2024-25 Grand Prix assignments: Updated 11/12/24 | Page 3 | Golden Skate

2024-25 Grand Prix assignments: Updated 11/12/24

These are some stacked GPs this year, ngl.

Men:
Super excited to see Donovan in the GP!! Yuma at NHK and Helsinki.... That's gonna be rough with them only being five days apart, but I wish him the best. I'm always excited to see Boyang, especially at the Cup of China! That'll be a lot of fun. Super surprised to see Grassl here... Was his case dropped or something? Also, Yudong Chen!!! I really liked what I saw of him last season, so I can't wait to see him in the GP.
Women:
YUNA AOKI SKAM ASSIGNMENT!!!! I'm so excited for her!! Young, Yelim, and Haein all got assignments this year so I guess the KSU is on my good side for today... Alysa is gonna be fun to see this year so I'm happy she got two assignments. I see Bradie has an assignment, so I hope she's healed well and is ready! Also, I wish Wakaba got two assignments, but oh well (She has two... missed that, lol)
Pairs:
I'm not super knowledgeable about pairs but I'm so excited to see Miura/Kihara, Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps, Beccari/Guarise, and Peng/Wang!
Ice Dance:
SKAM...... hm.
LIM/QUAN AT SCI AND HELSINKI!!!! I can't wait to see Brown/Brown, I wanna see how they've matured since the last GP because last year their costumes were still a bit junior. PIRIHARA TWO ASSIGNMENTS!!!!!

It's gonna be a fun season I think, super fun GP assignments it looks like!
 
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*live brain footage of making 30+ flower crowns for my yearly Finnish vacation in November, already in fear how I'll pack and give everything to everyone*

Wish I could do all 6. Having too many skaters I like is hard.
P²(!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
 
GP of France Ladies is so unpredictable... So much ladies with approximately the same level. It will be very interresting
 
AlexBreeze said:
I heard that it was.



He wouldn't be. He's outside of top 24. He is a returning skater.
Click to expand...
I've been having a think about this. What doesn't make sense to me is the lack of a statement. If the case had been dropped, I would expect Grassl and/or his management to put out a statement to that effect, to help clear his name. The timing is such that a backdated one year suspension would finish in time for the GP he's been allocated. He had been allocated two GP spots last year based on his placement at the 2023 world championships. If he was a returning skater, would he not have two slots again based on that? None of it is quite adding up to me at the moment. :unsure:
 
Jumping_Bean said:
In terms of the top 10 on the SB list without two GP assignments (i.e. the skaters at the top of the replacement list):

Women

Kaiya Ruiter (CAN)*
*Skaters are still Junior-eligible and could opt for the JGP instead
Click to expand...
Kaiya is already going to Skate Canada... so I doubt she would replace her one GP with an elusive JGP spot (and she wouldn't get two considering Canada only has six spots to spare)
 
I am so glad for so many things!

Shingo & Utana with the current partners will all be at NHK.

Piper & Paul did not retire!

Oona & Gage got 2 spots!

Jason is skating 2 events!

Andrew has a spot!

Ava Ziegler has her first 2 GP events!

Bradie is back!

And still more!!
 
The Skate America roster looks so similar to last year; definitely not interesting enough for a return trip to suburban Texas.

I have my doubts Grassl and Brown will actually compete on the Grand Prix.
 
Strap in, folks. This is going to be a long one (I've had no skating for months, of course I'm going to write a novella about Grand Prix assignments and attempt to predict the entire season in June)

General Thoughts & Storylines (for those of you who don't like to read novellas about minutae)​

