First things first - please remember I don't spell check before I send, and I'm much better gramatically and spelling wise than I appear! Second, regardless of the fact that it's now marked down as required elements, to me, technical it is and ever shall be - plus, it's easier to type, always a plus.

Wasn't in front of the computer for the first group, since dinner was being served. Notable personages were Berankova and Dlabola who were skating to Bandita and did quite well. She had a hand down on the throw triple sal, not bad since she was splatting all over the place on it in warmup, and he was wack out of line on the s/s spins. Nice double twist though. They lead, the Ukranians, who skated to Secret Garden (with an Irish violinist - are they trying ot get me to like them?) are second, but not much in it. It's their first Euros and they nailed all the technical.

Nicky and Chris are in the commentary box - they hate the new judging system. Not to fond of it myself, but I'll learn to deal...as we see Sarah and Stephane backstage - yay!

Group Two

Totmianina and Marinin RUS

She's in an ivory sparkly thing that does nothing for her...he's in green with foliage dangling from his shoulders, black trousers. Morning by Greig...pairs spin to begin....nicely done if a little travelled. nice changes of position though. into the spirals. around we go and into the throw 3sal impeccably set to the music! s/s triple toes and he misses his, stumbles badly out of landing and no prep going into them chris says.... into the s/s spin camel to upright change camel...nice unison to upright again...and stop...music has speeded and so have they...lots of speed...huge double twist....lift, not a bit of speed lost...they're just flying! death spirla... f/i...and done, right on cue! Well, that was impressive. Won SA, SC, Lalique...and you know, I nearly forgot about the jump! That's teh best program I've ever seen them do, because as you know, I'm not a big fan of theirs...this was great. Elements tied in with the music and no loss of speed...we see the throw again and it was textbook. Peer Gynt suit Nicky tells us it is...show off!

Marks - tech 5.4-5.6. 5.6-5.8 and a row of ones in the ordinals.

Rennik and Saks EST

Holy purple! And shiny purple...dress for her, shirt for him with black trousers. MIchael Flatley s feet of flames....help me please....s/s triple sals and she'd down on hers...never looked on, very slow going into it from both.... throw double loop, and again no speed.....lift, and he's crwaling and it was very shaky... and they really do suffer in comparison to what's gone before.... split was tiny and she caught him heavy on the way down...spirals... she's smiling at least... she's got great extension...him less so. into the s/s spins...getting out of synch...and miles apart....into the f/i d/s... not great arch.... also slow...pairs spins... and there looked to be something wrong somewhere coming out of that...and they're done. Have only competed in Finlandia this year and were 7th there.... tough performance opines chris, but not a disaster. He feels that lack of experience has shown them up, and you can't really fault him. He's 20, she's 17, and it looked very junior-ish, if you know what I mean. Coached by her parents fact fiends!

marks 3.0-3.9 3.7-4.4 row 0f 5s for ordinals.

NOennig and Bleyer GER

20 and 24, first time at euros. there's ingo yay! he's in red and black, she's in red with black skirt...spanish sounding... hmmm leather....she's dwon on the triple toe.. his was fine. great split double twist...miles of space in which to catch her....throw triple sal, and that was well done...into s/s spins camel to sit change sit, out of alignment and getting closer to one another all the time... around we go...into spirals... not fantastic extension from eitehr... f/i d/s ... could be deeper says nicky and I agree... he swings his leg over her as she ducks... around again... lift where hse's on her side... steps to center and into pairs spins... including what is supposed to be a natalia death spin, but doesn't quite get there and they're finished miles ahead of the music. Nicky mentions the ice coverage, and the lack thereof, he has them at covering two thirds of hte ice in relation to how fast they were going. and it was a bad fall on the truple toe, scrambling on her knees... 8th in Gelesenkirchen and in Nebelhorn...

marks 3.8-4.7... 4.2-5.0. 4th place chris tells us.

