- Joined
- Aug 27, 2003
The ladies field is so strong right now, it's almost impossible to predict what will happen. But I'm going to go out on a limb and make some guesses.
1--Michelle Kwan. She was so brilliant at Nationals and has been training really hard. I expect her to skate well. And considering the depth of the field, she'll *need* to skate very well to win.
2--Elena Sokolova. If she skates anything like she did at Europeans, her triple/triples will propel her onto the podium. And she could very possibly win if Michelle doesn't skate well. Although I agree her artistry needs much improvement.
3--Fumie Suguri. After winning GP Final, she would seem a solid bet for third. But, she also lost Japanese nationals. If she skates well, she could get the bronze or silver; if not, could drop out of top five entirely.
4--Miki Ando. I think she could make a big splash if her jumps are there. But she could just as easily come in tenth or lower. A wild card.
5--Sasha Cohen. This is my "out-on-a-limb" comment, but here goes: In my heart, I think Sasha lost her best chance to grab the brass ring at Nationals this year. That LP performance was a disaster for her. I don't think her problems can be solved by any coach. As brilliant and lovely as she is, my instinct is that she will never win the big one. (Of course now, having said that, Sasha will probably go out, kick butt at Worlds, and prove me *completely* wrong!! And if she does, good for her.)
6--Shizuka Arakawa. I'm not as much of a fan as a lot of people seem to be. She has yet to actually win anything, so I don't see a podium finish for her at Worlds, unless everyone else collapses. She could well surprise and get up to third or fourth, though.
7--Jenny Kirk. I'm hoping she'll skate well, but agree she still lacks that killer presence and instinct. She's learned how to connect with the audience--now she must learn how to blow them away.
8--Julia Sebestyen. Great skater and has political momentum from Europeans. But her winning skate there was not particularly memorable.
9--Elena Liashenko. Solid performer, but not a medal contender.
10--Irina Slutskaya. I don't expect much out of Irina, considering she's been off ice all season. But past success and political clout should keep her in the top ten.
1--Michelle Kwan. She was so brilliant at Nationals and has been training really hard. I expect her to skate well. And considering the depth of the field, she'll *need* to skate very well to win.
2--Elena Sokolova. If she skates anything like she did at Europeans, her triple/triples will propel her onto the podium. And she could very possibly win if Michelle doesn't skate well. Although I agree her artistry needs much improvement.
3--Fumie Suguri. After winning GP Final, she would seem a solid bet for third. But, she also lost Japanese nationals. If she skates well, she could get the bronze or silver; if not, could drop out of top five entirely.
4--Miki Ando. I think she could make a big splash if her jumps are there. But she could just as easily come in tenth or lower. A wild card.
5--Sasha Cohen. This is my "out-on-a-limb" comment, but here goes: In my heart, I think Sasha lost her best chance to grab the brass ring at Nationals this year. That LP performance was a disaster for her. I don't think her problems can be solved by any coach. As brilliant and lovely as she is, my instinct is that she will never win the big one. (Of course now, having said that, Sasha will probably go out, kick butt at Worlds, and prove me *completely* wrong!! And if she does, good for her.)
6--Shizuka Arakawa. I'm not as much of a fan as a lot of people seem to be. She has yet to actually win anything, so I don't see a podium finish for her at Worlds, unless everyone else collapses. She could well surprise and get up to third or fourth, though.
7--Jenny Kirk. I'm hoping she'll skate well, but agree she still lacks that killer presence and instinct. She's learned how to connect with the audience--now she must learn how to blow them away.
8--Julia Sebestyen. Great skater and has political momentum from Europeans. But her winning skate there was not particularly memorable.
9--Elena Liashenko. Solid performer, but not a medal contender.
10--Irina Slutskaya. I don't expect much out of Irina, considering she's been off ice all season. But past success and political clout should keep her in the top ten.