  • MEN: Will our top 3 stay the same? With the retirement of Shoma Uno, I'd say Ilia is on top, with Yuma behind him and Adam solidly third. Can Yuma push for the top? Can Adam? Will Ilia stay healthy? What about the men behind them? Which Japanese men will make their move this year? Can Boyang continue to resurrect his career? Will the Italian men and other US men finally shine? Jason Brown is back! And what will Junhwan Cha look like? Can he return to form like he had two seasons ago?
  • WOMEN: Let the bloodbath commence! A lot of the GP results will depend on who is skating well. We could see monopolization from Europe, Japan, the US, or Korea, depending on which region is having success. The US and Korea have fantastic depth, but the skaters are inconsistent and had some real disasters on the GP last season. Japan, will be looking to pull three skaters out of a deep, deep, field (Mana Kawabe and Rika Kihira don't even have assignments) but again, injuries and inconsistencies plague them. And Europe is on the brink of blooming again, with talents emerging from Estonia, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Georgia, and France, but can they keep going on their forwards momentum or will they continue to suffer the injuries and inconsistencies of years prior?
  • PAIRS: This will be fascinating. We are in the midst of rebuilding, and this is the season to establish yourself as the Olympic medal contenders. There are a lot of teams knocking on that door, but they have not yet opened it. Will the Japanese team stay healthy? Will Deanna and Max have the same magic as last season? Can the Italians figure it out? Can the US pairs actually land things? Will the Hungarians figure out how to use their faces? Will the German teams manage to overcome a broke federation to finally triumph?
  • ICE DANCE: Please give me good ice dance drama, because I can't do another Guignard/Fabbri Chock/Bates Gilles/Poirier podium. I love them, but it's been two years and I'd like to see new teams break through. Will it be LaLa's year? Or perhaps Fear and Gibson will make waves yet again? There is plenty of talent in the US and Europe, and exciting prospects from Korea and Japan. This GP series will hopefully tell us where the teams stand and who is on the rise.

