Who are your Top 10 skaters competing this year?

[Figureskating]

1. Kiira Korpi
2. Javier Fernandez
3. Yusuru Hanuy
4. Volosozhar/Trankov
5. Gracie Gold
6. Polina Edmunds
7. Ashley Wagner
8. Tatsuki Machida
9. Han Yan
10. Stolbova / Klimov

Who I miss the most: Daisuke Takahashi!!!!

 

[RABID]

Why would anyone need to justify why they are interested in any particular skater? The whole point surely is to state personal interest - not which skaters are most likely to succeed. Why should one need to justify one's personal preference? It's like saying: how can you say you enjoy this particular food - you must justify yourself!

How about I like hot dogs because they were always a treat for me. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with the idea of this thread. It's just the lists by themselves are boring. It's like saying I like black and white without giving any reason for why I might like black and white. I'm not looking for arguments; just a little more to chew on. Why is that such a bad thing?

 

[ice coverage]

I only started this thread as a time filler until the Senior Season started up. There was no particular aim other than to see who people would be watching for this year, for whatever reason, favorite, rising star, casual interest. But you can add your list with detailed reasons if you like, that would be interesting for sure.

... I'm not looking for arguments; just a little more to chew on. Why is that such a bad thing?

It's not such a bad thing, RABID.
BUT also not such a bad thing is/was the establishment of this thread as a home for un-annotated lists -- with the option of offering one's reasoning.

 

[AprilS]

How about I like hot dogs because they were always a treat for me. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with the idea of this thread. It's just the lists by themselves are boring. It's like saying I like black and white without giving any reason for why I might like black and white. I'm not looking for arguments; just a little more to chew on. Why is that such a bad thing?

That's certainly a very interesting idea, RABID, and I'm also interested in any little blurb posters might put beside their top skaters, but I do think that your original post could have been phrased a tad bit better... as it was, it came off a little... rude? (at least to me, even if that wasn't the intention, sorry). I also think that it's nice to just have people posting who they are looking forward to without having to justify anyting. In any case, I do want to hear more people's opinions on their top skaters, so here's my original post with some explanations:

Hanyu (can he repeat his success, or will OGM pressure take over? I mean, when was the last time a singles OGM participated in the following GPS? (and says he plans a full four more years) Also I'm a huge fan)
Fernandez (can he win GPF? also I <3 him)
Lipnitskaya (will the little miss badass win worlds this time? or will the puberty monster take over? Also, I'm hoping her 2A will improve. She's my favourite ladies skater right now.)
Murakami (I admit I was looking forward to her a lot more before her free skate was unveiled )
Edmunds (how much will she improve, and will she over take Gold this year for numero uno american lady?)
Machida (flash-in-the-pan? Will he give Hanyu a run for his money this year? can he win nationals?)
Miyahara (how much will she improve, and will she get her jumps more than a few centimeters off the ice? (I hope so!))
Wagner (can she keep up with the young'uns? I like her sass)
Liebers (loved him at the olys! )
Osmond (welp, now she's injured so... but hey, gotta cheer for my Canadian lady! )

 

[silverfoxes]

How about I like hot dogs because they were always a treat for me. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with the idea of this thread. It's just the lists by themselves are boring. It's like saying I like black and white without giving any reason for why I might like black and white. I'm not looking for arguments; just a little more to chew on. Why is that such a bad thing?

Ok, I'm going to redo my list because after watching a few competitions and learning more about programs, my interest has waned in a few people & increased in others.

1. Artur Gachinski - I'm curious how he has changed after switching coaches & he had a very good start at the Russian qualifiers - I think he could have a great season & would love to see him triumph over Kovtun.
2. Yuzuru Hanyu - is an explanation necessary? I'm afraid I will hate his POTO program since hearing more details, though. :no:
3. Javier Fernandez - really liked what I saw at the Japan Open (errors notwithstanding)
4. Adian Pitkeev - interested to see how he will do as a senior; love his style and his programs
5. Sergei Voronov - a perpetual dark horse - I like him as a person and I love his short program...the long one is growing on me
6. Konstantin Menshov - I have to root for anyone doing what he does at 31 - I like underdogs, what can I say. Again, I like his programs
7. Michal Brezina - never was a huge fan, but he seems to have matured a lot; I like his programs
8. Liza Tuktamysheva - see below
9. Elena Radionova - I generally don't get too invested in the ladies, but Liza and Elena are very exciting to me, full of personality, and I love their programs (do you see a trend here?)
10. Kevin Reynolds - can't wait to see his Zelda program; hope for more consistency because he's unique and very interesting when he's "on"

