Ophir said:Stephane Lambiel seems like the only one here, and he will place most likely no better than third. Because on his combination jumps, he always hesitates in between the jumps, and he's wild and out of control at times; and the Chinese guy is not great. Good quads, but not much else.
As far as the ladies are concerned, Yukina Ota.
dewet said:I agree with Lambiel, but for Li, since when is 145.17 for a long program not a good score? He was just really, really, inconsistent. Sandhu was the only one who beat Plushenko under COP, so maybe he'll somehow get consistent.
Yukina Ota with cheated jumps? She's a great skater but I doubt she'll get far in COP.
Sandhu is brilliant and for a tall skater (6'0"), surprisingly light on his feet. No one, and I mean no one, has his balletic grace in men's skating. Only Rohene Ward comes close. And Johnny Weir. Eman is like a cat or something. I have read some things about his home life, and apparently has little contact with his family. I am wondering if he should switch coaches. I don't mean to play rinkside shrink, but his issues are mental, not athletic. Though, IMO, as a tall skater, he must focus more on his technique. Heck, he needs to focus period.Dee4707 said:I voted for Sandu. It is just my opinion, but if he gets consistent with his jumps----look out!!
Dee
I agree with you here. He says he wants to medal at the Olys in 2006, but the European pool of talent is quite deep, and he's eating sand for supper. He's a cute kid with some nice qualities on the ice, but I don't see him getting up into the top five unless he is willing to work real hard.berthes ghost said:Kevin Van Der Perren - I'm scepticle. At SLC he did two clean programs with a 3axel/3toe in both, and still ended up in 13th, behind all the ones who crashed and burned on quad attempts. Kevin's career, IMHO, is a struggle to stay in the top 10, a cusp he doesn't always bridge. Please don't take this as being mean, I'm a fan, but I'm also realistic.
I find her far more graceful than Arakawa or Ando, but without those triple-triples, no one will ever get a chance to look at her-the Japanese ladies are quite strong, maybe even stronger than the US ladies' team. I am so not a fan of the skating of Miki Ando, she seems quite rushed and awkward in her approach to skating.BigSk8Fan said:I think Ota has good in-between stuff, they will love her laybacks and Ina Bauers, but yes, she will have to work on the jumps.
shine said:I am wonderfing where is Joannie Rochette on the list. To me she looks like a bigger possiblity than any of those skaters listed, except for Lambiel, Kostner and Ando who ALREADY made top 5 at Worlds. She's only 18 and has perfect technique on just about everything; she's also improving at a very high rate, and she did come close - 8th at worlds.
Sandhu is the skater who *should* have made top 5 since forever. I love Yukina Ota, but as others have mentioned, we can't even be sure whether she'll place top 3 at her own nationals.
Ophir said:Stephane Lambiel seems like the only one here, and he will place most likely no better than third. Because on his combination jumps, he always hesitates in between the jumps, and he's wild and out of control at times;
As far as the ladies are concerned, Yukina Ota. .
BigSk8Fan said:I like Van Der Perren. I disagree with you, Ophir, when you say he has peaked. VDP has a clean cut, austere type of skating. Front loaded? What is wrong with getting the jumps out of the way so you can focus on skating? And he's a beautiful boy, with those sharp features, bushy eyebrows, blue eyes and red hair, and the 3-3-3. The Code of Points acknowledged this jump. I think he will do well.
As for the ladies, I think Ota has great potential. Phaneuf is also a lovely lady to watch on the ice. I really dislike Ando's skating. Kwan, Cohen and Arakawa are the only ladies I am concerned about for next season.
Ophir said:And what on earth does looking like a teen idol have to do with his abilities? I think you've got a crush on him and want him to do well, and that's fine. He doesn't need his "bushy eyebrows" or "red hair" to win top 5 placements, he needs ability. Plushenko, Joubert, Lambiel, Lindemann, Klimkin. They are all ahead of him in terms of ability, my dear. Without the jumps, I don't see him really succeeding. He still skates like a junior skater.
astarz41 said:No one was trashing KVP. You're the one doing the trashing re Plushy. It's a message board, you have to expect people to disagree with you. Riiight, "music and costume and body contortions" have almost as much to do with breaking into the top five as "bushy eyebrows and red hair."
astarz41 said:"Plushenko has built a reputation on his ugly skating. And most likely, he will win the gold medal next year and in Italy. I can't stand his mugging and his hideous costumes."
That's not nice. And umm yeah, I guess Plushy is pretty able.......