Worlds, 4CC, Jr. Worlds Teams

[icebeauty]

And maybe they want Agnes and Caroline to be ready in case Alissa's injury reasserts itself in the intense preparation for Worlds.

I understand USFS giving spots to Agnes and Caroline, both skaters did very well this week and deserve to skate at another competition especially since they had an un-even early season. Agnes needs more exposure, and Caroline has a big opportunity to show the rest of the world now that she's on her way back.
Thus, there's the other spot which could have either gone to Ashley or Alissa or another skater entirely. Alissa MAY still have some after-effects of the injury (i.e. lack of training time or fear of recurrence), I think that USFS gave the spot to Ashley because she needs another international competition before worlds...she's been off the radar for a bit. If you think about it, if top 2 had been reversed, USFS would have probably made the second worlds team spot TBD and used 4CC as a tryout, but because AShley proved she was ready and Alissa has the mileage and ability to compete internationally, that method wouldn't have worked with the placements. Just my thoughts.
4CCs is only in a few days, it'll be interesting to see if any skaters pull out, but the fact that it's in CS means most of them will try to make it...
some other quick thoughts/questions
- I like that USFS showed they they understood the SP was a fluke for Dornbush and know that he can be competitive and is much better than his final placement...
- disappointed that Lynn and Logan didn't get 4cc spot - i really like them, I personally think they should have been in 3rd, there's an ease and understated quality about their skating...not as flashy as Canton dancers, but very good skaters who deserve a chance to compete one more time this season.
- barring any significant entire changes, dance (aside from P/B - the Russian teams don't impress me, and if the top north American teams are on, they're no longer in the picture) and ladies at 4CC will pretty much be a VERY good indication for worlds...(i'm not a fan of any of the European senior ladies who will be at worlds, I hate to be so critical, but HELLO?! when you look at the planned actual program content of those ladies...eh...)
- It'll be fun to see how close the men can get to Patrick/how he gets scored in a larger field
- SUPER excited for Rockne and Mary Beth...if Mary Beth holds it together and goes into these next two competition with blinders, it'll be fun to see where they're at. They don't have all the levels yet, but they have a better look on the ice than D/C, and I think have the most potential/room for growth and I truly think they will/can be competitive internationally (Donlan and Speroff too, but that's for another time).
- no pressure, but the ladies and men better get the 3rd spot back...yes there were some messy programs this week/silly mistakes (no one was actually perfect except the dancers), but I don't think this week was a splat-fest either (nothing's a splat-fest after that ladies LP at worlds that one year, was it 2010...don't remember exactly), but both fields showed depth, yes there's still no consistency, but having the 3rd spot gives more skaters a chance...THUS, even though all 4 singles skaters going to worlds do have individual goals, I think that if none of them have any major errors/issues hitting the magic number of 13 is do-able. With the watered down ladies field, clean skates from Ashley and Alissa will bring good results. I believe Jeremy's programs are the best of the season, how he skates them will determines his scores (i'm a HUGE fan of the fact that creatively he's very invested in the programs. If PCS is judged properly and fairly, Chan will beat him on SS, but Choreography, Transitions, Interpretation, Performance should be VERY close - in my mind Jeremy should beat Patrick in those 4 areas...not by much but he should have the edge) - thus I see him as a podium threat...aside from Chan no other skater has shown much consistency this season. Adam has always been well-received internationally when he skates well, which means if he stays in the moment and does what he trains, there's no reason he can't have a top 10 finish even without the quad.

[LeCygne]

I'm half-kidding about Caroline. If Christina Gao, who's been on the Senior level for years, is going to World because she's age-eligible, why not Caroline? Caroline finished higher than her, on an upward trajectory, more potential than Gao at this point. Christina is a much better investment for Sochi if Christina doesn't go to school full time next year. She won't pass up school to skate full time until Sochi. She would be just like Flatt this year.

