Flatt looking to shake off poor Grand Prix season

macy · Jan 18, 2012

Has anyone read the article on IN? apparently all through the GP she was still injured and it got worse, until she got a new pair of boots. it says she also has a more steady schedule with balancing skating and school. do you think she will deliver at nationals? personally if she skates as good as she says she's been training, she'll be top 3 i think. i'm really looking forward to her long program.

bigsisjiejie · Jan 18, 2012

I think Rachael's best competition showings are behind her. I'm not expecting her to place higher than 5th at Nationals, and that's if she skates well and others falter. If she falters while others such as Zawadski, Gao, Lam, Keiser, Cesario, etc. skate really well, she'll probably be behind them also. I think Czisny, Nagasu, Wagner will be ahead of her regardless. I don't think she's going to get any brownie points or favors just for showing up--she'll have to earn her way. I say this without malice towards her, and if she feels like continuing to train then putting herself out there at US Nationals, more power to her. If she is intending this to be her goodbye competition before retiring (and I have no idea about this), then I hope she puts out two skates she can be happy with, regardless of final placement.

pangtongfan · Jan 19, 2012

Even if she skated her best at Nationals the best she would finish is 4th or 5th. No way she beats any of Czisny, Nagasu, or Wagner this year IMO. If Agnes has a good competition she will beat even a good Flatt as well. After last years Worlds debacle she is no longer a favorite of the USFSA and they will certainly not push her behind the scenes like they normally do, if anything the reverse will be true. The U.S judges have also seen her getting low scores on the grand prix, even considering her subpar skating. If she skates like she did on the grand prix she is more likely be about 8th though. The pewter medal is the best realistic goal for her this year, and a good note to end her career on (aka unless she wants to become the American Fumie Suguri that is).

Mrs. P · Jan 19, 2012

pangtongfan said:
Even if she skated her best at Nationals the best she would finish is 4th or 5th. No way she beats any of Czisny, Nagasu, or Wagner this year IMO. If Agnes has a good competition she will beat even a good Flatt as well. After last years Worlds debacle she is no longer a favorite of the USFSA and they will certainly not push her behind the scenes like they normally do, if anything the reverse will be true. The U.S judges have also seen her getting low scores on the grand prix, even considering her subpar skating. If she skates like she did on the grand prix she is more likely be about 8th though. The pewter medal is the best realistic goal for her this year, and a good note to end her career on (aka unless she wants to become the American Fumie Suguri that is).

I still think she has an outside shot at 3rd. Mirai has not impressed me this year with her lifeless LP and her training situation is currently worse that Rachael's. Agnes beat her on the GP, but not by what I consider an an impressive margin (2 points), especially with Rachael's watered down jump content during that competition.

Also history shows that Rachael tends to peak at Nationals.

And one thing Rachael has going for her is that she does not give up. She seems to skate through whatever situation she is given (maybe wrongly so in some cases, obviously) but that is a good trait a competitor should have. I hope she has two skates she can be proud of.

Olympia · Jan 19, 2012

pangtongfan said:
The pewter medal is the best realistic goal for her this year, and a good note to end her career on (aka unless she wants to become the American Fumie Suguri that is).

The pewter medal may be the most realistic outcome for her (though one never knows; the future is tricky that way), but it's rare to find a top skater whose goal is pewter. Rachael's goal is like everyone else's: gold, or at least on the podium. Whatever she ends up with, she should and likely will skate as if she's in the running for gold. After all, she's done it before.

macy · Jan 19, 2012

Mrs. P said:
I still think she has an outside shot at 3rd. Mirai has not impressed me this year with her lifeless LP and her training situation is currently worse that Rachael's. Agnes beat her on the GP, but not by what I consider an an impressive margin (2 points), especially with Rachael's watered down jump content during that competition.

Also history shows that Rachael tends to peak at Nationals.

