Vikki Volchkova has been withdrawn from Lalique, which was her non-scoring event. I guess given her total 5 points from her previous events, the chance of her being a spoiler at Lalique wasn't likely.
One thing about Vikki is that you NEVER know what to expect from her. She can play a zamboni one day, and be magnificent the next. Plus, she is probably adjusting to her new coach now -- she has switched to Chaikovksaya, former Butyrskaya's coach. Chaykovskaya, a legendary dance coach, now coaches many of the elite Russian ladies, which I really do not understand -- with the exception of Maria, none of them seem to really improve with her.
Too bad. VV made great strides last year, with two Grand Prix medals (gold and bronze) and her best finish ever at Worlds. In the '01-'02 season, she won a silver and a bronze at the Grand Prix and just missed the final. This Grand Prix was her worst ever.
Maybe it's a case of too many coaches in too few years.
I just noticed for the first time that Gusmeroli, who was scheduled to skate in Trophee Lalique is out. Does anyone know when she dropped out and/or why?
France never seems to run out of ladies. So many ladies, some of them end up in pairs because of so many ladies, and you'd think with that many ladies, one will make an impact, but the only one who's had much of an impact recently is Surya Bonaly. Marie-Pierre Leray, Fannie Cagnard, Laetitia Hubert, Gwennaele Julien, and others have this beautiful, almost Julia Ormond-esque presence, yet they have trouble putting it together.