MEN​

  • SKATE AMERICA: This is Ilia Malinin's to lose, and he will win comfortably barring injury. I want to see improved performance from him - the jumps can be messy, it's early season and he has the time - but I want to see him really step up into the role of World Champion. I suspect that he chose back-to-backs in order to have time to adjust his programs after they are reviewed by an international panel. Look at the improvements he made between last year's Final and Worlds - this break could be very beneficial. Behind him, we can expect Kao Miura to try and assert himself as one of Japan's top three. He, too, is seeking refinement, but his talent is undeniable and he's so close to putting it all there. Kevin Aymoz will be looking to have a redemption from a disaster of a season. If he can find his mojo, he can absolutely medal in this field. Deniss Vasiljevs could be a medal threat as well, so long as he can figure out his jumps. If he can get his quad consistent, he will skyrocket in the standings, but he is so often so messy that one has no idea what to expect. Wesley Chiu could be a bit of a dark horse - he's coming off a fantastic end of season and if he can get some more polish, he can show why he's Canada's number one skater. Nika Egadze has quads and shirt ripping. Maxim Naumov is coming off injury but has loads of talent. Donovan Carrillo is awesome and I hope he rocks. Koshiro Shimada will be fighting to stay in the conversation for the Japanese men - can he return to the form he was in a few years back?
  • SKATE CANADA: As one of the more competitive fields, this promises to be a fascinating watch. Can Ilia Malinin hold up under the pressure of back-to-back events? We have a duo of Japanese men who will be battling it out - expect a fierce fight between Shun Sato, who has excellent programs this year, and Sota Yamamoto, who has shown moments of brilliance and moments of disaster. Junhwan Cha will hopefully be healed up and not hounded by KSU (yeah right) and will be challenging for the podium. Jason Brown will be an unknown - in the past, his first events of the season have been a bit rough, but he has experience on his side and will want to come out swinging to rack up those precious World Standings points. If Vladimir Litvensev can figure out the difference between a tiger and a lion, he could be a dark horse this season. Aleksa Rakic and Roman Sadovksy are gorgeous skaters, but are also prickly Canadian cacti and will likely be in full bloom in their native environment. But, can they defy the odds and skate clean? Gabriele Frangipani has to figure out if he wants to be chaotic or not. If he chooses not, again, another dark horse. And Mark Gorodnitsky is an underappreciated consistent man, but if he can just get one quad, he will do quite well. Otherwise, he seems doomed to languish in the middle ranks. And GoGo... poor Stephen Gogolev... how will he come back after seasons of struggle?
  • GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE: The greatest mystery here is whether or not skaters will get stuck in the slushy ice. The second greatest is whether or not Adam Siao Him Fa has figured out his peaking strategies or not. The third is if Boyang Jin's 4Lz will 4Lz or not 4Lz. Aleksandr Selevko can capitalize on his previous dream of a season, or he could return to his true Selevbro nature and be a cactus. Will Nikolaj Memola be able to skate as well as he does in practice? Will he accidentally hit the ceiling? Koshiro Shimada and Kazuki Tomono will once again be in the battle for Japan, and may perhaps have a messy-quad-and-mimeography-off. Mikhail Shaidorov can do great things, so long as he still lands his jumps and learns how to use his face. Lukas Britschgi could also reach great heights, maybe even climbing on the podium, or he could be fourth yet again. A lot hinges on his additional quads and cleanliness. And Camden Pulkinen and Andrew Torgashev will almost certainly rip out our hearts but they are beautiful boys and we wish them all the best.
  • NHK TROPHY: Say goodbye to your sleep, especially if you live in North America, because this one is in the middle of the night, baby! Headlined by Japan's new number one, can Yuma Kagiyama handle the burden of being the top man in a country with a deep legacy of men's skating? Kao Miura, barring disaster, will be a solid choice for silver. Matteo Rizzo and Gabriele Frangipani will certainly be fighting to prove which of them is the top, especially as Matteo recovers from surgery (he has his 3A back, which is promising!) We have two junior-turned-senior skaters - bless them and may they do well - and cactus king Tomoki Hiwatashi. Will his new training base finally pull through and help him find that refinement and consistency he's been lacking? Of course Jason Brown is skating in Japan - that should be a treat in terms of both skating and social media content.
  • FINLANDIA TROPHY: Yuma Kagiyama makes the grueling 13-hour flight and a 6-hour time zone change to Finland in just five days. This was likely done for logistics reasons, as Yuma didn't want to compete close to the Final because Nationals is right after and Adam and Ilia took France and Skate Canada, so he basically had to do back-to-back events. This will be his first time doing something like this in a while - will his stamina have recovered enough from injury to be successful at both events? This is overall a deep field. We will be treated to the Finnish Doctor, Aleksandr Selevko, two brilliant Japanese men in Sota Yamamoto and Kazuki Tomono who will be vying to establish their name, Junhwan Cha with things to prove, Lukas Britschgi who is always a threat, Camden Pulkinen, who now that he has finally graduated college, could really do great things this season, Kevin Aymoz, and the return of Daniel Grassl from the dead (no, he's not banned, because the ban was never actually passed and no one knows what is happening). This event will have massive implications for who makes the Final and in determining national teams.
  • CUP OF CHINA: We're almost done (sike we have three disciplines left) and this event is full of a lot of men who could be amazing or terrible. This event could be a letdown of a conclusion, or a spectacular finish. Will Boyang Jin and Yudong Chen find their magic? Adam Siao Him Fa will be the clear frontrunner, but he is inconsistent at times, especially when he is off-peak. Shun Sato could capitalize, especially if he needs a win to make the Final. Matteo Rizzo and Nikolaj Memola will have a little country battle, and it will be fascinating to see how Wesley Chiu, Nika Edadze, and Mikhail Shaidorov stack up against each other, as they all do lots of quads and less PCS. And Deniss Vasiljevs could have a real moment here, if he manages to land his jumps again.
  • Final Predictions: Ilia Malinin (30 points), Yuma Kagiyama (30 points), Adam Siao Him Fa (27 points), Kao Miura (26 points), Shun Sato (24 points), Junhwan Cha (24 points)

