US Men's Olympic Team | Page 2 | Golden Skate

US Men's Olympic Team

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
oh no, I want Evan in Olympics..otherwise Plushy's flail arms will have no competition...:rolleye:
 

jennylovskt

Medalist
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
This season it is different as Johnny is not coming in as a current World medalist or even a member of last season's Natl team.
I don't know if he is likely to be on the receiving end of any favors from US skating. But, if he has a brilliant GP season and then is injured at Natls - who knows what will happen. If the other skaters don't look so good then adding Johnny could be the logical choice.

I think Johnny will have a strong GP season. What else does he have? He stayed in 4 more years just to prove that he could and to try one more time at the Olympics. Bradley was not and probably will not be a favorite in international stage. Mroz has not yet established himself outside of US. Abbott and Rippon were too unreliable. I see Johnny as a much better and more reasonable choice.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
why johhny is written off and has to prove himself again?I mean in fans mind, not the team. Mroz and Abott had just one good international season, Johnny is around much longer. He just had a bad half season, he did very well at grand prix!

I wonder if evan was a lock for the team had he not been a medalist of worlds.I always thought Johnny is better skater, I still do.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
[. Mroz has not yet established himself outside of US. Abbott and Rippon were too unreliable. I see Johnny as a much better and more reasonable choice.[/QUOTE]


I agree Mroz is not fully established but that is only coz he is young. His first Worlds were more than acceptable. Maybe GP's will be very important for him this season. Still, if he starts dropping quadx3 bombs it will be hard to ignore him and silly too..
I don't really know enough about Rippon - have only seen him skate once when he won Jr Title. As a repeat Jr Champion - how is he "unreliable." ?
 
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janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
why johhny is written off and has to prove himself again?I mean in fans mind, not the team. Mroz and Abott had just one good international season, Johnny is around much longer. He just had a bad half season, he did very well at grand prix!

I wonder if evan was a lock for the team had he not been a medalist of worlds.I always thought Johnny is better skater, I still do.


Many fans think Johnny is the better skater. Problem is Evan has been getting better results for the past few years (it's those beautiful "Kirov" arms). US Skating in under no obligation to satisfy Johnny's fans but to select the team they feel will represent us best at Olympics.
I hope Johnny skates his best at Natls. If that is not good enough to finish 1-2-3 then he should watch Olympics on TV like rest of us.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
To me, this discussion about all the fine things Johnny Weir did in the past is a cautionary tale. That was then, the 2009-2010 season is now.

Same with the U.S. ladies. If I were Caroline or Rachael or Mirai I would not allow myself to be distracted by speculation about Sochi in 2014. Everything will be different then. Right now! is your chance to make the Olympic team. You better seize the day. :)
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
why johhny is written off and has to prove himself again?I mean in fans mind, not the team. Mroz and Abott had just one good international season, Johnny is around much longer. He just had a bad half season, he did very well at grand prix!

I wonder if evan was a lock for the team had he not been a medalist of worlds.I always thought Johnny is better skater, I still do.

I don't think anyone is writing Johny off (i personally think he will be in the top 3 at nationals and will get his ticket to the Olympics), but I think since he had a bad showing at the last nationals then it seems like more of a possibilty so people are debating - what if what happened in 2008 happens in 2009. Personally i don't think what happened in 2008 will happen in 2009 but the only way to give himself the best shot at going Johnny has to get a second GP invitation (which surely he will?), make the fina, preferably medal and then medal at nationals.

Ant
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
To me, this discussion about all the fine things Johnny Weir did in the past is a cautionary tale. That was then, the 2009-2010 season is now.

Same with the U.S. ladies. If I were Caroline or Rachael or Mirai I would not allow myself to be distracted by speculation about Sochi in 2014. Everything will be different then. Right now! is your chance to make the Olympic team. You better seize the day. :)


Yes, i agree with you on this.
I also think Johnny has a good chance to skate his way onto the team and I suspect it might be at Jeremy's expense rather than Mroz or Rippon.
 
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seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I know but it feels like the way we would react if he had retired and is coming back after years. If he is not having a disastrous grand prix or has not lost his form, I would not keep him home if he is not 1-3 at nationals next year. Abott wasn't exactly representing at worlds also.
(i personally think he will be in the top 3 at nationals and will get his ticket to the Olympics)
hm, if lysacek is 4th and johnny 3rd in nationals, they will send evan of course and then? will they skip one of the first two to send Johnny?
 
