2019-20 Canadian Men news & updates

Well Nam just put Keegan on notice. Fantastic free program and a well-deserved 178.69 points. If not for singling the toe after his triple axel, he would have beaten Keegan's personal best score.

I think Nam's two programs this year are well suited to him. Though it could still improve, his speed has definitely gotten better, and he's performing a lot more.

Looking forward to Canadians this year!
 
Very, very happy for Nam tonight! I have a couple vivid memories--one of him standing at the top of an escalator back at the hotel after missing the FD at the 2016 Worlds and looking like he had been run over; and another during the practices at SA the following season in which he was skating as though the world had come to an end. So great to see him grow up and gain perspective over the past season, and also rise to the occasion tonight. You just hope for athletes crossing through those tough growing up years that they will one day have an experience like he did tonight.
 
I have had a soft spot for Nam since he was novice champ, and I have been rooting for him hard in all the tough years between his first senior Canadian title/fifth place finish at Worlds and last year's comeback. Thrilled to see him skate so well at Skate Canada, and even more importantly, thrilled to see him looking so happy.

I have always stepped in when people have basically ignored Nam (saying things like Keegan was the only person who would obviously make it to Worlds both this season and last, saying Nam would be pushed aside in favour of Gogolev, etc.) and did not believe that he was washed up or regressing. I really hope he keeps skating like this to prove naysayers wrong.

Is Keegan the better skater? Yes. Is he that much better/more consistent than Nam that he can/should win our lone spot to Worlds this season without a fight? No. As we found out last year at Canadians, ice is always slippery and unless one is Hanyu or Chen level (in terms of being able to beat their nearest rival at most competitions by 20+ points, even with mistakes), anything can happen.
 
dramagrrl said:
Is Keegan the better skater? Yes. Is he that much better/more consistent than Nam that he can/should win our lone spot to Worlds this season without a fight? No. As we found out last year at Canadians, ice is always slippery and unless one is Hanyu or Chen level (in terms of being able to beat their nearest rival at most competitions by 20+ points, even with mistakes), anything can happen.
Click to expand...
It'll come down to whoever skates cleaner at Canadians, and that's so exciting. If both skate cleanly, the edge goes to Keegan for his skating skills and spins. I hope Keegan keeps working on his quad lutz, and that Nam puts another quad in his FP too.

In other news, I absolutely loved Nam's footwork sequence in this FP. It was only level 3, but it went so well with the music. I also love how much of a blast he was having out there, and to do so after Hanyu... I loved in the post skate interview when he said that skating after Hanyu (and the Pooh-splosion that followed) didn't faze him.
 
I'm really happy for Nam and his result here. I'm sure he could use a little cash, too, so that's always a bonus.

Skate Canada is pretty good at just going with Nationals results. So I think that will drive the whole outcome. Having said that if Nam makes the GPF and Keegan wins nationals it might be an interesting discussion.

I'm just not ready to put that many eggs in the Nam basket for a few reasons:
*Nam has the ability to disappear at a competition way better than Keegan
*While their elements are comparable, Keegan has way more ability to make up points through levels and GoE
*Keegan can drive PCS better than Nam. I'm not buying the 86 he got here. Lots of two foot skating, simple choreo, few transitions and he's still very slow IMHO. He struggles to get 8s typically so I see this score as an anomaly, buoyed by the crowd and his luck in making the final 3 after the short.

If Nam can build on this skate and not regress through nationals...AND bring the 4T back, I might be ok with sending him to Montreal. I still need some convincing.
 
Wow the battle has only just begun. Too bad only one Canadian man can go to Worlds. I am going to be crushed for whoever that missed. I honestly think a skate-off at 4CCs is going to be fairest.

Nam was simply delightful. Better speed and surer of his jumps. He must be way out of steam at the end as those final spins sucked. He needs to work on that.

Sadovsky was disappointing, esp after Finlandia. :(
 
It was encouraging to watch the practices with Nam as he really seems confident with the 4S. I am not sure his spins have ever been his strength though and it is clearly a weakness compared to Keagan. At least - we have some hope of a decent showing at worlds - no matter which way it ends up.
 
