Jonesing for GP 2018-19

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

As much as I die for a MAY GP roster release... I always think the year after The Olys they should wait til like July.. and make sure everyone who is undecided about continuing to compete have more time to make up their minds to ensure less edits throughout summer/fall.

Having said that gimme some CARO!!!!!!!!

 

[Debbie S]

USFS just sent an e-mail advertising SA tix. Nathan and Bradie were the skaters pictured, so I think we can infer that they'll be there.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Update re: Men:

Majorov responded to Jackie Wong on Twitter:

I did my last (last competition of the season), didn’t ment the last competition of my life . If I can arrange cooperation with sponsors then I will skate my last official season this year. I will know soon, within 3 - 4 weeks​

If his sponsors come through, then there would be this update:

From:

Selection Group 4:​

• • 11-Max AARON (USA) (retired)
  • 12-Alexander MAJOROV (SWE) (retired according to Jackie Wong)
• 13-Keiji TANAKA (JPN)
• 14-Vincent ZHOU (USA)
• 15-Paul FENTZ (GER)

To:

Selection Group 4:​

• • 11-Max AARON (USA) (retired)
• 12-Alexander MAJOROV (SWE)
• 13-Keiji TANAKA (JPN)
• 14-Vincent ZHOU (USA)

With 15-Paul FENTZ (GER) moving to first one in if anyone else does not skate GP.

 

[Kateri]

Glad Majorov's sticking around another year. Didn't Han Yan retire, though?

 

[Sylvia]

Didn't Han Yan retire, though?

It's not clear at this point -- the "Han Yan Fan Van" Twitter account posted this statement from his fans in English on April 4: https://twitter.com/HanYanFanVan/status/981496410959962112
Yan currently is scheduled to perform in Denis Ten's show in KAZ on June 9.

 

[Mad for Skating]

No: Wagner is SB 38 (from Skate Canada) and WS 33. The only WS points she earned last season were from Skate Canada, her only complete international competition last season. Her 2016-17 points were factored by 70%, and 2015-16 points dropped off.

ETA: I just assumed she'd been guaranteed one -- it seemed inconceivable to me that she'd fallen off every list. Thank you for asking, and I've updated the post above.

Dang it, US fed screws up everything...well, they'd better give her the host pick spot, that's all I'm saying...

 

[Lizziebeth]

I just hope they submitted Ashley's name to the USA list of skaters eligible to be selected. She is a likeable skater and at this point may not be a huge threat for a medal at a GP. I would bet she would get GPs based on that.

 

[kwanfan1818]

USFS didn't force Wagner to turn down 4C's or Worlds, where 12th or 15th respectively would have made her Top 24 WS. Even matching her SB to date would have done that easily at either championship. It was her risk to take, and probably the right choice for her, but USFS doesn't owe her anything. They could decide she'll be a draw, or they could decide not to take the shine away from the reigning US champion.

Not that I wouldn't love to see her in Everett (or Laval). Plus, she's SB38, and last season, Hongo (SB36) and Rajicova (SB39) got a second (guaranteed one from Top 24 WS), and Shiraiwa (SB44) and Meite (SB47) each got a host spot plus a second, in the initial selection. Schott (SB50) got two alternate spots and Craine (SB50) and Galustyan (SB63) got spots off the alternates list.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Tatjana Flade tweeted:

World Junior Pairs Champs Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin ready to take on the senior ranks. Neuer Artikel/new article @goldenskate: https://goldenskate.com/2018/05/pavliuchenko-and-khodykin-ready-to-take-on-senior-ranks/ … #figureskating #figureskate @RuSkating #pairskating​

​

As Jr. World champions, they can be considered for a spot. Plus they're SB26, and SB25, Liu/Johnson, split.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I just hope they submitted Ashley's name to the USA list of skaters eligible to be selected. She is a likeable skater and at this point may not be a huge threat for a medal at a GP. I would bet she would get GPs based on that.

Ashley wagner has cherrypicked for quite some years.. Also she doesn't do preseason Bs and doesn't have any interest in 4CC. I LOVE Ash but is USFSA doesn't submit her, dont they REALLY have GOOD reason for not doing so???

She turned down Worlds now too.

Id like to see her in the future but she needs to express more interest for me to have interest in her.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I LOVE Ash but is USFSA doesn't submit her, dont they REALLY have GOOD reason for not doing so???

