So when a competition starts on Halloween, do skaters get to dress up (and skate) like the competitor of their choice? Because it could be quite funny to see Ryan Bradley “be” Lysacek. Or Weir. Oh, what am I saying… his SP will probably put him in a Batman suit regardless.
With that said, let’s take a look at Skate Canada’s men and dance disciplines:
MEN:
Gold- Evan Lysacek (USA)
Silver- Patrick Chan (CAN)
Bronze- Sergei Voronov (RUS)
Underrotations aside, I think Lysacek’s the easy favorite here now that Buttle and Lambiel are gone. Which might very well mean that it goes to Chan or Voronov, based on what happened last week. Chan’s performance might be the most interesting to watch in any case; every Canadian fan must be eager to see how well he fills the Buttle void. Yannick Pansero and (possibly) Ryan Bradley are the only other names that might challenge the podium in an otherwise rookie-esque field.
DANCE:
Gold- Pechalat/Bourzat (FRA)
Silver-Davis/White (USA)
Bronze- Bobrova/Soloviev (USA)
According to Ice Network, the smart money is on Davis and White to win this event. Ah, well… much as I’d like to be wrong, I guess I’m putting the dumb money on Pechalat/Bourzat anyway. I’m simply trying to think the way the judges in dance seem to think, and concluding that they’d lean towards a “new” French team than a “new” U.S. team (of course I call Davis/White new the way the Grammys give well-established musicians the “best new artist” award once they finally have a breakthrough hit). Again, the absence of favorites Virtue/Moir means that bronze is up for grabs… and again, trying to think like a judge, I went Russian. Now, if I can only put faces with some of these names…!
Maybe this will help… the Clip of the Day showcases Bobrova and Soloviev in their OD from last year.
That’s it for a few days. If you’re attending the competition in Ottawa this weekend, please eat some maple pie for me!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Oh, (Skate) Canada! My Ladies/Pairs Predictions
One down, five to go.
A glance at Ice Network’s event schedule for Skate Canada tells me I’d better get my weak little predictions started—especially if I want to break them into two parts!
So, starting with PAIRS:
Gold- Kawaguchi/Smirnov (RUS)
Silver- Dube/Davison (CAN)
Bronze- McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
Confession time: I changed my mind as I started typing this… or better put, when I reviewed last year’s SkCan tape earlier tonight. I’d planned to give this one to Dube/Davison, put McBru (my new nickname for the Americans, though I’m sure someone else thought of it first) in 2nd like last week, and put the Russian team in 3rd as they were last year. But watching Kawa/Smir tonight, and thinking about the throw quad salchow they almost landed last year, and factoring in Tamara Moskvina’s certain strong desire to see her team make a major move (and the way she seems to get what she wants in this regard!)… I re-evaluated, and came up with a victory for them. I expect to see the other two mentioned give a strong run nonetheless, with McBru almost certainly earning a spot in the GP Final with a bronze follow-up to last week’s silver.
And as for the LADIES:
Gold- Joannie Rochette (CAN)
Silver- Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Bronze- Alissa Czisny (USA)
I thought about changing my mind here too… not because Joannie gave a weak performance last year (she didn’t), but because she had a rather strong free skate—and still only finished 3rd, due to a 5th place SP. Can she put two great skates back to back? In her home country? She might as well prove it right now, since everyone’s going to be wondering it come Olympic time anyway. So I’m rooting for her to do just that.
I’m also rooting for her to beat Kostner because I still think Kostner was overrated much of last season. A rather snarky thing to say, maybe, but there it is nonetheless. As for Czisny? I suppose it’s a longshot… but SkCan was very good to her a few years back, so no better time to set up her renaissance if you ask me. She’s already won one event this new season (Nebelhorn Trophy) by a whopping 14 points. I smell a comeback…
In fact, she gets the Clip of the Day so we can get a sneak peek at her free skate. This is from Liberty Open back in the summer. A couple blips, but it’s nice to see both her triple lutzes in such fine form.
