2012-13 Grand Prix Speculation

[Sylvia]

Here's what I posted yesterday at FSU:

Who will make their Senior Grand Prix debut in the coming season?

* = has aged out of ISU Junior events in 2012-13

LADIES
Guaranteed at least 1 GP & expected to be moving up:
Gracie Gold USA 12 SB/55 WS, Polina Korobeynikova RUS 17 SB/30 WS, Zijun Li CHN 24 SB/20 WS
Guaranteed at least 1 GP IF they move up:
Julia Lipnitskaia RUS 5 SB/33 WS, Polina Shelepen RUS 19 SB/23 WS (back to JGP because of RUS ladies' depth?), Satoko Miyahara 20 SB/49 WS, Risa Shoji 23 SB/32 WS
Possible host pick: *Yuki Nishino JPN 60 SB/28 WS, Kaetlyn Osmond CAN 41 SB/82 WS (if she decides not to return to JGP), *Alexandra Najarro CAN 90 SB/74 WS, *Kate Charbonneau CAN 68 SB/96 WS

MEN
Guaranteed at least 1 GP IF they move up:
Han Yan CHN 19 SB/19 WS, Joshua Farris USA 20 SB/26 WS, Jason Brown USA 23 SB/23 WS
Possible host pick: *Artur Dmitriev RUS 30 SB/37 WS, *Zhan Bush RUS 32 SB/52 WS, *Liam Firus CAN 40 SB/53 WS
Possibility of a GP invite?: Jorik Hendrickx BEL 28 SB/27 WS, Misha Ge UZB 31 SB/36 WS

PAIRS
Guaranteed at least 1 GP/already has competed twice on GP but could return to JGP: Yu/Jin CHN 16 SB/20 WS
Guaranteed at least 1 GP: Vartmann/Van Cleave GER 21 SB/19 WS
Possible host pick or invite: *Duarte/Grafton USA 43 SB/37 WS, Popova/Massot FRA 35 SB/43 WS
Competing on JGP: Davankova/Deputat RUS 22 SB/52 WS, Denney/Frazier USA 25 SB/41 WS, Purdy/Marinaro CAN 32 SB/31 WS, Li/Jiang CHN 37 SB/47 WS, Simpson/Blackmer USA 30 SB/35 WS, Gainetdinova/Bich RUS, Bell/Sylvester CAN...

DANCE
Guaranteed at least 1 GP:
Sinitsina/Zhiganshin RUS 9 SB/14 WS (reportedly are moving up), *Orford/Williams CAN 21 SB/22 WS, Zlobina/Sitnikov AZE 23 SB/40 WS, Guignard/Fabbri ITA 29 SB/18 WS
Believed to be returning to JGP: Stepanova/Bukin RUS 11 SB/16 WS, Yanovskaya/Mozgov RUS 12 SB/32 WS, Aldridge/Eaton USA 17 SB/23 WS (via reliable hearsay info), Papadakis/Cizeron FRA 19 SB/25 WS, Nazarova/Nikitin UKR 24 SB, Zenkova/Sinitsin RUS 26 SB, Koch/Nuchtern GER 36 SB...
Outside possibility of a GP invite?: *Shtork/Rand EST 33 SB/34 WS

Also, Johnny Weir tweeted last night: "Can barely wait for the ISU Grand Prix Assignments on Monday! Fingers crossed!"

[Jammers]

I hope they don't give Johnny two GP events while someone like Josh or Jason gets hosed. They are the future not someone who's going to be 28 and has seen his best days.

[Butterscotch17]

I hope they don't give Johnny two GP events while someone like Josh or Jason gets hosed. They are the future not someone who's going to be 28 and has seen his best days.

I don't think they will. Johnny will probably only get Skate America, if he's lucky.

[Bluebonnet]

I don't think they will. Johnny will probably only get Skate America, if he's lucky.

