2015-2016 Ladies Power Rankings

[Daniel1998]

With the season fast approaching, I thought it might be a cool idea to do top 10 Power Rankings for the upcoming year. Post your top 10 going into the season for any discipline (do all 4 of them if you want!). I might even do a points-based tally right before the start of Skate America, and do a final post listing the collective power rankings for each discipline that would be entirely made up from your lists. Who do YOU guys as a whole favour most going into the season? Here's an example.

My Ladies' Power Rankings:

1. Mao Asada, Japan. She's rested and ready to win again. Currently, no one can touch her in program component scores. Skating skills, choreography, and interpretation should give her some wiggle room. And she might need all of that room, because her technical score is a question mark. Will she be ready early on in the season, or will she be rusty? How is her 3A looking? If she skates clean with a fully rotated triple axel, I don't think she's beatable. But if she can't find her consistency early, there is one lady in particular who will take advantage.

2. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Russia. She established herself as one of the best in the world this season, where she won Europeans and Worlds. Liza has a knockout triple axel, and equally impressive triple jumps and combos. She plans to have two 3As this year in the hopes of building up a big technical lead. Her program components are the question mark- will the return of Mao bump down her PC scores? I also worry about her new programs, and if the choreo will show off new sides of her personality. But how do you beat someone with two clean 3A's?

3. Satoko Miyahara, Japan. She has rather small jumps, but you can count on her to land a lot of them. Looks to be in mid-season form already, based off of a couple of performances I've seen. She has some of the best programs this year in the ladies field, and if she can work in her interpretation as the year goes by, she could see some good PC scores too. I'm watching her closely.

4. Gracie Gold, USA. Gracie, Gracie, Gracie. She was undone last year partly because of boring programs (IMO) and shaky jumps, especially her flip. She has some of the tightest jumps in the business, and there's so much potential there- she just hasn't unleashed it yet. We'll see if she can stay injury-free this year and finally podium on the world level. She is capable.

5. Ashley Wagner, USA. I think Ashley has rather maxed out her potential- she's not young anymore, and there's not really another big step for her to take. She's also keeping her long program, so we'll see a lot of the same from Ashley this season. She's still a contender when she's consistent, and she has great showmanship. If she can keep her jumps rotated and on the right edge, she's always a force.

6. Elena Radionova, Russia. It may be surprising to see the European silver medalist and World bronze medalist all the way in 6th, but she sort of disappeared under the shadow of Tuktamysheva late last season. Her programs this year are both ultra-sappy love songs, which is rather confusing. I wanted to see more sides of her this year. I'm curious to see how the judges score her.

7. Evgeniya Medvedeva, Russia. After an outstanding year in Junior competition, Medvedeva will turn senior this year and will bring her solid jumps with her. She had a huge 192 combined score at Junior Worlds, and I look for her to improve on her skating skills and interpretation this year, which will only help her score. She could be the breakout star of the season.

8. Polina Edmunds, USA. Polina won 4CC last year, which is undoubtedly a huge boost to her confidence. Early evidence suggests a more mature, sophisticated style of skating this year for Polina, and this could be her chance to prove that she is capable of getting to that top tier of skaters that has eluded her so far. If the jumps are there, she will catch a lot of people's eye.

9. Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russia. It almost pains me to put dear Yulia here, but after a rather dismal season, she's a huge question mark going into 2015-16. Her early videos are not exactly that promising in terms of jumps, and the programs are pretty, but lacking inspiration and passion. I'm still rooting for her, but would honestly be a bit surprised if she turned it around early on in the season.

10. Adelina Sotnikova, Russia. She took an entire season off after Sochi Gold, and I have no idea what to expect from her. She's at number 10, but I think she's a bit of a wild card. If she can jump consistently and keep the nice spin positions from a few years ago, and if she has improved on her skating skills and maturity, she could be a strong contender to medal in many competitions. It will be interesting, nonetheless, to see how the judges score her, especially on her PCs.

Honorable mentions: So Youn Park, Korea. Rika Hongo, Japan. Kaetlyn Osmond, Canada. Anna Pogorilaya, Russia. Zijun Li, China.

Hope to hear from a lot of you guys!

Link to DANCE power rankings: http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?56375-2015-2016-DANCE-Power-Rankings

Link to PAIRS power rankings: http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?56374-2015-2016-PAIRS-Power-Rankings

Link to MEN'S power rankings: http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?56373-2015-2016-MEN-S-Power-Rankings

 

[Mrs. P]

Oh that's a fantastic idea. Sort of like the AP Poll in college football! I like it. I can almost see us doing a week-to-week thing with this. I am at work, so will have to do my list later on.

 

[Layback11]

Fun!! I'll play!

1. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
Liza's won virtually everything there is to win (except the Olympics), has a fabulous 3A (and great other jumps to boot), and is scary consistent. But her new FS is an assault on my eyes.
What she's got going for her: fabulous jumps, 3A, freakish consistency, a solid reputation, and an okay SP
What she doesn't have going for her: poor spins, meh SS, bad choreography (noodle arms), an awful FS

2. Mao Asada
A seasoned veteran, well-known 3A-er, and a very popular sentimental favorite, I've met few internet people who don't like Mao. She's got a 3A that's excellent when clean, pretty good jumps in general, good spins, excellent artistry, and some of the best footwork sequences I've ever seen.
What she has going for her: a 3A, a very difficult 3-3 (3F-3Lo), great spins, quite artistic, very experienced, world record holder for the ladies SP
What she doesn't have going for her: a flutz, occasional URs, inconsistency

3. Gracie Gold
It's a gutsy move to be placing Gracie this high, but her previous performances this season-and vastly improved programs-make it a gamble I'm willing to take. She has the best 3Lz-3T in the field, and when she lands her other jumps, they're up there with the Lizas and Maos of the world. Her spins and SS are also excellent, and though she leaves many fans unsatisfied artistically, her programs are night-and-day better than her last set.
What she has going for her: excellent jumps, probably the best 3Lz-3T, good spins, some of the best SS in the field, and exponentially better programs
What she doesn't have going for her: insane headcasing , a lip, sometimes doesn't connect with the audience/judges/music (though the programs should help with that)

4. Satoko Miyahara
Skating's current "baby artiste", she reminds me of Yulia in that she is uncharacteristically artistic for her age and gained loads of adoring fans in a single season. A total surprise world silver medal and a win at Japanese Nationals has showed she can contend with anyone, even with her miniscule jumps.
What she has going for her: artistry, very well-choreographed programs, excellent spins, pretty good consistency
What she doesn't have going for her: tiny jumps, UR issues

5. Elena Radionova

Elena was the 2015 Russian Wunderkid Of The Year, and she doesn't seem to be slowing down. Her jumps aren't falling apart like many people expected them to, and though her programs are a little underwhelming, they're not atrocious. She's still an excellent spinner and ridiculously flexible, and her joyful skating helps her connect to the audience in a way no one else does.
What she has going for her: spins, pretty good jumps, very gutsy technical content, connection with the audience, consistency
What she doesn't have going for her: sloppy, sloppy, sloppy - that's all that needs to be said.

Honorable Mentions

6. Ashley Wagner, USA
7. Rika Hongo, Japan
8. Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russia
9. Polina Edmunds, USA
10. Evgenia Medvedeva, Russia
11. Adelina Sotnikova, Russia
12. Kanako Murakami, Japan

 

[andyjo24]

Thank you for starting this thread!

1. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
- Pros: Excellent jumping technique. 3A. And most importantly, consistency.
- Cons: Not showing a new style in terms of music, choreography, and costume. Limited ice coverage and not necessarily the fastest skater.

Overall, I will give her first due to her consistency and superb jumps.

2. Evgenia Medvedeva
- Pros: Unique, delicate style. Consistency. Tano ability.
- Cons: New to seniors. Not the best jumping technique. Needs to work on speed and SS. Too much tano-ing.

I will give Evgenia second due to her consistency recently as well as unique style. I have a feeling she will do extremely well despite it being her first season. I am not a fan of hers yet, but I gotta give it to her. This girl knows how to compete.

3. Mao Asada
- Pros: Mature, lovely skating. Lines and flexbility. 3A (when fully-rotated and landed). Reputation.
- Cons: Inconsistency. Not too sure how well she will come back. UR Problems. Edge problems.

I would give Mao 1st if she goes fully clean with her programs, but IMO, that is very unlikely. I am so happy she is coming back. Her skating is beautiful to watch as always.

4. Satoko Miyahara
Pros: Consistency. Good SS and musicality. Beautiful FS program this season. Reigning world silver medalist reputation boost.
Cons: Extremely small, prerotated jumps. Her skating looks small compared to other skaters.

I love Satoko's FS this season! It has so many nuances, and the music is beautifully peaceful. But I must say that her jumps have been preventing me from appreciating her fully. But due to her consistency, I will still give her a high placement.

5. Elena Radionova
Pros: Consistency. Fire in her skating. Excellent Biellmann.
Cons: Bad posture. Bad programs this season. Still gives a junior vibe.

Elena is so joyful, and I can definitely see that she loves to skate. She is also very consistent, which is a big plus. However, her programs suck this season, which is a minus.

Honorable Mentions

IMO, 6th to 12th place can vary greatly. However, this is my brief opinion.

6. Gracie Gold (Good jumps, but I'm placing her here due to severe headcasing problems, which I'm not too optimistic about...)
7. Ashley Wagner (Good presentation but not the best SS and jumps and tends to make mistakes in the biggest competitions)
8. Rika Hongo (Very consistent, but something seems to be lacking. Nonetheless, I definitely think she would get into the top 10).
9. Polina Edmunds (Consistent compared to other American skaters but has edge and UR problems, which I think will affect her).
10. Yulia Lipnitskaya (Nice spins and extremely nice SP, but I don't think her jumps are back, which will cause her serious problems in the FS. Her confidence in the 13-14 season has completely disappeared unfortunately).
11. So Youn Park (A huge question mark, but if she can find some consistency this season, she can be someone to watch out for. She has very solid jumping technique and musicality. All she needs to do is pull it together. She hasn't announced her music yet, but I did read that she will be using fierce, powerful music for the FS in order to showcase something completely different from the usual delicate style she has).
12. Adelina Sotnikova (It seems her artistry improved due to Dancing With The Stars, but it's too exaggerated for my taste. I would give her a -15 for the FS ending... I also don't think her jumps are completely back).