They may have good reason not to give her a host spot and refuse to horse-trade with her, and leave her fate to the other Feds. But no, they don't, unless she's asked not to be submitted. Taking away the possibility is, essentially, throwing down the glove. It's a rare thing for a Federation to do -- the Russian Fed did it with Sokolova and Skate Canada did it to Sandhu when they were guaranteed spots -- especially for such a visible skater who has sponsors.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^ Id say dont assign her the GP, see if she shows up for a B, if she does well perhaps give her SkAm TBD. But thats just my $.02

 

[Coco]

So can Ashley Wagner get two spots this year, or will she be assigned one and then take the Skate America host pick?

I can't keep track of which US Ladies are going senior internationally this year, but I would be SHOCKED if USFSA gave Wagner a host pick.

The only way it would happen is if she conjured up the ghost of Shep Goldberg and hired it as her agent.

They are "threw veet hur" to quote Martha Karolyi and that is that.

 

[misskarne]

Dang it, US fed screws up everything...well, they'd better give her the host pick spot, that's all I'm saying...

How the hell is this the USFS' fault? Ashley was chosen for 4CC and had an opportunity to go to Worlds. It wasn't USFS' fault that she thinks she's too good for 4CC.

 

[Mad for Skating]

USFS didn't force Wagner to turn down 4C's or Worlds, where 12th or 15th respectively would have made her Top 24 WS. Even matching her SB to date would have done that easily at either championship. It was her risk to take, and probably the right choice for her, but USFS doesn't owe her anything. They could decide she'll be a draw, or they could decide not to take the shine away from the reigning US champion.

Not that I wouldn't love to see her in Everett (or Laval). Plus, she's SB38, and last season, Hongo (SB36) and Rajicova (SB39) got a second (guaranteed one from Top 24 WS), and Shiraiwa (SB44) and Meite (SB47) each got a host spot plus a second, in the initial selection. Schott (SB50) got two alternate spots and Craine (SB50) and Galustyan (SB63) got spots off the alternates list.

I was talking about how they scored her at Nationals. It was her choice to skip 4CC and Worlds and I can accept that.

How the hell is this the USFS' fault? Ashley was chosen for 4CC and had an opportunity to go to Worlds. It wasn't USFS' fault that she thinks she's too good for 4CC.

I don't think it's a matter of "oh she thinks she's too good for 4CC." At the time, she was obviously disappointed/angry about not going to the Olympics and she was not in the right frame of mind to be competing. Some skaters take longer to recover from setbacks than others and I would not hold that against her.

 

[misskarne]

I was talking about how they scored her at Nationals. It was her choice to skip 4CC and Worlds and I can accept that.

How she was scored at Nationals has nothing to do with her position on the SB and WS lists. Nationals scores don't count. That's all on her.

I don't think it's a matter of "oh she thinks she's too good for 4CC." At the time, she was obviously disappointed/angry about not going to the Olympics and she was not in the right frame of mind to be competing. Some skaters take longer to recover from setbacks than others and I would not hold that against her.

When was the last time she went to 4CC? She hasn't been in years. Don't use "she was disappointed/angry" as an excuse. Two men with just as much right to be disappointed/angry went and blew the house down. She could have gone to Worlds. She chose not to. Her position on the WS/SB lists is on her, and no-one else.

 

[Carolla5501]

if Ashley only gets one GP the person responsible is looking at her when she looks in the mirror



She did one GP last year, she finished 3rd with so so performances (7th short, 4th long. She got help from others for that 3rd)

She had 2 other opportunities to get world standing points and she passed.

And no, USFS should not have overscored her so she could have gone to the Olympics, she should have skated better IMHO.

 

[kwanfan1818]

If Wagner had been scored differently at US Nationals and had made the Olympic team, and had she placed 15th or higher at the Olympics, she would have been at least Top 24 WS. She didn't skate well enough at US Nationals to leave any doubt that she had earned a spot outright, she was scored the way she was, and there was no body of work argument for her.

Wagner knows what happens to her body over the course of a season, and, yes, she's organized her season around that. Maybe she did the math and knew where her SB and WS would likely land after the general historical upward trend of championship and Olympics scores, or maybe she was taken by surprise. (I don't have a snapshot of the SB and WS lists at the time to be able to assess whether it should have been a surprise.) The Euros and 4C's rosters were available by US Nats and the post-Euros WS points, available soon after, would have been a good indication, since Olympics and Worlds points can be only incremental, with one championship/season counting.

She may also have been considering whether or not she would continue skating or have had more pressing issues in her life than whether she'd be selected for GP in 2018-19.

