2018-2019 GP Assignments

[Ice Dance]

I think Gilles and Poirier can probably be penciled in for the Final.

I think their path to the GP is tougher than many anticipated. Hubbell & Donohue at SC and Sinitsina & Katsalapov, who defeated Gilles & Poirier head-to-head last year at Skate America. (And a few years ago at SA as well). G&P and S&K meet up twice, both at SC and in France. The field in France is one of the deeper ones. You've gotta think G&P have the advantage for a silver at home, but I think this will not be over until France. Hawayek & Baker will be there as well. So four former GP medalists in that event. Three at SC. Meanwhile only one at SA. Only two at NHK. Two at Rostelecom. Two in Finlandia (though, I think the Finlandia field is pretty tough actually with a lot of young upcoming talent). Gilles & Poirier have as good a chance to make the final as many, but they'll have to work for it. Stepanova & Bukin have a better draw. Zagorsky & Guerreiro have easier fields. And at the end of the day Sinitsina & Katsalapov are wildcards.

We could get something like this fighting for the last two spots, for example.
Zagorsky & Guerreiro-2nd & 3rd (or 2nd & 2nd).
Sinitsina & Katsalapov-2nd & 3rd.
Gilles & Poirier-2nd & 3rd.

Or . . .

Guignard & Fabbri-2nd & 3rd
Hawayek & Baker-2nd & 3rd
Gilles & Poirier-2nd & 3rd


G&P can get the two silvers, but dropping to third could leave any team in quite the hornet's next of a tie breaker.

I think Kihira will 90% get the NHK spot.

Looking at the assignments, Miyahara, Mihara, Higuchi, Honda, Sakamoto, Yamashita, and Matsuda already have 2 spots apiece. The 3 skaters from JPN with only 1 spot are Yuna Shiraiwa, Rika Hongo, and Rika Kihira. Both Shiraiwa and Hongo are competing at the Finnish GP right before NHK Trophy whereas Kihira was assigned to IDF which is weeks away from NHK.

The Japanese ladies can fight it out at the Asian Open or elsewhere. Or the federation can just monitor their progress and decide. Kihira was great at Japanese Nationals. It gives her a very strong argument. But she was very not great at Junior Worlds so if they want to monitor her progress first with other ladies who have their own international achievements, that's logical. Her SB score doesn't make the argument for her.

Wait Nazarova and Nikitin are representing Russia now?

It's a typo. They are listed for UKR at SA.

Carreira/Ponomarenko making their senior GP debut at Rostelecom! Whoa.

Nope. They make their senior GP debut in Finland. And then they go to Rostelecom.

Evgenia versus Elisabet and Panenkova in Canada LOL

More significantly, Evgenia versus Wakaba in Canada.


I still don't see how Gracie qualifies as a "comeback skater" based on her results at 2016 Worlds. If you read the rule to mean that the athlete cannot have competed subsequently at all. Not in one season or more seasons after being seeded, then she doesn't qualify based on 2016 Worlds because she competed internationally in 2016-2017.

 

[Colonel Green]

I think their path to the GP is tougher than many anticipated. Hubbell & Donohue at SC and Sinitsina & Katsalapov, who defeated Gilles & Poirier head-to-head last year at Skate America.

Piper and Paul's early results last season were comparatively poor, especially because the judges didn't like their original free dance. Their scores got a huge jolt when they brought in the Bond routine, and their 2018 Worlds score raised their personal best almost ten points higher than Sinitsina and Katsalapov's. They need to keep that sort of audience response going, but assuming they can, I don't think that will be a huge challenge.

 

[figurefan0726]

But it says that the skater cannot have competed for one season or longer at all. Gracie did not skate at all during the 2017-18 season.

 

[shiroKJ]

But it says that the skater cannot have competed for one season or longer at all. Gracie did not skate at all during the 2017-18 season.

I think some people are forgetting that we're now in the 2018-19 season.... :roll9:

 

[Rissa]

I still don't see how Gracie qualifies as a "comeback skater" based on her results at 2016 Worlds. If you read the rule to mean that the athlete cannot have competed subsequently at all. Not in one season or more seasons after being seeded, then she doesn't qualify based on 2016 Worlds because she competed internationally in 2016-2017.

