2019 U.S. Senior Nationals are here… who will reign supreme in the always extra-intriguing post-Olympic season? I’m starting my guesses with the two disciplines getting underway on Thursday 1/24…
PAIRS PREDICTIONS
GOLD: Tarah Kayne/Danny O’Shea
SILVER: Alexa Scimeca-Knierim/Chris Knierim
BRONZE: Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Nate Bartholomay
PEWTER: Ashley Cain/Timothy LeDuc
13 pairs are vying for the podium this year. Who’s got a shot near the top? Honestly, several of them. While pairs continue to be anything but the U.S. ’s strongest discipline (as evidenced by the fact that only ONE team will represent at 2019 Worlds), around 5 or 6 teams are pretty evenly matched. Honestly, any of the teams listed above could win… or even a team that isn’t (Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov, who won Junior Nats last year and competed the GP circuit this past fall).
LADIES PREDICTIONS
GOLD: Bradie Tennell
SILVER: Mariah Bell
BRONZE: Alysa Liu
PEWTER: Starr Andrews
No Wagner or Nagasu this time… and as of earlier this month, no Chen, Gold or Wang. It’s definitely a year for new (or newer) athletes to make a move. But Tennell, while no longer the “never-miss” champ, is still more than reliable enough to lead this year’s pack. But she’s not without legit challengers, so I’m thinking of Bell’s NHK free skate, Andrews at last year’s Nats, and Liu’s triple axels (yes, she’s got a consistent triple axel) when I list them for filling out the rest of the podium.
And while I haven’t had a chance this year to check out YouTube to get acquainted with this year’s rookies aside from Liu, I’m keeping my eyes open for Megan Wessenberg (6th at Skate America in the fall) as a potential dark horse.
I'll post my Men and Dance predictions Friday!
No comments:
Post a Comment