Grand Prix 2023-24 Season Potential Assignments

[SidelineSkater]

So do we think this is GP Assignments Eve? The Council meeting wrapped today. Is tomorrow announcement day?

 

[Marta24]

So do we think this is GP Assignments Eve? The Council meeting wrapped today. Is tomorrow announcement day?

God, I hope so. The anticipation is unnerving. I'm mostly looking forward to the Dance assignments. There are so many teams I would like to see on the GP circuit, but I'm afraid there are not enough slots for everyone.

 

[Dobre]

God, I hope so. The anticipation is unnerving. I'm mostly looking forward to the Dance assignments. There are so many teams I would like to see on the GP circuit, but I'm afraid there are not enough slots for everyone.

I'm more curious to see whether the World podium dance teams from last season are on the list. (All, some, or one?)

 

[Karen-W]

So do we think this is GP Assignments Eve? The Council meeting wrapped today. Is tomorrow announcement day?

Usually the announcement doesn't happen right away. It's usually closer to July 1st. I'm thinking probably another 2, maybe 3, weeks.

 

[BlueRidge]

Usually the announcement doesn't happen right away. It's usually closer to July 1st. I'm thinking probably another 2, maybe 3, weeks.

No. I want it today.

 

[Hedwig]

Wasnt @SHARPIE able to get the list from a earlier than all other forums a few years back?

Time to digg out the contact sheet, Sharpie

 

[Dobre]

There are so many teams I would like to see on the GP circuit, but I'm afraid there are not enough slots for everyone.

I think we'll get down to at least Mrazcova & Mrazek. (Who are very inconveniently just outside the top 24 on both the SB and WS lists & have no host country but do come in with a major title). If all three top teams compete and China & Japan both barter in a second spot for their top teams, I am curious who gets only one. Last season, I think all the teams with guaranteed berths got 2 invites; but that was a post-Olympic season with extra openings.

 

[Karen-W]

I think we'll get down to at least Mrazcova & Mrazek. (Who are very inconveniently just outside the top 24 on both the SB and WS lists & have no host country but do come in with a major title). If all three top teams compete and China & Japan both barter in a second spot for their top teams, I am curious who gets only one. Last season, I think all the teams with guaranteed berths got 2 invites; but that was a post-Olympic season with extra openings.

I'm pretty sure the Mrazeks will get 2, same with Bashynshka/Beaumont, Wang/Liu, Orihara/Pirinen and Komatsubara/Koleto. I think Dupayage/Nabais might be on the bubble for 2 initially and that could very well depend on which (if any) of the top 3 sit out the GP season.

For what it's worth, I think ChoBat and GuiFab will definitely compete the entire season. I'm a little less convinced that GilPoir will, but they surprised us last year, so I have two prediction lists for dance - one with them and one without them, lol.

I'm also really curious about whether or not Smart/Dieck got his release and were eligible for GP selection as a result.

 

[Dobre]

In the simulation that I ran last night, I gave 2 to everyone in the top 24 on the SB and WS list + Smart & Dieck & the Mravceks. I'd hypothesize that not all of those teams actually get two unless top teams sit out or qualifying teams are injured (usually someone is) because I only gave host berths to Wang & Liu, Komatsubara & Koleto, Orihara & Pirinen, and Dupayage & Nabais--who are all lower down in the standings but all have host countries to try to barter a second berth for them. For now, I'd hypothesize that anyone in the top 20 on either list should be good for 2 and we'll see what happens below that.

 

[Karen-W]

It's hard to say for sure, because there are teams sitting in the 24-37 spots on the SB who are Canadian and American, and both feds usually try to barter at least one spot for those type of teams, which could come at the expense of some of the teams who aren't on BOTH the WS/SB 24 lists getting two initially.