And one thing Rachael has going for her is that she does not give up. She seems to skate through whatever situation she is given (maybe wrongly so in some cases, obviously) but that is a good trait a competitor should have. I hope she has two skates she can be proud of.

definitely agree on that last part. that's the one thing I really like about her. even if its not a good performance she gets up and keeps going. that's a true competitor and athlete.

skateluvr · Jan 19, 2012

She is a young lady we all wish well, even her skating detractors find reason to admire the perky young blond. I just want her to feel happy with her skating. She was a delight at the Olympics. Like Kwan, you can't count her out, she's a firecracker. If she were training full time, she'd likely take gold. Ashley will take silver-she has it this year. Go Black Swan!

macy · Jan 20, 2012

she is training full time. here's part of the article. copyright goes to IN

"'My new boots feel fantastic," Flatt said. "I have a minimal level of pain."

Flatt is back to training just as she normally would this time of year. And she's anticipating being able to expand her jump repertoire in San Jose, with planned Lutzes as well as flips (as opposed to just the flips she was able to attempt in Moscow).

"It's just about managing the pain at this point," Flatt said. "I don't foresee it getting any worse, unless I do something stupid. I'm making sure in my training I'm aiming for quality over quantity."

Also making her life easier is her second-quarter schedule at Stanford University. She has class from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every day, allowing her to train in the morning and afternoon. To get to the rink, she takes a train to Oakland.

"I get an additional three hours of homework instead of working on my singing voice," she said, referring to the time she used to spend riding in a car to and from the training facility.

Flatt was asked if she's aware of any of the stories that have come out about her main competitors ahead of nationals, namely Ashley Wagner declaring herself the favorite to win the U.S. title.

"I haven't been paying attention to it," Flatt said. "I use every second of my time to get homework done or get extra sleep. I don't waste time on the Internet. That's the nice thing about being in school. I don't have time to get caught up in the swirl of media attention.'"

i hope her new schedule is helping her and taking some of the stress away. i'm glad she is training how she normally does this time of year and also with little pain. i hope it stays that way. it's also good she isn't paying much attention to the media. that would also take some stress off.

Jammers · Jan 21, 2012

skateluvr said:
She is a young lady we all wish well, even her skating detractors find reason to admire the perky young blond. I just want her to feel happy with her skating. She was a delight at the Olympics. Like Kwan, you can't count her out, she's a firecracker. If she were training full time, she'd likely take gold. Ashley will take silver-she has it this year. Go Black Swan!

She would take gold if she were training full time? Really? Rachael's skating has be declining for two years now. She has peaked and the only reason she has any chance to make the top three is because of the mediocrity that is US Ladies skating. Solid performance from the top ladies puts Rachael at about 6th if she's lucky.

pangtongfan · Jan 21, 2012

Olympia said:
The pewter medal may be the most realistic outcome for her (though one never knows; the future is tricky that way), but it's rare to find a top skater whose goal is pewter. Rachael's goal is like everyone else's: gold, or at least on the podium. Whatever she ends up with, she should and likely will skate as if she's in the running for gold. After all, she's done it before.

No 6th or 7th is the most realistic outcome for her. 4th and the pewter medal would be the ultimate best realistic outcome for her at this point (and an unlikely one).

Mrs. P · Jan 21, 2012

pangtongfan said:
No 6th or 7th is the most realistic outcome for her. 4th and the pewter medal would be the ultimate best realistic outcome for her at this point (and an unlikely one).

I hope Rachael doesn't have the same mindset you're imposing on her. And quite frankly, why should she? She hasn't finished lower than 2nd place since 2007. Why should let some setbacks early in the season lower her expectations? No competitor should say "I hope I get 4th place."

As someone pointed out in another thread if Alissa continues to skate the way she has and a sleepwalking Mirai shows up to Nationals, there's no reason for a healthy Rachael couldn't beat both of them.

Sasha'sSpins · Jan 21, 2012

skateluvr said:
She is a young lady we all wish well, even her skating detractors find reason to admire the perky young blond. I just want her to feel happy with her skating. She was a delight at the Olympics. Like Kwan, you can't count her out, she's a firecracker. If she were training full time, she'd likely take gold. Ashley will take silver-she has it this year. Go Black Swan!

That's very generous of you. From what I've seen and read her skating detractors find very little to admire about the perky young blond.

