Suggestions for Rachael

Blades of Passion said:

Exact body shape isn't particularly important to me, but I do feel like Flatt's overall aura lacks that special something which allows performers to create truly magical moments. We'll see if she can find the spark.

Click to expand...

I think that's the point! IMO she chooses innapropriate music for her and wants to be a classic ballet dancer on ice, which with her rounded shoulders makes it odd.
She should IMHO choose more appropriate music for her and find her own style.

I think that her stuff (staff??) knows that and I'm sure that next year they will choose a good program for her. They just wanted to try the ballerina look.

gio said:

I think that's the point! IMO she chooses innapropriate music for her and wants to be a classic ballet dancer on ice, which with her rounded shoulders makes it odd.
She should IMHO choose more appropriate music for her and find her own style.

I think that her stuff (staff??) knows that and I'm sure that next year they will choose a good program for her. They just wanted to try the ballerina look.

Click to expand...

I think that might be wishful thinking - in this sport, in the ladies division if anyone is in any doubt then the default appears to be - try and make her into a ballerina/ice princess regardless of how in appropriate. Anyone remember Yoshie Onda?

Ant

Blades of Passion said:

Presence on the ice is important. Body line and appearance is part of that.

I don't really see the point in making excuses. We are what we are. Some people simply don't have what it takes to be the best at what they want to do. If someone's fingers are too short to reach the keys of a piano correctly for a certain song, saying "it's not their fault" doesn't change the problem. It is what it is.

Exact body shape isn't particularly important to me, but I do feel like Flatt's overall aura lacks that special something which allows performers to create truly magical moments. We'll see if she can find the spark.

Click to expand...

Some fans never saw anything special about Kwan in her heyday. Some find Rochette mesmerizing---I find her a good technical skater, but lacking in charisma. So you don't see anything in Flatt.

Each is entitled to his/her opinion and tastes.

Relieved to see I'm not the only skate fan who finds Rochette lacking in charisma. I keep hoping maybe a change in music will help but no matter what she skates to, I find myself wondering when the program will end.

Back to Rachael...I agree that a black long sleeve top would be striking with her skintone and strawberry blonde hair..and might add a bit of needed drama but no Goth make up please. Let's go for the sophisticated chic effect that black clothes can produce instead.

I liked Rochette's LP last year but otherwise she has never done much for me. One problem may be that she doesn't have a "wow" move. Some of her jumps are strong but they aren't amazing. Her footwork/spirals are average and her spins are pretty weak.

Without any special highlight(s), a performance can be monotone. Which is exactly how I would describe her LP this year.

I haven't said anything all season about Rachael until now. I will only say that the young lady I saw this season doesn't even compare to the one that came out & blew everyone away (including me, I was even comparing her to my favorite Oksana Baiul at one point) at both 2007 & 2008 U.S. Nationals.

My wish/hope for her is to get that effervescene back, that sparkle, bubble; it was something truly special to see when she had it ~ she lit up the room!

Nadine is right imo. I couldn't believe Rachael's lack of emotion, sparkle, joy of skating-- whatever, at Nationals. Could it be nerves?

meem said:

Nadine is right imo. I couldn't believe Rachael's lack of emotion, sparkle, joy of skating-- whatever, at Nationals. Could it be nerves?

Click to expand...

If it was nerves, I would suspect that we would see consistency issues, which is not the case. Perhaps it is something else.

I feel its all to do with the music and choreography. She really does not relate to her music or choreography. She was very charismatic last year. Go back to last years programs Rachael.

flying camel said:

I feel its all to do with the music and choreography. She really does not relate to her music or choreography. She was very charismatic last year. Go back to last years programs Rachael.

Click to expand...

She and how many others? Just glide around doing tricks. Put an arm up in a ballet position, and show style. I believe the tone of the music is what the fans go with which often does not fit the skaters program. Almost all skaters do is glide to Nesum Dorme and look up to heaven with the swells. There is no indication that they felt the music before the swells. Is there?

After 4CC, I think she just needs spunkier music and her persona will automatically come out. After watching her FS at 4CC I don't think the problem is her so much as it's her music choice. I saw nothing wrong with her but then again I'm not an expert or a technician so...