Women​

  • SKATE AMERICA: I am so hyped for this one! Nina Pinzarrone, the Belgian wunderkid, could be incredible, or could struggle with injury that seems to accompany her coaching staff. Lea Serna was brilliant at times last season - could she find that form again? Yuna Aoki is INCREDIBLE and I love her so much, same to Wakaba Higuchi. The jumps may be underrotated, but they are performance QUEENS. Rinka Watanabe is an icon and has a lovely 3A, but is also spectacularly inconsistent and can struggle during the early season. Haein Lee and Young You, two skaters looking for redemption at Worlds. Can Haein bounce back after a disaster season, and can Young continue her ascent back from injury? Livia Kaiser was great last year, and yet her best may have her eighth in this field. If it's messy, though, she could climb. Isabeau Levito is brilliant, and perhaps the favourite on paper, but there is no room for errors in this field and she was prone to them last season. Can she stay healthy? And finally, Queen Bradie Tennell returns! She has faced so much adversity and I do not know what form she will be in, but I do know she will be fighting hard for a home Worlds spot. God, this event is gonna be so good. *knocks on wood*
  • SKATE CANADA: Also gonna be a banger. Sara-Maude Dupuis, Kaiya Ruiter, and Maddie Schizas are all spectacularly inconsistent and can have meltdowns or epic highs. Which version of them will we get? RINO MATSUIKE HAS TWO SPOTS, all bow down to THE girl, she is so talented and could finish on the podium here so long as she escapes from the injuries and bad luck that have plagued her in the past. Kaori Sakamoto, the casual 3-time world champ in the best form of her life, is also here. She wants to do two 3Lzs in her programs and work on her edge - will this strategy work or could she lose here? Hana Yoshida has a gorgeous 3A, but she cannot to a clean short to save her life and is fighting for one of the most competitive teams in the world. Can she figure it out? Yelim Kim makes her glorious return. Her skating is diving (ignore the unders and focus on her huge 3Lz instead) but last season ended prematurely and was a struggle. Can she figure it out? Will KSU stop being incompetent? Seoyeong Wi is a great jumper, but seems to be in a constant battle with Koh the Face Stealer. Can she improve her PCS and shock the world? Ekaterina Kurakova - so lovely, so inconsistent, always a delight, and can be capable of great things. There's Kimmy Repond, recovering from injury and working on improving the amplitude of her jumps. Her skating is lovely, and she was so consistent in the past - can she become a top European woman? Alysa freaking Liu is back as well, and we all bow down. Will the PCS improvements she was making in the past few seasons pay off? How is her stamina looking after so much time off? I wouldn't sweat her GP results too much, as the real test for her will be Nationals, and coming back from a two-year break is a big ask. And then there's Ava Marie Ziegler, who has all the potential in the world and is spectacularly inconsistent. If she can harness her power and get good programs, she is a real threat, but there's no predicting how she will do. Ugh, this event is going to be SO EXCITING agh.
  • GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE: This is going to be awesome too. Loena Hendrickx, with everything to prove, will almost certainly come out swinging assuming she has healed up from the injuries plaguing her the past few seasons. Nina Pinzarrone will make it a Belgian duel. Lorine Schild and Lea Serna will have a mini-Nationals as well - Lea is more dynamic, but Lorine is more consistent, even if her jumps go sideways in the air. Anastasiia Gubanova is a huge unknown. She has great talent, and on some days, is an excellent performer, but struggles with stamina and often lets programs go. Wakaba Higuchi returns, alongside the light of my life Mai Mihara and the ethereal Rion Sumiyoshi. Can Rion stop falling on 2As and get programs as good as the ones she had in the past? Will Mai return to the Worlds team, or will her underrotations continue to plague her? Then, there's the unflappable Chaeyeon Kim, who will hopefully bloom into a performer and better-rounded skater this season. If she does, she could easily take the title here. Livia Kaiser joins the strong European contingent, and Amber Glenn will serve as the sole US woman at this event. Can she overcome her mid-program demons? If so, she could win if Loena makes a mistake. Y'all, these women fields are insane and this GP is gonna be so good.
  • NHK TROPHY: Kaori Sakamoto returns home at last as Japan tries to take 3 out of 4 gold medals at their home Grand Prix. She's joined by Mone Chiba, who had spectacular moments last season. If she can figure out the mental aspects and get memorable programs, she will be fighting for Worlds medals. Niina Petrokina will try to recover from her injury setbacks (she posted a 2A+3Lo combo today on Insta so the jumps look good) to the form she had a few years ago. Yelim Kim and Haein Lee will perhaps preview Korean Nationals for us, assuming both of them can show their best. And we have a regular US showdown with Alysa Liu, Bradie Tennell, and Lindsay Thorngren all fighting for spots for a home Worlds. They all could be amazing, but as two of them recover from injury and one from a break, they could also struggle. Regardless, this will be a very important event for USFS.
  • FINLANDIA: Loena Hendrickx will try to come out on top again, but this will be a tough field. Niina Petrokina will continue on her return trajectory. Look out for Nella Pelkonen, who has incredible jumps and had some real moments last season. Lorine Schild returns, along with Rino Matsuike, Mai Mihara, and Hana Yoshida - they could sweep the podium if the others aren't careful, but all three have made major mistakes in the past when it counted most. Young You is back as well, and there will be a real scrap between Loena and Isabeau Levito for the title. As both of them have had errors last season on the GP, who knows where they will end up? Lindsay Thorngren is making the unenviable journey from Japan to Finland, and the results at NHK will have a huge impact on how she performs here.
  • CUP OF CHINA: And we're almost done, and this is possibly the weakest event of the six. Maddie Schizas: can she be great, or will she be Canadian? Hongyi Chen, who is a low-key icon, is the only named Chinese woman. I'm worried about Xiangyi An, hopefully she is OK because unless she's doing junior, she should have been a lock for one of those spots. Mone Chiba, Rion Sumiyoshi, and Rinka Watanabe will be battling out for the title, quite possibly, as will Chaeyeon Kim. Can Anastasiia Gubanova show up like she did at Europeans, or will she have another rough GP series? And, of course, Amber Glenn and Ava Marie Ziegler are here as well, and again could be incredible or disasters. Lastly, Kimmy Repond could sneak onto the podium or struggle - we just don't know. Actually, this event isn't weak, it's just the most inconsistent for the most part. At any rate, it should be incredible still.
  • Final Predictions: Kaori Sakamoto (30), Loena Hendrickx (28), Isabeau Levito (28), Mone Chiba (28), Chaeyeon Kim (26), Yelim Kim (24)
 
