Gold lives up to the hype

[silverlake22]

Maybe she's trying to hide them. I'm pretty sure she wears http://www.skatesus.com/store/popup_image.php?pID=149 (Sorry if I'm not supposed to link to them.)

Not a traditional look, but obviously very effective boots for her. I, too, can't wait to see what next year brings for her. I'm not really terribly concerned about the choreographer situation. Seems like her focus this year was on tech. A job well done, I must say. Now it sounds as though she's ready to branch out to other aspects of her performance. Will be interesting to watch.

Korobeynikova and Suzuki also wear that brand/design of boots and don't wear OTB tights and it looks fine, good even, certainly better than having them covered up. My guess is Gracie covers up her boots to give her a longer leg line, her legs are not that long for her height, which you can tell in her I-spin, so the OTB tights give the allusion of a longer leg line. I still think no one looks better with OTB tights though, no matter how long or short your legs may be. Hopefully she sports white boots next season.

I didn't particularly like either of her programs this season but now that she's US junior champion and won silver at JW, that will give her more street cred and I'm sure her choreographer will come up with something better for her than what she had this season. Also she needs a new costume designer, the cut of the SP dress was not flattering and her FS dress looks like it was made for her when she was 3 inches shorter and squishes her boobs. Sorry to be blunt but she's a gorgeous girl with a wonderfully fit, muscular physique, there's no reason for her to not look like a million bucks out on the ice, because she totally can easily with good costuming.

[Jammers]

^ Oh, I wasn't even thinking of the music selection. AAAHhhhhhKKKK - that SP music was absolutely hideous! But Brown has been know to put together some good programs for skaters. According to IceNetwork, he choreographs for that spunky little Mariah Bell. So there's potential, I hope . . .

I think Mariah Bell could skate to the phone book and make it interesting. She just has that "IT" quality when she skates. Gracie needs to learn how to be more interesting as a skater sometimes it's not the choreographers fault. Either you have or it or don't.

[mskater93]

Agreed about Bell, she really does have that "look at me" quality. Gracie does, too, just not when she competes.

[fairly4]

nice article- i like it she is sure about herself and where she wants to go and how to do it.
kinda of like michelle knowing what she wanted and how to do it other than that no comparision.
gracie sounds like she wants to show herself off and not someone else. in other words being true to herself --nice.

yes -i think some other skaters started out and wasn't true to themselves. not naming names-

some athletes just do sport for other reasons and show s ides of themselves which are them but who they want people to think they are off and on field of play.
i like atheles who are themselves -like michelle, serena williams and others who are true to themselves no matter what-cost.

[Nadine]

Another enjoyable article, thanks GS!

What stood out to me the most was Gracie's mentioning of "stories" (i.e. Michelle's Story, Sasha's Story), and how she's going to write her own story.

This immediately brought to mind a quote from one of my all-time favorite skaters, Oksana Baiul:

"When I am old and in my rocking chair, I don't want to open my book and say to my children or my grandchildren, 'okay, I have this World Championship Medal from 1993, and I have this Olympic Gold Medal from 1994', end of story. Of course I'm proud of those achievements, but I want to open my book and say...'I was a Swan...I was a Butterfly...I was a Flower'.

"It is not the scores or medals I want to remember, but my expression, the way I skated, the way I expressed myself."


Here's to Gracie's Story, as yet unwritten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7k0a5hYnSI&ob=av3e

[skateluvr]

Gracie I hope will be more than yet another forgettable blond like Natasha. May she find some great music, programs and inspiring (to her first) choreography next season. The boot covers aren't so bad. What matters is her skating. What does it matter which boots fit her best. As long as she is comfortable. It is nice we have her and I hope her presentation catches up to her technical abilities this coming year.

[lavender]

She's got a good head on her shoulders.

[Aya]

i think she is great and i like it that she didn't start to shine as a little kid but had to to grow before the pressure of succses starts.
can't wait to see her next season

[dorispulaski]

Welcome to Golden Skate, Aya !!

[Poodlepal]

I like her music. I am bored with skaters skating to sloooow, soft, violins and piano pieces. Gracie's music was peppy and familiar--perhaps not sophisticated, but few 16 year-olds are. Let's hope they don't try to force her into a ballerina mold if that's not what she wants to be. As we know, a certain skater seemed to lose her fire when someone decided she couldn't be cute any more.

[kwanatic]

I like her music. I am bored with skaters skating to sloooow, soft, violins and piano pieces. Gracie's music was peppy and familiar--perhaps not sophisticated, but few 16 year-olds are. Let's hope they don't try to force her into a ballerina mold if that's not what she wants to be. As we know, a certain skater seemed to lose her fire when someone decided she couldn't be cute any more.

I'm assuming you're talking about Mirai there.

I hated Gracie's SP music; it doesn't get any more junior than that. Her LP music was better but it was too big for her. She couldn't match the intensity of the music and it basically rolled over her. Gracie hasn't really developed a style yet in terms of skating so she's still searching for what works for her. I'd like to see her tackle a powerful piece but in order to do that she's got to improve her performance ability by quite a bit, otherwise we end up with her LP from this season where the music builds and rises and she doesn't match it. I'm interested to see what she and her team come up with next season. People are going to be expecting a lot from her...

I hope they don't do to Gracie what Lori/Frank has done to Mirai for the last season in a half: destroy her by trying to turn her into something she's not. Mirai was criticized for the "cutesie" programs so her team pushed her towards more mature music...but it was the wrong kind of mature music. They picked stuff that she was uncomfortable with or music that just didn't suit her style and that's why her programs were so dull and boring; there was no trace of Mirai in either of them. "Mature" doesn't have to equal slow classical or cerebral pieces of music. More than the music, I think choreography, presentation and performance are what show maturity. Hopefully Gracie's team will find a way to bring her skating to the next level without leaving part of her behind...and hopefully Mirai will be able to back-track and pick up that piece of herself she left behind a few seasons ago.