The ladies event this week is tough, with a lot of heavy hitters. It could go one of many different ways. I will go through the withdrawals, changes to initial entries, and my predictions.
So, here we go now: The Ladies!
Okay, so there were some changes:
Veronik Mallet was added as a host pick. Elene Gedevanishilli of Georgia was removed from the roster, and I have still not found a reason why. She was replaced by Isabelle Olssen of Sweden.
Now for the entries:
Gabrielle Daleman - Canada - She has the jumps, but her problem is consistency. She has looked good in her debut this season, but her 21st place finish at Worlds last year - which helped cost the Canadian Ladies their second spot at Worlds this year - would say otherwise. She has the capability to push for the top five. This is her second season on the GP circuit.
Veronik Mallet - Canada - A beautiful skater with potential, she doesn't quite have the jumps yet to compete with the top ladies here, and if her debut this season was any indication, she'll be in the bottom half. This is her third season on the GP circuit.
Kaetlyn Osmond - Canada - The former two-time Canadian Champ is back this season after taking last year off due to injury, and looking great. The podium - and gold - are not out of reach for her here. This is her second season on the GP circuit, as she has had to withdraw the past two years due to injuries.
Kanako Murakami - Japan - Oh, Kanako... She has had some jump issues lately, which has been keeping her from her potential. The top five - and the podium, even gold - are not out of reach if she skates her best. She's typcially more of a late-season skater, though. This is her sixth season on the GP circuit.
Yuka Nagai - Japan - A beautiful skater, she's a great up and coming talent. After lower placements for years at home and internationally, she surged last year to make the Four Continents team with a 4th place finish at Japanese Nationals. She looked good in her debut this season, and the top five is not out of reach for her here. This is her GP debut.
Elizavet Tursynbaeva - Kazakhstan - A wonderful new talent, she has some artistry to work on, but her fourth place finish last week at Skate American was no joke. The podium is out of reach for her here, but she can certainly get another top five finish. Two GP competitions in a row is tough, though.
Alena Leonova - Russia - She's got the potential for the podium, including Gold, as her World Silver Medal in 2012 will attest to. She has struggled with consistency since then, though. She has looked good so far this season, though, so we'll see. This is her eighth season on the GP circuit.
Elizaveta Tuktaymysheva - Russia - The reigning World, European, and Grand Prix Final Champ (yeah, she pretty much rocked last year) has not looked as good in her debut this season. She has a Triple Axel, though, and she is more than capable of winning here. This is her fifth season on the GP circuit.
Joshi Helgesson - Sweden - She's moving up in the figure skating world, as her fourth place finish at Europeans last year will attest to. She's not top five material here, unfortunately, but she can push them if she does well. This is her fifth season on the GP circuit.
Isabelle Olsson - Sweden - She has potential, and I hadn't heard of her before her appointment to Skate Canada. She isn't top five material, but like her fellow Swede Helgesson, she can push them if she's on. This is her GP debut.
Polina Edmunds - USA - While she isn't terribly consistent, she's got major potential, as her win at Four Continents will atteset to. The key for her will be doing two clean programs, not just one. If she can do that, she's capable of medalling - and even winning - here. This is her second season on the GP circuit.
Ashley Wagner - USA - She's the three-time and reigning US Champion. Her jumps aren't always there, but when she's on, she's amazing. The key for her will be landing those difficult jumps she often has trouble with. This is her ninth season on the GP circuit.
And now for the predictions, which as you can tell, were hard:
GOLD - Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - I think she can pull through here.
SILVER - Kaetlyn Osmond - She's got momentum and home competition advantage.
BRONZE - Ashley Wagner - I hope she's on this weekend.
4th - Alena Leonova
5th - Polina Edmunds
6th - Elizavet Tursynbaeva - It's going to be hard for her to break top five in this field.
7th - Kanako Murakami
8th - Yuka Nagai
9th - Gabrielle Daleman
10th - Joshi Helgesson
11th - Isabelle Olsson
12th - Veronik Mallet
There we go! Pairs next!
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