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Pairs (wow this is so much shorter heh)​

  • SKATE AMERICA: The podium will most likely be Miura/Kihara, Pavlova/Sviatchenko, and Metelkina/Berulava. Two of those teams are exceptionally technically talented and the other artistically so. The rest of the teams are young ones trying to establish themselves on the world stage. I think Kam/O'Shea and Efimova/Mitrofanov are your likely 4-5 teams, and will be trying to assert who is US number 1. Efimova/Mitrofanov almost won US Nationals, but had an unfortunate blade issue that hurt them immensely. If Kam/O'Shea still can't land throws, the former could nicely position themselves to be National Champions depending on what other teams do.
  • SKATE CANADA: Your top three will be Hocke/Kunkel, Beccari/Guarise, and Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps. In what order, I cannot say - all three teams could best each other on a different night. Beccari/Guarise are young and new - can they continue to improve? Hocke/Kunkel are older and bring a fun and dynamism. What shape will Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps be in after having the extreme highs of winning at a home Worlds? I think Chan/Howe are intriguing, as they have the potential to get on this podium but it depends on them landing SBS jumps and Spencer's shoulder holding up. Laurin/Ethier pulled out some magic at Nationals last season - can they start to ascend the world rankings? And I love Danilova/Tsiba and Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore - they're both young teams on their way up.
  • GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE: An interesting one. On paper, the podium will be Hase/Volodin, Conti/Macii, and Ghilardi/Ambrosini, but Pereira/Michaud and Peng/Wang can absolutely play spoiler here. Hase/Volodin were so good last year as a new team, but they lack that connection to make them sparkle. If they cannot find it this season, they may find themselves behind the more dynamic Italian teams. Conti/Macii are a huge question - can they work out the troubles that plagued them last season or are they doomed to struggle? If Ghilardi/Ambrosini can land their jumps, they could take the title - their lifts are incredible and they are such good performers.
  • NHK TROPHY: Another interesting one. Miura/Kihara seem safe bets for gold, but Metelkina/Berulava, Hocke/Kunkel, or Beccari/Guarise could surprise. Kam/O'Shea will want to best Plazas/Fernandez, who struggle so much with consistency and cleanliness. Nagaoka/Moriguchi will be hoping to up the technical difficulty. Now that they have spent more time as a pair together and Sumitada has more experience under his belt, I'm hopeful for what they can achieve, especially after they did so well at NHK last year despite being a brand-new pair.
  • FINLANDIA: This will depend a lot on how Chan/Howe are looking. If they aren't back to 100% or are as inconsistent as they were in years prior, your podium will be Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps, Pavlova/Sviatchenko, and Ghilardi/Ambrosini. However, Chan/Howe on a good day could spoil for gold. While Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore and Vaananen/Clerici probably won't challenge for the podium, they're both teams whose development I'm excited to see, as I think they have a lot of promise. Williams/Lewer are a junior-turned-senior team. It might be a rough transition, but I think it's important for them to have this experience.
  • CUP OF CHINA: Another fascinating one, and it will have huge implications for the Final. It's likely that four of the teams - Pereira/Michaud, Peng/Wang, Hase/Volodin, and Conti/Macii - will be vying for Final spots. Can Peng/Wang land their SBS jumps and not forget combos? If so, then their pairs elements are some of the best in the world, and they are likely working with the genius Lori Nichol again. Can Pereira/Michaud rekindle the magic of two years prior? It will certainly help if Trennt can recover from his back issues. Hase/Volodin will likely take gold here, unless Conti/Macii can show a real return to form. At any rate, this should be a fascinating event. The two TBD slots for China are exciting - perhaps they are hiding another genius pair from us.
  • Final Predictions: Miura/Kihara (30), Stellato-Dudek/Dechamps (30), Hase/Volodin (30), Conti/Macii (26), Pavlova/Sviatchenko (24), Metelkina/Berulava (26)

