U.S. Men in 2018 - articles & latest news

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In 1992, Paul Wylie was considered a controversial selection for the Olympic team. However, he was the USA's top finisher with a silver medal.

If you consider sending the skaters who are performing the best right now closest to the Olympics, the 1-2-3 finishers would be the best choice. USA Women's Gymnastics always sends who is best RIGHT now. If you attempt the "body of work" rule, the team would be Nathan, Jason & Adam. Jason has not had a good season. Adam and Nathan had a good season. Vincent's season was decent. Ross had an ok season. I just realized Ross was on the National podium 4 times (3rd in 2011, 2012 and 2nd in 2013 and 2018).

I know there are people out there who still believe that team should be Adam, Jason & Max despite their recent results.


That was a wonderful program for Ross in his final season. Grant did it in the short program, but Ross had a good short program and an exceptional free program. With the body of work decision, who knows what the decision will be? A lot of Vincent's jumps were under-rotated, and he won't get good credit internationally, but that's a beautiful quad-triple he does with arm overhead. Maybe it might be Nathan, Ross and Adam for the Olympics, and Nathan, Vincent, and either Ross or Adam for Worlds. And Vincent, Jason and Grant for 4CCs. I'm not sure how they can justify denying Ross for the Olympics with his second place. I'm sure his coaches will fight tooth and nail for Ross' inclusion on the Olympic team. He's had a good career with a lot of contributions.
 
I think Adam definitely will be in the team, the question is who they will dump?, I guess Vincent.
 
Although I agree with @becca it amazes me how many have just dumped Jason when a guy/guys with quads shows up. What about all that stuff about “artistry” and “quality” they were proselytizing before?

Anyway, Jason should be on the team. Vincent manages some technical skates and while he inherently has something better qualities than Nathan, Nathan has shown to be more consistent internationally. I don’t have a clue why Adam is going. The debate should be between Adam and Vincent, not Jason and Vincent.

They're like that when a skater doesn't have the technical content; going overboard with the quality of their skating, edges, spins, and transitions! Heaven knows they held Eldridge past his expiration date with that BS when Goebel was killing it in '02! Tim got a bronze at the Olympics in SLC and 2 Silvers at Worlds while Todd barely stayed in the top 10 along with another old timer; Elvis Stojko! :rolleyes: :wall: :COP: :judge: :revenge:
 
Excuse me if I take a second to take in the irony of being an American without a single American skater I care about making the team in *any* discipline. (Dance is wash for me, so who cares how it turns out.)

Go... every other country with quality skaters I care about? I guess?
wow, that’s depressing to me. 14 skaters and you don’t like a single one of them? Ouch!
 
In 1992, Paul Wylie was considered a controversial selection for the Olympic team. However, he was the USA's top finisher with a silver medal.

He had already gotten 6.0's for presentation from international judges, and was considered a judges favorite. He was just inconsistent. He was more a Jeremy Abbott (or even Rippon or Brown now that I think about it) than a Ross Miner.

wow, that’s depressing to me.

It's depressing to me! :p
 
If you consider sending the skaters who are performing the best right now closest to the Olympics, the 1-2-3 finishers would be the best choice. USA Women's Gymnastics always sends who is best RIGHT now.

Women's gymnastics doesn't just choose the top finishers from Nationals. They have a training camp and Marta Karolyi, etc. then chooses the team. So, who should we have be the Marta Karolyi of American skating, when will they hold the training camp, and can they please sell tickets? :lol:
 
I'd have Nathan, Ross and Adam.

4CCs will be Vincent, Grant and Jason.

Sorry, but that PCS for Zhou was beyond a joke and Adam has been much more reliable this season. I think this is perfectly justifiable. (And I bet a lot of you never thought you'd see me pulling for Adam.)

I was hoping that Max might at least make 4CC. I was hoping...
 
