Senior B's v Senior GP's

I don't mind that top skaters compete in Challenger competitions, quite the contrary. Just like the JGP, it gives lower level skaters a chance to compete alongside the best ones that they may not have otherwise (I found it really cool that Harshita from India had a chance to take part in the same competition as her idol Nastya T. on the JGP circuit). Big names such as Yuzuru, Evgenia, Rika etc. attract more attention and hence more people are likely to watch that competition including lower level skaters. Besides, skaters don't compete as often as many other athletes, so the more we can see them, the better. Last but not least, skaters who previously medalled on the GP circuit may struggle the following seasons, like Sofia this year, and may need Challengers to get precious ranking points.

Harriet said:

Since we've seen brand-new teams go straight into GP eligibility on the strength of one partner's scores with a previous partner, including this year, I don't see how that's a problem.

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Despite this eligibility as a new team they need a competition experience together and maybe some feedback from judges outside their country.

Allikat said:

Is there a reason that Challengers as well as all other international senior competitions are referred to as 'Senior Bs'? I have to wonder, because Challengers seem such a cut above other international competitions. I even think Challengers deserve higher points awarded towards world rankings than the other so-called Senior B events.

I do wish Challengers could be a bit more exclusive on entries since they need to be awarded more points, but I'm just a fan who enjoys watching. There must be lots I don't know about this.

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Challengers are actually worth more points than other 'Senior B's', but it's not necessarily obvious from the World Standings list. It's 300 points for a Challenger win, 250 for another Senior B. You could argue that the former should be worth more, or the latter less, but you might not get as many entries for the latter. Other competitions and their points are 400 for a GP win, but you have to be on these in the first place, they're not in place of Challengers and other Senior Bs, 1200 for a World Champs win (500 for juniors), and 840 for Euros/4CC and 800 for the GPF.

I like it when the top skaters (in the sense of scoring high at GP's, CC, European's or Worlds) also go to senior B's. Anyone likes to get a bit of competition mileage, no? To me they're a great opportunity for 'B' skaters to compete with 'top' skaters, while it's good for the top ones to get some competitions under their belt. Win-win for everybody, including the audience.