Did anybody think that Rachel had a big high kick into her flips?
No. Rachael doesn't raise her leg too much and it's nothing like a mule kick!
But I have to say, she has a terrible way of entering that jump. It's so distracting.
I believe that high kicking is an unintentional attempt by the body to store kenetic energy to achieve a rotation. To jump without the kick requires more strength. I have read that Caroline is attempting to increase her strength. She actually looked somewhat muscular in that People Magazine ad.
Caroline is muscular, but she doesn't have much upper body strength which I think helps with rotation. Compared to someone like Mirai or Yuna, she has very narrow shoulders even though they are all about the same height and weight.
Actually, if you compare videos and pictures from the last 2 seasons, Caroline's shoulders seem to have gotten broader.
There is of course one difference between Caroline's mule-kick and Rachael's. Caroline's has landed her on the podium at an ISU championship.