Is Rachael the one?

wonderlen3000 · Nov 16, 2009

She seem to be capable of getting the U.S title and one of the spot for Olympics. I think the only thing that she has over the rest of the u.s ladies is that she has consistent jumps. The rest of her skating is IMO just average and she has the worst spins and spiral among the u.s top ladies. Her performance at SA is a step up from her compare to last year. She does seem to look a little taller, and at least not juniorish as before.

Dodhiyel · Nov 16, 2009

cornell08 said:
"... but I'd rather have the possibility of a skater completely disintegrating or turning in a stunningly beautiful performance."

Thank you for expressing that thought. It may not be the majority's point of view, but I think it is nonetheless an interesting and perhaps important one.

I too am a devotee of the exquisite and the exceptional. For me it is not really about the medals or the points, although I do appreciate the subsequent opportunities those give more skaters to have a chance to compete. It is, for me, about how watching the performance makes me feel. Do I enjoy it? Do I admire it? If I do not, then I am disappointed, no matter what the score is. I think a lot of people in the home audiences feel that way.

prettykeys · Nov 16, 2009

If I were a coach and had to pick a U.S. lady to train and help polish, it'd definitely be Rachael. Her jumping talent and ability to focus under stress are the perfect template to work in beautiful choreography and introduce/nurture artistry.

Mirai seems to have the best balance of both technique and artistic talent, but neither is quite "there" yet.

Caroline Z and Alissa are both very beautiful, but their technical ability is still a little questionable.

I am still unsure of what to make of Ashley.

For this year's Olympic Team, I'd definitely put Rachael in as one of the ladies. I don't know who I would want as the second.

amateur · Nov 16, 2009

I have always suspected Rachael would be "the one" (in this generation of American girls).. and to me she DOES have star potential. She is just taking a slower steadier path of development towrds this, which is in fact the way it happens for most skaters in most countries other than the US! Seriously you Americans have been spoiled by Kwan/Lipinski/Hughes/Cohen etc. She is still so young!
In the meantinme she gives off a great sense of enjoying her skating and not getting unduly stressed out - I aplaud her!

PolymerBob · Nov 16, 2009

I like Rachael and I hope she does well, but I'm having a little trouble seeing how this event proves she is good under pressure. She went into this event without a chance on earth of winning. Everyone thought she would be trounced by 30 or 40 points. A silver or bronze would have been wonderful. So where was the pressure?

A silver for Yu-Na would have been a dismal failure. It seems that she was the one under pressure.

amateur · Nov 16, 2009

deleted

cornell08 · Nov 16, 2009

PolymerBob has a good point...although Rachael was slightly under pressure in terms of contributing a standout performance like Mirai's SP or Ashley's placements. But there was just so much more pressure on Yuna, so much more attention focused on her, that I'm sure Rachael felt no tangible pressure at Skate America.

Spun Silver · Nov 16, 2009

amateur said:
I have always suspected Rachael would be "the one" (in this generation of American girls).. and to me she DOES have star potential. She is just taking a slower steadier path of development towrds this, which is in fact the way it happens for most skaters in most countries other than the US! Seriously you Americans have been spoiled by Kwan/Lipinski/Hughes/Cohen etc. She is still so young!

But my point is, she's going backwards, at least in terms of interpretation and star quality/"it" factor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hvYIYkNjfM

R.D. · Nov 16, 2009

PolymerBob said:
I like Rachael and I hope she does well, but I'm having a little trouble seeing how this event proves she is good under pressure. She went into this event without a chance on earth of winning. Everyone thought she would be trounced by 30 or 40 points. A silver or bronze would have been wonderful. So where was the pressure?

A silver for Yu-Na would have been a dismal failure. It seems that she was the one under pressure.

I think we kind of saw at Worlds. There was pressure on the American women to get 3 spots, and while Rachel did quite well for herself, her teammate imploded in the short, taking herself out of it.

But come January, there are seriously 5 (potentially 6 depending on whether Hughes gets it together or Cohen miraculously appears) contenders for just 2 spots. Imagine that pressure...I think we'll be seeing lots of falls, sad faces and crushed dreams afterward. I hope it doesn't turn out like that though. OTOH, these girls are young anyway so they can easily continue into the 2014 cycle. The only one whose days might be numbered is Czisny- imagine how big an opportunity this is for her. Jan 24th could be the biggest night of her entire skating career- added pressure, not to mention she's the defending champ! Defending champs seem to have the worst luck the following year...That's why I think she's probably the least likely of the 5 contenders to make it- because I just don't think she can handle it.

