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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
New this year, the ISU has come out with a big cash prize for the top finishers in the ISU rankings. This is supposed to discourage top skaters from skipping the Grand Prix series (and from skipping worlds in an Olympic season).

It will be interesting to see if we will have fewer withdrawals from Grand Prix events this year.
 

slutskayafan21

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
The GS forum podium predictors make it seem like the Japanese are infallible in men's and women's singles. Sure Oda's 3 axel and technique on other jumps are "better" than Evan, but sometimes too much is too much; Oda repeats the same sit spin position 3X and lacks Evan's, Johnny's, and Jeff Buttle's artistry, edging, and intricate footwork. If he cries like a big baby again like he did at 05 NHK if he wins, I will want to break my TV. Winning on home ground is one thing, but bawling like you found the cure for cancer is another (I hope Tara is reading this). Well I'm just bitter today b/c I've been fighting a severe cold for weeks, and I've been assured it's nothing worse than the common cold.

I dont think Oda is infalliable but he is definitely on the rise, and guys ahead of him in the rankings will have a battle holding him off. I dont think he and Evan are in different leagues, but at Campbell's it was plainly obvious who is skating better now so it should be no surprise almost all are picking Oda to win a meeting between the 2 at this point in time.
 

MKFSfan

Medalist
Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Going by the practice clips posted on USFSA, I really am liking Mao. Her jumps are pretty! I am really rooting for Miki, too. I'd love to see all the American woman have successful GP debuts.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
New this year, the ISU has come out with a big cash prize for the top finishers in the ISU rankings. This is supposed to discourage top skaters from skipping the Grand Prix series (and from skipping worlds in an Olympic season).

It will be interesting to see if we will have fewer withdrawals from Grand Prix events this year.

Are you kidding? As of today, there have been sixty-two withdrawals/replacements, and they just keep on coming. The ISU listings are useless, as the skater who go dutifully to the GP every year and has mediocre results will always rank higher than the skater who finished high at Worlds but because of illness or injuiry missed a GP event either this year or last year.

Does anyone REALLY think Elena Sokolova is the #2 best skater in the World?
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Well, in that case a mediocre skater will be $45,000 dollars richer at the end of the season. Maybe Sokolova!

The prizes for the top point-getters in the GP plus Europeans/4 Continents plus Worlds get $45,000 for first ($67,000 for pairs and dance teams), $27,000 for second ($40,500), and $18,000 for third ($27,000).

This is on top of whatever prize money they win in the events separately.

There is a nice article about this in the recent Spotlight on Skating magazine by Steve Milton under the title, "If this doesn't save Four Continents, nothing will." :laugh:

I think the ISU is mounting an effort to try to make the ISU rating system count for something. At least this is a carrot rather than the stick that they beat Plushenko with a couple of seasons ago when he opted out of the GP.
 
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chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I had forgotten about that. But that was his first GP ever, and he was all of 17 years old. Seventh was not a bad result at all. He also skated at Lalique and was 4th there.
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Are you kidding? As of today, there have been sixty-two withdrawals/replacements, and they just keep on coming. The ISU listings are useless, as the skater who go dutifully to the GP every year and has mediocre results will always rank higher than the skater who finished high at Worlds but because of illness or injuiry missed a GP event either this year or last year.

Does anyone REALLY think Elena Sokolova is the #2 best skater in the World?

I would think it is the skaters who go dutifully to the GP every year, with mediocre results would be the ones most in need of the money because they (probably) don't have tours or endorsements or invitations to cheesefests to help meet expenses.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
But it isn't the mediocre skaters that the ISU is trying to entice. It's the big names, and the money they are offering isn't enough to keep those big names interested in the GP. It was an idea that wasn't thought through carefully.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I think it is more a lack of money than not thinking it through. If they could offer a million dollars for the top point-getter, that would have an effect.

Right now the amount is exactly the same as for the world championship.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
but everyone wants a world championship. There's not as much competition for the France or American title. I think it's more of a PRESTIGE thing. Same reason why the European championships seem to be so much more popular and attract bigger-name skaters than the Four Continents championship.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Still, I think if they offered a million dollars for the overall point winner and $45,000 for the world championship trophy, people would start re-evaluating what is prestigious and what isn't.

ETA: OT, but the rich sport of NASCAR has a formula for giving out prize money which rewards showing up for every race over actually winning anything.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2002-07-17-rewards.htm
 
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slutskayafan21

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
When top skaters arent doing what amounts to a full output GP circuit(2 GP events and the GP if qualified) isnt it 80% of the time due to injury? Last year Kwan did 0 GP events, Cohen only 1, Plushenko only 1, Shen and Zhou 0, Denkova/Stavinski 0, Belbin/Agosto only 1, but for each one it was all for injury related reasons. The top skaters who were healthy enough-Lambiel, Totmianina/Marinin, Slutskaya, Arakawa, Asada, Zhang/Zhang, Buttle, Navka/
Kostomarov, etc....all very willingly took part in the full GP schedule.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
So then the ISU Grand Prize will be won by the highest-ranking skater who was lucky enough not to incur an injury. Wow, the prestige of that....sort of like a perfect attendance award in high school. :sheesh:
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
But then again, you could say the same thing about any method of awarding honors. Lambiel won the Plushenko-is-injured championship in Moscow. Arakawa won the Where's Kwan? championship in Torino.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
and Kimmie won "where are the olympic medalists" championship in Calgary. :yes:
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
No, not quite the same. Lambiel, Arakawa and Meissner all won major titles, and they had to have the best skate(s) to win them.

Sokolova (should she win the money) hasn't even medaled at Worlds since 2003. The last competition she won was Skate America 2005 (by a hair) and she didn't even win the FS. A month later, she finished 6th at TEB.
 
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