McCorkell determined to reach second Oly | Golden Skate

McCorkell determined to reach second Oly

gsk8

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Jun 21, 2003
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Having seen Team GB's summer athletes have their time in the sun at the London 2012 Olympics, figure skater Jenna McCorkell insists it is time the winter ones followed in their footsteps.

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CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
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Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
Having seen Team GB's summer athletes have their time in the sun at the London 2012 Olympics, figure skater Jenna McCorkell insists it is time the winter ones followed in their footsteps.

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Thank you for highlighting a story about Jenna. She is currently having the best season of her career, and yet is getting hardly any publicity for it. Like, after winning her 10th British Championship in 11 years, she only got a small paragraph in the main newspaper here in Northern Ireland, and didn't get mentioned on the local TV news at all!!!

So, it is good to see an international broadcaster (Eurosport) featuring a story about her, and an international website (Golden Skate) publicising that story.

I've known about Jenna since the late 90's, due to her being featured on the local news on BBCNI and UTV. At the time, Norn Iron didn't have many top sports stars, so it was a novelty for a young girl from West of the Bann to be successful in a winter sport. But then the TV companies lost interest, particularly when we started coming down with good golfers!

But, after becoming a fan of the sport, I continued to keep an eye on Jenna's career. I suppose the main reason was we have a lot in common:

We are about the same age (Jenna is less than a year younger than me)
We lived only 40 miles apart
We both had our first experience of skating at the Jet Centre in Coleraine

But that is where the similarity ends. My first experience was roughly about 10 years after Jenna's and, after the first time, I vowed never again!!! (although, now I wouldn't mind another try…)

Despite this, the strange thing is that it is only in the last few years that I have really become a proper fan of Jenna's. And a big fan at that!!!

Lets be honest, although Jenna was dominating the British Championships, she wasn't doing much on the international stage (unlike the golfers). But, in the past few years she has improved immensely, and I put that squarely down to her involvement with Simon and Debi Briggs.

There is no doubt that Jenna's skating has improved immensely since Simon became her coach. Like, her results say it all. Only a few years ago, Jenna was fighting for top-10 positions in international competitions. Now she is winning on the international stage.

Other people who deserve a lot of credit for this turn around in Jenna's fortune are her choreographers, Lorna Brown and Mark Hanratty, and also her husband, Kevin van der Perren (well, when he was not injured, Kevin was probably one of the best Men's skaters around in the last decade)

Northern Ireland does not get too much good publicity around the world. So, we need to make the most of whatever opportunities we can get. At the moment, it is only our golfers that have attracted the attention of the world.

So, hopefully a good showing from Jenna in Sochi will help shed "our wee country" in a good light amongst winter sports fans around the globe.

But, more importantly, a good showing in Sochi (and, indeed, in the upcoming Worlds) would show people who only follow the big skating events just what Jenna is capable of! ;) :biggrin:

CaroLiza_fan
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Bout ye, CaroLiza_fan. :rock:

OK, so I had to look up Norn Iron Speak to find that one. :)

Go, Jenna!
 

skatel80

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Jenna :rock:
She has always been a favourite of mine, mostly due to the fact that my mother is from Ireland (even though my mother is from the republic of Ireland and not northern Ireland) and it is nice to see a skater from the Island of Ireland do so well. I also think she is a brilliant technical skater, though she sometimes struggles with consistency her jumping technique is so pure, when she hits her lutz it is one of the best out of all the ladies. I wish her well for sochi I will be supporting her all the way!! go jenna:clap:
 

jamie

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 3, 2006
There is no doubt that Jenna's skating has improved immensely since Simon became her coach. Like, her results say it all. Only a few years ago, Jenna was fighting for top-10 positions in international competitions. Now she is winning on the international

CaroLiza_fan

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is all just un true. Jenna Had her worst ever showing at euros, in 11 appearances.

5 years ago she won the sp TES, and finished 8th overall, this year she was fortunate to make the free.

Her jumps have regressed, her spins are verging on pathetic and her Choreography, well it's non existent.

She had great promise in 2003 with a super loop, 3sal/3sal combo and a huge lutz. Now she has no loop, no salchow and the lutz is MIA. She's verging on becoming Fumie Suguri. :/
 
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skatel80

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is all just un true. Jenna Had her worst ever showing at euros, in 11 appearances.

5 years ago she won the sp TES, and finished 8th overall, this year she was fortunate to make the free.

Her jumps have regressed, her spins are verging on pathetic and her Choreography, well it's non existent.