Caroline hasn't skated as a junior since 2008. She has one gold and two silvers from 3 trips to Junior Worlds. What more could she gain by going back there? Christina, on the other hand, has competed against tye Russian girls for a couple seasons now and has yet to prove herself against them on the junior international stage.

Christina could defer for a year (not sure about two years).. I'm also curious about her decision for next year. I hope she keeps skating, but on the other hand if she does go to school, we might be classmates.

[genki]

Alissa Czisny did not decline a bid to 4CC, she was not given one in the first place. According to Jeremy Ten's twitter, "Alissa just informed me that she didn't get selected for 4CC. My entire day is ruined. Sad.com/unfair."

So USFS gave Alissa, Agnes, and Caroline each one slot at the major Internationals. Why, who knows? Perhaps they thought Alissa was still slightly injured from GPF and wanted to give her some more rest before Worlds.

I also thought that she should focus on recovering for now before the worlds. So sad that I can not see her skate live, but I can not wait to see the battle among Dai, Chan, and Abbott. Absolutely the top male skaters in the world now. Hope everybody skates to their bests.

[icebeauty]

I also thought that she should focus on recovering for now before the worlds. So sad that I can not see her skate live, but I can not wait to see the battle among Dai, Chan, and Abbott. Absolutely the top male skaters in the world now. Hope everybody skates to their bests.

i am sooo jealous about you seeing the men live.

[Blades of Passion]

It's smart not to send Alissa to 4CC:

1.) She already has International cred and it isn't likely that this event would bolster her standing any further - she clearly needs more time to rest and train in order to be in peak form. This gives Ashley Wagner a better chance to draw the attention to herself at 4CC and hopefully medal (or even win!) so that judges at Worlds will take her more seriously.

2.) Caroline Zhang needs this chance at 4CC to gain more points Internationally and qualify for GPF spots next season.

[macy]

I'm just sorry to see that Ashley Cain, & Hannah Miller are not going to Junior Worlds.

i kind of agree, although i'm sure USFSA is thinking Gao and Lam are their best bets at JW, it would be cool to see both of them go. both of them are excellent performers.

[macy]

GO GRACIE!! WHOOP SOME RUSSIAN BUTT!! i hope she shows that the US isn't done yet, and give the russians a run for their money. if she skates 2 clean programs, i'll put money on it she will medal, if not win. i hope she continues to improve not only her terrific beautiful jumps (3A?) but also her artistry and spins. she is almost the total package even right now.

as far as jr. worlds go, i'm kind of tired of seeing Gao get a spot (isn't this her 3rd year or something) and Lam (2nd year?) i know usfsa is doing what's best for placements but it would be nice to give other up and coming skaters an opportunity.

i'm sad alissa didn't get a spot for 4CC, but like someone else said, it will probably be good for her in the long run. i hope her placement at nats will put a fire in her belly to do her best at worlds. but i really do wonder why she wasn't even offered a spot, especially over agnes.

oh, jeremy. i haven't really been watching the men's field a whole lot this season, but i know for a fact jeremy has a shot at a world medal this year. he is such an artist.

i'm glad to see caroline go to 4CC, it will get her name back out there and get her some international cred. so happy for her, she earned it. i'm also glad to see ashley go as the judges could take her more seriously if she skates well.

i also hope D/W will defend their world title. it will be close between them and V/M (as always) but i prefer D/W's free dance.

i'm excited for both pairs teams going to worlds, mainly marley and brubaker. caydee and john have both had plenty of international experience (as with brubaker) but mainly for mary beth's sake. i'm so impressed with her, being that she had no pairs experience at all.

[dwiggin3]

Here's the updated press release from USFS regarding World, 4CC and Jr. World selections: http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=47717&type=media

In Men, Keegan was completely passed over despite him finishing better than Josh Farris and Jason Brown. But Farris and Brown have some international pull given that both made JGPF, so again makes sense.

