Gold lives up to the hype

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.

She's got a good head on her shoulders.

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

Welcome to Golden Skate, Aya !!

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.

Poodlepal said:

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.

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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. hwell: