Monday, June 10, 2013

Provisional allotments for 2015/2016 season


ISU European Figure Skating Championships – Bratislava/Slovak Republic (January 25-31, 2016)

ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Taipei City/Chinese Taipei (February 9-14, 2016)

ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships – Debrecen/Hungary (March 14-20, 2016)

ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships – Pending (April 8-9, 2016)


ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Boston/USA (March 28- April 3, 2016)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Thoughts about the Dance Grand Prix Assignments



-Pechalat/Bourzat and Bobrova/Soloviev will both compete at Cup of China setting an early battle for Olympic bronze medal. The same could be said about Cappellini/Lanotte and Ilinykh/Katsalapov facing at NHK Trophy

-Ilinykh/Katsalapov have an awful schedule, having a spot at NHK Trophy and Trophee Eric Bompard the week after

-Weaver/Poje are somehow advantaged because they have a shot for getting two silvers or a silver and a gold medal in their events.

-Both Cappellini/Lanotte and Ilinykh/Katsalapov will face Virtue/Moir and Davis/White in their events, so that is almost impossible for them to earn a gold medal.

-Chock/Bates have room for establish themselves against Bobrova/Soloviev, Weaver/Poje and Pechalat/Bourzat

-Grand Prix Final predictions: Davis/White, Virtue/Moir, Bobrova/Soloviev, Weaver/Poje, Pechalat/Bourzat. The last spot will be contended by Cappellini/Lanotte and Ilinykh/Katsalapov.

Grand Prix Assignments thoughs: pairs



-Duhamel/Radford will compete against Kavaguti/Smirnov at Skate Canada and Pang/Tong at Trophee Bompard who could spoil their golden ambitions.

-Volosozhar/Tankov won't compete at Cup of Russia, where Savchenko/Szolkowy will be the front runners instead.

-Pang/Tong will risk to lose their Cup f China title, conquered three times in their career, to Savchenko/Szolkowy

-The Cup of China title is the only grand prix win that Savchenko/Szolkowy miss and this year they have a great shot of assuring it

-Sui/Han will attend Skate Canada and NHK Trophy but won't likely qualify for the final

-Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran will debut with their new partners Natasha Purich and Ryuichi Kihara

-Grand Prix Final predictions: Volosozhar/Trankov, Savchenko/Szolkowy, Duhamel/Radford. Pang/Tong, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch and Bazarova/Larionov will contend the remaining two spots

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Grand Prix assignments toughts: Men


-Like every year in the men's event, it's anyone game.

-Patrick Chan and Yuzuru Hanyu will face at both Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard

-Evan Lysacek and Eugeni Plushenko will compete in just one competition.

-Japan has a shot for repeating a sweep at Skate America. Lysacek or Ten could be the spoilers.

-Jeremy Abbott should skate somehow clean in order to medal at Skate Canada or NHK Trophy as he will compete against Chan, Hanyu, Takahashi and Fernandez.

-Denis Ten has a room for qualifying for the final if he manages to do well at Cup of China, where the competition is not so tough

-Maxim Kovtun, 2012 junior grand prix final champion, will compete for the first time in the senior grand prix and is the only Russian men having two spots.

-Grand Prix Final Predictions: Patrick Chan, Daisuke Takahashi, Javier Fernandez, Yuzuru Hanyu, Denis Ten, Takahiko Kozuka

Grand prix Assignments toughts: ladies


 
-As World medalists, Yuna, Mao and Carolina won't face during the Grand Prix series, and that thing is likely taking them straight to the final

-Mao Asada is gooing to have some competition at both Skate America and NHK Trophy as she will face Ashley Wagner and Akiko Suzuki plus some Russian ladies

-There are at least two Russian ladies in ANY event (three at Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup) setting an early fight for Olympic qualification

-These girls will debut as seniors: Elena Radionova, Anna Pogorilaya, Satoko Miyahara. Despite a deep field, no US junior lady from last year will compete as a senior.

-Ashley Wagner will compete against Mao Asada at Skate America and Yuna Kim at Trophee Bompard, making her last year's result (two wins) almost impossible to repeat.

-Grand Prix Final Predictions: Yuna Kim, Mao Asada, Carolina Kostner, Akiko Suzuki, Ashley Wagner. The 6th place will be a battle between Tuktamisheva, Sotnikova and Osmond

Monday, June 3, 2013

2013 Rostelecom Cup Assignments

MEN
Brian JOUBERT
Kevin REYNOLDS
Peter LIEBERS
Tatsuki MACHIDA
Maxim KOVTUN
Eugeni PLUSHENKO
Javier FERNANDEZ
Richard DORNBUSH
Joshua FARRIS

LADIES
Kaetlyn OSMOND
Carolina KOSTNER
Haruka IMAI
Satoko MIYAHARA
Kanako MURAKAMI
Julia LIPNITSKAYA
Elizaveta TUKTAMISHEVA
Mirai NAGASU
Agnes ZAWADZKI

PAIRS
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
Savchenko/Szolkowy
Takahashi/Kihara
Antipova/Maisuradze 
Bazarova/Larionov
Scimeca/Knierim
Simpson/Blackmer

