Ladies Free Program 19:00 pm Eastern Time Saturday, November 21 | Page 18 | Golden Skate

Ladies Free Program 19:00 pm Eastern Time Saturday, November 21

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Good points - but Natls is not an international event,

I should have said "if international judges were judging the event". I'll modify my post because that's really what I meant- Thanks for catching that.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
I should have said "if international judges were judging the event". I'll modify my post because that's really what I meant- Thanks for catching that.

OK, but I wasn't being a smart azz.

I wonder what US judges will be looking for?
All this talk that Rachael may quit to go to college should not be held against her - but if it is close, why not take a Frank carroll girl who will be around to challenge for the title in a couple of years?

And Rachael just seems limited - I don't think she will get much better. Actually she has not gotten better this year from what I see.
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
I think that the kind of PCS that Akiko received here would negatively affect her chance to go to the Olympics. Now it seems that Yukari has the edge. Akiko is even worse than Fumie because Fumie typically receives good PCS at Nationals.
 

DarkestMoon

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 19, 2009
OK, but I wasn't being a smart azz.

I wonder what US judges will be looking for?
All this talk that Rachael may quit to go to college should not be held against her - but if it is close, why not take a Frank carroll girl who will be around to challenge for the title in a couple of years?

And Rachael just seems limited - I don't think she will get much better. Actually she has not gotten better this year from what I see.

The US is thinking about the now and the tradition. If the US thought about the future, they wouldn't have been milking the crap out of Sasha and Michelle's careers but rather focusing on making sure their skaters are up to international standards. I stand by my opinion that the National team should be taken more seriously. The US should make like Canada and Japan, hold test comps in the summer and watch over the progress of their skaters.
 

gourry

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
I think that the kind of PCS that Akiko received here would negatively affect her chance to go to the Olympics. Now it seems that Yukari has the edge. Akiko is even worse than Fumie because Fumie typically receives good PCS at Nationals.

Well, let's wait and see how she does at GPF. If she finishes better than Miki there, Akiko goes to the Olympics. And if she does well there, her PCS will be boosted a bit, hopefully....


I sometimes just wonder, what if Akiko beats Miki at GPF and gets one spot, and then Yukari/Fumie has a performance of her life to win at Nationals and gets second spot, then who is going to be the third one? Miki? Or Mao? (It's not really likely to happen though. :) ) Oh then things gonna be re~~~ally interesting.
 
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R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
And Rachael just seems limited - I don't think she will get much better.

This I agree with. I think she's maxed out her potential. She might have potentially peaked at SA- I certainly hope not, though...
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
One interesting thing is that if we still had 6.0 judging, Rachael would have won in both 2008 and 2009 on factored placements.

IMHO there has only been one decent LP by a U.S. lady this season, Rachael at Skate America.

As for the mantra, "just wait till 2014!" -- all the current crop of U.S. ladies may be gone by then.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
One interesting thing is that if we still had 6.0 judging, Rachael would have won in both 2008 and 2009 on factored placements.

Really...wow.

I think you just depressed all the Rachel fans in the house :chorus:;)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Thanks to the various posters who corrected me about the standings! I had looked something up and found Alissa in fourth--maybe it was the free skate itself--but the final standings put her in second. Great! She wins silver. It's stressful being an Alissa fan...one can't really breathe easily until the points come in. I think it's worth it, though; spins and footwork like hers don't come along every day, or every year, by a long shot.

But the news is still depressing for Zhang, alas.

As for Rachael, I don't know how to evaluate her skating. She's certainly more consistent than most of the other U.S. ladies. She's probably blessed with the kind of steady temperament we wish for all our favorites (and so few of them have). But there's nothing about her that stands out for me. Is there something I'm not seeing? The fact that she's not a glamor girl like Ando or Czisny shouldn't change the effect her skating has on us. I noticed in Skate America that she reminds me a lot of Jayne Torvill, who could mesmerize anyone who had a pulse. (Christopher Dean didn't get all those 6.0's all by his lonesome!) So what is it about her that doesn't make me feel as though she's the savior of American ladies' skating? I really want to feel that way about her. I admire her perseverance and like her personality.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I do wish Czisny would become more of an "attack" skater. That could really make a difference in terms of the "ghost points" for example.

I think her inconsistency and tentativeness will keep her from the top crop of skaters but I'd say she's a very good B-list skater- that is, when she's on. But when she has her usual performances, she's more in C-range.
 
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R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
So what is it about her that doesn't make me feel as though she's the savior of American ladies' skating? I really want to feel that way about her. I admire her perseverance and like her personality.

