Canadian Olympic Figure Skating Team Announced; also World/4CC/Junior World teams

[screech]

There's a lot of speculation though...

My personal guess is that Patrick will do both for men, for ladies it will be Kaetlyn for SP, Gabby for FP, and then no idea whether Skate Canada will split up pairs or dance. There are 3 days between the pairs FP at the team event, and the SP for the individual event, so D/R could feasibly do both, but I don't know. I kind of think it will come down to whether or not Virtue/Moir WANT to do both.

 

[aftershocks]

Meagan & Eric interviewed, pt 2 (the zipper incident gets discussed)
https://www.facebook.com/CBCOlympics/videos/1194717273993018/

That's cool about Meagan studying sports nutrition and fitness, as a result of her own pursuit of eating healthy and staying fit.

 

[clairecloutier]

I think they might do D/R for SP, S/B for LP, and V/M for both programs. I think it's to V/M's advantage to get their revamped FD in front of the judges (and hopefully make a big impression) before their individual event. And it's probably not to D/R's advantage to skate both programs.

 

[DFO]

Copied out below:
2018 ISU JUNIOR WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sofia, Bulgaria – March 5-11, 2018

PAIR
Lori-Ann Matte/Thierry Ferland
Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud

Alternate 1 – Gabrielle Levesque/Pier-Alexandre Hudon
Alternate 2 – Chloe Choinard/Mathieu Ostiguy
Alternate 3 – Chloe Panetta/Steven Lapointe

January 14th, 2018

I was expecting some new blood in the Canadian junior pairs for the ISU championship... then I realized Andrew/Knott (2nd in Junior) and all the podium in Novice are having too young girls. They will become eligible only in a few months, when all the above (except Gabrielle Levesque/Pier-Alexandre Hudon) will became too old... I guess the Boys-Eddy will also finally have their chance.

 

[Bellanca]

It would be nice to see ice dance split the SD and the FD in the team event, but to really apply the pressure, V&M for both - especially if the goal is to win team gold and not silver.

ETA: Although, to be fair, G&P, W&P (in combination with V&M) could also get the job done, IMHO.

 

[Sylvia]

I was expecting some new blood in the Canadian junior pairs for the ISU championship

Skate Canada can only name/list the pairs with the ISU Junior minimum technical scores for Junior Worlds. I assume the Boys-Eddy siblings would have been named as alternates had they competed at Canadians.

ETA that Olivia Boys-Eddy posted on her Instagram before Canadians (Jan. 6) that she recently had dislocated her shoulder: https://www.instagram.com/p/BdnVpl5BTw1/

 

[screech]

I think they might do D/R for SP, S/B for LP, and V/M for both programs. I think it's to V/M's advantage to get their revamped FD in front of the judges (and hopefully make a big impression) before their individual event. And it's probably not to D/R's advantage to skate both programs.

I think hey probably will go with splitting pairs, but I would personally prefer splitting dance, because it's the better chance for individual gold (or at least a medal), and I so badly want WeaPo to get an O's medal.

I also feel like in dance we have more higher-quality teams that probably won't affect the standings as much (assuming Andrew keeps any unnecessary body parts off the ice during twizzles)

 

[Dobre]

So the rumors were wrong: G/P won't go to 4C's. I'm glad Sales/Wamsteeker will go.

Me too. I would have understood if Gilles & Poirier had wished to win a major international at 4CCs, but I was torn after Sales & Wamsteeker's wonderful Robin & Marian program was placed below Arnold & Williams at Nationals. I really enjoy S&W's free dance.

 

[aftershocks]

Has Skate Canada always waited until the end of their Nationals in an Olympic year before making team selections, and has it always been conducted in this way, with skaters receiving their Olympic team jackets? SC certainly organized their announcement with more of a team spirit in mind, and with encouraging words for the athletes.

