Qualification to Team Competition at the Beijing Olympics

[DaveRocks]

I almost expect Skate Canada to double down on the "controversial" pairs selection by NOT splitting the TE, especially since Pairs is the last event of the Olympics this year.

Nope. Pairs is split.

 

[skatingguy]

Nope. Pairs is split.

I don't think we know that yet.

 

[toddlj]

No, Alysa's GP scores were NOT higher than Mariah's. Mariah scored 190.79 at IdF and 210.35 at Rostelecom. Alysa scored 206.35 at SCI and 202.90 at NHK. Mixed bag, IMO.

We're splitting hairs here, but the total and average of the numbers you listed here are both higher for Alysa, and she's higher on the standings list for the GP.

https://results.isu.org/events/gp2021/gpswomen.htm

 

[Fadeevfanboy]

I almost expect Skate Canada to double down on the "controversial" pairs selection by NOT splitting the TE, especially since Pairs is the last event of the Olympics this year.

Which pair do you presume they are using in that case?

 

[Karen-W]

Which pair do you presume they are using in that case?

Well, if they double down on the "they have the highest int'l scores this fall" then it would be James/Radford with M-T/M left out in the cold. But, if they have confidence that M-T/M have turned the corner with their decent Nationals performance, then it's plausible they'll split it. I don't see it making much of a difference, in the bronze medal race.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Was is really necessary to laugh like this at the logic viewpoint of someone else? What I said was not off the wall, and very well could be the truth. We will not know until the event starts. What I do know right now is that you are really rude.

You had best toughen up if you are going to hang out here.

 

[4rkidz]

Im guessing James/Radford for short and MTM for long, Keegan for short and Romsky for long and Piper & Paul doing both.

 

[thvu]

I don't think we know that yet.

But @DaveRocks might.

 

[giselle23]

delete

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

Your "logic viewpoint" is illogical, though. Why would Jason arrive later than the rest of the skaters participating in the TE? He's going to arrive approximately a week before the Men's event begins. Vincent and K/F, it would seem, are arriving a week before the TE begins. The LOGICAL deduction is that Jason will NOT be doing the TE since he is arriving only 3-4 days before the TE begins. That's how logic works. And, also, logic doesn't give a damn about your hurt little feelings because you think I was rude to laugh at your illogical grasping at the last straws of hope that Jason is going to be used in the TE.

"That's how logic works"? People who feel the need to mock others, and that's at least half your posts, have a little something themselves they're not sure about. This is not some snippy junior high school blog. This is probably the best English-language skating board around. People come here who love the sport and want to discuss it in an adult way. I resent you're using it to repeatedly mock others.

 

[Sylvia]

Karen Chen & Knierim/Frazier (via nbcolympics IG account) have shared Instagram stories boarding the Delta charter flight to Beijing today.

ETA - and here's Vincent Zhou before he boarded the plane: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPj1cRv5cT/

Clip of Alexa & Brandon on the red carpet: https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1486763034811019266

 

[Karen-W]

Yeah, seems like those 4 will be used in the TE. No idea about the dance teams yet, and no Nathan sightings yet.

 

[Firedancer]

Yeah, seems like those 4 will be used in the TE. No idea about the dance teams yet, and no Nathan sightings yet.

Madison Hubbell said on her Instagram story yesterday that she was leaving today but she was in Montreal so I don’t know if she is leaving from there.

 

[Sylvia]

Madison Hubbell said on her Instagram story yesterday that she was leaving today but she was in Montreal so I don’t know if she is leaving from there.

I assume she's headed to Los Angeles for Team USA processing first.

ETA: I assumed wrongly - looks like (based on their IG stories today) she & Zach are headed directly to Beijing from Montreal?

 

[Karen-W]

Madison Hubbell said on her Instagram story yesterday that she was leaving today but she was in Montreal so I don’t know if she is leaving from there.

I assume they're coming to LA for team processing. Haven't seen anything from C/B or H/B indicating when they plan on leaving, though my guess is all three teams are traveling together.

 

[dancelion21]

Yeah, seems like those 4 will be used in the TE. No idea about the dance teams yet, and no Nathan sightings yet.

Surprising that Karen would be used since she's not the National champion nor did she have particularly standout Grand Prix results. If Karen is used, that would mean that ladies would have to be split since there's no way they would choose her to do both segments (which means dance can't be split ) and also that Alysa declined to skate the team event, which also doesn't make a lot of sense since she would be guaranteed a team medal?

Maybe we shouldn't be trying to read too much into departure times

 

[Karen-W]

Surprising that Karen would be used since she's not the National champion nor did she have particularly standout Grand Prix results. If Karen is used, that would mean that ladies would have to be split since there's no way they would choose her to do both segments (which means dance can't be split ) and also that Alysa declined to skate the team event, which also doesn't make a lot of sense since she would be guaranteed a team medal?

Maybe we shouldn't be trying to read too much into departure times

No, it does make sense in a couple of regards, and it doesn't mean that the Women are being split (doubtful).

