The Grand Prix series moves to Regina, Saskatchewan this weekend for the second stop of the Grand Prix series. No one supports the home team like Skate Canada, so we're in for a fun weekend: ) The headliners:
Other storylines to watch:
After not being able to watch much of Rostelecom Cup live last week, I am mostly just excited to have two full days free to watch and live tweet. Happy watching!
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BUSINESS AS USUAL:
Evgenia did the normal Evgenia thing (minus a completely inconsequential fall in the free). Evgenia got the "normal" Evgenia scores. There really isn't much to say that hasn't already been said. Her march to the top of the Olympic podium continues... THAT'S INTERESTING: Nathan Chen set a nice precedent here, beating Hanyu with two less-than-clean skates. Obviously, Hanyu was not at his best here either, but this result could be the start of Nathan's climb to overcome Hanyu's typical PCS advantage. Mariah Bell beating Mirai Nagasu here evens their head-to-head matchups, setting up for a very important third matchup at NHK right before U.S. Nationals. There's a lot of buzz about Nagasu right now, but she has to capitalize on it before she hits the ice San Jose. I shouldn't have underestimated Carolina Kostner. She was able to score big numbers here, even without her most difficult content, because of her cleanliness and quality. Beautiful skates, Caro. RUSSIA HATES CANADA APPARENTLY: Gilles/Poirier got screwed over here. While I'm not in love with either of their programs, their quality is way better than Stepanova/Bukin and they should've medalled. Seguin/Bilodeau were also underscored, especially in the short. A RANT OR TWO: 1. I am over cheesy pairs. I am over cheesy pair programs. With artists like Wenjing Sui in my life, I have no time for kitsch. Since Tarasova/Morosov will likely not change their god-awful free skate music selection, at least get her a new dress, could ya? Also, I know that Valentina Marchei is a brand unto her own, but they're taking a step backwards with program selection this year, IMO. 2. Why is everyone missing the mark on Olympic music selections this year? I feel like Olympic programs (long programs/ free dances especially) should be built with a MOMENT in mind at the end; you know what I'm talking about...the big spin finale set to a huge crescendo type thing. I feel like the Shibutanis free dance is too close to Evolution and a bit one level emotionally; i just don't see it capitalizing on the big Olympic setting. There are many other skaters/teams I could name as well, but I will spare you. 3. As fans, I feel like we get excited by skaters/teams who can show some dynamism with their skating- something new, something out-of-character, something different from year-to-year. A progression, a development, etc. I'm guessing it's the Olympic year to blame, but so many skaters are giving us similar (if not the literal exact same) packaging they've competed before. I'm missing a spark so far this season. Fingers crossed we see it soon! The field at Skate Canada has good potential for excitement. On to Regina.... Meh, not a bad start to the year over here- I finished 44T in Fantasy with 9/12 picks correct.
For podium predictions, I got 8/12 correct, selecting all of the gold medalists, 3 of the silvers and one bronze. On to Canada! Welp, I'm not ready, but I am excited! Here we are at the start of the 2017-18 Grand Prix, Rosetelcom Cup. (Anyone else completely thrown off that Skate America isn't first?) Anywhoo, let's take a look at the event: The Headliners:
Storylines to Watch:
Ohmygod, here we go! Happy watching! After a long hiatus, I'm back- just in time for the start of the 2017-18 Grand Prix.
