Senior Men's LP (starts at 4pm EST)

[Mathman]

It's hard to characterize the American Men's field and the final placements. Nobody had a consistency through two programs. Here are the results of the competition (SP + LP --> Final placement):

1 + 4 --> 1
7 + 1 --> 2
6 + 2 --> 3
2 + 6 --> 4
9 + 3 --> 5
8 + 5 --> 6
3 + 9 --> 7
and so on. The only exception is 14 + 14 --> 14

Every one in the top half moved at least 3 places between programs. Can this be called a deep field? Is there a reliable competitor? Who will really be the best ones on another day?

Not very pretty. Problematic in fact for making any pick.

That would be interesting under 6.0 factored placement judging. Dornbush would have won on the tie-breaker, otherwise places 1 through 6 stay the same.

As for who will be the best on another day, we will have to wait and see.

[merrywidow]

I'm for sending Dornbush & Miner to World's for the experience. It's not like Abbott & Bradley are going to retain our 3 spots for men at World's anyway.

[ImaginaryPogue]

The team is up: Men on the U.S. World Team are @RyanSBradley, Richard Dornbush, @rossminer...alternates are @jeremyabbottpcf, @Adaripp, @Armin_hammer

http://twitter.com/#!/USFigureSkatin...70880669769729

Thanks. Do we know who's doing juniors yet?

[#1Kerryfan]

I really don't know what to think - Ross was definitely better than Jeremy today, but Jeremy (and Adam) have a better chance at getting the US extra spots than Ross (and Richard)........ glad I'm not on the committee that would be a stressful position......

Will everyone PLEASE stop bashing Ryan? This is his moment. You may not like him, but it took him 11 years to get here!

[wallylutz]

That still doesn't answer Imaginary Pogue's question, though. It is not about the second quad, it's about the double toe loop that followed the second quad. If that was not part of a sequence or combo, why didn't it count as a jumping pass?

I believe they must have changed the rules about this situation somewhere along the line. I can't seem to find it in the ISU communications at the moment, though.

Please refer to page 15 of the Technical Panel handbook for Single Skating linked here: http://www.isu.org/vsite/vnavsite/pa...v-list,00.html

I quote: "Step out or touch down with free foot with weight transfer after first jump plus another jump"

If a skater steps out on the first jump and immediately after that executes another jump, the element does not remain a jump combination and will be called as follows: Short Program: “First Jump + Combo”; the continuation will be ignored by the Technical Panel.
Free Skating: “First Jump + Sequence” (or “First Jump + Second Jump + Sequence” if the definition of a sequence is still fulfilled). The same applies to a jump combination consisting of 3 jumps.

So the correct decision in this case is to simply ignore the 2nd jump performed and the Panel made the right call.

Hope this answers your and IP's question.

[jaylee]

Men on U.S. Four Continents Team are @jeremyabbottpcf, @Armin_hammer, @Adaripp...alternates are @BrandonMroz, @DouglasRazzano, @Jonnaye05

http://twitter.com/#!/USFigureSkatin...72243856318464

[Layfan]

I'll just never like it. It's too easy for skaters to get lucky one day, and it's too easy for the top skaters to get weighed down by the pressure one day. Essentially, we are picking our World teams based largely on luck. Sad, I think.

In this case, this argument would carry more weight if Jeremy "got lucky" more often and had actually medaled at a worlds or an Olympics. As it is, he "gets weighed" down consistently by the pressure of the international competition and there is zero guarantee that he wouldn't flounder his way off the top 10 at this year's worlds. ESPECIALLY if the U.S. had gifted him on the team and pinned their hopes on him that way. Talk about the worst kind of pressure. He'd go into to worlds thinking "wow, I didn't earn this spot and if I mess up what will people think?" Recipe for disaster.

[ImaginaryPogue]

Abbott, Rippon and Armin are going to 4CC.

Dornbush, Bradley and Miner going to Worlds.

[seniorita]

Absolutely not. What is it about fourth place that people don't seem to get?

Aaaaa I dont like these rules when they dont serve my people
I do, I get the 4th place, on the other hand now can we send Mirai who sits in the 3rd? It is not the 4th.

[ImaginaryPogue]

That, and the fact there's a medal attached anyway!

[wallylutz]

I'll just never like it. It's too easy for skaters to get lucky one day, and it's too easy for the top skaters to get weighed down by the pressure one day. Essentially, we are picking our World teams based largely on luck. Sad, I think.

The difference between 3rd and 4th is like 0.16 Seriously, is the difference even significant?

[ivy]

Thanks for the research wallylutz - much appreciated

[Layfan]

Abbott, Rippon and Armin are going to 4CC.

Dornbush, Bradley and Miner going to Worlds.

None of the medalists are going to 4CC? Why I wonder? Did they all decline that fast? And why would they?

[SkateFiguring]

Abbott, Rippon and Armin are going to 4CC.

Dornbush, Bradley and Miner going to Worlds.

The 4CC team may arguably be the stronger team! Let's wait for the scores from both competitions. It'd be like another (hidden) competition for these men.

[Mathman]

I'll just never like it. It's too easy for skaters to get lucky one day, and it's too easy for the top skaters to get weighed down by the pressure one day. Essentially, we are picking our World teams based largely on luck. Sad, I think.

I may be naive and maybe even historically wrong about this whole topic and the traditions of U.S. Figure Skating.

But it seems to me that the USFSA has always been more interested in running its domestic national figure skating program than in finagling for advantage in international competition.

I like that. There are a hundreds of figure skating clubs in the U.S. and tens of thousands of aspiring skaters. Every one of these youngsters can dream of making it to Nationals, having a skate-of-their-life, and representing the stars and stripes at the world championship.

I think that's kind of cool. (Opee and Aunt Bee think so, too. )