A glance at Ice Network’s event schedule for Skate Canada tells me I’d better get my weak little predictions started—especially if I want to break them into two parts!
So, starting with PAIRS:
Gold- Kawaguchi/Smirnov (RUS)
Silver- Dube/Davison (CAN)
Bronze- McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
Confession time: I changed my mind as I started typing this… or better put, when I reviewed last year’s SkCan tape earlier tonight. I’d planned to give this one to Dube/Davison, put McBru (my new nickname for the Americans, though I’m sure someone else thought of it first) in 2nd like last week, and put the Russian team in 3rd as they were last year. But watching Kawa/Smir tonight, and thinking about the throw quad salchow they almost landed last year, and factoring in Tamara Moskvina’s certain strong desire to see her team make a major move (and the way she seems to get what she wants in this regard!)… I re-evaluated, and came up with a victory for them. I expect to see the other two mentioned give a strong run nonetheless, with McBru almost certainly earning a spot in the GP Final with a bronze follow-up to last week’s silver.
And as for the LADIES:
Gold- Joannie Rochette (CAN)
Silver- Carolina Kostner (ITA)
Bronze- Alissa Czisny (USA)
I thought about changing my mind here too… not because Joannie gave a weak performance last year (she didn’t), but because she had a rather strong free skate—and still only finished 3rd, due to a 5th place SP. Can she put two great skates back to back? In her home country? She might as well prove it right now, since everyone’s going to be wondering it come Olympic time anyway. So I’m rooting for her to do just that.
I’m also rooting for her to beat Kostner because I still think Kostner was overrated much of last season. A rather snarky thing to say, maybe, but there it is nonetheless. As for Czisny? I suppose it’s a longshot… but SkCan was very good to her a few years back, so no better time to set up her renaissance if you ask me. She’s already won one event this new season (Nebelhorn Trophy) by a whopping 14 points. I smell a comeback…
In fact, she gets the Clip of the Day so we can get a sneak peek at her free skate. This is from Liberty Open back in the summer. A couple blips, but it’s nice to see both her triple lutzes in such fine form.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Final SKAM 2008 Thoughts... More or Less
In the bottomless pit from which I like to pull weak attempts at catchy ways to recap stuff, I’ve come up with what I’m calling the “more or less” files… which I will now apply to the SKAM ladies and pairs events. Here’s how it works:
+ MORE Yu-Na Kim victories… because every time I see her skate I’m in disbelief that the best she’s been able to get at Worlds thus far is Bronze. Twice! Just goes to show how very deep the talent pool is right now. (Or, how twisted judging continues to be…)
-- LESS (or ideally, NO MORE) throw triple axel attempts from Inoue/Baldwin. Why must Rene be subjected to this every program? Why must we, for that matter? I don’t mean to liken them to one-trick ponies, but have they even come close to landing one in competition since 2006 Worlds? I wish they could simply accept their place in history (which of course is nothing to sneeze at) and be done with it, but that would likely require them to retire completely… something they don’t yet seem ready to do. (Come on, John… you’re practically the same age as my husband, for crying out loud.)
+ MORE McLaughlin & Brubaker. Just more more more! I’m in total agreement with everyone who has mentioned them. The speed alone… my God, how much faster and more powerful they are than just about any U.S. couple in recent memory. They seem quite capable of breathing new life into the Story we know as West Side, and that’s saying something. My only complaint is that they’ll already be done with their GP assignments by this time next week. I miss them already.
--LESS of the Cutting Edge Crew, known better as Mukhortova and Trankov. If they hadn’t already mastered the love-on-ice/hate-off-ice thing, I’d be reminded of that film every time the camera gets a close-up on Mukhortova… she could be twins with Moira Kelly, were Kelly a platinum blonde. Anyway, that Lady and the Hooligan free skate was a hot mess. Even if they’d landed twice as many jumps, there’s not enough fake chemistry in the world to help them pull off something intended to be so charming. Toe-pick, indeed.
