Gao needs to quit school for a year and devote herself i hope. She could be in top 12. Gracie is going to be great. I see another Sarah Hughes when she feels confident. I wish she were with Lori Nichol next year. I just think he can do much more to showcase her talents.
It'll be a fight to the death between Agnes and Christina for that third spot. Unfortunately, it seems that the USFSA and its judges are done with Mirai, who seems to have peaked at the 2010 Olympics. But she could prove me wrong with good skates at this next GP season...
I see your point but alyssa and mirai are such crap shoots. I almost dont' think they deserve to go to the Olys and definitely not medal there as they are so so so inconsistent. So much unfulfilled talent. But both may be past their best before dates not to sound mean. Mirai was fourth at the last olympics and in the lead and well.. she has faile dto keep the momentum. Alyssa has had not just bad skates but horrific, terrifying, tragic, disgusting skates. some may say she doesn't deserve another chance as she has had so many already.Ashley and Gracie earned their spots on next year's Olympic team.
For the third spot, I would be happy with Mirai or Alissa - whichever one of them skates better next season.
She's got much more talent and potential than Sarah Hughes did. IF she keeps it together and improves artistically, I don't see her being a flash-in-the-pan fluke champion like Hughes at all.
She's got much more talent and potential than Sarah Hughes did. IF she keeps it together and improves artistically, I don't see her being a flash-in-the-pan fluke champion like Hughes at all.
So you're saying that Gao has the potential to be a TWO time Olympic champion? Gimme a break.
When 2014? Certainly Not. 2018 maybe. Sarah Hughes was not a fluke champion.
Let’s compare. Christina Gao has been to 4 National championships and placed 5th each time.
When SaraH Hughes had been to 4 National Championships, she had placed 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd. She had already won 4 GP medals, and a bronze medal a GP Final
Christina Gao has won 1 GP medal and was dead last at the GP Final.
And Sarah Hughes I went to Worlds and palced 7th, 5th, and 3rd.
So Sarah Hughes is a fluke, and Chriatina Gao is a seady contender. She’s steady all right. Steadily 5th.
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So you're saying that Gao has the potential to be a TWO time Olympic champion? Gimme a break.
When 2014? Certainly Not. 2018 maybe. Sarah Hughes was not a fluke champion.
What abourt Mirai, Alyissa, Rachel and Caroline? angela wang? I think they are all gunning for that final spot.
Sarah vs. Gracie
Sarah burst onto the scene in year #1 after Olympics. She had four years to improve herself and get herself into a position to be forgiven some small mistakes by the judges in the short program. By then she was the reigning world bronze medalist and had beaten both Michelle and Irina at Skate Canada, iirc. She was no newcomer and had a pretty good resume by then.
She probably was not as good as Michelle or Irina overall, but on that night she skated clean and neither of those skaters did.
Gracie burst onto the scene the year before the Olympics. She hasn't been around long enough to get "reputation points." Nor has she skated as consistently well as she could have. It's hard to believe she's as wonderful as everyone says she is when she didn't medal in the 4CC, one of her Grand Prix assignments and came in 8th and 9th in two short programs.
If she's like anyone, it will be that she's like Tara Lipinski. Maybe she'll get really, really good next year and jump over everybody, if that's even possible today.
Frankly, I find it sort of depressing that everyone's predicting next year's medallist to be 67% like last Olympics, and the third spot is "slotted" to go to the female Patrick Chan. There have been no exciting new skaters at all who have amounted to anything in 4 years, and that's sad.
I agree. The fact that the 3 Ladies who will most likely be on the podium were at the last Olympics and two of them medaled doesn't say a lot for this cycle heading into Sochi. I can't remember the last time a newcomer didn't get on the podium in the next Olympics.Sarah vs. Gracie
Sarah burst onto the scene in year #1 after Olympics. She had four years to improve herself and get herself into a position to be forgiven some small mistakes by the judges in the short program. By then she was the reigning world bronze medalist and had beaten both Michelle and Irina at Skate Canada, iirc. She was no newcomer and had a pretty good resume by then.
She probably was not as good as Michelle or Irina overall, but on that night she skated clean and neither of those skaters did.
Gracie burst onto the scene the year before the Olympics. She hasn't been around long enough to get "reputation points." Nor has she skated as consistently well as she could have. It's hard to believe she's as wonderful as everyone says she is when she didn't medal in the 4CC, one of her Grand Prix assignments and came in 8th and 9th in two short programs.
If she's like anyone, it will be that she's like Tara Lipinski. Maybe she'll get really, really good next year and jump over everybody, if that's even possible today.
Frankly, I find it sort of depressing that everyone's predicting next year's medallist to be 67% like last Olympics, and the third spot is "slotted" to go to the female Patrick Chan. There have been no exciting new skaters at all who have amounted to anything in 4 years, and that's sad.
I agree. The fact that the 3 Ladies who will most likely be on the podium were at the last Olympics and two of them medaled doesn't say a lot for this cycle heading into Sochi. I can't remember the last time a newcomer didn't get on the podium in the next Olympics.
Of the ladies on the podium in Vancouver, Rochette was the only 'veteran', at 24; YuNa and Mao were 19. So it's not so surprising that the younger ones would return for Sochi. While Mao's consistency has fallen off in the intervening years, YuNa's has apparently not. I'm not sure YuNa will retire after Sochi---2018 Olympics are in her country. I do expect Kostner to retire, but Mao, who knows. Mao may be like Suguri, and continue on and on.
I agree. The fact that the 3 Ladies who will most likely be on the podium were at the last Olympics and two of them medaled doesn't say a lot for this cycle heading into Sochi. I can't remember the last time a newcomer didn't get on the podium in the next Olympics.