As you might already know, the ISU has juggled the Grand
Prix series once again… Rostelecom Cup leads it this year, with the order of
subsequent GP events Skate Canada (10/27-29), Cup of China (11/3-5), NHK
Trophy (11/10-12), Internationaux de France (formerly Trophee de France)
(11/17-19), and Skate America (11/24-26), with the GP Final for both
Junior/Senior held this year in Nagoya December 7-10.
This year icenetwork.com has LIVE coverage planned
for all the GP events… BUT… the newly minted Olympic Channel, available “in
more than 35 million homes” in the U.S.
(according to information released upon the channel’s launch this past July),
has it as well. At least, they plan to carry all the same Rostelecom coverage
as IN this weekend… I happen to be one of those 35 million homes with The OC
(hah—not sure if that abbreviation will work for me anywhere but here!) so I’ll
be keeping a close eye on scheduling. In any case, coverage begins at 7AM EDT on 10/20.
Oh, and for NBC’s traditional 2-hour mash-up of highlights, check
them out between Noon-2PM EDT this Sunday.
Here’s what I’ve got in the way of predictions this time
around…
MEN
GOLD: Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)
SILVER: Nathan Chen (USA
BRONZE: Mikhail Kolyada (RUS)
WILD CARD: Denis Ten (KAZ), Nam
DARK HORSE: Grant Hochstein (USA
If you caught Hanyu at the Autumn Classic a few weeks ago,
you might think he’s in early-season top form, or you might think he’s a hot
mess—it all depends on if you saw his SP or his FS. Which Hanyu will show up in
Russia this
weekend? Beats me, but either way, he’s still the reigning OGM and World Champ…
and that’s why I’ve got him defeating Chen in their first matchup of the
season. Kolyada (one of the guys currently attempting a 4lz) rebounded from a
subpar SP to win Ondrej Nepela Trophy, so I think he’s a good medal bet here at
well.
LADIES
GOLD: Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS)
SILVER: Wakaba Higuchi (JPN)
BRONZE: Mirai Nagasu (USA
WILD CARD: Mariah Bell (USA
DARK HORSE: Carolina
You probably know Nagasu is including triple axels in her
programs this season (for the first time in her long, distinguished career),
but word on the street is that ALL her jumps are looking stronger than ever
right now. I’m not convinced yet that she’s completely turned a corner—seems like
it’s always more promise than delivery, and I’ll admit last year’s “Winner
Takes it All” FS was ultimately a letdown for me. But what if triple axel
success gives Nagasu the lift (pun intended) she needs on other jumps or
overall performances?
Kostner’s artistic prowess remains fierce, even if her jump
content can’t quite compete with the 3lz/3T queens of today… and Radionova
remains captivating even if her consistency has dropped off somewhat. That’s
why I’ve got them both as dark horses.
PAIRS
GOLD: Tarasova/Morozov (RUS)
SILVER: Stolbova/Klimov (RUS)
BRONZE: Seguin/Bilodeau (CAN)
WILD CARD: Astakhova/Roganov (RUS)
DARK HORSE: Marchei/Hotarek (ITA)
Gold and silver is just going in order of 2017 Worlds
finishes (T/M took Bronze; S/K were 5th). Seg/Bilo actually finished
behind Marchei/Hotarek last March, but the latter didn’t look particularly
strong at Lombardia Trophy earlier in the fall—in fact, another Italian
team (Della Monica/Guarise) finished ahead of them there.
DANCE
GOLD: Bobrova/Soloviev (RUS)
SILVER: Shibutanis (USA
BRONZE: Gilles/Poirier (CAN)
WILD CARD: Guignard/Fabbri (ITA), Parsons/Parsons (USA
DARK HORSE: Stepanova/Bukin (RUS)
My goodness… HOW long have Bob/Solo been on the GP circuit?
(2007-8 season) And HOW many GP medals have they racked up in that time? (12)
And HOW many times have they won here at Rostelecom? (3 times
in 5 attempts)
So, yeah… that’s why.
Look for me on Twitter (@KLBSt8ofSk8); I’ll be live-tweeting
and/or commenting on #RostelecomCup2017 throughout the weekend!
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