I don't believe the judges are going to put her above Alissa-and if Mirai skates like she can she's not going to get past her either. Nor Ashley. Jmo.

Jtsmith12 · Jan 21, 2012

@Sasha'sSpins do you really think Alissa is going to become national champion with jumps like this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR2Wfuj1XHA

I know you want Alissa and Mirai to make the world team, but do you really think that their going to get us 3 spots back this year ? I know people don't want Rachael to make the worlds team ( I don't either ), but I don't understand why some feel that Alissa and Mirai can get it done. Even though they haven't been sent to world together,BUT they have been sent to worlds. Alissa 11th place and 2011 and Mirai 2010 7th place. These are two very beautiful skaters yet they are both so inconsisitant and lack self confidence. What would be the odds of both of them hitting at worlds ? Also isn't Alissa still injured ? I hope I'm not sounding too harsh, but look at what's been givien to us from them both: Alissa ( the above video ) what happened to her jumps ? I know some people are saying it's just a show, but the main point is she's not landing jumps. Mirai basically said in her interview her training situation isn't the greatest,she lost her jumps and she's going from rink to rink. When Mirai is on she's brillant, just like when Alissa's on she's beautiful but so far this season when have they been on ? The only American skater who seems to have the fire and determination this season is Ashley. Plus I think she has really good programs this year. I hope she's overcome her Sp issues and makes the world team. Just like I hope Alissa is fully healed and lands her jumps. I hope Mirai shows us how brillant she can be and I hope Rachael proves all her nay sayers wrong.

tulosai · Jan 21, 2012

Jtsmith12 said:
@Sasha'sSpins do you really think Alissa is going to become national champion with jumps like this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR2Wfuj1XHA

I know you want Alissa and Mirai to make the world team, but do you really think that their going to get us 3 spots back this year ? I know people don't want Rachael to make the worlds team ( I don't either ), but I don't understand why some feel that Alissa and Mirai can get it done. Even though they haven't been sent to world together,BUT they have been sent to worlds. Alissa 11th place and 2011 and Mirai 2010 7th place. These are two very beautiful skaters yet they are both so inconsisitant and lack self confidence. What would be the odds of both of them hitting at worlds ? Also isn't Alissa still injured ? I hope I'm not sounding too harsh, but look at what's been givien to us from them both: Alissa ( the above video ) what happened to her jumps ? Mirai basically said in her interview her training situation isn't the greatest,she lost her jumps and she's going from rink to rink. When Mirai is on she's brillant, just like when Alissa's on she's beautiful but so far this season when have they been on ? The only American skater who seems to have the fire and determination this season is Ashley. I hope she's overcome her Sp issues and makes the world team. Just like I hope Alissa is fully healed and lands her jumps. I hope Mirai shows us how brillant she can be and I hope Rachael proves all her nay sayers wrong.

I don't think anyone is going to get the US back three spots (ETA: this year). I think if more fans could just accept that they might be happier with what the girls do actually do, and then if by some miracle the US does three spots back it will be a nice bonus.

I think the best shot for the three spots back is not Rachael, though, if we must come down to that. It is an 'on' Alyssa and Mirai. As I admitted above, I don't see that happening either.

I do think there can't be much doubt that despite her two recent bad performances Alyssa is our best/potentially only international hope for a top 5 finish. I don't think Mirai could do that with her current program; Rachael will never get the PCS's, and Ashley simply is not marked well enough internationally at this point.

As for the rest, we'll see how Rachael actually preforms. Unfair as this may be, I am beginning to be sick of her blaming things on injuries after the fact though. Having a triple lutz back is not going to help her PCS's. It is time for both her and Ashley to put their money where their mouth is.

I do wish all the skaters including Rachael well and hope they will be able to put their best forward at Nationals.

R.D. · Jan 22, 2012

I also don't think the US is getting back 3 spots for next year- but why not maximize chances anyway? From what we've seen so far those two skaters are Czisny and Nagasu. Yes, Flatt has fallen that far down...and yes, Wagner still doesn't get the scores.

