2020-21 Canadian Men News & Updates

Colonel Green

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I'm already thinking ahead to the team event at the Olympics. I'm guessing that SC will choose split the men, with Keegan doing the SP and the other choice (likely Nam or Roman) taking the FP. I'm still unsure whether they will split the pairs or dance (with one team much more likely to perform well than the others, in each discipline)
Nobody on the Canadian team is likely to be a strong individual medal contender other than Gilles & Poirier (and even they are probably going to be more of an underdog shot), so the Canadian fed will be all-in on the team event.

It'll be the strongest entrant in each discipline doing both (obviously in ladies there'll be only one to begin with), unless there's a strong reason to the contrary. If we'd been having the team event last season, I would have had Keegan do the short and Nam do the free, since Keegan was pretty consistent in the short but couldn't do a clean-ish free to save his life. If Keegan continues on the trajectory he's been on this season, however, there's no reason to switch him out for the free.

As of right now, I would guess the full team will be Keegan, Madeline, KMT & Michael and Piper & Paul. Everybody else will be the cheering section.
 

screech

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7,409
I think it's more likely that Skate Canada will have the same skater or couple skate both segments of the event. It's the only way that the Canadian team is going to be competitive for the bronze medal.
There's a good chance they'll keep the same skater(s) for both segments, but I think if any discipline, men will be the one where they'll switch it up, since there isn't necessarily one clear 'superior' in the field. Yes, if clean Keegan is the better bet, but then again, Roman has higher potential, Nam has more consistency, and who knows what Stephen will be doing. So I could see them switching it out. However, in pairs and dance, there is one clear frontrunner team, so it's understandable they'd stick with just the one.
 

puglover

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2,729
Not the right place to put this but what adds to the pressure of the decisions for the individual spots in a few disciplines and the team events is who will be continuing on after the Olympics. Purely speculative on my part, but looking at age and life outside of skating, probably Keegan will not continue. Nam and Roman are just a year apart and only 22 and 21 now respectively. They both have been competing for a long time but both have fought through challenging years and are now showing much of their earlier potential. In Sochi, SC did spread it around a bit more and in PyeongChang they were clearly going for the gold and went with the A team. I guess what I am saying is without the likelihood of individual medals, do they give more skaters the opportunity to represent Canada in the team event, or make the possibility of a bronze team medal the priority? I totally understand why it happened but I felt badly that W/P did not get a chance to skate in the team event as they were always so obviously team players.
 

Japanfan

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25,532
Nobody on the Canadian team is likely to be a strong individual medal contender other than Gilles & Poirier (and even they are probably going to be more of an underdog shot), so the Canadian fed will be all-in on the team event.

While I agree with what you say, I do think that G/P have a shot.

Their world bronze medal is going to really boost their confidence.

The challenge will be finding a program that equals 'Both Sides Now' and 'Vincent'.
 

screech

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7,409
A wonderful skate from Roman. I almost found him a bit underscored. If Nathan or Hanyu had performed the combo exactly like that, judges still would have given them +GOE. It wasn't perfect, but I don't think it deserved -2s. Glad to see straight +4 for his final combo spin - that was beautiful. And his PCS are still a bit low, especially for SS and TR, but since he basically has no international 'clout' right now, I hope we'll start to see them rise, especially if he skates well in the FP.
I just love his sweeping movements, and his ease at gaining such wonderful speed from nothing.
 

million$momma

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587
It's unusual to see the degree of elegance in a skater as long-limbed as Roman (especially since singles guys as tall as Roman are rare to begin with), so when he's on he really is a striking presence on the ice.
I'm surprised he wasn't steered into pairs. He looks strong.
 

sk8girl

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561
Nam and Keegan and their dogs just did an Instagram Live together. Lots of fun. Keegan showed off the baby's room and his backyard rink, which still has ice (but is looking pretty grim at this point, lol).

One bit of news: Nam said that it's 98% likely that he's doing "That's Life" for his short program next season. (He didn't say if he's using his old program or doing a new program to the same music as before.)
 

marbri

Hey, Kool-Aid!
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16,356
In which Nam and Keegan aren't sure if they want to get vaccinated...

I really can't put my reaction into words.
Is there more than this clip? Because all I hear Nam saying after he asks Keegan if he plans to get vaccinated (And Keegan says he is not sure) Nam says "actually, actually, you know what, let's not talk about that, it's a very iffy subject for a lot of people". A lot of the comments underneath it are putting "...." around things Nam says but I don't hear any of that in the clip :confused:
 

Karen-W

Checking Senior Bs for TES mins...
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36,134
In which Nam and Keegan aren't sure if they want to get vaccinated...

I really can't put my reaction into words.
Being unsure is not the same as flat out saying "no, won't do it." While the FDA has a very rigorous approval process it still isn't infallible and mRNA technology is very new. If someone wants to wait a bit longer to see if there are any major side effects that take longer to appear, that is their prerogative. It isn't as though either guy is full-on saying that the government is trying to control us and make zombies out of us the way a lot of nuts are as their defense for not getting a vaccine.
 

sk8girl

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561
Is there more than this clip? Because all I hear Nam saying after he asks Keegan if he plans to get vaccinated (And Keegan says he is not sure) Nam says "actually, actually, you know what, let's not talk about that, it's a very iffy subject for a lot of people". A lot of the comments underneath it are putting "...." around things Nam says but I don't hear any of that in the clip :confused:
No, there isn't more - thats all that was said. I can't speak to Keegan's reasons for not being sure, but on Nam's side I felt like he was just trying to stop a possibly controversial topic in its tracks, knowing they would probably get into trouble no matter what they say (and he was obviously right...) I didn't at all take it as Nam necessarily having concerns about the vaccines himself. He almost definitely hasn't even had the option to get vaccinated yet, since he is still quarantining from WTT and they only recently started ramping up the vaccinations for younger people, even in hotspot areas.
 

euterpe

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12,804
Well, if earning a berth to the Olympics is a goal, then perhaps it's not the best thing to remain unvaccinated. It may well be that airlines will require a certificate of vaccination to board by next winter.
 

Karen-W

Checking Senior Bs for TES mins...
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36,134
Well, if earning a berth to the Olympics is a goal, then perhaps it's not the best thing to remain unvaccinated. It may well be that airlines will require a certificate of vaccination to board by next winter.
Or not. Either way, next winter is a good 8 months off and by then, the Pfizer, Moderna & AZ vaccines will have been in use for close to a year. A lot more will be known regarding unexpected side effects and, I hope, people who are currently hesitant will feel more comfortable about getting the jab.
 

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