+ MORE press for Rachael Flatt. I know I’m not the first to say this, but a) she was the best U.S. lady at this event, and b) she’s the reigning U.S. silver medalist AND Junior Worlds champion. While I did notice some odd posture issues with her for the first time (did anyone else hear their mother in their head when watching her?), I was incensed to hear NBC make that “she kind of flies under the radar” comment that they did. They made the exact same comment about Savoie at the Olympics. Hey, NBC? You ARE the radar. If you want to play up Ms. Flatt, you have the power to do so. Or you did… now you’ve got to wait until Nationals. Nice work!
-- and I’ll wrap up with one more comment about NBC: LESS impromptu interviews with Andrea Joyce. Or at least cut away to a different camera while she dashes into place. We know it’s live TV… but we also know how these events go by now, don’t we? There’s no need to show Mirai Nagasu standing quietly off to the side one moment, then looking startled the next moment as Andrea descends upon her. I’d even take a close-up shot of Mukhortova and Trankov in the stands before I did that!
The Clip of the Day features Yukari Nakano’s free skate from last weekend, simply because I think she might be the Rachael Flatt of Japan. Don’t worry, Yukari… you’re on OUR radar! (And you had the better Giselle, to be certain. That’s the last time I’ll predict Ando to win an event this year…)
+ MORE Yu-Na Kim victories… because every time I see her skate I’m in disbelief that the best she’s been able to get at Worlds thus far is Bronze. Twice! Just goes to show how very deep the talent pool is right now. (Or, how twisted judging continues to be…)
-- LESS (or ideally, NO MORE) throw triple axel attempts from Inoue/Baldwin. Why must Rene be subjected to this every program? Why must we, for that matter? I don’t mean to liken them to one-trick ponies, but have they even come close to landing one in competition since 2006 Worlds? I wish they could simply accept their place in history (which of course is nothing to sneeze at) and be done with it, but that would likely require them to retire completely… something they don’t yet seem ready to do. (Come on, John… you’re practically the same age as my husband, for crying out loud.)
+ MORE McLaughlin & Brubaker. Just more more more! I’m in total agreement with everyone who has mentioned them. The speed alone… my God, how much faster and more powerful they are than just about any U.S. couple in recent memory. They seem quite capable of breathing new life into the Story we know as West Side, and that’s saying something. My only complaint is that they’ll already be done with their GP assignments by this time next week. I miss them already.
--LESS of the Cutting Edge Crew, known better as Mukhortova and Trankov. If they hadn’t already mastered the love-on-ice/hate-off-ice thing, I’d be reminded of that film every time the camera gets a close-up on Mukhortova… she could be twins with Moira Kelly, were Kelly a platinum blonde. Anyway, that Lady and the Hooligan free skate was a hot mess. Even if they’d landed twice as many jumps, there’s not enough fake chemistry in the world to help them pull off something intended to be so charming. Toe-pick, indeed.
+ MORE press for Rachael Flatt. I know I’m not the first to say this, but a) she was the best U.S. lady at this event, and b) she’s the reigning U.S. silver medalist AND Junior Worlds champion. While I did notice some odd posture issues with her for the first time (did anyone else hear their mother in their head when watching her?), I was incensed to hear NBC make that “she kind of flies under the radar” comment that they did. They made the exact same comment about Savoie at the Olympics. Hey, NBC? You ARE the radar. If you want to play up Ms. Flatt, you have the power to do so. Or you did… now you’ve got to wait until Nationals. Nice work!
-- and I’ll wrap up with one more comment about NBC: LESS impromptu interviews with Andrea Joyce. Or at least cut away to a different camera while she dashes into place. We know it’s live TV… but we also know how these events go by now, don’t we? There’s no need to show Mirai Nagasu standing quietly off to the side one moment, then looking startled the next moment as Andrea descends upon her. I’d even take a close-up shot of Mukhortova and Trankov in the stands before I did that!