 

[Dobre]

It's hard to say for sure, because there are teams sitting in the 24-37 spots on the SB who are Canadian and American

The only American team in that range on the SB list is the Browns who have a guaranteed berth via world standings. They also haven't had a host berth at Skate America yet so they have a decent shot at earning it, but if any of Pate & Bye, Bratti & Somerville, and McNamara & Spiridinov don't get two invites, there would likely be a fight for it. The Canadian teams, Fabbri & Ayer and Lanaghan & Razgulajevs are down below the top 35. Their best shot, I'd think, is for Canada to swing a second berth elsewhere for Bashynska & Beaumont, which would likely leave the host berth open for those two teams & Makita & Gunara to fight for. (Very possible).

 

[Karen-W]

There will definitely be a fight for the SkAm host spot, probably between the teams you mentioned. I'm also on the fence about Zingas/Kolesnik getting just one spot or two initially. They're very high on the SB, but that's a Challenger score, and it was their only international, so I wonder how much pull the USFS will put into getting them 2 versus making sure all the US teams get at least one (except Cesanek/Yehorov who are pretty far down and, last time I checked, are no longer on the ISP).

I do agree that Fabbri/Ayer and Lanaghan/Razgulajevs might be too far down to get even 1 spot on the initial list. They're probably more reliant on whether or not GilPoir stay in this year or not.

 

[Dobre]

We'll see. There are often one or two teams out that we don't anticipate. That would make a difference.

Also, I see that I forgot to give Van Rensburg & Steffan a second berth in my simulation so that's one less place likely open.

Wang & Liu seem like the biggest question mark; but China being China, we've heard nothing & established athletes tend to stay in after tough health challenges. W&L being out would not necessarily make a difference for teams on the SB list in my own simulation though.

 

[Karen-W]

We'll see. There are often one or two teams out that we don't anticipate. That would make a difference.

Also, I see that I forgot to give Van Rensburg & Steffan a second berth in my simulation so that's one less place likely open.

Wang & Liu seem like the biggest question mark; but China being China, we've heard nothing & established athletes tend to stay in after tough health challenges. W&L being out would not necessarily make a difference for teams on the SB list in my own simulation though.

Wang/Liu are definitely back on the ice in Montreal, so there is that, which makes me think they'll get 2 on the initial list, even if they do wind up withdrawing in another 4-5 months.

 

[Dobre]

Wang/Liu are definitely back on the ice in Montreal

Excellent.

which makes me think they'll get 2 on the initial list, even if they do wind up withdrawing in another 4-5 months.

On that note, I did pencil in a TBA for a second dance berth for Japan & it's a stretch to think a brand new team will get to fill that.

 

[Karen-W]

Excellent.


On that note, I did pencil in a TBA for a second dance berth for Japan & it's a stretch to think a brand new team will get to fill that.

Yes, agreed. Japan doesn't give their host spots out to just anyone.

OTOH, I think that it's a safe bet that Lim/Quan will be assigned to NHK - Japan likes to invite other Asian skaters and they made a good impression at WTT.

 

[Dobre]

My simulated field for NHK is scary tough right now (as I put in everybody competitive without guaranteed second berths). Currently, it has 6 "top-ten" quality teams, as I threw Hawayek & Baker, Lajoie & Lagha, and Carreira & Ponomarenko in there along with 3 of the top 9 seeds. Probably it won't really be that bad.

 

[Karen-W]

My simulated field for NHK is scary tough right now (as I put in everybody competitive without guaranteed second berths). Currently, it has 6 "top-ten" quality teams, as I threw Hawayek & Baker, Lajoie & Lagha, and Carreira & Ponomarenko in there along with 3 of the top 9 seeds. Probably it won't really be that bad.

Okay, I say we all start sharing our simulated fields in whichever disciplines interest us!

 

[SidelineSkater]

Okay, I say we all start sharing our simulated fields in whichever disciplines interest us!

So who is going first? Sounds like a game of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

 

[Vagabond]

So who is going first? Sounds like a game of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

 

[Karen-W]

So who is going first? Sounds like a game of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

I'm on my way to work, so mine will have to wait until tonight lol.

 

[Marta24]

Sooo, ISU posted the schedule for the next GP season on Twitter. Am I being too hopeful to think that they will post the GP assignments next?

