Caroline Zhang's 2009-10 season

[DarkestMoon]

Really, how much speed can one improve on if their edges are so great? Her speed can improve but the improvement will eventually stop if her edges doesn't improve. Speed won't really cover her other flaws. To improve her edges would mean Caroline is going to have to splat for a bit. The coaching change is good by all means but going to a big name coach doesn't mean you'll start winning. If Caroline earns her spot to Vancouver, good for her but IMHO, she'd be more ready for Sochi after she fixes everything.

Caroline is in a prisoner's dilemma, sort of. If she goes to someone like Don Laws, she's going to have her technique fixed but it means she most likely will have to sacrifice this season because there's just so much to work on. If she chooses not to (given the possibility of what happens if she does), she really isn't going to be posing a challenge to Mao, Yuna or Joannie because her technique issues gives away points despite the fact that she has skated the most splat-free-mistake-free (physically, not on paper) free skates last season.

I do agree with several posters who said that this summer's coaching changes is like a last ditch-effort. If X skater had the goods going, changing coaches isn't necessarily a bad thing but very few skaters can be like Shizuka who changed coaches during the Olympic year and win. That said, for Shizuka, her faults consisted of a lip and motivational issues, which the judges looked passed the first at the time anyway.

[bekalc]

If Charlene is a well-versed technical coach (which is what Caroline desperately needs) and can help to improve Caroline's speed, all is fine and dandy. I must say that Mirai's technical issues don't support that assumption too well, though.

I don't think Charlene is this great technical coach, especially when it comes to jumps. Mirai if I recall went to Charlene in 2007. She was getting praise for her skating skills that year, so I suspect Mirai already had great skating skills when she went to Charlene. However, Mirai's jumps certainly went downhill the longer she was with Charlene.

Mirai is partly fast because of her great skating skills/edging. Same goes for other fast skaters. It's not just speed it's basic skating skills.

[janetfan]

Really, how much speed can one improve on if their edges are so great? Her speed can improve but the improvement will eventually stop if her edges doesn't improve. Speed won't really cover her other flaws. To improve her edges would mean Caroline is going to have to splat for a bit. The coaching change is good by all means but going to a big name coach doesn't mean you'll start winning. If Caroline earns her spot to Vancouver, good for her but IMHO, she'd be more ready for Sochi after she fixes everything.

Caroline is in a prisoner's dilemma, sort of. If she goes to someone like Don Laws, she's going to have her technique fixed but it means she most likely will have to sacrifice this season because there's just so much to work on. If she chooses not to (given the possibility of what happens if she does), she really isn't going to be posing a challenge to Mao, Yuna or Joannie because her technique issues gives away points despite the fact that she has skated the most splat-free-mistake-free (physically, not on paper) free skates last season.

I do agree with several posters who said that this summer's coaching changes is like a last ditch-effort. If X skater had the goods going, changing coaches isn't necessarily a bad thing but very few skaters can be like Shizuka who changed coaches during the Olympic year and win. That said, for Shizuka, her faults consisted of a lip and motivational issues, which the judges looked passed the first at the time anyway.

I enjoyed your post and as much as I love Caroline I agree with you. I really think she should have used this past season to try and fix things and accepted there could be some splats and bad results. But as I think about it - considering how much I hear about her growth spurt maybe this is the year to make a change, accept a few subpar performances and look to 2014. Who knows, maybe Caroline can get through all of this and still manage a good season. It wouldn't surprise me because I sense a toughness in her and a strong competitive spirit.

I am not sure what you meant about Shizuka though. I was not pulling for her at Torino but think she earned the OGM by outskating Sasha and Irina when it mattered the most.

[DarkestMoon]

I am not sure what you meant about Shizuka though. I was not pulling for her at Torino but think she earned the OGM by outskating Sasha and Irina when it mattered the most.

Shizuka changed to Morozov right before or during (?) the Olympic season and managed to pull herself together to win. Granted, she didn't need much fixing since Callaghan and Tarasova did all the work. All she really needed was proper motivation and workable programs. A bunch of skaters are making coaching changes right now but I don't think they'll have the same end result as Shizuka because they all need some sort of fixing. I'd assume people are making coaching changes to get to the Games and win. Shizuka had the lip but no one (judges) really cared until two seasons later.

