So, Cup of Disaster lived up to its name (see the many unexpected finishes in the men's event and its overall messiness). It's so nice to know you can always count on something.
BUSINESS AS USUAL: Alina Zagitova won the ladies event, as most expected. An uncharacteristic fall from her in the short made it a much slimmer victory than I would've thought, but she won nevertheless. For more on that topic, see "Rants" below. : ) Sui and Han are the best pair skaters in the world, hands down. They are the best at conveying such a sincere and palpable artistry on the ice and they have the technical goods to back it up. I will shout until the day I die that they should still be skating to Bridge Over Troubled Water, but Hallelujah is the perfect selection for them so I'll take it. I really hope these two can stay strong and consistent this season; i really want them to get Olympic gold. The dance podium played out as most expected it to, but the scores were more interesting than the placements. Papadakis/Cizeron being the first dance team to break 300 makes their battle with Virtue and Moir that much more intriguing; the gap is definitely closing. THAT'S INTERESTING: Wakaba Higuchi had an absolutely fantastic competition here. Her free skate was my favorite performance from this entire event (perhaps the whole ladies season....yes definitely, of the whole ladies season), and she made a huge statement here. Her spot on the Japanese ladies team *seems* secure, baring disaster at Japanese Nationals (prayer hands emoji). We have yet to see Satoko Miyahara skate yet, but Higuchi beating both Honda and Mihara here was big. It's really unfortunate that Javi was sick and will be sitting out the Final. Luckily, he doesn't have to worry about competing for an Olympic spot. And now, along with Patrick Chan, he's going to have lots of training time behind him heading to South Korea. That could play to his advantage. Don't worry about Javi; I expect much stronger skates from him this winter. Kudos to Han Yan for a fantastic comeback and Mikhail Kolyada's quad lutz in the short. KUDOS. The placements for the American men were a bit of a plot twist. Max Aaron winning a medal here is a huge accomplishment for him personally, but I'm not sure how much impact it has on his overall case for the U.S. Olympic team after such a bad winter last year. It helps, but I don't think it's enough without another strong finish. Vincent Zhou had an uneven performance, with great moments and then big mistakes. The mens selection for the U.S. Olympic team just seems to be getting more convoluted after each event. Brown and Rippon compete this week at NHK, and Aaron and Zhou face off again in France. Chock/Bates didn't seem thrilled with their marks. I'm not sure either of their programs the right fit, and though they don't have to worry about not making the Olympic team, they may be losing ground nationally. It would be *Very Interesting* to see all three American teams in the Final to get a preview before the U.S. Championships. What an awesome medal for Kirsten Moore-Towers/ Michael Marinaro. The 2nd and 3rd Olympic spots for Canadian pairs are a toss up, but these two had the strongest competition so far of those in contention. We will see Julianne/ Charlie at NHK and Luba/Dylan in France, but Kirsten and Michael get the last word at Skate America. A RANT: I will spare you on this and be brief: the way gold and silver played out in the ladies event here is all the evidence you need that the point system needs some *adjusting*. Wakaba Higuchi deserved to win HANDILY. And she didn't because of the unbeatable- but entirely unbalanced- Russian lady formula. That is all. On to NHK! JESUS! HOW IS THE GRAND PRIX HALF OVER ALREADY?!?!?
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November 2017
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