She had great promise in 2003 with a super loop, 3sal/3sal combo and a huge lutz. Now she has no loop, no salchow and the lutz is MIA. She's verging on becoming Fumie Suguri. :/

I think what CaroLiza_fan was refering to was the fact that she won the Ondrej Nepala trophy and ice challenge this season, at ice challenge she skated the best I have ever seen her she landed a huge lutz, two flips and a sal aswell as a toe, she underperformed at euros last year aswell only to equal her best showing in worlds later, I wouldnt lump her in with Fumie just yet...
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
I don't think Jenna and Fumie are even in the same class. She may have won ten British national titles but that is indicative of their being no woman skater Fumie at leaST WAS WORLD CLASS and world medallist. jenna is lucky if she podiums ant Euros. She loves skating but if it were not for the fact Britain is so weak in women's she would long be gone. She has had her chances and she has fallen literally. I wish she would give someone else a chance She has had more than her place in the sunafor someone so mediocre to be kind.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
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Oct 25, 2012
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Northern-Ireland
Bout ye, CaroLiza_fan. :rock:

OK, so I had to look up Norn Iron Speak to find that one. :)

Go, Jenna!

LOVE IT!!! Thanks for making the effort.

Don't know if you ever noticed it, but when Kevin is speaking English, you can hear a Northern Ireland accent in it! So, living with Jenna is rubbing off on him.

But, just to warn you, like Jenna, I'm from West of the Bann. Over here, we don't quite speak as broadly as people from Belfast (thank goodness!!!)

I think what CaroLiza_fan was refering to was the fact that she won the Ondrej Nepala trophy and ice challenge this season, at ice challenge she skated the best I have ever seen her she landed a huge lutz, two flips and a sal aswell as a toe, she underperformed at euros last year aswell only to equal her best showing in worlds later, I wouldnt lump her in with Fumie just yet...

Spot on skatel80. It was ON and IC that I was referring to.

I'm the first to admit that Jenna will never challenge for a podium in a competition with all the big names in it. In major competitions with a strong field, challenging for a top 10 position has to be her realisitic aim.

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is all just un true. Jenna Had her worst ever showing at euros, in 11 appearances.

5 years ago she won the sp TES, and finished 8th overall, this year she was fortunate to make the free.

Yes, on paper, Euros went badly in that she slipped down in 20th after being in 19th after the Short. But, don't forget just how tight the field was after the Short. As I said on a message of encouragement I posted on Jenna's Facebook before the Free, there was only 10 points covering Liza in 4th to Jenna in 19th. There was a good opportunity to move up a considerable number of places with a good FS. But, the Free Skate didn't go too well, and included an all-too-familiar fall.

But, you can't deny that things have improved for her. Let's be frank,for a large part of her Senior career, Jenna tended to be on her backside more often than not. Like, there were times when she would have 3 or 4 falls in the one routine. But, she is not doing that as often as she used to. OK, she might still have the odd fall, but not as regularly as she did 2 or 3 years ago. ;) :biggrin:

Her jumps have regressed, her spins are verging on pathetic and her Choreography, well it's non existent.

She had great promise in 2003 with a super loop, 3sal/3sal combo and a huge lutz. Now she has no loop, no salchow and the lutz is MIA. She's verging on becoming Fumie Suguri. :/

2003???!!! For goodness sake, it is not realistic to compare how somebody is doing now to what they were 10 years ago! In ANY sport! People get older, get injuries, get distractions. 5 years is probably the longest amount of time that it is practical to use for comparisons.

And, for that matter, it is not realistic comparing Jenna to Fumie just because they are amongst the older skaters on the circuit. Each are coming at competitions from different perspectives. Jenna has had a great national career, and is trying to do the best on the international stage that she can (with increasing success). Fumie has had a great international career, and is trying to get back to that position (in vain).

Although Fumie will never get back on the Japanese team with all the great younger Japanese skaters around, she is still not a bad skater. I was mesmerised by her at the New Year gala in Oberstdorf! :love: OK, so she is not the skater she was 10 years ago but, as I said for Jenna, it is not realistic doing comparisons over such a long time frame.

Good luck Jenna (and Fumie!) Do your best and don't listen to the detractors!

CaroLiza_fan
 

FSGMT

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
I've seen Jenna at Euros, and in practices her jumps looked ok, it's just that she didn't land a lot of them: she popped half of her 3Lz/3F attempts, and she landed just a couple of clean 3T/3S, they looked really like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: when she landed them, they were excellent jumps, but she didn't most of the times... And, I really like her programs this year, especially the SP, I find it really a good program, it's just that at Euros she didn't skate her best. I wish her the best for Worlds!
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
I don't care if she's one of the top skaters or not; I really like her "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" program. She also seems like a really nice person, and she and Kevin are a cute couple. go Jenna!
 

iluvtodd

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Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
LOVE IT!!! Thanks for making the effort.