[feraina]

Mirai is partly fast because of her great skating skills/edging. Same goes for other fast skaters. It's not just speed it's basic skating skills.

Well, exactly. Who said if Charlene took on Caroline, they would only work on Caroline's speed without regard to skating skills/edging? In fact, isn't Charlene's former pupil a good counter example?

Anyway, I actually highly doubt Charlene to be Caroline's new coach. But we'll see tomorrow!

[LeCygne]

Anyway, I actually highly doubt Charlene to be Caroline's new coach. But we'll see tomorrow!

Yeah me too. Wait, what's tomorrow?

[HCOSurfer]

Yeah me too. Wait, what's tomorrow?

Caroline posted on her twitter that she's announcing who her new coach is tomorrow.

[LeCygne]

Caroline posted on her twitter that she's announcing who her new coach is tomorrow.

OH. I just saw that. Thank you. Wow, this is nerve-wracking.

[feraina]

OH. I just saw that. Thank you. Wow, this is nerve-wracking.

Yeah, no kidding. Between Charlene Wong and Don Laws, those are pretty starkly different choices.

Watch her surprise us with a completely novel possibility!

[Sdongxie]

Actually, I hope her choice would be Don Laws...

[Tonichelle]

Don rocks!

[Groshkova]

I'd love to see Caroline with Galina and Viktor.

[feraina]

I'd love to see Caroline with Galina and Viktor.

My only worry with that is that Johnny Weir's speed and difficulty/execution of transitions/footwork have actually been declining since going to them. In the least, they have not been improving -- and this is a key reason why he's losing ground to Evan, who's really improving on those qualities. So I don't know if they're the right coaches for Caroline either...

Btw, I'm definitely not advocating Charlene Wong for Caroline, I think Don Laws would be far better. I was just saying that Charlene might not be a totally stupid choice for Caroline, if going to her means more speed (and yes, that would also mean better edging/skating skills, etc.) and higher jumps (another quality Mirai had, even if she couldn't always finish her rotations in the air; she somehow was too loose coming down in the air or something, because her under-rotations weren't due to lack of height).

[antmanb]

Really, how much speed can one improve on if their edges are so great? Her speed can improve but the improvement will eventually stop if her edges doesn't improve. Speed won't really cover her other flaws. To improve her edges would mean Caroline is going to have to splat for a bit. The coaching change is good by all means but going to a big name coach doesn't mean you'll start winning. If Caroline earns her spot to Vancouver, good for her but IMHO, she'd be more ready for Sochi after she fixes everything.

Caroline is in a prisoner's dilemma, sort of. If she goes to someone like Don Laws, she's going to have her technique fixed but it means she most likely will have to sacrifice this season because there's just so much to work on. If she chooses not to (given the possibility of what happens if she does), she really isn't going to be posing a challenge to Mao, Yuna or Joannie because her technique issues gives away points despite the fact that she has skated the most splat-free-mistake-free (physically, not on paper) free skates last season.

Well my opinion on all this would be - move to the best technical coach. Any coach will know that a major overhaul of Caroline's technique this clsoe to the Olympics could result in loosing too many elements to be competitive so the tactic I would take is not to overhaul major things like jump technique. By WTT Zhang was fully rotating her jumps. Her picking technique will need major work so leave that be for the Olympic season.

What can easily be worked on and imporved over the summer is basic stroking, power skating, edge drills. All of these things will give her better speed and flow across the ice and can easily be done over the summer. If they really want to work on at least one jump then i think the double axel would be a better bet thatn trying to fix the flip and lutz.

Speed and the double axel is doable in the summer, as for the rest leave them alone for the Olympic season and start work on the rest in the off season after the Olympics.

Ant

[cornell08]

I think its imperative that her next coach be someone who has an inspired vision and stands his ground on it. Caroline really needs to be pushed out of her comfort zone and to change her bad habits-- with good instruction of course. The fact that Charlene Wong let Mirai even compete last season on that injured ankle makes me wonder if she's the woman to do it-- or Nicks for that matter given his old interviews saying how "Sasha runs the show" (even though he seems like a darkhorse for the job now based on the rumor mill)

The suspense is killing me!