Ashley Wagner

[Layfan]

Ashley just posted a new vlog where she discusses her season and her medical problems. Some of them sounded pretty scary.
I saw it on Aunt Joyce. (I can never get those Universal vids)

http://auntjoycesicecreamstand.blogs...t_08.html#more

So, what do you guys think? Will Ashley ever make another world team? What does she need to do?

She says she's excited about working on her technique during the off season and will be working on a new SP, something more upbeat.

Personally, I hope she gets new long, too. Ashley strikes me as a cool and unique individual and I don't think Malaguena shows who she is very much. I hope she does something modern next year.

[dorispulaski]

After each of the last couple seasons there has been a new crop of excuses and promises to improve her technique.

And she still flutzes, two foots jumps, and leans over and pumps her back like a speed skater to build up speed.

So she still needs to fix that stuff. It's hard work for sure.

[pangtongfan]

I like Ashley but it would seem to be a huge surprise if she can ever make a World team again. She has never been quite good enough even at her best. At the 2008 Nationals she had the performances of her life with even a triple lutz-triple loop combo clean in both programs and still came only 3rd behind Nagasu with major mistakes and Flatt whose only asset is consistency yet still beat a clean Wagner with an outrageously hard jump combo. In all her years of skating she has never been higher than 3rd at a semi major event like Nationals, World Juniors, Four Continents. And now Nagasu, Flatt, and Czisny are not only well ahead of her but Agnes and Gao have blown past her, and there are other youngsters nipping at her heels. Even if Czisny and Flatt retire soon the odds are still stacked against her. Her short program at Nationals was not as bad as some people said, she barely two footed one jump and had one shaky landing yet missed the final flight. She wasnt going to be up there at Nationals this year even if she had skated great in both programs, and that is despite only Czisny of the top women skated great.

I would give her better chances to make a World team than say Zhang in the future, but it still is very unlikely.

[BackStage Barbie]

I feel like Ashley has never found the right programs to showcase her personality and her artistry. From the programs she's performed in recent years, she seems like a stuffy prude. But after listening to her in interviews and watching her vlog, I realize that she has a spunky and upbeat personality which I would love to see her translate onto the ice.

[pangtongfan]

What she needs to improve- definitely her jump technique alot, her spins could be better, her artistry needs some real work. Basically most things need improvement if she ever going to make a U.S world team again, in addition to consistency of course. And what the heck happened to the triple lutz-triple loop she used to do, she really needs that again to be competitive even in the U.S at this stage.

[Johar]

I hope next year she has a big breakout season like Czisny.

[Layfan]

I feel like Ashley has never found the right programs to showcase her personality and her artistry. From the programs she's performed in recent years, she seems like a stuffy prude. But after listening to her in interviews and watching her vlog, I realize that she has a spunky and upbeat personality which I would love to see her translate onto the ice.

I agree - she needs both. The fact that its seems she might keep her Malaguena LP tells me she does not really see who she is as skater and what she really looks like on the ice. But first and foremost she needs to get out her two-footing and flutzing quirks. I don't know why the triple-triple left her but it seems to me she should work on her jump technique before trying to get it back.

[SkateSkates]

I agree - she needs both. The fact that its seems she might keep her Malaguena LP tells me she does not really see who she is as skater and what she really looks like on the ice. But first and foremost she needs to get out her two-footing and flutzing quirks. I don't know why the triple-triple left her but it seems to me she should work on her jump technique before trying to get it back.

I think she will get two new programs, but she was talking about the SP the most because she had it for 2 years and probably wanted to get rid of it!

[Trewyn]

As a die-hard Ashley-fan, the past couple seasons have been really hard to watch. I still love watching her, though; there's something about her personality and joy on the ice that really speaks to me. But she needs more consistency first. Her jumps can be big and impressive but the two-footing makes them look weak. I also feel she needs a new artistic approach. I haven't loved any of her programs other than her 2008-2009 short program. OUATIA wasn't bad but keeping it for two seasons in a row was a mistake. Polovetsian Dances had some really interesting moments but I also feel that she needs better. Spartacus and Malaguena did nothing for me. I'd prefer het junior-ish Jealousy program to those.

