What's Happening in U.S. Regionals and Sectionals? | Page 7 | Golden Skate

What's Happening in U.S. Regionals and Sectionals?

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
(Not sure what the reference above to the hideous flutz/flip was??)

It was just a reference to the fact she does both her flip and her flutz like Cohen does - a wildly wobblig edge that ends on the inside on the flutz and the flip is dont with a three turn to wildly wobbling edge to inside edge for the flip. I've always hated it on cohen and was poitning out that Flatt has almost identical technique.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Wow, Braden Overett is HERE! Johnny better be on top of his game at Nationals. This guy is channeling Yagudin and Antonio Banderas. What great rhythm, and he *likes* COP spins. Oh, boy! :love:
It's not just Brandon. There are several others from Junior Boys hitting Senior Men this Nats: Carriere, Steenberger, etc. Johnny has to get serious about winning. He should win but if he carries on like a divo, he'll miss. JMO

Still don't understand the Rachael Flatt excitement. More impressive, IMO: Carolyn-Ann Alba (SW Pacific - novice), the one whose spiral we were admiring a few months ago. Her legs are almost too long for her to control in jumps, but what a spinner and her spiral was as beautiful in motion as in the still photo - she held it so long she almost zoomed into the wall. Also, she has a great stylistic flair, already. If she keeps it up, she will be giving Zhang a headache. Uncle Dick would not care for her fan spiral as it's more than 90 degrees... wa-a-a-a-y more. ;)
Hey, Spun Silver - Give a little girl a break. She's all of 14 and although she will skate Seniors, it won't be important for another 2 years. By that time we should see an incredible improvement. She's good. Not as much as my pick: Zhang but good!! They are just a couple of wild and wooly kids and only time will tell.

Joe
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
It was just a reference to the fact she does both her flip and her flutz like Cohen does - a wildly wobblig edge that ends on the inside on the flutz and the flip is dont with a three turn to wildly wobbling edge to inside edge for the flip. I've always hated it on cohen and was poitning out that Flatt has almost identical technique.
I really think Sasha's problem with the lutz, is that she doesn't take her time in preparation. She always looks like 'let me get this thing over with'. She should take a lesson from the recently retired Ukrainian gal.
As for Flatt, she has two years to go before making a great lutz becomes that important.

Joe
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
I really think Sasha's problem with the lutz, is that she doesn't take her time in preparation. She always looks like 'let me get this thing over with'. She should take a lesson from the recently retired Ukrainian gal.
As for Flatt, she has two years to go before making a great lutz becomes that important.

Joe

Arguably she won't ever have to fix it...its never done the US ladies any harm having bad flutzes.

Ant
 

Lightspear

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Joe - I agree with you re: the up-and-comers. If either Carriere or Steenberg are at their best during the championship they will provide some stiff competition for the some of the veteran senior skaters.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Joe - I agree with you re: the up-and-comers. If either Carriere or Steenberg are at their best during the championship they will provide some stiff competition for the some of the veteran senior skaters.
Senior Men at Nats is going to be one heluva race. I'm sure Carriere or Steenberg will be on the podium. Evan and Johnny, better watch it. I think Scott's best skating is behind him.

With Kimmie in a slump, and Emily faltering in the Long (as ususal), I can see Rachel squeezing in there by default. Alyssa and Bebe have their jump problems.

Joe
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Kimmie is in a slump? First I've heard of it. She won her first GP medals---a silver and a bronze, even defeating Mao Asada for the first time. She is not known to be an early-season skater, and builds through the year to peak at Worlds. From where I sit, Kimmie is doing very well indeed.

At the moment, Emily has jump problems. Whether or not they will be fixed in time for Nationals remains to be seen. I believe that USFS will inflate Emily's SP scores dramatically to ensure a podium finish, but there is no guarantee she will remain there if she pops/doubles jumps in the FS as is her current pattern. The USFS can't boost GOE on failed jumps, nor can they push Emily's PCS scores into the 8s when she doesn't skate well.

