Olympic dream team | Golden Skate

Olympic dream team

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
For ladies, I think our best hopes lie with Gold as breakout star if she is cool headed, she is podium material. Ashley if she ups the ante and she has a beautiful style. I think an SP that showcases speed and a 3x3 is needed. Also of course in the long. She has very detailed, very mature, nuanced expressions and she reminds me a lot of Kwan. While she can win domestically if Grace falters on the jumps, I think we have wild cards next year with junior skaters like Hicks-no style but a great athlete.

Agnes is going to put all she has out there to get the third spot. Her nerves have really been a disappointment. Sad. I am all for Gao under one condition, that she scales back her courses big time so that she is a full time skater starting this summer. She blossomed this year. Flatt, Alissa are done I guess. I still hope for Mirai. I like Angela Wang, and love Semantha Cesario. I'd love to see her on the team. She is so elegant. Why is she still doing Jr Wolds at 19? Her elegance draws me in. Ga0- I think 5th to 3rd will be very easy if she gets two good programs, or repeats this years-they were a great fit. Even if she kept one to make it easier. If she insists on keeping a full courseload, then, no, I am behind Agnes. It is now or never for her. Talent without confidence tho sadly does not cut it. Also, this will be Mirai's last Nationals unless she gets a spot, I'm sure. Can you easily recall Mirai in 2010. I love watching her perform. The confidence is not there. I think it never will be. Zhang is very positive girl but her slow, poor basic skating has been sad to watch, tho I admire all she did with the Oppegards.

We may have a third spot, but who is worthy?
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Gao has been screwed over too many times and was in a HUGE way this year. I think and hope she gets it, and she fully deserves it if she does.
 

evangeline

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Well, you said "DREAM"

US, ladies:
Wagner, Gold, Nagasu

US, men:
Abbott, Brown

Japan, men:
Takahashi, Hanyu, Kozuka

Japan, ladies:
Asada, Suzuki, Murakami

Russia, ladies:
Sotnikova, Tutktamysheva

Russia, men:
Menshov
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
USA:

Ladies: Gold, Nagasu, Miller
Realistic: Gold, Wagner, Czisny

Men: Farris, Dornbush
Men: Aaron, Farris

Pairs: Denney/Coughlin, Denney/Frazier
Realistic: Denney/Coughlin, Castelli/Shnapir

Ice Dance: Davis/White, Chock/Bates, Aldridge/Eaton
Realtic: Davis/White, Chock/Bates, Hubbell/Donohue

RUSSIA:
Ladies: Lipnitskaya, Tuktamysheva
Realistic: Sotnikova, Tuktamysheva

Men: Plushenko
Realistic: Plushenko

Pairs: Volosozhar/Trankov, Bazarova/Larionov, Fedorova/Miroshkin ( long shot will probably stay Juniors next Season )
Realistic: Volosozhar/Trankov, Bazarova/Larionov, Kavaguti/Smirnov

Ice Dance: Bobrova/Soloviev, Ilinykh/Katsalapov, Stepanova Bukin
Realistic: Bobrova/Soloviev, Ilinykh/Katsalapov, Stepanova Bukin

JAPAN:
Ladies: Mao, Kanako and Miki
Realistic: Mao, Kanako and Miki ( If she returns, Suzuki will be dumped immediately )

Men: Yuzuru Hanyu, Daisuke Takahashi, Takahito Kozuka
Realistic: Hanyu, Takahashi, Machida

Pairs: ? Takahashi with new Partner
same

Ice Dance : Reeds
same
 

FTnoona

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 26, 2009
USA:

Ladies: Gold, Nagasu, Miller
Realistic: Gold, Wagner, Czisny


JAPAN:
Men: Yuzuru Hanyu, Daisuke Takahashi, Takahito Kozuka
Realistic: Hanyu, Takahashi, Machida

I don't think the US would put Czisny back on the team after her horrendous showing at '12 Worlds. May I ask why you think Machida is the realistic choice over Kozuka? I don't think Kozuka's lost to Machida this season. Kozuka has a quad, unreliable it might be, but he's landed in competition before.

