Well, it's almost that time of the year again, when the season is close to over (we still have World Team Trophy to go). Usually, here on GS, someone starts a thread that ranks skaters on their achievements of the season, but I couldn't find the previous one so I decided to start a new thread.
So how do you think the ladies standings should be in terms of how they rank based on their achievements this season? You may also choose to include juniors even though I didn't. Since I only follow ladies a lot, feel free to start your own thread on this for the other disciplines.
This is my list (sorry for how long it is)...
1. Evgenia Medvedeva: Evgenia has now dominated two seasons in a row. She was by far the most successful skater this season, winning everything she entered by margins of 9 points or higher (though this is usually due to odd judging...). No question about this one.
2. Kaetlyn Osmond: After a somewhat unsatisfying 2015-2016 season, Kaetlyn is now surely one of the top skaters. A win at Finlandia, then capturing silvers at her GPs to qualify for the GPF and placing a nice 4th was a great achievement. She won Nationals and 4CC was a disappointment, but she rebounded to become the World Silver Medalist! It'll be interesting to see how she keeps up with this reputation next season.
3. Anna Pogorilaya: Anna started off a little shaky at the Japan Open and Finlandia, but her GP season was excellent, winning both her events and a bronze at the GPF. She was off the podium at Nationals but won the silver at Euros, and we all know what happened at Worlds.... Still, thanks to her achievements before Worlds, Anna was able to hang on to 3rd on my list.
I had a lot of trouble with deciding for #4, 5, and 6 among the following three skaters, so I put a lot of thought into the next three.
4. Satoko Miyahara: Yes, she missed 2017, but before that Satoko was still great. She still qualified for the GPF and placed a great 2nd and then won the national title. Had she been at 4CC and Worlds with no injury, she could have shuffled the placements by a lot, which still puts her high on my list.
5. Gabrielle Daleman: Gabby had an okay GP season, but an incredible 2017. She won the silver at Nationals and 4CC but of course the biggest moment was winning the bronze at Worlds. Gabby is finally on everyone's radar and she will enter the next season as one of the ones to look out for.
6. Mai Mihara: Mai did well in her GP debut, being one of the alternates for the GPF. She then won a bronze medal at Nationals and surprised everyone by winning the gold at 4CC. Then her amazing jump from 15th to 5th at Worlds really saved her (though help from others was needed). With Satoko out, Mai has solidified herself as the top Japanese lady of the season.
7. Maria Sotskova: Maria had a strong debut on the GP, even making the GPF and having solid performances. She won the (somewhat controversial?) bronze at Nationals but fell out of the podium at Euros. Worlds was a little better, but still not enough to make a splash and she placed 8th. But considering that Maria had just debuted on the senior field, this was still a pretty good season for her.
8. Carolina Kostner: This was a surprisingly good comeback for Carolina. She is the class of the field when it comes to maturity, beauty, and grace, which helped her PCS this season. A win at Golden Spin, a close bronze at Euros, and a solid 6th place at Worlds is a very impressive result for a comeback skater.
9. Ashley Wagner: Compared to last season, this one fell flat. Her poor result at Cup of China made her Skate America win kinda pointless and it costed her a spot for the GPF. She came back strong at Nationals but only managed a silver medal, and Worlds was not a good event for her. Ashley is one to always come back fierce when she feels behind, so I have a feeling that she'll be very determined now.
10. Karen Chen: Her GP season wasn't too good, but she turned it all around at Nationals, winning the gold. She went back down at 4CC, but Worlds was an amazing competition for her. Karen may have had a bad start, but her fantastic finish is what got her into the top 10 on this list.
Honourable Mentions...
11. Elena Radionova: Missing the Euros and World team was a bummer, but her GP season and a win at Universiade is what puts her here.
12. Wakaba Higuchi: An okay senior debut, starting off good at the GP and Nationals, but her results at the last two events brought her down.
13. Dabin Choi: A weak first half of the season, but a good second half, placing 5th at 4CC, winning the Asian Winter Games, and finishing in the top 10 at Worlds.
