2014-15 Grand Prix assignments

[Mrs. P]

Is this PB, or SB?

Season's best.

 

[96skiluvr]

There's probably no way for a Russian sweep judging from this list. Maybe 5 could make it, though.

Does anyone know what Maria Zigalova and Egor Zakroev are doing?

Because of the male age rule reverting to 21, they'll likely stay in juniors for one last season (a good idea). Same goes for Fedorova/Miroshkin

 

[blackswanphoto]

Jeremy Abbott on the list? What the hell?

 

[karne]

Jeremy Abbott on the list? What the hell?

He did say he wouldn't decide until later in the summer.

I hope no-one misses out on extra assignments if he does withdraw late, though.

 

[Mrs. P]

The MEN!

Skate America
Machida (JPN) 282.26
Ten (KAZ) 255.10
Abbott (USA) 246.35
Brown (USA) 243.09
Besseghier (FRA) 224.19
Nguyen (CAN) 217.06
Pitkeev (RUS) 216.24
Hendrickx (BEL) 214.04
Gachinski (RUS) 211.49
Bychenko (ISR) 211.24
Martinez (PHI) 198.82
TBD

Comments: Machida should win here. On paper Ten should be second, but he's not an early season skater, so I'll say Ten, Abbott and Brown will battle for medals. Nguyen, Pitkeev and Besseghier are dark horses. Hard to say where Gachinski will be at this point. On paper he's down the list, but with a new coach (and Tat at that!) he should be in the dark horse category.

Skate Canada
Fernandez (ESP) 276.93
Mura (JPN) 252.56
Rippon (USA) 241.24
Aaron (USA) 238.36
Kozuka (JPN) 238.02
Menshov (RUS) 237.24
Brezina (CZE) 236.98
Majorov (SWE) 224.86
Reynolds (CAN) 222.23
Amodio (FRA) 213.39
Balde (CAN) 205.19
Firus (CAN) 169.67 (SC 2012; no SB available)

Comments: Fernandez by a lot unless he does one of his early season blunders (which is possible). Lots of contenders for medals: Mura, Rippon, Aaron, Kozuka, Menshov and Brezina.

Cup of China
Hanyu (JPN) 293.25
Kovtun (RUS) 247.37
Yan (CHN) 246.20
Liebers (GER) 239.87
Song (CHN) 236.09
Bush (RUS) 226.31 (Cup of Nice score)
Dornbush (USA) 224.44
Farris (CHN) 221.00
Nguyen (CAN) 217.06
Tanaka (JPN) 210.02
Ge (UZE) 203.26
Wang (CHN) 185.22

Comments: Hanyu for the landslide win. Kovtun and Yan will likely fight for 2nd and 3rd. Liebers, Song, Bush, Dornbush, Farris and Nguyen are dark horses.

Rostelecom Cup
Fernandez (ESP) 276.93
Voronov (RUS) 252.55
Brown (USA) 243.09
Aaron (USA) 238.36
Kozuka (JPN) 238.02
Brezina (CZE) 236.98
Carriere (USA) 225.54 (U.S. Int’l Classic score)
Majorov (SWE) 224.86
Righini (ITA) 213.09
Ten (CAN) 208.51
Kolyada (RUS) 201.26
TBD

Comments: Fernandez for the landslide here GPF slot. Voronov, Brown, Aaron, Kozuka and Brezina for medals.

Trophee Eric Bompard
Machida (JPN) 282.26
Ten (KAZ) 255.10
Kovtun (RUS) 247.37
Yan (CHN) 246.20
Rippon (USA) 241.24
Meshnov (RUS) 237.24
Song (CHN) 236.09
Dornbush (USA) 224.44
Besseghier (FRA) 224.19
Pitkeev (RUS) 216.24
Amodio (FRA) 213.39
TBD

Comments: Machida for the win and a GPF slot. Ten, Kovtun, Yan for medals. Rippon, Meshnov and Song dark horses.

NHK Trophy
Hanyu (JPN) 293.25
Mura (JPN) 252.56
Voronov (RUS) 252.55
Abbott (USA) 246.35
Liebers (GER) 239.87
Reynolds (CAN) 222.23
Farris (USA) 221.00
Guan (CHN) 214.26
Righini (ITA) 213.09
J.S. Kim (KOR) 202.80
Miner (USA) 196.89
TBD

Comments: Hanyu for the win and GPF slot. Mura, Voronov and Abbott fight over medals. Reynolds, Liebers and Farris are dark horses.

GPF picks: Hanyu, Machida and Fernandez should win both events easily. The other three slots are harder to determine. I'd say that top contenders would be Ten, Kovtun, Yan, Voronov, Mura, Brown, Abbott, Kozuka, Brezina. Basically a tossup.

 

[flying camel]

Why didn't Cesario get two spots. She did well in her assignments last year. It just does not seem fair. Where is Hannah Miller? Barbie Long? How long before we see them in seniors? They will be 25 before we see them. I thought Gao was focusing on Harvard. They could have given those spots to someone else. I'm not too thrilled with these assignments.

