- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
By the way, how is it even possible that Amodio is going? He is far behind Ponsero and Préaubert in the standings, he screwed up Junior Worlds, didn't attend one senior event this season.
The wording of the ISU document is, I think, deliberately obscure on this point. They try to make it seem like it is a requirement that each federation send its highest ranked skaters. But I don't think they can enforce this.
I think the actual rule is, IF the national federation appoints a top-ranked skater to the team (and the ISU hopes and expects that they will), and then IF that individual skater refuses to go, then the skater can get in trouble.
This seems like a rather foolish rule. The highest ranked U.S. men's skaters are Lysacek and Weir. As I understand it, the USFSA asked Weir if he wanted to go, Weir said no, so they invited Abbott instead. Since Weir was never "appointed" to the team, he did not get in trouble with the ISU (and thus is permitted to do shows and exhibitions during the same time period as this competition, etc.)
I presume that France is the same way. They wanted to give Amodio a reward for finishing second in French nationals. I don't know whether Ponsero or Preaubert were ever asked -- I don't think so, since the announcement of the French team was made quite early.
I take all this to mean that Gailhaguet doesn't really care what Cinquanta wants. Gailhaguet will do it the Gailhaguet way. Maybe this is Gailhaguet's way of saying, screw it, we're not going to win anyway!