Rule is:
“Come-Back” Skaters/Couples: Skaters/Couples who were previously seeded (placed 1 to 6 within the past 10 years at a ISU World Figure Skating Championships) and subsequently did not participate in one or more competitive seasons will be given priority consideration to re-enter the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating for selection of up to 2 assignments if they commit in writing to participating in two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events and if such return is announced and confirmed by the date of the annual Selection Meeting
(plus cannot have used this clause before)

So Gracie was previously seeded (from 2016 Worlds) in the last 10 years. She did not participate in one competitive season at some point following the seeding (2017-18). And she hasn't used the comeback rule before. Therefore, she can use it now.
The rule does not state that they cannot compete at any point after being seeded, but they do need to sit out a full season at some point after the seeding (and within the 10 years).

It doesn't say not competing at all, it says not participating in at least one full season within 10 year span after being seeded.

Btw, did Patrick use this clause or did he compete in 2014/15?

 

[4everchan]

Wow, Daria is against Evgenia and Alina, plus she’ll be lowballed at SC for not being Canadian so I just have to hold out a small hope of GPF

I would personally appreciate, if this kind of misinformation stopped.... if you look at the results from last year, the Canadian ladies, including one former champion finished last and second last.

At this point, I have seen many of your comments attacking the Canadian federation and in my opinion, it is against the rules of this forum... in other words, it would be appreciated if you could stop the relentless bashing, especially since you are spreading false information.

 

[Ice Dance]

What difference does it make that she didn't compete at all in 2017-18 or that it is the 2018-19 season?

My understanding of the comeback rule is that it only would work for Gracie if one of two scenarios had happened:
1. If she had not competed at any ISU events after being seeded in 2016. She doesn't meet this criteria because she went to SA the next fall and to several other competitions.
2. If she had been seeded at the 2017 Worlds prior to taking her full season off. She wasn't seeded at the 2017 Worlds.

 

[4everchan]

I'm so excited for the Ladies event at SC!!!!

I have tickets and I get to see:
- Wakaba!
- Zhenya!
- Tukt!
- Gabby!
- Lillibet vs Zhenya aka Orser v Etieri

i am super excited too... Dance will be good and pairs as well!!!! I am a bit disappointed with men but of course... i am thrilled Shoma will be there and Keegan as well. I like Brendan so that's good too I am not sure about Roman deserving that spot... but oh well...

 

[Spirals for Miles]

Sure, Maria Sotskova deserves a 58 every single day... and a program with two serious errors still scores 10 points above the rest of the field, yeah I'll just let that happen...

Personally, I cringed when I saw Zhenya and Dasha's names there -- it's just too risky...

 

[Colonel Green]

Sure, Maria Sotskova deserves a 58 every single day... and a program with two serious errors still scores 10 points above the rest of the field, yeah I'll just let that happen...

Personally, I cringed when I saw Zhenya and Dasha's names there -- it's just too risky...

What nonsense. You do recall that Medvedeva won SCI easily in 2016? And this is an international judging panel.

 

[Izabela]

What difference does it make that she didn't compete at all in 2017-18 or that it is the 2018-19 season?

My understanding of the comeback rule is that it only would work for Gracie if one of two scenarios had happened:
1. If she had not competed at any ISU events after being seeded in 2016. She doesn't meet this criteria because she went to SA the next fall and to several other competitions.
2. If she had been seeded at the 2017 Worlds prior to taking her full season off. She wasn't seeded at the 2017 Worlds.

But the wordings didn't say "not participating in the season following your last seeded year"; only that you subsequently didn't participate in one or more competitions after being seeded within the 10 years. It doesn't matter if she participated in some competitions in 2016-2017, she still didn't participate in the entire 2017-2018 season, which falls under the term "subsequently" (or "eventually" if we want to rephrase this), so it's totally clear why Gracie is eligible to invoke this clause.

