GPF Qualifier- Mens Singles

[lauravvv]

I hope Brian Joubert can finally win CoC (at the cost of 1 gold medal for Takahashi).

I'm also hoping that Denis Ten can embody Stephane Lambiel in his programs and wow us (and barely scrape into the final)

Yes, if Takahashi won't be there, then Joubert really can win it if he skates fairly well.

As for Ten - Lambiel didn't choreograph his programs. Lori Nichol did. Lambiel just tweaked and "polished" them.

[judgejudy27]

There isnt enough poll options for everyone. I can see why people think Joubert should have been included but it is funny to see people crying over the #4 Japenese skater or a 28 year old who retired years ago skating his best and coming 6th in a major event won by Lysacek arent included in a poll. There arent 25 poll options people.

[haribobo]

True story. That's why I didn't bother doing one for men and ladies- just too hard to pick 12, especially for men. Maybe we need to run them like PSOTY and create 2 semifinal polls and then a grand finale poll with the top 6 from each.

[Vash01]

There isnt enough poll options for everyone. I can see why people think Joubert should have been included but it is funny to see people crying over the #4 Japenese skater or a 28 year old who retired years ago skating his best and coming 6th in a major event won by Lysacek arent included in a poll. There arent 25 poll options people.

Exactly. It was hard to pick 12 men, and I had to drop some deserving skaters. I decided on younger skaters partly because they are still improving and we may not have seen their best yet. I am not even sure that Joubert will actually compete in two GPs this time - he very well might, but he has a lot of mileage on him, so I am not sure that he will be at the top. By the same token, I did not even pick Mao Asada to make the GPF (I did not create that poll, but I voted for 6 other ladies) even though she remains my most favorite lady skater today.

[PeterG]

I like how Kozuka doesn't get a first name...

It's because he's finally reached a Madonna/Cher status!

There isnt enough poll options for everyone. I can see why people think Joubert should have been included but it is funny to see people crying over the #4 Japenese skater or a 28 year old who retired years ago skating his best and coming 6th in a major event won by Lysacek arent included in a poll. There arent 25 poll options people.

It's offical. judgejudy27 predicts Ross Miner will be on the podium at the Grand Prix Final.

[PeterG]

...but it is funny to see people crying over the #4 Japenese skater...

This comment got me thinking, "it's not that unlikely that a fourth-ranked skater from a strong country would end up in the Grand Prix final". I was sure that this happened recently with the Japanese ladies. But I was wrong, according to wikipedia, the last time a country had four entries at a Grand Prix final was 2000! These four Russian ladies made the GPF:

1. Irina Slutskaya
3. Maria Butyrskaya
4. Julia Soldatova
6. Viktoria Volchkova

It also happened the year before (bonus points to who can guess the country/discipline):

1. Alexei Yagudin
2. Alexei Urmanov
3. Evgeni Plushenko
5. Alexander Abt

For the 1997 GPF, in the ladies discipline, Russia and the U.S. were the only countries represented:

1 Tara Lipinski
2 Michelle Kwan
3 Irina Slutskaya
4 Maria Butyrskaya
5 Olga Markova
6 Tonia Kwiatkowski

[spikydurian]

Poor Oda. He is so unloved just because he is no. 4.

[lauravvv]

It's offical. judgejudy27 predicts Ross Miner will be on the podium at the Grand Prix Final.

Yes, I can understand that there's no Oda or Weir, but Miner instead of Joubert? And I don't believe in Rippon anymore. He can't reach the top unless he starts doing quads - and doing them well.

[wonderlen]

Poor Oda. He is so unloved just because he is no. 4.

I think Oda will do well. From what I seen in Nelbon trophy...he seem to get all of his money jumps back. Sure its a little early in the season, but he did land 3A and 4T with step out...so what knee injury? lol I guess Oda will be one of those skater, who do well in GP series but bomb in World due to misfuntune (Olympic) or zeyaks himself out. But I am hoping he prove us wrong.

[l'etoile]

Poor Oda. He is so unloved just because he is no. 4.

I don't think it's because he's no. 4 guy. He's been very inconsistent in his career and was out for the whole season last year. It's this kind of stuff that makes people think that maybe he's going downhill and there's hardly anything to expect from the skater.

Not that I'm diminishing his strong will not to let go of any chances given to him. He's a special skater, really.