Controversial Team Selections

[Sylvia]

FYI, here were the top 2 Senior Men's results at 2008 Italian Nationals (Dec. 2007): http://www.italianifigura2008.it/protocollo.html
1 Samuel Contesti 198.98 2 1
2 Karel Zelenka 190.77 1 2

ETA: Refer to post #21 in this thread :

Edited to add: Contesti did, however, receive permission to compete in Italian Nationals. He won, and is now the Italian men's champion.

 

[Buttercup]

Thanks, Sylvia, I did not know that (didn't notice it in Mathman's post). That does lend some support to Chuckm's argument. Certainly better to have the facts! I'll be interested to see how things turn out next year.

 

[TtonyV7]

2000 Worlds:
Volchokova over Soldatova for World Team. Soldatova, the reigning World Bronze Medalist had a decent GP Season, Made it to the GPF where she finish a respectable 4th behind Slutskaya, Kwan, and Butyrskaya. Skated a well at nationals, but of course politics had her off the World Team. That rattle her skating for ever, and her move to Belarus pretty much ruin her career. Very promising skater....

1999 Worlds:
Volchokova over Slutskaya for Europeans and Worlds. Umm, yes, indeed is was a transition season for Slutskaya, but she did win the Bronze at the GPF and performed well at nationals. Consolation, being off the world team did make her work harder the next season, and it payed off!

1998 Worlds:
Amber Corwin could have gone to worlds. But USFSA did not invite her to. Remember, Lipinski was gone, Bobek Injured, and Nikodinov was in Bulgaria. So the next placement was Corwin. Weak field that year, Corwin would have had a chance to break into the top ten.

 

[chuckm]

1998 Worlds:
Amber Corwin could have gone to worlds. But USFSA did not invite her to. Remember, Lipinski was gone, Bobek Injured, and Nikodinov was in Bulgaria. So the next placement was Corwin. Weak field that year, Corwin would have had a chance to break into the top ten.

Tonia Kwiatkowski finished 4th at 1998 Nationals and she went to Worlds, where she finished 6th. The US had three places for 1998 Worlds, but unfortunately, the US had only included Tonia K as an alternate when they sent their list to the ISU (they had not expected Bobek to retire). That was why 5th place Nikodinov could not go to Worlds that year. Corwin wouldn't have been under consideration at all.

It was for 2002 Worlds that Nikodinov was in Bulgaria. After the Olympics, Sarah Hughes said she was going to go to Worlds and represent her country, and that seemed to be the case all the way up to 2 weeks before Worlds, when Hughes suddenly announced she was too tired from the whirl of red carpet events to attend Worlds. The USFS tried to locate Nikodinov, to no avail, so Jenny Kirk went instead. But Jenny injured herself during the SP and withdrew.

 

[gkelly]

Bobek didn't retire before 1998 Worlds -- she competed on the Grand Prix in fall 1998 (her most successful Grand Prix season, as a matter of fact) and intended to compete at 1999 Nationals but withdrew due to illness. She just withdrew from Worlds.

1998 was the year that the USFSA couldn't contact Nikodinov in Bulgaria -- she was a registered alternate that year. There were only the two, though, Kwiatkowski and Nikodinov, so when two spots opened up and only one of the alternates was available, the other spot had to be left unused.

Didn't Nikodinov have a shoulder injury after 2002 Nationals and that's why she wasn't available for Worlds that year?