Caroline Zhang's 2009-10 season | Page 84 | Golden Skate

Caroline Zhang's 2009-10 season

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PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Tinymavy15 said:
Alissa is a case of nerves and unless the pressure is 100% off she won't skate clean.
I do think that Rafael is the best choice for Caroline right now. He made improvements with Mao's jumps and now that Sasha is no longer working with him, I he has no other big name pupils, so she will get a lot of attention. Moving to Lake Arrowhead would still get her away from her mother and sister but she could still go back on weekends and stuff...far less drastic than moving across country.

Caroline needs a change. I think it may be too late, but she certainly can't stay where she is.
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If Caroline moves away from home, school will not be a problem because she takes online courses. But even if she comes home weekends, she will need to stay in a hotel or apartment. Can her family afford that? I know she taped at least 2 commercials over the summer and fall, but did they pay enough?

Tinymavy15 said:
Caroline needs a change. I think it may be too late, but she certainly can't stay where she is.
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No not too late. Caroline is 9 years younger than Sasha.
 
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bigsisjiejie

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
krenseby said:
Well to be fair, Caroline has a lot more stuff to fix than Mirai ever did, that's something I have to say for the record, just to point out that their situations were not as similar as they may seem.


Yes, but is Frank Carroll the only coach on the world who can help someone fix their jump technique?
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First statement (my bolding) is true. Mirai's issues were fewer, but she was more willing to change status quo and do something about them.

Second statement (my bolding): Of course not, I was merely responding to another poster's suggestion of Frank. Caroline apparently had a visit (tryout? interview?) with Callaghan in 2009 but one or both of them decided that wasn't the route to take. The thing is, ANY of the top level technical coaches (Laws, Callaghan, Carroll, Arutunian, Barkell in Canada, etc.) are not going to put up with anything less than doing it their way. Or less than 110% effort from their skater. Or interference from Mama or other family member/agent of skater. In fact, I thought Carroll, once upon a time, either dumped or refused to coach Tiffany Chin (or was it Ann-Patrice Mc Donough??) because her mother was such a piece of work to have to deal with. And top coaches who already are committed to other elite ladies/competitors of Caroline probably won't take her on.

Also: if Caroline doesn't pull up substantially after the FS, she will likely fall from Team Envelope B down to C or Reserve, though I can't remember the criteria right now. That means less USFS funding. While the funding relative to total skating costs is a drop in the bucket, heading downward on the Envelopes is never the right direction to be going.
 
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silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
PolymerBob said:
If Caroline moves away from home, school will not be a problem because she takes online courses. But even if she comes home weekends, she will need to stay in a hotel or apartment. Can her family afford that? I know she taped at least 2 commercials over the summer and fall, but did they pay enough?



No not too late. Caroline is 9 years younger than Sasha.
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I think Caroline comes from a wealthy family. I read on NBC that her dad is a vice president of some big deal company, and I know the town she lives in (Brea, Orange County) is expensive. She does need to do something though and now would actually be a good time because she's probably done with most of her growing.
 
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PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Caroline does have problems that must be fixed, but the biggest problem right now is her injuries. She had the same problems early last year when she was top American at 4CC and World Team Trophy. I know she is still hurt because she left out her pearl spin.

What she needs to do after tonight is let her injuries totally heal. She should stay off the ice for a while, hit the gym, build up her strength, get back into training when she can and hit the Grand Prix hard next season.
 
Panther2000

Panther2000

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Caroline is a lovely skater that has truly great talent.

However, I don't think that she has taken her growth very well. She must almost start over & forget what she has done in the past & start anew. She hasn't made the adjustment.

I think that like others have stated. She needs to go home & truly heel from her injuries & I think talk to a sports dr. ( Like Alexi Y did) to get her head in the right space( That is key. I think that she lacks drive right now). During her long you could just look at her face & see her counting off the items in her program. Ther was no feel for the music or the crowd. just getting through the program. That wild leg kick is really throwing her off.

She is one of my fav skaters because of her talent. I really hope that she can get through this & Come back a New person next year.

I will say this though, She did appear to do much better toward the end of her program.
 
