- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
01. Evgenia Medvedeva (♕ Reigning World, Russian National, and European Champion): Unless she is suddenly met with dramatic puberty-related issues or significant injury, I predict she will have a long reign as Queen. Despite whatever image haters want to impose on her, she is artistically and technically superior to most of the current field minus Mao, and her consistency is just...what is there to say? I don't know if she will be able to correct her Lutz (which is maybe her one weakness), but at this point, does she really need to? Still, as we all know, anything can happen. Before Evgenia, Liza looked to be unbeatable...and before her there was Yulia. However, I believe in Evgenia's abilities and I feel that she is the Russian teen destined to break the cycle.
02. Asada Mao (3-time World Champion, 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, 6-time Japanese National Champion): I don't think what we saw last season was a completely returned Mao. She took a long break and no matter how hard she may have worked afterwards, it just wasn't enough to get back to her full competitive form. I believe enough time has passed now for her to have worked off the rust and to make a true comeback to reclaim her crown. I still think she has the highest scoring potential of the field, regardless of Evgenia's backloading...she will get the PCS easily if she performs. Her consistency will still be an issue though, as she depends on the 3A a lot.
03. Anna Pogorilaya (• Reigning World, Russian National, and European Bronze Medalist): In my eyes, Anna was the true silver medalist at the last Worlds (and she is WITHOUT A DOUBT the real 2014 Worlds bronze medalist) but I understand that it was a home competition and these things happen. I don't mean to take away from Ashley's great showing but Anna had a flawless Worlds, lets be honest. Her main weakness is her consistency, and I think that's what hurt her in the eyes of the judges at Worlds. Unlike most of the other ladies though, she doesn't simply make mistakes. She completely melts down. If she can overcome this tendency (and I am not all that confident she will), she will be a lock for the podium and a top contender for the championship.
04. Maria Sotskova (Reigning World Junior Silver Medalist): Every year, we get a new Russian prodigy fresh out of juniors and this year, it's Maria's turn. Like Evgenia before her, I feel like Maria will be able to make a successful transition up to the senior ranks. Even amongst the recent junior phenoms, she stood out as very sophisticated and mature. Barring injury or a sneaky bout of puberty-related issues, she should do very well. I think the only weakness she has is her newness, and she might get overlooked when up against the more seasoned Russian ladies (if as teenagers, they can even be described as such...)
05. Hongo Rika (2014-2015 Japanese National Silver Medalist): In my opinion, Rika has been consistently underscored. I couldn't tell you why. She hasn't been on the international scene as long as Satoko or Mao, she that's probably part of the reason. Still, the last season hasn't been completely wasted for Rika. Like Satoko and Evgenia, she has proven consistency, and while some of the other ladies have shown improvement in their artistry, Rika's has been growing exponentially (in my honestly biased opinion). I think this next season will be her moment to shine. I don't think she can beat say...Mao, Evgenia, or Gracie if they show up, but she can definitely be in medal contention if the others slip up. With Murakami Kanako drawing seemingly closer to the twilight of her career (no offense, I'm just being realistic), Rika now has a huge opportunity to firmly establish herself as one of the top three Japanese ladies going into Pyeongchang...or end up being overtaken by the looming talent of Honda Marin.
06. Ashley Wagner (• Reigning World Silver Medalist, 3-time US National Champion, 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist*): She is probably my least favorite American lady, but she has earned all of my respect and then some over the past season. She's "old" (her own words) but she has shown that she can still hang. However, I think her technical as well as artistic potential has been maxed out at this point in time. I do not see a viable path for Ashley to the championship without her competitors making mistakes...which is sort of what happened at the 2016 Worlds. It's arguable if her silver over Anna was deserved, but regardless, she still has the potential to sneak onto the podium when others underwhelm. I wonder how she will deal with the pressure now, going into the season as the undisputed #1 American lady.
