US Nationals Predictions | Page 5 | Golden Skate

US Nationals Predictions

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
That would be an excellent place for them to finish. There are a lot of US pairs at similar levels, so pairs is going to be quite unpredictable. Denney & Barrett have been slipping. Yankauskas & Coughlin have been rising, Castelli & Shnapir and Donlan & Speroff have been improving, and then there are Evora & Ladwig, who did so well at Olympics, and Marley & Brubaker who are just beginnning but qualified.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Dai and Jeremy have different styles, but it is clearly obvious the international judges prefer Dai's to Jeremy's. If they both skate clean at Worlds, Dai will certainly beat Jeremy, and likely by a large margin. Of course, Dai is rarely clean, but his PCS are always through the roof even when he bombs.
I think that would depend on the Panel of Judges and his excellency the Technical Specialist since the International Judges should have their own preferences. That's why there are 9 of them. I wouldn't lump them all into thinking the same way.

We'll see what happens in Worlds when Brezina wins the gold. :)
 

Jammers

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Country
United-States
Is it too much to ask for a decent american Pairs team that can compete internationally again? At least in the 80's we won a couple medals at the Olympics. It's been since 1998 that we even have come close to a medal. If we can be one of the dominate countries in Ice dancing which we were horrid at a decade ago we surely can be competitive in pairs again.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Not quite right. Ina & Zimmerman won a world bronze in 2002, and were close to an Olympic medal same year. And in 2006, Inoue and Baldwin were 6th at Olympics and 4th at Worlds, which is close to a medal. Since that, alas not much.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I predict that I will have very little knowledge as to what goes on, as I am travelling during nationals. Got a destination wedding to shoot and then spending a week in disneyland. should be fun... but I'm going to miss watching the battles.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I predict that I will have very little knowledge as to what goes on, as I am travelling during nationals. Got a destination wedding to shoot and then spending a week in disneyland. should be fun... but I'm going to miss watching the battles.

Hey, that's not a bad thing to do. Have fun!
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Hey, that's not a bad thing to do. Have fun!

Yeah but I'm going to miss Ryan Bradley's skates. That kinda bums me out. As well as a few other skaters. Somehow I don't see my manly man sport loving uncle letting me take over his big screen tv and man cave to watch figure skating lol but maybe I can play the favorite neice from Alaska card, eh? ;)
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Yeah but I'm going to miss Ryan Bradley's skates. That kinda bums me out. As well as a few other skaters. Somehow I don't see my manly man sport loving uncle letting me take over his big screen tv and man cave to watch figure skating lol but maybe I can play the favorite neice from Alaska card, eh? ;)

The DVR is my best friend. ;)
 

BRaZILIANSKaTER

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 29, 2010
I think Brandom could win.
Not that I like his style neither his jumps (aesthetically saying) but I think Brandom could be a a factor this year. He has some consistency and I think he will hit every element.
But to win he depends on how Jeremy will skate the LP.
Jeremy has everything to win, but if he fail on te LP Mroz will rise to the ocasion.
About Adam I felt like this has been a stagnant season for him. I didn´t see technical improvement this year. Artistcally he is already great. I don´t know, but he seems to me like those great promises that is staying in the promise level and not developing to real successful level.
Armin for me is entering the promisse level. He is great and his LP is wow!!! Let´s see what he can do at nationals. Could grab a bronze.
Ryan's performence is pretty much unpredictable. I love his agressive/comic/crowd entertaining style and his jumps are just huge and fierce when he lands them. I agree with what someone posted here before about him. That he has to take this championship more seriously and stop being the "class clown". I really wanted to see him at worlds (also because of his age... Armim or Adam still have some more years to go to worlds).

GREETINGS FROM BRASIL
 

Jammers

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Country
United-States
Not quite right. Ina & Zimmerman won a world bronze in 2002, and were close to an Olympic medal same year. And in 2006, Inoue and Baldwin were 6th at Olympics and 4th at Worlds, which is close to a medal. Since that, alas not much.

