Predictions

[tilak]

Men
1. Johnny Weir - It IS possible
2. Patrick Chan
3. Brian Joubert
4. Takahiko Kozuka
5. Tomas Verner
6. Jeremy Abbott


Ladies
1. Yu-Na Kim
2. Mao Asada
3. Yukari Nakano
4. Joannie Rochette
5. Miki Ando
6. Carolina Kostner



Pairs
1. Zhang / Zhang
2. Savchenko / Szolkowy
3. Mukhortova / Trankov
4. Pang / Tong
5. Volosozhar / Morozov
6. Kawaguchi / Smirnov


Ice Dance
1. Khokhlova / Novitski
2. Delobel / Schoenfelder
3. Davis / White
4. Domnina / Shabalin
5. Faiella / Scali
6. Belbin / Agosto

 

[Bennett]

Men
1. Johnny Weir - It IS possible

Sure. It would be really lovely to see him on the top of the podium. It's about the time.

I love your avatar, BTW. I thought it one of the most beautiful avatars of Johnny available on this site (I've found the one that I've just started to use really beautiful, too. Many thanks to the admin staff who made a large collection of various avatars available!).

 

[wonderlen3000]

Men:
Gold: Chan (the way the judges are throwing the PCS mark and GOE at him)
Silver: Joubert
Bronze: Kazuko, Wier or Verner

Ladies:
Gold & Silver: Kim or Asada (Asada got 126+ without the 3Lo at her 3+3 combination so she let 5.5 mark on the table and Kim can get additional 1.5 if she replace the second jumping pass, 2A into 3Lo, but the keys will be the downgrade for Mao: if she landed fully rotated jump, she has the TES advantage).

Bronze: Rochett (but both Ando and Coster can take that place if both land their 3+3 cleanly and fully rotated)

Pair:
Yarmmmm

 

[lmarie086]

Haha so I did the paper in a hat idea twice for dance and the first result is in my original post.

1. Khokhlova/Novitski (it appears they win no matter what by the magic paper gods!)
2. Davis/White (basically all or nothing it seems)
3. Belbin/Agosto
4. Delobel/Schoenfelder
5. DomShabs
6. Faiella/Scali

This will be interesting!

If only I didn't have finals this week...

 

[Tonichelle]

I love your avatar, BTW. I thought it one of the most beautiful avatars of Johnny available on this site (I've found the one that I've just started to use really beautiful, too. Many thanks to the admin staff who made a large collection of various avatars available!).

Thank you for the compliments... not only did I make yours and the other avatar... but I shot the photos that they're from (taken at US nationals 2008)

the one you're using is of him crying tears of joy/relief at his comeback at nats... I think the competition means more to him than he lets on in his interviews.

 

[tilak]

Thank you for the compliments... not only did I make yours and the other avatar... but I shot the photos that they're from (taken at US nationals 2008)

the one you're using is of him crying tears of joy/relief at his comeback at nats... I think the competition means more to him than he lets on in his interviews.

Thanks, Tonichelle, there are so many fantastic avatars to choose from that it was hard to decide which one.

 

[Tonichelle]

yeah, I went a little crazy with Johnny (and Evan) but in the case of Johnny I got a lot of great shots (he skated slower than Evan or something!) and in the case of Evan he gets a lot of coverage so both are easy to find avatar worthy captures lol

 

[Turtleberry]

OK, I'm going to try this without the help of the mythical hat gods.

Actually, I have to confess that I did put the numbers 1 through 6 into a hat and drew for Tomas Verner's placement, but I filled in the other five spots using my own brain power (or lack thereof).

Men

Joubert-The beast awakes from his slumber
Chan-He's next in line if the beast decides to sleep a little longer.
Kozuka-Normally I would not predict a podium finish for a young up-and-comer at his first Grand Prix Final, but he looks to me like a level-headed kid who knows how to handle the pressure.
Weir-I am very tempted to place him third but something always seems to go wrong when he reaches the Grand Prix Final. I might still change my mind and bump him up a notch. It will be very interesting to hear some reports throughout the week. Is practice going well? Is he nailing the quad? Has he recovered from his cold? Is that nagging foot injury flairing up again? Most importantly, how is his supply of pomegranate juice holding out? If he runs out of that, he might wilt.
Verner-The hat has spoken
Abbott-By my estimation, he seems to be the one skater in this field who might be outclassed by the others, yet it would not surprise me one bit if he ends up finishing as high as third. In fact, Elvin has him winning the gold in his predictions. :think: Hmm...does Elvin know something that we don't?

