European Championships Preview (Ladies)

I get the feeling that this event is wide open. No European women has really stepped up to the plate this season and really delivered. It's been a hodge-podge of ho-hum performances for the majority of these ladies. Therefore, I think there are lots of ladies we should keep an eye on. I have no idea how this will pan out.

Kiira Korpi, Laura Lepisto, and Susanna Pöykiö - The Finnish team is the strongest boasting the reigning Champion Laura Lepisto. Also, all three of these ladies have medaled at this event at one time or another. I guess if I had to predict a winner for this event I'd go with Laura but even her performances this season have just been so-so. Laura's so-so performances, however, have been better than Korpi or Pöykiö's sub-par performances. Despite the pervasive mediocrity, a Finnish sweep is possible.

Elene Gedevanishvili - The little Georgian spitfire has been known from time to time to dazzle crowds. Recently she's downgraded the technical content in her programs. She'll need to add the difficulty back in to be a top contender.

Jenna McCorkell - The British National Champ has never finished higher than 8th at this event but as wide open as it is she has as good chance as anyone to be competitive. She'll have to get her head around landing triple jumps consistently though.

Julia Sebestyen - One of three previous champions competing here, I might consider her the biggest threat to Lepisto. Her biggest issue this season has been rotating jumps. She's a gifted jumper and when she's on technically she's impressive. Trouble is, often she doubles her jumps. If she can rotate her jumps she has a great shot at reclaiming her title.

Carolina Kostner and Valentina Marchei - The Italian subplot is one of the more interesting stories. Ever since Kostner's L.A. meltdown, her stock has been sinking. Poor performances on the Grand Prix didn't help her case. Then she lost Italian Nationals to Valentina Marchei with only one available Italian berth at the Olympics (due to Kostner's disastrous free). I don't believe (someone please let me know if they have) the Italian Federation has picked which of these ladies will compete in Vancouver. Cat fight on ice for an Olympic run?

Alena Leonova and Ksenya Makarova - Luckily for Alena Leonova she's not in the same scrappy situation as Kostner. While Alena also lost Russian Nationals to Ksenya Makarova, Alena has the good fortune of having qualified two berths to Vancouver for Russia after a solid free skate in L.A. Still, she needs to get the ball back moving her direction after some rough skates as of late if she wants to be a contender. Earlier in the season she looked solid, she needs to get back to that form.

Sarah Meier - The Swiss Champ has been struggling with injuries off and on for some time keeping her from training consistently and being a podium threat. For her, I think, she's just wanting to get through two programs without major fault and get her feet under her before Vancouver (officially I think she must still hit a score threshold to qualify for the Olympics but it shouldn't be an issue). But again, in this open field, if she can manage two solid skates she may find herself in the medal equation.

Tuğba Karademir - While probably not a medal threat or contender, I just love to root for Tuğba. Also, an update. If you weren't following the story, Tuğba Karademir's parents were having trouble getting tickets to see her skate in Vancouver. However, a corporate benefactor stepped in and fixed the situation. Good news there!

Say Hello To the Future

The future of women's figure skating has officially arrived! This upcoming season we will see an array of youthful talent. They've been testing the waters for a year a two, but this upcoming season belongs to them! Say hello to the future...

She burst onto the scene last year and took the world by surprise. Mao Asada leveled her competition in the Grand Prix Series, brushed Irina Slutskaya off at the Grand Prix Final, almost won Japanese Nationals by hitting not one...but two Triple Axel's in her free skate, and finished off a great season with a Junior World Silver Medal (loosing to arguably the hottest skater on the rise...we'll talk about her a bit later!). The Japanese had a fit about all this...not because they were displeased with her...but because she was only 15 and too young to go to the Olympics! she has that little spark that we all find so infectious. She's a jumping machine and her artistry ain't bad either! Look for this young lady to be a force to be reckoned with this upcoming season!

If we are talking youthful talent, we cannot disclude of course the reigning World Champion, Kimmie Meissner. Last year at U.S. Nationals she made a star by hitting that Triple Axel, qualifying for the World Championships, only to be too young. This past season, she buckled down, worked on her artistry, and made sure she was above the bubble when she earned a certifiable spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. She solitified her status as star on the rise with a Top Six in Torino and wouldn't you know she went ahead and won the World Title! This is the future face of U.S. Skating and what a face it is!

(South) Korea has never had a name and a face that they could put on the Figure Skating map. Those days are over...Kim Yu-Na is one of the hottest (if not the hottest!) skater on the scene. She has quietly been lurking in the world of Junior Skaters, perfecting her skills. She has level 4 spins, fantastically solid jumps, a beautiful artistic flow across the ice, not to mention she beat Mao Asada at the Junior World Championships. Remember back when Lu Chen had to carry the figure skating banner for her entire nation of China. China put all of their figure skating hopes in her. Korea has done the same with Kim Yu-Na. She holds the future of Figure Skating in Korea in her very hands.

Thinks are certainly looking good when you are Scott Hamilton's favorite new skater on the block...and isn't just fun saying her name...Elene Gedevanishvili. This Georgian upstart made a splash by coming in 5th in her first European Championships, and then she backed that up with finishing in the the top six after the short program at the Olympic Games. Rough around the edges still, but a lot of spunk! She has the makings of great talent, not to mention killer Triple/Triple combinations. Look for this shining star to shine bright!