Don't know if you ever noticed it, but when Kevin is speaking English, you can hear a Northern Ireland accent in it! So, living with Jenna is rubbing off on him.









Although Fumie will never get back on the Japanese team with all the great younger Japanese skaters around, she is still not a bad skater. I was mesmerised by her at the New Year gala in Oberstdorf! :love: OK, so she is not the skater she was 10 years ago but, as I said for Jenna, it is not realistic doing comparisons over such a long time frame.

Good luck Jenna (and Fumie!) Do your best and don't listen to the detractors!

CaroLiza_fan

I don't care if she's one of the top skaters or not; I really like her "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" program. She also seems like a really nice person, and she and Kevin are a cute couple. go Jenna!

:biggrin: :agree:
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
What happened (to fs) in Britain after the great successes of Torvill and Dean and John Curry?
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
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Feb 24, 2012
Not much after T and D, okay I guess the Kerrs. I really wish that Jenna would retire after worlds this year though she won't ; she wants to go to theo Olympics. I wish at this stage she would give soemone else a chance or better yet she gets beaten and a new person gets their Oly dream. Nothing against her but someone else deserves their dream too. Jenna has ahad her chance and a great career. she was or is the Jennifer robinson of Britain (Canada's medocre multi champoin).
granted Robinson usually made the top ten at worlds unlike Jenna.
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
What happened (to fs) in Britain after the great successes of Torvill and Dean and John Curry?

I don't think they have much funding. I know Kemp and King have less funding now than they used to (read an article about it in I think 2011) and I think that has shown in their results. Coomes and Buckland are doing pretty well in dance and the Kerrs did pretty well.

Yeah, Jenna doesn't have much competition in Britain but the same can be said about a lot of ladies at Worlds from other smaller countries.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
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Feb 24, 2012
True, but I do hope she lets someone else have their Oly dream. She has had her chance and then some. WHere have all the flowers gone was nice but not great; she never was a real artist; another pleasant sakter with some nice "garbage" triples when on but not a memorable skater on the world scene. I am sure if the competition were tougher Jenna would have gone like the dodo bird. But there is no reason for her to retire when there isn't much to compete against her. IF she were in Japan, Russia, US heck even Canada she would be but a footnote.
 

gsk8

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Jun 21, 2003
Country
United-States
IF she were in Japan, Russia, US heck even Canada she would be but a footnote.

You have made it clear how you feel three times now. She earned her spot. This post is not about other skaters.
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Vanessa James, who skates for France now, won the British gold medal in 2006 and the silver in 2007. James competed domestically in the United states and then internationally for Great Britain and then France. She gets around :biggrin:
 
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deedee1

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Thanks a lot for the article! :) And I loved your post, too, CaroLiza_fan!

If some younger and more promising skaters in a country want to skate on the Olympic ice or at the Championships, they always and equally have an opportunity to beat older ones at the NATIONALS every season...in my humble opinion. ;)

Seems there is one more reason for me to root for McCorkell, since now I know she is from Ireland. I am also a big fan of Irish Rugby team: the way they play the game is just 'soulful'. Brian O'Driscoll at 2011 Worlds Cup and Keith Wood at 2003. :cool:
Besides I have a soft spot to veteran skaters. Gooo Jenna!!! :rock:
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
You have made it clear how you feel three times now. She earned her spot. This post is not about other skaters.

Thanks. I am glad you got it; you've made our point clear too LOL. But this post is really about her and comparing her to others. As are most posts. Anyways, I hope she will develop some interesting programs at the very least. I fully expect we will see her at worlds and olympics though maybe some one will upset her and knock her off. As for earning her spot well it is all open to
interpretation.
 

skatel80

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Thanks. I am glad you got it; you've made our point clear too LOL. But this post is really about her and comparing her to others. As are most posts. Anyways, I hope she will develop some interesting programs at the very least. I fully expect we will see her at worlds and olympics though maybe some one will upset her and knock her off. As for earning her spot well it is all open to
interpretation.

Have you seen the results of british nats for the last however many years? Jenna wins each year by a sizeable margain, I doubt there will be an upset and I believe if someone is the best in their country there is no problem with them winning every year, it would be different if Jenna was being held up by the fed over another skater who was better than her but there isnt, Jenna is lightyears ahead of the rest of the british ladies, would you prefer to see the british number 2 at worlds?
 
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