^
Speaking of Michelle, here is the latest from Philip Hersh.
Kwan has not replied affirmatively to U.S. Figure Skating’s invitation for a place at the Skate America Grand Prix event this November.
Kwan has until May 30 to tell USFS whether she would like to skate on the 2009 Grand Prix circuit.
Last edited by Mathman; 05-12-2009 at 04:50 PM.
has Skate America really extended a inviation to Michelle? I was not aware she had offically annoucned her return!
The Hersh story made it seem like USFS took the initiatve and told Michelle, if you want to come back, we'll invite you to Skate America.
I don't know, though.
Last edited by Mathman; 05-12-2009 at 05:51 PM.
Wow, I'm so shocked that USFSA has asked Michelle, and it's public knowledge!
I don't know what to think. *Someone* in the USFSA is taking Michelle's comeback as a serious possibility, at least. Or maybe they're just giddy at Sasha's announcement, which so many doubted, and now they're drawing the "logical" inference that if one dame can return, then why not the other?!
Well, we'll find out in a couple more weeks whether Michelle will take up SA's offer! (It's interesting that USFSA is ready to drop either the 5th seed or the National champion.)
The good news is that both Sasha and Michelle really stayed in shape while off ice. Not all figure skaters keep up with serious conditioning when they leave competitive skating, especially when they don't tour. That makes me feel like that indeed both always harbored hopes at some level that they might return.
I wonder just how close to competitive shape Michelle is really in at the moment. I know she got in a lot of snowboarding over the winter. Last week she played in a celebrity golf tournament.
Although she made some vague statements about triple jumps in her television gig at Worlds, the last reliable report was that she was consistently hitting all her doubles including the double Axel.
Still, what the Hersh article is actually about is Michelle turning down an invitation to serve as a big shot Olympic team captain (an "assistant chef de mission). This might have appealed to her if she were not entertaining the possibility of a return to competition.
What I don't like so much about all these announcements is that they are giving the impression that USFS thinks our current ladies are, basically, garbage. "Woe is us if Sasha and Michelle don't come back."
Last edited by Mathman; 05-12-2009 at 06:28 PM.
To Recapitulate
The USFS can invite any of its skaters to it's GP It can not give Cohen or Kwan a 2nd GP. Correct?
Question: if Kwan skates SA, will she be exempt from Regionals?
Sasha will take the one GP at SA and wait decision of ISU for a 2nd GP. If she proves herself competitive she will skate Nats which the USFS will give her if she proves herself better than Caroline Zhang, Rachael Flat, Ashley Wagner, Mirai Nagasu, Kimmie Meissner and the ever popular, Emily Hughes who is returning to Nats by taking a sabatical from Harvard.
Cohen, Kwan and Hughes are has beens. No? Is this the Twighlight of the Goddesses?
GO BEBE!!
As more hints and teases come out about the whole process, it is becoming more and more clear that orgnizations like the ISU and USFS do not intend to let little things like the rules stand in their way.Originally Posted by Joesitz
According to the Hersh article Michelle would be exempted from Sectionals if she did Skate America, and she could also get out of Regionals by doing some sort of unspecified qualifying thing. (?)
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...tional-le.html
As for the ISU, the impression I am getting is that the ISU is expected to give permission for both Michelle and Sasha to be invited to other GPs if the skaters and the federation request it. The language used is, "it's not automatic, but..."
Last edited by Mathman; 05-12-2009 at 07:34 PM.
Kwan could get out of Regionals by being sent to an International "B".
Michelle turning down the USFS offer may having nothing to do with a possible comeback. According to Phil this is an honorary position. Michelle may have something in the works with NBC which would actually pay her for her time.(snip)
Still, what the Hersh article is actually about is Michelle turning down an invitation to serve as a big shot Olympic team captain (an "assistant chef de mission
What I don't like so much about all these announcements is that they are giving the impression that USFS thinks our current ladies are, basically, garbage. "Woe is us if Sasha and Michelle don't come back."
As far as the USFS treating our current crop of U.S. ladies like garbage they have a lot of company.
Well Sasha always said that she woudl return, more or less... besides she was pretty much on the ice all the time touring with SOI etc.
Good point! I didn't think of that.
Not at all. For once, the USFSA is using their little heads. These guys want ratings and ticket sales for SA. Up until now, the best way to get that was to pit both lady superstars, Rachael and Caroline, against each other. But that would probably eliminate one of them from the Final.
So what do they do? They invite two popular, but semi-retired ladies to SA as a massive ratings boost. Can they win? Can they do well? Can they at least fall without a reading on the Richter Scale? It don't matter! These ladies can sell tickets and pull in ratings.
Meanwhile, the two superstars, whom we know can actually kick butt, are kept separate ............ increasing the chance of both of them making the Final.
The guys at USFSA have found a way to have their cake and eat it too.
That's the part that I can't seem to buy into. Is it better for Racahel and Caroline to face each other at Skate America, or to separately face an equally tough field somewhere else?
They could easily get second and third -- or better -- at Skate America. Somewhere else they might meet up with Kim, Asada, Kostner -- and maybe other Americans like Nagasu and Wagner. I don't see any easy route to the finals no matter what they do.
I gather fans of Kwan or Cohen are excpecting great skating based on what they saw years ago. No?
What I saw last season was some excellent Ladies skating by Zhang and Flatt and from the international set there was Asada; Kim,Rochette, Ando, and a better field of lesser skaters than ever before.
I hope this SA doesn't give us another go at Scheudenfroid(sp).
No one mentioned Emily except me, so I guess she is in the garbage can.
Hughes, I hear, is taking a year off to focus mainly on skating. Even with 3 spots (and no Cohen comeback) I'd say her chances were slim at best, but 2 spots- and where she's at now? Ugh...she's a lot of work to do. But I guess I shouldn't underestimate her given her family's history.
Rachel and Caroline will be fine. The two of them may even get the Olympic tickets. of course, my dream Olympic team (as said on FSU) would be Flatt and Meissner. The former might do it, granted she stays healthy, but the latter is facing an uphill battle...not quite as steep as Hughes, IMO, but I don't like Meissner's chances either. Assuming the following skaters stay healthy, I think the following have good chances:
Flatt
Zhang
Wagner
Nagasu
Czisny (medium- as the reigning US champ)
Everyone else I don't really consider "in the mix"- maybe to play spoiler but NOT for an OLY spot. We'll have to see if and where Cohen fits in once she actually COMPETES (i.e. stops talking)
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