7 Days to the Opening of the Competitive Season.

[Joesitz (RIP)]

It's Junior Grand Prix - 30 international contestants at Lake Placid followed by more Grand Prix in the Senior Division. Who (or whom?) will you be seriously looking for?

Mirai Nagasu, Austin Kanalakan, Tommy Steenberg in L.Placid;

Miki Ando, Kimmie Meissner, Caroline Zhang in Reading,Pa; also
Patrick Chan, Sergei Dobrin, Kristoffer Berntsson, Stephen Carrier; also
Dube/Davison, Efaieva/Menshikov, Evora/Ladwiq; also
Davis/White, Navarro/Bommentre.

I am not predicting any wins here because I left out a lot good skaters. I am only interested in seeing the above listed who piqued my interest last year.

Joe

 

[sorcerer]

...Who (or whom?) will you be seriously looking for?
... Miki Ando, Kimmie Meissner, Caroline Zhang in Reading,Pa
... I left out a lot good skaters.

Aside from Miki, I'll probably be affectionate for Elene Gedevanishvili !
The two, both training in Hackensack, will be together in SA as well as NHK.
Hope they'll be together in the GPF too!

 

[Sandra_persch]

Who (or whom?) will you be seriously looking for?

Juniors:
Isabel Drescher, Sarah Hecken and Katharina Gierok (GER)
Nita Viiri and Jenni Vähämaa (FIN)
Chelzie Lee (AUS)
all the new Ice Dance Teams that are debuting on the JGP Series

Seniors:
Alissa Czisny, Katharina Häcker (GER), Laura Lepisto (FIN)
Hermann & Hermann, Beier & Beier and Kolbe & Rabe (GER)

 

[flying camel]

I course have a lot of favorites and I can't wait to see their new programs. But if I had to pick some skaters I am very excited about it would have to be Alissa & Kimmie. I hope Kimmie has made an improvement that we can all see. For Alissa I so hope she has developed some confidence. I think that is what is missing most from her skating.

 

[GoldMedalist]

Aside from Miki, I'll probably be affectionate for Elene Gedevanishvili !

I want to see Elene get her act together more than anyone else. She has so much talent and has been very under-marked by the judges in the past.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

We are approaching the date for Lake Placid. I have not heard anything from Ice Network. Has anyone?

Joe

 

[Sandra_persch]

We are approaching the date for Lake Placid. I have not heard anything from Ice Network. Has anyone?

Joe

Only thing I heard / read was this article on the USFSA Homepage

http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=39266

 

[Ravyn Rant]

I am not predicting any wins here because I left out a lot good skaters. I am only interested in seeing the above listed who piqued my interest last year.
Joe

NavBom was on your list, and I can report on this season's programs as they previewed them in Santa Rosa on Saturday. (Spirit of Champions) The OD is set to some tribal music with lots of drums, and the costumes are early contenders for the 07-08 Rusty Hanger award. Seriously - they're just butt-ugly. Love me some NavBom, hate these costumes. Watch Skate America, you'll see what I mean. But the dance itself has a lot of potential and they seemed to really enjoy it. Those of us watching certainly did.
The free dance is set to "Since I've Been Loving You" - the old Led Zeppelin song, redone by a woman I don't know. It's still a work in progress, but I got goosebumps and misty eyes. By Nationals it should be incredible.
The more I see of this team, the more impressed I get. They really know how to sell a performance, and the connection between the two of them is so strong. I didn't feel at all bad spending my $50 to see maybe an hour and fifteen minutes of skating sandwiched in between the silent auction and raffle.
I can't wait to see how they do this season! Go, Kim & Brent!
And you all have a great week!
xoxo
Rave

 

[SailorGalaxia518]

Here is what I want to see this season: (Top 10)

1. Yu-Na Kim (KOR) complete a successful season (Hopefully her back is healed)

2. Mao Asada (JPN) and Kimmie Meissner (USA) push Kim and those three duke it out all the way to the 2010 Olympics

3. Belbin and Agosto (USA) win the 2008 World Title (a 1st for U.S. Title) with Dubreuil and Lauzon (CAN) not competing this season an most likely Denkova and Staviski (BUL) not competing as well it should be open for B/A

4. Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA) challenge the top teams as well as Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (CAN)

5. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates (USA) medal in their first trip to U.S. Nationals at senior level.

6. Brian Joubert (FRA) continues to dominate Men's Figure Skating and win a 2nd straight World title

7. Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr. (USA) be more consistent and land the throw triple axel as well as qualify to the 2008 World Team

8. Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris (USA) push the top teams and qualify to worlds for the first time

9. Alissa Czisny (USA) be more consistent and push Emily Hughes (USA) and Kimmie Meissner (USA) as she did at the 2007 Nationals and hopes she qualifys to worlds once again

10. Tomas Verner (CZE) be successful this season a medal at worlds,