Skate America

[sillylionlove]

It is too soon to post?

Anyway I just ordered my all event tickets for Skate America and I am very excited. It can't come soon enough!!!

 

[lmarie086]

I can't make up my mind whether to go or not...I have to help pay for my dorm this year

But if D/W and Michal Brezina and/or Adam Rippon are there, that may just be all the convincing I need

 

[chuckm]

I'm not going to Lake Placid in November. It's a long drive from the airport and once you get off the highway, much of the route goes through what is essentially wilderness. In the snow (and yes, there can be big snowstorms in November) it could be an extremely hazardous trip.

I'd rather go to the JGP or the Ice Dance event in Lake Placid in the summer. Then it's a pleasant trip.

 

[PolymerBob]

I know ratings are important, but the USFSA must not, MUST NOT !!!!, put Caroline and Rachael in the same Grand Prix event. It makes no sense to have our best skaters eliminate each other.

Same goes for the other disciplines as well. Though with the men, I'm not sure who our best are; probably Evan, Johnny and Jeremy.

 

[Mathman]

Alissa will be invited for sure, as U.S. champion. They have a lot of choice for the other two.

USFS may not place a priority on getting a lot -- or any -- of its skaters into the GP final. Plus, they are under more pressure than ever to make the event pay for itself, what with the ISU withholding funding.

 

[Mathman]

PS.

The more I think about it, the more I think the USFSA will send Alissa, Rachael and Caroline to Skate America.

I think they will not care too much about the Grand Prix Final and instead will use the event to start turning up the hype for the presumptive U.S. Olympic team. If the whole NBC TV package of Skate America, U.S. Nationals and the Olympics fizzles, that could be the end of skating on network TV period.

In contrast, neither the American viewing public nor the NBC executives know that the Grand Prix Final exists.

In 1997 the US ladies at Skate America were Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski, and Angela Nikodinov. In 2001 they were Michelle Kwan, Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen.

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

How did you buy those tickets? I just checked that skateamerica2009.com has a link to ticket website but I couldn't purchase cuz it is disabled..

It is too soon to post?

Anyway I just ordered my all event tickets for Skate America and I am very excited. It can't come soon enough!!!

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

By the way I am certain that Yu-Na will be coming to Skate America

 

[sillylionlove]

How did you buy those tickets? I just checked that skateamerica2009.com has a link to ticket website but I couldn't purchase cuz it is disabled..

I have all event tickets and got them by calling the box office. Wierd thing was that they didn't come with practice session tickets. So I called back and she was like....oh they haven't done the practice schedule yet and you will probably just be able to get into the practice session with your event tickets...I thought to myself...that's different then any other event that I have been too. With no funding and apparently no clue yet...it should be very interesting!!

 

[sillylionlove]

By the way I am certain that Yu-Na will be coming to Skate America

I sure hope so!! Would love to see her skate live and be the skater stalker that I am and get a picture and autograph with her!!

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

By the way, do you know when the entries will be announced? Last year, it was around May 15th, but I am not sure about this year...
I live in San Diego and am planning to fly to Burlington, Vermont then drive to Lake Placid for 2.5 hrs..

 

[Tammi]

I am leaving in San Diego and am planning to fly to Burlington, Vermont then drive to Lake Placid for 2.5 hrs..

Are you taking the ferry across from Burlington? That takes about an hour, so your actual drive time is closer to 2.0 hours. We go to Lake Placid every summer and usually opt to take the Charlotte to Essex ferry. It's much shorter (20 minutes) to cross the lake, half the price ($18 roundtrip) and you have less mileage to Lake Placid from Essex as opposed to Port Kent.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I think by the time SA comes around, the USFS can play a little strategy with the 3 Ladies they are entitled to. SA will have either Mao, Kim or Rochette, so one US Lady will come away with 4th place at the best.

Who should the USFS sacrifice?

Also look to Japan and also Europe on whom they will send to SA.

Maybe there will be no 3rd place open or even no US podium.

Why not just use the TBA as other Feds do.

Remember Evan scored 2 bronze medals last year but did not make the Final. Everyone wants to look good for the Olys.

Some Fans believe the USFS should send in their 3 very best skaters for SA. I just question that? The object of the GP series is to make the Final.

 

[Mathman]

Some Fans believe the USFS should send in their 3 very best skaters for SA. I just question that? The object of the GP series is to make the Final.

The question in my mind is not so much what fans believe, but what does the USFSA believe? In the past they have not seemed to give top priority to getting skaters into the finals.

