Which of the 4 disciplines will be most exciting this coming season?

Of the 4 disciplines of skating, which do you think will be the most exciting this coming season?

Men-Plushenko maybe returning. Can Joubert keep up his pace of last year, and if so will the others respond? Can Lambiel return to the top step? Can Takahashi keep up his newfound consistency of last year and add an extra quad or two to reach the top step? Has far will Lysacek's consistency and determination vs his more talented rivals? Is it now or never for Johnny Weir? Has Buttle's career already seen its best days? Will Verner's star continue to rise, or will he be a 1-year wonder? Will Oda have quad(s) incorporated in his jump arsenal to help his quest to move up in the ranks? Will any up and comers of mostly junior pedigree up to now make their mark?

Pairs-With Shen/Zhou likely gone for good, and Totmianina/ Marinin now definitely not returning, as well as the departure for good of aging Petrova/Tikhonov, will any team emerge as the clear leader or will it be a hotly contested battle between a certain number of elite teams at the very top? Will Pang/Tong regain their World title? Will the Zhangs regain their 2006 form, and possible step to the top step of the World podium for the first time? Will Savchenko/Szokoly continue to build on their newfound consistency of last season, and will move up from their bronze at Worlds? Have Inoue/Baldwin's career already seen its best days? Can Dube/Davison make a push for the podium? Will Kawaguchi/Smirnov return Russia to among the elite leaders of pairs?

Ladies-Can Miki Ando hang onto her World title, with Asada and Kim who each decisively beat her in one seperate program at Worlds each on her tail? Can Asada live up to all the hype by finally winning the World title, and showing consistency throughout a season which she did not last season? Can Kim avoid a possible recurring back injury, and finish the job she couldnt quite finish at Worlds last year? Can Meissner break up the Asian wall now in front of her? Can Meier take the next step? Can Kostner establish some consistency in her skating, and possibly return to the World podium again? Can Hughes step out of Meissner's shadow in the U.S? Has Rochette's window of any hope of ever winning a World medal already closed? How will the upstarts do on their senior GP circuit debuts?

Dance-Will Denkova/Staviski return? Is this the season Belbin/Agosto reach the top step? Will a dissapointing Worlds simply be a small bump in the rise of Domnina/Shabalin, or is it a sign of thing to come? Will Delobel/ Schoenfeldner ever do better then 4th place at a World Championships? Will Moir/Virtue fill the void of Dubreuil/Lauzon's temporary leave of absence, and rise to a World medal? Will Davis/White be able to move past Moir/Virtue after trailing right behind them for awhile now?

Asada FINALLY winnig the Worlds? Like she had tried several times...

Savchenko/Szokoly will be the clear favorites in my book along with pang and tong.

miki, i don't think that she will be able to win another world title. you can't keep mao off forever. She will be hungry for the title after missimng it by a inch last year.

I think that the most exciting events will be nationals of course and whatever evenst when the big names face off. I can't wait for October!!!

slutskayafan21 said:

Can Dube/Davison make a push for the podium?

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I think they can, or at least place top 5. This past season, she had surgery on her knee in September (and also, after a bad fall in the Quebec Summer Championships, she wasn't allowed to jump for 2 weeks) and they only resumed full training a month before nationals. Then came 4 Continents, and the accident. So yes, I think they can definitely improve on their placement an push for the podium if not in 2008, for sure in 2009. They are leading Canadian pairs right now, or at least until we see how Duhamel and Buntin will fare.

Kypma

Lumi said:

Asada FINALLY winnig the Worlds? Like she had tried several times...

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Well there seems to a certain kind of Asada fan who can't wait to proclaim her best ever. Don't you remember the fuss some raised about her not competing in Turin in 2006?

I'm not sure if my own lack of enthusiasm for Asada isn't a direct result of that (it's not fair to her but that's the risk over enthusiastic fans run).

It's always about the Men who, for the most part, make it a competition for Sport.


Other events include:

Ladies for the highest spiral. Pairs for the most acrobatic lifts and Dance for the judging.


Joe

I think the ladies will be interesting not only because of the skaters you named but also because of the young skaters coming; Caroline Zhang, Ashley Wagner, Mirai Nagasu and so on!

bibi said:

I think the ladies will be interesting not only because of the skaters you named but also because of the young skaters coming; Caroline Zhang, Ashley Wagner, Mirai Nagasu and so on!

