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Liam has been added to the Skate America Entries List: http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat03108250.htm
2017-2018 Canadian Road to the Olympics
- Thread starter Mango
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Nice article about Gabby http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle...leman-progression-jeux-olympiques-pyeongchang
They talk about her progress...how in 2015 she had to change coaches or quit.... she went to cricket. How amazing it was to be on the podium with Kaetlyn and that they are friends on and off the ice. Knowing that she had her scores in Helsinki and was ranked 2nd meant that she knew she already had a medal and Kaetlyn was left to skate and it was an amazing moment for her to cheer on for K.
She worked a lot on flow in and out of jumps and even on basic turns. She learns every day... She works with a sports psychologist. She has learned that all that matters is what she does, not what others or judges will do.
There wasn't any question about injury or how she feels like at this precise moment..
Finally, I will surprise many but I like Gabby's choices this year. ... The Carmen is crazy but it makes it fun to me... though i put down the volume of course.. .but the silly variations in the voice make me laugh and I think it's good at 19th...
her gladiator program : many have complained she uses the soft music... i agree but at the same time l find that the slow/soft piano, allows her to skate very well WITH the music... to me, it's a match made in heaven....
They talk about her progress...how in 2015 she had to change coaches or quit.... she went to cricket. How amazing it was to be on the podium with Kaetlyn and that they are friends on and off the ice. Knowing that she had her scores in Helsinki and was ranked 2nd meant that she knew she already had a medal and Kaetlyn was left to skate and it was an amazing moment for her to cheer on for K.
She worked a lot on flow in and out of jumps and even on basic turns. She learns every day... She works with a sports psychologist. She has learned that all that matters is what she does, not what others or judges will do.
There wasn't any question about injury or how she feels like at this precise moment..
Finally, I will surprise many but I like Gabby's choices this year. ... The Carmen is crazy but it makes it fun to me... though i put down the volume of course.. .but the silly variations in the voice make me laugh and I think it's good at 19th...
her gladiator program : many have complained she uses the soft music... i agree but at the same time l find that the slow/soft piano, allows her to skate very well WITH the music... to me, it's a match made in heaven....
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^^ Thanks for this 4ever. What s great article. I like where is, in terms of the mental with her sports psychologist. She was my top pick for top podium at SA, or Gabby4gold.
No better pick than her than Carman...she has the look, the inner Diva, the strength and attitude. Go Gabby!
No better pick than her than Carman...she has the look, the inner Diva, the strength and attitude. Go Gabby!
Gees valentino, was it your intent on joining GS, to be a Debbie downer, or are you a pessimist by nature? Just wanting to understand the thinking here, as curious by nature.
Sorry I just mean that Canada rarely wins Olympic Gold Medals in figure skating. Despite being one of the "skating nations" we've only ever won 4 OGM to be exact (although one was shared with Russia...)
One of those 4 was Tessa and Scott... and after the disappointment in Sochi I was hopeful that this time they would win gold again. But with P/C scoring 120 in the FD in November it's not going to happen.
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Some of the nations that have produced the most notable/legendary skaters only have a one or a few or even no golds at the olympics japan is a powerhouse like us and they only have 2. Olympic golds doesnt equate to always being legendary. Sweden and austria have a bunch of gold medals in fg at the olympics but do any skaters come to mind that are actually notable besides urich salchow for sweden? All that aside we are in 7th most decorated country in figure skating at the Olympic which is pretty darn good for a populatio. n of 40-43 mill that gives figure skating the backseat to hockey.
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While TSN did show the last 2 groups of the Men's SP, only the final group of the Men's LP was aired.
The population of Canada is around 35 million, according to the 2016 census, which is smaller the population of California (approx. 39 million).
Actually last year in the mens free the first two groups skated early and the last 2 groups skated prime CTV/TSN time.
TSN did show the last two groups in the free last year. That would have been 11 men as opposed to the normal 6.
Normally there are only three warmup groups so the first two skate early and the only the last six skaters are shown on TSN. With the mens field being bumped from 18 to 21 last year they had to add an extra warmup group.
