I would not count on them retiring immediately even if they win gold. They have said absolutely nothing indicating any plans to retire and IIRC have sometimes hinted they plan not to. Of course, OGM may change everything.
I agree strongly with Mrs. P that I am beyond grateful they stayed in another quad this time, whatever their reasons. They have grown leaps and bounds over the past 4 years, really transforming themselves in many ways. 4 years ago they were on my radar, but almost grudgingly. Now, they are one of my top 10 favorite dance teams of all time.
I realized I never responded to your other post, but it's related to the post above so...
Even though the OGM is one of their key goals, I also get the sense they are having more fun and loving what they do more than ever. But every time I see them, they seem to exude so much joy. When they finish, aside from Charlie's asthma, you get the sense, they want to go back and do it all over again.
Even if they get the OGM out of the way, they may have other goals/aspirations/reasons that would lead them to staying for a year or two (or another quad).
On the other hand, I think they're also eager to graduate from college...they've been at it for seven years!
You should add Nathan Chen as well. He's very consistent and has well-designed COP programs. I don't think I've ever seen a skater who was as much of a dyed in the wool COP skater as him.
I believe Nathan will be old enough to compete in seniors in 2014-2015. And Vincent Zhou will be old enough in 2015-2016, though he would have been in seniors nationally this season had it not been for his injury.
Gosh 2018 Nationals is already looking to be brutal at this point. Same goes for 2016 and 2017! Here's hoping that we can get three spots back soon!