Joesitz said:
If anyone has factual info on the draw, please let us know, otherwise there is no reason to blame the USFS.
ChuckM posted the details of the draw a while back. Chuck is very knowledgable and reliable about these things. :agree:
1. Before anything else happens, each of the host federations gets to reserve three skaters from its own country. Skate America chose Sasha, Rachael, and "TBD," leaving a potential spot either for Michelle or for another U.S. skater who had only one assignment.
They did not choose the National Champion, Alissa (possibly Alissa requested that she not be chosen), and they did not choose Caroline even though Caroline had strong results in international competition at the end of the season last year.
2. There is a draw to see who gets the first choice in the first round. In the first round each host makes its choice of either Kim, Rochette or Ando. Skate America chose Kim (but we don't know whether Skate America got to choose first or second and snapped her up, or whether they chose last and had to take her because she was the only one left.)
3. There is another draw for order in selecting either Asada, Flatt or Lepisto. Since the USFSA had already reserved Rachael, they passed in this round.
4. Then there are separate draws for rounds 3, 4, 5, etc., until all the places are filled. There are some restrictions on who can be selected because certain skaters are guaranteed two or one assignments, so
someone has to take them whether they want to or not.
There has been speculation that France got lucky for the ladies' draws and got to pick first or second in several of the rounds, but we don't really know.
The federations have two different strategies available to them.
(A) In the case of the ladies field in France, for instance, the host country has no contending skater. In this case it is to the advantage of the host federation to choose the best skater available in each round. The French federation did this, with the result that the ladies' field at Eric Bompard is packed.
(B) If the host federation has a skater who they are trying to prop up and get into the finals, it is to their advantage to invite the
worst available competitor in each round. For instance, for the Skate America men's event, the USFSA chose Lysacek in the preliminary round. To give Lysacek the best chance to win, they did not choose Weir or Abbott with their other two protected host picks, and they did not choose any other highly ranked skater either, except Verner (they had to take someone from 4-6).
There are two other considerations.
(i). The top skaters can express their preferences, through their federations. The host federations do not have to honor these requests, but they try to if if suits their purposes. Yu-ma Kim requested Skate America and Eric Bompard, and those two host federations granted her wishes by inviting her.
(ii) The host federations can make deals with each other to get the most spots for their skaters. For instance, Skate America could agree to invite Delobel and Schoenfelder in exchange for France inviting Sasha.
The USFSA was very successful at this, getting the maimum number of spots for U.S. skaters possible under the rules.(no more than three skaters from any one country per event.)
By the luck of the draw Caroline Zhang got a tough assignment at Eric Bompard, and a relatively easier one at Skate Canada.
Rachael Flatt got two comparatively easy assignments, Cup of China and Skate America. However, this was not favoritism, it was because she fell into a special category, having finished fifth at Worlds. She was guaranteed not to have to skate against Asada (number four), for instance.
Sasha got the plum assignment at Skate America, giving NBC television a possible ratings boost for that event. This was announced two weeks before the draw. At the draw, Eric Bompard also selected her. We don't know whether the USFSA called in some favors or whether the French Fed just wanted her anyway -- probably the latter. Why wouldn't they?