She is sooo slow. Look at how the words fly by on the boards with the top girls. She needs to skate faster and spin faster. Her jumps are fab. I'm concerned for US for worlds. I dont remember her programs from last year, but maybe she should consider a switch like Caroline did. I'm sure all the elements are the same, so it wouldnt be totally new .

After watching 4CC I concluded Rachael's (or her team's) strategy is to focus almost entirely on the jumps. She is one of the solidest jumpers out there and she's still so young. Maybe they have a long-term strategy to have her burst out all over again in the other areas next season. It just looked as though there was no effort to compete on interpretation or choreography. And look how well she does without them!

Anyway, to me her FP was both impressively solid and completely boring. But successful enough to beat the US champion.

Well, there may be choreographic elements to Rachael's programs that can be improved, but watching her LP at 4CC, it occurred to me that she started off the program with some attack and determination, when she was going for the jumps, but then came the middle section with the spins and spirals, and she lost so much speed there. The spins, especially, were just dragging on, because CoP requires such long spins with so many transitions, positions, changes of edges, etc, and her weakness in spinning really shows in order to get those spins to be level 4 or even 3. All the energy kinda leaked away from the program by the time she was done with the spins and spirals, and it never really came back. Rachael needs to work on her spins and spirals a lot more, and in the meantime, she should go for simpler spins with faster rotations, instead of trying to aim for the harder spins that she struggles through with visible effort. If she would just go for some fast scratch spins with only two or three different positions, she'd get higher GOE on the spins, as well as higher PCS, because the momentum of the program would be kept. I don't know why, but I somehow recall vaguely that she has a good, fast scratch spin. If you pay attention to the men's programs, some of them put in really fast scratch spins and that really gets the audience wild and they inject energy into the program that makes it come alive.

I just went back and looked at her LP from JW, she had much faster spins and spirals there, as well as faster skating in general. It really made a difference. I wonder if it has to do with her own growth issues. Remember she's a year older than Caroline & Mirai, so she might still be growing taller; plus she's almost 17, which was the age at which Kimmie and Emily started having problems with gaining curves (as opposed to height). Rachael looks like she might have the body type of Emily... Even though she actually looks rather slim right now compared to earlier this season, Rachael is definitely in the middle of confronting the puberty monster, and her body's gotta feel a little bit new every day. Maybe her slight drop in jumping ability and slowing down of spinning and skating in general are related to that. She looks more tired to me in her LP's now than she used to, especially in the second half.

She has really good basic jumping technique, though (aside from the flutz), and I think artistry is something she can gain with time. So as long as she can conquer the puberty bug, I think she still has a bright future.

One thing that Rachel is is consistant! Sometimes that takes years to develop. I see so many costume changes. I do like the cut and line of the SP costume at 4CC. The Xcross in the back with the contrast color made her look taller. I might have used a darker color, because it washed her out a bit. I do think a sleeve would help her look more narrow. She must be very thin in person to carry off a white background. Her costumes however are first rate, fabric, stones, details. Amazing craftmenship, kudos to her designer!

I think Rachael should go back to her JW FS (updated for Seniors, of course). She expressed that music so well, and she skated with speed and attack.

Caroline went back to Ave Maria, so why not Rachael go to Worlds with a winner?

Sounds good to me. Of course, that updating to senior length/level could make a big difference. Still, I'd think that returning to a program that brought her such an enthusiastic response from fans and judges would reinvigorate her. She must be aware of having plateaued (sp?) in a certain sense.

With the programs she has now there is just no tension, no drama or theatrics. You need that in a program. She just looks like a young girl skating.

flying camel said:

With the programs she has now there is just no tension, no drama or theatrics. You need that in a program. She just looks like a young girl skating.

Click to expand...

She is a young girl skating! This girl has way too much pressure put on her. She is very talented and seems to be a very hard worker. She is not at the level of Yuna and Mao. She lacks the experience, speed and maturity of Suguri, Nakano, Ando and Kostner, simply because she is young and this is her first year senior. There is nothing wrong with her. I wish they would just let her develop in her own time and stop expecting her to wow the world. She should be proud of her many accomplishments and people should stop putting so much pressure on her.

i read on another board rachel did just change her lp for worlds :agree: :yes:
to her last years jw gold medal winning long program...will this sudden change now...catapult her to gold at USA worlds??!@@ i think its a great decision