The Clip of the Day features Yukari Nakano’s free skate from last weekend, simply because I think she might be the Rachael Flatt of Japan. Don’t worry, Yukari… you’re on OUR radar! (And you had the better Giselle, to be certain. That’s the last time I’ll predict Ando to win an event this year…)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Random notes and Letters: SKAM Dance/Men's Postmortem
Got to get just a few notes in about SKAM before the news gets too old and starts to take on that musty smell… so I’ll focus on the men & dance this time.
My notes about the dance competition are rather spare, and consist of a series of “Did anyone else wonder…” observations:
-- Did anyone else wonder who that perfectly lovely twosome was out there in the muted colors… before they realized it was the same quirky-cool twosome that resembled space aliens in their last major international event 7months ago? (In case you did, and never figured it out… it was the Kerrs.)
-- Did anyone else wonder why Tosca is considered to be the dramatic breakthrough of Belbin & Agosto when they spent last year swathed in black and dancing to Chopin—hardly what I’d call light and/or whimsical?
-- Did anyone else wonder why Belbin & Agosto even worry about picking dramatic music when Pink Floyd continues to be dramatic enough for at least one top couple per year? (Yes, Delobel & Schoenfelder, I’m looking at you. I want the Bonnie/Clyde routine to make a comeback! Work on it.)
-- And in general… does anyone else wonder if Tanith Belbin ever gets tired of pushing her long, sweeping bangs out of her face?
As for the men’s event… well, perhaps it’d be best if I put it in the form of a brief letter:
Dear Men’s Event at 2008 Skate America,
Thanks so much for all the contradictions you fulfilled in the course of just two days. For example, we worried once again that it would become a “quad contest”; turns out none of the top guys brought theirs this time.
We thought it would surely be a case of Evan vs. Johnny for 1st; turned out it was Evan vs. Johnny for 2nd.
We wondered if the newly trimmed panel of judges would prove to favor the European skaters against our will; turns out they favored the Asian skater against our will.
We came in with all the hope a new season brings; we came out feeling like we’d just been on another date with the Charming Significant Other Who Always Promises To Change And Then Never Does. (And Then They Stuck Us With The Bill.)
We come away with lessons learned: Skaters, don’t underestimate new guys… judges, don’t over-estimate new guys…under-rotaters, go home and fix those jumps because that’s the way the game is played right now, and you can’t fault people for trying to play by the rules… judges, don’t forget to really look… and listen… and find a way to reward the ones who are currently finding the most visible joy in this sport… for they are the ones that will fill the stadiums with a gleeful noise for years to come.
Five more chances to get this Grand Prix right for us lowly viewers. Step it up, everyone…we’re counting on it!
-- With love and concern from Kelli
Rachael Flatt, the highest-finishing of the U.S. ladies last weekend, is featured in the Clip of the Day.
My notes about the dance competition are rather spare, and consist of a series of “Did anyone else wonder…” observations:
-- Did anyone else wonder who that perfectly lovely twosome was out there in the muted colors… before they realized it was the same quirky-cool twosome that resembled space aliens in their last major international event 7months ago? (In case you did, and never figured it out… it was the Kerrs.)
-- Did anyone else wonder why Tosca is considered to be the dramatic breakthrough of Belbin & Agosto when they spent last year swathed in black and dancing to Chopin—hardly what I’d call light and/or whimsical?
-- Did anyone else wonder why Belbin & Agosto even worry about picking dramatic music when Pink Floyd continues to be dramatic enough for at least one top couple per year? (Yes, Delobel & Schoenfelder, I’m looking at you. I want the Bonnie/Clyde routine to make a comeback! Work on it.)
-- And in general… does anyone else wonder if Tanith Belbin ever gets tired of pushing her long, sweeping bangs out of her face?
As for the men’s event… well, perhaps it’d be best if I put it in the form of a brief letter:
Dear Men’s Event at 2008 Skate America,
Thanks so much for all the contradictions you fulfilled in the course of just two days. For example, we worried once again that it would become a “quad contest”; turns out none of the top guys brought theirs this time.
We thought it would surely be a case of Evan vs. Johnny for 1st; turned out it was Evan vs. Johnny for 2nd.