I think they're sending him a message - you need to clean up your programs, improve the artistry, harness that raw speed/talent/gusto. He's good and has talent but is not very polished compared to his peers. Having come from AK myself, I can say that many skaters who show progress end up leaving the coaches up there because there really is nobody around that can polish up a skater the way they need to be. I don't mean that as a slight to those who work/train/live up there - Lord knows it's a beautiful place - just a difficult place to live and train when you're a elite athlete in most sports. I have wondered the past 2 seasons if he shouldn't consider moving to the lower-48 to train. The abundance of coaches and ability to help him finesse his programs is far greater than in AK. Having said that, I understand the desire to stay "home" and train as well as the financial costs associated with it all.

BTW, what happened to Brandon Mroz? Did he not skate?

[dorispulaski]

I believe that Keegan is too old for Jr Worlds this year? Born 1/23/1992, so he is now 20.

Brown 12/15/1994
Farris 6/1/1995

Both are still junior eligible. And both medalled this year at the GPF (Jason winning).

Keegan will need to do some summer competitions, and hopefully snag a GP berth.

[blue_idealist]

BTW, what happened to Brandon Mroz? Did he not skate?

Brandon Mroz skated but wasn't shown on tv, he ended up far down the list, can't remember exactly what placement.

[dwiggin3]

Thanks - He must have struggled as I would have expected him to be in the mix for top 3.

[drivingmissdaisy]

GO GRACIE!! WHOOP SOME RUSSIAN BUTT!! i hope she shows that the US isn't done yet, and give the russians a run for their money. if she skates 2 clean programs, i'll put money on it she will medal, if not win. i hope she continues to improve not only her terrific beautiful jumps (3A?) but also her artistry and spins. she is almost the total package even right now.

I'm excited to see how Gracie is going to perform under real pressure, against skaters who can actually beat her.

As for Alyssa, I'm surprised she wasn't picked for 4CC, but I get that the USFSA wants to spread assignments among those who performed well at Nationals, and the top 4 ladies all did well in at least one segment of the competition.

[ryanbfan]

I believe that Keegan is too old for Jr Worlds this year? Born 1/23/1992, so he is now 20.

Brown 12/15/1994
Farris 6/1/1995

Both are still junior eligible. And both medalled this year at the GPF (Jason winning).

Keegan will need to do some summer competitions, and hopefully snag a GP berth.

You are correct. 2010/2011 was Keegan's last junior eligible season. He had a senior B this season and won it (Coupe De Nice).

He will definitely do Liberty again, I would be surprised if he didn't, his mom once told me that will probably be something they always do. I also know that they are trying to get him out more in the summer and competing.

-------------------------------

Speaking of alternate lists, Armin is not happy with the 4CC snub. I met him this weekend and told him that I was the one on twitter that loved all of his cheesy jokes. So I tweeted him yesterday and said Congrats on the bronze... now where's my cheesy joke? and he responded and said "the 4CC alternates list". Ouch.

[LeCygne]

as far as jr. worlds go, i'm kind of tired of seeing Gao get a spot (isn't this her 3rd year or something) and Lam (2nd year?) i know usfsa is doing what's best for placements but it would be nice to give other up and coming skaters an opportunity.

Christina was 8th and 4th in her last two trips. Caroline Zhang also went to Junior Worlds three years in a row back in 2007-2009. This is Vanessa Lam's first time at Junior Worlds. I think USFSA is right to give international assignments to the best hopes for Sochi. Like I said, Gao and Lam are much better investments than Hannah Miller or Ashley Cain. The other "up and coming skaters" will have to wait until after Sochi.

[Jammers]

I'm not impressed with Christina. She has nice big jumps but other elements are lacking and she doesn't have a personality on the ice yet. As for Vanessa she still looks small and her jumps are still small which doesn't bode well for the future. I think if Gracie is consistent next season she will pass them both. I'd like to have seen Angela Wang go to Junior Worlds this year instead of Christina yet again. Heck if Courtney Hicks comes back Healthy i think she will be better then Lam. Two years is a long time and skaters like Nina Jang and Leah Keiser might also pass up Lam. And lets not forget the Junior skaters like Hannah Miller.