The front-runners thus far seem to be Flatt and Wagner. All else notwithstanding, unless Zhang improves miraculously this weekend, those should probably be our two Olympians.

cornell08 · Nov 16, 2009

I think Alissa will bomb the short, and skate lights out for the long. Another Sabrina, I think. Just my gut feeling. However, I wonder how thrilling even a magical performance will be from her, since she skated to the same music last year.

chrissy51 · Nov 16, 2009

If Sasha skates and skates well at Nationals we have some hope. I loved Ashley's program last year I only wished she pulled it together when it counted. Rachel is a very good technical skater and I really hope she skates well, she has spunk which reminds me of Tara, but lacks Tara bubbly and excitement performances, I wish them all well and hope they all skate their best.

MK's Winter · Nov 16, 2009

I like to think that Ashley Wagner is. Rachel is a great skater, wonderful jumps but her presentation doesn't really do anything for me(just my opinion) and her combination spin in the middle of her program(the catch foot) made me cringe a little.... :eek:

MK's Winter · Nov 16, 2009

and her combination spin in the middle of her program(the catch foot) made me cringe a little.... :eek:

[/QUOTE]

Ok I lied, I cringed alot, her positions were, how can I say this nicely....not attractive, ok...whew I feel better now

chuckm · Nov 16, 2009

cornell08 said:
Rachael is not the one. "The one" can never be someone who, even skating close to her best, cannot beat someone who turns in a bad performance.

Flatt did beat Kim in the FS. Kim won because she had an 18-point lead going into the FS.

She is currently #3 on the Season's Best list, ahead of Asada, Ando, Wagner and Rochette, and she has been more consistent than many of those ladies. Her SA score would have won gold at CoR and NHK.

Flatt has been 2nd in the last two Nationals, and she finished 5th at Worlds in her first appearance there, 6 places ahead of National champion Czisny. She performs extremely well under pressure.

chuckm · Nov 16, 2009

MK's Winter said:
I like to think that Ashley Wagner is. Rachel is a great skater, wonderful jumps but her presentation doesn't really do anything for me(just my opinion) and her combination spin in the middle of her program(the catch foot) made me cringe a little....

The problem with Ashley is you don't know which Ashley you're going to get. She can be good one time, and not so good the next. I don't much like Ashley's presentation---she's way too frantic, and because she rushes her jumps, she often gets gigged for URs. She also flutzes pretty badly, and loses about 5 points off her total score because of that. Most important, she's shown herself not to be a pressure skater. She had the lead after the FS at NHK, and then flubbed her way through her FS to be beaten by Ando and Leonova.

To me, Ashley looks as if she's trying to get through her FS just as fast as possible, and I don't see her enjoying her performance the way Rachael does. Each to his/her own preference.

MasterB · Nov 16, 2009

SAD as some of you may be, she is it! The only reason Kim beat her was due to the overscoring of the short program for kim. NO way was she 18 points better than Flatt and if history repeats itself the favorite will not win the OLys.

Joesitz (RIP) · Nov 16, 2009

^^^
and think of the consistencty differences.

Enthusiast · Nov 16, 2009

MK's Winter said:
Rachel is but her presentation doesn't really do anything for me(just my opinion) and her combination spin in the middle of her program(the catch foot) made me cringe a little....

ITA with the presentation. And those ugly spins. Flatt needs to speed up, straighten her posture, and please, skate with just a little charisma and spark. Even Leonova who has average skating skills would probably look like she would enjoy skating to Sing, Sing Sing. Flatt needs to remind herself she is 17, not 77. Also do ballet exercises every morning.

Rachael is a highly intelligent girl. I don't dislike her, just like I don't dislike D/W, Miki Ando, D/D as individuals, but her overall skating and presentation is so forgettable. Very forgettable.

jsteam4501s · Nov 16, 2009

Somebody mentioned they have enjoyed Mirai Nagasu's skating the most this season - wait a minute! I have watched all but one of the Grand Prix events and I have not seen Nagasu skate at all! Was she entered in something and didn't make the final group for TV or something? I have seen Alissa, Ashley, Caroline, and Rachael - but no Mirai! Is there something I've missed - or something? :rofl:

silverlake22 · Nov 17, 2009

jsteam4501s said:
Somebody mentioned they have enjoyed Mirai Nagasu's skating the most this season - wait a minute! I have watched all but one of the Grand Prix events and I have not seen Nagasu skate at all! Was she entered in something and didn't make the final group for TV or something? I have seen Alissa, Ashley, Caroline, and Rachael - but no Mirai! Is there something I've missed - or something?

Mirai competed at Cup of China which was around halloween I believe. She won the SP, but then was 6th in the long because she fell once and I think 4 or 5 of her other triples were downgraded for under-rotation. I guess it's hard when you grow 8 inches in under three years...She competes again at SC this weekend with Alissa and Caroline.

Is Rachael the one?

wonderlen3000

Dodhiyel

prettykeys

amateur

PolymerBob

amateur

cornell08

Spun Silver

R.D.

cornell08

chrissy51

MK's Winter

MK's Winter

chuckm

chuckm

MasterB

Joesitz (RIP)

Enthusiast

jsteam4501s

silverlake22

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