Golden West (Sept. 3-6 in Culver City, CA)

[fairly4]

for all people who was disappointed in caroline zhangs skate.

i have a question Did the USFSA force caroline zhang to skate at golden west due to her injury_-(tenditis) why i bring it up--sasha pulled out of skate america for same reason and is using that not to go. Okay i told her to, but i sure wasn't expecting it. for me now she has to skate TWO perfect programs (sasha i mean )
also caroline zhang injury played a part in her teb (but no one brought that out).
favoritism played into that--yes but not for caroline zhang.

[mskater93]

No, US Figure Skating did not FORCE Zhang to skate at GW. She could have been monitored privately later if she had asked. She had a bye to Nationals as well (top 5 from last year) so could have skipped her GP events and gone straight to Nationals. She has CHOSEN to not withdraw from TEB and SC.

There IS NO favoritism. Sasha gets a bye based on the rules set forth the same way Kwan did the previous OOOOO cycle to Nationals. Go look at the rules which are uniformly applied and get over it.

[vlaurend]

Mskater is right. In fact, about a month before Golden West, I asked Caroline's coach (her coach at the time) if she had to skate at Golden West for monitoring purposes or any other reason and she said no, she did not have to, she had a bye.
I personally think Caroline wanted to compete at Golden West. It is sponsored by her home club and she has done that competition every year since she was a little kid.

[fairly4]

thank you-
it been reported that she Zhang had to skate at goldenwest regardless of what happened at last years nationals.
this was because the USFSA needed to see how competition ready she was and last summer competition of the season and something about being an elite skater. so she had to go not just be monitored.

[mskater93]

She could have chosen to withdraw from TEB and didn't need to skate at GW. Since she was top 5 at Nats last year, she didn't have to compete GPs to save her spot at Nationals. She needed moniitoring, yes, before her GP per the US Figure Skating rules, but she didn't have to do her GPs to go to Nats this year

[iceminx]

there were a couple people who took videos of caroline and mirai (curiously, they didn't film rachel...) hopefully they will post the videos.

That's exactly what I would have done

[iceminx]

Indeed we are.

My ranking:

1) Ashley (both programs)
2) Caroline's short
3) Rachael's short
4) Mirai (both)
5) Rachael's long
6) Caroline's long

Also gonna throw in that I loved Ellie Kawamura's SP to 'Over the Rainbow' but that dress is...four shades too literal.

1) Caroline's SP
2.) Mirai's LP
3.)Mirai's SP
4.)Caroline's LP

[Sylvia]

it been reported that she Zhang had to skate at goldenwest regardless of what happened at last years nationals.
this was because the USFSA needed to see how competition ready she was and last summer competition of the season and something about being an elite skater. so she had to go not just be monitored.

Correct. As I understand it, all the U.S. Grand Prix skaters not in the Team A funding envelope, including Caroline Zhang, were required by USFS to skate both of their programs in a club competition at least 30 days before their GP event so that they could be monitored for spin/footwork levels, etc. If Zhang had been too injured to skate at Golden West, then chances are she would not have been recovered enough or ready to compete 5 weeks later at TEB. (Sasha Cohen reportedly was grouped with the Team A envelope athletes and monitored privately by USFS.)