Ice Dance​

  • I'm not doing formal predictions for this one because it's ice dance (and certainly not because dance is the discipline I'm least excited about and because I'm tired from writing this mini novella). I expect the ranking of the top three will depend on programs - the strongest programs will win. I also expect to see Lajoie/Lagha get closer to the top three, and Fear/Gibson to continue their ascent. The last spot will go to Carreira/Ponomarenko, Reed/Ambrulevicius, or Lopareva/Brissaud, but the order will likely be determined by the best programs and which teams are on the rise. I personally hope we see the top three get shaken up, but it's ice dance and I doubt it will happen. I hope for great things from the Czech siblings teams, Lauriault/Le Gac, Lim/Quan, Bratti/Somerville, Brown/Brown, Demougeot/Le Mercier, Orihara/Pirinen, and Turkkila/Versluis. How Lim/Quan score will have huge implications for the team event (assuming Korea can get a pairs team), as will the success of the two Japanese ice dance partnerships. I am interested to see if Green/Parsons continue to slip down the rankings or manage to climb back. And, of course, a spot will be freed up, as Grimm/Savitskiy were forcibly assigned senior this year against their will and as such will likely withdraw and forfeit their spot.
  • Finals Predictions: Chock/Bates (30), GIlles/Poirier (30), Guignard/Fabbri (30), Lajoie/Lagha (26), Fear/Gibson (26), Lopareva/Brissaud (24)
 
figureskatingandrainbows said:

