Ladies Free Skate - 12/11

[janetfan]

A question - should US Skating expect an explanation from Tom Z?
If this was a sport like football the guy would not just be suspended but probably asked to undergo a drug test.

How disappointing he would show up at the final with a skater so obvioulsy unprepared to compete?

I really question Team Flatt's judgement and I guess they only showed up for the payday

[Tanja90]

No, I was there and paying attention to everything. Her spins were 2nd best at this competition, after Alyssa. And her footwork was good but not so exceptionally great that it should make up for lack of key jumps. Sorry, sounds like you are making excuses for her (or more accurately, for the judging). I stand by my earlier comments. If the jumps are not going to be that important--than let's have ALL the ladies dispense with the triple flip, lutz, and axels....and just have them work on spins and footwork so they can be as good as Carolina. Bottom line: she is an INCOMPLETE skater at the present time.

well...musesk8r clarified that carolina's spins were the best AFTER alissa and I'm with you 10000% but her footwork were the best IMO! On tv you ca see how intricate all the one foot section was! It was solow but because it was perfectly matched with the music! jumps were really solid so she got good GOE! I'm soo happy for both alissa and carolina though! a perfect podium even if I would have preferred akiko rather than kanako today!

[R.D.]

A question - should US Skating expect an explanation from Tom Z?

[snip]

How disappointing he would show up at the final with a skater so obvioulsy unprepared to compete?

I'm wondering the same thing. We expect so much more out of a skater like Flatt and if she took time off for the injury and was unprepared, she should have WD and allowed another skater to go in her place.

[janetfan]

well...musesk8r clarified that carolina's spins were the best AFTER alissa and I'm with you 10000% but her footwork were the best IMO! On tv you ca see how intricate all the one foot section was! It was solow but because it was perfectly matched with the music! jumps were really solid so she got good GOE! I'm soo happy for both alissa and carolina though! a perfect podium even if I would have preferred akiko rather than kanako today!

Thanks so much for the Live report bigsisjiejie.

I know it is different watching Live - but watching my Live feed I think Alissa and Caro both showed a certain grace and maturity the others were lacking.

Which brings up Akiko - who also skated a very nice program. For the record - I am a big Kanako fan but thought Akiko was better .......

Whatever, we all have our opinions and what the judges decide is what ultimately matters.

I am just so happy for Alissa and for Caro too. I thought they wer both beautiful and elegant and I never mind seeing lyrical skating rewarded.

[Bluebonnet]

Logged on computer and found out that Alissa won! Sooooo happy for her! The rest are not important to me.

[Layfan]

You have a point- it appears she was able to win this event on the strength of her Short Program. Nothing wrong with that, since that's how Almighty Yuna did it as well.

Well, go watch - but if you are expecting to see a mediocre FS from Alissa, don't worry. She had a great FS

RD - Although you claim not to cheerlead and not to have favorites, it is nice to see that you can never give up on Rachael even after she disappoints - which she has done in the past before this competition. In any case, I agree her injury affected her a lot and I believe she will be much better and will be a key factor at nationals. If not the injury itself (at least I hope not) than the week she had to take off must have put her at a disadvantage.

As for us "ardent" Alissa fans, it isn't that we don't understand her history - it's that we enjoy her skating win or lose

[janetfan]

Well, go watch - but if you are expecting to see a mediocre FS from Alissa, don't worry. She had a great FS

RD - Although you claim not to cheerlead and not to have favorites, it is nice to see that you can never give up on Rachael even after she disappoints - which she has done in the past before this competition. In any case, I agree her injury affected her a lot and I believe she will be much better and will be a key factor at nationals. If not the injury itself (at least I hope not) than the week she had to take off must have put her at a disadvantage.

As for us "ardent" Alissa fans, it isn't that we don't understand her history - it's that we enjoy her skating win or lose

^ ^ ^
Totally agree

I guess you must be very happy.....how great to see Alissa skate so well and put up the highest score of the season

[Joesitz]

Joe, check back on my posts.
Unlike YOU - my pick for the Natl team has been Mirai and Alissa all season long.

