2025-26 Grand Prix Assignments Discussion

[Karen-W]

Yeah, I would imagine both C/B and FB/C will prefer to delay going head to head until at least GPF (especially after what happened in 2017 when P/C had a match-up with V/M at NHK), and that C/B will avoid going to Cizeron's home ice given how much the French federation will politick for him, but I love the idea of "high risk, high reward" of C/B debuting 1) in the 1st GP, 2) against FB/C, and 3) in France LOL.
Still, my guess is CoC and SkAm for C/B, and that FB/C will prefer to face F/G or G/F at their GPs. At least if I was IAM I will try to maximize the momentum of both teams before they face each other instead of setting a packing order so soon in the season. I also think C/B wouldn't mind facing G/F given how things went down this season (I don't trust G/F or Barb to actually produce decent material and packaging for next season, I will perhaps change my mind if we'll actually see them working with outside cohoregraphers and actually going to a decent costume maker).

Well, like I said, I could see ChoBat choosing Cup of China just as easily as GPdF.

Thankfully, IAM doesn't control the GP assignments fully and what they want may not align with what the USFS and Skate Canada want in helping all of their teams, the unique GP schedule this coming season, and with FearGib getting the leftovers of whatever ChoBat and GilPoir don't want, it may very well be that FBCiz have to face off against them at both of their GPs. And then GuigFab don't have completely free choice in both their GPs since the USFS would be bonkers if they didn't make CarPon a host pick & box GuigFab into the other five. FBCiz aren't even in the pool for their 2nd assignment until after that, along with the Shibs.

Like I said, there are so many factors, I've changed my seeded dance projections multiple times in just the last week, lol.

 

[SidelineSkater]

Well, C/B were supposed to easily win SA last year, but a slip in the RD foiled that plan.

I feel like they'd prefer a Euro GP than travel all the way to China. I think that's a long trip to start a long season. Plus the GPdF would be a similar time zone as Milan, so a good comparison for the Olympics. I know they're athletes and train for time zone variance, but my sleep schedule is always out of whack for a couple of weeks after I return from Asia. Also, I'm saying this as a non-V/M uber, I don't think the FB/C comeback match up is quite the same, so C/B probably won't mind the competition early on. Better to lose early than at the pressure cooker GPF.

I don't have my spreadsheet in front of me, but I had something like this for the seeds (and others)

GPF - C/B, G/F, (FB/C)
China - F/G, S/D, Shibs
Canada - G/P, C/P
NHK - F/G, G/F, (FB/C), Shibs
SKAM - C/B, C/P
FIN - G/P, S/D

 

[Karen-W]

That's sort of where I was leaning, @SidelineSkater, in having ChoBat face off against FBCiz at GPdF rather than fly to China for CoC - much shorter flight/travel time, especially with the GPF being in Japan this season. Even with the FFSG lobbying hard for FBCiz, I'm not sure I think they've got the ability to pull off an upset win over the 3-time defending World Champs, provided ChoBat are clean.

 

[litenkyckling]

I've been thinking about the dance assignments and have pretty much come to similar conclusions. I can definitely see the ISU have FG go up against both FBC and Shibs during the GP.

The two comeback teams will absolutely impact who makes the final, and I'm not sure why but part of me feels like despite their results last season FG could be the most vulnerable of the "safe" teams...

 

[angi]

I wrote down my predictions before the Shibs announced their comeback so after rethinking it a bit this is where I landed:

• GPdF - F/G, S/D, FB/C (Shibs?)
• CoC - C/B, CPom
• Skate Canada - G/P, S/D
• NHK - F/G, G/F, FB/C (Shibs)
• Skate America - C/B, CPom
• Finlandia - G/P, G/F (Shibs?)