Her 2008-2009 program by Philip Mills was stunning because it *flowed*. She tends to be a little frantic as she skates, and Mills was able to channel that in a stunning program with great flow. She needs more of that but something more personal.

Success stories such as Alissa's and Joannie's make it clear that you can't write someone off just because they struggle with consistency and are over twenty. But yeah; I understand that people are highly sceptical. I am too, in a way.

I'm sad her season is over but I know she's capable of re-inventing herself as a skater if she's motivated enough.

[CARA]

Maybe Ashley should change her coach?

How about getting the jump basics from the "miracle worker" Yuka Sato?

[mskater93]

Ashley has a similar problem to Alissa in that her two footing problem is related to her jump timing in competition. Alissa's under rotation problem was mostly due to the same issues. She picks/jumps earlier than she does in practice in her competitive programs which is throwing her conversion timing and landing timing off just a little. Perhaps some time with Jason D who is the one who broke down Alissa's jumps and timing and has gotten her to get everything back under control? We have a coach near us who is a technical guru, maybe some time with him would help, too?

[Layfan]

Ashley has a similar problem to Alissa in that her two footing problem is related to her jump timing in competition. Alissa's under rotation problem was mostly due to the same issues. She picks/jumps earlier than she does in practice in her competitive programs which is throwing her conversion timing and landing timing off just a little. Perhaps some time with Jason D who is the one who broke down Alissa's jumps and timing and has gotten her to get everything back under control? We have a coach near us who is a technical guru, maybe some time with him would help, too?

That's really interesting. I always love hearing about what issues skaters really have with their jumps rather than just "nerves."

[mskater93]

That's really interesting. I always love hearing about what issues skaters really have with their jumps rather than just "nerves."

If you watch the jumps she does well as opposed to the ones she two foots, you can see that she picks sooner on the two footed jumps which means (to me) that she isn't getting full bend and reach on the pick = not fully up over the landing side.

[Layfan]

If you watch the jumps she does well as opposed to the ones she two foots, you can see that she picks sooner on the two footed jumps which means (to me) that she isn't getting full bend and reach on the pick = not fully up over the landing side.

what does it mean when you say "sooner." Does that mean sooner in the music/program or sooner while she's getting into the jump?

[R.D.]

I like Ashley but it would seem to be a huge surprise if she can ever make a World team again. She has never been quite good enough even at her best. At the 2008 Nationals she had the performances of her life with even a triple lutz-triple loop combo clean in both programs and still came only 3rd behind Nagasu with major mistakes and Flatt whose only asset is consistency yet still beat a clean Wagner with an outrageously hard jump combo. In all her years of skating she has never been higher than 3rd at a semi major event like Nationals, World Juniors, Four Continents. And now Nagasu, Flatt, and Czisny are not only well ahead of her but Agnes and Gao have blown past her, and there are other youngsters nipping at her heels. Even if Czisny and Flatt retire soon the odds are still stacked against her. Her short program at Nationals was not as bad as some people said, she barely two footed one jump and had one shaky landing yet missed the final flight. She wasnt going to be up there at Nationals this year even if she had skated great in both programs, and that is despite only Czisny of the top women skated great.

So it seems.

I refuse to completely count anyone out, though. Who would have thought Czisny would still be kicking the butt of some really talented up-and-comers now? It's not over for Wagner by any means...unless she herself throws in the towel. Her major problem is the SP...once she can conquer that, she will be right up there contending for the World/Oly Team. She seems to know this- she acknowledges it in her vlog- so it just depends on how she deals with the issue. But her jumps need a little work, too.

Having said the above, if she does not work her butt off at the problems that NEED to be tackled...or if she does but makes no significant headway- she WILL be left behind. Guaranteed.

Another problem is our only having 2 World Team spots. If we had our usual 3, Wagner would have been an Olympian.