Patrick Chan, Gracie Gold on edge at Trophée Eric Bompard
Falling short in the short programs could cost these skaters a spot at the Grand Prix Final
During the Grand Prix series, the majority of skaters are assigned to two of six events. By now, after three events, many of them have already competed once. For the following front-runners competing in Bordeaux at the Trophée Eric Bompard Grand Prix, profiting from what they learned at their first event could take them straight to the top of the podium.
For these skaters, coming up short in the short program during their first Grand Prix outing compromised their chances at the title.
Patrick Chan (Canada) Chan is firmly in the "Needs Improvement" category for his short program after scoring 80.81 at Skate Canada. Chan himself thought he wouldn't make the top three in that segment. Fortunately, a sensational free program put him at the top of the podium.
Gracie Gold (USA) A loss of concentration and doubling a planned triple flip during her short program at Skate America meant Gold had to settle for silver in Milwaukee. In France, if she skates to potential, she has the maturity, the material and the ability to take the title.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (Russia) The stunned look on Tuktamysheva's face at the end of her short program at Skate Canada said it all. As reigning world champion, she undoubtedly had higher expectations for herself than a seventh-place finish in the short program. Her steely resolve and determination in her free program moved her from seventh to take the silver medal.
Shoma Uno (Japan) I am going to give the junior world champion a bit of a pass. Despite a fourth-place finish in the short program at Skate America, Uno was strong enough in the free program to take the silver and get within 1.52 of the title. All this in his impressive senior Grand Prix debut.
There is something to be said for staying the course.
Max Aaron (USA) Aaron's performance at Skate America was wonderful. A new training regime paid off with an elongated and elegant line, and much more control on his jumps. As a result, his trip to the Skate America title included establishing a lead in the short program.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (Canada) The Skate America bronze medallists need a silver medal or better in order to be considered for the Grand Prix Final. They are polished, trained and have superb material, and are one of the dance teams on my radar this season.
Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau (Canada) Their youthful enthusiasm and energy are simply a bonus on top of strong technique, wonderful pair elements and great style. In their senior season debut, Seguin and Bilodeau took the Skate America bronze medal. In order to challenge for a spot at the final in Barcelona, they will need to score a medal in France.
Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov (Russia) are competing at their first Grand Prix this season. The 2014 Olympic champions are a glorious pair, but if they want to elbow their way into a rank near the top of the field, they will need to make a splash at this event. Anything less than a gold medal for this team indicates a rocky start to their competitive season. They took last season off while Trankov recovered from a shoulder injury. Will they be able to re-enter the pair field where they left off at the top of the podium in Sochi? That's the question on everyone's mind.
Now, I would have included Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron (France) in this section, but they've withdrawn! On Wednesday, they announced they would not compete in the Grand Prix series to allow Papadakis time to recover from a concussion suffered during a fall while practising in August.