Anybody know what jumps Mira Leung is practicing these days or if she's going to get a new long program for this season so that she can seriously challenge Joannie for Canadian champ? I am looking forward to Mira's new look (if it be) for 2007/08 because after last season she simply can't get any lower. She can only get better.
What's up with Mira?
- Thread starter passion
- Start date
She can't get lower unless she places 3rd at Nationals, and I'm scared that might happen soon. Last year (well, 2007 Nationals) she was 3rd in the SP, and then moved up, but I guess the judges do have a say, some people thought the judges upped her marks to be sure she would go to Worlds. I think she had better show improvement during the GP series (where yes, she can only go up from her placement at Worlds) or I have a feeling Lesley, with a good show at Nationals, could go to Worlds instead of Mira. Just my opinion.
Kypma
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2007
I hope some up and comers like Myriane Samson shakes things up at Nationals. Chances of Lesley improving consistency in her jumps at the age of 25 or 26 and putting together two programs that are technically more challenging than Mira's does appear pretty small.
Tracey Wilson mentioned that Myriane Samson landed 3Lutz/3S a few times during warm-ups at Nationals. Can anyone confirm this?
The upside for Mira is that her coach is finally free from Sandu bug and may be more willing to focus on Mira.
Tracey Wilson mentioned that Myriane Samson landed 3Lutz/3S a few times during warm-ups at Nationals. Can anyone confirm this?
The upside for Mira is that her coach is finally free from Sandu bug and may be more willing to focus on Mira.
IMO Mira's fate depends on Rochette's competitiveness.
For the Canadian ladies, it's very unrealistic to gain three spots for Worlds. Therefore as long as Rochette could maintain within 10th place at Worlds, the second skater's rank doesn't matter at all. I think skaters like Phaneuf, Samson and Hawker are totally unreliable. Even if they are given the second spot, they have slim to no chance to advance to FS. Mira has better possibility in this respect. As long as Mira doesn't fall short of FS, it's OK for Rochette to place 12th or higher. If Rochette does well at GP, Skate Canada may "choose" someone else.
For the Canadian ladies, it's very unrealistic to gain three spots for Worlds. Therefore as long as Rochette could maintain within 10th place at Worlds, the second skater's rank doesn't matter at all. I think skaters like Phaneuf, Samson and Hawker are totally unreliable. Even if they are given the second spot, they have slim to no chance to advance to FS. Mira has better possibility in this respect. As long as Mira doesn't fall short of FS, it's OK for Rochette to place 12th or higher. If Rochette does well at GP, Skate Canada may "choose" someone else.
At Worlds 2007, Mira finished 20th in the SP and 24th in the FS. After the SP, she thought she had skated very well, and blamed the judges for her low mark. She then predicted she would place top 8 in the FS.
I am all for some other Canadian lady getting a shot at Worlds instead of Mira.
I am all for some other Canadian lady getting a shot at Worlds instead of Mira.
I remember the skating well part, but I'm not sure about the rest?
She probably just needs a new coach, or someone to remind her what's at stake or put things into perspective for her.
Also, what's HER idea of success? A win? Top 3? Top 10? Top 20? It's all relative.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
I am not a fan of Mira at all, and so in a sense I would be happy to see another Canadian women get a shot. On the other hand is there any Canadian women, outside of Rochette our undisputed #1 still of course, who would do any better? Would Hawker, Samson, Phaneuf, have much chance of doing any better then Mira did at recent Worlds?
Not sure about Myriane Samson. She was sent to Junior Worlds in hope that she could get a second birth for junior ladies and placed 18th, I belive. She had a chance to place top 10/12 (whichever is needed, I don't know if JW is different from SW) after the short but messed up the Long. I personally think Dana Zhalko-Tytarenko, National Junior Ladies Champion, should have gotten a chance to go.
Kypma
I agree.
I recall her saying top 8 and world champion in a few years.
Oops... I thought her score was highes than the one Myriane got. I must have been influenced by the fact Myriane was way under her score from Nationals... or am I again mixing things up?
