Tiffany Stiegler & Sergey Magerovskiy?

[Ptichka]

I've noticed that Tiffany Stiegler & Sergey Magerovskiy did not get any GP assignments even though they finished 6th at Nationals while Pratt & Gilles finished 8th yet got 2 assignments. Anybody know why? Are they getting any other assignments (such as Nebelhorn)?

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I saw that too. Oh well, so goes the ISU. S&M, for me are a first class team that should have been in Worlds.

Joe

 

[Ptichka]

I saw that too. Oh well, so goes the ISU. S&M, for me are a first class team that should have been in Worlds.

Shouldn't it have been USFSA as opposed to ISU?

 

[nymkfan51]

I was wondering the same thing, Ptichka. I had asked on another board if anyone knew what was up with this, and was told they are supposedly still training ... so I have no idea why they weren't given any assignments.
I'm not happy about this!

 

[clairecloutier]

This is disappointing. I thought Stiegler & Magerovsky were great at Nationals and could have been placed higher. I hope they're not falling out of favor with the USFSA.

 

[gkelly]

Steigler and Magerovsky are ranked 83rd in the ISU rankings, so they were not available for invitations from other host nations. The USFSA could have invited them to Skate America again like last year, but at that point S&M had been ranked 4th at 2005 Nationals. At 2006 Nationals they were 6th, and the Skate America assignments went to the teams who were 2nd, 4th, and 5th.

Non-Grand Prix senior assignments haven't been made yet, but Stiegler/Magerovsky should be next in line for one of those.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Shouldn't it have been USFSA as opposed to ISU?

Yes, Ptichka, you are right but given gkelly's comments above, I understand now the situation

They will need a 3rd Nationals place to get to Worlds. Meanwhile, I am hoping Navaro and Bommentre gets some points in the GPs.

Joe

 

[Ptichka]

I guess it does make sense. But I think I would have rather seen USFSA give the Skate America assignment to Stiegler & Magerovsky instead of Navarro & Bommentre who already have a Skate Canada assignment (and they don't even have any ranking yet). I think those two teams are at about the same level, so it would have been nice for each to get one GP assignment and one non-GP international.

 

[Dyan]

.......Non-Grand Prix senior assignments haven't been made yet, but Stiegler/Magerovsky should be next in line for one of those.

I'm wondering if the backlash from S&M's placement at Portland Nationals might have affected USFS's decision to not give them any GP assignments.

But mostly I agree with gkelly. Because S&M finished sixth at Nationals last season they will probably have to attend the Lake Placid event to compete for a spot at one of the non GP events. I hope they are able to get one of the non GP assignments. They were wonderful at Nationals; their FD really improved and looked gorgeous compared to the beginning of the season but at the same time the field was much deeper than the previous year.

I can't wait to see S&M's Tango OD.

 

[hockeyfan228]

Stiegler/Magerovski were in the 40's in top PB's for the season based on last year's Skate America, which qualified them for consideration in any open spaces as one of the top 75. (I mistakenly and repeatedly posted that the last criteria was top 75 in ISU rankings, but, thankfully, chuckm corrected me.)

They had higher PB than Zadorozhniuk/Verbillo (PB NHK), selected for NHK, and Senft/Gisalson (PB Skate America), selected for Coc and NHK. (Japan chose three other US couples as well: Gregory/Petukhov, Davis/White, and Pratt/Giles.) They were twenty PB's higher than Rubleva/Shefer (PB Skate America), but USFS chose Gregory/Petuckhov, Matthews/Zavozin, and Navarro/Bommentre (whose personal best at Karl Schaefer was a handful of PB's above Stiegler/Magerovski). Huang/Zheng were in the 50's in PB based on Jr. Worlds. They received invitations to CoC and TEB. Carron/Jost were just one place above S/M in PB's, by .17 of a point, based on their performance at Karl Schaefer; they received two invitations, one to CoC and one to TEB.

In total, six US teams were given spots: B/A and M/G guaranteed two, Matthews/Zavozin, Davis/White, and Pratt/Giles guaranteed one, and Navarro/Bommentre guaranteed none, but on the potential list. Each got two.

Six Canadian teams were given spots: D/L and V/M guaranteed two, Lefebvre/Markov guaranteed one, and Senft/Gislason, Girard/Yeager, and Hann-McCurdy guaranteed none, but on the potential list. All but H/McG got two.

Seven Russian teams were given spots: Dom/Sha and K/N guaranteed two, Mikhailova/Sergeev, Platonova/Maksimishin, and Gorshkova/Tkachenko guaranteed one, and Rubleva/Shefer and Romanovskaya/Grachev guaranteed none, but on the potential list. All but Romanovskaya/Grachev got two.

