Well, when I said we were in for a crazy event, Canada really outdid itself. (Kudos to everyone who made it through that ladies event tbh.) There’s a lot to unpack here, so I’ll do my best to be brief.
BUSINESS AS USUAL: Shoma Uno rolled through the men’s event to finish first as expected, along with Tessa and Scott in the dance competition. They should both be well on their way to the Final. Kaetlyn Osmond won as expected in the ladies field, but continued her jump struggles in the free skate. Many see her as the only one close to beating Medvedeva, but she won't come close if she can't put out clean programs consistently before February. THAT'S INTERESTING: Patrick Chan’s fourth place finish here likely means he's out of the Final. There were some reports that he may pull out of NHK, but I hope he competes. IMO, he'll be better served by getting those programs out there internationally a second time before the Olympics. I think he'll need a boost of momentum to do well in South Korea. But that's just me. Jason Brown's silver medal here is big for his chances for the Final, as well as sealing the deal on an Olympic team spot. Alexander Samarin's medal here makes the Russian men's Olympic team selection even more interesting. We'll see how Kolyada responds this week in China. Maxim Kovtun is slated to compete at NHK. Ashley Wagner beating Karen Chen here is a nice boost to Wagner's case for the U.S. Olympic team and keeps her in the conversation for the Final. Both skate again at Skate America, where the field is less competitive and both could make the podium. Maria Sotskova is looking good for a spot on Russia's Olympic team after a silver medal here. My heart goes out to Anna Pogorilaya and I hope she rests and heals. Marin Honda is such a beautiful skater and I love everything about her. It's too bad she bombed the short here, she likely would've been on the podium if not. There have been reports that she's planning to withdraw from Cup of China next week, due to injury. She is still listed on the entries, though.Keep an eye on that situation as the week progresses. GOD BLESS Weaver/Poje bringing back Je Suis Malade and for getting new short dance costumes. Both elevate them to a new level and bring them solidly back into the conversation for Olympic bronze. Hubbell/Donohue still have some work to do on those programs before NHK. They have silver medal chances there, which would be huge for them. Duhamel/Radford are back in the pairs conversation after a great competition here in Regina. A RANT: Um, ladies technical panel, did you need a nap? That was legit the strictest technical panel I've ever seen. And I was worried about Shin Amano! I will say that at least they were consistent (with the notable exception of Kaetlyn Osmond) and dinged everybody. Let's hope the Cup of China panels are more friendly; I will be watching in the middle of the night and I'm not sure I can handle that level of drama at 4:00 AM, thank you very much. Happy watching!
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November 2017
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