US Ladies Dream Team: Mirai, Gao, anyone else. Gao b/c she's been held back so often and who doesn't like to cheer for the underdog? She made the GPF this year and was still passed over at nationals so maybe with the three spots she might have a chance. I have a soft spot for Mirai and hope that she can get her stuff together and be healthy for nationals. IMO, if she could at least get some emotion into her skating, it would make her programs that much better even with the under rotation calls.
 

vera01

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
Russia

Ladies:Tuktamysheva and Sotnikova. I'm not sure about Lipnitskaia..
Men:plushenko or Menshov
Ice Dance:B/S, I/K and maybe, S/Z. I'm not sure if Stepanova/Bukin would do well with Finnstep SD-even top teams like Virtue/Moir, Domnina/Shabalin, Davis/White weren't so lucky with Finnstep back in 08-09 season, and Stepanova/Bukin are nowhere near the level of 08-09 Domnina/Shabalin and Virtue/Moir. Although they did score 64 for their SD at Jr.Worlds, Blues was used as a pattern dance this year for juniors and Finnstep is a much harder pattern dance IMO. I doubt they'd be inside top 10 at the Olympics next year-I think either 2018 or 2022 would be their main goal.
Pairs:V/T definitely is a lock. They're the strongest pair team this season, and they might even be considered to be unbeatable.

USA
Ladies:Gold and Wagner deserves to go, unless they have to face some serious injury. They brought 3 spots for USA, and they're also the one of the strongest skaters that US has. As for the third spot-I think it's for Gao or Zawadzki. Flatt and Nagasu already had their chance in 2010,(and I don't think Flatt would come back) and I doubt US would be happy to send Nagasu again, unless she proves that she can be a contender.
Men:Aaron and Abbott or Farris.
Ice Dance:D/W, C/B and S/S. A/E might sneak in for the third spot, but again, next season's SD pattern dance is Finnstep. I doubt any of the new teams would be lucky with their SD next season.
Pairs:D/C? I'm not really sure about pairs..

JAPAN
Ladies:Asada, Suzuki, and Murakami. Ando, although she's a two-time world champion, skipped two seasons already. Yuna was successful with her comeback, but Ando is not Yuna-I doubt she'll be a medal contender by Sochi. Suzuki wasn't so lucky at this year's Worlds, but still, she's a nice performer and I'd love to see her at the Olympics.
Men:Takahashi, Hanyu, Mura or Kozuka.
Ice Dance:Reeds.
Pairs:New pair team, if they manage to get one spot for the Olympic Games.
 

Reginald

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
USA
Ladies: C. Zhang, Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner
Men: Max Aaron, Adam Rippon

Japan
Men: Oda, Takahashi, Hanyu
Ladies: Murakami, Asada, Suzuki

Russia
Ladies: Tutk, Sotn
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I'm going with Evangeline's picks:

US, ladies:
Wagner, Gold, Nagasu
US, men:
Abbott, Brown


Men - no Dornbush. No Miner.

But Gold and Wagner are interchangeable. I think Ashley needs to put more heart into her skating. She's well-trained but it always looks like she's just running through her program - if that makes sense. I dont' get the same excitement I do when watching Gracie. I would LOVE for Mirai to get her act together. She's a beautiful skater, great rotation, beautiful spins and in the field moves..... I will be disappointed if Alissa is given yet another chance and I don't "get" Gao.

I would like to see the two Denney girls and their partners as our reps for Pairs.

One minor thought on the men. I'm still a big Adam Rippon fan and I think his freeskate at Nationals this year was such a departure for him and he did a great job. If he hadn't blown it in the short I think he could have been a strong contender. He has the jumps, the speed, the panache....just needs to put it together. I do love Jason Brown and I could see him medaling but he has alot of work to do this year.

Not making any predictions on the Japanese or Russians. Canadian Nationals ought to be very interesting this year.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Russia


Ice Dance:B/S, I/K and maybe, S/Z. I'm not sure if Stepanova/Bukin would do well with Finnstep SD-even top teams like Virtue/Moir, Domnina/Shabalin, Davis/White weren't so lucky with Finnstep back in 08-09 season, and Stepanova/Bukin are nowhere near the level of 08-09 Domnina/Shabalin and Virtue/Moir. Although they did score 64 for their SD at Jr.Worlds, Blues was used as a pattern dance this year for juniors and Finnstep is a much harder pattern dance IMO. I doubt they'd be inside top 10 at the Olympics next year-I think either 2018 or 2022 would be their main goal.

its a moot point but if S/B stay juniors again the only explaination would be right timing after 2014 where most dancers are retired
but we won't know if they will struggle with finnsteps until they have them, they have a better shot at an Olympics post than say R/T who are stagnant even with the help of Igor, S/Z arr longshots not until they leave Kustarova
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Here's my dream team:

Mirai
Gracie
Ashley

I'm putting Mirai first because my dream would be that she would come back so strong as to win nationals and give the federation no choice but to send her and the naysayers no choice but to root for her.
 
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