If I am really honest, I want Nguyen on the Olympic team with Messing as a bro tag team motivating each other to do their very best, provided of course that Nam is healthy and ready. Yes, very true Roman is a truly beautiful and uber-talented skater and yes he has 2vwonderful programs this season, but I worry that nerves continue to plague him and seriously undermine his jumps. Certainly if Roman ever manages to go clean, he could easily medal on the GP perhaps has the talent to even outpoint Messing this season, but considering what he just put out at this all-important NEB comp attempting to secure a 2nd male Oly spot for Canada and earning - 207.62, well under his PB of 247.50, so even another GP medal, might be a big ask, he may need the next full cycle to gain enough competitive consistency before shining on Oly ice.
Even USA's brilliant Jason Brown, the new prince of PCS will not make it to the international podium without all the big boy 4 tricks and combinations the way skaters are judged these days. As long as jumps/elements are done, even the emptiest programs will likely out-score the artists, even those with great basic skill sets. Jeepers, even wee teen girls are seemingly out jumping/scoring 90% of sr international men these days. It is a sad state of affairs, that ladies' side of skating both jr and sr seemingly have better competitive nerves and are far more consistent in competition than most men who are wildly erratic even from sp to fs, let alone from event to event. My point now is that Nam is still likely the better bet, being more consistent, and the more experienced international competitor (beyond Messing), under pressure, than the rest of our present crop of top Cdn men. History has shown when Nam is motivated and knows he's being supported by SC he has risen to the occasion since taking on the responsibility for his own skating; his PB score of 262.77 is also well beyond Roman's. We will have to see how they all fare over the GP events and at nationals. At this early stage the only ones really trying to improve overall scores and impress with their skating skills have been our CDN Juniors who have earned medals. Otherwise, our SR skaters are off to a slow and rather bumpy, 21/22, start.
While it IS very EARLY in this marathon of a season, even with that unspoken caveat where all the big feds tend to underperform till the very top contenders will rally enough to make the GPF. The entire Sr Canadian skating team, as a whole, out of the gate are all very rusty, performing well below even the normal preseason challenger curve right now, let alone improving scores for the Oly season. The skaters should be trying to prove themselves worthy internationally on the GP circuit as our country's top contenders and skate well enough to podium by Nationals, test their mettle at 4CC, but ultimately peak at OLY Games or at Worlds if there are any retirements.
Yes, I do realize everyone on our national teams JR and SR are likely protecting themselves from getting injured, or sick before their GPF events, Nationals, 4CC, and the Oly Games, and some finally on to Worlds. However, they all still have to prove that they should be considered top contenders and that message to the judges and public happens first and foremost on the upcoming GP circuits! Frankly, IMO, no one seems ready to make the top 6 let alone win a medal, beyond G&P, and even they need to significantly up their game and do some program tweaking before their GP events.
I really hope all the top Canadian contenders all do another challenger event, or more small comps before SC and/or nationals, to get a better idea of where they all stand going into this all-important season and the best of our best are able to punch their tickets to the big O show. Although I do wonder if O games in China will even happen on schedule; given the pandemic variants and ragged international politics. No matter how cynical some of us are, ice is still slippery last I checked, so no one, no matter how favored or decorated in the past seasons are guaranteed an OLY spot or a Medal, thus everyone who is working their hardest to do their very best to shine brighter than they ever did before, has a shot to achieve their dreams for this season. Go Canada! Time for everybody skating for Canada to put up, or shut up!
) will have advanced Roman's confidence going forward.