 

[Daniel1998]

Seems everyone is posting ladies' rankings so far!
Should I make separate threads for each discipline? What do you guys think?
And reminder to everyone to include your top 10 at least, as those are the only spots that will be counted toward the point total when I sum them up at the end!

 

[Mrs. P]

Seems everyone is posting ladies' rankings so far!
Should I make separate threads for each discipline? What do you guys think?
And reminder to everyone to include your top 10 at least, as those are the only spots that will be counted toward the point total when I sum them up at the end!

That's up to you -- it might be easier to keep it on one thread for your adding up purposes (and whether you want to keep track of 4 different threads to be more organized).

 

[Daniel1998]

That's up to you -- it might be easier to keep it on one thread for your adding up purposes (and whether you want to keep track of 4 different threads to be more organized).

Hmm, I think doing 4 separate threads will be more organized. I also worry that doing it on one thread will make it all about one specific discipline and not about the others. I'll post the others soon! Oh, and I'll also remind everybody that they don't have to post long explanations with their picks like we did. It might make more people want to participate.

 

[Layback11]

I will also do dance ones and maybe pairs ones once you decide how you want to format it.

 

[mrrice]

Did Elena Leonova Retire?? She didn't make a single list.

 

[Layback11]

Did Elena Leonova Retire?? She didn't make a single list.

Alena Leonova? No. She was at the test skates. She just hasn't been a world-class contender in several years (since 2012, I believe).

 

[Layback11]

Hmm, I think doing 4 separate threads will be more organized. I also worry that doing it on one thread will make it all about one specific discipline and not about the others. I'll post the others soon! Oh, and I'll also remind everybody that they don't have to post long explanations with their picks like we did. It might make more people want to participate.

True, but that's my favorite part. So I'll stick to it. Nobody else has to.

Actually, I only did that for my top 5, but the rest of the top 5 are below.

 

[Blades of Passion]

3. Gracie Gold
It's a gutsy move to be placing Gracie this high

She's the obvious #3. Particularly with Worlds in USA.

01. Mao Asada
02. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
03. Gracie Gold
04. Elena Radionova
05. Evgenia Medvedeva
06. Satoko Miyahara (she was rather lucky to get 2nd at Worlds; will continue to be a contender but I think Mao will put a shadow on her)
07. Rika Hongo (she's consistent and kept getting better throughout last season; will probably continue that this season and still get undermarked)
08. Ashley Wagner (the < calls will be her undoing, won't seem as fresh this season with a reused program, and I think she has a ton of pressure on her shoulders trying to make those jumps work and defend the National title)
09. Polina Edmunds
10. Yulia Lipnitskaya

 

[Layback11]

She's the obvious #3. Particularly with Worlds in USA.

01. Mao Asada
02. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
03. Gracie Gold
04. Elena Radionova
05. Evgenia Medvedeva
06. Satoko Miyahara (she was rather lucky to get 2nd at Worlds; will continue to be a contender but I think Mao will put a shadow on her)
07. Rika Hongo (she's consistent and kept getting better throughout last season; will probably continue that this season and still get undermarked)
08. Ashley Wagner (the < calls will be her undoing, won't seem as fresh this season with a reused program, and I think she has a ton of pressure on her shoulders trying to make those jumps work and defend the National title)
09. Polina Edmunds
10. Yulia Lipnitskaya

Gracie fans unite! #WeBelieveThatGracieWillWin #HatersGonnaHate :dance:

I honestly thought nobody else would say that but you did!

 

[Daniel1998]

Anyone know how I can change the title of this thread to Ladies only? I can't find the button.

 

[Layback11]

Anyone know how I can change the title of this thread to Ladies only? I can't find the button.

1. You could ask the mods; or
2. Go to "edit post" on the original post. The title will be one of the boxes you can edit.

 

[Daniel1998]

I changed the title but it doesn't appear to have changed in the topic list. Bummer. I'll create the other threads now.

 

[Layback11]

I changed the title but it doesn't appear to have changed in the topic list. Bummer. I'll create the other threads now.

Yay! I'll be checking up on the dance one!

Did you press "save changes"?

 

[Daniel1998]

Yes. It worked for the title of the actual post, but the thread seems to not know I changed the title.

 

[Barb]

I changed the title but it doesn't appear to have changed in the topic list. Bummer. I'll create the other threads now.

you should PM to some moderator for help.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Gracie fans unite!

Hehe, I'm not a fan of hers. I just think she will be better this season and the Frank Carroll politics will do its thing.