U.S. fed is clueless having conducted their announcements separately and prematurely. They brought out the athletes in each discipline separately and shortly after the respective events ended, treating the announcements like more haphazard medal winner press conferences. Is USFS learning anything at all? (that's always a question)

SC had the promotional videos and all the athletes announced together for the team, with nice comments from the veterans on the team. It gives off more of a family feeling, even though of course the athletes are also competitive with each other. It was still handled nicely with photo opportunities and breaking out into one-on-one interviews afterward. I'm thinking that one of the reasons for the differences we see in the handling of this type of event between USFS and SC, is that former figure skaters are more directly involved in SC's decision-making and administrative processes. At least that appears to partly account for the more positive handling of this team selection announcement.

 

[Sylvia]

The fact that all 4 disciplines finish on the same day at the Canadian Championships helps facilitate their Olympic team announcement every 4 years.

 

[screech]

Team selife from Andrew's instagram (just missing V/M and Paul)

Has Skate Canada always waited until the end of their Nationals in an Olympic year before making team selections, and has it always been conducted in this way, with skaters receiving their Olympic team jackets? SC certainly organized their announcement with more of a team spirit in mind, and with encouraging words the athletes.

U.S. fed is clueless having conducted their announcements separately and prematurely. They brought out the athletes in each discipline separately and shortly after the respective events ended, treating the announcements like more haphazard medal winner press conferences. Is USFS learning anything at all? (that's always a question)

I believe so. At least, they did for Sochi. I like it this way. It's one big event, the press is all there, and it helps to build the team spirit.

 

[aftershocks]

The fact that all 4 disciplines finish on the same day at the Canadian Championships helps facilitate their Olympic team announcement every 4 years.

Sorry, but that just sounds like another convenient excuse to me @Sylvia. My observations are not meant to suggest that USFS needs to do everything like SC, but they could surely learn something from the way SC handled this Olympic selection announcement, especially in terms of building team spirit. Even if the events at US Nats don't all end on the same day, it does not mean USFS couldn't have waited until all events ended before making the announcements at one gathering. There are surely ways of managing the process in a more beneficial way, particularly for the athletes. And if they didn't announce at one gathering, we have certainly seen a better way of promoting team spirit and placing a unified focus on all athletes (from other sports too). But maybe that's a uniquely Canadian approach.

Again, I think one of the differences has to do with former skaters being so directly involved in SC's inner workings. They are former skaters who apparently feel passionately about the sport and who understand what it's like to be a competitive figure skater.

 

[Cherub721]

I think Canada will definitely split pairs. Pretty much any country with medal contenders in pairs will do so. D&R's SB LP score is only 1 point ahead of Stolbova/Klimov (who I assume will skate the segment for Russia), so they are not really guaranteed to win the LP segment either and it would be a waste of resources for them to go and possibly finish 2nd which S&B or MT&M could have done anyway. D&R are also older and Eric had that hip flareup last year.

Most are assuming Chan will do both and I think he very well might but to be fair, Messing's LP SB is 10 points higher than Chan so subbing here would not be crazy (granted Chan's SC performance may have been an aberration). If Chan were considered an individual medal contender, I think they would split. As of right I don't really know where his head is it, if he is trying to just hang in there to do the team event or if he really wants to add back content and fight for a medal. I mean, yes, it sounds weird to use Messing and S&B rather than World medalists W&P and Daleman, but IMO it should be about strategy, not who's going to given a medal.

V&M I believe have already expressed a willingness to do both segments, and we saw in Sochi that it didn't affect their skating in the individual (actually they struggled a bit in the team event and were clean in the individual). W&P could win the FD, but V&M are virtually guaranteed to do so if France doesn't make the cut, so really, there's no scenario where W&P can improve the team's overall chances, only hurt them. Russia won by 10 points in Sochi but this time I think it will be closer, looking like a Canada win by 2-3 points but could certainly tilt Russia's way, so they really cannot afford to lose placements here and there especially with Chan being so erratic this season.

Ladies split will depend on what they do with men and I think Daleman's win helps her. It doesn't guarantee anything (Sotnikova was Russian champion in 2014 and wasn't picked) especially since Osmond is the clear leader internationally, but I think the Canadian sensibility would be to not exclude their national champ. Mistakes here notwithstanding, Osmond is a clear choice for the SP, the only one who could challenge Medvedeva if she's not clean. I personally would go with Osmond for the free as well, as she has a 16-point higher SB, plus she has a much bigger PCS and GOE cushion if she makes mistakes. Looking at the National scores, Daleman had to skate a 7-triple program to beat a flawed Osmond in the free, so Daleman needs to go clean to score like Osmond with mistakes, but Daleman has been inconsistent this season, so it's not worth using her if she doesn't go clean as she is more likely to lose to Italy, Japan, or the US.