 

[Karen-W]

Sooo, ISU posted the schedule for the next GP season on Twitter. Am I being too hopeful to think that they will post the GP assignments next?

I was thinking that too! Not today, obviously, since it's already early evening in Lausanne. Maybe the tomorrow or by the end of this week?

 

[Karen-W]

Per the Chinese news thread - it would seem that Yudong Chen is being kept on the JGP next season. That opens up a potential GP spot for another man (probably not Chinese).

 

[Karen-W]

Tilda Alteryd, 25 (from Sweden who skated with Gabriel Farand for Canada last season) and Finland's 36-year-old Dr. Valtter Virtanen! https://www.instagram.com/p/CtcF9d-r7Z6/

ETA link to Alteryd/Farand's 2022-23 ISU bio (CS Warsaw Cup was their only international; they were based with Bruno Marcotte's group in Oakville, Ontario): http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00115032.htm

WOW! Wonder if this means Virtanen is done competing in singles...

 

[SidelineSkater]

Ok. I'll go first with my fake dance predictions. Every team through 36-ish on the SB list gets at least one. You can argue that some of the mid/lower US teams may not get 2 assignments, but I chose to give everyone in the top 24 with one one, a second GP. Wang/Liu could also end up with just one. If I left a team out, no harm, this is just a fun exercise in guessing.

Skate America	Skate Canada	GP France	GP China	GP Finland	NHK Trophy
Chock/Bates	Gilles/Poirier	Guignard/Fabbri	Gilles/Poirier	Guignard/Fabbri	Chock/Bates
Green/Parsons	Fear/Gibson	FB/Soerensen	Green/Parsons	FB/Soerensen	Fear/Gibson
Reed/Ambrulevicius	Carreira/Ponomarenko	Taschlerova/Taschler	Reed/Ambrulevicius	Turkkila/Verslues	Taschlerova/Taschler
Demougeout/Le Mercier	Turkkila/Verslues	Lajoie/Lagha	Carreira/Ponomarenko	Hawayek/Baker	Lajoie/Lagha
Laurialt/Le Gac	Hawayek/Baker	Lopareva/Brissaud	Smart/Dieck	Lim/Quan	Laurialt/LeGac
Lim/Quan	Kazakova/Revia	Demougeout/Le Mercier	Kazakova/Revia	Bashynska/Beaumont	Zingas/Kolesnik
Harris/Chan	Bashynska/Beaumont	Brown/Brown	Bratti/Somerville	JVR/Steffan	Mrazkova/Mrazek
JVR/Steffan	McNamara/Spiridonov	Pate/Bye	Kombatsubara/Koleto	Pate/Bye	Lopareva/Brissaud
Bekker/Hernandez	Wang/Liu	Zingas/Kolesnik	Wang/Liu	McNamara/Spiridonov	Ignateva/Szemko
Bratti/Somerville	Fabbri/Ayer	Dupayage/Nabais	Chen/Zing	Orihara/Pirinen	Kombatsubara/Koleto

 

[Sylvia]

When is the meeting scheduled for the Grand Prix selection to take place?

FWIW, I've heard sometime around the end of June in Switzerland.

 

[tennellicious]

oh lord that Skate America dance roster is bleak

 

[SidelineSkater]

oh lord that Skate America dance roster is bleak

USFS, as with any host country, tries to make their lineup as easy as possible. I stacked it with a lot of IAM teams due to saving on travel costs and making it a friendly roster. I toyed with putting the Finns T/V there as a seed instead of R/A, because they have a lower scoring history and would give Green/Parsons more breathing room, but went the R/A

 

[Karen-W]

USFS, as with any host country, tries to make their lineup as easy as possible. I stacked it with a lot of IAM teams due to saving on travel costs and making it a friendly roster. I toyed with putting the Finns T/V there as a seed instead of R/A, because they have a lower scoring history and would give Green/Parsons more breathing room, but went the R/A

Well, that's presuming that ReedAmbru don't wind-up being seeded themselves, which I'm on the fence about the likelihood of happening.