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I find it interesting that CBC aired the Skate America Men LP live (which is unusual because its "Road to the Olympic Games" programs are usually delayed), but it purposely chose to only broadcast the 2nd group, as if someone had an inkling that all three of the Canadian guys would bomb 
, and substituted the first group with the Pairs Free.
If that were true, then I would've seen Roman Sadovsky's LP on TV (I'm a big fan of his, so I'd notice if he was on the screen or not), but he wasn't aired (and neither was anyone else in the penultimate group). The Skate Canada Dailymotion and YouTube channels were only permitted to stream/upload performances of skaters who weren't shown on TSN/CTV, so the only way I could watch Sadovsky's free skate was through the livestream (I distinctly remember that he was interviewed by Debbi Wilkes after he got his score), and the official video was later posted here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJaUVNbcfjw My PVR of the 2017 Canadians Men LP (and I did record the whole thing) only features Firus, Nadeau, Nguyen, Baldé, Reynolds and Chan. That's it.
, and substituted the first group with the Pairs Free. If that were true, then I would've seen Roman Sadovsky's LP on TV (I'm a big fan of his, so I'd notice if he was on the screen or not), but he wasn't aired (and neither was anyone else in the penultimate group). The Skate Canada Dailymotion and YouTube channels were only permitted to stream/upload performances of skaters who weren't shown on TSN/CTV, so the only way I could watch Sadovsky's free skate was through the livestream (I distinctly remember that he was interviewed by Debbi Wilkes after he got his score), and the official video was later posted here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJaUVNbcfjw My PVR of the 2017 Canadians Men LP (and I did record the whole thing) only features Firus, Nadeau, Nguyen, Baldé, Reynolds and Chan. That's it.
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So looking ahead to Nationals with the now completed GP season as the background, what're we thinking re: the men's competition? Obviously Chan is a lock. In all seriousness, from the PCS that the Canadian men have been receiving this season, a Chan program with a handful of triples is still going to trump a Reynolds or Nguyen program.
The question becomes, based on the GP series, who's next? Reynolds, as pleasing as he may appear when the camera's close-up, really fails to impress in terms of skating skills when you look at the whole forest. Zoom the camera out (or better yet, watch live) and there's a whole lot of molasses and scraping going on. Nam is on a similar plain. Both have fast rotation but weak technique - Osmond's Lutz, for example, has about twice the height, and flow in and out, as Reynolds'. Same with Nguyen - although I prefer his programs, and the fact that he's slooooowly (excuse the pun) addressing his deficits and making progress.
Who does that leave? Firus is GROSSLY underscored when it comes to PCS. Take out the jumps (missed or otherwise) and look at his posture, technique, speed (although he looked a bit slow at Skate America), interpretation, etc. - should be WAY above the other Canadian men, and superior to a good number of other internationals, many who've won Grand rix medals... That SAID, he's far too inconsistent and really playing Russian roulette.
Keegan Messing is the most consistent, and he's quick... although I'd love to see him hold a few positions - He's kind of like Scotty Hamilton, except these days we need more than just flying feet. I'd say he's beyond the other three. Which leads to who I would love to see, and have a hunch we'll see:
Nic Nadeau. Jumps are REAL jumps. Rarely under-rotated (all of the others have chronic issues with this - even Reynold's (regularly underrotated) and Nguyen's (ridiculously PRE-rotated) quads are very small, scrap-y jumps), good flow in and out usually. Decent spins. Lots of speed, if a but upright and lacking in edge depth (but he's got everyone beat other than Firus and Sadovsky). Crowd-pleaser, a good investment for Skate Canada, etc.
Nadeau peaks every year at the right time. World's (Jr's) or Nationals. Methinks he's going to get the nod this year, assuming he performs fairly decently. He's the closest to Kurt in terms of the combination of technical and PERSONALITY we've seen since... well, probably Kurt!
Anyhoo, thoughts? Of all of them I'd watch Firus all day, but I think Nic's the smartest choice. Take out the jumps of Nam and Reynolds, and they're 120's-130's.
Let's hope for some good results come the New Year, b/c results have been pretty lacklustre so far...
