2018-2019 GP Assignments

[4everchan]

Hehehehe
Except that based on that year’s rankings, all the American male skaters were ranked *lower* than third, so technically they were out to challenge him....

Round and round we go

that's not my point....

in GP assignments each event must have one and only one skater
#1 from the 1-3 placement at worlds
# 2 from the 4-6 placement at worlds...

so of course Nathan with a ranking of 6 in 2017 would fill in requirement #2, SKAM needs to fill in requirement #1... so on paper, who is the most dangerous, the gold medalist Hanyu, the silver medalist Shoma or Boyang, the bronze medalist?

 

[Ice Dance]

I understand the argument above, but again, supposedly the gold & silver world medalists and/or their Federation have their requests honored by GP hosts.

I do think the U.S. selects their fields in favor of their own athletes. (Along with every GP host country except plausibly Japan). I'm just not sure that is the scenario among the top three athletes in the World. SA is almost always the first event. I can easily see it not being everyone's first choice.

SA did invite an unseeded Satoko. And the year before an unseeded Bobrova & Soloviev and Ilinykh & Zhiganshin. SA has invited a slew of strong Japanese men over the years and crowned many of them. (I think Japan and the U.S. trade spots on a fairly regular basis. SA and NHK often invite athletes that might be hard to place elsewhere). I don't know why SA wouldn't have been happy to get the huge ticket sales perk from inviting Hanyu. It just usually makes more sense for him to go to Canada.

I think both Hanyu & Nathan really love going up against serious competition. My impression last season, though, is that the Japanese Federation probably wanted Hanyu to start off his Olympic run with a win and, therefore, sent him to Rostelecom, which is the only GP outside of NHK that he has ever won. I don't really see him wishing to attend SA last season. It was late, right before the Final. He usually does an event prior to NHK and is then more prepared by his second event.

I did really think that either Hanyu or Fernandez might choose SA back in the 2015-16 Season when Worlds was in the U.S.

But it doesn't appear they did. Seeing as 9 of the past 13 men's champions at Skate America have gone to Japanese men, it just doesn't seem that likely to me that SA has been purposely avoiding Hanyu and all those ticket sales for the past quadrennium.

 

[el henry]

that's not my point....

in GP assignments each event must have one and only one skater
#1 from the 1-3 placement at worlds
# 2 from the 4-6 placement at worlds...

so of course Nathan with a ranking of 6 in 2017 would fill in requirement #2, SKAM needs to fill in requirement #1... so on paper, who is the most dangerous, the gold medalist Hanyu, the silver medalist Shoma or Boyang, the bronze medalist?

OK, I see now .... I was still thinking in terms of any kind of "challenge". Actually, based on Yuzu's early GP performances, and the fact that SA is so early in the schedule, well....

but I know you said on paper, and you are right:agree:

 

[Skatefan15]

I forgot how long ago I heard this but, on one of the forums here someone said that Javi had requested SA but USFS had said no

 

[Ziotic]

I forgot how long ago I heard this but, on one of the forums here someone said that Javi had requested SA but USFS had said no

Likely because he and Nathan were in the same seed last year. He was 4th and Nathan 6th.

Obviously they would want Nathan.

 

[Colonel Green]

I'll be interested to see what the USFSA does re: the Shibs, assuming they're doing another season (much of the speculation that they weren't was premised on them getting Dancing With the Stars, which seems like it won't be happening, based on recent reports). In particular, how does the process of arranging placements for them interact with, especially, Chock/Bates. In the second bracket, one might normally assume that the USFSA would invoke host prerogative to invite them to Skate America, but it might alternatively be easier to force somebody else to pick them and instead invite the Shibutanis as the second big American team at Skate America, which would mean they'd only have to get them one additional invite. It's against the USFSA's interest to have all three of the top-tier American teams at the same event.

 

[NanaPat]

With their place on the season's best score list, the Shibutanis are almost 100% sure to get 2 GP assigmemnts. They're guaranteed one, but in practice they're going to get two. No federation politicking required. They will be up against 2 strong teams, wherever they go, because of the seeding.

I think they'd be a big audience draw, and a GP host without a strong dance program of their own, like China or Japan, would be thrilled to have them.

