Here we are with Round 2 of the Grand Prix- Skate Canada! Some of my favorites are competing this week so I am very excited for this event. DANCE: Like the pairs, Canadians Weaver and Poje are easy favorites to win here. I am very interested to see their brand new short dance after they scrapped their original Elvis one from earlier in the season. Truthfully, that music was far below them and I think it was the right decision to switch. Returning to the ice after an injury last season, Russians Bobrova and Soloviev are my pick for silver, just because Maia and Alex’s scores suffered so much at the beginning of the season. The Shibs are always underscored in my opinion, and I am sadly expecting so see some residue of that in their scores here. I would love to see them make it to the final, though, so hoping for silver for them, but expecting bronze. Monko/Khavalian are my pick for fourth, though it could be a close race between them and Guignard/Fabri. LADIES: So, this field is tough, you guys. Not necessarily because all of the ladies are what you would call “heavy hitters”, but more because (outside of Tuktamysheva and her 3A) they all have about the same scoring potential. We know Elizaveta will attempt at least one triple axel, and on that reason alone, she’s my pick for gold. She hasn’t gotten off to the strongest of starts this season, so it will be interesting to see how she reacts to the pressure of being a World Champ. My fave Ashley Wagner is a solid pick for second place. The Canadian audience and the Canadian judges tend to respond well to her, and she should have a good comfort level with her long program, which she’s kept from last season. I’m nervous about their plan to “downgrade” the jumps in her program, however. SHE HAS to rotate that full combo or she’s in big trouble, numbers-wise. A strong short is always the key for her and I am happy to see she has a sassy new SP that fits her well. PS check out the major upgrades she’s made to that LP! For bronze, my pick is Canadian Katelyn Osmund, who had a strong debut in her preseason event and I think the audience will really be behind her and give her PCS a boost. However, there are SEVERAL other ladies that can easily podium here- Tursynbaeva, Leonova, Edmunds or Murakami. I’m gonna say Tursynbaeva gets fourth after a strong free skate, and that Leonova has a great short but falls to fifth after a bad free.
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November 2017
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