- Joined
- Aug 21, 2012
Both Miller and Wang made the JGPF last season and would have done better at Jr Worlds then Yasmin did. Yasmin had one good competition why should that have been considered more impressive then a whole season of good performances from Angela and Hannah? Miller even won a silver medal at the JGPF.
I don't think "would have done" is convincing enough for the USFS, since they usually give international assignments based on Nationals:
1st place (Ashley) went to Worlds
2nd place (Gracie) went to Worlds and 4CC
3rd place (Agnes) went to 4CC
4th place (Courtney, who was skating internationally as a junior) went to Jr. Worlds
5th place (Christina) went to 4CC
6th place (Yasmin) went to Jr. Worlds
7th place (Mirai) was too old for Jr. Worlds and made 4CC alternate
8th place (Samantha) went to Jr. Worlds
If Courtney had had more senior international experience, she probably would have gotten the 4CC nod, and Christina would have gone to Jr. Worlds again. Also, as was mentioned, it would have looked pretty suspicious to pass up Yasmin for Hannah or Angela, both of whom finished more than ten points below Yasmin at Nationals.
Eighth or ninth at Nationals, moreover, doesn't bode well for a skater in the second half of the season. The expectation is that you'll peak when it matters -- around Worlds or Jr. Worlds. Ashley faced this problem last season, when she had a great GP and then ran out of gas by Nationals, nearly losing her title. In 2010, Mirai didn't do so well on the GP, but hit a high point at Nationals, which convinced the USFS to send her instead of Ashley to the Olympics.