clairecloutier
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 14,559
With the GP assignments out for this fall, it seems like the right time to kick off the 2017-18 pairs discussion thread.
Here are the Grand Prix pairs assignments: http://static.isu.org/media/516607/gp_pairs.pdf
Random thoughts based on the assignments:
1. The "big" countries who had 2 pairs in the top 7 at Worlds chose to assign both their #1/#2 teams to their home GPs, i.e.: Tarasova/Morozov and Stolbova/Klimov both assigned to Rostelecom, Sui/Han and Yu/Zhang both at Cup of China, and Duhamel/Radford and Ilyushechkina/Moscovitch both at Skate Canada. Looks like the feds wanted to give their potential Olympic/World medalists as big a boost as possible.
2. Sui/Han will not need to leave Asia from now until the Olympics. They chose to do both of the Asian GPs, even though they're back-to-back (CoC, then NHK). And the GP Final and 4CCs (if they compete there) are in Asia. Their travel schedule will be the lightest of all the top teams.
3. Kavaguti/Smirnov are not on the GP list ... which makes me wonder if they'll compete this season.
4. As far as I can tell, only teams who were guaranteed GP slots (based on last year's rules) actually got slots in the initial assignment.
5. Many teams who were only guaranteed 1 spot (according to last year's rules) actually got 2 spots--notably, Peng/Jin, Zabijako/Enbert, Seguin/Bilodeau, Della Monica/Guarise, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, and, rather more surprisingly, Denney/Frazier, Wang/Wang, Duskova/Bidar, and Suto/Boudreau Audet.
6. Four teams were only guaranteed 1 slot and only got 1 slot: Astakhova/Rogonov, Castelli/Tran, Kayne/O'Shea, and Ziegler/Kiefer.
7. As @Sylvia listed in the ISU Grand Prix thread, the next 5 teams in line on the season's-best list who did not receive any GP slots are (in order): Cain/LeDuc, Ryom/Kim, Ruest/Wolfe, Efimova/Korovin, and Alexandrovskaya/Windsor. (Although it looks like A/W may have opted to remain junior for the Grand Prix season.)
7. In what I would consider a sign of support, USFSA: a) gave Skate America to Denney/Frazier as reigning National champions (per usual policy), despite D/F's disappointing showing at Worlds, and b) also apparently supported Denney/Frazier getting a second assignment (which was not guaranteed). So, good news for Denney/Frazier?
8. Cain/LeDuc were not guaranteed a slot, and they did not get one. I had expected to see them as a Skate America host pick, but my guess is the decision to give an SA slot to D/F prevented that from happening.
9. USA TBD. Contenders: Cain/LeDuc, Stellato/Bartholomay, Castellli/Tran, and Kayne/O'Shea. My guess is C/LD are the frontrunners, and C/T and K/O will have to be very strong in their early-season events to make a case for themselves.
10. Rostelecom TBD. Contenders: Astakhova/Rogonov, Efimova/Korovin, or Kavaguti/Smirnov (if they decide to continue).
11. China TBD. ???? I wonder if China is planning to assign Gao/Xie (top Chinese junior team), if they do well on the JGP next season, just to get senior experience. Or maybe their other junior team is showing promise?? Scratching my head with this one.
12. Japan TBD. Contenders: Takahashi/Shibata, Suzaki/Kihara? My guess is that Japan monitors these 2 teams over the summer and assigns whichever one is skating better.
13. France TBD. Contenders: Esbrat/Novoselov, Mendoza/Kovalev. Didier may not like the results of either of these teams, but with France having a second spot in the Olympics, I assume he'll pick whoever looks best by fall. (And if he leaves this TBD spot idle, as he did last year, I may personally kick his ass. [Or at least, I'll want to. ])
Here are the Grand Prix pairs assignments: http://static.isu.org/media/516607/gp_pairs.pdf
Random thoughts based on the assignments:
1. The "big" countries who had 2 pairs in the top 7 at Worlds chose to assign both their #1/#2 teams to their home GPs, i.e.: Tarasova/Morozov and Stolbova/Klimov both assigned to Rostelecom, Sui/Han and Yu/Zhang both at Cup of China, and Duhamel/Radford and Ilyushechkina/Moscovitch both at Skate Canada. Looks like the feds wanted to give their potential Olympic/World medalists as big a boost as possible.
2. Sui/Han will not need to leave Asia from now until the Olympics. They chose to do both of the Asian GPs, even though they're back-to-back (CoC, then NHK). And the GP Final and 4CCs (if they compete there) are in Asia. Their travel schedule will be the lightest of all the top teams.
3. Kavaguti/Smirnov are not on the GP list ... which makes me wonder if they'll compete this season.
4. As far as I can tell, only teams who were guaranteed GP slots (based on last year's rules) actually got slots in the initial assignment.
5. Many teams who were only guaranteed 1 spot (according to last year's rules) actually got 2 spots--notably, Peng/Jin, Zabijako/Enbert, Seguin/Bilodeau, Della Monica/Guarise, Moore-Towers/Marinaro, and, rather more surprisingly, Denney/Frazier, Wang/Wang, Duskova/Bidar, and Suto/Boudreau Audet.
6. Four teams were only guaranteed 1 slot and only got 1 slot: Astakhova/Rogonov, Castelli/Tran, Kayne/O'Shea, and Ziegler/Kiefer.
7. As @Sylvia listed in the ISU Grand Prix thread, the next 5 teams in line on the season's-best list who did not receive any GP slots are (in order): Cain/LeDuc, Ryom/Kim, Ruest/Wolfe, Efimova/Korovin, and Alexandrovskaya/Windsor. (Although it looks like A/W may have opted to remain junior for the Grand Prix season.)
7. In what I would consider a sign of support, USFSA: a) gave Skate America to Denney/Frazier as reigning National champions (per usual policy), despite D/F's disappointing showing at Worlds, and b) also apparently supported Denney/Frazier getting a second assignment (which was not guaranteed). So, good news for Denney/Frazier?
8. Cain/LeDuc were not guaranteed a slot, and they did not get one. I had expected to see them as a Skate America host pick, but my guess is the decision to give an SA slot to D/F prevented that from happening.
9. USA TBD. Contenders: Cain/LeDuc, Stellato/Bartholomay, Castellli/Tran, and Kayne/O'Shea. My guess is C/LD are the frontrunners, and C/T and K/O will have to be very strong in their early-season events to make a case for themselves.
10. Rostelecom TBD. Contenders: Astakhova/Rogonov, Efimova/Korovin, or Kavaguti/Smirnov (if they decide to continue).
11. China TBD. ???? I wonder if China is planning to assign Gao/Xie (top Chinese junior team), if they do well on the JGP next season, just to get senior experience. Or maybe their other junior team is showing promise?? Scratching my head with this one.
12. Japan TBD. Contenders: Takahashi/Shibata, Suzaki/Kihara? My guess is that Japan monitors these 2 teams over the summer and assigns whichever one is skating better.
13. France TBD. Contenders: Esbrat/Novoselov, Mendoza/Kovalev. Didier may not like the results of either of these teams, but with France having a second spot in the Olympics, I assume he'll pick whoever looks best by fall. (And if he leaves this TBD spot idle, as he did last year, I may personally kick his ass. [Or at least, I'll want to. ])
Last edited: