ISU announcement about Grand Prix

Here it is

http://www.isu.org/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4844-183251-200469-120726-0-file,00.pdf

Thanks gio.

Reading Penn again? And Sendai, one of the most beautiful "developed" places on earth.

Thanks gio, I'll read this over the weekend and see how many skaters in what countries qualify for what this season. I presume some skaters will qualify because of some little competitions in Europe as well as the big stars of Europe.

Joe

According to the criteria for the GP this year, below is what I think will be the lineup. Bear in mind that skaters/teams are eligible for invitation only if their federation submits their names. Host nations may choose any of their own skaters, regardless of whether they are eligible by ISU standards. Also consider that singles skaters and ice dance teams that intend to skate Junior next season may be offered invitations but may turn them down.

LADIES:
Seeds: Ando, Asada, Kim, Meissner, Kostner, Nakano
Guaranteed two events (7-12 at Worlds): Meier, Poykio, Hughes, Rochette, Marchei, Sebestyen
Guaranteed at least one event (medal finish, Jr Worlds or JGP): Zhang, Nagasu, Wagner, Oster
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24 World Standings, other than the above):
Suguri, Czisny, Sawada, Korpi, Sokolova, Martinova, Gedevanishvili, Takeda, Xu, Liu, Liang
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, Seasons Best, other than the above):
Leung
Eligible for invitation (top 75, Seasons Best list, other than the above):
Drei, Vahamaa, Mai Asada, Hawker, Suizu, Glebova, Karademir, Volchkova, Gimazetdinova, Lepisto, Zukowski, Fang, Carter, Ievleva, Bulanhagui, Shin, Katz, Berton, Hegel, Muramoto, Hyatt, Cannarozzo, Calvez, Leonova, Na-Young Kim, Kozireva, Issakova, Chae-Hwa Kim, Johansson, McCorkell, Phaneuf, Lafuente, Sin, Samson, Cagnon, Muniz, Pavuk, Tertichnaia, Taylor, Wieczorek, Ishikawa, Bobillier, Berger, Heim, Petushkova, Della Monica.

All others have no hope of invitations unless they are members of a host country.

MEN
Seeds: Joubert, Takahashi, Lambiel, Verner, Lysacek, Buttle
Guaranteed two events (7-12 at Worlds): Oda, Weir, Berntsson, Davydov, Preaubert, Lindemann
Guaranteed at least one event (medal at JW or JGP): Carriere, Mroz, Reynolds, Chan, Voronov
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, World ranking, other than above): Kozuka, Van Der Perren, Mabee, Sandhu, Ponsero, Mura, Alexander Uspenski, Wu, Nakaniwa
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, Seasons Best list, other than above):
Abbott, Lutai, Bradley, Sawyer, Dobrin, Smith, Zelenka
Eligible for invitation (top 75, Seasons Best list, other than the above):
Chipeur, Griazev, Othman, Kanzaki, Urbas, Guan, Steenberg, Macypura, Nanri, Kanallakan, Kovalevski, Borodulin, Craig, Ming Xu, Colot, Halverson, Machida, Pfeifhofer, Tischendorf, Oi, Jeremy Ten, Shibata, Kaska, Murakami, Russell, Tretiakov, Yang, Gao, Uspenski, Schultheiss, Lucine, Amodio, Varner, Blde, Razzano, Torii, Brezina, Vaillant, Gregoriev, Martinez

PAIRS:
Seeds: Pang/Tong, Savchenko/Szolkowy, Volosozhar/Morozov, Zhang/Zhang, Inoue/Baldwin, Kawaguchi/Smirnov
Guaranteed at least two events (7-12 at Worlds 2007 or equivalent Seasons Best score): Dube/Davison, Langlois/Hay, Mukhortova/Trankov, Castile/Okolski, Nari Nam/Leftheris, McLaughlin/Brubaker
Guaranteed at least one event (medal at JW or JGP, other than the above): Bazarova/Larionov, Krasilnikova/Bezmaternikh, Paetsch/Nuss
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, World ranking, other than above):
Putnam/Wirtz, Obertas/Slavnov, Namiotka/Coughlin, Pylkina/Hogner, Vlassov/Meekins, Li/Xu, Piatkowska/Khromin, Aganina/Knyazev, Pla/Bonheur, Handke/Wende
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, Seasons Best list, other than above): Vise/Trent, Efaieva/Menshikov
All other teams are theoretically eligible to receive invitations, since all are in the top 75 on the Seasons Best list.