 

[Debbie S]

Has Ashley even said she wants to continue and compete on the GP next season? I know she hasn't made a retirement announcement but she's talked about taking a break from skating and she's currently touring the Pacific NW with her boyfriend (per her Instagram). It seems like all this debate here is a bit premature.

 

[Mrs. P]

There was an interview with Raf that said she was going to decide by August? So at minimum USFS will probably at least submit her name for the GP?

 

[Coco]

There's no point to Ashley competing internationally once the US show they had no faith in her. Component marks are extremely political and when your own Federation won't back you there's really no point.

If she does come back next year I think it will just be for Nationals, maybe with one small tune up.

 

[Tinami Amori]

According to Rafael (in a Russian interview fr few weeks back), Wagner will let him know early August this year if she even plans to compete (in ref to GP assignments).

 

[misskarne]

I think that it's rather selfish to wait til August. She should have to inform them before the GP selections so that people who actually want to compete can be picked first up.

 

[ilovepaydays]

According to Rafael (in a Russian interview fr few weeks back), Wagner will let him know early August this year if she even plans to compete (in ref to GP assignments).

I think that it's rather selfish to wait til August. She should have to inform them before the GP selections so that people who actually want to compete can be picked first up.

Especially since she should have programs decided by August, right?

But Ashley has been full of hot air and entitled for awhile now............

 

[kwanfan1818]

I think that it's rather selfish to wait til August. She should have to inform them before the GP selections so that people who actually want to compete can be picked first up.

Considering she can't be chosen except for a host spot until every guaranteed spot is assigned, exactly who is entitled to be assigned to any discretionary spot she might get in June as opposed to the end of the summer as an alternate? That would be no one. And if USFS is willing to give her a host spot in the initial selection knowing she hasn't decided whether to skate this season, that's their prerogative.

 

[DimaToe]

Seeing that Wagner is the topic of choice ( ) At most I see her doing one GP if she does compete and wants to have an earlier start. I think that physical conditioning and motivation are key, she knows how a non-Olympic season goes so I don’t believe that skating in the GP would be key for her
success. Those that are saying she has cherry picked where she competes, is entitled, blah blah. She has been the top U.S. woman for quite a while. So while she might not be earning the big titles she’s the best the U.S. has had for a while so she’s allowed compete where and when she wants to.

 

[Sylvia]

https://twitter.com/_David_Molina/status/1000323183738843141

ISU Sr GP assignments of #figureskating season 2018/19 should be decided in exactly 1 month, June 26-28 in Toronto, Canada

 

[Carolla5501]

Seeing that Wagner is the topic of choice ( ) At most I see her doing one GP if she does compete and wants to have an earlier start. I think that physical conditioning and motivation are key, she knows how a non-Olympic season goes so I don’t believe that skating in the GP would be key for her
success. Those that are saying she has cherry picked where she competes, is entitled, blah blah. She has been the top U.S. woman for quite a while. So while she might not be earning the big titles she’s the best the U.S. has had for a while so she’s allowed compete where and when she wants to.

Well that seems to be debatable. If she wants to compete on the Grand Priz she's not just "allowed to compete when and where she wants".

 

[mysticchic]

Ashley knew last year was an Olympic year and she chose to do other things than buckle down and train hard. I was shocked at her condition on the GP and at nationals. I think she thought without Gracie there and the other girls, she didn't have to work that hard. She spent a lot of time doing advertising and other things.
I think for the 1st time in a long time USFS made plans for the future of the ladies programs. They sent the up and comers who are putting in the hard work and starting to get results. I'm sure she was aware there were going to be no free passes this time around and didn't take heed.
The TBA are normally released in Aug/Sept after monitoring events of the summer. If she wants to get assignments, she can skate in one of them. She doesn't have to be on the top of her game. There is also SLC Classic she could get assigned to.
But I am pretty sure USFS wasn't happy about 4CC or Worlds. 4CC isn't a poor man's option. There is good money to be won there. I think it's 30k for 1st +5k bonus for a gold medal.

 

[Wyliefan]

People are always complaining about Ashley spending a "lot of time" doing advertising. Exactly how long does it take to shoot one Bridgestone Tire ad? That's the only one I remember her doing before Nationals, aside from the skating fluff pieces that most other top skaters did as well. Alina Zagitova probably spent the same amount of time doing that magazine photo shoot in the leotard, and she won the Olympics, so it's not like taking a break to smile for a few cameras is destined to torpedo one's career.