 

[bramweld]

I kind of doubt Coomes/Buckland are a threat. The new rule changes to put more emphasis on footwork really doesn't aid them.
If anyone jumps in front, I'd say Chock/Bates. The surprise would be Hawayek/Baker.
I'd love to see I/Z make podium and S/K not...

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, as much as their actions have left much to be desired. At the very least I hope this will be interesting. I also believe that H/B have the goods and the team to surprise many.

 

[nam57]

Even Caroline Zhang would have been better.

 

[nam57]

That's one of the lists marked with May 8th. Maybe she was a placeholder and got switched out and that's an old copy?
She did finish next to last at Nationals, and didn't have super stellar junior results either. I don't get why top ten finishers would get passed over for her...

Politics! Isn't she going to Harvard?

 

[chuckm]

I definitely think Canada should have picked Yulia if they had the ability to. Seems kinda short sighted to hurt ticket sales and exposure just to give Osmond a slightly better chance of winning.

YULIA picked the events she wanted. She already won SC last year, so on to something else.

Osmond will have enough of a problem trying to beat Pogo, Wagner and Miyahara.

 

[flutzy13]

Do you think Katelyn can win against Anna? I'm Canadian but I would still bet on Anna winning.

Pogo could skate like Worlds or skate like she did at Russian Nationals. I think Wagner has a fairly good shot at the wi and got really lucky with this assignment. Much luckier than say Edmunds who has to face Sotnikova and Gold at one event and Lip at her other one.

 

[anyanka]

YULIA picked the events she wanted. She already won SC last year, so on to something else.

Osmond will have enough of a problem trying to beat Pogo, Wagner and Miyahara.

Thanks for clarifying that the skaters have a choice of where to go. Clearly Yulia wants to win the whole series, and good on her for making it her goal! Agreed on Anna, Ashley and Satoko, that's the SC podium right there, assuming Alena doesn't sneak in for bronze.

 

[Krunchii]

SC is extremely weak for the ladies, I think they're setting up Kaetlyn to win (although Ashley should get almost-home cooking scores).

I don't think Kaetlyn has a chance of getting any higher than a bronze at SC unless Ashley Wagner and Anna mess up, Ashley has been consistent these past two seasons in the GP and Anna isn't going to let her guard down when there are lots of young Russians girls nipping at her heels. All of Ashley's scores this past season minus nationals have been higher than Kaetlyn's scores and same with Anna.

 

[waxel]

Elene GEDEVANISHVILI GEO.... to plow through another season?? Likewise Leonova.

Didn't know for sure Rippon was returning. Glad to see it. I just really
love his skating. Also glad to see Kozuka and Brezina continuing- didn't know their plans.

For a post Olympic year- it looks rather promising!

 

[nam57]

How the heck did Vanessa Lam get a GP assignment? Didn't she finish like next to last place at Nationals? Someone like Barbie Long or Hannah Miller should have gotten an invite before Lam. Heck i'd rather see someone like Mariah Bell get one before Lam.

Is Lam with Mark M now? Maybe that explains it?

 

[coolboogie22]

Interesting that USFS decide to put Polina, Mirai and Ashley in separate event each others.

 

[pangtongfan]

Thrilled with the assigments for Weaver & Poje. They practically get the gold just for showing up, even if they had a huge fall it couldnt prevent them losing either event given those lineups.

The best dance battle of the whole series will be Skate America with Chock & Bates vs Bobrova & Soloviev vs the Shibutanis.

Bad assignments for the other 2 Canadian teams. With Bobrova & Soloviev and Capellini & Lanotte both at Trophee Bompard the likelihood of either Gilles & Poirier or Paul & Islam making the grand prix final is almost nil. Even if either team are 2nd in their first event (which would already require for P&I beating the Shibutanis and the new Russian pair at China) the best either team could realistically do at Bompard is 3rd place which probably wont be enough for the final.

 

[IcyEdges]

He did say he wouldn't decide until later in the summer.

I hope no-one misses out on extra assignments if he does withdraw late, though.

Pretty sure he's all in at this point.

I'm also tired of hearing people whine about "people missing out on extra assignments because this and that"
If certain skaters wanted extra assignments they should have proved it with their skating last season.

 

[Mathman]

Interesting that USFS decide to put Polina, Mirai and Ashley in separate event each others.

Maybe it was because they wanted to make sure that Gracie got to skate against both Polina and Mirai.

 

[chuckm]

Thanks for clarifying that the skaters have a choice of where to go. Clearly Yulia wants to win the whole series, and good on her for making it her goal! Agreed on Anna, Ashley and Satoko, that's the SC podium right there, assuming Alena doesn't sneak in for bronze.

The top two seeds---Yulia and Pogo---had a choice of events. Yulia got first choice, then Pogo, then Gracie got what was left over.