DANCE
Gilles/Poirier
Weaver/Poje
Papadakis/Cizeron
Bobrova/Soloviev
Riazanova/Tkachenko
Heekin-Canedy/Dun
Chock/Bates

2013 Trophee Eric Bompard Assingments

MEN
Patrick CHAN
Nan SONG
Han YAN
Michal BREZINA
Florent AMODIO
Romain PONSART
Yuzuru HANYU
Jason BROWN
Ross MINER

LADIES
Kiira KORPI
LeneAlle GILLERON-GORRY
Mae Berenice MEITE
Yretha SILETE
Yuna KIM
Anna POGORILAYA
Adelina SOTNIKOVA
Viktoria HELGESSON
Christina GAO
Ashley WAGNER

PAIRS
Duhamel/Radford
Purich/Tran
Pang/Tong
James/Cipres
Della Monica/Guarise
Bazarova/Larionov
Denney/Coughlin

DANCE
Orford/Williams
Virtue/Moir
Pechalat/Bourzat
Zhiganshina/Gazsi
Coomes/Buckland
Ilinykh/Katsalapov
Monko/Kaliavin

2013 NHK Trophy Assignments



MEN
Chafik BESSEGHIER
Takahito MURA
Nobunari ODA
Daisuke TAKAHASHI
Konstantin MENSHOV
Sergei VORONOV
Javier FERNANDEZ
Jeremy ABBOTT
Max AARON
Adam RIPPON

LADIES
Zijun LI
Elene GEDEVANISHVILI
Valentina MARCHEI
Mao ASADA
Akiko SUZUKI
Satoko MIYAHARA
Alena LEONOVA
Elena RADIONOVA
Gracie GOLD
Mirai NAGASU

PAIRS
Lawrence/Swiegers
Peng/Zhang
Sui/Han
Kavaguti/Smirnov
Volosozhar/Trankov
Castelli/Shnapir
                                                           Denney/Frazier

DANCE
Gilles/Poirier
Kolbe/Caruso
Cappellini/Lanotte
Sinistina/Zhiganshin
Ilinykh/Katsalapov
Davis/White
Shibutani/Shibutani

2013 Cup of China Assignments

Carron/Jones                                             

MEN
Kevin REYNOLDS
Nan SONG
Yi WANG
Han YAN
Florent AMODIO
Peter LIEBERS
Takahiko KOZUKA
Denis TEN
Maxim KOVTUN
Richard DORNBUSH

LADIES
Zijun LI
Kexin ZHANG
Carolina KOSTNER
Kanako MURAKAMI
Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA
Anna POGORILAYA
Adelina SOTNIKOVA
Joshi HELGESSON
Agnes ZAWADZKI

PAIRS
Pang/Tong
Peng/Zhang
Popova/Massot
Savchenko/Szolkowy
Mirtiusheva/Rogonov
Scimeca/Knierim
Zhang/Bartholomay

DANCE
Huang/Zheng
Yu/Wang
Pechalat/Bourzat
Bobrova/Soloviev
Aldridge/Eaton
Chock/Bates

2013 Skate Canada Assignments

MEN
Elladj BALDE
Patrick CHAN
Andrei ROGOZINE
Yuzuru HANYU
Michal BREZINA
Takahito MURA
Nobunari ODA
Jeremy ABBOTT
Ross MINER
Joshua FARRIS

LADIES
Amelie LACOSTE
Kaetlyn OSMOND
Kiira KORPI
Akiko SUZUKI
Yuna KIM
Alena LEONOVA
Julia LIPNITSKAYA
Christina GAO
Gracie GOLD

PAIRS
Duhamel/Radford
Lawrence/Swiegers
Purdy/Marinaro
Sui/Han
Vartmann/Van Cleave
Berton/Hotarek
Kavaguti/Smirnov
Davis/Brubaker

DANCE
Virtue/Moir
Paul/Islam
Weaver/Poje
Zhiganshina/Gazsi
Guignard/Fabbri
Riazavona/Tkachenko
Stepanova/Bukin
Hubbel/Donohue

2013 Skate America Assignments

MEN
Brian JOUBERT
Takahiko KOZUKA
Tatsuki MACHIDA
Daisuke TAKAHASHI
Denis TEN
Artur GACHINSKI
Alexander MAJOROV
Max AARON
Evan LYSACEK

LADIES
Mae Berenice MEITE
Elene GEDEVANISHVILI
Valentina MARCHEI
Mao ASADA
Elena RADIONOVA
Elizaveta TUKTAMISHEVA
Viktoria HELGESSON
Ashley WAGNER
Caroline ZHANG

PAIRS
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
James/Cipres
Berton/Hotarek
Stolbova/Klimov
Volosozhar/Trankov
Castelli/Shnapir
Denney/Coughlin

DANCE
Zlobina/Sitnikov
Carron/Jones
Cappellini/Lanotte
Tobias/Stagniunas
Reed/Reed
Davis/White
Shibutani/Shibutani