Pairs (wow this is so much shorter heh)​

  • SKATE AMERICA: The podium will most likely be Miura/Kihara, Pavlova/Sviatchenko, and Metelkina/Berulava. Two of those teams are exceptionally technically talented and the other artistically so. The rest of the teams are young ones trying to establish themselves on the world stage. I think Kam/O'Shea and Efimova/Mitrofanov are your likely 4-5 teams, and will be trying to assert who is US number 1. Efimova/Mitrofanov almost won US Nationals, but had an unfortunate blade issue that hurt them immensely. If Kam/O'Shea still can't land throws, the former could nicely position themselves to be National Champions depending on what other teams do.
  • SKATE CANADA: Your top three will be Hocke/Kunkel, Beccari/Guarise, and Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps. In what order, I cannot say - all three teams could best each other on a different night. Beccari/Guarise are young and new - can they continue to improve? Hocke/Kunkel are older and bring a fun and dynamism. What shape will Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps be in after having the extreme highs of winning at a home Worlds? I think Chan/Howe are intriguing, as they have the potential to get on this podium but it depends on them landing SBS jumps and Spencer's shoulder holding up. Laurin/Ethier pulled out some magic at Nationals last season - can they start to ascend the world rankings? And I love Danilova/Tsiba and Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore - they're both young teams on their way up.
  • GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE: An interesting one. On paper, the podium will be Hase/Volodin, Conti/Macii, and Ghilardi/Ambrosini, but Pereira/Michaud and Peng/Wang can absolutely play spoiler here. Hase/Volodin were so good last year as a new team, but they lack that connection to make them sparkle. If they cannot find it this season, they may find themselves behind the more dynamic Italian teams. Conti/Macii are a huge question - can they work out the troubles that plagued them last season or are they doomed to struggle? If Ghilardi/Ambrosini can land their jumps, they could take the title - their lifts are incredible and they are such good performers.
  • NHK TROPHY: Another interesting one. Miura/Kihara seem safe bets for gold, but Metelkina/Berulava, Hocke/Kunkel, or Beccari/Guarise could surprise. Kam/O'Shea will want to best Plazas/Fernandez, who struggle so much with consistency and cleanliness. Nagaoka/Moriguchi will be hoping to up the technical difficulty. Now that they have spent more time as a pair together and Sumitada has more experience under his belt, I'm hopeful for what they can achieve, especially after they did so well at NHK last year despite being a brand-new pair.
  • FINLANDIA: This will depend a lot on how Chan/Howe are looking. If they aren't back to 100% or are as inconsistent as they were in years prior, your podium will be Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps, Pavlova/Sviatchenko, and Ghilardi/Ambrosini. However, Chan/Howe on a good day could spoil for gold. While Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore and Vaananen/Clerici probably won't challenge for the podium, they're both teams whose development I'm excited to see, as I think they have a lot of promise. Williams/Lewer are a junior-turned-senior team. It might be a rough transition, but I think it's important for them to have this experience.
  • CUP OF CHINA: Another fascinating one, and it will have huge implications for the Final. It's likely that four of the teams - Pereira/Michaud, Peng/Wang, Hase/Volodin, and Conti/Macii - will be vying for Final spots. Can Peng/Wang land their SBS jumps and not forget combos? If so, then their pairs elements are some of the best in the world, and they are likely working with the genius Lori Nichol again. Can Pereira/Michaud rekindle the magic of two years prior? It will certainly help if Trennt can recover from his back issues. Hase/Volodin will likely take gold here, unless Conti/Macii can show a real return to form. At any rate, this should be a fascinating event. The two TBD slots for China are exciting - perhaps they are hiding another genius pair from us.
  • Final Predictions: Miura/Kihara (30), Stellato-Dudek/Dechamps (30), Hase/Volodin (30), Conti/Macii (26), Pavlova/Sviatchenko (24), Metelkina/Berulava (26)

Ice Dance​

  • I'm not doing formal predictions for this one because it's ice dance (and certainly not because dance is the discipline I'm least excited about and because I'm tired from writing this mini novella). I expect the ranking of the top three will depend on programs - the strongest programs will win. I also expect to see Lajoie/Lagha get closer to the top three, and Fear/Gibson to continue their ascent. The last spot will go to Carreira/Ponomarenko, Reed/Ambrulevicius, or Lopareva/Brissaud, but the order will likely be determined by the best programs and which teams are on the rise. I personally hope we see the top three get shaken up, but it's ice dance and I doubt it will happen. I hope for great things from the Czech siblings teams, Lauriault/Le Gac, Lim/Quan, Bratti/Somerville, Brown/Brown, Demougeot/Le Mercier, Orihara/Pirinen, and Turkkila/Versluis. How Lim/Quan score will have huge implications for the team event (assuming Korea can get a pairs team), as will the success of the two Japanese ice dance partnerships. I am interested to see if Green/Parsons continue to slip down the rankings or manage to climb back. And, of course, a spot will be freed up, as Grimm/Savitskiy were forcibly assigned senior this year against their will and as such will likely withdraw and forfeit their spot.
  • Finals Predictions: Chock/Bates (30), GIlles/Poirier (30), Guignard/Fabbri (30), Lajoie/Lagha (26), Fear/Gibson (26), Lopareva/Brissaud (24)
Click to expand...
McBeath and Parkman had the blade issue at U.S. Nationals not Efimova/Mitrofanov
 
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