If Johnny gets Skate America, where does Evan go? I thought Evan always liked Skate America. I think Johnny would want to go to CoR.

[icellist]

I think a lot of people forgot about Haruka Imai. She has a better shot at the NHK host pick over Yuki Nishino, and I much prefer Imai's skating over Nishino's.

[sorcerer]

I hope they don't give Johnny two GP events while someone like Josh or Jason gets hosed. They are the future not someone who's going to be 28 and has seen his best days.

Johnny is a comeback skater so AFAIK he has to skate 2 GPs.

[SkateFan66]

I hope they don't give Johnny two GP events while someone like Josh or Jason gets hosed. They are the future not someone who's going to be 28 and has seen his best days.

As a comeback skater, Johnny will get 2 GP because of he previosly finished top 6 at the world championships. GP assignments are earned by past performance and not by what is perceived to be a skaters potential in the future. Johnny has earned two spots by past performance on the senior level. The best Jason & Josh have done on the senior level is 9th & 16th at US Nationals, respectively.

[chuckm]

I think a lot of people forgot about Haruka Imai. She has a better shot at the NHK host pick over Yuki Nishino, and I much prefer Imai's skating over Nishino's.

I agree with this, although Imai has had some subpar performances this past season. Nishino is a SP skater and struggles through her FSs. Her JGP results have tailed off as well: she won a silver medal in 2009 and a bronze medal in 2010, but last season, she could manage only a 4th and a 5th.

[Sylvia]

I focused on the skaters/teams who have yet to compete on the Senior Grand Prix in my list above (Yuki Nishino has aged out of ISU Junior now). Haruka Imai was 4th at Japanese Nationals, has competed for the past 2 seasons on the Grand Prix, and is guaranteed at least GP due to being #18 in the ISU World Standings rankings (she is #27 on the Season Best scores list).

[Jammers]

I think it's nonsense that someone like Johnny can get two GP events just because he finished in the top 6 at the last Worlds he skated in. That was way back in 2008. To be able to get two GP events events after sitting out the last couple seasons doesn't seem right either. Just my opinion.

[silverlake22]

I think a lot of people forgot about Haruka Imai. She has a better shot at the NHK host pick over Yuki Nishino, and I much prefer Imai's skating over Nishino's.

Yes but if Shoji goes senior she may be given the host spot over Imai due to her success on the junior level (I know the later part of this season she didn't do well, but she was injured, and had a good fall season).

[Butterscotch17]

I don't think they will. Johnny will probably only get Skate America, if he's lucky.

Johnny is a comeback skater so AFAIK he has to skate 2 GPs.

I apologize, my mistake. So what day are the assignments supposed to be announced?

[Mrs. P]

I apologize, my mistake. So what day are the assignments supposed to be announced?

Monday, I believe.

[golden411]

Yes, on Friday, ‏@USFigureSkating officially tweeted a reminder that tomorrow is annoucement day:

Have a great weekend everyone, remember, we'll have news on Monday about ISU Grand Prix Series assignments for the 2012-13 season. #BigNews
6:09 PM - 18 May 12

[ImaginaryPogue]

So soon? Whoa. Slipped my mind. In lieu of doing full write-ups for the men and dance, I'll just throw some general comments out there.

a) It'll be interesting to see which side of the divide TEB and NHK fall on re: their men. I suspect that Joubert will get CoC and TEB, leaving Amodio to go elsewhere, whereas Hanyu will get NHK.

b) I wonder which men will get the second and third host picks at Skate Canada. I hope Rogozine and Ten.

c) Skate America is potentially even more interesting re: host picks. Jeremy's likely, but who joins him? Evan and Jonny, providing a blast from the past? Ross, Josh or Jason - eyeing the future? A little of column A, a little of column B?

d) I'm very, very, very curious what SC does with dance. Nationals suggests we're gonna see G/P there. But does SC send W/P as well? Do they dismiss P/I that thoroughly? I think they do.