2012-13 ISU Grand Prix Assignments

[zgr4088]

Wait. Regarding to wtt,I thought 4cc and euro has a higher priority than jw. Will the rule change next season?

[Gliding on ice]

JW doesn't count because China has three skaters in 4CC. It's better to send Han Yan to GP and 4cc if the Chinese federation really cares about WTT

Total agree with you that the Chinese Fed should send Yan to GP and 4CC. They do care about WTT, but who knows what else is on their mind

[Macassar88]

Maybe they want to see how Nan Song will do. But I agree than Han Yan should go senior especially with his upgrades. After all, he's already won junior worlds, so he won't improve as much as he would with different competition.

[pinky166]

Maybe they want to see how Nan Song will do. But I agree than Han Yan should go senior especially with his upgrades. After all, he's already won junior worlds, so he won't improve as much as he would with different competition.

Do we know if it was the Federation or Yan's coaches/himself that decided to stay on the JGP?

In any event, at least he will still be challenged on the JGP with the likes of Farris, Brown, Tanaka, etc sticking around another season as well. Honestly though I wish they had all moved up...

[jjane45]

Do we know if it was the Federation or Yan's coaches/himself that decided to stay on the JGP?

Based on his weibo, the Chinese twitter, he was holding out hopes for the TBA spot at COC the day GP assignments were released. poor kid was guaranteed a spot!

[misskarne]

In any event, at least he will still be challenged on the JGP with the likes of Farris, Brown, Tanaka, etc sticking around another season as well. Honestly though I wish they had all moved up...

Agreed - Brown, Farris and Yan were all DEFINITELY ready to go up.

[nyrak]

I'm looking forward to seeing Nobunari Oda skate in Windsor, remind me again why he didn't compete last year? <bad fan>

[allezfred]

Injury as far as I recall. But then again I'm very meh about Oda in general.

[Marco]

Injury as far as I recall. But then again I'm very meh about Oda in general.

He was extremely musical and interesting back in 2005 with the Super Mario and Zatoichi programs. And then his choreogaphies and musicality kind of went downhill when he went to Morosov. And he never really got it back.

Did he even get to skate the Sebestyen Brittan programs he got choreographed for this past seasons? Just once at Cup of China?

[caseyedwards]

2011 Eric Bompard? Fell 3 times in LP. Very bad knee injury.

[pinky166]

Agreed - Brown, Farris and Yan were all DEFINITELY ready to go up.

Well, at least they will at least have some honest competition in the form of each other on the JGP this fall .

I mean, I get they are young, but they were all guaranteed spots, so why not let them move up? FS politiks are so confusing. Yan and Farris especially could have used the exposure to get their names out as favorites to make the 2014 Olympic teams, everyone knows that they are pretty much as good if not better already than their countrymen Nan Song and Adam Rippon and Ross Miner, and have the potential to go much farther in the future than these guys, but maybe that's what their respective federations were afraid of because they are maybe hoping to groom them for 2018 instead? And maybe are worried if they have these young kids beating the guys who are supposed to be the best bets for the 2014 Olympics it will hurt those guys chances of doing well/medaling there? (Not that I expect Song, Rippon, or Miner to medal at the Olympics if they even make it at all, but maybe the federations are delusional and think they have a good shot to...). In any event, Yan and Farris, and Brown if he can get the 3a and hopefully a quad into his arsenal, actually feasibly COULD medal at the Olympics, but it wouldn't happen in 2014 considering their young ages (Hanyu is an exception to this generalization), so I could see the sense in grooming them to break out on the senior scene and really make a splash AFTER the 2014 Olympics (or at least after next season which will be what people are paying attention to going into the Olympics) when many of the guys still competing will have retired and the chances of these guys making a big impact right away will be greater.

The way I see it, no way will the likes of Takahashi, Oda, Joubert, Abbott, Verner, and likely even Chan if he wins OGM as expected, stick around after Sochi. Then there's a chance skaters like Amodio, Kozuka, Brezina, Song, and Rippon would retire after Sochi, and though it's unlikely, if someone like Hanyu or Fernandez were to medal/win there, there's a chance they could also retire. Of course there will be new talent coming up through the ranks, but you don't see skaters the caliber of Chan, Hanyu, and Takahashi every quadrennial, far from it. Right now, it's hard to make the top 10 at Worlds, if someone like Yan or Farris were to make the Olympic team, finishing in the top 10 would be a big accomplishment, but after the 2014 retirements? They could easily be in the position of being medal contenders leading up to 2018.

[misskarne]

Well, at least they will at least have some honest competition in the form of each other on the JGP this fall .