Kypma
Myriane scored 145.73 at Nationals and 111.04 at Junior Worlds. However, Nationals scores tend to be inflated. So if Dana scored 109.40 at Nationals, she probably would have scored less at JW. And if Dana's SP score, 38.14, was two points lower at JW, she wouldn't have made the cut for the FS.
Wow... I hadn't looked at the scores very closely, my bad... thanks for the information, though. I still think some other lady should be given the opportunity to go to worlds, unless Mira has a huge improvement during the off-season, because, let's face it, it's not that much harder to be maybe top 20, if you have Mira's talent and capacities, or something even slightly under.
Kypma
Oh, by the way, does anyone know how tall she is? the Skate Canada website says she's 5' (National Team bio), and Crystal Repost viewer says she's 168 cm. I'm 5'3, and that's 160cm, so 168cm seems tall to me...
Last edited:
As well after the long her coach brought up the injury excuse for her performance. Mira then admitted the injury. She never mentioned injury before the free skate.
Personally Mira needs to get away from her mother and her coach. Her mother because she puts delusional things into Mira's head and her coach because the coach never put her foot down to stop Mama's interference.
Nothing would give her a jolt of reality like failing to make the world team. Of course her 24th means that SC may no longer give her benefit of the doubt ( ie inflate her PCS scores even with a sub-par performance)
As for other Canadian contenders , it is sad that there was nothing remotely promising out of juniors. Personally I thought the novices and pre-novices were more promising and they are far from ready.
Phaneuf did well to finish 4th at the last nationals while still badly undertrained. She did not have the summer to train due to injury and considering how long her layoff was, she did very well. Hopefully with a full summer this year we can see her back to the form or even close to the form she had in her 1st GP season. If she gets there this year, Mira's chances of making the world team are all but eliminated.
If Samson shows on the JGP that she can string 2 programs consistently then she too may have the skills to beat Mira. Last season she messed up her short badly on both her JGP assignments and the long at Junior Worlds. She has always had one good performance mixed with one bad one at each of her events internationally last season.
I only see Hawker beating Mira if she is perfectly clean ( rarely happens).
I wonder if Mira will show up at any of the summer competitions. Phaneuf, Rochette, Samson and Lacoste are all scheduled to compete at the Quebec competition, and Lesley Hawker, Diane Szmiett and Erin Scherrer are signed up for Skate Detroit.
I think Mira may have to prove to Skate Canada that she is ready to compete before going to Skate America. I know if she was a US skater and had bombed that badly at Worlds, USFS would insist on a competition, close monitoring or both.
ETA: Actually, if a US skater had that bad a finish, I'm not sure his/her name would be submitted for GP assignments.
I think Mira may have to prove to Skate Canada that she is ready to compete before going to Skate America. I know if she was a US skater and had bombed that badly at Worlds, USFS would insist on a competition, close monitoring or both.
ETA: Actually, if a US skater had that bad a finish, I'm not sure his/her name would be submitted for GP assignments.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2005
Yeah it will be interesting to see if Mira competes in either of those events. She definitely should be required to. If she cant beat other Canadian women, outside of Rochette, she should definitely be kept out of the GP events and told to go home and improve.
There is no way that Mira would be yanked out of her GP events by Skate Canada.
For one, Mira was not assigned to Skate Canada so if she withdrew, she would be replaced by the next skater on the ISU list who needs assignments. Unfortunately there are no Canadian ladies besides Leung, Rochette and Hawker with even a semi-decent ranking on the ISU list so Mira would definitely be replaced by a non-Canadian. Rochette and Hawker already have their full quota of assignments.
Skate Canada had more leeway in taking assignments from Sandhu because there are several Canadian men available with decent ISU rankings so there was a better chance that Sandhu's assignments would be given to a fellow Canadian.
As far as the summer competition requirement, Mira could go to an easy cheesy one like BC summer skate where she would win even with several falls because there is no competition whatsoever. In Canada only the Quebec and Thornhill ( central Ontario) competitions would have decent fields for senior ladies. The other sections have summer competitions as well but their senior ladies competitors are the type that would struggle to land even one triple cleanly consistently and most don't even have a consistent double axel. So if SC required a summer competition , make sure it is one where she would face real competition.