I love the Grand Prix circuit in the Olympic year- skaters are competing for Olympic team spots and know they have to be in prime shape early to make their case for the Olympics. (Unless you're Hanyu). Hopefully, we're in for a some great flights of competition this season as the skaters lay the groundwork for Pyeongchang. While the Grand Prix is certainly for comparing skaters internationally, for some skaters, how their fare against their compatriots is even more important. Here's the national battles I'll be keeping an eye on doing the Grand Prix: Japan: Despite the exquisite talent of their ladies field, Japan has only two ladies spots for the Olympics. With World medallist Satoko Miyahara retuning from injury, fans will be looking for how well she's skating after her absence. Wakaba Higuchi and Mai Mihara had good debut seasons last year and are entering the Grand Prix after stellar skates in the preseason. Not to mention World junior silver medallist Marin Honda who has all the makings of a star and could quite well make a statement early on. The men have two spots wrapped up with Shoma Uno and Yuzuru Hanyu but there are a few players who could grab the third spot. Russia: Two mens spots are available in Russia, and virtually all of their major players have been wildly inconsistent (#quads). Perhaps the most sure prospect is Mikhail Kolyada but your guess is as good as mine for who steps up to the plate for the second. The ladies are always a bloodbath in Russia and other than Evegnia's guaranteed spot, Zagitova, Radionova, Pogorilaya and Sotskova are in the mix for a place on the team. Tarasova/Morosov seem a sure bet for one of their three pairs spots, with Fedor/Klimov, Zabiiako/Enbert, and Astokhova/Rogonov lobbying for the other two. Similarly, Bobrova/Soloviev should be one of two dance spots, with Stepanova/Bukin perhaps the best shot at number two. United States: There is only one pairs spot available for the U.S. and while Scimeca-Knierim/Knierim are favored for he spot, I wouldn't say it's a given until we see how Stellate/Bartholomay, Denney/Frazier and Cain/LeDuc fare in the Grand Prix in comparison. A healthy Nathan Chen will be headed to South Korea, but it could be any combination of Rippon, Zhou, Aaron, and Brown that accompany him. Karen Chen, Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner would really solidify their chances for the Olympic team with strong results in the Grand Prix, with Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell and Courtney Hicks looking to play spoiler. Canada: The greatest intrigue for Canada will be their three pairs spots, with Duhanel/Radford trying to rebound from a rough year, Seguin/Bilodeau back for a full season after injury and Ilyushechkina/Moscovitch and MooreTowers/Marinaro trying to find the right consistency in their "new" partnerships. The second mens spot is still up for grabs to join Patrick Chan in South Korea. China: Xiangning Li and Zijun Li will both compete twice on the Grand Prix (once head-to-head at Cup of China) for China's one ladies spot. Ready or not, here comes the Olympic season.... Luckily for us fans, we have one more event left in the 2016-17 season before we have to face the summer months without skating, and even more terrifying, face the Olympic season. Here's a run down of what to expect from WTT as well as a few of my predictions. Click here for the ISU event page and click here for the IceNetwork schedule.
Event Format: All disciplines compete a short and long program/dance and earn points for where they finish in the standings. (1st place gets you 12 points, 2nd place gets you 11 points and etc.) Skaters earn points for their finish in both the short and long program, but the scores are not added to each other; you essentially get a fresh start in the free program. Points from each skater's short and long program are added together for a team total and determine the winner. Team Predictions: Overall, this competition tends to favor the teams with stronger singles skaters. France and China are out of the mix almost immediately due to that fact and also that their dance teams will also likely finish low in the standings. The big four skating powers (RUS, CAN, USA, JPN) will be fighting it out for the podium. Due to their relative strength in all the disciplines, I predict Team Russia will end up on the top of the podium. The likelihood that Team Japan's men will finish 1-2 in both segments leads to a solid silver medal finish, especially combined with Mai Mihara's consistency. The race will be incredibly close for the U.S. and Canada to make it to the podium; the battle between Daleman/Chen/Wagner and Weaver/Poje and Chock/Bates will really be the factor here. Though it will be close, I think Team USA will pull it out for the bronze medal.
Thanks to U.S. Figure Skating for welcoming Emily and I back the Fan Zone blog to recap our hot takes from Worlds! Check it out! Whew! It's been a long time since I've written! Life got crazy during Worlds because I filmed some absolutely fun previews with my friend and fellow former USFSA blogger, Emily. Check them out!
Well, Nathan Chen, your career has certainly skyrocketed over the last three months- it’s amazing what 20 or so quads landed in competition will do for a guy : ) This event can be tough for the North American skaters just coming off Nationals, but Nathan showed little fatigue- and most impressive- ability to perform under pressure. In both programs, he was fourth in PCS to Hanyu, Chan and Uno, which I think was about right where he should be, and of course the quads were there for him. It was big for Nathan to follow up his strong GPF with this result. He's now a definite podium favorite for Worlds and winning the whole thing certainly isn't out of the question. #Slaythan Yuzuru Hanyu skated a stronger set of programs here than he has yet this season, issues with that quad sal aside. I thought the performance value went up a notch here, which was frankly good to see. He's just looked less invested this year than last when he's skating and I'd like to see him create some of his Yuzu magic again. Unlike past seasons, he's going to Worlds without a huge peak performance behind him- maybe this is finally the year he'll show up at Worlds at his strongest. A clean Yuzu still has the whole package to beat a clean Nathan Chen and we know you can't ever count this guy out. Oh Shoma Uno, those triple axels in the free skate! Those mistakes aside, this was a strong performance and Shoma's first Four Continents medal. Truthfully, Shoma