I mean, I get they are young, but they were all guaranteed spots, so why not let them move up? FS politiks are so confusing. Yan and Farris especially could have used the exposure to get their names out as favorites to make the 2014 Olympic teams, everyone knows that they are pretty much as good if not better already than their countrymen Nan Song and Adam Rippon and Ross Miner, and have the potential to go much farther in the future than these guys, but maybe that's what their respective federations were afraid of because they are maybe hoping to groom them for 2018 instead? And maybe are worried if they have these young kids beating the guys who are supposed to be the best bets for the 2014 Olympics it will hurt those guys chances of doing well/medaling there? (Not that I expect Song, Rippon, or Miner to medal at the Olympics if they even make it at all, but maybe the federations are delusional and think they have a good shot to...). In any event, Yan and Farris, and Brown if he can get the 3a and hopefully a quad into his arsenal, actually feasibly COULD medal at the Olympics, but it wouldn't happen in 2014 considering their young ages (Hanyu is an exception to this generalization), so I could see the sense in grooming them to break out on the senior scene and really make a splash AFTER the 2014 Olympics (or at least after next season which will be what people are paying attention to going into the Olympics) when many of the guys still competing will have retired and the chances of these guys making a big impact right away will be greater.

Haha, can you just see it at JGPF? "...Oh, you again."

No doubt people would then complain if this year's JGPF and JW podiums had the same three skaters on them this year as last year (whether in the same order is up for conjecture)...

They may be young, but if they are good enough, I'm of the opinion that holding them back is more likely to damage than help. Joshua wanted to go up - so what's the harm in letting him test his strength against the international seniors? Holding him back is more likely to create doubts, not just in the skater's mind, but in the judges'. The judges are going to see these three again on the Junior circuit and you can bet some of them will be asking the question - what does the Federation know about these skaters that they held them back?

Joshua, Jason and Han are all victims of federations not wanting to upset established skaters. It's unfair, and it sucks. They should be allowed to pit themselves against the established skaters, and if they beat them, well, tough luck to the established skaters.

Artur Gachinski is just one year older than Joshua and Jason and already will be in his third Senior season this year. The Federation supported him when he indicated that he was ready, and so he moved up. Was he too young in his first Senior season? He was 17 - the same age Joshua and Jason are now. And he won the World bronze medal. I'm not saying exactly the same thing could happen, but it sure shows that if you support your skater by backing them, good things can happen.

[Lara]

He was extremely musical and interesting back in 2005 with the Super Mario and Zatoichi programs. And then his choreogaphies and musicality kind of went downhill when he went to Morosov. And he never really got it back.

Did he even get to skate the Sebestyen Brittan programs he got choreographed for this past seasons? Just once at Cup of China?

Also France/TEB where he had an epic meltdown in the free skate. I don't think it was ever made clear he was injured at the time, but you'd kinda almost have to hope so...

Britten really choreographed the LP? I can see going the jazz route but IMO that program was either awful on its own or Oda was simply unable to interpret it properly. That's extra disappointing. I became a big fan based on his 2005 programs which I loved, but he was never the same after the DUI.

[casken]

Britten's programs, well the music choices to be more exact, were just totally awful and not even Takahashi or Chan could pull them off.

I really don't understand how program's like that even get made.

[love_skate2011]

ugh so disappointing same top 3 n JGPF
the only good about this will be Brown finally getting his 3A

If he gets that, he is pretty much unbeatable
Farris is too boring to compete with Brown only Yan can challenge him

[misskarne]

If he gets that, he is pretty much unbeatable
Farris is too boring to compete with Brown only Yan can challenge him

Wait...you think FARRIS is boring, but that YAN is "exciting" enough to compete with Brown?

Someone needs their eyes checked...last time I looked, Farris and Brown were about fifty million steps ahead of Yan in musicality, fluidity, and presentation. Yan's jumps were good, but his artistry really let him down. Farris' artistry was what got him to within half a point of winning the Junior World Championship!

(But then, I guess you ARE the same person that claimed Artur Gachinski never won anything on the Junior circuit...)

[Jaana]

Joshua, Jason and Han are all victims of federations not wanting to upset established skaters. It's unfair, and it sucks. They should be allowed to pit themselves against the established skaters, and if they beat them, well, tough luck to the established skaters.

Han (with a triple axel and quad) I see as a victim of his federation and maybe Farris. Brown though is no victim, a skater without a triple axel is well suited into junior skating, in my opinion. There he can practice his triple axel, if he is getting ready for a try-out.

Wait...you think FARRIS is boring, but that YAN is "exciting" enough to compete with Brown?

Well, maybe Chinese Federation will give him much better choreography for coming season? In that case Han will be unbeatable, in my opinion.

[misskarne]

Han (with a triple axel and quad) I see as a victim of his federation and maybe Farris. Brown though is no victim, a skater without a triple axel is well suited into junior skating, in my opinion. There he can practice his triple axel, if he is getting ready for a try-out.

I could agree, but your argument would work better if he hadn't come 9th at Senior Nationals last year with three falls, beating certain skaters such as Mroz and Dornbush...

[haribobo]

I could agree, but your argument would work better if he hadn't come 9th at Senior Nationals last year with three falls, beating certain skaters such as Mroz and Dornbush...

Right, but what about skaters placed 4-8? Surely they deserve a shot at senior assignments too? Well, Razzano got something, but the others...I think if Brown and Farris get top 5 this year at Nationals and are successful as juniors again internationally, they will get senior GP next season.

[Sparks]

I like Razanno and will be happy to see him at SA. I'm still baffled that Armin didn't get an assignment and Dornbush got 2 (?).
I have no problem with Brown and Ferris speding one more year at the JGP, considering the large Men's field.