Because we've had skaters that impress like Alyssa and hit like Rachel.
 

krenseby

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
I do wish Czisny would become more of an "attack" skater. That could really make a difference in terms of the "ghost points" for example.

I think her inconsistency and tentativeness will keep her from the top crop of skaters but I'd say she's a very good B-list skater- that is, when she's on. But when she has her usual performances, she's more in C-range.

I think she has a limited stylistic range. The reason why she isn't an attack skater has little to do with her inconsistency. It seems that she prefers sort of mellow gentle music to the type that would have more highs and lows and would force her to be more dramatic on the ice. Could she expand her range? I am not sure but I doubt that she is even thinking about it.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Anyway, onto my comments about the comp. Not much to write home about. Most everyone was underwhelming. But I really took notice of this Lepisto girl- maybe it's the right program for her or something but her performance really stood out (despite the errors). Very charming.

Hats off to Mirai and Alyssa though :rock: Mirai for staying strong and Alyssa for hanging on to get silver. Zhang's disappointing though- I really hope she can regroup but things just seem to be slipping away for her- she seems to have regressed since the beginning of the season (and last year). I wonder if it's that or just an off-night for her. She's GOT to fix the jump technique though.
 

krenseby

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
So what is it about her that doesn't make me feel as though she's the savior of American ladies' skating? I really want to feel that way about her. I admire her perseverance and like her personality.

I think Flatt is just very ordinary so far: she lacks subtlety and sophistication.
 

skfan

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Anyway, onto my comments about the comp. Not much to write home about. Most everyone was underwhelming. But I really took notice of this Lepisto girl- maybe it's the right program for her or something but her performance really stood out (despite the errors). Very charming.

Hats off to Mirai and Alyssa though :rock: Mirai for staying strong and Alyssa for hanging on to get silver. Zhang's disappointing though- I really hope she can regroup but things just seem to be slipping away for her- she seems to have regressed since the beginning of the season (and last year). I wonder if it's that or just an off-night for her. She's GOT to fix the jump technique though.


1 more lepisto fan. about time you noticed the bewitching laura :)

i like laura. i find her more alluring than kira korpi as eye candy. in terms of jump technique and posture, as a skater, also. poykio is the 3rd prettiest and so doesn't stand a chance to make the finnish oly team, since so far it's been a beauty pageant, though she should receive extra points for her very tasteful short program dress :rofl:

so glad i didn't skip my dinner date to watch the ladiezzzzzz.
 

krenseby

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
Anyway, onto my comments about the comp. Not much to write home about. Most everyone was underwhelming. But I really took notice of this Lepisto girl- maybe it's the right program for her or something but her performance really stood out (despite the errors). Very charming.

Hats off to Mirai and Alyssa though :rock: Mirai for staying strong and Alyssa for hanging on to get silver. Zhang's disappointing though- I really hope she can regroup but things just seem to be slipping away for her- she seems to have regressed since the beginning of the season (and last year). I wonder if it's that or just an off-night for her. She's GOT to fix the jump technique though.

I think the real issue is that the judges really hate her LP performance. Yes, the jumps and the speed and the stroking are real problems for her. But she does a poor job on the elements not just because she is technically out of her depth, but also because she doesn't get into the rhythm and the flow of skating due to her disconnect from the music. I think she had something with Ave Maria because she was entranced by it, even if it did seem kinda cheesy to many.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
I wonder if that won't come with age though. She's still 16 right?

17. And honestly, anyone who doesn't think Rachael is a great skater is pulling at straws. She's more consistent than Ashley and Alissa, doesn't have jump problems like Caroline, Mirai, and Alissa, and came in 5th at worlds with performances that were NOT her best.

As for this competition, the judging has really made the whole thing very confusing . I mean, the only girl to land a triple-triple tonight was Sarah Hecken, and she finished in 9th place :rofl: I think that says a lot. 112 for Joannie's skate that was full of doubles? Same goes for Laura Lepisto, who I was noticing tonight looks almost dangerously thin...hope she's ok!

Caroline looked so depressed on the ice, I think she should quit skating and pick up ballet or rhythmic gymnastics...less pressure, less scrutiny, and her flexibility would make her very good at either.

In terms of Olympics, if Alissa does well at nationals, the US should just send her. She really wants to go to the Olympics, if she does well then great, but if not, she still gets to go and it might just mean she'll end up retiring from the sport fairly soon. Plus, placement at the Olympcis doesn't determine anything does it? Ashley, Mirai, and Rachael are all young enough that they could easily go in 2014. Alissa had a good shot in making it in 2005 and continued to progress since then.
 
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