There is no harm in allowing Rachael Flatt to make the podium, because she is ineligible to compete at Worlds, but it sure would help her in the eyes of the Jr. World judges. It can't be easy for a skater to make her international debut in an ISU championship, and a US medal would be a confidence booster.
 

flying camel

Medalist
Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Senior Men at Nats is going to be one heluva race. I'm sure Carriere or Steenberg will be on the podium. Evan and Johnny, better watch it. I think Scott's best skating is behind him.

With Kimmie in a slump, and Emily faltering in the Long (as ususal), I can see Rachel squeezing in there by default. Alyssa and Bebe have their jump problems.

Joe


I hope Rachael or one of the other new seniors steals the show at Nationals. Aside from Kimmie the American girls have not performed well at all. They need some girls to bump them down and show them how its done.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Is Abbott another who might be good enough to put pressure on Weir at Nats?

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20061123/SPORTS/61123003
Abbott did win the 2005 Juniors (US) but did not manage to do well in the Sectionals as a Senior in 2006

Although I am not big on Carriere I have to admit he is a solid skater - not likely to mess up. It seems to me that Steenberg gets carried away with the music and loses his focus.
So which one (or maybe all three) will make a statement that he has or they have arrived!!?

Joe
 

Enero

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
With Kimmie in a slump, and Emily faltering in the Long (as ususal), I can see Rachel squeezing in there by default. Alyssa and Bebe have their jump problems.

Joe

With Queen Kwan and Princess Cohen out of the game, I think US Women's Figure Skating as a whole is headed for a slump. There may be a couple of people on the horizon that can give Alyssa and Emily a run for their money, but I doubt they'll make any impact on the international scene where it seems to count the most. I think the US will push Kimmie (with scoring as well as giving her some slack if she makes a mistake here or there). She is the world champion, and at this point I think she's the only top skater in the US who has the jumps and the "consistency" to be a real "threat" to skaters like Miki, Mao, etc.,
 

Sylvia

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 25, 2003
Sectionals videos will be available for viewing at some point in the future but the cost (reasonable, I'm told) has not been announced by USFS yet.
See today's announcement by USFS:
http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_story.asp?id=36791
"The webcasts transition to subscription-based viewing on Tuesday, Nov. 28, with coverage becoming available this week of all three recent U.S. Figure Skating sectional championships. For a season subscription fee of $29.95, fans receive unlimited access to U.S. Figure Skating qualifying events through June 30, 2007, including coverage of all five disciplines: ladies, men's, pairs, ice dancing and synchronized team skating."

The free preview period ends tomorrow -- see my post #106 on the previous page for a list of 2007 Nationals-qualified skaters who competed at Regionals in October.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
With Queen Kwan and Princess Cohen out of the game, I think US Women's Figure Skating as a whole is headed for a slump. There may be a couple of people on the horizon that can give Alyssa and Emily a run for their money, but I doubt they'll make any impact on the international scene where it seems to count the most. I think the US will push Kimmie (with scoring as well as giving her some slack if she makes a mistake here or there). She is the world champion, and at this point I think she's the only top skater in the US who has the jumps and the "consistency" to be a real "threat" to skaters like Miki, Mao, etc.,
It may be accurate to say there's a slump right now if Kimmie is the US's top lady skater. She is too bland too be a star, as yet - maybe in time. However, with people like Zhang, Musademba, and Ashley Wagner coming up, I think the slump will be over soon. And the "Princess" will be back, IMO.
 

Nigel

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
It may be accurate to say there's a slump right now if Kimmie is the US's top lady skater. She is too bland too be a star, as yet - maybe in time. However, with people like Zhang, Musademba, and Ashley Wagner coming up, I think the slump will be over soon. And the "Princess" will be back, IMO.

I think you still need to give Meissner time to have her style evolve. Kwan was much the same way starting out...all technical and until she had two seasons under the guidance of Lori Nichol. I think Kimmie will continue to mature and find a style that the audiences and judges will be drawn into. She does not have the exotic look of MK, but more of a girl next door look, much like Janet Lynn. Zhang and Wagner are juniors and still have yet to move to senior, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Musademba is a Novice, her first year at "big" nationals....give these last three girls a chance to go through puberty before the hype machines take over.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Nigel - I like your post and I would answer it but this thread is getting heavy so I will make a separate thread for discussion.

Joe
 
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