I liked Nyugen's style in 2014 and 2015. Since then, where Messing exudes happy-go-lucky charm (much in the style of Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton), Nam is a bit like FIGJAM.
 
Last edited:
kalamalka said:
Re Gogolev
My guess would just be that his team has decided not to travel to Europe for a junior competition in mid-November when he has to compete senior at Challenge (since he didn’t make JGPF) a couple of weeks later.
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Doesn't he have a bye since he was on the podium last year?
 
skatingguy said:
Doesn't he have a bye since he was on the podium last year?
Click to expand...


Yes Gogolev has a bye to nationals due to podium finish at senior nationals last year.

I can see him at least wanting to compete his senior programs at least once before nationals.
 
Nam hasn't really delivered since 2015 Worlds. But he is still young by the Men's standards. I'm always torn between writing him off or thinking he is yet to peak. Then again, I'm reluctant to give up on any skater. I even held out hope for Sandhu for a while. It will be an interesting battle at Canadians.
 
SENIOR MEN

INTERNATIONAL
Nam Nguyen 262
Keegan Messing 256
Nicolas Nadeau 222
Roman Sadovsky 222
Conrad Orzel 214
Stephen Gogolev 212 JR
Joseph Phan 207 JR
Aleksa Rakic 200 JR
Iliya Kovler 179 JR
Beres Clements 176 JR
Eric Liu 174 JR

LOCAL + SECTIONAL over 190
Bold = Sectional score

Keegan Messing 253
Joseph Phan 217
Nam Nguyen 209
Conrad Orzel 203
Aleksa Rakic 197
Iliya Kovler 196
Roman Sadovsky 196
Eric Liu 195 (190)

Kovler and Toman skate at Ontario sectionals this weekend.
 
puglover said:
At least - we have some hope of a decent showing at worlds - no matter which way it ends up.
Click to expand...

And sigh, if only Romsky and Nadeau could ratchet it up and deliver their considerable assets consistently... Romsky skates so divinely and he's grown into his body now, but his focus and maturity need to catch up. I think Nadeau has been sidetracked a bit with injuries. He appears to be steadily trying to put it altogether again, but he's lost a bit of momentum. He seems to get so upset with himself at competitions when mistakes happen. Maybe it would help if he practiced meditation and visualization as part of his training strategy.

Orzel and Phan are hugely talented, but need mucho seasoning and marinating. Stephen 'Run Boy' Gogolev has understandably been experiencing growing pains. He's only 14 and should be allowed some time to have fun, chill out, loosen up, put his head on straight, and steady himself for a blast-off senior career. There's no need to overly rush it and burn out. Fortunately, Gogo is in good hands with Raf! The inimitable caring taskmaster "Good Hands" coach. ;)
 
Nam skated well in the sp at Rostelecom Cup.

Joseph Phan had a good skate going at Warsaw Cup in the sp, but then he failed to complete the required combo jumping pass because of a step-out on the first jump. What a shame. Joseph is a beautiful skater and he should have placed higher in this field with a clean skate (probably second at least in front of Gummenik and Frangipani). The younger Russians (Kovalev & Gummenik) are good technically, but have nothing stylistically on Phan, aside from cleaner performances, and a relatively decent quad or two.

I'm not sure whether Phan has a reliable quad, but probably his biggest problem is staying focused throughout a performance. As well, perhaps a better strategy is to go for the combo jumping past first, so that if something happens, at least there's another chance to throw an extra jump on the planned single jumping pass. Losing points in this way is not helpful to putting together confidence and momentum.

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Interview with Nam Nguyen after Rostelecom (in Russian)
gazeta.ru

«Часто ужинали с Медведевой»: откровенное интервью канадца Нгуена - Газета.Ru

Канадский фигурист Нам Нгуен выдал лучший старт сезона в карьере и покорил фанатов в образе рокового красавчика на этапе Гран-при в Москве. В интервью «Газете.Ru» Нгуен рассказал о совместных ужинах с Евгенией Медведевой, как ему удалось выдать великолепный прокат сразу после Юдзуру Ханю и...
gazeta.ru gazeta.ru
 
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