Your choices, posted many times are different.

Nothing wrong with your pics. Your persistence that the GPs are of no value is what bothered me.

I can still say US Natls will be a tougher event for Alissa to win than the GPF.
We will have to wait until January to see.

Nothing against your rationale. I just don't agree with it. You have 29 skaters to beat Alissa at Nats. The odds are in your favor. Your chance of prediction to come true will not change my mind because I have no idea who will win that little competition. Nor do i care. What will you say, in the unlikely result that Rachael places 1or2 on the podium?

But happy to see you belatedly jumping on the Alissa bandwagon

You seem to want to play one-upmanship with me but again you are wrong. I said before the GPs that Rachael and Mirai were the strongest team for Worlds. You really don't understand that word. Well after seeing the entire GPs with Mirai too, I can see that Alissa the inconsistent one has become consistent. It was the GPs that made me notice that, and that Mirai did not fare too well in that same international competition. Did she? but I still think she can do well at Worlds. Unfortunaely, Rachael is having her problems and she will need soul searching.

I am not a predicter of FS Results, and I am not interested in Womens Figure Skating except in passing, and Medals don't impress me. Medals (if there is no bias) just give who was BEST and Runnersup that day and only that day.

I do see talent and improvements, the latter of which showed up with Alissa in working on her inconsistencies.
I did not see Rachael melt but in her case, I hope an uninjured Rachael skates better.

[R.D.]

RD - Although you claim not to cheerlead and not to have favorites, it is nice to see that you can never give up on Rachael even after she disappoints

Well, if she has a rough outing again at Nats you bet I'll get down on her. The reason it may APPEAR to some of you guys that I'm backing her is because up until recently, she has proven to be very reliable, the most consistent of the US ladies and I said it before, I'm looking for a great US lady to finally step up and rise to the occasion. But in reality, she's not truly great, she's merely above average- because even when healthy and on, her scores aren't nearly high enough to get her on the medal stand, as we saw at '09 worlds and again at Olys. She was always overmatched. But there was a time when no other US ladies were really doing any better.

As for us "ardent" Alissa fans, it isn't that we don't understand her history - it's that we enjoy her skating win or lose

And that's fine. Nothing wrong with having favorites. Enjoy your victory.

[Joesitz]

that's it. I gotta actually watch this craziness. Wow. Unbelievable

Catch it on UniSport tonight, RD. She skated beautifully but what interested me, was she skated competitively. Caroline, just before her skated the best I ever seen. It was time for Alssa to collapse. She didn't.

[R.D.]

Catch it on UniSport tonight, RD. She skated beautifully but what interested me, was she skated competitively. Caroline, just before her skated the best I ever seen. It was time for Alssa to collapse. She didn't.

Unfortunately I don't have Universal Sports...however, I will try to catch it on Ice network later this morning.

[Layfan]

Well, if she has a rough outing again at Nats you bet I'll get down on her. The reason it may APPEAR to some of you guys that I'm backing her is because up until recently, she has proven to be very reliable, the most consistent of the US ladies and I said it before, I'm looking for a great US lady to finally step up and rise to the occasion. But in reality, she's not truly great, she's merely above average- because even when healthy and on, her scores aren't nearly high enough to get her on the medal stand, as we saw at '09 worlds and again at Olys. She was always overmatched. But there was a time when no other US ladies were really doing any better.




And that's fine. Nothing wrong with having favorites. Enjoy your victory.

Oh, RD -cringe. It's not my victory it's Alissa's victory. I'm just sitting around in my pajamas watching it on youtube.

I think you are right about Rachael being the most consistent. But a lot of people really wanted to write her off after Worlds last year. And not just skating fans. A couple of columnists too. However, even though she is not my favorite I couldn't write her off - not a hard worker like Rachael. And before she got injured, she was proving that she is still a factor this season. Unlike others, I thought I saw improvement from her over last year, too. It's always so easy to write off skaters after they disappoint - everyone seems to forget how many comebacks there are in the history of skating and that these skaters, even as we backseat-skate on these forums, are all working hours and hours on practice. Very bad bet to dismiss a good competitor like Rachael - or a talented skater like Alissa.

