3rd Canadian dance team in Sochi

[judgejudy27]

Obviously Virtue & Moir and Weaver & Poje are locks for the first 2 spots. Who will get the 3rd spot that W&P so generously and bravely gifted to the others by toughing out skating at Worlds after a serious and very recent injury. Gilles & Poirier might be the logical favorites on paper but after a poor Worlds and continued lukewarm responses from international judges (high scores at 4CCs were all teams were scored unusually highly aside) I think they are far from a safe bet. Paul & Islam continue to make strides, yet they seem to have silly errors pop up at Nationals. Hopefully they can get atleast 1 grand prix assignment and make a mark before Nationals. Orford & Williams are on the rise and challengers for that spot, and some might hold out hope (extremely faint IMO) for Asher & Hill. Who would your early pick be.

[girlscouse62]

Emotionally my choice would be Paul and Islam, however, IMO, SC continues to promote and push Gilles and Poirier. I do think Paul is a superior skater, but I don't feel Piper is anywhere near his level of skating.

[CoralReef]

I'll give the nod to Gilles/Poirier. Unfortunately, Orford/Williams just got knocked out of top 24 SB and I wonder at their chances of a GP assignment. I think they will have to skate against Paul/Islam this summer to decide SC spot. Paul/Islam, between the injury that plagued them a year ago and some poor skates this season, they just aren't doing themselves any favors. Ralph/Hill have not progressed. Any promising juniors moving up that could shake things up a little?

[judgejudy27]

Emotionally my choice would be Paul and Islam, however, IMO, SC continues to promote and push Gilles and Poirier. I do think Paul is a superior skater, but I don't feel Piper is anywhere near his level of skating.

SC are not idiots though. Surely they have to realize at some point international judges are just not buying it no matter how much they keep promoting G&P.

[Alixana]

I so want Paul & Islam to stay healthy all year so that we can see them at full potential.

[Pratfall]

Pssst..That should be Ralph and Hill ... ( or Kharis and Asher )

But my hope is for Paul and Islam.Even though I like all 3 couples ( P/I, R/H , O/W ) , I feel P/I have more of the complete package...I saw a difference in their confidence and outward expression in a short time with Krylova and Camerlengo. With another year under their belts, who knows ? I'm starting to hope now.

[puglover]

I like all four couples. We are fortunate to have such depth in ice dance.

[sequins]

Hope it's P&I or R&H but think it'll probably be P&P

[casken]

SC are not idiots though. Surely they have to realize at some point international judges are just not buying it no matter how much they keep promoting G&P.

Besides the strong 4CC, they had a decent GP series, and they had a few issues in the FD here that without they would have been around 11-12, which is decent for their first year.

This reminds me of last year when B&S made some technical mistakes which affected their placement, and people were immediately predicting them off podium at the following year's Russian Nationals becuase supposedly TES errors = dumped by the judges now.

Honestly I think O&W have a better shot than P&I too.

[geoskate]

I voted for Orford and Williams because the number zero doesn't look good beside their names.

(but it will actually be one of the two front-runner teams).

[judgejudy27]

Besides the strong 4CC, they had a decent GP series, and they had a few issues in the FD here that without they would have been around 11-12, which is decent for their first year.

They skated cleanly in the SD and were 15th so it is purely a guess they could have finished that high. From the points I guess you could say it is obvious they would have finished atleast 14th as that would have required only 2 more points, but not neccessarily higher than that (they were almost 6 points back of the 13th place team who had a way bigger error than any they had). Other teams made mistakes too as well, not just them.

Their grand prix were somewhat decent but P&I had comparable scores this past season until Nationals. Up to now G&P get stratospheric scores at Nationals they dont anywhere near elsewhere, while others are barely above their international scores. The question is if this will continue or not.

I am interested in seein how much O&W improve over the season though, and how many grand prix assignments each team get.

[intentions]

Besides the strong 4CC, they had a decent GP series, and they had a few issues in the FD here that without they would have been around 11-12, which is decent for their first year.

This reminds me of last year when B&S made some technical mistakes which affected their placement, and people were immediately predicting them off podium at the following year's Russian Nationals becuase supposedly TES errors = dumped by the judges now.

Honestly I think O&W have a better shot than P&I too.

I am voting for Alex and Mitch.

Perhaps the Canadian Judges will now give G/P more realistic marks than the grossly overinflated scores they have been giving them so far.

Without the problems I think G/P would have been around 14-15 which is okay but nothing outstanding. That would have been a comparable finish to R/H at last year's worlds, and yet nationally, R/H can't cut a break against G/P. I just would like to see G/P scored as a team and not given so much credit just for Paul's far superior skating level.

[casken]

Didn't Paul and Islam have mistakes in the FD at Nationals?

[skatingfan04]

Didn't Paul and Islam have mistakes in the FD at Nationals?

Yes. They took a nasty spill that wiped out half of their diagonal step sequence, and paid for it with their scores.

I wouldn't have said so a few days ago, but I honestly think Paul/Islam have the best chance here. I've always felt G/P have been held up at nationals, but I suspect that their results at worlds might change that. All I can hope for is that the judging at nationals will be FAIR!! If that's the case, and P/I skate cleanly, I think they'll have the advantage. Of course, that all depends on the quality of their programs, but given the improvement that a few months at DSC has resulted in, and that fact that their material was fabulous this year (and most other years, IMO), I'm not too worried about that aspect of it.

[judgejudy27]

Wow shocked Paul & Islam are dominating this poll. I sure hope it turns out that way.

[kates8]

Wow shocked Paul & Islam are dominating this poll. I sure hope it turns out that way.

It doesn't surprize me. People on these boards tend to love an underdog, but when that team gets successful, they start bashing them down.

Why do people think that P&I would be much higher scored internationally than any other team on this list - do they have any significant history internationally that would prove this out?? G&P made a mistake in the Freedance, but other than that, they probably would have been 12th which is a great placement for the #3 Team and in their first Worlds.

[Andofanatic]

I dont think the feeling is P&I would be scored much higher than the others, just that G&P are not scored much higher than the others, and it is unfair how at Nationals they are. They are not a level higher than the others, at best they are equal. That some people I know were worried Weaver & Poje might lose the 2nd Olympic spot to G&P if G&P didnt get 3 spots for Canada alone is testement to how overrated G&P must be in Canada and by Canadian judges.

[Pratfall]

I don't know where you get that G/P probably would have been 12th...I think the best they could have done was maybe 2 or 3 placements higher , considering the rest of the field.. The only thing that makes sense to me is that SC should really be giving all four of these couples an even break , but they haven't, beginning with 2012 Canadians. ( Actually, the shenanigans might have begun in 2011, when C/P were still together , but that's another topic).

Though I like P/I best, overall, in terms of potential, I do like the other teams as well, which is hard to reflect in a poll.Though I admit I like G/P least of the four doesn't mean I dislike the skaters , themselves , just what's been done with them. With every team there are going to be efforts made to accentuate their strengths and downplay their weaknesses ( fair enough ) but with G/P that's been taken to the extreme , and I don't think it will help them at the world level ( it certainly didn't here ). Speed and strength moves ,with not much else in between, is just not enough. And in the meantime 3 other teams with roughly the same abilities ( in various ways ) have to be languishing , probably feeling they have two strikes against them before they even get to the plate.

[fan]

i think edwards/pang have a legitimate shot too.

[Pratfall]

Right , I forgot about them having to move up..Love that young team.