Rostelecom Cup: Mens Preview

Can P-Chiddy-Chan bounce back from the upset of Silver at Skate Canada? Are Kozuka and Oda really back or were the medals at Skate America and Skate Canada just a fluke? What on earth will Johnny Weir look like in a legitimate competition? Is Brezina over, or will he get it in gear? And what on earth is up with Artur Gachinski? There are so many questions surrounding this event, so let's get started!

Here is the event schedule. http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2012/10/2012-grand-prix-of-figure-skating.html I'll be covering the ladies short on Friday morning and all of the free skates on Saturday.

How do we feel about this season's programs from Patrick Chan (CAN)? I mean, it's great that he decided to grace us with two new ones. I am sensing more actual expression from him, particularly in the free, but the execution was a little bit of a hot mess at Skate Canada. Even home cooking couldn't put him atop the podium, so he'll need to up the ante in Russia, which I suspect he'll do. For all I complain about him, I really do appreciate the attempt to create a sense of artistry that is not so manufactured this season.

Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) surprised us all by coming back from a disastrous (by his standards) 2011-2012 season to win Skate America. We love his programs this year and wish him the best in Mother Russia.

Nobunari Oda (JPN) is another curious case. It seemed last season that he was phasing out, but he came back and won a bronze at Skate Canada. He is one of those skaters that is more likely to do well now that later in the season as it will take a killer set of programs at Nationals to make the World team with the success of Takahashi, Kozuka, Machida, and Hanyu this season.

Oh lord, who is ready for Johnny Weir (USA) to come back? Wherever he goes, drama ensues. Whether this comeback is for real and he actually makes it to Sochi or not, he has a huge fanbase and it's good for the sport. We all know that he doesn't play by IJS rules and he skates the way he wants to, so I'm not expecting much out of him at this competition. We don't know what his technical elements will look like and how well his program will fit the code of points, but regardless, I love him and I'm so happy he's coming back!

My Podium Predictions:
Gold: Patrick Chan
Silver: Takahiko Kozuka
Bronze: Nobunari Oda

The Rest of the Field:
Michal Brezina (CZE)
Denis Ten (KAZ)
Zhan Bush (RUS)
Artur Gachinski (RUS)
Konstantin Menshov (RUS)
Richard Dornbush (USA)

Johnny Weir: Why his return will benefit Figure Skating

From what I've been reading on twitter and the blogosphere, most people are thrilled about the return of 3-time US Champion and World Medalist Johnny Weir to competitive figure skating. But there are also some naysayers, which is to be expected when dealing with such a polarizing figure as Johnny Weir.

Here are some of the top reasons why I'm excited about his return:

• He causes buzz: As soon as he announced his return, it caused excitement, not only among skating fans, but everywhere. Johnny is outspoken and overall he is just a great character. He emerged as one of the biggest stars of the 2010 Olympics. Average Joes who know nothing about figure skating know him. They probably wouldn't know Patrick Chan from Takahiko Kozuka, but they know Johnny. People relate to him because he is himself!
• He'll draw viewers for Nationals: You can look at Johnny's announcement the week before Nationals as tacky and an attempt to draw attention away from the skaters competing at Nationals, but I think it's actually the opposite. There are a lot of "Johnny fans" who have lapsed as figure skating fans since he stopped competing. Since he is calling the men's event in San Jose next week and he'll surely be a talked about character, he'll certainly draw viewers to Nationals that wouldn't watch otherwise.
• He is supremely talented: I have heard experts say time and time again that Johnny is one of the best natural talents the sport has ever seen. Most skaters start before the age of 5, but Johnny started at age 11 or 12 and everything came naturally. What is often in question is his work ethic and his competitive fire. Those are two things he'll have to address if he wants to come back and be competitive with the best in the World.
• He had the technical content to win in Vancouver: Many think that Johnny's 2012 programs were watered down technically, but he performed nearly identical elements to Evan Lysacek, he just didn't get the levels or the GOEs that Evan got. And that is mostly because Johnny is an individual and wants to perform programs the way HE wants, no the way the ISU wants him to. I hate to say it, but under the International Judging System, individuality is cursed, so Johnny will really have to conform to the code of points if he wants to get the best results in competition. Here are the protocols from the Men's free skate in Vancouver, if you don't believe me, look at it for yourself. The base value of Johnny's elements was only 1.72 below that of Evan Lysacek.
• http://www.isuresults.com/results/owg2010/owg10_Men_FS_Scores.pdf