U.S. Ice Dance 2017/18 season news & updates

[TanithandBenFan]

I think H/D does have the best shot at individual bronze since I think they will be skating in the final group for the SD (because of world standing). This sets them up well.

 

[VGThuy]

I thought it was top ten in random order for the last two groups.

 

[chapis]

I think H/D does have the best shot at individual bronze since I think they will be skating in the final group for the SD (because of world standing). This sets them up well.

But the Shibs have a very strong short dance.

 

[Spun Silver]

But the Shibs have a very strong short dance.

And therefore they are more likely to make the final group for the FD than HD - but maybe both teams will.

 

[Debbie S]

I thought it was top ten in random order for the last two groups.

They changed the rule for the Olys. I assume it's to maximize drama for TV...NBC probably wouldn't want V/M and P/C skating an hour apart. Or Yuzu and Nathan, etc.

All 3 U.S. teams should be in the final group for the FD. They've each qualified for the GPF the past 2 seasons and were in the final FD group at last year's Worlds. But since this is the Olys, there are likely politiks in place to prevent that.

 

[thvu]

All 3 U.S. teams should be in the final group for the FD. They've each qualified for the GPF the past 2 seasons and were in the final FD group at last year's Worlds. But since this is the Olys, there are likely politiks in place to prevent that.

Uh, how can they politik the World Rankings at this point? Chock & Bates and the Shibutanis made the choice not to go to any Senior Bs this season, to the detriment of their own rankings.

Everyone knew the rules, and these teams made the choice not to give themselves the best shot at being in the final group. The also could have insisted to USFS that they wanted to go to 4CCs in order to have Championship points on their rankings before the Olys. Neither team did so, and neither team will be in the last group - fairly so IMO.

 

[Debbie S]

Uh, how can they politik the World Rankings at this point? Chock & Bates and the Shibutanis made the choice not to go to any Senior Bs this season, to the detriment of their own rankings.

I wasn't referring to the rankings themselves but the scoring/placement in the SD. All 3 USA teams should be ranked in the top 5, as they were at the GPF and last year's Worlds, but given the politiks of the Oly season, I would expect at least one of B/S and C/L, possibly both, to be in the final FD group at the expense of one or two of the USA teams.

 

[thvu]

I wasn't referring to the rankings themselves but the scoring/placement in the SD. All 3 USA teams should be ranked in the top 5, as they were at the GPF and last year's Worlds, but given the politiks of the Oly season, I would expect at least one of B/S and C/L, possibly both, to be in the final FD group at the expense of one or two of the USA teams.

Oh, okay, my mistake. I thought you were referring to the SD.

 

[lauravvv]

Maybe it was because Charlie White liked them and said they were doing V/M's lift but did it better than V/M. I liked the Parson's better.

Surely you are just joking in your first sentence. I think M/C were named as second alternates because of their overall slightly better results and better consistency at international competitions this season (except that one B competition - I forgot which one it was - where they fell) + better result in the FD at Nationals. Parsons have made mistakes in twizzles practically in all competitions.

H&B were totally robbed of winning the FD, IMO.

I like Hawayek/Baker, and they skated really well in the FD, but this is an exaggeration. You may like them and their FD more than the three US top teams and their programs, but that doesn't make them the best US team or even the best in the Nationals FD performance. They don't have the speed and power of the US top teams, and their elements, while really good when done cleanly, are, in many cases, weaker than those of the top teams - especially their spins, which are overall weaker than the spins of all three top teams (even though H/D made a mistake in their spin at Nationals which is really rare for them) and their twizzles, which are weaker than Shibutanis and H/D's twizzles. Some of their lifts also tend to be comparatively weaker than C/B's or even Shibutanus and H/D's, but that may be a slightly moot point in this case, since their lifts, perhaps exept the rotational lift, were really very well done in the Nationals FD performance. Their step sequences, though, while very light and precise (and the level 4s received for those step sequences at Nationals are a testament to that) also don't have the speed and power that the top teams achieve.

They changed the rule for the Olys. I assume it's to maximize drama for TV...NBC probably wouldn't want V/M and P/C skating an hour apart. Or Yuzu and Nathan, etc.

If they go by World standings, Bobrova/Soloviev and Cappellini/Lanotte probably will have higher standings than Virtue/Moir by Olympics as they will have competed at Europeans.

I wasn't referring to the rankings themselves but the scoring/placement in the SD. All 3 USA teams should be ranked in the top 5, as they were at the GPF and last year's Worlds, but given the politiks of the Oly season, I would expect at least one of B/S and C/L, possibly both, to be in the final FD group at the expense of one or two of the USA teams.