DD
The question becomes, based on the GP series, who's next? Reynolds, as pleasing as he may appear when the camera's close-up, really fails to impress in terms of skating skills when you look at the whole forest. Zoom the camera out (or better yet, watch live) and there's a whole lot of molasses and scraping going on. Nam is on a similar plain. Both have fast rotation but weak technique - Osmond's Lutz, for example, has about twice the height, and flow in and out, as Reynolds'. Same with Nguyen - although I prefer his programs, and the fact that he's slooooowly (excuse the pun) addressing his deficits and making progress.
Who does that leave? Firus is GROSSLY underscored when it comes to PCS. Take out the jumps (missed or otherwise) and look at his posture, technique, speed (although he looked a bit slow at Skate America), interpretation, etc. - should be WAY above the other Canadian men, and superior to a good number of other internationals, many who've won Grand rix medals... That SAID, he's far too inconsistent and really playing Russian roulette.
Keegan Messing is the most consistent, and he's quick... although I'd love to see him hold a few positions - He's kind of like Scotty Hamilton, except these days we need more than just flying feet. I'd say he's beyond the other three. Which leads to who I would love to see, and have a hunch we'll see:
Nic Nadeau. Jumps are REAL jumps. Rarely under-rotated (all of the others have chronic issues with this - even Reynold's (regularly underrotated) and Nguyen's (ridiculously PRE-rotated) quads are very small, scrap-y jumps), good flow in and out usually. Decent spins. Lots of speed, if a but upright and lacking in edge depth (but he's got everyone beat other than Firus and Sadovsky). Crowd-pleaser, a good investment for Skate Canada, etc.
Nadeau peaks every year at the right time. World's (Jr's) or Nationals. Methinks he's going to get the nod this year, assuming he performs fairly decently. He's the closest to Kurt in terms of the combination of technical and PERSONALITY we've seen since... well, probably Kurt!
Anyhoo, thoughts? Of all of them I'd watch Firus all day, but I think Nic's the smartest choice. Take out the jumps of Nam and Reynolds, and they're 120's-130's.
Let's hope for some good results come the New Year, b/c results have been pretty lacklustre so far...
DD
I'm with you! Not only Nic has my fav program but I do think there are many good qualities in him that could potentially make him one of the top in the future. But currently speaking none of the guys (except Patrick obviously) has a reputation yet, so national would be crucial, very likely skate canada would just send whoever has the best performance at that night.
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Uhhhh, Stephen Gogolev for 2022 OGM? I’m getting waaaaay ahead of myself here, but I hope he doesn’t follow in the same path as Nam. 
Right now, I’m seeing Keegan as the frontrunner for that second spot. I can also see Nic fighting to get in there too. Nam, Kevin and Liam are all big question marks for me.
And for gods sake, can’t we just give Elladj the bronze medal already and call it a career?! That poor man has gone without a single senior national medal, it’s such a travesty.
I’m getting waaaaay ahead of myself here, but I hope he doesn’t follow in the same path as Nam. Right now, I’m seeing Keegan as the frontrunner for that second spot. I can also see Nic fighting to get in there too. Nam, Kevin and Liam are all big question marks for me.
And for gods sake, can’t we just give Elladj the bronze medal already and call it a career?! That poor man has gone without a single senior national medal, it’s such a travesty.
I consider it a race between Keegan, Nic, and Nam. I think Nic will be in there, just a gut feeling. As dannio said, he's a crowd pleaser. Both Nic and Nam have their youth going for them as well, since they can be seen as the "future" of Canadian skating. But... it really comes down to who is the most clean.
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welcome DD and a great analysis
i agree with everything mentioned....
here is a kicker : the most consistent skater this year, and the one with the highest LP score (if I am not mistaken and of course it wasn't in international events) is Joseph Phan.
He skated junior all summer and had a clean outing at CQE. He just skated the senior version of his programs at sectionals, and his LP was cleanish again, with two quads and a triple axel.
Where all the others are lacking : skating skills, Jo has tons. Deep edges, beautiful smooth skating. His technique on jumps is pure too.... so where guys like Nam or Kevin do not get GOE, Joseph can. Of course, at 16, he needs to emote a bit more, and Keegan and Nic are ahead of him in that sense.