I admit I wrote off Caro at the beginning of the season - but Silverlake talked me out of it even before her first fictory.

Rachael deserves the chance to skate for gold at nats. But if she doesn't and decides to stay around for next year, I won't be writing her off. I hope you don't either. Next year is a new year.

As for team Rachael, my bet - and it's just a bet - is that she is recovered from her injury but that having to sit around for a week really set her back and made her jumps less automatic. My bet is that she was consistent enough in practices that she decided to go for it a the GP final - but she wasn't practiced enough to rely on her tecnique at comeptition. At this level of competition, a whole week off of training is no little thing - unless you are Yuna and can beat most ladies skating at 60 percent.

Anyway, poor Rachael. But look at this way: somebody had to be last at the GP final. And I don't think it will hurt her at nationals. It shouldn't because even though she was last - the other U.S. ladies didn't make the final at all!

[janetfan]

Nothing wrong with your pics. Your persistence that the GPs are of no value is what bothered me.


Nothing against your rationale. I just don't agree with it. You have 29 skaters to beat Alissa at Nats. The odds are in your favor. Your chance of prediction to come true will not change my mind because I have no idea who will win that little competition. Nor do i care. What will you say, in the unlikely result that Rachael places 1or2 on the podium?


You seem to want to play one-upmanship with me but again you are wrong. I said before the GPs that Rachael and Mirai were the strongest team for Worlds. You really don't understand that word. Well after seeing the entire GPs with Mirai too, I can see that Alissa the inconsistent one has become consistent. It was the GPs that made me notice that, and that Mirai did not fare too well in that same international competition. Did she? but I still think she can do well at Worlds. Unfortunaely, Rachael is having her problems and she will need soul searching.

I am not a predicter of FS Results, and I am not interested in Womens Figure Skating except in passing, and Medals don't impress me. Medals (if there is no bias) just give who was BEST and Runnersup that day and only that day.

I do see talent and improvements, the latter of which showed up with Alissa in working on her inconsistencies.
I did not see Rachael melt but in her case, I hope an uninjured Rachael skates better.

OK, thanks for explaining and I can see your points much better. Many I agree with but not about Natls.

Yes, if Rachael wins or finishes second I would send her to Worlds. She is not my favorite but I am not a person who places politics over competition and backroom decisions are not sports - but something much different.

I hope for Mirai and Alissa to make the Natl team but can not call myself a sportsman and deny Rachael, Ashley and the others a fair chance.

See for me it really is NOT ONLY about the MEDALS. It is about competing and the thrill of victory.
Skating championships are won on the ice and not in the backroom.

The strongest are the one's who win when it matters the most. That is why the Olympic medals are valued so highly.

I have no wish to devalue Natls and feel sure US Skating sees it the same way.
Don't worry too much - Alissa will be judged more leniently just like Flatt was last season.

As much as we argue over this - it is not always a fair sport. The judges at Natls will play clear favorites like they always do and Alissa will be rewarded for her GPF medal in the pcs and the tech panel will sleep through her jumps.

Sometimes, I like to forget that part.... espcecially on a day when a skater I have supported for years has such a nice victory.

[R.D.]

As much as we argue over this - it is not always a fair sport. The judges at Natls will play clear favorites like they always do and Alissa will be rewarded for her GPF medal in the pcs and the tech panel will sleep through her jumps.

Ugh. I hope not. If Czisny goes clean in the SP will they now give her 70 pts??

[Layfan]

The judges at Natls will play clear favorites like they always do and [B]Alissa will be rewarded for her GPF medal in the pcs and the tech panel will sleep through her jumps.

Oh, you are probably so right.

But this is why I think the GPF is such a Catch-22! Poor Rachael. She has miserable GPF but unlike Mirai and Ashley and Agnes - at least she qualified! If there is any favorite-playing at nats, will the judges/tech panel remember or that - or will Rachael's last showing be etched in their minds?