Two Chinese teams were guaranteed none, but on the potential list -- Yu/Wang and Huang/Zheng -- and got two. Wang/Meng are a discretionary invite to CoC.

For France, the Del/Schoes were guaranteed two, P/B were guaranteed one, and Carron/Jost were on the potential list. All got two.

The only couple listed for Japan is Watanabe/Kido, who were guaranteed one and got two. The other spot for Japan, for NHK, is TBD.

It seems to me that Stiegler/Magerovski were not on the USFS radar, because there doesn't seem to be an unofficial limit of six per discipline. It may be strategy among the host nations based on the new selection criteria and seeding for Worlds to give skaters/teams two berths instead of spreading those out among two selections, because that will build up World standings points and give the skaters/teams an extra chance for a personal best.

From one point of view, the rich get richer. From another, the Federations are making strategic investments.

 

[Ptichka]

Hockeyfan, you're right but with one exception - France, in both ladies and pairs, seems to have maximized number of skaters.

 

[Tonichelle]

In total, six US teams were given spots: B/A and M/G guaranteed two, Matthews/Zavozin, Davis/White, and Pratt/Giles guaranteed one, and Navarro/Bommentre guaranteed none, but on the potential list. Each got two.

By M/G do you mean Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov?

 

[hockeyfan228]

By M/G do you mean Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov?

Yes -- I must have been typing M(elissa)/G(regory) by mistake

 

[Tonichelle]

Yes -- I must have been typing M(elissa)/G(regory) by mistake

totally understandable, I do the same thing with Roca & Sur all the time! LOL I was just making sure I hadn't forgotten another team or something

 

[Dyan]

You mean there is no such team as Gorsha & Sur?

It's going to be hard for me to decide which teams to root for although at this point I'm thinking that the World team for next March will probably be B&A, G&P and M&Z.

I'm sorry that S&M didn't receive any GP assignments but I do like N&B just as much as Tiffany and Sergey. I'm still in love with their Michael Buble FD from last year.

Then there's also W&B and P&G. I'm still scratching my head over them being chacked from Nationals coverage with ESPN opting to show the 10th place couple instead (nothing personal against that team.) I love P&G's "House of the Rising Sun" FD.

Whatever fall assignments S&M do get and wherever they finish at Nationals I just hope they come back even stronger and manage to convert some of the naysayers. Show off how talented and beautiful they are as a team.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I'm wondering if the backlash from S&M's placement at Portland Nationals might have affected USFS's decision to not give them any GP assignment.

I don't remember any problem in Portland. Why would there be a backlash?

Joe

 

[Tonichelle]

A lot of people thought they placed too high. I don't understand enough about dance to give a true account, but I did think they did more simple steps and were rewarded for looking pretty as opposed to actually dancing. She is definitely and by far the weaker link....

 

[Dyan]

I don't remember any problem in Portland. Why would there be a backlash?

Joe

I don't want to break any rules about bringing other message boards/mailing lists so please forgive me if I do.

Anyway, as Tonichelle said many people thought that Tiffany and Sergey placed too high and I got the impression that it wasn't just some of the fans watching from home or at the actual event who thought so. From some of the statements made at the time I got the feeling that some in the skating community also were displeased with S&M's final placement. It wasn't just that the programs were too simple but that it was only S&M's first season together and they ended up ahead of teams that had been together for awhile.

This will sound weird but I'll try to explain my comment that I'm kind of happy that Tonichelle stated that Tiffany is the weaker link.

Okay my explanation: I don't neccesarily agree that Tiffany is that far behind her partner but it's nice to see Sergey get some recognition for his skills as an icedancer. One thing that I didn't like was that there was so much focus on Tiffany in Portland that Sergey went unnoticed. IMO Sergey Magerovskiy is one of the best male icedancers I've seen. He reminds me of Ryan O'Meara; needing to work on his expression but the technique and technical ability is wonderful to witness.

I'm still not all that convinced that Nikolai Morosov is a great technical coach but I do think that perhaps he and Shae-Lynn can improve the emotion connection between S&M.

 

[Tonichelle]

I think that Tiffany has improved from Portland to STL, but I still think she has a way to go, he's still doing -- imho -- the bulk of the difficult footwork, etc... and she just stretches and looks pretty... sometimes she comes off as trying too hard

I don't think she isn't a good skater, I've actually enjoyed watching this team... she just has a ways to go... whereas I think Sergey is horribly undernoticed/rated just because he's just the guy she skates with and the fans just always focus on her (why I don't know, she's always been just another US skater to me lol)

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

It's not unusual to spot a weak link in a team. There are so many. Despite this I will continue to enjoy Tiffany and Sergey as I did in Portland and again in St.Louis. They have, imo, more style than Matthews and Zavosin.

Joe