07. Miyahara Satoko (Reigning Japanese National Champion, 2015 World Silver Medalist): I'll just be frank in saying, I just don't really enjoy her skating at all. I mean, her style is very...pretty, but everything is so understated yet forced somehow. I know that's sort of the Japanese way...but other delicate/quiet skaters of Japanese skating like Mao and Shizuka (both are amongst my favorites) always make me feel like I am watching a naturally beautiful piece of art whereas with Satoko...I can only appreciate her skill and consistency. She just reads as a bit boring, and I know it's not really a problem with her skating...just a matter of personal taste. Objectively, this girl deserves kudos because she always shows up and her consistency is godly. I think her main weakness is her jumping ability...they are tiny. But, I'm also a believer in the idea that jumping shouldn't be everything in figure skating, and for those who enjoy Satoko's skating...there's obviously a lot to appreciate about her. I think her consistency will always be there...but sooner or later, rising talents like Honda Marin and Hongo Rika will eventually overshadow her.
08. Mirai Nagasu (2-time US National Champion): Even though she sort of flew under the radar, I think Mirai has just had a phenomenal 2015-2016 season. She reestablished herself as a contender even though she was consistently underscored along the way. With Gracie always throwing her opportunities away, its easy to imagine a situation where Mirai makes a comeback amongst the top American ladies. I personally think Mirai is a bit of a late bloomer, and if she smartly recognizes that, she can peak in time for another Olympic run. Her skating has become so beautiful since 2010, and all she needs now is to fix some nagging technical glitches with the jumps and rebuild her confidence.
09. Polina Edmunds (Reigning US National Silver Medalist): I really like Polina's skating. She jumps big, and her spins are unique. I love the twizzles. However, her free program last season sucked. Sorry if that's rude, but it sucked. It just doesn't fit her at all and it was so awkward...I know there were issues with Polina in previous seasons about being more "mature" but she just completely jumped from one end of the spectrum to another. I believe in Polina's skating, but she needs to find a moment to call Mom into the room, close the door, and make her mom understand why she has to fire her from the choreography/styling team...because I have a feeling that may be the underlying issue here...
10. Elena Radionova (Reigning Russian National Silver Medalist): There were problems with her programs last season...to say the least. I love her personality, but it's time that she hired a professional to pick and edit her competition music for her...or at least persuade her not to pick stutter-y, dialogue-ridden pieces. Also, she visibly struggles with her jumps...and has been struggling with them for a while if you ask me. It just always seems like she's just about to fall but then nope, she survives to jump another pass. While I admire that kind of grit, it's just hard to say that she's consistent in the same way Evgenia and Satoko are consistent...and I think it's only a matter of time before such issues catch up with her. It also can't be pretty in the eyes of the judges, whose ears are already bleeding to her program music. A lot of people complain about the Russian ladies and their incessant "flailing"...and I always think they're just haters or something, but with Elena...it actually bugs me. Like, flailing is the only way to describe her choreography. I feel bad cause I feel like I'm just listing negative aspects of her skating...yet I really, really enjoy watching her (for the most part). It's weird, but I think it's her personality that really makes up her appeal. It's really hard to dislike Elena and I think she just needs polish to get to that next level.
11. Gracie Gold (Reigning US National Champion, 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist*): At this point, I just don't know what to think about Gracie. She has all the potential to become a champion. She has the big jumps, the spins, the beautiful programs, the it factor...the name. Whatever is holding her back mentally, it seems to be in reaction to the pressure that comes with her immense potential. It's almost a good thing that Ashley ended the medal draught this year because all eyes will be on her instead of Gracie for this upcoming season (and Ashley may be better at dealing with that). She can focus on winning competitions without the constant pressure to be #1 and doing so might rebuild her confidence. Speaking as a big Gracie fan, I honestly don't think she deserves the PCS she has been getting if she's not going to perform...and I think another subpar season will be the last straw for the judges to stop gifting her those points. It's all there...the talent, the potential...but when will she deliver? At this point, I fear the answer is never, but there's always hope.