 

[4everchan]

Sure, Maria Sotskova deserves a 58 every single day... and a program with two serious errors still scores 10 points above the rest of the field, yeah I'll just let that happen...

Personally, I cringed when I saw Zhenya and Dasha's names there -- it's just too risky...

ZHenya had no problems winning SCI 2016... so once again, false information....I cringe when people spread fake news... to suit their propaganda

 

[cohen-esque]

What difference does it make that she didn't compete at all in 2017-18 or that it is the 2018-19 season?

Because all the rule says is that she needs to have not competed at all for one season— in this case 2017-18– after having been seeded via a top 6 Worlds placement... at any point in the past ten years.

My understanding of the comeback rule is that it only would work for Gracie if one of two scenarios had happened:
1. If she had not competed at any ISU events after being seeded in 2016. She doesn't meet this criteria because she went to SA the next fall and to several other competitions.
2. If she had been seeded at the 2017 Worlds prior to taking her full season off. She wasn't seeded at the 2017 Worlds.

But you’ve made up this criterion. It isn’t actually in the rule, and I don’t think it is implied.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Of COURSE the assignments dropped when I was out and about having a social life.

Well it looks like somebody needs to rethink their priorities...



Jest kidding. I'm all for a social life.

 

[Ice Dance]

All right.

So you are saying that anyone who has ever been seeded in the past 10 years can qualify as a comeback skater. No matter how far their placements have dropped in the following years. As long as they take a season off first.

That is never how I have read that rule, and it's not a matter of making up the criteria but of interpreting the sentence about "not having subsequently competed" differently. But I guess I can see that the sentence can be interpreted in more than one way.

 

[thedude]

Any chance Eteri doesn't travel to Canada with Daria and Elizbet to clash with Evgenia? I remember seeing a clip of Yulia after she left Eteri, I can't find it, but I think Yulia wanted nothing to do with Eteri and avoided her at all cost.

 

[figurefan0726]

Yeah, you're right. For example, Yuna Kim and make a comeback and could get one or two spots for the GP.

 

[el henry]

Any chance Eteri doesn't travel to Canada with Daria and Elizbet to clash with Evgenia? I remember seeing a clip of Yulia after she left Eteri, I can't find it, but I think Yulia wanted nothing to do with Eteri and avoided her at all cost.

I can't imagine Zhenya "avoiding" Eteri at all costs; in this situation, the 18 year old girl has acted far more maturely than the woman in her 40s, as far as I can tell. If Eteri doesn't travel to SC (and I can't imagine Eteri is that immature) that's on her. Skaters and coaches split all the time.

 

[TGee]

Sure, Maria Sotskova deserves a 58 every single day... and a program with two serious errors still scores 10 points above the rest of the field, yeah I'll just let that happen...

Personally, I cringed when I saw Zhenya and Dasha's names there -- it's just too risky...

Uhm, you are aware that Russian women were at the top of the podium at SCI on more than one occasion in the last quadrennial...

Or perhaps you are mixing up SCI with an event in another country ...

 

[cohen-esque]

All right.

So you are saying that anyone who has ever been seeded in the past 10 years can qualify as a comeback skater. No matter how far their placements have dropped in the following years. As long as they take a season off first.

Yes. To me, it seems pretty clear, because of the specific language about a minimum of one season off, but a 10 year time span for past Worlds seeding.

...But I believe they may have altered this rule at the ISU Congress, to restrict the results that can be used for this rule to a skater’s last Worlds? (Still top 6, for Gracie.) I’m not sure if the proposal passed, or if so, whether that’s the version that was posted here.

That is never how I have read that rule, and it's not a matter of making up the criteria but of interpreting the sentence about "not having subsequently competed" differently. But I guess I can see that the sentence can be interpreted in more than one way.

:agree:

Cohen-esque is currently adjusting to...wildly irregular, to say the least work schedules, and has noticed that his exhaustion has been leading to some snappishness lately. I think “making this up” is a bit of a harsh accusation that wasn’t really called for, and I was too short in considering other people might legitimately read this rule differently. So I apologize if I came off too aggressively.