It's Time for Caroline Zhang to Move ON | Golden Skate

It's Time for Caroline Zhang to Move ON

Joined
Jul 11, 2003
She has done well with her present coaching team what with developing that beautiful ballet-like style. Her spins are immaculate, and her flow, although somewhat slow, moves evenly and nice across the ice.

Hovever, her wonky jumps and mule kicks have not gotten much better than when she first started, and I believe that is holding her back in the competitive field. Do you agree, she needs a coaching change?

I would suggest, Rafael Arutunian or Orser. I'm very impressed with Orser in getting Rippon to execute perfect 3As which even Morosov could not do.
 

herios

Medalist
Joined
Jan 25, 2004
She has done well with her present coaching team what with developing that beautiful ballet-like style. Her spins are immaculate, and her flow, although somewhat slow, moves evenly and nice across the ice.

Hovever, her wonky jumps and mule kicks have not gotten much better than when she first started, and I believe that is holding her back in the competitive field. Do you agree, she needs a coaching change?

I would suggest, Rafael Arutunian or Orser. I'm very impressed with Orser in getting Rippon to execute perfect 3As which even Morosov could not do.

Joe, she has technically big flaws. Those who don't want to recognize it, keep their head in the sand. She just screwed up her SP in Sofia. I don't know where is this optimism coming from when talking about her prospects. She currently has weak basic skills (reflected rightfully in her PCS scores) and she needs to go to a coach where she could work on those first and foremost. I complete;y agree with you.
 

oleada

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Realistically, I don't know if she'll be able to lose the mule kick and keep the jumps.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Herios - Her PC scores in the Jr Championship was 3rd place, so some judges like her. Probably the ballet-like style. which blinds them from other things. Sort of Like Sasha's flexibility blinded some judges from seeing the flaws.

Oleada - You are probably correct. Bad habits learned at an early age are difficult to break. Not only Zhang but Mao too. That is why some fans prefer YuNa. She didn't learn the easier way to flutz and get partial credit.
 

visaliakid

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
Country
United-States
Any attempt by Zhang to rework anything (if it ever happens) will not occur until after the 2009-2010 Olympic season. It's ashame really. By then it will be too late for her, I'm afraid to successfully relearn the correct jumping technique, but the basics as well.

In a real world, she would just forget about the 2010 Olympics and begin the complete retooling of her skating...proper glide, stroking for speed, and jumps, now. I don't see this happening however. I sincerely hope I am wrong.
 

screech

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Bad habits learned at an early age are difficult to break.

Any attempt by Zhang to rework anything (if it ever happens) will not occur until after the 2009-2010 Olympic season. It's ashame really. By then it will be too late for her, I'm afraid to successfully relearn the correct jumping technique, but the basics as well.

In a real world, she would just forget about the 2010 Olympics and begin the complete retooling of her skating...proper glide, stroking for speed, and jumps, now. I don't see this happening however. I sincerely hope I am wrong.

She does need to take the time to re-work them. Depending on how it goes, she could in theory work on it over the summer and early next season to be able to do well at the Olympics, but to have a successful full career where she performs consistently to her potential, she needs to pull a Joannie and start the jumps over again that are issues.

I honestly think that she will not have a career that she is capable of if she doesn't fix the jumps. I'm not saying it will be completely horrible, but it won't be what it could be.
 

feraina

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
I've been calling for her to change coaches since a year ago. Her best season so far is her junior season when she won everything internationally. I went back and looked at her videos from that year, her jumps looked better then, which I think is a chief reason why she was doing so well. Her jumps looked more securely rotated -- maybe more because she could rotate faster than because she could jump higher. But given her petite, petite size back then, the jumps really didn't look small. They actually looked rather effortless. If she's now jumping equally high but with a much heavier and more filled-out body, then obviously she wouldn't be able to get her triples around as easily.

I think she seriously needs a new coach, to both improve her skating power/speed/edges significantly, and get those jumps more under control.

