Skate America Preview

[gsk8]

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating continues this week in Lake Placid, USA, for the fifth installment of competition known as the Skate America.

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Your thoughts?

[Mathman]

So our intrepid scribe lists Sasha tenth, if she appears at all, ahead of only Sara Hecken (Sara beat Rachael Flatt in a junior grand prix event a couple of years ago) and crowd favorite Tugba Karademir.

Actually, there are several ladies in the bottom half that could surprise is, like Gebova and Getevanishvilli.

[Tinymavy15]

I am so excited. I feel like it is nationals already

[Olympia]

Oh, goody, Tugba will be there! I always love watching her. And Gedevanishvili.

And Sasha, I hope!

[Joesitz]

For me, there is only 3 skaters that make it worth while travelling to Lake Placid: Another look at YuNa, the appearance of Sasha, and Rachael doing a better jazz number than what she did at TEB.

YuNa will win or else it is the biggest upset in the history of figure skating.

Sasha to see what Rafael has done for her. Is it too late?

Rachael as above. Why did she decide on tricky jazz music for the SP? It's so much easier to jump to the Thais Interlude.

Don't see much else here, but I'll watch on EST.

[Layfan]

I know people are all cynical but I just can't help it: I really hope Sasha shows up. Who knows how her jumps are but judging from her recent shows, her spirals and lines are STILL the best in the business. Maybe not quite as good as they were for her in '06 but still better than anyone else in '09. It'll be worth it just for that.

Ryan Bradley ... the Alissa Czisny of men's figure skating. Here's hoping he finally has his Paul Wylie moment. Go Ryan!!! You CAN do it. You know you can.

[yqs100]

13th Nov. (Fri) is Xue Shen's birthday,,,,,,

wish her happy birthday, and get a new short program PB on that day...

[Buttercup]

Verner does not have the intensity and attention to performance of Lysacek, but he boasts a stronger arsenal of jumps.

I'll concede the intensity point, but Tomas Verner does not have as much attention to performance as Evan Lysacek? That's got to be a joke, right?

[gsk8]

So our intrepid scribe lists Sasha tenth...

Actually he's not placing her at all. While her tendonitis is doing better (about 90%?), I'm a bit pessimistic about her showing up. Therefore I edited the article to allow some wiggle room.

[schiele]

I'll concede the intensity point, but Tomas Verner does not have as much attention to performance as Evan Lysacek? That's got to be a joke, right?

I second that! I wonder what ppl are watching cos it must be different from what I am watching. The first phrase that comes to my mind when thinking of Tomas is "what a performer!"

[snowflake]

Agree with Buttercup and schiele. Walker doesn't have to like Verner's perfomances, but to claim that Verner doesn't have the attention to perfomance of Lysacek is over the top IMO.

In Beijing, Suguri finished in a disappointing seventh place with a score more than 30 points less than her personal best. A top five finish in Lake Placid would be a step in the right direction for the three-time Four Continents Champion, but it appears as if this might be the last time that we see her in international competition.

I won't give up on Fumie yet. I want her in Vancouver. Not because of other japanese ladies failing or wd, but because of Fumie making improvements from Beijing. Anyway, she will probably compete in 4 CC. My fingers crossed for Fumie.

[Joesitz]

In defence of Lysacek, who is by no means my favorite, he did a workman like interpretation of Don Jose in his Carmen. No one has ever interpreted Don Jose but often it's the Toreador. Oh for the bravura.

[french quarter]

Lysacek, Kim hit the ice in Lake Placid

[Joesitz]

Very sad news about Sasha, but she's doing the right thing by letting the injury heal.

Does anyone know exactly what is wrong? I hope it's not the knees.

Also, her replacement at SA. Is it that the USFS has the choice to select without regard to skaters who do well at Regionals? Not trying to put down Emily. Just wondering about the procedures.

[icedancexpert]

In my opinion, there's no need for Sasha to rush a return if she's not ready. What would be the point of skating poorly and potentially losing out to two of her competitors at Nationals (Flatt AND Gilles). I'm patient enough to wait for her return at U.S. Nationals. How does the U.S. select the Olympic team? By committee? I know Skate Canada picks based on international results as well...