Are you ready?
Are you in Chicago ,
following Skate America in person?
If not, do you know when and where to follow along?
Here’s a guide (IceNetwork, NBC and Universal HD included)
if you need it.
First up, Friday night… Ladies and Pairs SPs! That’s where I
start with my predictions:
LADIES
GOLD: Ashley Wagner (USA
SILVER: Mai Mihara (JPN)
BRONZE: Gracie Gold (USA
DARK HORSE: Mao Asada (JPN) or Serafima Sakhanovich (RUS)
Wagner’s senior GP history is pretty impressive, as I've said in the past: she’s made the podium 12 times (with 4 victories)…
and that’s not even including 5 appearances (and 3 medals) at the GP Finals!
Again, basing my SKAM predictions on what I’ve witnessed so far this season
(not to mention that stunning GP pedigree of hers), I think this is Ashley’s to
lose. The only thing NOT in her corner may be her own concerns about “peaking”
at the wrong time. She alluded to it in her appearance on the premiere Ice
Talk podcast (new from IceNetwork! Give it a listen—great content and none
of the live streaming issues we’ve grown too accustomed to!)… let’s see if she
seems to hold back, and how it affects her placement if she does.
If there’s an upset to be had, keep an eye out for 17
year-old GP newcomer Mai Mihara of Japan .
She spent three years in the junior GP ranks, reaching the JGP last year, but
it’s her recent win at Nebelhorn Trophy (over 2015 World Champ Liza
Tuktamysheva, among others) that got my attention. Her triples and 3/3 combos,
including a 3 lutz/3 toe, were spot on… and her artistry appears to be coming
along nicely. Like the Russian ladies, the pool of top Japanese women continues
to be a deep one… so whether Mihara shines for the long haul remains to be
seen. But this GP season could be her breakout time for sure.
Bronze is tough. Gold is 6-for-8 (with
2 wins) on GP podiums; Asada is 17-for-20 (with 11 wins)! I’m rooting
for Gold to skate well enough for this particular podium because she looked to
still be haunted by the Worlds 2016 ghost at the Japan
Open… she’s got to shake that off ASAP (paging Gracie’s friend Taylor Swift). BUT if she can’t get it done, Asada’s back in there. (She might be “back in
there” anyway; her programs to “ Ritual Fire Dance” this season are stunners.)
PAIRS
GOLD: Tarasova/Morozov (RUS)
SILVER: Seguin/Bilodeau (CAN)
BRONZE: James/Cipres (FRA)
DARK HORSE: Astakhova/Rogonov (RUS)
Let me start by saying if RockerSkating’s Jackie Wong admits
the SKAM pairs event is a toss-up, you know we’re all struggling on this
one.
Here’s what I think I know:
+
Tarasova/Morozov finished 5th
at Boston Worlds, and are bringing a quad twist into the picture this season (debuting it at Ondrej Nepela Trophy a few
weeks ago)
+
Seguin/Bilodeau were sidelined by
injury late last season, but are back now and already won the Autumn Classic.
+
James/Cipres finally took home a
GP medal last year, but it was at the abbreviated-due-to-tragedy Trophee
Bompard. I’m sure they’re itching to still win one “outright”. Considering they
finished right behind Seguin/Bilodeau at the Autumn classic, I’m most
definitely rooting for this possibility.
+
Astakhova/Rogonov have yet to
really dig into the senior circuit (10th at Worlds in 2014; didn’t
qualify last year), but were (a distant) 2nd to Duhamel/Radford at
the recent Finlandia Trophy… and probably have an above-average shot at a medal
here.
+
Yes, the U.S.
has three pairs teams at SKAM: Denney/Frazier (out all last season due to
injury)… current national champs Kayne/O’Shea… and Castelli/Tran. All three
have been through a “B” event this fall; Castelli/Tran fared best with a bronze
at the Autumn Classic.
+
NO, I’m not predicting any of our
teams for a medal. So… many… side-by-side… jumps…failed… by…our… pairs. That’s
why. All the glorious lifts in the world won’t change this fact! Sorry if that
seems harsh, but facts are facts. If one of these teams can rise above the fray
(or two! Or three!), I’ll be sure to shout it from this blog next week.
Stay tuned for Men’s and Dance predictions!
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