12. Yulia Lipnitskaya (2014 Olympic* and European Champion): It's been yet another tough season for the original wunder. She's not melting down to the extent of what we saw during 2014-2015, but she still hasn't skated a clean free program since 2014 Worlds. She still has that star quality, but it certainly no longer shines as brightly. Despite what people want to believe, it's obvious that her struggles are mostly mental as she is able to jump cleanly in filmed practices...not that this situation is great either. Sure, there's still time to make the Olympic team...but I fear that another disappointing season will likely be too grave a blow to her confidence to continue on towards that goal. However, there is hope as the change in coaching really seems to have given her a second wind. She seems to be in great shape and we saw at nationals how only 3 months with the new team gave us her best performances since 2014. Her skating has become much more fluid and lyrical, and she has learned to slow everything down (in a good way). She also seems much happier in general with the new environment so I hope these developments continue for Yulia. If she gets her jumps back and to a consistent level (and there are promising signs that this is happening) then she will be right back up there with the other major contenders.
13. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (2015 World and European Champion): I believe we have not seen Liza or her 3A for the last time, but I fear that she may be growing dependent on that axel. It seems to throw her off her game when she fails the opening axel and then she makes mistakes for the rest of the program. I think that, combined with the pressure put on her as the defending world champion really messed her up this past season. Unfortunately, with Mao back in the mix and Evgenia obliterating the competition, she kind of needs that 3A to be competitive moving forward. Liza saw her rise to the top when the field was relatively weak right after the Olympics, but no one should doubt her potential because of it. If she hits all her jumps, she should be able to outscore even Evgenia technically...and I don't believe her artistic development is necessarily over. It's more like it's nonexistent at this point but she may very well be a late bloomer. She is so intriguingly beautiful and has a great personality...she just needs to learn how to capitalize on that when she is skating.
14. Adelina Sotnikova (Reigning Olympic Champion, 4-time Russian National Champion): She's been through a lot since her Sochi triumph, from dealing with psycho netizen to injuries. Like Mao, she's had trouble returning to her previous state after such a long break. I think her artistry has definitely improved since we saw her rise to the Olympic gold thanks to DWTS, but she's still as inconsistent as ever. I don't doubt her technical potential...it's just I never know which Adelina is going to show up. And that's a problem when you have consistency monsters like Evgenia and Satoko to compete with. Unless she improves on that going forward, I don't see her being a factor even domestically with all the Russian talent in the field. We are truly living in crazy times where the reigning Olympic champion can't even make it out of Nationals.
15. Choi Da Bin (Reigning South Korean National Silver Medalist): Seeing as the next Olympics will be in South Korea, it'd be kind of embarrassing if they didn't have a single serious contender in the field. I think they will be seriously working towards creating one and I think Choi Da Bin is that contender. While I don't believe she will be walking away with a medal in Pyeongchang, I do think she has the greatest scoring potential out of all the Korean ladies. Her closest competition, Park, was too prematurely deemed the next Kim Yuna and has now clearly fallen behind. I think Choi is technically better, less stiff, more artistic, and has more beautiful skating in general. I hope she will be the one representing South Korea in 2018, and I think they will really push her because they will want to make a statement (especially with the perceived injustice that occurred at Sochi). Da Bin is realistically, their best shot for a miracle Olympic medal.
*in the Team Event
Wildcards:
Serafima Sakhanovich (2-time Junior World Silver Medalist): One moment she was the closest thing Evgenia had to an actual competitor and the next, she was making it seem like Yulia got off easy with the puberty monster. I doubt her self confidence is intact at this point, but I don't doubt the possibility that she can pick herself up and comeback from all of this.
Li Zijun (4-time Chinese National Champion): I think she's really under-appreciated, so I hope she makes a strong statement this season. She needs to be smarter in choosing programs because she tends lean towards the generics, yet has no Sasha-Cohen-esque star power to sell said generic programs.
Alena Leonova (2012 World Silver Medalist): Yes, she's still around. She's proven that she can still have a good showing, but realistically, she probably peaked years ago. However, there's always the off chance that she's just a late bloomer and will pull a Shizuka on the Russian field. Unlikely...but...it's there.
Carolina Kostner (Reigning Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2012 World Champion, 8-time Italian National Champion): I'm not sure a comeback is a good idea for her though...I'd rather see her make a graceful exit then be Fumied into retirement. She's till got the resume though and if she comes back in good form, she could be an instant podium contender.
