Take A Deep Breath

It took a while for a lot of folks who follow this sport — including yours truly — to get a handle on the "code of points" judging system.
Even now, a quick look at a detailed scoresheet can boggle the minds of anybody except perhaps the most seasoned of observers.
One thing you have to love though, if you're a fan: There's no question about the separation between one team and the next. If it's really close, you know it.
Today's pairs free skate final at HomeSense Skate Canada was one of those nailbiters.
Even the quickest of mathematicians might have had to wait until the final standings were posted on the Scotiabank Place scoreboard to know for sure that Russia's Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov had indeed hung on for the gold.
The Russians' final overall total — 176.97 points — was a scant 0.43 better than Canada's Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison, the reigning world bronze medallists. Now, a guy (or a girl) could drive themselves batty trying to figure out where they might have gained the extra point between winning and losing. But Dube and Davison, who trailed by 4.88 points after the short program, didn't even try to go there.
"It was super tight and we couldn't have asked for more," said Davison, 22, of Cambridge, Ont. "I thought it was fair. We didn't see all of the Russians' skate but they're very good skaters and we know what they can do. Unless I sit down and go over every little detail with a fine-toothed comb ... no, it was fair. It was exactly what we expected and five points is a lot to make up.
"We did our job and they did theirs and they came out on top today."
For Dube and Davison, it meant a second straight silver medal. But the Canadians, who stood third behind Americans Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, didn't give up the gold without a fight.
"I think we're really proud about how we came out," said Davison. "We attacked that long really well and stayed in the character of that program (skated to music from Carmen) better than we thought we would . To be honest, that was a better long that we were expecting."
The Carmen theme was a departure of sorts from the style Dube and Davison usually present on the ice. But 18 months out from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, they're in a bit of an experimental mood.
"We wanted to see going into next year, the Olympics, what kind of programs suit us best," said Davison. "We thought something aggressive would be good for us. We really like the program. It's fun to work on and I think it's something that's very interesting for us because we're seen as a classical, romantic team. It's fun to skate outside of our box."
It was almost good enough for gold here, too.
Yeah, we'll agree. That was super close. And exciting, don't you think.

They've Only Just Begun

They're the reigning world bronze medallists in pairs skating.
Not to mention the highest-rated duo in their discipline at HomeSense Skate Canada International this weekend at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. So it might seem a little disconcerting to the average fan to see Canadians Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison sitting in third place after today's short program.
Mind you, with 60.14 points in the bank, they're a mere 0.52 out of second place, currently occupied by Americans Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker. Even the leaders, Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov of Russia (65.02), are still within hailing distance for this plucky Canuck duo.
No wonder, then, that Dube and Davison had a bit of a 'what, us worry?' attitude about them afterward. And let's face it, this is the first event of the season, not the last.
"Just come out and do a free," Davison, 22, of Cambridge, Ont., said when asked how they'll approach Saturday's free-skate final. "You can't change what happened today and you don't change your gameplan going into the free because of what happened in the short. We've just got to come out and attack, really."
Said Dube, 21, of Drummondville, Que.: "I felt a little bit shaky but that's something we'll work on tomorrow."
Understand, too, that they've been here before — and not all that long ago. You might recall the 2008 BMO Canadian championships back in January in Vancouver, when Dube and Davison blew their short program but rallied strongly in the free and almost snatched the crown away from short program winners Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay.
The experience galvanized Dube and Davison for what turned out to be a run to their first appearance on the worlds podium two months later in Gothenburg, Sweden.
And let's face it, Dube and Davison have much bigger fish to fry, so to speak, in the months that lie ahead. We speak, most specifically, of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, where the Canadians hope to stand on the highest step of them all.
So it wasn't cockiness talking when Davison said "we're not too worried about the other teams right now."
"Especially this year," he added. "It's a year to make ourselves better and get ourselves ready. You can never worry about what the other teams are doing because you do your best that you can do and if they're better than you, that's just the case. And if you end up being world champion, it's because you were your best."