I'm talking about a consistent american team that has a chance to medal everytime they go out and skate. An elite team.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Ina & Zimmerman were not that. The 2002 Worlds which was missing many of the top pairs of that quad who had retired was the only major event they were even considered medal contenders at. They were not medal threats at the 1999 Worlds, 2000 Worlds, 2001 Worlds, or even 2002 Olympics. 2002 was the only year they were a legitimate top 5 pair in the World, the other years they were just a random top 10 pair.

And Ina & Zimmerman were not really close to an Olympic medal in 2002. Shen & Zhou won the bronze by virtue of getting all 3rd place votes in both the short and long programs, despite not skating their best. Ina & Zimmerman were 5th in the short but lost 4th place in the long by a 5-4 split.

So they had 1 year only as a sort of top pair who still in no way could even compete with the top 2 or 3 pairs, then retired.
 
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FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
In 2002, I&Z were at the level of Mukhortova and Trankov. Always a threat, made GPF multiple times, medaled at 4CC/Euro. Bronze contender at big events. I say that's pretty good. D&B, I&L, and Y&C are all working toward that.
 

lilshorty

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
After seeing the ladies SP, I predict:

1.) Rachael-With 7 triples and a higher tech content than the rest of the ladies, plus a great consistency factor, I believe that she can reclaim her title.
2.) Mirai- Second place again, but not such a bad thing. She's truly a fighter. I expect a few UR calls for her in the LP.
3.) Alissa- It all boils down to how many triples she will complete out of her planned 5.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
In 2002, I&Z were at the level of Mukhortova and Trankov. Always a threat, made GPF multiple times, medaled at 4CC/Euro. Bronze contender at big events. I say that's pretty good. D&B, I&L, and Y&C are all working toward that.

The only event I&Z were a bronze contender was the 2002 Worlds after the top 2 pairs pulled out. They were not a bronze contender at the 99 Worlds, 2000 Worlds, 2001 Worlds, or even 2002 Olympics (realistically).

Yeah I&Z were around the level of M&T in 2002 but M&T were just an up and coming pair who had never come close to a major podium before that season, and didnt really a hope of winning any color medal at the 02 Games (despite finishing a very distant 4th).
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
After seeing the ladies SP, I predict:

1.) Rachael-With 7 triples and a higher tech content than the rest of the ladies, plus a great consistency factor, I believe that she can reclaim her title.
2.) Mirai- Second place again, but not such a bad thing. She's truly a fighter. I expect a few UR calls for her in the LP.
3.) Alissa- It all boils down to how many triples she will complete out of her planned 5.

that's probably how it will pan out. I figured if Alissa was clean there was no way she could lose, but her SP didn't receive the huge score I was expecting, but then again i didn't see any of the actual skating. I REALLY hope Mirai can finally hold onto her lead. This is her chance and she still has a lot to prove.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
that's probably how it will pan out. I figured if Alissa was clean there was no way she could lose, but her SP didn't receive the huge score I was expecting, but then again i didn't see any of the actual skating. I REALLY hope Mirai can finally hold onto her lead. This is her chance and she still has a lot to prove.

Well, I predicted:

Mirai
Alissa
Rachael

earlier in this thread, and I'm sticking with :)

I agree Rachael is in a good position with her 7-triple program but I think Alissa's FS is soooooo beautiful. In the SP, Rachael's choreo really stood out. But Alissa's FS is by far my favorite of the season. So hopefully she'll nail it and with her spins, it might make up for her more conservative jump layout.
I expect Alissa to receive higher PCS for the FS because
1. It's an FS.
2. It's such a gorgeously intricate program and a wonderful vehicle for Alissa.
3. She was reserved tonight and I'm hoping she won't be tomorrow.

Rachael's FS - I like it okay but there are parts that I don't so much. She should do something along the lines of East of Eden for both her programs.

And with Mirai - As Rachael's not planning a 3-3 in her FS I'm not sure their jump layouts are that much different but people can correct me if I'm wrong. And Mirai has better spins which will help the TES score.

Course, ANYTHING could happen. But that's the way I expect it to pan out if they skate their best or close to it like they did tonight.
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Alissa was gifted with the 2A underrotation. I thought the reason her score was low was because of that underrotation. Turned out, it wasn't.
 
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