ISU Grand Prix Assignments 2017/18 Olympic season

[Jammers]

Thats what I thought too @Jammers

I was completely unprepared this morning. LOL

I though damn did i sleep for a month?

 

[mag]

He did it at Skate Canada last year where he was a crowd favourite, despite his usual Liam-ness.

I think Nadeau should get it, though.

I love Liam's skating and he is a great person, but (and it is a big but) I feel very strongly that host spot assignments / fall internationals should be only given to skaters who show they are prepared. They should be required to complete a full competition in the pre season. There are lots of comps around and SC could easily make competing at one of the Summer Series competitions a requirement for a fall international. SC has a very bad habit of latching on to a particular skater and viewing them with rose coloured glasses. Going head to head with your competition at home helps build competition nerves. Even better would be to insist that skaters like Liam and Nick both go to a comp in the US. Different judges and fresh eyes to help check your bias.

 

[ninalovesskating]

As for the potential threat , its subjetive percepcion of course but IMO 4th ranked (pewter does not exists outiside USA) team <<< reigning junior world champs.

Yes, it is subjective and honestly, on a senior level, I do not see Parsons/Parsons as a threat. Even though they're the junior champs, I can't see this team succeeding in a long run as seniors. The height difference between them is getting too close and just the overall technical capability of this team as a whole... I don't see anything close to special. I'm sorry.

 

[chameleonster]

Its always hard to tell ahead of time, but consdering how many hyped junior teams disappear at the senior level, a team like Pogrebinsky/Benoit who has already had a solid senior debut is at least as much of a threat as the Parsons, who will be making their debut. It's difficult to predict how a junior team will transition.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Just curious... how is the order for the host countries to invite (choose) skaters determined?

There's a random draw for each discipline among the hosts. Although not described in the Announcement, people have posted that the hosts pick first, and then they go by groups until everyone guaranteed two and then one have been selected, and then they fill in the rest. There's a specific order to be sure skaters who are guaranteed spots get them, that everyone gets (at least) one from each Worlds grouping, etc. etc.

So was there just not room for them? Unfortunately, I don't think that the rules as they are written allow for returning skaters to be on the alternates list if anyone drops out.

If the British Fed submitted them through the official process as return skaters, if last year's rules are used, their last SB gets intermingled into the SB list. C/B's SB from 2015-16 was 173.17, which would put them 15th on the SB list, and at the top of the list eligible for alternate's picks. However, if the British Fed did not submit them as return skaters, then they need to win and early CS event (according to last year's announcement) to be eligible for an alternates spot.

As far as there not being room for them, there was room for them. There were 14 teams that were guaranteed one, but got two, of which only three got a host spot, although four more were from host nations and got two from other hosts. Plus Abachkina/Thauron got two and were guaranteed none, and only one was a host spot.

 

[starrynight]

I was hoping Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor would get a pairs spot seeing as they were Junior World Champions. I think they said they wanted to move up to seniors this season. I wish there were more spots on the GP circuit for pairs. Makes it hard for junior teams to move up - particularly when they don't come from a fed that has a host spot to give to them.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Strange that Alexandrovskaya/Windsor as reigning JrW champs didn't get any, but they are low on SB and standings list.

Strange indeed. I was somewhat assured that as reigning JW champs, that event allocation for them was automatic.
Duskova and Bidar got a spot at Trophee d' France, though.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Zagitova is skating in China and France. Heaven help the competition.

 

[kwanfan1818]

There are no guaranteed spots for the Junior Worlds podium or JGPF champions. Each is only eligible for selection, unless they are otherwise guaranteed at least one (from SB, WS, or Top 10 at Worlds, having competed in both junior and senior Worlds.)

It's hard to imagine that Alexandrovskaya/Windsor would want to keep switching between junior and senior programs this season, especially as they need to qualify for the Olympics at Nebelhorn. JGP doesn't make sense, when if they want more mileage before Nebelhorn, there are other events, CS and not, before Nebelhorn each year, and they might want to do back-to-back events to adjust to the time zone difference. (Or, if they could get ice time, train in Russia for part of the week before.) Doing the numbers, nine teams that were guaranteed one got two, and five of them were from host nations and didn't get host spots. Two got host spots, and the other two were from non-host nations.

 

[Jarrett]

I'm kind of confused why Ashley is getting "She got the Michelle Kwan picks" flack when Karen has the same exact assignments.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Mirai and Mariah both have to stay strong and skate great (or at least quite good) at their GP assignments. Hopefully Mirai will have her 3A consistent by then too. As well as the rest of her triples of course! No URs please Mirai!

