The "Future" of Figure Skating: 2014 Olympic Podium Threats (Ladies)
- Thread starter silverlake22
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- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
^^ I kinda doubt Czisny will stick around to try and make the Olympic team at age 26. She just doesn't have the competition nerves or the jumps to get her to the top. Rochette and Kostner will also likely be done before Sochi, and likely Miki Ando if the youngsters start beating her. I think you should add Lepisto to the vets list though, I bet she'll be at Sochi.
Caroline could have a comeback, but she needs to regroup completely and change coaches and really work at her weak points like Mirai did to do that. Flatt I think will go to college and skating will become her 2nd priority and what happened to Emily Hughes will happen to her, I don't think she will likely be at Sochi. Ashley is still a question mark, but I guess if she does college online she can continue to skate as she does now and have a good shot at Sochi - what happened to Alissa could happen to her though if the younger girls are simply better when 2014 rolls around.
As for the youngsters, why aren't Kanako Murakami, Yukiko Fujisawa, and Haruka Imai on the list? I also am unsure if Zawadski and Baga will be able to make the team just where the competition in the US will be so stiff, Mirai and Christina I think will be the next big US stars, and they'll likely be joined by another American though who that will be is less clear at this point. Also Anna Ovcharova of Russia might fare better than some of her current teammates - not everyone has the ability to be as expressive and musical as her! She does not do 3-3 in competition now but she does it in practice, which is more convincing of future success than some of the others considering many of them are still super short and she is not. Also baby Yuna! Orser wants to coach Min-Jung Kwak and if he does I bet she can go places.
Caroline could have a comeback, but she needs to regroup completely and change coaches and really work at her weak points like Mirai did to do that. Flatt I think will go to college and skating will become her 2nd priority and what happened to Emily Hughes will happen to her, I don't think she will likely be at Sochi. Ashley is still a question mark, but I guess if she does college online she can continue to skate as she does now and have a good shot at Sochi - what happened to Alissa could happen to her though if the younger girls are simply better when 2014 rolls around.
As for the youngsters, why aren't Kanako Murakami, Yukiko Fujisawa, and Haruka Imai on the list? I also am unsure if Zawadski and Baga will be able to make the team just where the competition in the US will be so stiff, Mirai and Christina I think will be the next big US stars, and they'll likely be joined by another American though who that will be is less clear at this point. Also Anna Ovcharova of Russia might fare better than some of her current teammates - not everyone has the ability to be as expressive and musical as her! She does not do 3-3 in competition now but she does it in practice, which is more convincing of future success than some of the others considering many of them are still super short and she is not. Also baby Yuna! Orser wants to coach Min-Jung Kwak and if he does I bet she can go places.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
I see the situation more as:
The Vets:
Yu-Na Kim
Mao Asada
Laura Lepisto
Akiko Suzuki
The Powers
super-powers (ala Kim, Asada)
Mirai Nagasu
Christina Gao
Kanako Murakami
lesser-powers (ala Ando, Kostner, Rochette)
Ashley Wagner
Alena Leonova
Min-Jung Kwak
The Youth
Elizaveta Tuktumysheva
Anna Ovcharova
Kim Haejin
Yukiko Fujisawa
The Vets:
Yu-Na Kim
Mao Asada
Laura Lepisto
Akiko Suzuki
The Powers
super-powers (ala Kim, Asada)
Mirai Nagasu
Christina Gao
Kanako Murakami
lesser-powers (ala Ando, Kostner, Rochette)
Ashley Wagner
Alena Leonova
Min-Jung Kwak
The Youth
Elizaveta Tuktumysheva
Anna Ovcharova
Kim Haejin
Yukiko Fujisawa
Interesting. But I think there is also likely the chance that the Vets maintain their dominance of the sport in the same way Michelle and Irina dominated it despite the rise of other teenage talents. But then again, Sarah Hughes will always remind me that I cannot count out the advantage a teenager has over the Vets no matter how dominant the latter ones are.
I think considering that the Olympics will be in Russia, the Russian teens (and I'm not thinking Ksensia Marakova unless she improves technically) are going to have a big advantage. Reports are Mishin is already politiking for Elizaveta. So if they can maintain their jumps and 3/3s, I think they can vault to the top very quickly.
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- Nov 22, 2009
Mishin said something really funny in an interview once. Something like Russian girls are not built to be dainty skaters. They are better suited for working on the railroad. I'm paraphrasing and might have mucked up the translation but I thought it was hilarious.
Anyway, Elizaveta looks to be an experiment right now. Although if she's successful people can start calling her Queen Tukt.
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2009
Curiously, what does that mean anyway?