short break for the ice resurface

Group Three

Obertas and Sokolov RUS

18 and 24 - Nicky relates the story of Nice and hte subsequent acrimonious split with Palamarchuk...Chris told us a story ealier on that whenever she's on practice, all he (Palamarchuk, not Nicky) does is stare at her...she's wearing quite a plain red dress, the shade of which doesn't do a great deal for her since she's so pale..although there is ruffly feathery things on teh sleeves... he's in black, with sparkles on the front...and lordy, who let her out of hte house with blusher like that?? Summer of 42 is the music...slow piano ... she's down on the 3toes... hard fall... very soft around the ice... split which was mammoth... throw... and she had to work on the 3loop but she got it...around for the d/s...nice speed and nice and low... s/s spins camel to sit change sit and out of sync at start but got it back together well... lift..she was straight up, the did the slits, and down onto his hip before down again...that was nice! spirals... lovely flow around the ice, did I mention taht already? cause it does bear repeating... pairs spins... and that didn't look quite right at the end but she's smiling so whatever! What s shame says chris, emphasis on the what... she reminds him of elena bereshnaia... if I take my contact lenses out and squint, perhaps. Nicky doesn't get that either. she was all over the place on teh toe. and he had to stop quickly so's not to run over her... just kept the hand off on the throw... nicky wonders about his rigidity in the arms, also picks on his flow around the ice...

marks aww, she's in tears! bless! 47-5.3..and you can add on .3 to that. 5.1-5.6...wow! in seocnd place...that's not bad!

Abitbol and Bernadis FRA

Ok...the costumes deserve a paragraph on their own. Blue bolero jacket for him, with multi coloured stuff (which defies description, and this is me we're talking about!) pritt sticked onto it...black trousers. SHe's wearing crimson velvet, also with those designs on it...I swear, my kids did that for art class a few weeks ago. Lord of God ... she's got bobbles on teh dress, and on the sleeves, and lime and yellow on the neck...lads, look up yahoo for a picture. it truly is worth a thousand words. (My english oral lesson for hte week! Success!) There are moons...and people jumping...and look at the french supporters! here we go... i'm getting nervous here.... s/s jumps...she doubles toe, he does his, I think... around split...huge and great catch! all the time in the world... throw triple loop and it was mammoth! f/i d/s and she waves as she does it and I'm stil lstuck on the throw....stop and start to spins...s/s camel change cmale to half upright.... and nice unison on way out... crowd try to get in on it and he waves! spiral steps... she juggles... he runs... lift...great changes of position and swingy out over the back dismount.... pairs spins and they're flying...she wave again... and they're done...and a little kiss at the end as the french fans stand! I loved that! Estrada by Nina Rota was the music. He's having a look at the ice in case there was something on it... she's smiling though... yeah, his toe was fine....that split was great...she could have cleaned the lightbulds and as for the throw, she needed her passport for it! chris tells us that considering her injury, it's amazing that she's here at all.

marks 5.0-5.5...5.5-5.8...into second place. one has them first. but we don't know who that is. grrrrr.

Petrova and Tikhonov RUS
Navy blue dress for her, sparkles making a design on the front, matching top avec sparkles and short sleeves for him and black trousers... she's 25. he's 31. Blues Under The Rain is the music. they take their time coming out to centre ice and well might they. Join hands and she leans her head against his chest...he mimes feeling rainfall... round they go... split nicely done...not with the oomph of others... s/s triples... toes and she takes off before he does... throw triple sal....loads of height and length... lift where she's on her side..ehs foes to one hand with spinny twisty dismount.... into s/s spins..camel to sit change sit...nice unison and alignment... hoppy twirly steps.. him in s/e her in spriall...and something went wrong on the spiral steps there, thye just looked off with the music... cuahgt blades in a back crossover...pairs spins... and thye're done. That was nice....good program, well skated, but chris says the choreography lacked something and I must say that I'm with him...it just seemed to stand outside the fire a little for me, it didn't capture me the same way as the French or T&M did. I'd have this third, but second or first would not surprise me. Nicky has them above the french....speaks of understated power but that it didn't have that something special...

marks 5.3-5.8...5.4-5.8... and they're first, five to four split. Which I will go on the record as saying I don't agree with at all. And Nicky points out that Maxim missed the triple toe. Oh yeah. there was that. Ahem.