I think you have forgotten Weaver/Poje. They had a bad competition at Trophee de France because of being injured and were not in the GP Final, but they will be at Olympics and may skate well enough to beat Chock/Bates and also Cappellini/Lanotte and Bobrova/Soloviev (of course, if Poje doesn't blow his twizzles again). Also, rank in previous competitions should not matter that much when it comes to the skates on the day. It should not be automatic that all three US teams should be in the last group just because they were in the GP Final and were ranked top 5 in the last season's Worlds SD. And, unlike Shibutanis and Hubbell/Donohue, Chock/Bates don't have a very strong SD this season which would be automatically deserving to beat W/P's or even C/L's and B/S's SDs, unless C/B go clean in it while the rest of those teams make mistakes. That said, I would agree that C/L's and B/S's SDs are not better than C/B's as programs (B/S are actually worse, in my opinion), but B/S at least skate "bigger" in their SD overall.

 

[wickedwitch]

I mentioned this in the live threads, but it was great seeing Ben Agosto in the kiss and cry with a few teams.

 

[RoseRed]

They changed the rule for the Olys. I assume it's to maximize drama for TV...NBC probably wouldn't want V/M and P/C skating an hour apart. Or Yuzu and Nathan, etc.

All 3 U.S. teams should be in the final group for the FD. They've each qualified for the GPF the past 2 seasons and were in the final FD group at last year's Worlds. But since this is the Olys, there are likely politiks in place to prevent that.

I wouldn't be surprised to see C/B be passed for the final group, since it's been their weaker program this season. B/S were only 0.3 behind C/B at Cup of China in the SD. We haven't seen W/P in a while, they struggled in France, but Kaitlyn did have a dislocated rib or something there, and their SD scored well at SC. C/L have also had comparable scores to C/B in the SD. If we assume V/M, P/C, S/S, H/D (as long as they don't make a big error) make the final group, then any of B/S, C/L and W/P could end up passing C/B for that last spot, which could be totally justifiable based on the skates.

If they go by World standings, Bobrova/Soloviev and Cappellini/Lanotte probably will have higher standings than Virtue/Moir by Olympics as they will have competed at Europeans.

I think you have forgotten Weaver/Poje. They had a bad competition at Trophee de France because of being injured and were not in the GP Final, but they will be at Olympics and may skate well enough to beat Chock/Bates and also Cappellini/Lanotte and Bobrova/Soloviev (of course, if Poje doesn't blow his twizzles again). Also, rank in previous competitions should not matter that much when it comes to the skates on the day. It should not be automatic that all three US teams should be in the last group just because they were in the GP Final and were ranked top 5 in the last season's Worlds SD. And, unlike Shibutanis and Hubbell/Donohue, Chock/Bates don't have a very strong SD this season which would be automatically deserving to beat W/P's or even C/L's and B/S's SDs, unless C/B go clean in it while the rest of those teams make mistakes. That said, I would agree that C/L's and B/S's SDs are not better than C/B's as programs (B/S are actually worse, in my opinion), but B/S at least skate "bigger" in their SD overall.

B/S already are ahead of V/M, and you're right that C/L will probably pass them, but that would still leave Tessa and Scott in the final group. Currently the top 5 are P/C, B/S, V/M, H/D, C/L. The next couple are the Shibs and C/B, so V/M and H/D will both still be in the final group.

 

[levineismine]

See this post from @kwanfan1818
Olympic Games Figure Skating
With explanation on the SD starting order. Goes by world standing, last group will be as @RoseRed posted

 

[topaz]

I think both H/D and Shibs have strong SD. The Shibs have better executed and performed their SD this season. If Madi/Zach get the levels their score will be comparable to Shibs. At SkCanada Madi/Zach scored 76.08 points and would have scored 77.08pts if not for the 1 point costume violation.

However, their season average is still below the Shibs in the SD.

 

[Turbo-Mom]

Pictures of Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton that I took at US Nationals

https://youtu.be/epyLIfQy5Hc

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Great to have Tanith back in the public eye!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd3ODDsB0OP/

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Oh yeah, Tanith looked amazing on the Nationals broadcast.

I just noticed that she tweeted she'll be calling ice dance at the Olympics - thank goodness!

 

[Dobre]

I just noticed that she tweeted she'll be calling ice dance at the Olympics - thank goodness!

 

[lmarie086]

I just noticed that she tweeted she'll be calling ice dance at the Olympics - thank goodness!

Oh thank goodness. I couldn't take Johnny and Tara again. They were simply awful on ice dance in Sochi. I understood why they couldn't have Tanith commentate that year, given her relationship with Charlie, but it was such a shame not to have her. She's so considerate and well spoken, I always learn something from her.

 

[casken]

Tanith comes off more as a PR person than a commentator. If she's going to do that, I hope she's even handed about it.

 

[Dobre]

Next to Tracy Wilson, Mark whats-his-name, and Tatiana Tarasova, I suspect Tanith is the goddess of even handedness.

 

[Jammers]

Did Tanith ever have her baby?

 

[mollymgr]

Did Tanityh ever have her baby?

