Rachael Flatt

[janetfan]

Seeing topics on Mirai and Caroline I thought I would start one for Rachael.
I like her consistency but am not really a big fan (yet). It seems many think it will be Rachael and someone else in Vancouver next season.
I am not sure why because consistency alone is not enough if other skaters have progressed or are skating more brilliantly at Nationals.
Maybe this "it" factor stuff has been discussed enough - but for me, if a kitchen break becomes necessary, it wont happen when Sasha, Caroline or Mirai are skating. It could be during Rachael's skate (or Emily, Kimmie, Ashley, etc).
That means nothing as far as medaling and is just my preference at this time.
Will Rachael be on Natl team next season? Will she add a little more artistry and flair and skate a little faster? I am sure that is what I miss in her skating.
I don't mean for this to sound negative towards Rachael and think she is a very talented skater and a very good competitor. With several meltdowns and a great skate she could even back into a bronze in Vancouver.

[dewey]

Rachael finished higher than the other U.S. ladies at her GP events and Worlds, many feel she should have been the National Champion, and she has the highest ISU ranking right now. She is wicked consistent. So based on this past season, many feel she is the best choice for one of the Olympic spots. But ultimately, how she and the others do this fall and winter will be more important.

[Wicked]

At the beginning of last season, I was not too impressed with Rachael at all. But I felt that she gained maturity towards the end of the season and I started feeling like I was watching a lady rather than a girl. I have high hopes for her this coming season.

[janetfan]

Very good points. She may finish highest again this season at GP's. Sometimes an easier GP schedule makes this possible. That is why it is so hard to give too much credence to GP results.
Seems that it was Caroline who beat Rachael at both 4CC and WTT last season. But I thought Rachael did well at Natls and in her Wolrds debut. She is a very good competitor but I wonder how much better she will be this season?
Sasha changes the whole picture at Natls and it is possible there will only be one spot for our talented younger skaters to fight over.
It will be tough for all of them. (If only Caroline had been marked fairly at Natls we probably would have our traditional three spots for this season.) .

[Mathman]

I hope Rachael wins the U.S. championship this year. In my opinion, she skated the best in both 2008 nationals and 2009 nationals and should be heading into the Olympic season as the two-time and defending champ.

Rachael never disappoints on the ice. Plus, she has many interests outside of skating. I could see her taking her best shot at the Olympics this year, then heading off to college.

[dorispulaski]

I hope Rachael wins Nationals too. I saw her skate at Liberty this last summer, and her SP was one of the highlights of the whole event. She is one of those skaters who is better live than on TV. She has become one of my favorites. Unfortunately I also like Kimmie and Caroline, so I'm going to be a little bit disappointed no matter who gets the 2 spots to Olympics.

[Spun Silver]

I hope Rachael wins Nationals too. I saw her skate at Liberty this last summer, and her SP was one of the highlights of the whole event. She is one of those skaters who is better live than on TV.

In that case I'll really look forward to seeing her at SA. Unlike MM, I'm usually a little disappointed by her skates. She's very competent and at her best very musical (which I love) but has not yet shown star quality. So as of now I can't hope she'll win Nats - but maybe after SA I'll feel differently.

[janetfan]

Rachael never disappoints on the ice. Plus, she has many interests outside of skating. I could see her taking her best shot at the Olympics this year, then heading off to college.

Seems like Caroline, Mirai and Rachael are all very bright and have many interests off the ice.
After her Worlds performance last season I can see Rachael making a run for a medal in Vancouver. But based on how she skated at Worlds we would need to see several major meldowns. Mao's 4th place score was considerably higher than Rachael's 5th place score. That is why I am interested in how others see her potential for improvement this season. It is ridiculous to always hear Caroline is too slow - when Rachael does not seem any faster to me. Rachael's jumps look better but Caroline has other aspects that are far above Rachael - and on par or better than Yuna and Mao. This was reflected in Caroline's score at 4CC where she beat Rachel by 9 points.

[Joesitz]

Rachael, above all US Lady skaters, improved so much since last year that she is leading the pack. She's cool on the ice, and I hope she makes the Oly Team.