 

[Ice Dance]

Way too early to predict what USFSA does with their 2nd & 3rd dance spots, I think. We don't know if the Shibs are skating. We don't know if Carreira & Ponomarenko are staying junior. We don't know if The Parsons and/or McNamara & Carpenter will get two spots elsewhere. We don't know if Canada will reserve its second tier invite for Gilles & Poirier. We don't know if Weaver & Poje are skating. We don't even know if Bobrova & Soloviev or Cappellini & Lanotte are really done. We'll know a lot more when the GP lists come out.

I'll hypothesize that Chock & Bates and Hawayek & Baker travel. Regardless of what the Shibs decide.

 

[4everchan]

but we don't know if chock and bates will continue do we?

but seriously, this whole trend is speculation.. that's what we do after worlds until they announce the real stuff

 

[Barb]

but we don't know if chock and bates will continue do we?

but seriously, this whole trend is speculation.. that's what we do after worlds until they announce the real stuff

They want to continue competing, they already said it. That is the reason why she had her surgery immediately returning from Italy and maybe that is the reason for them not doing SOI. I do not know about the Shibs, but if they plan to compete in Beijing, I do not think they can afford to take a break, like V/M.

 

[saphire]

but we don't know if chock and bates will continue do we?

but seriously, this whole trend is speculation.. that's what we do after worlds until they announce the real stuff

apparently more time for speculation this year. JSF said they won't release GP assignments until after June 22

 

[Arriba627]

apparently more time for speculation this year. JSF said they won't release GP assignments until after June 22

Oh no! I knew it was too good to be true that they released them in May last year. :sad4: :curse:

 

[Colonel Green]

We don't know if Canada will reserve its second tier invite for Gilles & Poirier.

I don’t think there’s much ambiguity there. That’s been Skate Canada’s preferred approach when viable (in four of the last seven years Canadian teams have been 1-2, and in one other year Gilles/Poirier were third), and it makes strategic sense. Especially as it’s a safeguard against one team making a mistake.

 

[Ziotic]

I don’t think there’s much ambiguity there. That’s been Skate Canada’s preferred approach when viable (in four of the last seven years Canadian teams have been 1-2, and in one other year Gilles/Poirier were third), and it makes strategic sense. Especially as it’s a safeguard against one team making a mistake.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they also invited S/F and went for a podium sweep!

I mean Russia did it in pairs last year.

 

[xeyra]

Oh no! I knew it was too good to be true that they released them in May last year. :sad4: :curse:

They were released in May mostly because of Olympic season preparation, I believe. Isn't it more common for the GP assignments to be announced in late June?

 

[Arriba627]

They were released in May mostly because of Olympic season preparation, I believe. Isn't it more common for the GP assignments to be announced in late June?

That was my guess immediately last year - but one could always hold out hope for this year. I knew it wouldn't happen. One good thing though, at least they are telling the locations of the events earlier.

 

[4everchan]

skaters need more time to decide if they want to continue or not.. .i think it's great to postpone the GP assignments.... otherwise we may get a lot of mid summer retirements and the whole GP season would be filled in ad hoc by the hosts..

 

[Colonel Green]

I wouldn’t be surprised if they also invited S/F and went for a podium sweep!

I mean Russia did it in pairs last year.

I’d expect to see S/F there, though they’d probably need to make a bit of a scoring leap to get third over some of the other upper-mid-tier ice dance teams that can expect to attend.

 

[Arriba627]

skaters need more time to decide if they want to continue or not.. .i think it's great to postpone the GP assignments.... otherwise we may get a lot of mid summer retirements and the whole GP season would be filled in ad hoc by the hosts..

That's the logical way to look at it! Can I still pray that my favorite gets Sk Canada? :luv17: I'm still trying to figure out if I would stay near Place Bell or in downtown Montreal! I may have to get some advice from you if it comes to be!

 

[4everchan]

That's the logical way to look at it! Can I still pray that my favorite gets Sk Canada? :luv17: I'm still trying to figure out if I would stay near Place Bell or in downtown Montreal! I may have to get some advice from you if it comes to be!

well... you won't want to stay in Laval if you want to do any sightseeing.... I am not even sure there is a hotel nearby Place Bell... BUT there is a subway stop that gets you downtown Montreal in about 25 minutes from the rink... so all is possible... I could see someone staying in Laval for a couple days of intense skating schedule and then move to downtown for a couple days of sightseeing... Place Bell is brand new... the roads around it are still developing.. it has no charm or interesting things to do other than the rink...