Wow! What a fabulous first day of skating we’ve had at Four Continents, with exciting results in the dance, ladies and pairs events : ) As the men are set to start their competition early tomorrow morning, here’s my preview of their event:
Shoma Uno---GP Season Best 276.79 GPF--- Shoma has had a strong season, with three medals on the Grand Prix circuit, including a bronze over Patrick Chan at the Grand Prix Final. His skating is beautiful to watch and the jumps have been pretty steady for him this year. Because he’s younger, he could lose out on components to a skater like Chan, but he does have a slight technical edge. He’ll have to be clean here to steal the show from Chan. Patrick Chan---GP Season Best 271.14 SC--- Patrick had a slow start to his comeback season, with his first clean short program coming just weeks ago at Canadian Nationals. He’ll need another one if he has hopes to win here. He’s added a second triple axel to his free skate to up his technical ante, but it was doubled at Canadians. Patrick’s skating skills will give his PCS a boost here, but Shoma won’t be easy to beat technically. Boyang Jin---GP Season Best 266.43 NHK--- This kid has quads- and a lot of them. Like, four in one free skate at times this season. It’s incredible to watch but the judges really nail him in components, and rightfully so. Those quads add up a lot of points though, and with Denis Ten out of this field, he’s got a great shot at the podium. Han Yan--- GP Season Best 263.03 SA--- Yan has had an...uninspiring year. I like the programs he’s using this season, but most of his performances have been middle-of-the-pack quality. I expect him to skate well, but probably not well enough to make a podium impact. Max Aaron---GP Season Best 258.95 SA--- Max skated two strong and steady performances at U.S. Nationals last month, and he looks to continue that consistency here. With U.S. Champ Adam Rippon out of the field, Max can make a strong impression on the judges here before Worlds. He doesn't have as many quads as Boyang, or the PCS that Uno and Chan will score, so he’ll need to rely on consistency here to put him near the top in the field. Ross Miner---GP Season Best 248.92 RC--- Ross is coming off an uneven performance at U.S. Nationals; he had a strong short but struggled in the free while. Apparently, he was having back issues at Nationals and I’m worried those won’t be completely healed while he’s here. He had a great performance at Rostelecom earlier in the year, so he is capable of a strong showing. After missing out on Worlds, I’d love to see him skate well. Takahito Mura---GP Season Best 242.21 NHK--- It’s been an up and down season for Mura, with a shaky Grand Prix, but then he had a nice competition at Japanese Nationals to earn his spot here. He won’t be at Worlds, so he’s looking to end his season on a high note here. His quads aren’t as consistent as the men above, but they are beautiful when landed. Grant Hochstein---GP Season Best 235.63 NHK--- Grant has had a renaissance season in terms of results: Two fourth place finishes in tough fields on the Grand Prix, a fourth at Nationals, and a World Championships berth after Nathan Chen’s injury. With Boston looming, I’m praying Grant can have a strong showing here. Though he probably won’t podium, he needs to continue building that international credibility here before Worlds. Predictions: *this will differ from the fantasy picks I’ve already submitted...changed my mind*
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November 2017
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