If I was on the committee:

Olympics
- Nathan
- Adam
- Ross . . . The telephone call, "You are going to the Olympics to either fall or land that 4S. Say thank you."
Why? Their PCS is sustainable in front of International Judges.
1st Alternate: Vincent

Worlds
- Nathan
- Ross
- Vincent
1st Alternate: Adam

4CC:
- Vincent
- Jason
- Grant
 
They're like that when a skater doesn't have the technical content; going overboard with the quality of their skating, edges, spins, and transitions! Heaven knows they held Eldridge past his expiration date with that BS when Goebel was killing it in '02! Tim got a bronze at the Olympics in SLC and 2 Silvers at Worlds while Todd barely stayed in the top 10 along with another old timer; Elvis Stojko! :rolleyes: :wall: :COP: :judge: :revenge:
todd won bronze at 01 worlds while Tim was 4th, then both were sent sent to 02 Olys so WTF are you talking about exactly?
 
I'd guess:
Olympics--Nathan, Vincent, Adam
Worlds--Nathan, Ross, Vincent
Jr Worlds--Alexei, Andrew, Tomoki

Worlds is actually more critical than the Olympics, since that determines GP and Worlds spots for the next season. Ross doesn't fare as well with international judges (nor skate his best) so he would be a very dicey proposition for Worlds. If he messes up at Olympics, there's no downside consequence except to himself. (He wouldn't be picked to do a Team segment.) I can see more of a PR disaster for USFS if the silver medalist was passed over vs the bronze, in favor of the 4th place finisher.

Jr Worlds--No way Kraznozhon nor Pulkinen gets left off the team. I thought Hiwatashi was no longer age-eligible but he in fact is, so the 3rd spot would be between him and the potentially sublime but very inconsistent Torgashev.
 
todd won bronze at 01 worlds while Tim was 4th, then both were sent sent to 02 Olys so WTF are you talking about exactly?

Keep a civil tongue in your pointed head idiot! If you can read, it's all there! Todd was past it by '02 genius! Check those results instead of going back a year! By '01 it was just Evgeny and Alexei; Todd picking up the scraps! :wall: :COP: :kickass:
 
I would send the top three from the podium tonight as-is to the Olympics. I would send Adam to worlds in place of Vincent or Ross, as Adam and Nathan are the most likely combo to get it done for three spots next year. Sending Adam to both the Olympics and Worlds is twice rewarding him for finishing out of the top 3 at nationals. None of the guys other than Nathan are going to be a medal contender next month, and wherever the other guys finish, there are no bigger picture consequences at the games. However, there are consequences from worlds moving forward.
 
I would send the top three from the podium tonight as-is to the Olympics. I would send Adam to worlds in place of Vincent or Ross, as Adam and Nathan are the most likely combo to get it done for three spots next year. Sending Adam to both the Olympics and Worlds is twice rewarding him for finishing out of the top 3 at nationals.

I can go along with that, but the controversy's still blooming! We have to wait until tomorrow for the big decision! :rolleyes: :COP:
 
I'd have Nathan, Ross and Adam.

4CCs will be Vincent, Grant and Jason.

Sorry, but that PCS for Zhou was beyond a joke and Adam has been much more reliable this season. I think this is perfectly justifiable. (And I bet a lot of you never thought you'd see me pulling for Adam.)

I was hoping that Max might at least make 4CC. I was hoping...

Oh, absolutely! I gasped in shock when they came up.
 
Holy Bizarro Competition batman.

TBH while I really wish Ross could go, I think based on resume it would be better to send Adam, Nathan, and Vincent. I wanted Jason to get that third spot (especially since Vincent has UR and fall issues and awful performance ability), but Jason really dropped the ball. He's known for his consistency, and this competition/this season brought his consistency into question. Though I do like the new costume better than the old one.

ETA: I forgot to mention how impressed I was with Kraznoshon and Torgashev. Both were so good at interacting with the crowd. Kraznoshon was hilarious in the Kiss and Cry while Torgashev really managed to get the crowd going with his performance despite a rough start.
 
For whatever reason, judges at US nationals don't give their top skaters the pcs cushion that they would get internationally. I think international judges would have had Adam 2nd or 3rd and it would make sense to send him. But it's heartbreaking for whoever of Zhou/Miner gets cut from the Olympics.

If they're not solely basing the team off nationals results, they should probably have specific criteria to eliminate the uncertainty. So, for example (using random numbers), if a skater is 4th by less than 3 points and their season's best is 25 points higher than the 3rd place finisher's, they get to go. It's not perfect because not all panels are equal but it would have the benefit of being clear.
 
