Gracie Gold: "I Perform My Best When I Stay Fully In Each Moment" | Golden Skate

Gracie Gold: "I Perform My Best When I Stay Fully In Each Moment"

ForeverFish

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Gracie Gold: "I Perform My Best When I Stay Fully In Each Moment"

World Figure Skating News recently conducted an interview with Gracie Gold about her progress across her senior debut season and her goals for the Olympic season. You can read the full article here:

http://fskating.com/2013/04/gracie-gold-i-perform-my-best-when-i-stay-fully-in-each-moment.html

I couldn't help but notice her comment about how she thinks "everyone will be impressed with my new programs." Does this mean that she's still getting choreography from Scott Brown? I sincerely hope not.
 

vera01

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Jan 6, 2013
Gold: My main goal for this season is to qualify for the Olympic Games. My ultimate season’s goal would be to score 200+ and make the podium.

Err... really? At the Olympics? She seems to be too confident in this interview.

And to achieve that second goal, she'll need two flawless programs and meltdown from at least one of Big Three. I don't think that's likely to happen.
 

Jammers

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Err... really? At the Olympics? She seems to be too confident in this interview.

And to achieve that second goal, she'll need two flawless programs and meltdown from at least one of Big Three. I don't think that's likely to happen.

Would you rather we have skaters like Mirai who even when she talked big never had the confidence to back it up? Or Alissa and her deer in the headlights look? I think Gracie knows what she has to work on. As for making the podium who knows? Gracie just beat Mao at WTT. If Mao can't land her jumps she won't get on the podium in Sochi.
 

jaylee

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Err... really? At the Olympics? She seems to be too confident in this interview.

And to achieve that second goal, she'll need two flawless programs and meltdown from at least one of Big Three. I don't think that's likely to happen.

Well, that's why she called it her "ultimate goal". Every skater dreams of medaling at the Olympics. That's Gracie's "pie in the sky" goal. While it's not the easiest goal or the most likely goal, I see no reason why she can't list it as her ultimate goal.

I hope her programs next year will be impressive! Luckily, she has the foundation to succeed once she gets the right programs.
 

ForeverFish

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Would you rather we have skaters like Mirai who even when she talked big never had the confidence to back it up? Or Alissa and her deer in the headlights look? I think Gracie knows what she has to work on. As for making the podium who knows? Gracie just beat Mao at WTT. If Mao can't land her jumps she won't get on the podium in Sochi.

At WTT, Gracie's PCS in the FS were less than 4 points behind Mao's. Of course, it's probably not a good comparison because Mao looked injured and could barely lift her feet, but if she stays around the same level while Gracie has significant improvement...anything could happen.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

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Jan 25, 2013
Err... really? At the Olympics? She seems to be too confident in this interview.

And to achieve that second goal, she'll need two flawless programs and meltdown from at least one of Big Three. I don't think that's likely to happen.

I think with two flawless programs she can definitely beat Kostner or Mao with flaws (and neither has skated cleanly internationally this past season). But Gracie has yet to do two clean programs internationally too. As for 200+ points, I think that is doable for her given the inflation at the Olympics.
 

Jammers

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I really hope Gracie's coach doesn't saddle her with Scott Brown yet again as her choreographer. He has a potential future World Champion if he gets her the right people to help her improve and polish her skating and he's doing her no favors not getting her to a top choreographer. Just look at the top skaters they are getting their programs from people like Mills, Nichols and Wilson. Her coach needs to look outside their coaching team.
 

dorispulaski

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Since he's been canned by Ashley, I expect Philip Mills would be thrilled to work with Gracie :biggrin:
 

ForeverFish

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I think with two flawless programs she can definitely beat Kostner or Mao with flaws (and neither has skated cleanly internationally this past season). But Gracie has yet to do two clean programs internationally too. As for 200+ points, I think that is doable for her given the inflation at the Olympics.

If she does up her technical content like she plans to, she could be in contention for the top 4 at the Olympics. It's Gracie's SP that has killed her this past season--she had one entirely clean skate, and that was at CoR in the fall. Not even at Worlds or WTT was she able to keep the nerves at bay, and it's costing her valuable points.

As for beating Carolina and Mao, we'll just have to see what form they're in next season. It's true that Carolina doesn't attempt the hardest combinations (but maybe she will for the Olympics), and Mao's triple axel is finicky, but they could easily medal by virtue of their huge PCS even if their jumps are flawed (but not enormously so).
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

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If she does up her technical content like she plans to, she could be in contention for the top 4 at the Olympics. It's Gracie's SP that has killed her this past season--she had one entirely clean skate, and that was at CoR in the fall. Not even at Worlds or WTT was she able to keep the nerves at bay, and it's costing her valuable points.