DANCE
Seeds: Denkova/Staviiski (if not retired), Dubreuil/Lauzon (if not retired), Bebin/Agosto, Delobel/Schoenfelder, Domnina/Shabalin, Virtue/Moir
If one retirement, Gregory/Petukhov becomes seeded (based on Seasons Best score); if two retirements, next is Khokhlova/Novitski.
Guaranteed two events (placed 7-12 at Worlds, other than above): Davis/White, Khokholova/Novitski (if not seeded), Faiella/Scali, Gregory/Petukhov (if not seeded), Kerr/Kerr, Pechalat/Bourzat. Should one or two of these teams become seeded, then Bobrova/Soloviev and Hoffmann/Elek move up into the two-event category.
Guaranteed at least one event (medal at JW or JGP, other than the above): Grunberg/Rand, Weaver/Poje, Hubbell/Hubbell, Samuelson/Bates.
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, World ranking, other than above):
Cappellini/Lanotte, Zaretskis, Fraser/Lukanin, Platonova/Maximishin, Gorshkova/Butikov, Brouiller/Richaud, Chait/Sakhonovsky
Guaranteed at least one event (top 24, Seasson's Best list, other than above):
Navarro/Bommentre, Zlobina/Sitnikov
Eligible for invitations (top 75, Seasons Best list, other than above): too many to list.

Wow, thanks for the research, chuckm.

Are Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu old enough to do the senior Grand Prix?

gio- couldn't get the link to work.

^ The whole ISU web site is down temporarily. The link is correct and should be working again a little later.

For whatever reason, the USFSA didn't trouble themselves with confusing rules last year. For the ladies, they just sent the top 6 finishers at Nationals after Sasha. Maybe it just worked out that way.

Mathman said:

Are Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu old enough to do the senior Grand Prix?

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Yes. The minimum age for skaters is 14 by July 1, 2007, and Zhang and Nagasu will both turn 14 before then.

PolymerBob said:

For whatever reason, the USFSA didn't trouble themselves with confusing rules last year. For the ladies, they just sent the top 6 finishers at Nationals after Sasha. Maybe it just worked out that way.

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These, however, are ISU rules, so I don't think the USFSA really has the option of not troubling with them this year.

As I understand ChuckM's post, Flatt and Kahle (the fifth and sixth place finishers at U.S. senior nationals) are not eligible for any event except Skate America. Rachael Flatt, in particular, got a double whammy. An early season injury took her out of her junior grand prix events, then the USFSA chose not to send her to junior worlds, so she had no chance to qualify (even if she had won U.S. nationals!)

I wonder how the USFSA will play it. Kimmie and Emily are guaranteed two spots. I think Czisny and Liang will both be chosen for two spots. Will the USFSA push their juniors (assuming that Zhang, Nagasu, Wagner and Oster want to compete)? Will they negotiate tit for tat will other federations to get some of their skaters a second invitation? Or will they try to spread it out, after Meissner and Hughes (will Hughes compete at all?), and give more skaters a chance to get their feet wet?

If I were they, I would be tempted to go with Meissner, Czisney and Flatt at Skate America, and work like crazy behind the scenes to get international assignments for the four junior qualifiers.

Mathman said:

Rachael Flatt, in particular, got a double whammy. An early season injury took her out of her junior grand prix events, then the USFSA chose not to send her to junior worlds, so she had no chance to qualify (even if she had won U.S. nationals!)

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Well, if she had won U.S. Nationals I suspect she would have been sent to Jr. Worlds, since she was too young for Worlds or 4Cs.

Mathman said:

As I understand ChuckM's post, Flatt and Kahle (the fifth and sixth place finishers at U.S. senior nationals) are not eligible for any event except Skate America. Rachael Flatt, in particular, got a double whammy. An early season injury took her out of her junior grand prix events, then the USFSA chose not to send her to junior worlds, so she had no chance to qualify (even if she had won U.S. nationals!)

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JMHO, but I think Flatt should stick to the JGP this year anyway. She really doesn't have any international exposure and JGP would be the better place to do so, and she'd probably fare better. I think she'd do well against a lot of the junior skaters, but I don't see how she would benefit from competing against the likes of Miki, Mao, Yu-Na, Carolina etc. I know Peggy raved about her maturity and her expression and her poise and all that, but I think Flatt is far from being a refined skater. I think she would look incredily out of place on the senior grand prix. Let her get her feet wet on the junior circuit.

As far as the junior ladies, I think Caroline should go to the Senior GP, only because she already won everything on the JGP last year. I don't necessarily think she's as refined as most of the senior ladies, but she's way ahead of Flatt at least. Mirai would do well to skate junior gp this year, she needs the exposure and the experience without the pressure of competing as a senior. Also, I think keeping Zhang and Nagasu apart would be wise, the international judges seem to adore Zhang now but how would that change if Nagasu were to beat her again? Wagner should go senior, she's the most mature skating of the three and she has the jumps.