For whatever reason, judges at US nationals don't give their top skaters the pcs cushion that they would get internationally. I think international judges would have had Adam 2nd or 3rd and it would make sense to send him. But it's heartbreaking for whoever of Zhou/Miner gets cut from the Olympics.

If they're not solely basing the team off nationals results, they should probably have specific criteria to eliminate the uncertainty. So, for example (using random numbers), if a skater is 4th by less than 3 points and their season's best is 25 points higher than the 3rd place finisher's, they get to go. It's not perfect because not all panels are equal but it would have the benefit of being clear.

LOLOL What are you talking about?? The components here were inflated beyond compare. The ladies were more conservative than I thought they were going to be but the men beat out any inflations at Russian nationals.
 
ETA: I forgot to mention how impressed I was with Kraznoshon and Torgashev. Both were so good at interacting with the crowd. Kraznoshon was hilarious in the Kiss and Cry while Torgashev really managed to get the crowd going with his performance despite a rough start.

His skating skills are to die for :encore:But with mom and dad being former Soviet pairs and ice dancers I expect nothing less ;) He's quite the performer too!

If he can get those jumps together :eek:
 
If I were on the Committee, I'd make the case for:
Olympics--Nathan, Ross, Adam
Four Continents--Vincent, Grant, Jason
Worlds--Nathan, Vincent, Adam
Jr Worlds--Alexei, Andrew, Camden

Oh to be a fly on the wall in that committee meeting....

My choices as well, except for maybe Torgashev. After finally watching Torgashev at Nationals, I can see why there is such a buzz about him, but with his Samohin-like inconsistency, I'm not sure he's the best bet for Juniors. I am a fan of his skating though. The two main issues for the committee to consider are:

(1) Maximizing the chances of getting 3 spots to Worlds next year
(2) Getting a team that will perform well at Olys

Under these criteria, I think Adam should go to Worlds, as he is more reliable than any of the American skaters except Nathan. Vincent should also go to Worlds because he is the next generation and needs experience. I vote Nathan, Adam, and Ross or Vincent to Olys. I prefer Ross out of personal preference but it's possible the committee will still choose Vincent, as he has higher scoring potential and scored over 250 twice this season. Still, it's hard to pass the No. 2 at Nationals. Unfortunately, Jason's season has been iffy since Skate Canada, so it's hard to make a good case for him.

Results aside, I was a bit disappointed that Alex Krasnozhon was not as consistent as usual in the LP. Hope he will still get GP events and skate well at Junior Worlds.
 
I wonder how much (if any) the team event plays into the selection committee's decision. Nathan won't do both segments-I don't think USFS would even ask. Then, it comes down to who can pull the highest placement.

In my scenario, I would have Nathan do the SP. So it comes down to who can score the highest internationally in the free skate between Adam, Ross, and Vincent. My money's on Adam.

In any scenario, I hope Olympics & Worlds are somehow split between Adam and Ross. That way, if they want to call it a career after this season, they both have a chance to finish strong on the international stage.
 
LOLOL What are you talking about?? The components here were inflated beyond compare. The ladies were more conservative than I thought they were going to be but the men beat out any inflations at Russian nationals.

I think you need to read my post again...

Of course the pcs scores were wildly inflated but that doesn't really matter if they're all inflated equally. Adam would not have been only 3 points ahead of Miner and 5 points ahead of Zhou if they had competed internationally. Some of that gap is based on reputation of course, and it's interesting that he doesn't get the same kind of reputation judging at home.
 
Worlds is actually more critical than the Olympics, since that determines GP and Worlds spots for the next season. Ross doesn't fare as well with international judges (nor skate his best) so he would be a very dicey proposition for Worlds. If he messes up at Olympics, there's no downside consequence except to himself. (He wouldn't be picked to do a Team segment.) I can see more of a PR disaster for USFS if the silver medalist was passed over vs the bronze, in favor of the 4th place finisher.

Jr Worlds--No way Kraznozhon nor Pulkinen gets left off the team. I thought Hiwatashi was no longer age-eligible but he in fact is, so the 3rd spot would be between him and the potentially sublime but very inconsistent Torgashev.
Camden, Tomoki and Andrew got very similar scores at this Nationals.
 
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