Times your predictions were proved wrong

starrynight

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I thought that I'd post a thread for us to share all the times our skating predictions turned out terribly wrong!

I think mine would have been doubting the partnership of Savchenko/Massot.

After watching Popova/Massot at the 2014 World Champs, I thought Savchenko was mad for walking away from a pro career with Robin to start another quad with a new partner. I was very wrong! Looking back now I cannot even believe how much Bruno improved.
 

alj5

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Agree about Savchenko & Massot in 2014-2015. Then I saw them at some type of skating show in the fall of 2014 or spring 2015. And I was like "maybe....." but Didier was refusing to release Massot. They were good in the 2015-2016 season.
But then...

Their Lighthouse free of the 2016-2017 season just stole my breath away. There was something so beautiful and calm about that program and the way they skated it.
 

starrynight

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I think they really hit their peak in 2017/2018. The program was elegant and brilliant and the packaging was just all class. To be honest, I never understood some of those jumpsuits Aliona/Robin used to wear.
 

alj5

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I thought for sure that Elena Ilinykh would have no trouble finding a partner, and that Victoria Sinitsina was just too young and too stiff to be a good partner to Nikita Katsalapov. And yet SinKats has become a beautiful dance team while Elena has moved on to motherhood.

I also didn't love Jenni Meno & Todd Sand when they started skating together. But then the 1995-1996 season's programs just made me love them. Their signature two-handed press lift with swing around dismount is my second favorite pair lift behind Gordeeva & Grinkov's textbook two-handed lasso, and was my favorite until MooreTowers & Marinaro's current lift that's in their short and free.
 

bardtoob

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After watching Popova/Massot at the 2014 World Champs, I thought Savchenko was mad for walking away from a pro career with Robin to start another quad with a new partner. I was very wrong! Looking back now I cannot even believe how much Bruno improved.

Bruno was clearly limited by his former partner's talent. I mean he was clearly going for his content while she wasn't making much happen and she even tripped him :COP:
 
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starrynight

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Bruno was clearly limited by his former partner's talent. I mean he was clearly going for his content while she wasn't making much happen and even tripped him :COP:

It’s actually astonishing the difference a partner can make. The program was downright scary in places. Almost fell from 2 lifts and then the trip.

Although I think there was drama at 2014 Worlds because Robin’s girlfriend had told Popova that the Savchenko/Massot partnership was happening and this was a surprise to Popova. So she was probably quite upset when they were skating.

A bit like how Elena Ilinykh found out at 2014 worlds that Katsalapov was splitting with her.
 

MsZem

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Not really a prediction, but I thought Khokhlova and Novitski were in a good place after they won 2009 Euros, and nicely set up for the rest of the season. Guess not. But I wasn't wrong about everything in 2009 - that was the year I called Hanyu as an OGM contender.

I didn't doubt Aljona's choice of Bruno at all, she'd known him from training and I figured she saw some kind of potential even if it wasn't yet apparent to others.
 

TAHbKA

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Tutberidze girls- after Lipnitskaya and Medvedeva I was sure we were forever stuck with the skaters whose skating I cant' stand. Tsurskaya proved me wrong, Kostornaya killed my theory
 

Ananas Astra

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I predicted greatness from the Russian male juniors of the early 2000s...in the end, the only one to have memorable success was Voronov whereas skaters like Uspenski, Dobrin, Griazev and others vanished.
 

Bellanca

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I thought the Japanese ladies might give the Russian ladies a run for their money this last season — break up their dominance. I didn't expect them to overturn the applecart entirely, just upset it a little bit. That didn't happen.

ETA: I also figured there would be the usual fallout followed by a fair amount of bickering after Worlds wrapped up. Well, there is plenty of bickering (and fallout), just not regarding the topic we anticipated. 😒
 
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ilovepaydays

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Here are some of the first ones I thought of:

1) I was convinced that Bourne/Kraatz would medal in the 2002 Olympics.
2) I thought that Sui/Han would win in the 2018 Olympics.
3) I had high hopes for two U.S. pairs teams: Ina/Zimmerman & Castile/Okolski
4) I thought that Shen/Zhou were done after 2006.
5) I thought by 2008 that there was no way that Evan Lysacek would make it to Vancouver, much less medal. The 2009 world title shocked me.
6) I was convinced that Kerrigan was going to skate like a mess in Lillehammer.
 

nuge

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I thought at the 2006 Olympics that B/Agosto were going to win over N/K especially when they were in second after The OD and there was a lot of talk about them.
 

antmanb

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Wow is this the thread where judge judy and all its pseuds and caseyedwards need to come and confess?!

