I do think having tiers to rank the skaters is a notable improvement, especially because it formally establishes the importance of consistent scores in international events. Looking at the chart, I think more women could end up in tier 3 than there are available Olympic/World spots, so it'll be interesting to see how things shake out if that happens.
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Not sure I understood all this but I wasnt suggesting any specific criteria. Simply saying that using a body of work including important international events makes more sense than going off a single performance at Nationals. Yes theres a lot of pressure at Nationals and how one performs there is very relevant. But its also the competition that least resembles the Olympics. If Alysa wins all her challengers, medals at both GP events, makes the final, but has a rough showing and comes 4th at Nationals...and lets say Karen/Mariah/Amber bomb their challenger events, dont medal on the GP, but pull it together enough to get 3rd at Nationals...to me theres just no way you can say whoever is on the podium at Nationals makes the team, too bad Alysa.But then, they wouldn't be using nationals of the previous season, and worlds of the previous season for the primary tier of BoW.If we are to test Olympic preparation using the criterion you suggest, the most weight should be given to the American women who make the GPF this season! (ETA: Meaning, if the primary focus were to be on the Russian skaters who are possibly going to be competing in the Olympics, then the most focus would be on GPF, and probably also the fields of the individual GPs for that matter, whenever relevant. Yet, we see GPF 2021 being lumped together with 2021 Worlds, and 2022 Nationals, and also see 2021 Nationals has some weight)
I was saying that the US body of work emphasizes two events that don't take into account the Olympic field of Russian ladies, as you were suggesting. So if you argue that Nationals isn't the most important because it doesn't have the toughest Olympic contenders in the world, then we can say the US criteria still failed, because it takes into account Worlds 2021 (last season, not the Olympic season, with the refreshed Olympic field) and US Nationals 2022, and places it on the same level as GPF 2021 - which is where the bulk of that will come in.
That is an attractive way to answer the question, for the reason that it is an actual answer rather than mumbo-jumbo. (On the other hand, an equally firm position might be, "Want to go the the Olympics? Prove it by dominating the Grand Prix cricuit or winning Four Continents against international competition.")
Ok, I understand what you meant now. I wasn't necessarily saying to emphasize competitions against Russian ladies. Just that if someone if someone bombs all their international assignments and only skates well in the "comfort" of their home country, this is not a great indicator that they will do well at the Olympics. However I do also think that this year's GP and Nationals should weigh more heavily than how they did at Worlds last year.
I wrote earlier that I'd helped get the discussion off-topic and vowed to step away, but this is about current ladies in the current year, so I'm back in. This is on topic.
This part I agree with, and I bring that up in one of my posts. It's one of those things, where it's very much unclear and best to be left up to "the committee" - but only in particularly borderline circumstances. Do remember that Nationals in an Olympic season is where a lot of the competitors want to peak, and it does have tons of pressure. Every-four-year fans are also watching. Chance is gone, won't come back for another 4 years. This isn't present in the other events of the season (apart from the Olympics, of course). You bomb a GP, you won't make GPF. Might as well wait for Nationals, it's OK. And it's also possible they had physical issues earlier in the season, or going for a particularly good Olympic-quality program (which might have caused such an inconsistency), and so on. Again, subjectivity, which we can only argue over. (For example, I disagree with TontoK, if it's a particularly borderline case between Alysa in 4th and whoever's in 3rd. OTOH, if it's Alysa landing two triples at such a huge event, then meh at her this time)
Not in the US, but Mao Asada comes to mind.
She has landed quads in competition. She had a consistent quad lutz--though not always fully rotated--before the pandemic.
This right here sums it all up quite nicely. The suits like having this power.
I think that may be the intent, but the way the tiers are worded, I don't think that's the case. Group 3 and 4 do not require a top 5 finish at Nationals. For example, Alysa has achieved a score that could put her in the top 5 at the Olympics, so she would meet the Group 3 requirement even if she placed last at Nationals since that group requires a Nationals medal OR a single high score OR a series of strong scores. If a junior like Isabeau medals at Nationals, there might only be two other eligible skaters in Group 3 or higher based on the Nationals result, so a last place finisher with one strong score could find her way on the team. This is a very unlikely scenario, but the criteria do not limit the selection pool to the top 5 finishers as it seems to at first glance.
If the skaters that finish in the top three at Nationals this season are skaters that have a strong season, then they should definitely make the Olympic team.
The thing with having nationals as the only qualifier is that it means the fed will massage the scores to give the chosen ones every chance to go. It would arguably be giving the committee more power rather than less because we can't forget that figure skating is a highly subjective sport.
Honestly it seems to me that they should only take into account 1) US nationals, 2)GP series and 3)JGP series (points are pretty comparable). I would not take into account last years' Worlds-because, frankly, it was last year. In skating one year can mean a great deal as far as injuries, erosion of jumps etc. I think they are making this way more difficult then it needs to be. Because Bradie and Karen, IMO have a negligible ability to place highly, I would rather the team be all new skaters-give them the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. So Alysa, Amber, Mariah and maybe Lindsay. Alsya will place high enough so that it doesn't matter how they other two do. And we will probably get silver in the team competition no matter which of these girls are sent. For that matter, in the team competition might as well have Alysa skate both segments.
On a side note, this description is staaarting to sound like what Yaroslav is going through since last nationals...