So I would think
Patrick :as you said, his PCS will be around 90 no matter how he skates. He is just that good.
Then it would be a 3 men race
Keegan : especially if he brings his quad lutz. He did better than the others on the international scene. He has two very charming programs
Nic : if he can peak at Nationals and land his quads, he will be hard to deny. Let's hope his silver at junior worlds may be enough to give him some credentials because he has NONE internationally in senior...
Joseph :his beautiful, all-around and consistent skating ( I know... he is not that consistent but he is more than some of the others.... at least, when he skates in Canada this season, he has done his LP clean twice) might surprise everyone.
I am not sure Liam will rise to the occasion. After USA classic and ACI, I thought Liam and Nam would fight for it... but it hasn't happened..
I'd say that Keegan has the edge...
Nic is a close second
and Jo is a spoiler.
i agree with everything mentioned....
here is a kicker : the most consistent skater this year, and the one with the highest LP score (if I am not mistaken and of course it wasn't in international events) is Joseph Phan.
He skated junior all summer and had a clean outing at CQE. He just skated the senior version of his programs at sectionals, and his LP was cleanish again, with two quads and a triple axel.
Where all the others are lacking : skating skills, Jo has tons. Deep edges, beautiful smooth skating. His technique on jumps is pure too.... so where guys like Nam or Kevin do not get GOE, Joseph can. Of course, at 16, he needs to emote a bit more, and Keegan and Nic are ahead of him in that sense.
So I would think
Patrick :as you said, his PCS will be around 90 no matter how he skates. He is just that good.
Then it would be a 3 men race
Keegan : especially if he brings his quad lutz. He did better than the others on the international scene. He has two very charming programs
Nic : if he can peak at Nationals and land his quads, he will be hard to deny. Let's hope his silver at junior worlds may be enough to give him some credentials because he has NONE internationally in senior...
Joseph :his beautiful, all-around and consistent skating ( I know... he is not that consistent but he is more than some of the others.... at least, when he skates in Canada this season, he has done his LP clean twice) might surprise everyone.
I am not sure Liam will rise to the occasion. After USA classic and ACI, I thought Liam and Nam would fight for it... but it hasn't happened..
I'd say that Keegan has the edge...
Nic is a close second
and Jo is a spoiler.
Liam usually brings it to nationals. 3x medallist. 2 bronze and a silver. Every year he is tossed aside by the forum and ends up in the podium ,,, except for last year with his head splat and concussion a week before nationals. Will be interesting. Also has the highest international pcs this year other than patrick....
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you are correct that Liam is the most consistent to get to the podium... however, last year, i was in the audience... and if I am so thrilled that he has bounced back from that awful skate, if I am excited that he continued and brought us his marvelous LP, his quad falls are scaring me.
I love his carriage, his blade work, his edges... to me he is top 5 in the world when it comes to skating skills.
It would be a wonderful swan song for him to go back to the Olympics (he was at sochi, didn't make the free skate if i recall) and if he earns the spot, i will be cheering for him.
I think some of us are just looking at other options because he has had the most extreme performances... from awesome to awful...
In the end, I don't think it matters very much. Skate Canada and Patrick have no choice : Patrick needs to skate both the SP and LP in the team event for Canada to remain in the medal race.
So, the 2nd guy IMHO will not affect the team event.... in that sense, perhaps there is a bit less pressure and Skate Canada can make its choice : giving a younger kid an experience which may come handy for 2022... or honouring one of the older guys career.... Kevin, Elladj, Liam or even Keegan (25).
Uhhhh, Stephen Gogolev for 2022 OGM?
lol you're not the only one. I've said this like two years ago and everyone thought I was crazy. I don't think he would possibly follow nam, nam always had problem with his speed and jumping technic even in his best days.
Remember Nam started with Joanne Mcleod who is not exactly the best teacher of technique. Nam's later coaches have to try to make him unlearn it.
Orser had some initial succeess. When Nam had his growth spurt however he resorted back to Mcleod's techniques. He is finally making progress again but has a way to go.
Gogolev has very strong technique for someone his age. It should get better as he gets stronger provided the growth spurt does not produce nightmares.
