Assignments for Canada 2023-24

[haribobo]

I am curious where you see Canada assigning its skaters in the fall of 2023. This year Skate Canada ended up relinquishing a pairs and woman spot at Skate Canada and then found skaters like Fiona, Spence, and Proft/Nadeau unable to even be listed as 4cc Alternates. Matthew Newnham, Matthew Markell, and Amy Shao Ning Yang all medaled at Challenge (along with Fiona) and also found themselves with no or very meager opportunities internationally thus far. I understand the injury for Gabby and disappearance/retirements of Bausback, Schumacher, Phan, Nguyen, Mallet, Long, MT/M, and delayed start of P/N and split of Walsh/Michaud left SC a little flat-footed to start the season. It seems like US is quicker to turn the page when its stars retire whereas Canada just throws up their hands and says "nope, we have nobody" when actually there is some talent lurking in the shadows.

Here is how I would assign singles, based on current scenarios.

GP spots based on score/rank assuming decent finishes at 4cc/Worlds/Jr Worlds

MEN- Orzel, Gogolev, Chiu, Sadovsky
WOMEN- Schizas, Ruiter (only having 2 here in a non-Russia world is quite a sadness)
PAIRS- S/D, M/M, L/E, P/M
DANCE- G/P, FB/S, L/L, S/F, B/B

Skate Canada assignments (if they are smart enough to assign the skaters who need it for the 2 spots not reserved for their star or whatever)
MEN- Circelli, Newnham
WOMEN- Fiona, Dupuis (with some consideration for Pereira, Miclette, and Spence based on how this summer goes)
PAIRS- Proft/Nadeau, Derenisky/Eberl
DANCE-Bashynska/Beaumont, Makita/Gunara

 

[4everchan]

This topic has been discussed a lot in the Skate of the Nations thread but it may be better as its own thread indeed. Thanks for starting the discussion, though it may be a bit early still.

Skate Canada has minimum scores requirements to be reached before they assign skaters to international events.
The problem is that how can these skaters reach these scores if they do not compete

Canada had tons of dance teams assigned this year...many more than you have listed.
Pairs, they all competed except for Proft-Nadeau who actually missed their two first events due to injury.. If they had competed then, and they may have reached their minimum score and received an assignment. (Caidence and Raine were off radar.. they competed in juniors, disappeared and just reappeared.. they are exciting to watch... let's see... Matte-Ferland have had to w/d from 2 GPs ... injuries)

I think Skate Canada is doing fine with pairs and dance but could do trust their women better. Men, they need competition experience but I do not blame them too much, quite a few of them were sent out.

The real loser for this year is Fiona. I am pretty sure they will send her too a spring Senior B so she can get her minimums for next year. She was sent out but in the junior division.

I don't believe Lia will keep competing in women singles... but I may be wrong. This year, she already had her programs and season laid out for singles... but we will se next year. She may have kept her options open this season to see if really, she wanted to commit to pairs.
Considering many more women have better jumping arsenals at this point, she may decide to focus but clearly, I am not in her head and I have no clue.

Matthew Newnham deserves some opportunities. I am not sure Matt Markell will get any without even a 3a, let alone the quads.

Medland Spence or Tobin.. I don't see them personally as international contenders yet, compared to Schizas, Ruiter, Dupuis, Miclette and Bombardier.

Hetty Shi is still young and will probably stay junior (probably has to stay junior) but Rose Théroux is a bit older if I recall... she has a full set of triples and is quite ambitious in her layout.. I hope she gets some assignments.

In any case, we certainly will find out much more about this in a few months when 4CC, Worlds and WTT are over with.