State of American Ladies: 2013-14 Season | Page 34 | Golden Skate

State of American Ladies: 2013-14 Season

Jammers

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Country
United-States
Why did she choose this music and program? Any Bond program is going to pale compared to Yuna's which was sassy and sexy at the same time. It's one of her signature programs.
 

ManyCairns

Medalist
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Country
United-States
^It seems unwise to invite comparisons to the immediately previous gold-medal winner, who also happens to be considered by many to be one of the greats of the sport. Sure, in a few years, but in the very next Olympic season?

Still, I really did think her costume was lovely and eye-catching, and her overall presence was good, so hopefully Mirai herself does like the program enough to put her heart into it all season long. And I do hope she has a great season -- I don't mean to sound like I don't hope for that just because I'm concerned about her chances.

And not that it's important in a discussion of her skating, but she looks more gorgeous every year.
 

lcd

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Mirai had just returned from a week on tour in Japan. I can't imagine she was fully trained. She was probably also jet lagged. I give her credit for putting the program out there, and would cut her some "slack" before DECIDING that she is slow/end of story.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
I suppose I can forgive her this competition b/c it is August and she did just get back from Japan and any other excuse we want to use. The point of the matter is this kind of skating will not fly on the GP this year...not at all. I think both programs have potential but Mirai is going to need 100% more energy/life/personality/charisma/spark than she showed here. She needs to rewatch her 2010 national performances to remind herself of how to sell a program.

I don't want to write Mirai off yet but this competition did not inspire much confidence. Courtney OTOH seems to be making her case early for that 3rd spot. I'll admit she's moved up on my list of potentials...and Mirai has moved down. It doesn't matter that it's early. Every competition counts this year for anyone who isn't Ashley or Gracie when it comes to who is going to get that spot.

Like FlattFan said, Mirai isn't really an underdog anymore. In the fans' eyes I believe she is but she's not from the judges' standpoint. She's finished out of the top 5 two years in a row and her results on the GP have consistently been mediocre over the last few years. They will not be throwing her any bones this year, not when there are so many promising young skaters coming up behind her who are clearly the future. Last time around Mirai was the obvious future star of US skating...that's not the case this time.

I would love to see Mirai magically cure all of her issues and skate to her potential. I'm not sure how likely that is right now. She has an uphill battle and she has far less room for error than anyone else...my fingers are always crossed for her but, to be honest, I'm very skeptical of how far she can go this season.
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
It is a bit early to say that about Mirai no?Since when did she ever start her season with a +160-170 score..
I am more interested to see the actual program and it's potential..

Anyway,very impressive by Hicks!She seems to be in a very good place right know and hopefully she will get that Skate America slot.
The other American ladies needs to bring their A game this fall, really exciting!I wonder about the potential for Hicks to score even higher?
I just hope her programs looks a bit more refined this year..

What, no love for Polina? I think I am going to pay attention to this girl for the next few years. She is tall and gangly right now but she has presence and when she fills out those long arms and legs could be like weapons racking up GOE points.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
What, no love for Polina? I think I am going to pay attention to this girl for the next few years. She is tall and gangly right now but she has presence and when she fills out those long arms and legs could be like weapons racking up GOE points.

I was impressed with Polina's results as well. She's definitely one to keep an eye on but she needs to get through her puberty phase first. Courtney was 4th at nationals so that already gives her a leg up and for her to have that kind of performance this early in the season shows that she's fit and ready to compete. I think that's why people are excited for her.

I love Courtney's speed, power and energy. I just hope they've reined her in this season. She's always looked frantic and a bit out of control when she skates to me. I saw some improvements with her FS from last year (her SP was a hot mess IMO) so I'm hoping she's continued to improve on that as well.

I would like to see her on the GP this year and hopefully she'll get that SA slot. I was hoping it might go to Alissa but I seriously doubt if she'll be ready by the time it rolls around.

As for Polina, I believe she'll get JGP assignments this year. I'm excited to see how she'll do there...
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Hicks did well here, but...can she keep it up?

This season is a marathon, not a sprint...so we'll see who impresses when it counts most. That said, she has to like where she is now.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
Hicks did well here, but...can she keep it up?

This season is a marathon, not a sprint...so we'll see who impresses when it counts most. That said, she has to like where she is now.

I think starting strong out of the gate is better than limping out of the gate. Since Courtney has blown it out of the water in the first competition, she's put everything out on the table. The judges/officials now know what she can do. If she isn't as good at her next competition, I think they might be a little more lenient b/c they've seen her potential.

Of course you can't start strong out of the gate and then fade the rest of the way. This strong debut should work in Courtney's favor but she'll have to stay on top of it. She's got the ball rolling but she needs to keep it rolling. That momentum will translate to better scores and she'll be able to start building her reputation...and as we know, those are the keys to success in this sport.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
I suppose I can forgive her this competition b/c it is August and she did just get back from Japan and any other excuse we want to use. The point of the matter is this kind of skating will not fly on the GP this year...not at all. I think both programs have potential but Mirai is going to need 100% more energy/life/personality/charisma/spark than she showed here. She needs to rewatch her 2010 national performances to remind herself of how to sell a program.

I don't want to write Mirai off yet but this competition did not inspire much confidence. Courtney OTOH seems to be making her case early for that 3rd spot. I'll admit she's moved up on my list of potentials...and Mirai has moved down. It doesn't matter that it's early. Every competition counts this year for anyone who isn't Ashley or Gracie when it comes to who is going to get that spot.