We wondered if the newly trimmed panel of judges would prove to favor the European skaters against our will; turns out they favored the Asian skater against our will.
We came in with all the hope a new season brings; we came out feeling like we’d just been on another date with the Charming Significant Other Who Always Promises To Change And Then Never Does. (And Then They Stuck Us With The Bill.)
We come away with lessons learned: Skaters, don’t underestimate new guys… judges, don’t over-estimate new guys…under-rotaters, go home and fix those jumps because that’s the way the game is played right now, and you can’t fault people for trying to play by the rules… judges, don’t forget to really look… and listen… and find a way to reward the ones who are currently finding the most visible joy in this sport… for they are the ones that will fill the stadiums with a gleeful noise for years to come.
Five more chances to get this Grand Prix right for us lowly viewers. Step it up, everyone…we’re counting on it!
-- With love and concern from Kelli
Rachael Flatt, the highest-finishing of the U.S. ladies last weekend, is featured in the Clip of the Day.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
And They're OFF! (The Skaters? Judges? You Decide.)
What a weekend to be out of town—and not in Everett, Washington.
We made a quick jaunt over to Cincinnati, trying to make the most of our kids’ Fall Break and our limited vacation budget. While I think we were successful in that regard, I remain sans laptop with wireless access, and was therefore unable to follow SKAM in “real” time. I managed to get my season pass to IceNetwork.com in time to watch most of the Friday night action, but couldn’t stay up long enough to watch round 1 of the Johnny/Evan show (though I logged on long enough the following AM to watch their respective SPs)…
Anyway, I’m a little more caught up now on who-did-what-and-what-everyone-thinks-of-it, and will try to make up for my 3-day absence with several shorter posts in the coming week. Gotta get all the SKAM talk over and done with in time to make some meager SKCAN (Skate Canada) predictions, after all…whew! Such a whirlwind this part of the season is already, and now I’m blogging about it too?! Whose idea was this?
Oh, it was mine. Much as it was my idea to say “I didn’t say he’d WIN” about Kozuka in my last post, and here I am, eating my words a few days later. Chomp chomp.
For a Clip of the Day I’ll give you the McLaughlin/Brubaker FS that won them silver this weekend… for two reasons: 1) It went unseen and unmentioned on NBC’s limited coverage of the event, and 2) It was one of only 3 predictions I got right. Which puts my batting average at a pitiful .250 and makes me instantly jealous of Aaron over at Axels, Loops and Spins going 8-for-12 ;-)
We made a quick jaunt over to Cincinnati, trying to make the most of our kids’ Fall Break and our limited vacation budget. While I think we were successful in that regard, I remain sans laptop with wireless access, and was therefore unable to follow SKAM in “real” time. I managed to get my season pass to IceNetwork.com in time to watch most of the Friday night action, but couldn’t stay up long enough to watch round 1 of the Johnny/Evan show (though I logged on long enough the following AM to watch their respective SPs)…
Anyway, I’m a little more caught up now on who-did-what-and-what-everyone-thinks-of-it, and will try to make up for my 3-day absence with several shorter posts in the coming week. Gotta get all the SKAM talk over and done with in time to make some meager SKCAN (Skate Canada) predictions, after all…whew! Such a whirlwind this part of the season is already, and now I’m blogging about it too?! Whose idea was this?
Oh, it was mine. Much as it was my idea to say “I didn’t say he’d WIN” about Kozuka in my last post, and here I am, eating my words a few days later. Chomp chomp.
For a Clip of the Day I’ll give you the McLaughlin/Brubaker FS that won them silver this weekend… for two reasons: 1) It went unseen and unmentioned on NBC’s limited coverage of the event, and 2) It was one of only 3 predictions I got right. Which puts my batting average at a pitiful .250 and makes me instantly jealous of Aaron over at Axels, Loops and Spins going 8-for-12 ;-)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
On Their Marks: SKAM Dance/Ladies Predictions
Before I get to the remaining two disciplines, I guess I have to predict a different bronze medalist for the men. (Thanks a lot, Van Der Perren :-)
OK, I’ll go with… Takahiko Kozuka for the bronze. Mostly because Japan is really riding the wave nicely these days, and I’m assuming Kozuka’s no exception.