 

[Coco]

I don't think it's an excuse, @aftershocks .

No good can come from making people wait almost 48 hours to find out they are on the Olympic team. It is torture! And it would piss off the media no end. Also, on a practical note, it would be bad because it impacts who goes to 4ccs which is right around the corner.

 

[SkateGuard]

(Does Cdn Nats hand out pewter medals? )

To my knowledge, the United States is the only country in the world with a pewter medal?

 

[RoseRed]

Didn't see it listed, but these are the coaches for Team Canada:

Lee Barkell (Gabby)
Ralph Burghart (Keegan)
Marie-France Dubreuil (Virtue/Moir)
Oleg Epstein (Patrick)
Richard Gauthier (Moore-Towers/Marinaro)
Patrice Lauzon (Virtue/Moir)
Bruno Marcotte (Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Duhamel/Radford)
Nikolai Morozov (Weaver/Poje)
Zdenek Pazdirek (Larkyn)
Josée Picard (Seguin/Bilodeau)
Juris Razgulajevs (Gilles/Poirier)
Ravi Walia (Kaetlyn, Patrick)

Kudos to the coaches as well!
Brian Orser isn't part of the Canadian team of coaches, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him with Gabby in the K&C, since he'll be there with other students. And maybe Romain Haguenauer with V/M? Has he ever sat with them?

Biggest downside: No Carol Lane listed, which I guess means she'll be doing the commentary.

Agreed on Brian. Yes, Romain has sat with V/M before. When all there top 3 teams were in the last group at Worlds, it was Romain focusing on P/C, Patrice on H/D and Marie-France on V/M. And if L/LG make the French team, Romain will probably be the one focusing on them too.

There's a lot of speculation though...

My personal guess is that Patrick will do both for men, for ladies it will be Kaetlyn for SP, Gabby for FP, and then no idea whether Skate Canada will split up pairs or dance. There are 3 days between the pairs FP at the team event, and the SP for the individual event, so D/R could feasibly do both, but I don't know. I kind of think it will come down to whether or not Virtue/Moir WANT to do both.

I think Scott said something along the lines of "we'd skate 16 times at the Olympics if they let us."

 

[aftershocks]

I don't think it's an excuse, @aftershocks .

No good can come from making people wait almost 48 hours to find out they are on the Olympic team. It is torture! And it would piss off the media no end. Also, on a practical note, it would be bad because it impacts who goes to 4ccs which is right around the corner.

I'm only saying there's a better way to manage the process @Coco. Plus, there is thinking even from USFS that they should wait till all events end prior to making Olympics announcements. In the Forbes article I linked in (Ross Miner/Olympics thread), it was reported that USFS has said new ways of handling the situation will be under consideration, including not making team announcements so soon after the individual events.

 

[mag]

Alison Schumacher getting 1st alternate for Jr. Worlds was interesting, is it because lutz is the solo triple in the short program?

I suspect it has more to do with Olivia Gran not really competing at all this season until Sections. Schumacher was also competing in two disciplines at Nationals which may have affected her placement. If I had to put money on one of two (should Aurora for some reason be unable to attend) my money would go on Schumacher. She may not have the upside of Gran, but I also think she doesn’t have nearly the downside. With only one spot SC needs to play the odds.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Me too. I would have understood if Gilles & Poirier had wished to win a major international at 4CCs, but I was torn after Sales & Wamsteeker's wonderful Robin & Marian program was placed below Arnold & Williams at Nationals. I really enjoy S&W's free dance.

They skate more as one than A/W.

ETA: looking at G/P's WS points, they're currently 10th. S/B need 158 incremental points at Euros to pass G/P. 5th or above will do it. They're going to be in the last three of the middle group, instead of the penultimate group for the SD. (C/L bump H/D to the penultimate group with Euros bronze.)