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* Although Mira Nagasu will not compete in the Senior Granx Prix, but rather in the Junior one... she could make a splash at Nationals, though.

Kypma

Ladies-Can Miki Ando hang onto her World title, with Asada and Kim who each decisively beat her in one seperate program at Worlds each on her tail? Can Asada live up to all the hype by finally winning the World title, and showing consistency throughout a season which she did not last season? Can Kim avoid a possible recurring back injury, and finish the job she couldnt quite finish at Worlds last year? Can Meissner break up the Asian wall now in front of her? Can Meier take the next step? Can Kostner establish some consistency in her skating, and possibly return to the World podium again? Can Hughes step out of Meissner's shadow in the U.S? Has Rochette's window of any hope of ever winning a World medal already closed? How will the upstarts do on their senior GP circuit debuts?

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I'm expecting the ladies to be really exciting & competitive. I can't wait to see everyone's new programs. I want Kimmie to if not win Worlds then to medal. I want to see improvement in everyone's spirals. I don't want to see that ugly spiral where everyone holds their leg up anymore. The GP may prove to be more exciting then Worlds. Because most of the newbies won't be at worlds.

I hope Dube & Davidson make a big splash this year. They have so much potential. Otherwise, the pairs are pretty boring for me.

For the men I look forward to the Evan & Johnny rivalry. Believe me they are going to make each other better.

Ice Dance - I love B/A but they were a little disappointing last year. I hope they can pull it together this season. They have a little competition behind them in the US.

The question is "EXCITING" - not who is your favorite. :sheesh::sheesh::sheesh:

Hm

Hard choice. They are all exciting for different reasons...

Ladies - This will be most exciting for the new comers for me. How will Zhang, Wagner, and Oster fair? With scores at Juniors that, if translated nearly the same to seniors, could score them top 5, Im excited. Better then Katy Taylor during 06/07? Im not expecting too big elite surprises. Its a give in it will be Asada/Kim/Ando winning worlds, with Meissner having a chance.

Men - This season, the most exciting is will Joubert finally lose? And will Lysacek finally live up to his own ego, and show us a strong world finish?

Pairs - I dont expect too big of a shift; Zhangs or Pang/Tong should take worlds, but which? Inoue/Baldwin seem to be running out of steam, and with Castile/Okolski's national performance, they seem to be the pride of the Americans at the moment.

Dance - This is the deepest field. So many competitors have real chances. Im dying for Belbin/Agosto to finally win worlds, but somethings always in their way.

Personally, going back to the begining, it's Ladies that will be the most exciting. Both the newcomers, and the battle at the peak of the podium.

Joesitz said:

The question is "EXCITING" - not who is your favorite. :sheesh::sheesh::sheesh:

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sometimes seeing your favorites continue to improve or fight to stay on top is what makes the sport exciting... it makes it a bit more personal and interesting to a lot of people. :sheesh:

I think, for me, it will be dance. I've gotten into it in the last few years and it really is exciting... especially the US ice dance situation at the moment!

For me, maybe the biggest question of all would be, how is US Nats going to play out. We've got some up-and-comers who could possibly make noise. Maybe when worlds comes along there will actually be an American contender. Everything else deserves a big fat yawn.

I'm not so interested in any particular nationality for the WIN. I just like to see good skating, good judging and the best person that night, win!

I'm more familiar with American skaters in Juniors so it is always interesting to watch them improve or fall by the wayside. I would like to see the Junior Grand Prix on TV or at least in Ice NetWork, so I can get familiar with non-American up and commers.

Senior Worlds, for me, is where the whole thing matters. (Olys are much too over rated. It's just another big int'l competition.)

Joe

Men - if Plushy's not back.
Pairs - top 10.
Dance - Virtue & Moir.... maybe.

Awesome thread Sluskayafan - and fantastic set up for the upcoming season!!!!

I can't wait to see what Mao and Yu Na Kim come up with, and to see them looking strong and ready at their debut (I hope they do!!!!). It will be really interesting to see what MIki's new status translates into this year (a confindence boost - pressure???) I would love to Rochette step up; Caro Kostner to skate clean and to just be able to show off her skills (btw, I thanks Joe I believe, Rgirl and maybe a few others for pointing out to me a couple of years ago just how intersting and talented Caro is), and Kimmie continue to be strong with her jumps (clean them up, land them etc.) and competition nerves; Can't wait for Michelle to debut her level 4 footwork and spirals, and Sasha to land her triple triples ...LOL (just fantasizing again)!

