Caroline Zhang - Can She Regain Her Spot Among The Top US Ladies?

[Olympia]

One more advantage that Caroline's new coaching team might have is that Karen Kwan is rather tall for a skater. I think she's about six inches taller than Michelle--five foot eight or something. So she might have some insights for a tall skater like Caroline (who's now something like five-five or five-six, right?) in strength-to-size ratio and which muscles to use for jumps.

[Blades of Passion]

Perhaps not that in itself, but rather the examination of if she is indeed overweight or not for a competitive skater with her body type. If an athlete isn't maintaining themselves properly then it should be talked about. Not talking about it means that people want to give leeway to someone who may not be pushing themselves as hard as an athlete who is 100% committed should be. Or it could mean people feel uncomfortable about their own bodies. If that is indeed the case, then it is probably because they do not have good diets and correct amounts of exercise and thus, instead of thinking about how to improve the situation, they instead feel anger and resentment when the topic of someone being overweight is brought up.

I need to add more here. Basically, my stance is that talking about a competitor's weight should never be a taboo subject. If it's thought of as taboo, then it is only because of the audience's own fears and/or unhealthy life decisions informing their opinion. The sad thing, of course, is that many overweight people don't realize the diets they have been raised on are bad. Even when people to try to be healthier, they may not properly understand exactly what they should be eating. They stay unhealthy and get angry about not being able to fix their situation. Often times it is LAZINESS, though.

I know several people who have gotten medical procedures to reduce their weight, but they are still overweight and unhealthy because they continue to eat the same crap and they continue to not exercise enough. Now, while it IS up to the individual to put the work in if they have been given all of the proper information, it's unfortunate how the modern American diet has gotten people literally addicted to terribly unhealthy foods. Even if people do know all the facts, it becomes very difficult for them to switch their diets because they've been eating the bad crap their entire lives and a big shock to their daily lives to switch much. It's especially disgusting to me that many corporations make billions of dollars from these crap products as a result of society being uneducated and unmotivated about what should be going into their body.

Almost any kind of statement about "Oh, noooo, we can't talk about a skater's weight" just feeds a very unhealthy viewpoint. Unless someone is being especially spiteful and cruel in their discussions of the skater, I don't believe it should be seen as a bad thing. We shouldn't be scared about girls becoming anorexic as a result of discussion about how certain people are overweight, we should be scared about girls becoming anorexic because they don't understand the proper diets and exercise they need and because society doesn't talk openly enough about body/sexuality issues.

[PolymerBob]

The ladies' short is an hour and 15 minutes away. This should be exciting.

[Jammers]

I am well aware of body issues for both sexes but boys to not generally have issues with anorexia or bulimia. Quite frankly, I think the last time someone commented on a male skater being "too fat" was when Artur Dimitriev was still competing and would turn up every fall overweight and out of shape and work himself back into shape over the course of the season. Artur hasn't competed since 1994. The greater danger for boys is trying to emulate the buff bodies of underwear models and turning to steriods to achieve that look. There is an epidemic of steriod abuse amongst high school boys in North America.

Actually Artur Dimitriev last competed in 1998 when he won his second Olympic gold medal.

[brightphoton]

The greater danger for boys is trying to emulate the buff bodies of underwear models and turning to steriods to achieve that look.

Haha Male underwear models aren't the least bit buff. They have chicken legs and no chest. It's the visible abdominal muscles (caused by low bodyfat) that most people confuse for muscle mass. No one has to turn to steroids for a moderate amount of lean muscle mass and a low body fat percentage.

Using steroids smartly can significantly decrease their side-effects. Silly teenage boys learn quickly when they fry their balls or develop breasts from misusing steroids.

[fairly4]

yes, we think carolina can,
be on top, if given the chance. like they gave, mirai, rachel, agnes, ashley,

[Mathman]

The ladies' short is an hour and 15 minutes away. This should be exciting.

Indeed it was!

[Nadine]

Lol, this thread is turning funny (watch out brightphoton you're likely to get censored like moi).

Back to Caroline, she just threw the gauntlet down with that FAB 3R/3R combo., only one in the world doing it today if I'm not mistaken. She's making everybody, skaters & judges alike, sit up and take notice. Only the best of the best have ever done the 3R/3R combo. (i.e. Olympic Champions Tara Lipinski & Sarah Hughes).

[SkateFiguring]

Caroline had the highest BV together with Mao today. She is a threat.

[drivingmissdaisy]

Well done Caroline! I'm excited to see how the rest of her career unfolds. She looks like she is back on track to threaten for the podium at Nationals in the coming years.

[feraina]

Back to Caroline, she just threw the gauntlet down with that FAB 3R/3R combo., only one in the world doing it today if I'm not mistaken. She's making everybody, skaters & judges alike, sit up and take notice. Only the best of the best have ever done the 3R/3R combo. (i.e. Olympic Champions Tara Lipinski & Sarah Hughes).

Hasn't Miki Ando done it? But she's a 2-time world champion, so she's no slouch either.

It's awesome Caroline got credit for the 3-3 rotations in her 4CC SP. I think because of that she scored as well here as she did at national's, but maybe her PCS would have gone up too if she did a totally clean 3-3. But that combo is looking quite good. I feel like it's going to stay a fairly reliable weapon for her. The recent IN article said she's also practicing the 3F-3T, and may put it into her LP if she feels confident about it!
That would be so amazing!
Too bad she doesn't have a reliable 3S or even a solo 3T, otherwise she could hit both 3F-3T and 3R-3R in the same LP. If she could do that, she will definitely be able to contend with the best again.

[FlattFan]

Saw that 3R-3R and I was so happy. It looked rotated in real time. Caroline is back!!!!!!

[PolymerBob]

I watched Caroline's skate on IceNetwork. Well done!!!!

Best of luck in the freeskate.

[R.D.]

Despite the mistake at the end of the combo, another solid skate for her. Now for the freeskate- but I think the altitude will be an issue. (Then again, likely will be for most of the field anyway.)

[Olympia]

I'm so happy for Caroline!

It occurs to me that for all her problems in recent years, she must have a pretty cool head for competition. During her earlier career, she was often the American lady who did best in international events. And now she's developing the skating skills to back it up...she could be superb!