Fantasy Skating - Trophee Eric Bompard - Round 5

I'm not really sure why this didn't post yesterday - it was scheduled too :) I wrote it before the competition started, I swear :)

Well after moving up so great the last round, I feel like there's so much more pressure this time, 'round...or something (just kidding!!). Alright, here we go:

Ladies:
A:  Tuktamisheva - This was super hard, like ridiculously hard - hardest one yet.  Here's the thing - I don't think Liza will necessary will. I think she will be on the podium, yes. Will Alissa or Carolina more than likely win? Yes. The thing is - Carolina and Alissa in the past have both been melt down skaters. We've not seen that yet from either lady this season - this is also Carolina's third event. So, my reasoning is that I can't predict which of these 2 will meltdown, but likely one of them will. Liza will probably be 2nd or 3rd, but still rack up enough points that she's a less risky pick. Phew. Glad I got that out.

B: Viktoria Helgesson - Meite surprised me last competition, but she is going back to back here, and Viktoria has much stronger PCS to keep her up there in the top 5.  She also medaled at her last event.

C: Sonia LaFuente - She's my personal favourite of the 3 and has the highest PB score, I believe. She'll probably be near the bottom, but in this field, who knows?

Men:
A:  Patrick Chan - Duh. Especially over inconsistant Oda and Brezina.

B:  Nan Song - I can't stand Florent - skating or personality - and so I'll avoid him regardless. Adam Rippon, I *want* to cheer for, but he seemingly always disappoints OR just doesn't get the marks - he's like Jeremy Abbott 2.0 - Nan Song surprised at COC with a bronze - and I think he'll be up there again.

C: Kevin Reynolds - I tossed and turned between Majorov and Reynolds...I went with Reynolds for the quads base points - his COC performance wasn't as bad as his placement made it seem, so here's hoping.

Pairs:
A:  Voloshozhar and Trankov - yep. That's fairly obvious barring meltdown.

B: Duhamel and Radford - I've said it before and I'll say it again - I just love the fire these guys have. They'll use that and take it far. Evora/Ladwig are typical American pairs and like to end up in 4th.

C:  Dube and Wolfe - I don't love them yet, but their last performance surprised me and they ended higher than I thought they would. Their PCS should keep them up high-ish.

Ice Dance:
A:  Tessa and Scott - Yep. Duh.

B: Anna and Luca - Firstly, can I say I LOVE their exhibition? Anyways. They've apparently upped their game and I see them fighting for bronze here with the Russians.

C:  Sara and Adria - I like this team - they have a sort of fire to them too - definitely better than the Chinese, I'd say.

Podium Picks:
Ladies:
Gold: Alissa Czisny
Silver: Liza Tuktamisheva
Bronze: Carolina Kostner
Spoilers: Maaaaaybe Murkami, but I doubt it. I'm wagering Czisny or Kostner for a meltdown - whichever one doesn't, will win.

Men:
Gold: Patrick Chan
Silver: Nobu Oda - he's got something left to prove this time round.
Bronze: Nan Song
Spoilers: Brezina, Rippon, Amodio, Reynolds...nearly the whole field - this is a deep competition.

Pairs:
Gold:  Voloshozhar/Trankov
Silver: Bazarova/Larionov
Bronze: Duhamel/Radford
Spoiler: Perhaps Evora/Ladwig (maybe if they weren't American, teehee!).

Dance:
Gold: Tessa and Scott
Silver: Pechalat and Bourzat
Bronze: Cappellini and Lanotte
Spoiler: Will be close for bronze between Italians and Ilikyk/Katsalapov