Onward…
DANCE: Gold- Belbin/Agosto (USA)
Silver- Delobel/Schoenfelder (FRA)
Bronze- Kerr/Kerr (GBR)
Tanith and Ben won this event last year, so predicting another victory for them isn’t much of a stretch. But more importantly, this is their first time out of the box since a) their 4th place disappointment at Worlds, and b) their well-publicized coaching switch. If I were them, I’d be chomping at the proverbial bit to show everyone what they’ve got this year, and how they shouldn’t be underestimated. I imagine it wouldn’t hurt to beat the current world champs either—and while I’ve grown quite fond of Delobel/Schoenfelder over the past few years, and thought their title was well-deserved, I do think they are beatable.
As for the Kerrs, I just want to see them on the freaking podium already.
LADIES: Gold- Miki Ando (JPN)
Silver- Yu-Na Kim (KOR)
Bronze- Kimmie Meissner (USA)
Now hear me out, because you probably think I’m crackers for not going with the obvious favorite (Kim). My thinking here simply runs along the same “hungry” lines as I did on other categories… with Ando forced to withdraw from Worlds, and always needing to hold her own in the deep, deep frozen pool of Japanese singles skaters, I’m guessing she’s ready to come roaring back. Add to that the fact that she already earned silver here last year, and you get an unstoppable drive for gold.
Unless it’s not her night, in which case Kim might make mincemeat out of her :-(
As for Meissner, I’m rooting for her to turn it around and will gladly be wrong if she repeats last year’s victory.
The Clip of the Day is Takahiko Kozuka’s FS from last season’s Worlds; watch it and note what to watch for this weekend. Thumbs up for the Beatles medley… thumbs down for the missed triple salchow and lutz. (OK, I didn’t say he’d WIN… yet.)
OK, I’ll go with… Takahiko Kozuka for the bronze. Mostly because Japan is really riding the wave nicely these days, and I’m assuming Kozuka’s no exception.
Onward…
DANCE: Gold- Belbin/Agosto (USA)
Silver- Delobel/Schoenfelder (FRA)
Bronze- Kerr/Kerr (GBR)
Tanith and Ben won this event last year, so predicting another victory for them isn’t much of a stretch. But more importantly, this is their first time out of the box since a) their 4th place disappointment at Worlds, and b) their well-publicized coaching switch. If I were them, I’d be chomping at the proverbial bit to show everyone what they’ve got this year, and how they shouldn’t be underestimated. I imagine it wouldn’t hurt to beat the current world champs either—and while I’ve grown quite fond of Delobel/Schoenfelder over the past few years, and thought their title was well-deserved, I do think they are beatable.
As for the Kerrs, I just want to see them on the freaking podium already.
LADIES: Gold- Miki Ando (JPN)
Silver- Yu-Na Kim (KOR)
Bronze- Kimmie Meissner (USA)
Now hear me out, because you probably think I’m crackers for not going with the obvious favorite (Kim). My thinking here simply runs along the same “hungry” lines as I did on other categories… with Ando forced to withdraw from Worlds, and always needing to hold her own in the deep, deep frozen pool of Japanese singles skaters, I’m guessing she’s ready to come roaring back. Add to that the fact that she already earned silver here last year, and you get an unstoppable drive for gold.
Unless it’s not her night, in which case Kim might make mincemeat out of her :-(
As for Meissner, I’m rooting for her to turn it around and will gladly be wrong if she repeats last year’s victory.
The Clip of the Day is Takahiko Kozuka’s FS from last season’s Worlds; watch it and note what to watch for this weekend. Thumbs up for the Beatles medley… thumbs down for the missed triple salchow and lutz. (OK, I didn’t say he’d WIN… yet.)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Win, Place, Show: SKAM Pairs/Men Predictions
Tick tick tick… SKAM keeps getting closer, so I studied its schedule today. If I’m going to make some predictions, the least I can do is get them in before each particular event gets underway.
