European/American man most likely to close the JPN/Chan score gap?

[AliasJohnDoe]

Nathan Chen....in a few years.

[judgejudy27]

I excluded them because I've already considered them as being capable of doing so. This poll asks the question - who else BESIDES those two can do the same? Because it's already pretty clear those two can/have.

For the record I highly doubt Plushenko can. He would need a ton of help with falls to do so at this point. He couldnt even beat Lysacek as a younger (less old for amateur skating) man a few years back, and Chan and the Japanese are skating at a way higher level than someone like Lysacek could ever dream of.

[merrywidow]

Barring injury I chose US's Max Aaron. He's already landing quads in international competitions. He knows he has to work on his presentation skills but he's young & strong.

[orbitz]

Javier Fernandez.

What's wrong with Brezina this season so far? His jumps have been awful for the most part.

[NadineWhite]

It's anybody's game, I honestly cannot pick one, whomever wants it the most, and whomever has the stars and moon aligned just right. Only God knows.

All's I know is that its bound to be a magical night. Yet, I don't think anything can ever get as magical as the night my favorite Sarah Hughes won gold, against all odds. She was a fairy, she was a sprite, a skating god for one night. On that night she literally skated the best she ever skated before or since.

In late commentator's Jim McKay's own words:

"As I sat watching with my wife Margaret in the arena, I sensed with the others in the crowd early in her program that this was something special. The small figure on the ice reminded me of Tinkerbell; she was half human, half mythical. She was Peggy Fleming at Grenoble in '68, Dorothy Hamill at Innsbruck in '76. Harry Potter fans must have felt that alchemy was somehow involved. The girl in the lavendar dress was moving it seemed without effort. She was flawless, she was brilliant."

ps: and anybody that counts Zhenya out is a fool, period.

[aftershocks]

I guess the results of this poll (and of most polls here) show that any outcome is just a crapshoot and anything is possible. I am surprised to see Amodio receiving so many votes, but most of those skaters listed have received a fair amount. The responses are likely based more on who are our personal favorites, in addition to who we perceive as having the requisite talent.

Amodio is a fairly good jumper, but I think his growth has been stunted under Morosov. I hope that whoever does breakthrough in the near future will combine superb athleticism with above-average artistry/ presentation skills. Nathan Chen (who is mentioned in this thread) has the talent, aptitude and mindset to do very well as a senior but he's still very young and will need to make it through a tough transitional stage of development, so he's not a viable pick for the next few years, as the OP set for voting criteria.

Of the highly touted next generation, I think Maxim Kovtun and Joshua Farris are obviously leading the pack, with Jason Brown in the mix. Of the current senior guys trying to break through, I picked Ross and Richard (but they both are still working on quad consistency and artistic development -- right now Ross seems to have a bit more consistency overall, and time will tell).

Brezina seems to be going through a down phase, and Gachinski seems to need ballet training, confidence building and a new coach. I love Joubert, but he needs to probably brainstorm with Evan, Johnny, Stephane, Jeffrey B, and Plushy to come up with their own rip-roaringly wonderful senior professional tour.

As far as Max Aaron, Keegan Messing, Armin, Doug, Stephen C., Jonathan C., Alex Johnson, Sean Rabbit, Grant Hochstein, et al, I wish there was a Best of the Rest competition after Worlds for all those skaters who are great up-and-comers but can't get out of their Nationals due to their country's depth of talent/ or not enough heavy weight talent to garner enough spots for Worlds. Plus there are limited spots for Worlds anyway and there are not enough highly regarded competitions where such skaters can further develop and gain confidence -- the senior Bs are not enough.

[misskarne]

Gachinski seems to need ballet training, confidence building and a new coach.

Yes, yes, NO.

I keep hearing this - "Gachinski needs a new coach" - but no-one has yet offered a reason WHY he should leave Mishin. There's an obvious respect there, Mishin recognises his talent, accepts he's having a hard time and is trying to nurture him through it. Artur himself dismissed the idea the second it was presented to him at Worlds last year. So tell me, WHY should he leave Mishin - and where would you have him go?

The ballet training would be an excellent idea, and the confidence building is an obvious requirement, but I am not convinced the coaching change is neccessary. In fact, if he changed coaches while on a low confidence ebb, wouldn't that be even worse?

[ciocio]

Plushenko if he is healthy. Fernandez too.

[aftershocks]

Yes, yes, NO.

I keep hearing this - "Gachinski needs a new coach" - but no-one has yet offered a reason WHY he should leave Mishin. There's an obvious respect there, Mishin recognises his talent, accepts he's having a hard time and is trying to nurture him through it. Artur himself dismissed the idea the second it was presented to him at Worlds last year. So tell me, WHY should he leave Mishin - and where would you have him go?

The ballet training would be an excellent idea, and the confidence building is an obvious requirement, but I am not convinced the coaching change is neccessary. In fact, if he changed coaches while on a low confidence ebb, wouldn't that be even worse?

Hmmm, I don't like Mishin's approach, or what I perceive to be his overly jump-centered approach to fs training, but who am I? Anyway, based on my own humble perceptions, perhaps Gachinski would be helped by a different outlook and approach, and emphasis to his training. As far as another coach, I'd say: Tarasova who coached Ilia and Yags to Olympic gold medals, and who was so instrumental in helping Johnny reach the next level by helping to inspire him with confidence and belief in his ability, as well as giving him iconic choreography.

[eleonorad]

what the hell?? Why isn't Fernandez on that list??

[pinky166]

what the hell?? Why isn't Fernandez on that list??

Because he already closed the gap he's not on the list, because he's the example. the question is, can any of these other guys do what javi has managed to do these past two seasons and really give the Japanese men a run for their money?

also i agree gatchinski doesn't need a new coach, more like a sports shrink. ballet training wouldn't hurt either, but i think his issue is mostly psychological/confidence and maybe hampered by the growthspurt he supposedly had recently. Mishin mentioned something about a second puberty, and to me Artur does not look as strong physically as a lot of the other guys, also being a teenager, Mishin also might have been referring to his emotional state in regards to the second puberty comment. he has the good it's just a matter of putting it together. i have a hunch he may be the new jeremy abbott

[pani]

Javier Fernandez