I was only 3 for 12 with my Skate America podium
predictions—let’s see if I can do any better this week when the Grand Prix
parade moves to Lethbridge (Alberta )
for SKATE CANADA INTERNATIONAL!!
(First, here’s when to watch it on IceNetwork...
As well as Universal Sports and NBC...)
DANCE
CONTENDERS:
Weaver/Poje, Bobrova/Soloviev, Monko/Khaliavin, Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen,
Shibutanis
GOLD: Weaver/Poje
SILVER: Shibutanis
BRONZE: Monko/Khaliavin
DARK HORSE:
Bobrova/Soloviev
Weaver/Poje have competed at SkCAN five times so far, have
medaled four of those times, finally winning in 2014. They missed the mark at
Worlds, but they won’t miss it here. Be on the lookout for the Shib Sibs’ FD to
Coldplay’s “Fix You”. My initial take? It’s good, but I look forward to it
getting even better as the season rolls out.
I have Bob/Solo as my DH but they’re really more of a wild
card, given that they haven’t competed at ANY major event since Sochi .
LADIES
CONTENDERS:
Kaetlyn Osmond, Elizabet Tursynbaeva, Alena Leonova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva,
Polina Edmunds, Ashley Wagner
GOLD: Tuktamysheva
SILVER: Wagner
BRONZE: Osmond
DARK HORSE: Edmunds
World Champ Liza T.
is here, but for me, the bigger story is the return of Kaetlyn O. (as in Osmond). She missed last season due to a broken
leg, but also withdrew from both her GP events in 2013 because of a torn
hamstring... so barring any new injuries, this will actually be her first full
GP appearance aside from the 2012 edition of SkCAN (where she emerged with the
win). I anticipate her doing well here, but also think adrenaline and
excitement might lead to a few mistakes—which is why I put Wagner ahead of her.
But I’m keeping an eye on Edmunds, who is capable of pulling
down some HUGE technical scores thanks to her ample arsenal of 3-3 combos.
PAIRS
CONTENDERS: Duhamel/Radford,
Moore-Towers/Marinaro, Marchei/Hotarek, Tarasova/Morozov
GOLD: Duhamel/Radford
SILVER:
Tarasova/Morozov
BRONZE:
Marchei/Hotarek
DARK HORSE:
Moore-Towers/Marinaro
Can anyone beat Duhamel/Radford these days?? Yeah, sure, I
can think of a few possibilities. But whoever it is, they won’t be competing at
SkCAN this year.
MEN
CONTENDERS:
Patrick Chan , Nam
GOLD: Hanyu
SILVER: Chan
BRONZE: Rippon
DARK HORSE: Nguyen
It’s the headliner! The great re-match! The Thrilla in... Alberta ?
Whatever you call it, Chan vs. Hanyu starts all over again here at SkCAN, and
it’s what everyone wants to talk about... with good reason. Hanyu’s healthy
again after a rough 2014-15 season. Chan’s back after taking a year off to
reflect on life post-Sochi Silver. Who will prevail? Who???
Here’s what I know: I can’t recall the last time I saw Hanyu
skate a clean FS (though he often wins anyway). I don’t recall SkCAN going
balls-to-the-wall fantastic for Chan in any particular circumstance (though
he’s won this event four times). Both would get outrageous component scores
even if they just stood on the ice reading the side of a box of Apple Jacks.
BUT... Hanyu’s training 2 quads, and Chan’s only training one. Advantage Hanyu?
We shall see.
This is a tough one to predict for bronze too. I had Nguyen
in there until I saw his unusually rough FS at the Autumn Classic a few weeks
ago (though he still managed silver behind Hanyu). As young as he is, and as
fresh as THAT is... well, that’s part of why I decided to go with Rippon. It’s
also because Rippon’s Beatle-icious FS is really, really good. (So is his Queen SP—we’ll have to see what happens
with his quad lutz, though.)
What do YOU think about Hanyu vs. Chan... or any other
aspect of this event?
If you’re watching online, follow me at @KLBSt8ofSk8... or
follow the event in general at #SCI15 !
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