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Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
I think it is safe to say the olympic team will be the top three at natioanals unless Evan is injured and withdraws. They will certainly give him a bye. Johnny I think will have to medal, unless somebody lands on the podium who is a real newcomer (mroz not icluded) with no interantional experince and then Johnny will take his spot. But personally I don't see much drama.

olympic team:

Evan
Johnny
Jeremey/Mroz
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
hm, if lysacek is 4th and johnny 3rd in nationals, they will send evan of course and then? will they skip one of the first two to send Johnny?

If that happens then in theory they will look to the results of the GPF frst, then look to worlds. It all depends on what's happened at the GPF, if e.g. Jonny and Evan have qualified and.or medalled and the gold and silver from nationals haven't made it to the GPF then I suspect that the silver medalist at nationals would be sacrificed for Evan.

But it's all just guesswork for now, my hope is that johnny wins his two GPs, the GPF and nationals.

Ant
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I know but it feels like the way we would react if he had retired and is coming back after years. If he is not having a disastrous grand prix or has not lost his form, I would not keep him home if he is not 1-3 at nationals next year. Abott wasn't exactly representing at worlds also.

hm, if lysacek is 4th and johnny 3rd in nationals, they will send evan of course and then? will they skip one of the first two to send Johnny?


That could be a touchy and difficult situation. I know of no rule that guarantees a bronze, silver or Gold medalist from previous year's worlds a place on the National team. Otherwise Johnny would have been added last year. It is easy to see how Evan will be given every consideration. But I don't get it. Johnny has not performed as well as Evan at Worlds and I would say he has been an underaciever at Worlds and Olympics. It is possible that they might want to give younger skaters a chance.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
But it's all just guesswork for now, my hope is that johnny wins his two GPs, the GPF and nationals.Ant

I truly hope your crystal ball works pretty well on this one:agree:

I hate everybody I like is retiring, couldn't they skate for 30 years more?
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
If that happens then in theory they will look to the results of the GPF frst, then look to worlds.

Even though the upcoming GP final is listed second and last year's Worlds third, still, the criteria are "placement and strength of field."

Worlds has the strongest field of any event on the calendar, and first is not too shabby a placement.

But maybe not. If Plushenko, Lambiel and Takahashi all come back at full strength and make the GP final, and Steven Carriere beats them all...
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
But maybe not. If Plushenko, Lambiel and Takahashi all come back at full strength and make the GP final, and Steven Carriere beats them all...

what? :eek: ok, yours (magic ball) needs a regular service!

and dont confuse me, only takahashi can have two grand prix and go to gpf, no?!:laugh:
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I think it is safe to say the olympic team will be the top three at natioanals unless Evan is injured and withdraws. They will certainly give him a bye. Johnny I think will have to medal, unless somebody lands on the podium who is a real newcomer (mroz not icluded) with no interantional experince and then Johnny will take his spot. But personally I don't see much drama.

olympic team:

Evan
Johnny
Jeremey/Mroz


Perhaps you are right - if you are a Weir fan. But Jeremy has fans too and he is defending Natl champion. I am not so sure who Mroz could bump off the team if he skates well. And who is to say Rippon may not come in and skate well at Natls. Then it does get a bit sticky. If Evan seems to have a spot locked up - then the rest of the guys are skating for only two spots.
I think if Plushy and Tashahaki are back strong that could change thinking. Quads could make it tougher for skaters like Johnny and Patirck, not to mention Evan.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
I dont think Plushy and Takahashi and their quads would make the difference in judging who they will send, for those two skaters it is their whole package and where they would score again, if it was only about quads, many men land quads already, not only Joubert. Does a clean Mroz with quad score higher than a clean Johnny?
defending national champion is not saying much considering johnny was defending worlds medalist and didnt send him to worlds.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
...and dont confuse me, only takahashi can have two grand prix and go to gpf, no?!:laugh:

That question seems to be up in the air at the moment. The USFSA seems to be lobbying for permission for Sasha Cohen to be allowed to skate the full Grand Prix. I think both Plushenko and Lambiel (as a former world champion) could try to finagle their way around the rule about athletes returning from injuries "beyond their control." Michelle Kwan, too.

janetfan said:
I think if Plushy and Tashahaki are back strong that could change thinking. Quads could make it tougher for skaters like Johnny and Patirck, not to mention Evan.

Tougher to medal at the Olympics, but not, I think, tougher to make their national teams.

All we can do is go with the best we have and see what the skate gods have in store for us.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
That question seems to be up in the air at the moment. The USFSA seems to be lobbying for permission for Sasha Cohen to be allowed to skate the full Grand Prix. I think both Plushenko and Lambiel (as a former world champion) could try to finagle their way around the rule about athletes returning from injuries "beyond their control." Michelle Kwan, too.

Lambiel is still in the top 24 of the world standing placements, so he could qualify that way.

I don't believe he has any intention of doing so, however.
 
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