I also was convinced Aliona was mad for picking Massot and did not think they would win gold at the Olympics and I was so very pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong.

I was only totally wrong in thinking Kwan had her Olympics in the bag. And I thought the 2006 Olympics were simply going to be the coronation of Slutskaya but that turned out to be totally wrong too.

I think my predictions are probably more often wrong than not :rofl:
 

Erin

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I remember sitting in the stands at 2001 Canadians watching Jeff Buttle’s long program (where he placed 7th in the long, 9th overall) thinking, “well, here is another skater that I really enjoy who is never going to be very successful.”
 
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nylynnr

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I made a lot of lousy predictions. Like Antman, probably the worst was thinking (and saying) Savchenko was overly optimistic about her partnership with Massot. So glad I was wrong.

Another was strongly (loudly) predicting Chan would win gold in Sochi. I should have known his axel would fail him.
 

starrynight

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There was a bunch of pairs action following the Sochi Olympics. Massot/Savchenko of course.

But also there was Valentina Marchei switching to pairs. I can't really remember what the reaction was to that (I was excited). And it turned out that she experienced so much success as a pairs skater.

I also remember Brian Joubert announcing a switch to pairs, but I think that was short-lived.

I'd actually like to see as a fun experiment some more senior singles skaters make the switch.

I made a lot of lousy predictions. Like Antman, probably the worst was thinking (and saying) Savchenko was overly optimistic about her partnership with Massot. So glad I was wrong.

It was a ballsy move from her. So many pairs partnerships falter. Think Stolbova/Novoselov, Ilyushechkina/Bilodeau etc etc
 
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Simone411

To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
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I was convinced that Sinead & John Kerr would at least be on the podium since they were one of the few Ice Dance couples that didn't fall during the Original Dance at the 2006 Olympics. - The Kerrs - 2006 Olympics Original Dance

I remember watching in total disbelief when Babs did the choke hold on Maurizio causing him to fall. I remember thinking "OMG! Babs choked him and I hope he's okay!"

Then came the death stare from Babs. Then I thought "OMG! She's now giving him that killer stare since she didn't succeed in choking him to death during the OD!" :rofl: o_O
 

Erin

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Worlds 2017 - I thought that Javier Fernandez would medal.

That reminds me of my own unsuccessful Fernandez prediction - at 2016 Worlds where he was a complete mess in the morning practice, barely attempted any jumps and was clearly injured, I was sure he was going to either withdraw or drop way off the podium. So that was way off.
 

Miki89

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I have a pretty unlucky record with the Olympics. 😞 2002 ladies event outcome was a real surprise in a bad way.

I also thought Rika Kihira might win or at least medal last year and I hoped Marin Honda would improve after switching to Rafael.
 

Bellanca

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I was way off thinking Elena Radionova was going to clean everybody’s clock for an entire quad. She was going gangbusters, winning everything, and then she had a growth spurt, lots of competition, mostly within her own country, some iffy song selections / choreography, etc., etc. Bummer.
 

all_empty

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I never thought Carolina Kostner would've pulled it together to win an Olympic medal so late in her career. Fully expected Mao Asada to retire after Sochi and am glad she stuck around a bit longer. Still surprised Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is still skating even though she's only 23.

I also never thought Caroline Zhang would come back from her growth/injuries and turn in some pretty respectable performances at Nationals. Ditto with her longtime teammate Mirai Nagasu and the 3A.

Predicted bigger things for Christina Gao.
 

Marco

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I was only totally wrong in thinking Kwan had her Olympics in the bag. And I thought the 2006 Olympics were simply going to be the coronation of Slutskaya but that turned out to be totally wrong too.

Come to think of it, the Olympics ladies title hasn't exactly gone to the odds on favorite the last few times, except for Yuna in 2010 and Alina in 2018.

Michelle always managed to pull it together by the most important competition of the season, since 1995, no matter how poorly the season might have gone. Clearly the Olympic pressure got to her in an insane way. She didn't even get intimidated by the streaker at 2004 Worlds.
 

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