Elizabet Tursynbayeva (Reigning Kazakhstani National Champion): I don't know...I think she's highly overrated and hate her floppy skating, but at the same time, I'm not blind and see her immense potential. She just might turn out to be a pleasant surprise.
The Canadians: They are all sort of interchangeable IMO, so I will just say...there's potential there. I'm just not sure if it's strong enough to get Canada into the top 10.
02. Asada Mao (3-time World Champion, 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, 6-time Japanese National Champion): I don't think what we saw last season was a completely returned Mao. She took a long break and no matter how hard she may have worked afterwards, it just wasn't enough to get back to her full competitive form. I believe enough time has passed now for her to have worked off the rust and to make a true comeback to reclaim her crown. I still think she has the highest scoring potential of the field, regardless of Evgenia's backloading...she will get the PCS easily if she performs. Her consistency will still be an issue though, as she depends on the 3A a lot.
03. Anna Pogorilaya (• Reigning World, Russian National, and European Bronze Medalist): In my eyes, Anna was the true silver medalist at the last Worlds (and she is WITHOUT A DOUBT the real 2014 Worlds bronze medalist) but I understand that it was a home competition and these things happen. I don't mean to take away from Ashley's great showing but Anna had a flawless Worlds, lets be honest. Her main weakness is her consistency, and I think that's what hurt her in the eyes of the judges at Worlds. Unlike most of the other ladies though, she doesn't simply make mistakes. She completely melts down. If she can overcome this tendency (and I am not all that confident she will), she will be a lock for the podium and a top contender for the championship.
04. Maria Sotskova (Reigning World Junior Silver Medalist): Every year, we get a new Russian prodigy fresh out of juniors and this year, it's Maria's turn. Like Evgenia before her, I feel like Maria will be able to make a successful transition up to the senior ranks. Even amongst the recent junior phenoms, she stood out as very sophisticated and mature. Barring injury or a sneaky bout of puberty-related issues, she should do very well. I think the only weakness she has is her newness, and she might get overlooked when up against the more seasoned Russian ladies (if as teenagers, they can even be described as such...)
05. Hongo Rika (2014-2015 Japanese National Silver Medalist): In my opinion, Rika has been consistently underscored. I couldn't tell you why. She hasn't been on the international scene as long as Satoko or Mao, she that's probably part of the reason. Still, the last season hasn't been completely wasted for Rika. Like Satoko and Evgenia, she has proven consistency, and while some of the other ladies have shown improvement in their artistry, Rika's has been growing exponentially (in my honestly biased opinion). I think this next season will be her moment to shine. I don't think she can beat say...Mao, Evgenia, or Gracie if they show up, but she can definitely be in medal contention if the others slip up. With Murakami Kanako drawing seemingly closer to the twilight of her career (no offense, I'm just being realistic), Rika now has a huge opportunity to firmly establish herself as one of the top three Japanese ladies going into Pyeongchang...or end up being overtaken by the looming talent of Honda Marin.
06. Ashley Wagner (• Reigning World Silver Medalist, 3-time US National Champion, 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist*): She is probably my least favorite American lady, but she has earned all of my respect and then some over the past season. She's "old" (her own words) but she has shown that she can still hang. However, I think her technical as well as artistic potential has been maxed out at this point in time. I do not see a viable path for Ashley to the championship without her competitors making mistakes...which is sort of what happened at the 2016 Worlds. It's arguable if her silver over Anna was deserved, but regardless, she still has the potential to sneak onto the podium when others underwhelm. I wonder how she will deal with the pressure now, going into the season as the undisputed #1 American lady.
07. Miyahara Satoko (Reigning Japanese National Champion, 2015 World Silver Medalist): I'll just be frank in saying, I just don't really enjoy her skating at all. I mean, her style is very...pretty, but everything is so understated yet forced somehow. I know that's sort of the Japanese way...but other delicate/quiet skaters of Japanese skating like Mao and Shizuka (both are amongst my favorites) always make me feel like I am watching a naturally beautiful piece of art whereas with Satoko...I can only appreciate her skill and consistency. She just reads as a bit boring, and I know it's not really a problem with her skating...just a matter of personal taste. Objectively, this girl deserves kudos because she always shows up and her consistency is godly. I think her main weakness is her jumping ability...they are tiny. But, I'm also a believer in the idea that jumping shouldn't be everything in figure skating, and for those who enjoy Satoko's skating...there's obviously a lot to appreciate about her. I think her consistency will always be there...but sooner or later, rising talents like Honda Marin and Hongo Rika will eventually overshadow her.