 

[misskarne]

*wakes up* YAY GP ASSIGNMENTS.

Let's see.

Yay Brendan got Skate Canada! AND JOSH AND JASON TOGETHER AGAIN AT NHK <3 Max will get to exorcise his French demons!

But...

WHERE THE HELL ARE KATIA AND HARLEY?!

 

[Kasey]

Wow....I haven't been to an event in a couple years, and I may be pushing it on my PTO availability (have 2 family trips this year), but may try to get to SKAM.

 

[kwanatic]

I'm kind of confused why Ashley is getting "She got the Michelle Kwan picks" flack when Karen has the same exact assignments.

I guess if the "Michelle Kwan pick" is SA and SC for GP assignments then yeah...that's what they got. But it's not like those are easy assignments this year. Matter of fact there's a minimum of 4 tough competitors at each event. With Ashley's lack of rotation on her jumps and Karen's tendency to fall apart, it may be really tough for them to get onto the podium unless they skate lights out.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I'm kind of confused why Ashley is getting "She got the Michelle Kwan picks" flack when Karen has the same exact assignments.

Oh it wasn't meant to be flack at all, just a cute observation. Ash don't like to travel much it seems anymore.

Goddess Kwan seemed to always do a 1-2 punch with SA and SC. Ash seems to love SC and then she got SA as well and isn't the Nats Champion. Has happened before that non Nats Champ gets SA. Anywhooo was just an observation (that to me) easily stood out as I processed the grids this morning!

(I kinda like it tho when USFSA spreads the wealth and doesn't put 2 National top contenders against each other at SA. Example Kwan-Cohen, Scimerim-D&F, Wags-Karen, Wags-Gold). Wags for sure woulda been required to be picked by another Federation thus breaking them apart. Can sometimes give them better odds of each of them making the Final albeit no one ever knows.

Ladies seems so dang tough this cycle that who knows how the cards will fall.

 

[misskarne]

Jackie Wong is live on Facebook now talking about GP assignments.

 

[starrynight]

Jackie Wong is live on Facebook now talking about GP assignments.

Ah the quality is terrible for me and it keeps crashing my browser! It would be great if you could let us know if Jackie has some insightful comments.

 

[misskarne]

Ah the quality is terrible for me and it keeps crashing my browser! It would be great if you could let us know if Jackie has some insightful comments.

It's really good, a little crackly for me, but he's explaining everything really well.

He just spent about ten minutes explaining why A/W didn't get a spot. I follow, but I'm still sulking about it! He thinks they have a good shot at picking one up later.

 

[starrynight]

What did he say about Ekaterina and Harley? (sorry ha ha) Was it the rankings/season bests that meant they didn't get a spot first up?

 

[misskarne]

What did he say about Ekaterina and Harley? (sorry ha ha) Was it the rankings/season bests that meant they didn't get a spot first up?

Basically that they ran out of spots before they got to Katia and Harley. They weren't guaranteed one. But he definitely thinks that when all the TBDs are handed out and withdrawals and everything that they could get one.

 

[dancefan17]

Pretty sweet picks for the Shibs....should be a cinch for GPF....

 

[chapis]

Pretty sweet picks for the Shibs....should be a cinch for GPF....

So easy as their bronze World medal

 

[ninalovesskating]

So easy as their bronze World medal

Yes, it was so easy that they were in 5th place going into the free

 

[Dobre]

But both junior French teams got 2 assignments and Parsons and M&C only got 1? Both French teams are ranked higher than the Americans?

No, both American dance teams are ranked higher than both French teams.

I think we have a good shot of seeing the Parsons and McNamara & Carpenter go head-to-head at Lake Placid mid-summer. They need the senior technical minimum scores. The Lake Placid International was a good place to get them last year. And Wheaton always brings their teams--at least they have for the past two seasons in juniors.

I think some Ice Dance assignments are questionable. Smart/Diaz have one spot but Sara and Kirill have no spot? No spot for Coomes/Buckland? One spot for Beaudry/Sorensen and Nazarova/Nikitin, but teams that didn't even qualify for the Free at Worlds, like Lauriault/LeGac and Muramoto/Reed, get two spots? Two spots for new seniors Abachkina/Thauron and Loboda/Drozd? Two spots as well for Pogrebinsky/Benoit, consedering the fact that there are a million top US Dance teams right now? Two spots for floppers Sinitsina/Katsalapov who finished 10th at Euros? Really? Dear ISU, you can do better than that.