I agree with this list whole-heartedly. Yes, there's a lot of fast-rising stars around the world who will have learned, if anything, from this Olympics that it's not necessariliy just the big tricks that get you the points; it's how well you do them and all the details; transitions, spins, spirals, etc. Mirai, I feel, will be a major medal threat by 2014 if her LP at the Olys this year was anything to go by. Buuuuttt, I see the vets, if they hold on, will be VERY strong contenders, especially Mao. After these Olys... well, I read in an article that she makes sure to keep the silver medal in sight as a way to motivate her to work harder for the gold. And if Yu-na stays on... that's only going to fuel the rivalry and we all know Yu-na and Mao push and make each other better. As long as these two girls stay on top of their game and are pushing each other on and on... the gold/silver is a tossup between the two of them. The super-powers will probably duke it out for bronze OR as a darkhorse medalist (that is, if the pressure gets to Yu-na and Mao and they crumble).
But, this is all purely speculation. A lot can happen in four years.... oooh, I'm already psyched up for the Sochi Olys lols. I can tell it's going to be epic somehow; Russia's going to want to retake its poistion in the figure skating world, Mao, unless she suffers a major injury or something, is going to be back for that gold, Yu-na, if she hangs on for another four years, is going to have to face off w/Mao again (w/Korea and Japan going crazy of course... >.<) and then Mirai and Christina and all the other ladies are going to be fighting for that gold too. 2010 really upped the ante on Ladies figure skate; 2014, I think, is going to raise the bar even more.
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- Aug 24, 2005
Moxie- I'd like to know that as well. That's a rather loaded statement, bekalc. How much politiking could Mishin possibly do? Sochi is four years away, anyway.
Let's see Elizaveta make it to puberty first before we start forming theories about backdoor deals her coach "already" has in the works for her.
Let's see Elizaveta make it to puberty first before we start forming theories about backdoor deals her coach "already" has in the works for her.
All of the federations politik for their skaters, every single one of them. I'm highly doubting at this point there's any kind of back room deal. But if you think that if the Russian federation has talented skaters by the time of Sochi, and they aren't going to really push them. Well... Look at how much Chan and Rochette got pushed.
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- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
I think in general this is true, and that is why we see so many great female Russians skaters be so great when they are 12 and then disappear by the time they are old enough to go to Olympics and worlds; because puberty is too hard on them and their bodies change a lot. I think Asians are coming to dominate the sport because they are generally small and light, and in a sport where jumps, number of revolutions, and bending yourself in half are so important, this helps. Many European and American skaters struggle because they become too tall, too muscular, too heavy, too hippy, etc. Not all successful skaters are the same build but I think skaters like Joannie, Irina, Rachael can get away with being stronger builds because they are short and Carolina and Kiira can get away with being tall because they are skinny. Most of the asian skaters are tall enough to have the desired long lines but are not actually tall and weigh very little but are still strong.
Yeah... I read something in an article that's like, slimmer hips help skaters "cut" through the air during jumps or something? Thus, due to the increased focus on technical details, the ideal build is small(less weight) and slim.
I don't see Akiko or Miki continue until Sochi. I'd be a little surprised if Yuna continues. But coming back after retiring once may be interesting.
Oh! I dont know HOW I left the Japanese girls off...I completely should have added those three. =] And I gave a large, basically genuine list to include in the factor that things can change soo fast.
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- Nov 12, 2009
Yeah, which is why Polina Shelepen can jump three different 3-3s because she has absolutely no hips. I really hope some of these young Russian girls can stay good as they get older though, they really seem to have the right mindset and work ethic to excel at the sport!
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- Jul 11, 2003
This thread is predicting the hopefuls for 2014. I wonder how those same posters whose predictions for 2010 see where they went wrong? That it is still in the hopeful stage and not in any prediction stage except for country favorites. Have they forgotten that two USA skaters finished top Ten, and do they imagine that Kiri Baga is through?
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- Jun 21, 2003
I'm just paraphrasing a statement made in an article I read. Personally, I think that it kinda does make sense; one of the reasons men have the advantage in jumps is because 1). more muscle and 2). no hips to worry about. Thus, there's also the dreaded puberty, when women do develop hips. Buuuuttt, there's always women who are such amazing athletes that regardless of their build, they're great jumpers.
I don't think so. I think that in order to be a good jumper you also have to have power and strength. And if you are super weak and thin, you may not be able to jump at all. This is why Sasha's return didn't do so well. She was too thin and too weak. I don't think that the fact that Tonya, Midori, Arakawa, Irina were all not little pixies but great jumpers (Arakawa could do 3/3/3s is really a coincidence. Michelle Kwan was never the jumper those people were.
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