 

[matmuh]

10 skater is not enough!!
1. Yuzuru Hanyu- cause he is amazing?
2. Javier Fernandez- cause apart from his talent he is great guy and he needs good results
3. Denis Ten- i want to see if he can continue his olyimpic success
4. Jason Brown- great artistry, hope he can back it up with his tech although he has no quad yet
5. Misha Ge- cause he is a little crazy
6. Satoko Miyahara- i feel like she has more prmise than other japan ladies when it comes to technique and consistency
7. Miyabi Oba- she isnt necessarily in my top 10 skaters but she seems to have 3A, i wanna see how she will do
8. Haruka Imai- she doesnt have technical consistency yet but she seems so humble,and i love that about her (plus her smile so sincere, you wanna be friends with her )
9. So Youn Park- her 2014 worlds free program was amazing, she needs harder combinatins but i love her and she also seems so humble (i admit i have a thing for humble people )
10. Mirai Nagasu- ahhhh her spins, if only she could be more consistent with jumps and ur problems

 

[LRK]

How about I like hot dogs because they were always a treat for me. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem with the idea of this thread. It's just the lists by themselves are boring. It's like saying I like black and white without giving any reason for why I might like black and white. I'm not looking for arguments; just a little more to chew on. Why is that such a bad thing?

That's not a bad thing. However, your first post did not merely suggest that you would enjoy reading people's reasoning - you basically demanded that people "justify" themselves. That's another thing entirely. But if this is what you meant, then, yes, I can see why it could be fun to read why people enjoy certain skaters and why they are interested in them.

I do think that one advantage to people only stating their lists without motivation, is that thread has been singularly free of argument and recrimination caused by people questioning and putting down each other's favourites. There is plenty of space in the rest of the forum to argue about taste. Maybe you could start a thread of your own that is tailored to the particular discussion you want to see? And I don't mean that in the "Oh, yeah, why don't you start a thread of your own then, huh?" sense - I mean it in all seriousness. It could be an interesting thread.

 

[starlight97]

I've posted my list some time ago and many things have changed since then so I thought, since it's still off season I'm gonna redo it (and add RABID's suggestion since I like it)

1. Yulia Lipnitskaya (Favorite female. Can she be as successful as last season, meaning how big of a factor did the Schindler's List program choice and the Olympic motivation play in it. And can she win Worlds and Nationals?)
2. Adelina Sotnikova (Can she in any way come anywhere near her Sochi results again? Will she be more consistent? I like her programs this year)
3. Yuzuru Hanyu ( Because he's a phenomenon and the best that Male Skating has to offer right now. Can he keep up this amazing skating? How will his injury affect him?)
4. Javier Fernández (Cause I always find myself rooting for him. He's so entertaining and I think he can develop even further)
5. Elena Radionova (She is an outstanding performer. Her programs IMO are the best among the Russians this season. Can she get herself ahead of Yulia and Adelina? (which I almost fear for Yulia she could) )
6. Gracie Gold (Can she finally skate 2 completely clean programs? I want her to remain the US #1 and I think, when clean, she is the only one who could keep up with the Russian girls)
7. Elena Ilinykh/Ruslan Zhingashin (How will they look together?Can they (please) beat their ex-partners at CoR and ... you know at best at every competition )
8. Xenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov (They, especially her, were clearly not satisfied when they saw they were in 2. at Worlds. They want more, they are young, they are strong and they are consistent. Can they touch Volosozhar/Trankov at some point?)
9. Serafima Sakhanovich (I love her skating style. She looks luke a 22 year old in a 14? year old body. Her LP is amazing. Can she make the podium at Russian Seniors?)
10. Ashley Wagner + Volosozhar/Trankov (Cause I love watching them )

 

[TMC]

That's not a bad thing. However, your first post did not merely suggest that you would enjoy reading people's reasoning - you basically demanded that people "justify" themselves. That's another thing entirely. But if this is what you meant, then, yes, I can see why it could be fun to read why people enjoy certain skaters and why they are interested in them.

I do think that one advantage to people only stating their lists without motivation, is that thread has been singularly free of argument and recrimination caused by people questioning and putting down each other's favourites. There is plenty of space in the rest of the forum to argue about taste. Maybe you could start a thread of your own that is tailored to the particular discussion you want to see? And I don't mean that in the "Oh, yeah, why don't you start a thread of your own then, huh?" sense - I mean it in all seriousness. It could be an interesting thread.