Another option is a switch between S/D and CPom at Skate Canada/CoC, S/D are also a possibility for Skate America (did it the past two years), but I want to believe USFS will put their top 2 in the best position.
Where the Shibs fit in is an interesting question, I would imagine they would like to get NHK as it is considered the most lucrative GP and they are unlikely to meet the current top 2 American teams. If that is the case, they can either debut at GPdF (and get early GP feedback) or buy more time to prepare and do Finlandia at the end (not sure they are likely to qualify to GPF so finishing at Finladia shouldn't be a big deal).

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

GPF - C/B, G/F, (FB/C)
China - F/G, S/D, Shibs
Canada - G/P, C/P
NHK - F/G, G/F, (FB/C), Shibs
SKAM - C/B, C/P
FIN - G/P, S/D

I agree with all of that, except I will say Skam will take FB/C

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I want to ask again: Didn't Amber Glenn imply she declined Skate America last year. What makes people think her reasoning will have changed this year?

 

[Karen-W]

I want to ask again: Didn't Amber Glenn imply she declined Skate America last year. What makes people think her reasoning will have changed this year?

No, in fact, she was asked about this by GoldenSkate after the first GPdF practice and this is her exact quote:

The reason why Amber didn’t compete at Skate America was that she and Isabeau both want to qualify for the final and they didn’t want to edge out each other. “Next season I will have a comparison what works better for me.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1852007129424519553

I don't know where or when this lore of her declining because she doesn't like competing at SkAm came from, but it wasn't what she said last fall and there's nothing that would indicate she would actively turn down the SkAm assignment if offered.

I still stand by my view & projection that she & Alysa will get the SkAm assignment.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I want to ask again: Didn't Amber Glenn imply she declined Skate America last year. What makes people think her reasoning will have changed this year?

Because people are cuckoo

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

No, in fact, she was asked about this by GoldenSkate after the first GPdF practice and this is her exact quote:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1852007129424519553

I don't know where or when this lore of her declining because she doesn't like competing at SkAm came from, but it wasn't what she said last fall and there's nothing that would indicate she would actively turn down the SkAm assignment if offered.

I still stand by my view & projection that she & Alysa will get the SkAm assignment.

I’m not sure GS is correct..

I remember, she herself answered also, last fall, saying her and her team, meaning Damon, thought about her Grand Prix future and where they thought they’d have the most confidence and success and chose France and China.

And I remember some of us who would read that we’re all a little befuddled why she want to travel so far as well.

 

[Dobre]

NHK has a lengthy history of inviting the highest-profile dance teams it can--often those that are underrated on the SB list or aren't rated at all and who can't get invited elsewhere because host countries are avoiding the extra competition.

I agree that it will probably be packed.

 

[Dobre]

This is one of those seasons when the host countries for top dance teams will circle the wagons. They can't control the depth of the events their top teams will face away from home so they will control the depth at home.

(Sometimes this means inviting more than one top team home, which usually wouldn't happen).

The two comeback teams will absolutely impact who makes the final, and I'm not sure why but part of me feels like despite their results last season FG could be the most vulnerable of the "safe" teams...

I think it's always the hardest to be #3 heading into the next GP season. Everyone with a team gunning for that spot on the podium wants to invite you and the other top teams don't want to go up against said team at home anyway. In this case, that's most likely gonna be France. With NHK oddly wedged between SC and SKAM, that means F/G could well end up in both France & Japan.

Finland has been pretty generous with its invites. If the athletes are fortunate, it will spread the wealth with NHK.

I think C/B will go to China.

That said, I haven't tried to plug the names into places yet. Usually when I do that, I run into conflicts so there are probably some I haven't thought of yet.

 

[Karen-W]

I’m not sure GS is correct..

I remember, she herself answered also, last fall, saying her and her team, meaning Damon, thought about her Grand Prix future and where they thought they’d have the most confidence and success and chose France and China.

And I remember some of us who would read that we’re all a little befuddled why she want to travel so far as well.

Well, but the question is, wouldn't that decision of which GPs Amber should hope/ask for, have been in context of Amber, Isabeau and the USFS having a discussion about how to maximize the potential of both of them making the GPF, knowing that Isabeau was a seeded skater & would likely get her top 2 choices?