 

[Bellanca]

Personally, I appreciate how Canada managed their Nationals with all 4 disciplines finishing on the same day. No reason to drag a Nationals competition out forever. Also, major props for sticking with the podium in all 4 disciplines. #TeamOldSchool

Sorry, @SHARPIE #hashtags be gone -- ...

ETA: In addition, I applaud how they handled their Oly team announcement. USFS should give them a call and request a PowerPoint presentation... Something, anything ... at this point. Sheesh!

 

[Dobre]

They skate more as one than A/W.

Which makes great sense as Sales & Wamsteeker have had four seasons together and Arnold & Williams have only been together for two.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Which makes great sense as Sales & Wamsteeker have had four seasons together and Arnold & Williams have only been together for two.

They skate more as one that Williams did with Orford, and they skated together for five years.

I loved Orford and :wuzzrobbed when she and Hill didn't continue.

 

[barbk]

Personally, I appreciate how Canada managed their Nationals with all 4 disciplines finishing on the same day. No reason to drag a Nationals competition out forever. Also, major props for sticking with the podium in all 4 disciplines. #TeamOldSchool

Sorry, @SHARPIE #hashtags be gone -- ...

ETA: In addition, I applaud how they handled their Oly team announcement. USFS should give them a call and request a PowerPoint presentation... Something, anything ... at this point. Sheesh!

I was not a fan of how they separated the earlier and later groups of skaters for ladies and men, shunting them off to early in the day as if those groups didn't really matter.

(ETA: fixed to ladies and men. )

 

[vesperholly]

To my knowledge, the United States is the only country in the world with a pewter medal?

I believe so. It is a tradition based on the qualifying structure - the top 4 skaters from each Regional advance to Sectionals, and the top 4 skaters from each Sectional advance to Nationals.

 

[Lilia A]

I just watched the video. So exciting. I missed all the skating because I had some personal stuff to deal with, so I can't really comment on the decisions made. Nonetheless, I'm sure SC made the right choice.

Congrats to our Olympians. Make us proud!!!

 

[levineismine]

I'm pretty sure Chan won't go to Worlds, same for Duhamel/Radford.
I also don't see V/M going.
Have W/P said anything about retiring? I would see them going to worlds, looking for a post Oly medal perhaps and help Canada keeping 3 spots in dance.
Not sure what would happen with the 3 spots in pairs if both D/R and I/M don't go.

 

[Sylvia]

I was not a fan of how they separated the earlier and later groups of skaters for pairs and men, shuttling them off to early in the day as if those groups didn't really matter.

You meant the first two FS groups of Canadian ladies and men on Saturday (due to live TV). Chartrand skated her FS about 3 hours earlier than Austman - their scores:
Larkyn Austman BC/YK 53.96 (6th in SP) 115.66 [58.21 / 58.45 -1] (3rd in FS) 169.62
Alaine Chartrand ON 52.19 (9th in SP) 112.02 [52.29 / 60.73 -1] (4th in FS) 164.21

 

[barbk]

You meant the first two FS groups of Canadian ladies and men on Saturday (due to live TV). Chartrand skated her FS about 3 hours earlier than Austman - their scores:
Larkyn Austman BC/YK 53.96 (6th in SP) 115.66 [58.21 / 58.45 -1] (3rd in FS) 169.62
Alaine Chartrand ON 52.19 (9th in SP) 112.02 [52.29 / 60.73 -1] (4th in FS) 164.21

Yes. Just a shame.

 

[pinky166]

Does anyone know how National Team placement works in regards to retirements? 3 of the top 5 men are retiring and 1 or 2 of the top 5 pairs are as well. Will there just be 2, 3, 4 national team members or do the lower placed skaters get to fill the remaining spots?

 

[screech]

I believe so. It is a tradition based on the qualifying structure - the top 4 skaters from each Regional advance to Sectionals, and the top 4 skaters from each Sectional advance to Nationals.

I don't know if it's still the same, but in the late 90s when I was competing in Canada, that's how it was here too.
But here (at that time) it was sectionals --> divisionals (later challenge) --> Canadians