I still think there's a surprise or two in store. Perhaps one (or more) of the young skaters will slip in and shake things up a bit. Quite frankly, it's needed. Similar to what happened 4 years ago...

Mrs. P · Jan 22, 2012

I don't get why Mirai is seen as the best chance of three spots. Mirai has not scored 120+ this season in the LP and her PB's only a few points above Ashley so far this season.

She has proven that she is no better than Ashley in handling pressure. Her achievements have only arrived when the pressure is off (see GP 2010 and 2011 and 2011 4CC). The only time where she achieved under pressure is during 2010 Nationals.

I think it's anyone's game and I agree with RD that we could easily see a shakeup like we saw in Canada tonight from one of the younger skaters.

skateluvr · Jan 22, 2012

Mrs. P said:
I hope Rachael doesn't have the same mindset you're imposing on her. And quite frankly, why should she? She hasn't finished lower than 2nd place since 2007. Why should let some setbacks early in the season lower her expectations? No competitor should say "I hope I get 4th place."

As someone pointed out in another thread if Alissa continues to skate the way she has and a sleepwalking Mirai shows up to Nationals, there's no reason for a healthy Rachael couldn't beat both of them.

This. perfectly put. reliable skater!

tulosai · Jan 22, 2012

Mrs. P said:
I don't get why Mirai is seen as the best chance of three spots. Mirai has not scored 120+ this season in the LP and her PB's only a few points above Ashley so far this season.

She has proven that she is no better than Ashley in handling pressure. Her achievements have only arrived when the pressure is off (see GP 2010 and 2011 and 2011 4CC). The only time where she achieved under pressure is during 2010 Nationals.

I think it's anyone's game and I agree with RD that we could easily see a shakeup like we saw in Canada tonight from one of the younger skaters.

She is seen as the best shot (at least by me) because she and Cziny are the only two that International judges (so far) will give big numbers to/reward handsomely when they skate well. Mirai's scores on the GP were only a bit above Ashley but Ashley turned in (one could argue) stronger performances than Mirai on MANY levels only to get slightly lower numbers.

I am certainly not opposed to a shake up though, and I'm not by any means claiming those 4 are our only options this year if someone else should step up.

tulosai · Jan 22, 2012

skateluvr said:
This. perfectly put. reliable skater!

Sorry for the double post but Rachael hasn't been a reliable skater since the Olympics. She still for some reason has kept that reputation among some people, but she has been very far from reliable over the past 2 years.

Poodlepal · Jan 22, 2012

I think most of the women are pretty bad. None of them really rise much above the AP McDonough/Jenny Kirk/Tanya Kwiatkowski level 2nd tier. To suggest that Rachael is that much worse than the other inconsistent and mediocre ladies is absurd.

Alissa may skate well or she may mop the ice with her sheer dress. If she skates like she did in that video from Detroit, she's going nowhere, if the judging is fair. Mirai will probably win the short program, but God only knows what she'll do in the long. I lost all faith in her after the debacle in the 2010 World's and her failure to even make the team the next year. Ashley I like--she's probably the best bet to get one of the two spots. Christina Gao has been the next big thing for how many years now? She's not going anywhere, barring a miraculous comeback. Agnes didn't do well on the GP circuit at all.

So I would say that Ashley will probably come in 1st or 2nd, and the other two spots are up for grabs. Rachael has nowhere else to go but up. If Alissa is clean-ish, she will probably get the other spot. Mirai--I'd like to see her do well, but she has yet to live up to her potential.

What I would really love to see is someone pop up out of the junior levels and overtake these blah skaters, like when Kristi Yamaguchi and Tonya Harding overtook the tired Jill Trenary 20 years ago. I'm sick of all of them.

Flatt looking to shake off poor Grand Prix season

macy

bigsisjiejie

pangtongfan

Match Penalty

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

Olympia

macy

skateluvr

macy

Jammers

pangtongfan

Match Penalty

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

Sasha'sSpins

Jtsmith12

tulosai

R.D.

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

skateluvr

tulosai

tulosai

Poodlepal

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