Amber didn't really have a choice in where she was assigned, when it gets right down to it, unless the USFS decided to select both of them for SkAm, because the 7-12 skaters are only "invited" and while the host feds know where their "invited" skaters would like to compete, it's not entirely within their control.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I can't help but feel that for the Olympic GP season, USFS will want to avoid pitting Amber against a recharged Alysa as much as possible

 

[Karen-W]

I can't help but feel that for the Olympic GP season, USFS will want to avoid pitting Amber against a recharged Alysa as much as possible

I think the USFS is coming into the Olympic GP season thinking "we've got 4 different women who medaled at an ISU Championship, the reigning GPF Champ, and a 6th one who finished 4th at Worlds after being injured half the season" and all 6 are sitting in the ISU SB Top 15, so they're going to be pitting a couple of top contenders against each other no matter what at each event.

 

[skateblessing]

It won't affect the US teams who were already guaranteed 2 or 1 assignment. WolfTsar aren't getting any at all (unless they get the SkAm host TBD spot) - they're too far down the SB list (41) & not in the WS Top 24.

ZingKol will get a 2nd because they're on both the SB and WS Top 24 - and pretty high up on each - WS 10/SB 12. I just can't see the USFS expending capital to get either the Browns or BraSom a 2nd GP over the likes of any of other teams who are on both the WS & SB Top 24 lists.

There are too many teams in the WS Top 24 and/or SB Top 24 for teams who are only on one of those lists to get 2, and there will be 2 teams who are in both the WS/SB Top 24 lists who would have expected 2 who are only getting 1 now.

WS/SB Top 24 (position on WS & SB listed after the team, host fed teams marked by *)
Reed/Ambrulevicius 7/11
Turkkila/Versluis 9/6 *
Zingas/Kolesnik 10/12 *
Demougeot/Le Mercier 13/17 *
Taschlerova/Taschler 14/16
Mrazkova/Mrazek 16/18
Orihara/Pirinen 17/13 *
Lim/Quan 18/21
Janse van Rensburg/Steffan 23/20

SB Top 24 (position on SB listed after each team, host fed teams marked by *)
Bratti/Somerville 15 *
Brown/Brown 19 *
Fabbri/Ayer 22 *
Pate/Bye 23 *
Bekker/Hernandez 24

WS Top 24 (position on WS & SB listed after each team, host fed teams marked by *)
Neset/Markelov 19/26 *
Lauriault/Le Gac 20/27 *
Tali/Lafornara 21/28
Fradji/Forneaux 22/47 *
Grimm/Savitskiy 24/46

If you list the teams out in order of SB, it's pretty clear that LimQuan and JvRStef are the two teams on both the WS/SB lists that will only get 1 GP. Maybe an argument could be made to give BraSom a 2nd over the Mrazkovi, Taschlers or DemLeM (all lower on the SB list), but it won't be DemLeM since they're from a GP host fed and I don't see BraSom getting a 2nd GP as the 6th best US team over either Czech team what with those teams being Czechia's ONLY GP entries and Prague hosting Worlds next year.

So with Grimmsky split, I guess it means either LimQuan or JvRStef well get their 2nd spot after all?

 

[Karen-W]

So with Grimmsky split, I guess it means either LimQuan or JvRStef well get their 2nd spot after all?

Maybe. Or one of the US teams gets a 2nd spot after all. Or WolfTsar get a spot as JWC silver medalists. I'd lean in the direction of BraSom getting a 2nd spot on the initial assignments or WolfTsar getting 1 before I'd think LimQuan or JvRStef get a 2nd.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

So with Grimmsky split, I guess it means either LimQuan or JvRStef well get their 2nd spot after all?

Say what now? The German team has split up? Says who? Says when? Hold on a second…

I just came back from the fax machine. There’s nothing in there.

 

[Wyliefan]

Say what now? The German team has split up? Says who? Says when? Hold on a second…

I just came back from the fax machine. There’s nothing in there.