08. Mirai Nagasu (2-time US National Champion): Even though she sort of flew under the radar, I think Mirai has just had a phenomenal 2015-2016 season. She reestablished herself as a contender even though she was consistently underscored along the way. With Gracie always throwing her opportunities away, its easy to imagine a situation where Mirai makes a comeback amongst the top American ladies. I personally think Mirai is a bit of a late bloomer, and if she smartly recognizes that, she can peak in time for another Olympic run. Her skating has become so beautiful since 2010, and all she needs now is to fix some nagging technical glitches with the jumps and rebuild her confidence.
09. Polina Edmunds (Reigning US National Silver Medalist): I really like Polina's skating. She jumps big, and her spins are unique. I love the twizzles. However, her free program last season sucked. Sorry if that's rude, but it sucked. It just doesn't fit her at all and it was so awkward...I know there were issues with Polina in previous seasons about being more "mature" but she just completely jumped from one end of the spectrum to another. I believe in Polina's skating, but she needs to find a moment to call Mom into the room, close the door, and make her mom understand why she has to fire her from the choreography/styling team...because I have a feeling that may be the underlying issue here...
10. Elena Radionova (Reigning Russian National Silver Medalist): There were problems with her programs last season...to say the least. I love her personality, but it's time that she hired a professional to pick and edit her competition music for her...or at least persuade her not to pick stutter-y, dialogue-ridden pieces. Also, she visibly struggles with her jumps...and has been struggling with them for a while if you ask me. It just always seems like she's just about to fall but then nope, she survives to jump another pass. While I admire that kind of grit, it's just hard to say that she's consistent in the same way Evgenia and Satoko are consistent...and I think it's only a matter of time before such issues catch up with her. It also can't be pretty in the eyes of the judges, whose ears are already bleeding to her program music. A lot of people complain about the Russian ladies and their incessant "flailing"...and I always think they're just haters or something, but with Elena...it actually bugs me. Like, flailing is the only way to describe her choreography. I feel bad cause I feel like I'm just listing negative aspects of her skating...yet I really, really enjoy watching her (for the most part). It's weird, but I think it's her personality that really makes up her appeal. It's really hard to dislike Elena and I think she just needs polish to get to that next level.
11. Gracie Gold (Reigning US National Champion, 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist*): At this point, I just don't know what to think about Gracie. She has all the potential to become a champion. She has the big jumps, the spins, the beautiful programs, the it factor...the name. Whatever is holding her back mentally, it seems to be in reaction to the pressure that comes with her immense potential. It's almost a good thing that Ashley ended the medal draught this year because all eyes will be on her instead of Gracie for this upcoming season (and Ashley may be better at dealing with that). She can focus on winning competitions without the constant pressure to be #1 and doing so might rebuild her confidence. Speaking as a big Gracie fan, I honestly don't think she deserves the PCS she has been getting if she's not going to perform...and I think another subpar season will be the last straw for the judges to stop gifting her those points. It's all there...the talent, the potential...but when will she deliver? At this point, I fear the answer is never, but there's always hope.
12. Yulia Lipnitskaya (2014 Olympic* and European Champion): It's been yet another tough season for the original wunder. She's not melting down to the extent of what we saw during 2014-2015, but she still hasn't skated a clean free program since 2014 Worlds. She still has that star quality, but it certainly no longer shines as brightly. Despite what people want to believe, it's obvious that her struggles are mostly mental as she is able to jump cleanly in filmed practices...not that this situation is great either. Sure, there's still time to make the Olympic team...but I fear that another disappointing season will likely be too grave a blow to her confidence to continue on towards that goal. However, there is hope as the change in coaching really seems to have given her a second wind. She seems to be in great shape and we saw at nationals how only 3 months with the new team gave us her best performances since 2014. Her skating has become much more fluid and lyrical, and she has learned to slow everything down (in a good way). She also seems much happier in general with the new environment so I hope these developments continue for Yulia. If she gets her jumps back and to a consistent level (and there are promising signs that this is happening) then she will be right back up there with the other major contenders.
13. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (2015 World and European Champion): I believe we have not seen Liza or her 3A for the last time, but I fear that she may be growing dependent on that axel. It seems to throw her off her game when she fails the opening axel and then she makes mistakes for the rest of the program. I think that, combined with the pressure put on her as the defending world champion really messed her up this past season. Unfortunately, with Mao back in the mix and Evgenia obliterating the competition, she kind of needs that 3A to be competitive moving forward. Liza saw her rise to the top when the field was relatively weak right after the Olympics, but no one should doubt her potential because of it. If she hits all her jumps, she should be able to outscore even Evgenia technically...and I don't believe her artistic development is necessarily over. It's more like it's nonexistent at this point but she may very well be a late bloomer. She is so intriguingly beautiful and has a great personality...she just needs to learn how to capitalize on that when she is skating.
14. Adelina Sotnikova (Reigning Olympic Champion, 4-time Russian National Champion): She's been through a lot since her Sochi triumph, from dealing with psycho netizen to injuries. Like Mao, she's had trouble returning to her previous state after such a long break. I think her artistry has definitely improved since we saw her rise to the Olympic gold thanks to DWTS, but she's still as inconsistent as ever. I don't doubt her technical potential...it's just I never know which Adelina is going to show up. And that's a problem when you have consistency monsters like Evgenia and Satoko to compete with. Unless she improves on that going forward, I don't see her being a factor even domestically with all the Russian talent in the field. We are truly living in crazy times where the reigning Olympic champion can't even make it out of Nationals.
15. Choi Da Bin (Reigning South Korean National Silver Medalist): Seeing as the next Olympics will be in South Korea, it'd be kind of embarrassing if they didn't have a single serious contender in the field. I think they will be seriously working towards creating one and I think Choi Da Bin is that contender. While I don't believe she will be walking away with a medal in Pyeongchang, I do think she has the greatest scoring potential out of all the Korean ladies. Her closest competition, Park, was too prematurely deemed the next Kim Yuna and has now clearly fallen behind. I think Choi is technically better, less stiff, more artistic, and has more beautiful skating in general. I hope she will be the one representing South Korea in 2018, and I think they will really push her because they will want to make a statement (especially with the perceived injustice that occurred at Sochi). Da Bin is realistically, their best shot for a miracle Olympic medal.
*in the Team Event
Wildcards:
Serafima Sakhanovich (2-time Junior World Silver Medalist): One moment she was the closest thing Evgenia had to an actual competitor and the next, she was making it seem like Yulia got off easy with the puberty monster. I doubt her self confidence is intact at this point, but I don't doubt the possibility that she can pick herself up and comeback from all of this.
Li Zijun (4-time Chinese National Champion): I think she's really under-appreciated, so I hope she makes a strong statement this season. She needs to be smarter in choosing programs because she tends lean towards the generics, yet has no Sasha-Cohen-esque star power to sell said generic programs.
Alena Leonova (2012 World Silver Medalist): Yes, she's still around. She's proven that she can still have a good showing, but realistically, she probably peaked years ago. However, there's always the off chance that she's just a late bloomer and will pull a Shizuka on the Russian field. Unlikely...but...it's there.
Carolina Kostner (Reigning Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2012 World Champion, 8-time Italian National Champion): I'm not sure a comeback is a good idea for her though...I'd rather see her make a graceful exit then be Fumied into retirement. She's till got the resume though and if she comes back in good form, she could be an instant podium contender.
Elizabet Tursynbayeva (Reigning Kazakhstani National Champion): I don't know...I think she's highly overrated and hate her floppy skating, but at the same time, I'm not blind and see her immense potential. She just might turn out to be a pleasant surprise.
The Canadians: They are all sort of interchangeable IMO, so I will just say...there's potential there. I'm just not sure if it's strong enough to get Canada into the top 10.
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