14. Elizabet Tursynbaeva: Though her GP season and Worlds result were both a little better than Choi's, her low placement at 4CC and finishing behind Choi at the Asian Winter Games puts her here.
So how do you think the ladies standings should be in terms of how they rank based on their achievements this season? You may also choose to include juniors even though I didn't. Since I only follow ladies a lot, feel free to start your own thread on this for the other disciplines.
This is my list (sorry for how long it is)...
1. Evgenia Medvedeva: Evgenia has now dominated two seasons in a row. She was by far the most successful skater this season, winning everything she entered by margins of 9 points or higher (though this is usually due to odd judging...). No question about this one.
2. Kaetlyn Osmond: After a somewhat unsatisfying 2015-2016 season, Kaetlyn is now surely one of the top skaters. A win at Finlandia, then capturing silvers at her GPs to qualify for the GPF and placing a nice 4th was a great achievement. She won Nationals and 4CC was a disappointment, but she rebounded to become the World Silver Medalist! It'll be interesting to see how she keeps up with this reputation next season.
3. Anna Pogorilaya: Anna started off a little shaky at the Japan Open and Finlandia, but her GP season was excellent, winning both her events and a bronze at the GPF. She was off the podium at Nationals but won the silver at Euros, and we all know what happened at Worlds.... Still, thanks to her achievements before Worlds, Anna was able to hang on to 3rd on my list.
I had a lot of trouble with deciding for #4, 5, and 6 among the following three skaters, so I put a lot of thought into the next three.
4. Satoko Miyahara: Yes, she missed 2017, but before that Satoko was still great. She still qualified for the GPF and placed a great 2nd and then won the national title. Had she been at 4CC and Worlds with no injury, she could have shuffled the placements by a lot, which still puts her high on my list.
5. Gabrielle Daleman: Gabby had an okay GP season, but an incredible 2017. She won the silver at Nationals and 4CC but of course the biggest moment was winning the bronze at Worlds. Gabby is finally on everyone's radar and she will enter the next season as one of the ones to look out for.
6. Mai Mihara: Mai did well in her GP debut, being one of the alternates for the GPF. She then won a bronze medal at Nationals and surprised everyone by winning the gold at 4CC. Then her amazing jump from 15th to 5th at Worlds really saved her (though help from others was needed). With Satoko out, Mai has solidified herself as the top Japanese lady of the season.
7. Maria Sotskova: Maria had a strong debut on the GP, even making the GPF and having solid performances. She won the (somewhat controversial?) bronze at Nationals but fell out of the podium at Euros. Worlds was a little better, but still not enough to make a splash and she placed 8th. But considering that Maria had just debuted on the senior field, this was still a pretty good season for her.
8. Carolina Kostner: This was a surprisingly good comeback for Carolina. She is the class of the field when it comes to maturity, beauty, and grace, which helped her PCS this season. A win at Golden Spin, a close bronze at Euros, and a solid 6th place at Worlds is a very impressive result for a comeback skater.
9. Ashley Wagner: Compared to last season, this one fell flat. Her poor result at Cup of China made her Skate America win kinda pointless and it costed her a spot for the GPF. She came back strong at Nationals but only managed a silver medal, and Worlds was not a good event for her. Ashley is one to always come back fierce when she feels behind, so I have a feeling that she'll be very determined now.
10. Karen Chen: Her GP season wasn't too good, but she turned it all around at Nationals, winning the gold. She went back down at 4CC, but Worlds was an amazing competition for her. Karen may have had a bad start, but her fantastic finish is what got her into the top 10 on this list.
Honourable Mentions...
11. Elena Radionova: Missing the Euros and World team was a bummer, but her GP season and a win at Universiade is what puts her here.
12. Wakaba Higuchi: An okay senior debut, starting off good at the GP and Nationals, but her results at the last two events brought her down.
13. Dabin Choi: A weak first half of the season, but a good second half, placing 5th at 4CC, winning the Asian Winter Games, and finishing in the top 10 at Worlds.
14. Elizabet Tursynbaeva: Though her GP season and Worlds result were both a little better than Choi's, her low placement at 4CC and finishing behind Choi at the Asian Winter Games puts her here.