Discussion is in the Dance Hall thread.

 

[Karen-W]

FYI - just noticed this, but the ISU has already recalculated the World Standings ahead of next season. The 2022-23 points have been dropped and the 2023-24 points have been reduced to 70%.

We have one last competition on the 2024-25 season calendar (Oceania Int'l in Melbourne AUS) which won't affect any of the skaters in the top 24 as there aren't enough countries represented in Sr Men, Sr Women, Jr Men & Jr Women for any points to be awarded.

But it feels like we're getting very close to the initial GP assignments dropping - I'm really thinking we may see them as early as June 6th (which is 2 weeks from tomorrow).

 

[Twilight1]

I am very late to this thread but how are people feeling about FB&C getting in the mix?

I have mixed feelings and also query why now?

That said, having the Shib Sibs back makes for an interesting upcoming season.

I need to get to Skate Canada again.

 

[Karen-W]

I am very late to this thread but how are people feeling about FB&C getting in the mix?

I have mixed feelings and also query why now?

That said, having the Shib Sibs back makes for an interesting upcoming season.

I need to get to Skate Canada again.

Oh, there's been much discussion about FBCiz - everyone's waiting to see how they look in more than just practice video snippets on IG.

Also, there's an ISU Council meeting next week (online). It really won't surprise me if we see GP assignments drop next Friday or the following Monday at the latest. I have my final predictions done since we haven't had any more high profile announcements since the Shibs.

 

[skateblessing]

Oh, there's been much discussion about FBCiz - everyone's waiting to see how they look in more than just practice video snippets on IG.

Also, there's an ISU Council meeting next week (online). It really won't surprise me if we see GP assignments drop next Friday or the following Monday at the latest. I have my final predictions done since we haven't had any more high profile announcements since the Shibs.

The GP assignments dropping are always a bit interesting. Didn´t we have a few surprises last season when they dropped? Someone we didn´t know of that split/retired or is injured/decided to skip GP. Hopefully no surprises this year

 

[4rkidz]

I’m pretty excited to go to Skate Canada for pre Olympic event, I recall last time it was a really good one. I like all the predictions too.. hopefully find out soon.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Oh, there's been much discussion about FBCiz - everyone's waiting to see how they look in more than just practice video snippets on IG.

Also, there's an ISU Council meeting next week (online). It really won't surprise me if we see GP assignments drop next Friday or the following Monday at the latest. I have my final predictions done since we haven't had any more high profile announcements since the Shibs.

Can we please refer to the said date as Christmas?

 

[Karen-W]

Can we please refer to the said date as Christmas?

It really is our Christmas Day.

In my non-skating life, I've railed against silly, made-up holidays that the rest of the world looks upon with skepticism, but I really think that GP Assignments Day needs to become a real thing. Last year, the ISU took some good, baby steps toward acknowledging & celebrating what has become a day that is highly anticipated in the FS fandom.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It really is our Christmas Day.

In my non-skating life, I've railed against silly, made-up holidays that the rest of the world looks upon with skepticism, but I really think that GP Assignments Day needs to become a real thing. Last year, the ISU took some good, baby steps toward acknowledging & celebrating what has become a day that is highly anticipated in the FS fandom.

It totally is and can you imagine for the skaters? When they wake up in the morning? Oh, what did you get, oh I got Finland and Canada, what did you get? Oh crap, I have to travel to the other side of the world.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It should be on our Google and apple calendars ….. international Grand Prix assignments selection day and we all get the day off of work.

 

[farahfan]

It should be on our Google and apple calendars ….. international Grand Prix assignments selection day and we all get the day off of work.

I can't get the day off from work but if you can specify two or three necessary rituals to complete, I can do my very best.

 

[Karen-W]

I can't get the day off from work but if you can specify two or three necessary rituals to complete, I can do my very best.

Pouring over the assignment lists & posting a detailed analysis of what it all means - which events are the most stacked, which fields are the easiest, projecting GPF qualifiers six months before the GPF, lol.