[feraina]

God, I hope they pick the right music for her this season. When she's off ice, she's so bubbly and animated. I was really impressed by the national team pictures that she took because they conveyed those very things, whereas the others (bar Johnny) just looked like they were being told how to pose. I think that's what she should look for in music. I also agree that she has the best musicality of the entire US bunch, she pays attention to the music. I wonder if it's true that she'll be working on a triple axel this summer. I know there was an article somewhere where she said that she was excited about working on it again. I think that would really up her chances if she could get that.

Interesting point. Caroline is also very bubbly and animated in person, and yet it doesn't really show in her skating, except for this little encore (end of her JW 07 exhibition):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdPCiSRPwUY
See what I mean about her having a little inner diva waiting to burst out?

I hope Rachael doesn't work too much on the 3A. I think if she doesn't have a fairly consistent 3A by 17, then she is more likely to injure herself seriously than to be able to incorporate that successfully into her competitive programs (her 17th b-day is coming up next month, btw). Mao had it already more or less rotated by 11, didn't she? And she's the most successful of the ladies with the jump, and even she doesn't have that high of success rate with it.

Likewise, I hope Kimmie doesn't practice the 3A too seriously. I think even though practicing the 3A is a really gutsy move, strategically she'd be much better off making her 3-3's consistent again. Similarly with Rachael.

[feraina]

Wow, gosh, how did my comment end up being #10?? I read and quoted Mandykane's comment (#15). Something weird is going on with the server.

[Alicja]

IMO Rachael has the best musical expression of all current US ladies and I really hope she can find music that suits her skating. I think for her a lot depends on the right music choice. If she could add some more speed, it'd help a lot too. While she isn't the slowest among the current skaters, there's still much room for improvement for her in that area. After all, I think Rachael knows what her weaknesses are and will work on those.

[Alicja]

Seems like Caroline, Mirai and Rachael are all very bright and have many interests off the ice.
After her Worlds performance last season I can see Rachael making a run for a medal in Vancouver. But based on how she skated at Worlds we would need to see several major meldowns. Mao's 4th place score was considerably higher than Rachael's 5th place score. That is why I am interested in how others see her potential for improvement this season. It is ridiculous to always hear Caroline is too slow - when Rachael does not seem any faster to me. Rachael's jumps look better but Caroline has other aspects that are far above Rachael - and on par or better than Yuna and Mao. This was reflected in Caroline's score at 4CC where she beat Rachel by 9 points.

It is interesting how you can say some nice things about Rachael and yet say at the same time how much better you think Caroline is.
You may prefer Caroline but that doesn't say that she's a better skater, artistry is in the eye of the beholder. As is the 'it' factor we're consistenly talking about. I really hope both Rachael and Caroline make the Olympic team, as they are so totally different in style. I like how they are both unique, I wouldn't want them to change, other than improving their weaknesses. All I can say is: Rock it, girls!

[janetfan]

It is interesting how you can say some nice things about Rachael and yet say at the same time how much better you think Caroline is.
You may prefer Caroline but that doesn't say that she's a better skater, artistry is in the eye of the beholder. As is the 'it' factor we're consistenly talking about. I really hope both Rachael and Caroline make the Olympic team, as they are so totally different in style. I like how they are both unique, I wouldn't want them to change, other than improving their weaknesses. All I can say is: Rock it, girls!

You are right and I do prefer Caroline over Rachael. But Rachael, based on GP assignments seems to be the favorite of US Skating heading into this season and not Caroline. I just wonder which will have made the most improvement heading into next season. And I wonder about Mirai and Ashley too. Or even if Kimmie will ever get her jumps back?
You are also right that artistic taste and "it" factor can be subjective. I prefer Caroline's spins, spirals and layback's over Rachael. I prefer and admire Rachael's solid and steady jumping technique over Caroline. Right now on a given night either girl could win, it would depend on who skated better.
I think both girls need to skate faster and add some excitement to their programs. Mirai already has that and needs to fix other things.
But I can see Rachael coming out for next season with some exciting new programs and establishing herself as the No. 1 US Lady. I can also see Caroline doing that too, and also Mirai.

[John King]

I like her, both her skating and her adorable personality. And got from her last week, a signed 8X10 color glossy photo, after sending her a fan letter about a month ago. I hope this straight 'A' student does well in the Nationals, Worlds, and of course Vancouver Olympics.