Ladies

Kim-As far as I know, this is her first major international competition on home-ice so it will be interesting to see how she handles it.
Asada-Mao, on the other hand, is a notorious home-ice performer, so I'm not looking for as strong an LP here as she had at NHK and that is what will be the key IMO.
Rochette-This has definitely been her breakthrough season so far, but how far has that breakthrough taken her? Has she joined the elite status of Asada and Kim, or has she merely broken through to the top of the second tier? The Grand Prix Final and the World Championships will answer that question.
Nakano-This was a hard choice between Ando, Kostner and Nakano. When in doubt, go with consistency.
Ando-Much like Weir, I would like to hear reports on her thoughout the week. Has this been a week in which she has been in love with skating or has it been a week in which she is ready to retire?
Kostner-Maybe I am wrong about this, but location seems to be key for her and she never seems to skate her best in Asia.

Overall, I agree with the sentiment that this event is a tough one to call but that is the way a Grand Prix Final should be IMO. This will be fun to watch.

 

[maharbaforwards]

First time posting..

Ladies
Yuna Kim I predict a three-peat. She has IMO the two best set of programs this year, and everything she does is pretty much fab.
Mao Asada Technically (jumps-wise) is the most proficient. But she is in danger of underrotations and edge calls that could negate any advantage she may have. Not too crazy about her programs (either one).
Joannie Rochette She has shown good consistency this year, but I still would like her to land her triple triple in the SP. And even try it in the LP.
Yukari Nakano The leg wrap aside, I think she does a lot of things quite well and like her LP.
Miki Ando She represents a lot of things that I dislike in skaters (poor posture, stretch, musicality) but I just like her attitude.I do like her tenacity. Her world championship win was well deserved IMO.
Carolina Kostner I really do not like her style. I'm sure she is fast, but generally don't like her programs. Her jumps when landed are good, but she makes mistakes quite frequently that it is a consternation to me how successful she has been.

Men
Brian Joubert I think he may run away with it in the sp, like his last GP win. I do admire that he has made great gains in steps, spins, and presentation while still keeping up his technical ability in jumps. Not my favourite, but he's too good to count out.
Patrick Chan I must admit I am biased, in that I am Canadian and root for my fellow canucks. But he also represents all I like in skating: great musicality, edges, and just all around basics. Jumps could prove problematic, but hopefully he stays on his feet
Kozuka Based on results this year, I predict a podium finish.
Weir I've always thought he was someone I should like, but never have. His programs are just not my cup of tea, and he is far too inconsistent when push comes to shove.
Abbott My preferred American male entry, but I put him below Weir based on reputation and potential.
Verner I must admit I do not know much about him, so he is relegated to last place on my rankings.

Pairs
Zhangs I think they are quite good technically but their programs haven't really been the level of their elements. I think they are more consistent than the Germans and deserve the win, as I think the Germans will may mistakes.
S & S I do like that they do things with quite a lot of choreography, but they make too many mistakes far too often.
Kawaguchi & Smirnov Also error-prone, but based on potential are quite good.
Pang & Tong I feel they are quite good and quite enjoy the team, but the judges don't seem to hence the ranking.
Russians
Ukrainians

Dance
The French They may not be the best at any particular segment (save the CD, which I don't think the GPF has) but they are pretty good.
Dominina Shabalin I don't really like this team, but the judges seem to.
the other russians
Davis & White my favourites
the other americans they are good, but i've never particularly cared for them
Italians eh

 

[Bennett]

the one you're using is of him crying tears of joy/relief at his comeback at nats... I think the competition means more to him than he lets on in his interviews.

This picture touches my soft spot. Fragile and flowery. I love the sensitivity he shows in this picture. I also love the way all the colors---black, white, and scarlet---go together including his black hair.