:agree:

This is the reason I have enjoyed this thread so much, so far :yes:

 

[gravy]

• Yulia Lipnitskaya: Was her success last year only due to the nature of her programs and her young age?
• Liza Tuktamysheva: Curious to see if she's back to challenge for the top among the best in the world.
• Javier Fernandez: Favorite male skater right now. Humorous, humble, and entertaining.
• Anna Pogorilaya: She likely deserved a bronze in Saitama and I'm curious to see why she's not being seen as a threat in the Russian field.
• Adelina Sotnikova: Was Sochi a fluke? How will she handle the pressure of being the reigning OGM?
• Park So-Youn: Loved her Saitama SP and LP. Excited to see if she can produce programs of that caliber again.
• Gilles/Poirier: I have a crush on Poirier and his tweets are hilarious. And his programs with Gilles are very interesting and fun to see.
• Ilinykh/Zhiganshin: I guess this kind of goes hand-in-hand with Katsalapov and his partner. A true pistols at dawn showdown when they compete against each other!
• Jeremy Abbott: Just curiosity mostly. I know I'm horrible, but... will he deliver or will he implode again?
• Yuzuru Hanyu: Very nearly off my list because his music choices are bland. Love Chopin, but PotM?... especially after R&J... twice? Fantastic TES though.

 

[senatormls]

Thanks for the update! That's a bummer and a good get well soon wish goes out to her. Just when she is about to really break out.

 

[Mrs. P]

That's not a bad thing. However, your first post did not merely suggest that you would enjoy reading people's reasoning - you basically demanded that people "justify" themselves. That's another thing entirely. But if this is what you meant, then, yes, I can see why it could be fun to read why people enjoy certain skaters and why they are interested in them.

I do think that one advantage to people only stating their lists without motivation, is that thread has been singularly free of argument and recrimination caused by people questioning and putting down each other's favourites. There is plenty of space in the rest of the forum to argue about taste. Maybe you could start a thread of your own that is tailored to the particular discussion you want to see? And I don't mean that in the "Oh, yeah, why don't you start a thread of your own then, huh?" sense - I mean it in all seriousness. It could be an interesting thread.

+1 I sometimes like looking at lists! And also without any commentary, it's sort of fun to see a list of names and appreciate the variety of skaters people enjoy.

I'm going to just go ahead and list my top 10 with NO commentary.

Yuzuru Hanyu
Mae Bernice Meite
Ross Miner
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani
Jason Brown
Gabrielle Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron
Yan Han
Konstantin Menshov
Dylan Moscovitch and Lubov Iliushechkina (yay for her release!)
Wenjing Sui and Cong Han

ETA: Oh I guess I wrote a list a few weeks ago

Jason Brown
Han Yan
Yuzuru Hanyu
Tatsuki Machida
Shibutanis
Hawayek &Baker
Zhiganshina & Gaszi
Bobrova & Soloviev
Sui/Han
Mae Bernice Meite

Like Doris, I'm pretty much interested in dance and men. Pairs will be interesting cause all the breakups. But yeah, Ladies are meh, I put Meite cause the girl has power. Though junior ladies are pretty awesome (and junior men are pretty meh). Ice Dance is awesome on both counts.

LOL. Well....

 

[jimeonji]

in no order (or maybe kind of in order, as I'm typing this as they pop into my head... which I suppose is telling of how much I like them/think about them)
1. Shoma Uno - I am so ready for him to slay this season. He improved drastically since last season and now he's actually contending for international medals! Now get that 3A nice and clean and prove all those haters wrong!
2. Tatsuki Machida - PLEASE win many things to make up for the World title you should've gotten.
3. Satoko Miyahara - I am in love with all her programs this season, including her ex. Her style is so lovely. Please rotate your jumps.
4. Kanako Murakami - okay, her programs kind of suck but I still want her to do well and be happy with her own performances. Rotate your jumps please!
5. Takahiko Kozuka - his programs are probably my favorite among Team Japan, along with Satoko's. His LP is stunning. Please have a great season and please rotate your jumps.
6. Jason Brown - lots of hype for Jason. I'm excited to see how this season turns out for him.
7. Jeremy Abbott - I know many want him to retire already, but I really like his programs so I hope he gets to finish off his career in a way that satisfies him.
8. Elena Radionova - I love her and her youthful energy that's still lyrical and expressive. Please slay.
9. Mirai Nagasu - rotate your jumps. Prove them wrong.
10. Li Zijun - you too. Rotate your jumps. I really like her long this season so I hope she can perform it without headcasing.

