It seems every figure skating competition these days is followed by talk of the quad, probably because most of the skaters winning the men's competitions are not doing them. The Globe and Mail says that Canadian Patrick Chan insists he wants to add a quad next year, and the article goes on to say:
But to hear Chan and his competitors tell it, between now and next February, an arms race of quads is coming. That they will be part of the Olympic competition is unquestioned, but the next Vancouver podium could well be determined by which man has become most consistent at landing quads on the grandest stage.
Evan Lysacek, a U.S. veteran who completed a quad, agreed with Chan: They are not necessary for a skater who can win without them. But the Four Continents silver medalist said quads are stretching the sport's athletic boundaries and improve the show.
Quads are exciting and I agree that the point system makes it almost prohibitive to even try one. Which is why I don't know if we'll see skaters like Patrick Chan, who can clean up on program components and grade of execution scores, risking the quad in a competition like the Olympics or the World Championships. I think Chan has proven he is competitive with someone like France's Brian Joubert even without the quad (and possibly without a second triple axel, it appears). I know that it's a popular topic and everyone is supposed to say they want to do it (or else what type of competitor would they look like?) but I don't think it would be that risky a bet to guess that Chan's Olympic programs (assuming he makes the Canadian team) will not include the jump. However, next year is a long time from now, and there's no telling what direction a healthy Daisuke Takahashi and Brian Joubert (and other frequent quad-landers) might push things in next season.