As for beating Carolina and Mao, we'll just have to see what form they're in next season. It's true that Carolina doesn't attempt the hardest combinations (but maybe she will for the Olympics), and Mao's triple axel is finicky, but they could easily medal by virtue of their huge PCS even if their jumps are flawed (but not enormously so).

Yeah, her SP has been a weakness which is weird because as a junior she had some good SPs.

And indeed we can't say who will or won't be in top form this season when singles skaters have been up and down and all around this season. I'm really hoping that Carolina continues to up her technical game (hopefully Yu Na convinced her to with her Worlds performances). And Mao's axel has been finnicky, but she seemed to be able to get it together in 2010 even when it was finnicky prior to that. I really hope that the judges will reward clean programs over better programs filled with mistakes.
 

aftertherain

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Mmmm. I see Gracie being in fourth at the Olympics with a score of 190+ with a relatively "clean" free skate, kinda like Mirai at the 2010 Olympics.
 

chuckm

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Fourth at the Olympics would be great! With the top 3 retiring, that would pretty much ensure Gracie could medal at 2014 Worlds.
 

skateluvr

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Oct 23, 2011
I see Gracie Gold as World Gold medalist in 20014 and the star to beat til 2018 where she blows away the competition. I'd rather watch her at this point than Mao. Carolina is so stunning, her skating is better than Yuna's but not her tech content. But if yuna blows it, and does not have the programs, and Gracie is not is the pressure positions, she could easily pull a tara or Sarah. She can jump and all else is very good and improving. Mao is not a given. Carolina will not be scored as high unless she can add some difficulty this season. Don't underestimate thisgirl. If she has the confidence of Tara and Sarah, she can be a dark horse podium threat.

I am in her corner. She and Akiko, Caro and Osmond are my favorite skaters at present. Akiko is really skating incredibly. I loved her WTT performance. Mao is declining. Akiko is fabulous, sadly Japan won't admit Mao is not the best lady anymore. Mao had the perfect vehicle this year. I don't know what TAT will do. I wish Wilson had Mao. Or maybe Jeff Buttle. I wish Sandra Bezic would have done CoP programs. TaT is wrong for Mao at this point. Camerlengo is better.

I agree Grace needs Mills or ? She really is a hardworker so don't think the veterans will be held up. Caro has had several Olympics. Mao and Yuna have had their big day too. I hope the kids get the scores they deserve. Akiko should be a podium threat. It is a shame she is overlooked by so many fans. She is awesome.
 

ForeverFish

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Fourth at the Olympics would be great! With the top 3 retiring, that would pretty much ensure Gracie could medal at 2014 Worlds.

I was making a bit of a grand statement, actually. Could this feasibly happen--that Gracie outskates the Russians, Ashley, Akiko, and Kanako?
 

artsciboy

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Gracie needs more than better choreography or musicality. She skates like a linebacker and with the same posture too - she's my refridgerator break. She needs to undergo an Angela Nikodinov like makeover fast.
 

chuckm

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I was making a bit of a grand statement, actually. Could this feasibly happen--that Gracie outskates the Russians, Ashley, Akiko, and Kanako?

She outskated Akiko and the Russians at Worlds 2013. If she delivered two clean programs, she could beat Ashley and Kanako as well. But she was 6th at 2013 Worlds, and if you take out the top 3 (Asada, Kostner, Kim) that would put her in the medals at 2014 Worlds, wouldn't it?
 

chuckm

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Gracie needs more than better choreography or musicality. She skates like a linebacker and with the same posture too - she's my refridgerator break. She needs to undergo an Angela Nikodinov like makeover fast.

The judges seem to like her quite a lot. She is fast, she has huge jumps, and she is an excellent spinner; her footwork usually get L4 with +GOE. It's true she needs to develop better presentation skills, but she is well aware of that.
 

artsciboy

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The judges seem to like her quite a lot. She is fast, she has huge jumps, and she is an excellent spinner; her footwork usually get L4 with +GOE. It's true she needs to develop better presentation skills, but she is well aware of that.

Well, Rachel Flatt was getting solid PCS marks when she was landing the jumps too...and that's the only positive thing I can say about her musicality/presentation.
 

zschultz1986

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Mar 18, 2013
Well, Rachel Flatt was getting solid PCS marks when she was landing the jumps too...and that's the only positive thing I can say about her musicality/presentation.

Really? We're comparing Gracie with Rachel? Artsciboy, Gracie is also getting the PCS when she doesn't land all the jumps. There's a marked difference between the ceiling of Gracie Gold and Rachel Flatt. One can jump like Kim Yuna, and the other is Rachel Flatt.
 
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