Karen is the highest ranked US Woman in the ISU WS at #7 and she did finish 4th at Worlds last year. Alysa is #14 & Mariah is #27. Plus, Karen, like Mariah, beat Alysa pretty handily in the SP at Nats. She is more than capable of scoring in the low 70s in the SP when she hits her 3-3. The SP is really the segment that matters, more than the FS, especially if the other 4 countries in the Final are Russia, Japan, Canada and China - the US woman is likely to finish 3rd in that segment, regardless of which one is skating. Additionally, Karen has the Olympic experience and she's demonstrated a remarkable ability to come through when something big is on the line, like Worlds 2017 & 2021. I can see the rationale for using her in the TE over the other two.

 

[Sylvia]

Surprising that Karen would be used since she's not the National champion

Karen skated really well at Nationals (definitely improved from her fall international season) and I for one would have no problem if she's selected to skate in the team event. ETA - and I like both Mariah and Alysa as skaters, too.

Maybe we shouldn't be trying to read too much into departure times

 

[screech]

According to Piper's Instagram stories, she's leaving for Beijing at the end of this week, while Marjorie Lajoie posted 5 days ago that she was leaving in 'less than 2 weeks'. Eric Radford's stories from earlier today says that he's leaving in 1 day.

Based on timing from their recent posts, seems like Maddie, Roman, G/P are all leaving around the same time (with Keegan already there).

Their posts make me think that the Canada's team will consist of Maddie, Gilles/Poirier, and James/Radford, with Keegan and Roman splitting the men's (unless Roman is just getting there super early for the individual event). I haven't seen anything from MTM or FB/S, so it makes me think they may not be taking part in the TE.

 

[Karen-W]

Karen skated really well at Nationals (definitely improved from her fall international season) and I for one would have no problem if she's selected to skate in the team event.

I agree. Her Nats performances were a vast improvement over her fall events and I would be fine if she was used in the TE.

 

[Rukia]

The other thing is that Karen has Olympic experience and has done well at worlds.

 

[toddlj]

Karen skated really well at Nationals (definitely improved from her fall international season) and I for one would have no problem if she's selected to skate in the team event. ETA - and I like both Mariah and Alysa as skaters, too.

Unless the caller is overly harsh, Karen could score very well for her SP for sure. And she does tend to "step up" at the big events.

I think her SP is fantastic, it's my favorite of the three. (Especially live... it was amazing.) I would have given the US title to her this year, honestly.

I guess I can argue in favor of any of them!

 

[saturdaysun]

I'm starting to doubt departure times mean anything about the team event. While I would love Karen to be chosen (IMO she was robbed of the gold at Nationals), I really doubt she's in the TE. I'm sure the flying schedule has more to do with who's traveling in from where and other boring logistics.

 

[tony]

I believe it's MT/M for the short program in Canada, and probably J/R for the long. Every other National Champion I think has planned to do both programs, including Keegan doing up to 4 programs in 7 days or whatever the span is now.

So, don't take departure times as any sure idea. Maybe some skaters want to be part of the opening ceremony or get there whenever they can

ETA- also hearing Hanyu is in the event and it might have already been reported somewhere but that's the plan at least for now.

 

[dancelion21]

I'm starting to doubt departure times mean anything about the team event. While I would love Karen to be chosen (IMO she was robbed of the gold at Nationals), I really doubt she's in the TE. I'm sure the flying schedule has more to do with who's traveling in from where and other boring logistics.

I assume that the ice dance teams are leaving tomorrow. Madison Hubbell has said in her stories that she leaves tomorrow, and it would probably be really strange logistics if the three teams were leaving separately? Just easier to put them all on the same plane.

 

[Karen-W]

I assume that the ice dance teams are leaving tomorrow. Madison Hubbell has said in her stories that she leaves tomorrow, and it would probably be really strange logistics if the three teams were leaving separately? Just easier to put them all on the same plane.

She said that yesterday, so I assume they are en route today.

 

[aka_gerbil]

She said yesterday they were leaving tomorrow, so they’re leaving today.

Jason is also leaving Canada today.

 

[giselle23]

As the National champ, does Mariah get to choose whether to do the TE or not? Of course she would be foolish to say no.

No. The criteria for team event selection include the ranking of the athletes for the Olympic team selection, the athletes' preferences and discussions with the athletes and coaches.

https://www.usfigureskating.org/sit... Olympic Games Selection Procedures FINAL.pdf Page 15, paragraph 4.

 

[VGThuy]

Surprising that Karen would be used since she's not the National champion nor did she have particularly standout Grand Prix results. If Karen is used, that would mean that ladies would have to be split since there's no way they would choose her to do both segments (which means dance can't be split ) and also that Alysa declined to skate the team event, which also doesn't make a lot of sense since she would be guaranteed a team medal?

Maybe we shouldn't be trying to read too much into departure times

I think a lot of people are joining you in reading a lot into departure times. I know I am!

 

[Frau Muller]

Surprising that Karen would be used since she's not the National champion …

It shouldn’t be about titles but, rather, about who is performing the sharpest now…in the run-up to departure for Beijing…who’s hitting the strongest jump combos in the daily run throughs.