Yes, she did. They mentioned he was two months old in the Nationals broadcast.
#124

 

[Coco]

I thought there was a published procedure for how USFSA picks the team. From memory:

disciplines are ranked in terms of strength / likelihood of medaling
skaters are ranked w/in each discipline (but how...?????)
strongest discipline's entrant picked first (highest ranked skater offered both programs, they decides what s/he/they want to do, if they only skate one program, 2nd ranked skater is offered the other program, elects to skate if they want, and so on)
2nd strongest discipline's entrant selected, and so on

Is that correct?

 

[Barbara Manatee]

That is how they did it in 2014 but I expect they will choose more strategically this time. Auxier hinted at that during one of the press conferences at Nationals.

 

[LilJen]

They changed the rule for the Olys. I assume it's to maximize drama for TV...NBC probably wouldn't want V/M and P/C skating an hour apart. Or Yuzu and Nathan, etc.

I'm tired of NBC calling the shots for how the Olympics are done. Given their terrible coverage anyway, even if V/M and P/C skated back to back they'd switch to an hour of freestyle skiing or curling or something after one couple and then spoil the result before showing you the second couple.
(Okay, maybe they do it better on NBCSN and the Olympic Channel, but we don't get cable.)

I think both H/D and Shibs have strong SD. The Shibs have better executed and performed their SD this season. If Madi/Zach get the levels their score will be comparable to Shibs. At SkCanada Madi/Zach scored 76.08 points and would have scored 77.08pts if not for the 1 point costume violation.

I missed the costume violation. What was it for? I love everything about Madison's dress EXCEPT the beading right on the nipples. . .

Great to have Tanith back in the public eye!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd3ODDsB0OP/

Tanith Belbin White: forever making the rest of us look drab and ordinary

 

[RoseRed]

I'm tired of NBC calling the shots for how the Olympics are done. Given their terrible coverage anyway, even if V/M and P/C skated back to back they'd switch to an hour of freestyle skiing or curling or something after one couple and then spoil the result before showing you the second couple.
(Okay, maybe they do it better on NBCSN and the Olympic Channel, but we don't get cable.)

I missed the costume violation. What was it for? I love everything about Madison's dress EXCEPT the beading right on the nipples. . .


Tanith Belbin White: forever making the rest of us look drab and ordinary

It was a time violation, not costume.

 

[acraven]

I thought there was a published procedure for how USFSA picks the team. From memory:

disciplines are ranked in terms of strength / likelihood of medaling
skaters are ranked w/in each discipline (but how...?????)
strongest discipline's entrant picked first (highest ranked skater offered both programs, they decides what s/he/they want to do, if they only skate one program, 2nd ranked skater is offered the other program, elects to skate if they want, and so on)
2nd strongest discipline's entrant selected, and so on

Is that correct?

That sounds similar to what I remember, but wasn't there a clause in there about going back to skater and asking whether he was willing to change his mind?

 

[kwanfan1818]

That sounds similar to what I remember, but wasn't there a clause in there about going back to skater and asking whether he was willing to change his mind?

For Sochi, by December 2013, all of the skaters at Nationals had to declare whether they were interested in the TE, and, if so:
1. Which program(s) they wanted to skate
2. If they'd be open to change their minds.

Which meant USFS could see how cooperative people intended to be before Nationals.

This was in the document that, as recognized Federation for figure skating, USFS had to submit to USOC outlining the details of the entire selection process for the Sochi Olympics. I can't remember if it was a download from the USFS website or how it got distributed. I haven't seen the equivalent for Pyeongchang.

 

[Sylvia]

Currently listed on IPS:

Competed at 2018 Nationals:
Ashley Bain, 20-21 & Oleg Altukhov, 34 [S13]
Isabella Flores, 14-15 [N12]
Ethan Alday, 17 [Int11]
Noah Lafornara, 13 [Juv5]

Sectionals:
Amanda Miller 15-16 & Daniel Tsarik 16-17 [WD from P-J]
Caleb Niva, 19-20 [M-J5]
Jim Wang, 15 [M-N6]
Ryan O'Donnell, 19 [M-N7]
MaryEvelina Cordova, 15 & Evan Ruze Walter, 19-20 [P-N5]
Shin Lei Case, 15 [M-Int5]

Nationals in past 2 years:
Alexey Shchepetov, 20 [2017 J11]
Vladimir/Volodymyr Patsukevych, 17-18 [2017 Int9] also UKR
Layla Grace Karnes, 12 [2017 Int2]
Payten Howland, 18
Leah Krauskopf, 18
Jillian Moyer, 16-17
Sara Zhao 16-17

 

[Sylvia]

Good to see USFS apparently is assigning 4 age-eligible teams from Novice Nationals to their first internationals in the Adv. Novice categoy at the end of this month: Katarina Wolfkostin/Howard Zhao (N1) and Elizabeth Tkachenko/Alexei Kiliakov (N4) to Mentor Torun Cup in Poland, and Caroline Liu/Kenan Slevira (N3) and Oona & Gage Brown (N5) to Bavarian Open in Obertsdorf, Germany (awaiting confirmation to be posted on the USFS website).