Where would you put Michelle in the Olympic Skate Order?

[Nathan]

If you had the power to put Michelle in the best place to insure her skating well where would you put her?

*I'm going to be fair to all the skaters so as not to be mean...(not that I acutally have the power to place any of them.

SP
1. Miki Ando (her jumps have a high enough technical difficulty to over come the unfortunate 1st draw)
2. Elena Sokolova
3. Shizuka Arakawa
4. Sasha Cohen
5. Julia Sebeysten
6. Joannie Rochette
7. Carolina Koster
8. Michelle Kwan (I'd wouln't want her too late in the night...the pressure tends to build up and can make the skater anxious)
9. Third American

Almost as smiliar situation to the skate order in 1998, and keep in mind these groups would be filled with skaters from other countries...

LP (here's where Skate order would really matter) Assuming the final skaters would be the following:

1. Joannie Rochette: (fresh off the warm up she'll be able to skate really well in this possition)
2. Sasha Cohen (she won't have to much time to worry about anything)
3. Carolina Kostner (she's so unpredictable, that you're running the risk of brillance, or dissater in any possition)
4. Michelle Kwan
5. Irina Slustskaya
6. Miki Ando

*The placement of Michelle in relationship to Irina is key. Michelle often get's placed before Irina which I think helps her (2000-01 worlds) becuase It places her in the mindframe of having to "attack" and go after everything, because you never know what Slutskaya is going to put out. Secondly, Irina get's a little nervous when Michelle skates perfectly before her. It causes her to get a little sloppy (more so than usual)


In this scenario assuming all skate well the podium would probably look something like
1. Michelle/or Irina
2. Sasha Cohen/Irina/or Michelle
3. Joannie/Miki

[attyfan]

"*The placement of Michelle in relationship to Irina is key. Michelle often get's placed before Irina which I think helps her (2000-01 worlds) becuase It places her in the mindframe of having to "attack" and go after everything, because you never know what Slutskaya is going to put out. Secondly, Irina get's a little nervous when Michelle skates perfectly before her. It causes her to get a little sloppy (more so than usual)"

If you think Michelle skates better if she skates before Irina, why do you have Michelle skating after Irina? I'm beginning to think that whether Michelle or Irina skates first is less important now than it used to be (ITA that not knowing what Irina would do helped Michelle in '00 and '01, but she also skated before Irina in SLC and Moscow, and it didn't help her do well)

[Nathan]

I switched them...that was a mistake.

I think the Michelle Irina skate order is not as important as it used to be because they haven't been the two top skaters at the same time for the past 2 years.

*In 2003-04 Irina was ill and no where near Michelle...
*In 2005 Michelle wasn't skating great at Worlds, and Irina was leaps ahead of her in the points.

I think next year they will BOTH be at the top of their game at the same time (as they were in 2000-02 ) so the skate order will become a factor once again.

[synnabun]

I like to see MK skate middle to last in a group. I think for the Olys, especially, I'd like to see her skate last in the LP. I absolutely hate when she is first in a group. That position royally stinks.

~Bons

[Sparks]

Natefame - may I make a suggestion? Since you seem to start a lot of threads that ask for people to choose among several options, could you please post them all in the Polling section of MKF? That way, if people are interested in your scenarios and want to vote and comment, they can find all your threads there.

[Nathan]

I'll consider that Sparks...

BTW it's NatePHame...with PH...I use that because it's a play of the word "PHAT".

don't consider that a correction of your spelling...I would never be so petty...

[MKGrace]

I'd say second in the free skate and before Irina. That way she gets a full warm up without too much time to think about her performance.

[lexeoe]

mine would be middle of the last group for both SP and LP around 2nd to 4th skater would be fine by me but definitely not first and last with the last group.

[Dream Again]

I'd like this skate order for the final group of ladies in the LP:

1. Sasha Cohen
2. Miki Ando or Carolina Kostner
3. Michelle Kwan
4. Fumie Suguri
5. Shizuka Arakawa
6. Irina Slutskaya

I'd want the final results to be:

1. Michelle Kwan
2. Fumie Suguri
3. Shizuka Arakawa

[Eeyora]

anywhere 2-4 if fine.

[Katie]

I think that Michelle would be best placed in the first half of the skating group, thus I would pick 3rd for her LP skate order. For the short program, it might be better for her to be 4 or 5 in the group seeing what happened at worlds this year.
On a side note, are we taking into consideration what the judges are doing to inflate the scores? If they continue to do that, I'd want her 5 or 6 of the last group in both the SP and LP because I want her to get those points!!!!
:CHO 8)

[kwancierto de aranjuez]

Interesting question natephame.

In the SP, as long as she is not within the first 6 I'd be happy.

In the LP, if she is in the final group, I would want her to go either 3 to 5.

Although, she does do well when she's gone first before but I don't think my nerves could handle all that waiting and stress. Although waiting for her to skate is also nervewracking.

I just hope the Skating Gods give her a good order. But order shouldn't matter anymore because they are not being put into a placement.

Editted to add: I think this is an interesting question as many also have interesting questions here in MK Chat. I don't see why Natephame is singled out as having to put his question in Polls. Was that a personal jab? I haven't tried to get into the arguments but it feel like it was meant to ostracize rather than advise... I only three threads started by him in the last two pages... by the way, Natephame, I was reading the flip your book thread and I'd be happy with that result too.

Next to Michelle, I would want a medal for Fumie too. Maybe cupcake if she's there too (although she hasn't improved at all these past two seasons). I'd want one for Irina too, and Shizuka, and also Joannie. If Angela was there, I'd love for her to get a medal too. Acck! I like too many. It's impossible when there are so many great skaters. as long as MK is on top I guess.

[GoldenMichelle]

I'd put her 2-4 with all of the top 3 skating after her, and Sasha skating right after her. A lot of it would depend on the skaters in the top 6 and what thier placements are after the SP. I wouldn't mind MK skating first either. I don't thnk I'd like her last or 2nd to last though. She always seems to do better skating first.