I probably forgot people, but this list seems about right. It appears that I am supporting quite a few skaters that have underrotation problems.

 

[HarvieKrumpet]

1. Yuzuru Hanyu
2. Tatsuki Machida
3. Denis Ten
4. Julia Lipnitskaya
5. Han Cong/ Sui Wenjing
6. Yan Han
7. Nam Nguyen
8. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
9. Adelina Sotnicova
10. Jason Brown

 

[anyanka]

Here we go!

Teams:

• Yuko Kavaguti / Alexander Smirnov - grand return to form, the Eurosport commentator got it right: they created Shakespearean drama on ice
• Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katsalapov - see what magic Marina weaves
• Elena Ilinykh / Zhigansin - can't wait to see the other half of the former grand hope of Russian dance
• Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte - will their worlds / Euros winning streak continue?
• Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje - seriously the most sensual pair out there today, you can't manufacture it but if you could bottle it, it'd be a powerful aphrodisiac

Singles:

• Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - welcome back, Queen Tuk
• Elena Radionova - welcome, Diva Elena
• Yulia Lipnitskaya - the fiercest competitor
• Adelina Sotnikova - the returning champion
• Satoko Miyahara - the future
• Yuzuru Hanyu - the wunderkind
• Tatsuki Machida - the artist and "late bloomer", who's finally arrived and isn't going anywhere
• Michael Christian Martinez - the prodigy from a country with no history in the sport
• Nam Nguyen - Orser's future Olympic champion
• Javier Fernandez - the natural showman

 

[dna5019]

In no particular order:

1. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
2. Park So Youn
3. Yuzuru Hanyu
4. Satoko Miyahara
5. Julia Lipnitskaya
6. Polina Edmunds
7. Elena Radionova
8. Jason Brown
9. Adelina Sotnikova
10. Mirai Nagasu

 

[lightandsnow]

-Shoma Uno
-Michal Brezina
-Kozuka Takahiko
-Denis Ten
-Haruka Imai
-Adam Rippon
-Han Yan
-Alex/Maia Shibutani
-Jason Brown
-All the Chinese Pairs

 

[foruiz]

A Team Japan-centric list:

*Not in any order except for the first one

Yuzuru Hanyu
Haruka Imai
Tatsuki Machida
Taka Mura
Takahiko Kozuka
Javier Fernandez
Misha Ge
Han Yan
Shoma Uno
Michael Christian Martinez

 

[Florencito]

1) Javier Fernandez
2) Jeremy Abbott
3) Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
4) Elena Radionova
5) Maé-Berenice Meite
6) Kavaguti/Smirnov
7) Sui/Han
8) Papadakis/Cizeron
9) Hurtado/Diaz
10) Cappellini/Lanotte

Honorable mention for Misha Ge, Richard Dornbush, Samantha Cesario, So-youn Park and Gilles/Poirier!

I think this is the first season ever I have no Japanese skaters among my faves... Daisuke, Nobu, Akiko, Mao

 

[Skater Boy]

G

10 skater is not enough!!
1. Yuzuru Hanyu- cause he is amazing?
2. Javier Fernandez- cause apart from his talent he is great guy and he needs good results
3. Denis Ten- i want to see if he can continue his olyimpic success
4. Jason Brown- great artistry, hope he can back it up with his tech although he has no quad yet
5. Misha Ge- cause he is a little crazy
6. Satoko Miyahara- i feel like she has more prmise than other japan ladies when it comes to technique and consistency
7. Miyabi Oba- she isnt necessarily in my top 10 skaters but she seems to have 3A, i wanna see how she will do
8. Haruka Imai- she doesnt have technical consistency yet but she seems so humble,and i love that about her (plus her smile so sincere, you wanna be friends with her )
9. So Youn Park- her 2014 worlds free program was amazing, she needs harder combinatins but i love her and she also seems so humble (i admit i have a thing for humble people )
10. Mirai Nagasu- ahhhh her spins, if only she could be more consistent with jumps and ur problems

I love your list and the way you explained every skater on the list but, joke, Nagasu is pretty consistent with UR problems lol. But you are right she has amazing potential as do so many.