Group four

Chuavaeva and Palamarchuk UKR

Shiny red shirt with cut outs on the sleeve for him, black trousers that go with the black cuffs of hte shirt. She's in red, with more cutouts and raggedy looking skirt..19 and 23... modern version of habanera. because we need more carmen. spins of the pairs variety to begin. build speed for s/s toes... he has to work hard on his, as she does, she df hers... both triples though. aroudn for the throw... hands down on the triple sal... didn't look confidnet going int... split double was ok made hard work of landing though...lift...very ungainly when she was up there. into the s/s spins...slow...cmale to sit...and out...miles away from one another... spirals.... into the death spiral...nice position from her...and finish behind the music. 9th in skate canada , won finlandia. nicky's not sure of the choice of music...I get the sense that he thought it overpowered them, and the choreography didn't fit it, specially towards the end... just too far over the toe pick in the throw... fast rotation on the lift says nicky, and they both praise, in places, the speed across the ice.

marks 3.7-4.7.. 4.3-5.2....in 8th, 3 have them 7th.

Fitze and Rex GER

And look at little Eva Maria all grown up! all in black, little dress from her...and doesn't she look great! there's ingo as her coach....yay! s/s toes and perfect! love her expression! only togehter isince may...split double twist...not bad...not high though... thrrow triple sal and she nailed it! steps and turns and steps and around the corner...spirals....and she's beaming! more steps... lift...she's gripping onto him for drea life, but its fine! s/s spins sit to upright change camel to sit...she's the better spinner ...and not great unison on way out...d/s ... not great arch, but we'll forgive her...into pairs spins....and stop! and that was great! not a lot to hang your hat on in terms of presentation, but techinally that was really really good..and can anyone please tell me when last we had a pairs skater, when last we had any skater, who showed that many teeth in a competition! I have never seen her look so happy on the ice adn that's a joy to see...oh her expression on that throw was something to behold! he shows her off very well says nicky, as I realise that yes, tehre was someone else on the ice with her!

marks4.3-5.2.... 4.5-5.2...nicky and chris think they are harsh, me agree. 6th place. and you know what? she's still smiling.

Zagorska and Siudek POL

what did she do to her hair! it's gone! gone I tell you! black dresses, with silvers....he's in black short sleeved shirt with silver tshirt under it...hers is really really pretty, but his has got to go...lord of hte rings.... s/s triples to start... and she has no running edge out of hers and he's down altogther.... into throw...3loop and she had to fight hard for it...tentative with left leg says nicky...spins came lto sit, and the sits are way way way out...think mercury nad pluto and you've got it...split..nicely done. spiral where he's in s/e , she's leaningback against him, leg extended, more sprials... pairs spins... around we go... liftnice hcnages of positions with flippy out exit...d/s ..and they're done behind the music. long hug at centre ice before they move...we see the jumps again, she had to put her hand down and that stopped the flow, he was just gone. chris reminds us that he goes into three turn before her because their timings are so different... nicky points out that the music stays at the same level... press entry into the lift, very difficult....

marks... 4.7-5.3... 5.3-5.7... in 5th place. behind obertas and sokolov.

Boguslavska, Brovenko ??LAT

In silver for her and silver and navy for him...piano music.... s/s 2ax and ddown she goes.... hard ends up sitting on ice. split double twist... very low and small... long prep for triple sal, fouble footed, good height though.... into s/s spinds...camel to sit change sit and that is great unison.... wow! they didn't move from one another! lift... mostly striaght up and down.... slow by the end...spirals as nicky comments on their extension...and for a fella, his is pretty good! d/s she could get down lower in that.... into pairs spins....and some of hte positions look a little ungainly... and they're done. Nice round of applause for them as Chris points out that she did well to recover...chris has them at .5 deductions... nicky is singing the song of the unfair treatment of the Germans, and I must say that I'm joining him in that song! Chris has it closer but thinks the poles are lucky to be where they are.

marks 2.5-4.1 3.6-4.7 - 13th of 13.

P&T
T&M
A&B

O&S

Z&S
B&Dlabola are the top six, then fitze and rex

And that, dear friends is that!