might be my favorite *performer* in the men's event so far this season. He's committed to his performance quality every minute, every skate, no matter how well the jumps are going. There's an intensity to his skating that makes him really fun to watch. After finishing a disappointing seventh at last year's Worlds, I'd love to see him take this momentum to a podium finish in Helsinki. Like all of the top men, Patrick Chan's free skate started out *so well* and then mistakes crept in, leaving hi in fourth. I have to wonder what Patrick is thinking at this point about his comeback- there have been absolute moments of beauty but overall you have to wonder if he has what it takes to compete consistently in this field. Patrick does bring the skating skills and performance quality to the field that would be dearly missed without him, but is finishing off the podium enough for him? I would guess not and that is obviously why he's trying to add more quads. The thing with Patrick is that all the pieces to a beautiful skate are always there- he just has to put it all together at the right moment. A good finish at Worlds could swing some momentum back his way before the Olympic season. Boyang Jin finished fifth here, with two quad falls in the free skate. When the jumps aren't there for Jin, the judges really knock him in components. While he is certainly not the class of the field in PCS, Boyang *does* use his music, engage with the audience and perform on the ice. He is not an artist in a classic Patrick Chan kind of way, but why would he try to imitate someone else's artistry instead of finding his own? Javier Fernandez is artistic in his own right, without trying to imitate Yuzu or Patrick, so I think people need to keep a more open mind about Jin's programs this year. In my opinion, these were great music selections because they open him up to being a more engaging performer. Many eyes were tuned to Jason Brown to see how his injury recovery is going. With Nathan's recent success, the U.S. men's chances are certainly looking up but Jason has to be healthy enough to get a top ten finish. It definitely wasn't his best finish, but sixth was probably about the best he'd have finished in this field regardless. REST AND HEAL, JASON. REST AND HEAL. We need you for Worlds. Jason is the U.S's best option currently so we're sending the best team to Helsinki possible. I'm fairly optimistic actually. That's it for Four Continents! I'm planning fun previews for Worlds, so stay tuned! I'm not prepared for the actual competition, but the previews I can do! Until then! Thanks for reading! Overall, the ladies had the messiest event at Four Continents, especially in the free skate, with only one of the tpp three short program finishers making it to the podium. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to discuss though! Congrats to Mai Mihara for pulling off a big win here (with two clean skates, too!). After her strong Grand Prix season, many saw her as a dark horse, but probably not the winner. Yes, she has to mature yet, but she knows how to show up and deliver. She’s had a heck of a season for her first senior year and she’ll be the leader for Team Japan if Satoko can’t compete at Worlds. (*Prays that Tiny Queen is healing well*) Gabby Daleman didn’t look thrilled with her skates here, but she should be happy. I know she made some mistakes in the free, but this is her first international medal and she placed higher than her Canadian rivals. They did a good job picking music for Gabby this year, and she’s improving her performance quality. And of course that 3T-3T is gorgeous. I’m glad Gabby will be back at Worlds this year; she had a great finish in Boston. With the best free skate of her career, Mirai Nagasu grabbed her second consecutive Four Continents medal. I’m glad Mirai could end her year on an incredibly strong note (see more on that later) for herself. Her performance in the free was measured and concentrated, but I loved when she came alive at the end, especially in her last step sequence. Good for, you Mirai! #MiraifortheWorldteam Kaetlyn Osmond’s long program issues really came to a head here, and unfortunately she let mistakes creep in on the short as well. As a favorite to win, finishing a distant fourth is a definite disappointment. After a strong first half of the season, how she responds to this setback at Worlds is anyone’s guess but she will definitely need the best performance of her entire season to grab a medal at Worlds. I liked Dabin Choi’s new short program here- I thought she did a nice job with it and fifth is a great result for her. I think they have one ladies spot for Worlds, and with her teammates struggling with injuries, she might get that spot. (Have they announced it yet? I don’t think so?) Finishing sixth, Mariah Bell had a so-so outing here. This was her first big international event outside of Skate America so now at least she has this experience under her belt before Worlds. While I do like a lot about Mariah’s skating and packaging this year, the consistency just hasn’t been there. I do think Raf is good coaching choice for her and hopefully she can pick up some momentum after training with him for a whole summer. How much impact he’ll be able to have before Worlds is probably limited though. SIGH. Just a note on Karen Chen: On Instagram, Karen cited boot issues/injuries as playing a factor in her disappointing finish here. While there is a long list of Karen’s great skating qualities, I really hope she takes time to evaluate her injury before Worlds and does the right thing for her health and her career. (And selfishly, the U.S. ladies Olympic spots). Speaking of…. There is no way the U.S. ladies team as named will get three spots for the Olympics. My opinion since before Nationals has been that if the U.S. wanted three spots, we needed to send two ladies who had been to the World Championships before. Once Gracie bombed Nationals, we really needed (and still need) Mirai Nagasu on that team. USFS made the decision they did by following their procedures as outlined, but there needs to be some future consideration on those procedures being the most effective. (BTW, Russia still hasn’t named their team with ⅔ of the spots almost certain. Just sayin!) I was prepared to stress over the three ladies Olympic spots, but *two*?!!? The U.S. ladies’ dumpster fire of a year was definitely poorly timed. The U.S. men on the other hand, they’re looking up! More on that in my last preview to come! |
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