So before I get to it, I should offer the disclaimer that I have a proven track record of inadequacy when it comes to podium predictions, Oscar/Emmy/Grammy guesses, forecasting the future for friends, etc. In other words, you might want to seek out a more reliable blog if you plan to do some wagering.
As long as you understand that, I’m ready to roll with two of the four disciplines:
PAIRS: Gold- Savchenko/Szolkowy (GER)
Silver- McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
Bronze- Duhamel/Buntin (CAN)
None of last year’s medalists in this event are returning, so I’m choosing (unsurprisingly?) the #1 ISU-ranked pair in the world to win. And I’m putting Inoue/Baldwin out of the medals because this is their first time performing so early in the season in quite a while—I just don’t expect them to be at the level they might be at for, say, NHK Trophy.
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia) could work their way into a medal, but if there’s still the acrimony with this pair that reportedly existed last season, I’m suspicious it could turn up in their skating.
MENS: Gold- Johnny Weir (USA)
Silver- Evan Lysacek (USA)
Bronze- Kevin Van Der Perren (BEL)
If you saw my GP Showdowns to Watch post back in June, you know I mentioned the Johnny/Evan “rematch” as the main event of Skate America. What I didn’t do back then was pick a winner of said rematch. I’ve gone with Weir to win here primarily because I figure he might be a little hungrier to beat Evan than vice versa. I know he bettered him at Worlds last spring, but I think it means something a little different on U.S. soil. Or ice, as the case may be.
I’m picking Van Der Perren for the podium based on his track record, or the simple fact that he has one compared to most others in this event. It wouldn’t surprise me much, though, to see one of the relative newbies break away from the pack and take an upset bronze.
The clock keeps on ticking, so I’ll be back with ladies and dance predictions sometime before compulsories start on Friday…
Until then, enjoy this Clip of the Day featuring Evan Lysacek’s free skate from 2007 Skate America.
So before I get to it, I should offer the disclaimer that I have a proven track record of inadequacy when it comes to podium predictions, Oscar/Emmy/Grammy guesses, forecasting the future for friends, etc. In other words, you might want to seek out a more reliable blog if you plan to do some wagering.
As long as you understand that, I’m ready to roll with two of the four disciplines:
PAIRS: Gold- Savchenko/Szolkowy (GER)
Silver- McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
Bronze- Duhamel/Buntin (CAN)
None of last year’s medalists in this event are returning, so I’m choosing (unsurprisingly?) the #1 ISU-ranked pair in the world to win. And I’m putting Inoue/Baldwin out of the medals because this is their first time performing so early in the season in quite a while—I just don’t expect them to be at the level they might be at for, say, NHK Trophy.
Mukhortova and Trankov (Russia) could work their way into a medal, but if there’s still the acrimony with this pair that reportedly existed last season, I’m suspicious it could turn up in their skating.
MENS: Gold- Johnny Weir (USA)
Silver- Evan Lysacek (USA)
Bronze- Kevin Van Der Perren (BEL)
If you saw my GP Showdowns to Watch post back in June, you know I mentioned the Johnny/Evan “rematch” as the main event of Skate America. What I didn’t do back then was pick a winner of said rematch. I’ve gone with Weir to win here primarily because I figure he might be a little hungrier to beat Evan than vice versa. I know he bettered him at Worlds last spring, but I think it means something a little different on U.S. soil. Or ice, as the case may be.
I’m picking Van Der Perren for the podium based on his track record, or the simple fact that he has one compared to most others in this event. It wouldn’t surprise me much, though, to see one of the relative newbies break away from the pack and take an upset bronze.
The clock keeps on ticking, so I’ll be back with ladies and dance predictions sometime before compulsories start on Friday…
Until then, enjoy this Clip of the Day featuring Evan Lysacek’s free skate from 2007 Skate America.
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