Like FlattFan said, Mirai isn't really an underdog anymore. In the fans' eyes I believe she is but she's not from the judges' standpoint. She's finished out of the top 5 two years in a row and her results on the GP have consistently been mediocre over the last few years. They will not be throwing her any bones this year, not when there are so many promising young skaters coming up behind her who are clearly the future. Last time around Mirai was the obvious future star of US skating...that's not the case this time.

I would love to see Mirai magically cure all of her issues and skate to her potential. I'm not sure how likely that is right now. She has an uphill battle and she has far less room for error than anyone else...my fingers are always crossed for her but, to be honest, I'm very skeptical of how far she can go this season.


I agree with this assessment. After watching the new Bond LP, I am not feeling optimistic. The program didn't thrill me, nor did Mirai's skating. Her jumps, speed, spins, performance level, everything, looked about the same as last year. And the program is not so great. Too many music cuts; the cuts don't seem to be in the best order; and the choreography looks ho-hum. And yes, it will suffer in comparison to Yuna's 2010 SP. Why invite those comparisons, which will not be in Mirai's favor??
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
I agree with this assessment. After watching the new Bond LP, I am not feeling optimistic. The program didn't thrill me, nor did Mirai's skating. Her jumps, speed, spins, performance level, everything, looked about the same as last year. And the program is not so great. Too many music cuts; the cuts don't seem to be in the best order; and the choreography looks ho-hum. And yes, it will suffer in comparison to Yuna's 2010 SP. Why invite those comparisons, which will not be in Mirai's favor??


It does seem like she's channeling Yu-Na's Bond-Gershwin combo from Vancouver, only the order is reversed: Yu-Na did Bond for her SP and Gershwin for her FS. Mirai is doing Gershwin for her SP and Bond for her FS.

Of course Gershwin isn't exclusive to Yu-Na (people constantly use those his work) but I do think she'll draw comparisons. I wish she'd have gone with something different as well. I do think the program has potential to be decent (Bond). I thought Akiko's Kill Bill edit was all over the place the first time I heard it, but once I saw her really perform the program and tie everything together I fell in love with it. Mirai's performance wasn't really all there. I don't feel she really performed with the energy or charisma needed to sell the program which is why it felt flat and a little disjointed. If she can pull everything together she may be able to change my mind...especially if they fix that spiral sequence. What the fudge was that? As many gorgeous spirals as Mirai is capable of (arabesque, Biellmann, Ina Bauer, Charlotte, Y-Spiral, fan spiral) I can't believe that's what they came up with. It's very weak and desperately needs to be reworked. That's one area she can gain a lot more points if she uses it effectively...right now she isn't.
 

lcd

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
she looks so tired in this close-up. Although it is a lackluster performance this time, I just have a soft spot for Mirai, whenever she steps onto the ice.

She probably WAS tired. She had just returned from Japan a few days before (she performed in the ICE tour for a week). Jet lag likely played a role in her BEING tired. Her personality is to often "wear her heart on her sleeve" so she probably wasn't hiding it. Hopefully, good for her for putting her program out there, but I think there was a very legitimate reason for observations by some of "slow spins" and "Mirai's tired face"
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
Mirai still has stamina issues, her spins are awfully slow too

Agreed. To be fair, she was probably jet lagged from Japan which may have affected her stamina but then again, she's had stamina issues for the past few seasons. That's where it's hard to distinguish whether this is just a case of being tired or whether it's more than that. The only spin of hers that is exceptional now is her layback which, thankfully, has not diminished at all over the years. She still centers very well, deep arch in her back, it's very fast and the position are still difficult and very good.

I think her combo spin is good but not great. There are too many positions and she loses speed. I do not like her flying camel either. I always thought her flying sit spins were better but, thanks to IJS and all of the rules for levels in spins, we get slower, uglier spins crammed with leg tuck positions and hops just so people can earn an extra level.
 

clairecloutier

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Just got a chance to watch Courtney's Evita LP from Glacier Falls. Great jumps, especially that 3Ltz/2/2 combination. But, the rest of it, geez. It needs quite a bit of work. Transitions & positions need to be much better. Watching it, you just kind of wait for the next jump. Hopefully it improves over the year. It'd probably be good for the USFSA to give her the third SA spot, so she can start getting more exposure to senior competitors and learning from that. Courtney sure does have the jumps, though, so I think we're going to be seeing her for quite a while.
 

b-man

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Hicks did well here, but...can she keep it up?

This season is a marathon, not a sprint...so we'll see who impresses when it counts most. That said, she has to like where she is now.

Hicks is all about the jumps. If you want someone who can do a 7 triple program, she can probably do that. The jumps may be sloppy, but they will be landed. If you are looking for chroreography or interpetation, you will need to look elswhere.
 

b-man

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
She's finished out of the top 5 two years in a row and her results on the GP have consistently been mediocre over the last few years.

I would love to see Mirai magically cure all of her issues and skate to her potential.

Mirai was the second alternate to the GP final last year, 1 slot behind Gao and ahead of Fed favorites Agnes and Gold. Two years ago she was about the same in GP rankings. If that is mediocre, then Agnes and Gold were also mediocre, or worse.
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
I love Courtney the most of the current girls. But she is one unrefined chick.
Her program would be ok if she stops rushing every elements.

This is one girl where speed doesn't help her.

What I don't get is why Courtney is not the same level as Gracie? Both are jumpers, both have big jumps, both are unrefined. Courtney is in your face with her sandpaper artistry, Gracie is smiley hand wavy pageant queen. I like them both, but they are not good. Why is one perceived to be better than the other?

Their PCS shouldn't be more than 1 point apart.
 
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