a head start from the Short Programme, Junior category champion Team Junost (SP: 66.66; FS: 109.52; total: 176.18) from Yekaterinburg, Russia continued to lead the remaining nine teams by a wide margin at the end of the day. They skated to strong orchestral music and successfully delivered a challenging programme. Their synchronized spin was pleasant to watch. And so at the end, they won again the French Cup this year.  

American team Skyliners (SP: 63.38; FS: 101.20; total: 164.58) maintained their second position with their “Black Swan” programme. Their score was similar to that obtained one month ago in Cup of Berlin (which was 165.73). 

On the third position of the podium was Lexettes (SP: 60.94; FS: 98.30; total: 159.24) of the USA who continued their European tour after Leon Lurje Trophy (where they scored 158.29).

A huge congrats to our amazing Junior girls in their SILVER medal at the French Cup! We are so proud of you! Congrats to our USA teammates the Lexettes and the Starlights on their beautiful performances today! #USAALLTHEWAY #GOSKYLINERS

Une publication partagée par SkylinersSST (@skylinerssst) le 3 Févr. 2018 à 10 :59 PST

In the Senior category competition among teams was very intense. Five of the current top ten senior teams in accordance with current ISU Standings had their eyes on the top spot of the podium in Rouen. After the short programmes, the top teams were very close so it got very exciting in the later part of the game. 

Nexxice of Canada (SP: 70.12; FS: 123.58; total: 193.70) started the second group of senior teams.  Their “River” programme has a special flair to set them apart from their peers and was ranked the fourth in Free Skating.  However, the competitors today were so tough that even their excellent programme was simply not enough.  The Canadians landed at the fifth position at the end.  

Finnish Marigold IceUnity (SP: 73.06; FS: 121.18; total: 194.24) had points deducted due to falls during Intersection and No-Hold and those falls were anti-climax to the otherwise creatively choreographed aquatic theme program. 

Yesterday during our free program skate the ice got somehow little too slippery and our Splash routine became Spläts! 💦😅 Even though we couldn’t reach our full potential there were a lot of improvements in our elements. Thanks to our positive attitude we can see the good in the worst situations and learn from our mistakes. 💙 Now we are setting our sights to Nationals where we will defend our National Championship title! 🏆 📸: @northernaction #marigoldiceunity #synchronizedskating #skatingfinland #hlmuokka

Une publication partagée par Marigold IceUnity (@marigoldiceunity) le 4 Févr. 2018 à 1 :06 PST

The other two Finnish teams Team Unique (SP: 73.44; FS: 130.00; total: 203.44) and Helsinki Rockettes (SP: 75.42; FS: 126.08; total: 201.50) swapped the second and third positions after the Free Program.  They both have intricate and emotionally rich programs, but for Helsinki Rockettes, one set of group lift was not executed fully successfully and so the silver medal was passed to Team Unique.

So proud of the improvement we’ve made in two weeks! 130.00 from the free skate, 203.44 overall and 22 happy skaters 🤩 Thank you Miru for pushing us forward, can’t wait to continue work 💪🏼 #teamuniquesynchro #synchronizedskating #skatingfinland #frenchcup2018

Une publication partagée par Team Unique (@teamuniquehsk) le 3 Févr. 2018 à 3 :53 PST

The champion Team Paradise (SP: 76.42; FS: 134.76; total: 211.18) from Russia was leading by only 1 point after Short Program, so there was great pressure to execute all elements correctly.  In fact, in the morning practice session the Russian team had some setbacks which upset some of the skaters.  During competition Russian fans cheered and gave rounds and rounds of thunderous applause as the team progressed through their complex program without hiccups.  The moment risky elements such as group lifts and intersections were executed the audience witnessed the team matching towards the top spot of podium successfully.  At the end, Team Paradise received 134.76 points for their effort to execute complex and difficult manoeuvres.

Ready for French cup 2018 🇫🇷 #teamparadiserus #frenchcup2018

Une publication partagée par Team Paradise🇷🇺Team Russia-1 (@teamparadiserus) le 31 Janv. 2018 à 10 :12 PST

With top teams competing against each other based on programmes which had received much refinement during the season and enthusiastic fans chanting, singing, dancing and cheering without fail during competitions and ice-surfacing periods, the French Cup might be mistaken as a mini World Championship!