Meier, Pokyio...a few others (Giesdeshivvill....sp?????) I will be watching out for too!

The Men: oh dear - so much to hope for and anticipate. So, first - a wish: I truly wish to see Lambiel skate clean and to skate to his Flamenco program from worlds. I'm hoping that Joubert's new training program from last year is revised for this year and that he sticks to it because it clearly benefited him. Having him strong, steady and consistent puts - imo - a nice competitive twist into the men's field. I hope Takahashi's season last year means he is not a consistent competitor and someone to beware of - i Just love his skating; I am rooting for Johnny to come back strong, in shape, and competitive - and so too with Buttle; with just these guys - Lambiel, Taka, Joubert, WEir and Buttle we could have awesome comps -- Now add a potential Plushenko comeback; Oda figuring out how not to do too many combos (maybe some improved footwork too) and maybe doing quads; Verner, Lysacek and the list goes on - the men's comp could be a nailbiter. god, I hope so!

Pairs and dance - have to think about: real quick S/S are likely to dominate - I hope Pang and Tong shine too.

Dance - I would love to see more D/S - but there are so many great teams; I'd love to see the Del/Shoes on the podium.

It's incredible how certain people think it will be boring. I still don't understand why they even watch FS...:no:

FS next season will be very exciting in all 4 disciplines.
-Ice Dance is becoming more unpredictable with new young couples. Virtue/Moir and the young American couple that impressed me very much are podium contenders in the near future maybe even next season IMO.
-In Ladies we have Yu Na Kim, Mao, Miki, Kimmie and Kostner who are battling for the gold. And all of this 5 ladies CAN win. Sarah Meier, Joannie Rochette, Alissa Czisny, Elene Gedevanishvili, Kiira Korpi and Yukari Nakano could do very well and even medal. We still can't count out Fumie Suguri and Elena Sokolova. Looking forward on Zhang and Nagasu.
-The Men field is a super competition. Plush can't be that sure to win as he was two years ago. Takahashi, Lambiel, Joubert and Oda will be fighting. Tomas Verner and Evan Lysacek can surprise us. And we all know what Weir is capable of. Not to forget Jeff Buttle artistry. After the injury, if he can find his jumps, he is a medal contender.
-The Pairs are a little bit more sure. The Chinese couples (Zhang/Zhang and Pang/Tong) are the favourites. But Savchenko/Szolkovy could surprise them and us. Not to forget the improvements of the Ukrainian couple and the Canadians.

I'm looking forward to all 4 competitions.

All four disciplines will be exciting just in the U.S. alone, especially dance.

Are Belbin and Agosto really vulnerable? Or are they just lulling everyone into a false sense of security, preparing to pounce out for the kill?

Will Davis and White become the next superstars, battling training mates Virtue and Moir next year for Global Supremacy? Or will they take a slower and steadier path to the top?

My pick: Melissa and Denis all the way!

In ladies, it's the new kids on the block. Caroline, Mirai, Ashley, Rachael. Flash in the pan? Or will they have us saying "Michelle who? Sasha who?" next year.

Can't overlook the battle of the titans, King Kong Johnny versus Evan "Godzilla" Lysacek, toe to toe for all the marbles.

In my opinion, I can pick the best skater(s), but I can't yet predict who will win. however the skaters (teams) I am most interested in seeing are:

Mao, Kim, Zhang, Wagner, Oster.

Takahashi, Oda, Joubert, Plushenko, Lambiel, Buttle, Lysacek, Weir, and whoever is the 3rd man from the US. (Tell me the Ladies is more interesting)

Dube/Davison, Putnam/Wirtz, Evora/Ladwiq, Kawaguchi/Smirnov, Vlassov/Meekins, McLaughlin/Brubaker (and a look at Duhamel/Buntin)

Davis/White, Navarro/Bommentre, Virtue/Moir, Carron/Jose, Cappellini/LaNotte

The big names I left out is because I don't see anything special coming up this season. They know their game and so do l.

Joe