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silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
11th place at nationals, that has got to be tough to swallow. I didn't really realize until I saw her on TV tonight just how much Caroline's body has changed. She is beautiful but the fact is she just isn't a little girl anymore, she doesn't look like one and she can't keep acting like one either. What worked for her when she was 4'9" and 70 pounds isn't going to work now that she's 5'4" and probably 110. Mirai grew up a lot this year and showed us she can handle things with maturity, I believe Caroline could do the same if she is willing to find a new coach, re-work her jumps, get rid of the bad attitude, and practice according to her coach's rules and not her own.

I almost feel even worse for Alissa because she did the exact same thing in 2006 but this time her placement was even worse. Yesterday, it was the nerves, today, it just seemed like she had lost confidence and given up. She and Caroline both had freeskate scores in the 80s, at nationals, I can only image how upset they both must be.

Super excited for Mirai and Christina, who I thought were awesome tonight! Did people know that two years ago Christina finished last in the novice event? And now she's 5th in seniors! She just keeps getting better, also watching her today in that blue dress doing the great 3-3 and 3-2-2, I couldn't help but think of junior Yuna. I actually think Christina maybe has the potential to become THAT good. Mirai already is amazing and should have won!
 
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cornell08

Final Flight
Joined
May 10, 2009
I really hope she stays home and treats herself to the spa or something. However, I agree with her statement that she's glad its over, poor kid. I'm looking forward to her fresh new start. Wonder what coach she will go to...Still though, I'm sure its nice for Caroline to be nominated to 4CC. Goodness knows she could use the confidence booster.

silverlake22 said:
Super excited for Mirai and Christina, who I thought were awesome tonight! Did people know that two years ago Christina finished last in the novice event? And now she's 5th in seniors! She just keeps getting better, also watching her today in that blue dress doing the great 3-3 and 3-2-2, I couldn't help but think of junior Yuna. I actually think Christina maybe has the potential to become THAT good. Mirai already is amazing and should have won!
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I think Scott Hamilton's line about "its amazing what strong basics can do for you to skyrocket in this sport" (paraphrased) really hits the nail on the head.
 
Skatetomusic

Skatetomusic

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
If she asks Charlene again,
I will say Caroline can not get away from the Chinese connection.
as Charlene's last name is "Wong."

Honestly, I wish she could seek LULU.
 
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PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
I am not sure I understand why Caroline must have a Chinese coach. I don't think Michelle or Bebe ever had a Chinese coach.
 
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bigsisjiejie

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
demarinis5 said:
She did. I was surprised she was not named to the 4CC team.
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Bebe was not on the list of 8 ladies candidates for 4CC that the USFS were required to submit to ISU some time ago, well before Nationals. Either she had already told them she wasn't interested (USFS apparently did make inquries of the skaters beforehand), or they did not think she would do as well as she did and thus didn't consider her for 4CC.
 
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Nadine

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 3, 2003
I feel bad for Caroline because I think if she sticks with it (i.e. skating) she could improve her speed & technique. But OTOH, it's hard to break something that's been inherent since you were a child first skating. But I hope she tries.

That said, her entire demeanor suggests to me that she won't make it to the next Olympiad. She reminds me too much of Ann Patrice McDonough & her situation (with her mother as well). JMHO.

It doesn't help that Caroline seems to just give up, have a defeatist attitude, which was especially evident in her sitting down the 3R jump.:frown:

Still, what a beautiful skater she is, I totally enjoyed her "Nutcracker" routine at TEB.:thumbsup:
 
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PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Nadine said:
It doesn't help that Caroline seems to just give up, have a defeatist attitude, which was especially evident in her sitting down the 3R jump. :frown:
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I don't see a defeatist attitude. She is obviously still hurt, and she went out there and gave it her all. She is just one of those skaters who can't be bubbly and perky when she is skating poorly. Skating poorly just devistates her. Maybe that is a good thing.

I am not sure skating in the Four Continents is a good idea.
 
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krenseby

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
PolymerBob said:
I don't see a defeatist attitude. She is obviously still hurt, and she went out there and gave it her all. She is just one of those skaters who can't be bubbly and perky when she is skating poorly. Skating poorly just devistates her. Maybe that is a good thing.

I am not sure skating in the Four Continents is a good idea.
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And the funny thing about her Nationals LP is that she seemed to get more confident towards the end of the program.

I guess Caroline might be the exception to the rule - some skaters get tired towards the end, but she gets energized!
 
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