Patrick Chan I must admit I am biased, in that I am Canadian and root for my fellow canucks. But he also represents all I like in skating: great musicality, edges, and just all around basics.

I am not Canadian, but have naturally rooted for him not only because of the great things about his skating that you mentioned, but also perhaps because I rooted for Jeff for a long time. The Canadian team is wonderful:agree:

BTW, I greatly enjoyed reading your review. Thank you.

 

[sweetime]

i think

MEN

1. Brian Joubert
2. Patrick Chan
3. Jeremy Abbott
4. Johnny Weir
5. Takahiko Kozuka
6. Tomas Verner

LADIES

1. Yuna Kim
2. Mao Asada
3. Joannie Rochette
4. Yukari Nakano
5. Carolina Kostner
6. Miki Ando

PAIRS
1. Savchenko/Szolkowy
2. Zhang/Zhang
3. Pang/Tong
4. Kawaguchi/Smirnov
5. Mukhortova/Trankov
6. Volosozhar/Morozov

DANCE
1. Delobel/Schoenfelder
2. Khokhlova/Novitski
3. Domnina/Shabalin
4. Belbin/Agosto
5. Davis/White
6. Faiella/Scali

 

[sfgirl]

Good Luck Meryl and Charlie.

 

[Buttercup]

I don't believe the Skate Gods would let the rest of us know what their plans for the competition are

Well, the Skate Gods have spoken (to a degree) through their chosen channel, PJ Kwong, who has called the GPF for Patrick Chan. Since, as siberia82 will attest, only the noble spirit of Nobu's ancestor was enough to overcome such a powerful hex so far this season, I believe it is now possible to remove Chan's name from contention for gold.

 

[missysays]

Well, the Skate Gods have spoken (to a degree) through their chosen channel, PJ Kwong, who has called the GPF for Patrick Chan. Since, as siberia82 will attest, only the noble spirit of Nobu's ancestor was enough to overcome such a powerful hex so far this season, I believe it is now possible to remove Chan's name from contention for gold.

Have you noticed if the hex works on the other disciplines as well?

For dance, I noticed that she predicts that Del/Scho will win but she heavily favors F/S as well. She doesn't even mention Bel/Ago even though they had the highest point total going into the GPF. Well, I guess we'll see very soon.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

With the exception of a few posters, this is really a Hope thread.

 

[siberia82]

Well, the Skate Gods have spoken (to a degree) through their chosen channel, PJ Kwong, who has called the GPF for Patrick Chan. Since, as siberia82 will attest, only the noble spirit of Nobu's ancestor was enough to overcome such a powerful hex so far this season, I believe it is now possible to remove Chan's name from contention for gold.

WHAT??? I can't believe PJ Kwong is a traitor!!! She's after you, Patrick! Run boy, RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!

Well, I guess we'll soon see if the poor guy can scurry away fast enough.

 

[SailorGalaxia518]

WHAT??? I can't believe PJ Kwong is a traitor!!! She's after you, Patrick! Run boy, RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!

Well, I guess we'll soon see if the poor guy can run fast enough.

 

[~tapdancer]

Have you noticed if the hex works on the other disciplines as well?

For dance, I noticed that she predicts that Del/Scho will win but she heavily favors F/S as well. She doesn't even mention Bel/Ago even though they had the highest point total going into the GPF. Well, I guess we'll see very soon.

She doesn't mention D/W, either. Guess the Americans aren't much on her radar. Can't believe she's favoring F/S...don't really get that. I'm thinking they will be on the bottom. It's kinda ironic but as much as I like the CDs, I'm a little happy that there's no CD here. It will interesting to see how the teams match up without the CD factor.

 

[gopatrick]

WHAT??? I can't believe PJ Kwong is a traitor!!! She's after you, Patrick! Run boy, RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!

Well, I guess we'll soon see if the poor guy can run fast enough.

Maybe Patrick should call upon Mr. Colson

 

[siberia82]

Maybe Patrick should call upon Mr. Colson

That's a very good idea, actually. :agree: It's his only chance of breaking free from her powerful black magic!