Flatt will skate in the JGP this coming season, and it is likely that Zhang and Nagasu will, too. Although the latter two could skate in the GP, they can't go to Senior Worlds, and they might as well use the JGP to refine their jumps before moving up to the GP.

If you read through the whole ISU GP announcement, you will notice that they have cut back on the number of Pairs and Ice Dancers in each of the events.

Pairs will now have a maximum of 8, and Ice Dance, 10 (Men and Ladies remain at 12). That is most likely because last season, many empty slots were left in both Pairs and Ice Dance.

Now that the season (even the Japan Open) is over, I can hardly wait in emptiness till next October, so may I join this forum from time to time?

Thanks to gio I've taken a glance at the next GP series' Technical Announcement (PDF file) and noticed that it states here and there "in accordance with the General Regulations 2006".

Does that mean that there will be no change in the PCS system, especially, no trying of two boards of judges, one designated solely for the PCS? :think:

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Miles to go.

Hi, Sorcerer, welcome to Golden Skate! Post often, post long!

Yes, the two-panels idea is dead in the water. It was tried experimentally at one event last year and nobody in the ISU liked it well enough to continue testing.

There is some kind of big ISU eminar coming up on the guidelines for judging program component scores, but I don't think it's anything new.

JMHO, but I think Flatt should stick to the JGP this year anyway. She really doesn't have any international exposure and JGP would be the better place to do so, and she'd probably fare better. I think she'd do well against a lot of the junior skaters, but I don't see how she would benefit from competing against the likes of Miki, Mao, Yu-Na, Carolina etc.

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Do you think Drei, Hawker, Mai, Glebova, etc. have a better shot at Sr.GP than Flatt? It just may be a question of prestige. However it is in the hands of the USFS to pick the three for SA which I believe is the only senior GP that Flatt could possibly make.

For Skate America and Skate Canada, I believe will be divided between Meissner and Hughes. Who will be picked for the two vacancies at SA is the question.

Which two would you pick (anyone) from this list: Flatt, Czisny, Liang, Taylor, Zhang, Mirai?

Joe

I think the USFSA will send its top 3 from nationals this year to skate america. It would be nice to see Kahle or Julianna get one of the slots but I don't think they will get it unless one of the top 3 can't make it.

I would love to see Flatt in the senior GP but like someone else said shes not old enogh for worlds so what's the point. Maybe she can win Junior worlds this year.

flying camel said:

I think the USFSA will send its top 3 from nationals this year to skate america. It would be nice to see Kahle or Julianna get one of the slots but I don't think they will get it unless one of the top 3 can't make it.

I would love to see Flatt in the senior GP but like someone else said shes not old enogh for worlds so what's the point. Maybe she can win Junior worlds this year.

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The GP will start in September 2007. The US Nats in January 2008. If you mean the 3 from 2007 then, it is Meissner, Hughes and Czisny. I kind of think the USFS will spread those three out so that otheres can get two GPs.

Joe

The comments about whether or not these young skaters should get another year of seasoning in juniors reminds me of the 12-year-old Michelle Kwan. Against the wishes and advice of her coach, she snuck off to take her senior tests and competed that year at senior Nationals (finishing sixth).

Internationally, though, she did compete at junior worlds that year (and won).

I don't know whether this has any relevance for Rachael Flatt or not (fifth in her first shot at senior U.S. Nationals).

Mathman said:

The comments about whether or not these young skaters should get another year of seasoning in juniors reminds me of the 12-year-old Michelle Kwan. Against the wishes and advice of her coach, she snuck off to take her senior tests and competed that year at senior Nationals (finishing sixth).

Internationally, though, she did compete at junior worlds that year (and won).

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A year later, actually, but finishing 6th at 1993 Nationals did get her invited to the US Olympic Festival that summer, which was the selection competition for 1994 Junior Worlds and which she won. She would probably have needed a medal placement in juniors to get that invitation. My understanding was that she was concerned about the pressure of going to 1993 Nationals expected to win a junior medal and preferred to fly under the radar in seniors that year.

I don't know whether this has any relevance for Rachael Flatt or not (fifth in her first shot at senior U.S. Nationals).

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Pretty much none. The international age rules were different then. Flatt has already tested and competed as a senior nationally but can't compete next year at ISU championships. The US ladies' field is a lot deeper now than in 1993-94, IMO (and the international ladies' field definitely is). There was no Junior Grand Prix alternative.