This year they might feel that it is more important to impress their broadcasting partner NBC with the viability of continuing to cover U.S. figure skating events.

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

I think by the time SA comes around, the USFS can play a little strategy with the 3 Ladies they are entitled to. SA will have either Mao, Kim or Rochette, so one US Lady will come away with 4th place at the best.

Who should the USFS sacrifice?

Also look to Japan and also Europe on whom they will send to SA.

Maybe there will be no 3rd place open or even no US podium.

Why not just use the TBA as other Feds do.

Remember Evan scored 2 bronze medals last year but did not make the Final. Everyone wants to look good for the Olys.

Some Fans believe the USFS should send in their 3 very best skaters for SA. I just question that? The object of the GP series is to make the Final.

I think Joannie will definitely go to Skate Canada and one in Europe or Asia

 

[Mathman]

We have to remember that neither the skaters nor their federations get to choose where they go. Skaters are invited by the event organizers, subject to the ISU rules.

 

[ehdtkqorl123]

YEa.. so I think Canada will invite Joannie for sure since it's the last Grand P
rix before Olympic.. By the way, what happens if more than two countries invite one skater, or if some kind of conflicts happen?

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

The question in my mind is not so much what fans believe, but what does the USFSA believe? In the past they have not seemed to give top priority to getting skaters into the finals.

This year they might feel that it is more important to impress their broadcasting partner NBC with the viability of continuing to cover U.S. figure skating events.

MM - you are sounding like a company man. The boss is always right and that's how you get promoted over the more ingenious subordinates.

But you are very pro US skaters and you feel the 3 best should be at SA. Here is a hypothetical lineup for SA:

Kim, Nakano, Kostner, Meier, Zhang, Czisny, Nagasu, Phaneuf, Xu, Karadamir, Gedevanishvili, Vahamaa.

For SC: Rochette, Phaneuf, Leung, Flatt, Meisner, Poykio, Korpi, Liu, Ando, Suguri, Didier, Leonova

Who will be the gold and silver medalists in the hypothetical above listings?

I see Kim and Nakano in SA, and Rochette and Ando in SC.

 

[Mathman]

MM - you are sounding like a company man. The boss is always right and that's how you get promoted over the more ingenious subordinates.

But you are very pro US skaters and you feel the 3 best should be at SA.

Joe, I think you misunderstood my post. I didn't say that anyone was right or wrong, nor who I thought ought to be invited or not invited to Skate America. I raised the question of what the USFSA will decide to do.

Will they try to maximize the chances of U.S. skaters making the Grand Prix final (as Polymer Bob hopes), or will they opt instead to attract the biggest television audience for Skate America?

We will have to wait and see.

Here is a hypothetical lineup for SA:

Kim, Nakano, Kostner, Meier, Zhang, Czisny, Nagasu, Phaneuf, Xu, Karadamir, Gedevanishvili, Vahamaa.

Skate America must have one of Asada, Flatt, or Lepisto.

For SC: Rochette, Phaneuf, Leung, Flatt, Meisner, Poykio, Korpi, Liu, Ando, Suguri, Didier, Leonova

Skate Canada cannot have both Rochette and Ando.

Yea... so I think Canada will invite Joannie for sure since it's the last Grand Prix before Olympic.. By the way, what happens if more than two countries invite one skater, or if some kind of conflicts happen?

I think it goes something like this. Each of the six events gets one of the top three from Worlds and one of 4-6 from Worlds. The rest are chosen from the list of high finishers at worlds and the top 75 on the ISU ratings list (something like that.)

Each federation gets first choice at their own skater. So Skate Canada gets to choose Joannie before anyone else can, and NHK I think could choose both Miki Ando in the 1-3 category and Mao Asada in the 4-6 category.

Then there is some kind of a lottery to see who gets to pick next. Skate America, for instance, might want to select Yu-na Kim but if two other events choose her first, then Kim is off the table and Skate America has to go with either Rochette or Ando.

I believe that the federations do a certain amount of bargaining -- you invite my skater and I'll invite yours.

The home country gets three skaters from their country in all.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

MM - I forgot Ando did medal. So put in Suguri and Suzuki.

btw. As it stands now, I do not see any American finalists (JMO) but that can change with some hard work and discipline. Look at the possibilities:

Mao, Nakano, Ando, Suguri, Suzuki, Kim, Naya Kim, Rochette, Meier, Kostner, Leonova, Lepisto, Zhang, Flat, Nagasu, Meisner, Czisny.

Pick 6 from above and from your head, not your heart.