- Joined
- Feb 27, 2009
Well, my hopes and favorites:
Ladies
Mirai Nagasu, I really like her, but she has a lot of work with her jumps (I know, at the Olympics she didn't get any downgrades, but the judges were really kind there, even Flatt got credit for her obviously underrotated 3Lz) As for American juniors... Gao is too sloppy and Zawadzki is too slow. Baga is good, but jumps aren't there yet. So maybe Wagner will be one to watch too.
Kanako Murakami, she is really good, but... Not the best technique, no loop and a huge flutz. I'm just not sure about her. I think Mao will be the best japanese lady.
The Russians: too many of them now (10 or more girls with all triples and most also have 3-3) and it's hard to say who will be successful as a senior, but my hopes are:
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. Textbook jumps, perfect 3Lz-3T and she was seen doing clean 3A. Also nice musicality, lovely arms and good skating skills. Needs to work on her flexibility, but it's getting better every season.
Julia Lipnitskaya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOyZc7Wur8
She is the youngest and will be eligible for seniors only in 2013-2014 season, but she already one of the best. All tripes, 3T-3T and 2A-3T-2T combos, crazy flexibility (better than Zhang) and excellent spins (better than Czisny). She has it all to become a new skating star and the only thing she needs to fix is a flutz.
Ksenia Makarova, but she needs 3Lz and maybe a more difficult 3-3.
The young Koreans. Min-Jung Kwak impressed me this season, she has all the chances. And also 12 y.o. National champion Hae-Jin Kim
Men
Takahiko Kozuka. I like him sooo much! He has it all!
Fernandez, Brezina, Rippon, Borodulin all have great potential.
Chan. And I hope Joubert will stay for Sochi, he is one of my favorite!
As for juniors, Yuzuru Hanyu and Nan Song really impressed me.
Pairs
S/S, P/T, K/S if they all stay around.
Volosozhar/Trankov will be really strong and hard to beat if everything goes well.
Bazarova/Larionov. I hope Vera's jumps will be better, they already have everything else
Baby Chinese also
Dance
V/M, D/W and also:
Samuelson/Bates have great potential and I hope new coaches will help them.
Bobrova/Soloviev. At Worlds only 3 teams got level 4 for all of their elements in the OD and the FD: V/M, D/W and this young Russian team. Way to go!
And of corse Ilinykh/Katsalapov! It was hard to believe that they are only juniors and that it was their first JGP season and the first Junior Worlds! And the scores were huge!
Ladies
Mirai Nagasu, I really like her, but she has a lot of work with her jumps (I know, at the Olympics she didn't get any downgrades, but the judges were really kind there, even Flatt got credit for her obviously underrotated 3Lz) As for American juniors... Gao is too sloppy and Zawadzki is too slow. Baga is good, but jumps aren't there yet. So maybe Wagner will be one to watch too.
Kanako Murakami, she is really good, but... Not the best technique, no loop and a huge flutz. I'm just not sure about her. I think Mao will be the best japanese lady.
The Russians: too many of them now (10 or more girls with all triples and most also have 3-3) and it's hard to say who will be successful as a senior, but my hopes are:
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. Textbook jumps, perfect 3Lz-3T and she was seen doing clean 3A. Also nice musicality, lovely arms and good skating skills. Needs to work on her flexibility, but it's getting better every season.
Julia Lipnitskaya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pOyZc7Wur8
She is the youngest and will be eligible for seniors only in 2013-2014 season, but she already one of the best. All tripes, 3T-3T and 2A-3T-2T combos, crazy flexibility (better than Zhang) and excellent spins (better than Czisny). She has it all to become a new skating star and the only thing she needs to fix is a flutz.
Ksenia Makarova, but she needs 3Lz and maybe a more difficult 3-3.
The young Koreans. Min-Jung Kwak impressed me this season, she has all the chances. And also 12 y.o. National champion Hae-Jin Kim
Men
Takahiko Kozuka. I like him sooo much! He has it all!
Fernandez, Brezina, Rippon, Borodulin all have great potential.
Chan. And I hope Joubert will stay for Sochi, he is one of my favorite!
As for juniors, Yuzuru Hanyu and Nan Song really impressed me.
Pairs
S/S, P/T, K/S if they all stay around.
Volosozhar/Trankov will be really strong and hard to beat if everything goes well.
Bazarova/Larionov. I hope Vera's jumps will be better, they already have everything else
Baby Chinese also
Dance
V/M, D/W and also:
Samuelson/Bates have great potential and I hope new coaches will help them.
Bobrova/Soloviev. At Worlds only 3 teams got level 4 for all of their elements in the OD and the FD: V/M, D/W and this young Russian team. Way to go!
And of corse Ilinykh/Katsalapov! It was hard to believe that they are only juniors and that it was their first JGP season and the first Junior Worlds! And the scores were huge!