But I can't imagine her turning out like Joannie. Joannie comes across as a very strong, athletic skater, even when she didn't have the best technique and all -- and she's always had the speed and power in her skating. Whereas, Caroline comes across as delicate and soft with a very lyrical style. I think Sasha's development is something Caroline can be motivated by, and also maybe Alissa's (in terms of PCS, not jumps). These two are both lyrical-style skaters. Another is Yu-na Kim, who really didn't have especially high jumps, deep edges, or fast skating at 14/15. Yu-na was injured and re-injured for a few seasons in a row, but going to Brian Orser has really helped her to be a much stronger skater in the long run. Caroline could really use a coach like that! Instead, I feel like her current coaching team is just tweaking small things based on what she can already do, and they don't really have a "vision" to make her significantly better.
 

shopgirl543

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
I think a coaching change will be on the horizon. Who do you think would be a good coach for her?

Some options:

-Rafael Arutunian- Is he coaching anyone right now?
-Tom Z. from Colorado- I don't think Caroline would go to him though, since he coaches Flatt.
-Mark Mitchell/Peter Johansson- They will have an opening if Katrina goes to Princeton next year.
-Frank Carroll- If she trains with Frank, she could still stay in California.
 

LeCygne

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
I've also been wanting Caroline to leave her current coach for quite a while now, and if this result in Sofia is what it will take (and I certainly hope it is), then I'll just pretend I'm not completely crushed and heartbroken. Now I don't know all the technicalities of what she has to do to fix all her problems and I don't know the likelihood of it actually succeeding, but I can't tell you how much I want her to just do SOMETHING. Because she SHOULD be in LA next month and IMO she should be in Vancouver next year as well, and many of you thought the same thing until this happened.
 

ks777

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
How about Yuka Sato? She could probably teach her better basic skating skills.
As for her jumps, it might be too late to fix it. but she can learn to skate much faster with deeper edges.
 

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
I agree a coaching change should be on the horizon for all of the reasons given above.I have noticed in the K&C more than once that it is like ice between Caroline and her coach. After Caroline's great skate at 4CC her coach went to give her a hug and Caroline barely reciprocated.The chemistry between the two always seems a bit odd. I am a great believer in body language and imo their body language is not singing.
 

ks777

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
How about Kristi Yamaguchi? Kristi lives in LA now since her husband plays for the Ducks?
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
I am not sure that a coaching change is the key here. I think she has a excellent realtionship with her present coach, and has teh advantage of being her coaches "top skater." With Morozov she would be among many. Not to mention she is still very young, so if she were to relocate for a coach, that would mean a whole family move.
Frank Carroll is a excellent coach for technique, but frankly I can't see her completely revamping her jump technique. Certainly not in time for Vancover.
 

yelyoh

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I think Yuka Sato is a great choice. She's not working with Alissa full time, right?
Yuka had beautiful basics (edges, speed, flow) and great footwork. Plus she was a good jumper. Too bad she popped that, what was it a lutz? at the Olys. Go to Yuka Sato CZ.
 

flying camel

Medalist
Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Where does Yuka Sato live?
Being just 15 I can't see her leaving her family to train. I think she should stay in California.

Lets see there's Frank, hey doesn't Kistie's old coach coach in California somewhere? Where does Brian Boitano live?

I hope she does not go to Arutunian, he made me very uncomfortable. There was something about him I just don't like.

It is not too late for Caroline to fix her jumps. If Alissa can fix hers in her 20's its certainly not too late for Caroline.
 

Medusa

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
That Canadian girl, right - Rochette, she fixed her jumps too, didn't she relearn the Triple Lutz completely?

I don't know how bad Zhang's speed, the edging etc. were today, but I didn't think at 4CC that she is worse than your average skater. Sure, Asada, Rochette, Kostner and Kim have better speed and edging - but I don't think that Czisny has better skating skills, especially when she is nervous, lots of Russian girls also have not the best of styles. Flatt isn't better either.

And the jumps seem to be off and on, just two downgrades on the 3-3s at 4CC, already two here in the short program. But how much can you rework your jumps, when you are growing all the time? She is in a transition period, she is just 15. Lots of skaters during that time had problems, not exactly Asada and Kim, but Ando, Kostner, Arakawa... I think she just needs time to become a really steady skater, perhaps 1 or 2 years till she stopped growing and can get used to the different circumstances.
 

bx11

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
If she choose to wait, she is going to become an another Mira Leung of Canada.
 
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