Muramoto & Reed had a guaranteed non-host spot, plus 1 host spot. Nothing dodgy there. Sinitsina & Katsalapov, Zahorsky & Guerreiro, Pogrebinsky & Benoit, and Loboda & Drozd were all high enough on the SB list to earn two non-host spots if federations went straight from the top and handed out double placements like last season. (Coomes & Buckland as well. I wonder if the British fed didn't submit them as return skaters? It's very, very strange that they wouldn't have at least one if they are actually healthy to compete.) L&D were borderline & may have benefited from I&Z pulling out. Smart & Diaz are higher on the SB list than Hurtado & Khaliavin, though still not high enough to get into the GP without other teams (Min & Gamelin and Popova & Mozgov) being skipped.

But the Parsons were purposely skipped over for two. There's no way around it. The U.S. had too many top dance teams with the potential to defeat everybody else's host country picks. Fournier-Beaudry & Sorenson were below the SB cut-off for a likely second spot, but with I&Z withdrawing and--if Coomes & Buckland were not included--then F-B&S were also purposely skipped. Denmark has nothing to trade.

I'm fine with the extension of more international & one-event invites. It just seems, however, that it could be done in a more equitable manner.

There are a lot of reasons to believe the Parsons and McNamara & Carpenter may be seen as a greater threat than Pogrebinsky & Benoit. 1. Because the Parsons and M&C defeated P&B every time those three teams met in international and major national competition during the last season they competed head-to-head. 2. Because the Parsons had higher scores at this year's Nationals. 3. Because the Parsons and M&C had higher scores at Lake Placid this past season. 4. Because P&B lost head-to-head in 2015-16 to teams like Lauriault & Le Gac and Loboda & Drozd, who were defeated throughout P&B's last junior season by the Parsons & M&C. 5. Because M&C had a higher SD score at Nationals. 6. Because the senior dance scores last season reflected two additional elements in the free dance versus the FD scores for the juniors. 7. Because P&B's SB score from last season was at Tallinn Trophy--the most overscored event of last year.

But P&B did well in their senior debut year. They're a legitimate threat. (Though they won that 4th place at Nationals because Hawayek & Baker fell twice in their FD). If P&B want to be seen as a greater threat than these two junior world champion teams, however, they will have to do it head to head.

M&C go up against them in China so we will get to see that one. It's a good draw for both teams, IMO. They are going to get a crack at each other and a lot of other teams as well.

This is just a beginning for these young teams. I expect a lot of bumps & bruises along the way. But also a lot of great fights.

 

[Wyliefan]

Max will get to exorcise his French demons!

I've got this really great mental image of French demons now. They're wearing berets and talking like Pepe Le Pew.

 

[Lanie]

I'm sad Coomes/Buckland didn't get a spot but I would not be surprised if their fed just didn't care and never submitted anything for them to be considered for a spot. That fed seems so blase and seems to give no fcuks about their skaters.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Basically that they ran out of spots before they got to Katia and Harley. They weren't guaranteed one. But he definitely thinks that when all the TBDs are handed out and withdrawals and everything that they could get one.

That's total crap. There were spots left after everyone got their guaranteed spots. There were even spots left after skaters from host nations guaranteed one got a second, host spot. There were teams from host nations who got two non-host spots:

• Seguin/Bilodeau (SB 8)
• Peng/Jin (SB 10)-CAN, FRA
• Zabijako/Enbert (SB 13)-CAN, USA
• Moore-Towers/Marinaro (SB 14)-CHN, USA
• Wang/Wang (SB 20)-RUS, FRA. They actually skipped Ashtakhova/Rogonov (SB 18) to do that, although they may get the RUS host spot.

So it was just the hosts doing what the hosts do best, which means they skipped Alexandrovskaya/Windsor.

 

[misskarne]

That's total crap. There were spots left after everyone got their guaranteed spots. There were even spots left after skaters from host nations guaranteed one got a second, host spot.

Ah. So it was as I first thought and this is a classic case of big country feds being too chickenshit coward assholes to pick up a little country team that might beat theirs. Back to angry now.

 

[greenapple]

Coomes/Buckland and the Australian pairs team got ripped off royally in the GP selection process.

 

[kwanfan1818]

If C/B were submitted as return skaters, I think this would be the first time that any were skipped. I can't remember any that weren't given *two* in the initial selection, unless it happened and was never leaked, even though return and comeback skaters are fewer than (returning) split couples.

Let's see how long it takes for the announcement to follow.