I have heard, with what truth I don't know, that Fusar-Poli/Margaglio will not be going to Europeans. That, combined with the drop the Kerrs took at Skate Canada this past weekend (where they finished 7th) may open up some doors for the Beiers to squeak a top 11 finish. I really hope they can pull it off, they're a young team with a lot of appeal improving remarkably fast.
Just some other tidbits I've thought of reading this thread:
Denkova/Staviski's free dance is to Albinoni's Adagio. I don't know what version. They have changed coaches since Worlds and now train in Newark, Delaware with Natalia Linichuk. Unfortunately, they had to withdraw from Skate Canada when Maxim pulled his groin. However, this probably lead directly to what I think is probably the most surprising result so far this season-- Dubreuil/Lauzon beating reigning World Bronze Medallists Grushina/Goncharov by quite a handy margin (I think something like 9 points). Of course, that didn't happen without Grushina and Goncharov making a lot of mistakes, and Dubreuil/Lauzon always do extremely well at Skate Canada, but still... surprising.
Hot new thing this season: Alissa Czisny. Perennial last minute substitute for USFS when Sasha Cohen can't make it finishes second at Skate America and first at Skate Canada, becoming the first skater this season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. She's got some really beautiful things about her skating, notably her spins. I'm still bothered by some small things like swinging free legs and unpointed toes, but it's a very good start to an important season for her.
My only other notes from Skate Canada are Emanuel Sandhu's comeback and Savchenko/Szolkowy's victory over Petrova/Tikhonov. Sandhu came back from being 5th or 6th in the short program to win the whole shebang with an eclectic long program set to music that's almost more a collection of sounds than a string of notes. It's very unusual and well-done, and probably only Sandhu could pull it off.
Savchenko/Szolkowy are a very promising pairs team out of Germany, and beating Petrova/Tikhonov is a good step forward for them. They have a compelling presence and very strong technique. However, they likely will not be at the Olympics because she is not a German citizen and probably will not be able to become one through any special dispensation by February. Which leads me to...
This (the grandfathering bill) went through last week. I think there's still some work to be done to get her citizenship, though (another skater affected by all this is 2004 World Junior Dance Champion Maxim Zavozin, who skates with Morgan Matthews and has actually been in the U.S. longer than Belbin but almost never gets mentioned). The rumours I heard surrounding Belbin's placements last year suggested that the placements were not consolation for not going to the Olympics, but bids to help her improve her case for citizenship, although the after-effect (a drop if she gets a passport may be the same). The stories I heard encompassed everything from Belbin's asendency and Denkova's drop to Domnina's rise at Worlds and Alexei Gorshkov's daughter's placement at Jr. Worlds (Gorshkov coaches Domnina and Shabalin-- presumably Russian #1 after Navka and Kostomarov are gone, and used to coach Denkova/Staviski, which was always a thorn in Valentin Piseev's-- the head of the Russian Skating Federation-- side).
Ah, skating. Never short on the drama.
