Polina Edmunds = better than Gracie? And best USA lady by far?? | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Polina Edmunds = better than Gracie? And best USA lady by far??

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Polina Edmunds is on the ballot for USOC September Female Athlete of the Month

Esp. cool is that among others on the ballot is Serena Williams. :cool: Inclusion on the same list as Williams would be an honor and a thrill, if you ask me.

And on the other ballots at the same link:
- Nathan Chen for Male Athlete of the Month.
- Hawayek/Baker for Team of the Month. [The Bryan brothers, the legendary doubles team from tennis, are in their category. Not too shabby either. ;)]​

(Survey closes in 1 day)
 

museksk8r

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
IMO, Polina is echelons ahead of Gracie in terms of talent and style. She reminds me of a young Carolina Kostner and she appears to have a strong head for competition, which I hope continues into her senior career. She is a lovely vision on the ice with long body lines and sensitivity to her music! I haven't been this excited about a US lady in a LONG time, not since Michelle Kwan. I don't want Edmunds to receive the excessive amount of fanfare that Gold has though.
 

Jammers

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Country
United-States
IMO, Polina is echelons ahead of Gracie in terms of talent and style. She reminds me of a young Carolina Kostner and she appears to have a strong head for competition, which I hope continues into her senior career. She is a lovely vision on the ice with long body lines and sensitivity to her music! I haven't been this excited about a US lady in a LONG time, not since Michelle Kwan. I don't want Edmunds to receive the excessive amount of fanfare that Gold has though.
Polina may be ahead of Gracie in terms of style but talentwise i'm not sure. Gracie never has problems rotating her jumps while Polina looks like she has to muscle them sometimes which causes her underotations. Gracie may be a better spinner and is a bit faster on the ice too.
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
From what I saw in that video, in some aspects her jumps look better than GG's, technique-wise. Actually, I think she may develop into a very solid and consistent jumper, if she survive changes in her body.

I think the only place for her to grow is out. And even then she might naturally be a skinny type. She is already pretty tall and long limbed. She should be gawky and clumsy right now, and apparently isn't. If anything she should get better as she fills out and gets more accustomed to her size. However since I am a male I have no experience in this regard. I hope I am right as she looks like she could bring something special to the sport.
 

thinspread

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
^^ That's my guess too. She looks to be a naturally thin type. She will fill out, but she will gain more muscle mass and strength too. I think that would help not only her overall skating, but her jumps as well. She already looks natural and effortless, and I like the way she executes her jumps without looking like she's using the last ounce of energy. I think she's very talented athletically.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
Overall, I definitely prefer Polina to Gracie. Gracie is much more athletic and powerful while Polina is fluid and graceful. When it comes to ladies skating, I'll take fluid and graceful over athletic and powerful any day.

Gracie is more of a natural jumper which, in this sport, is always a plus. I do think Polina has to muscle her jumps from time to time but as she gets older the hope is she'll gain more strength which should increase her power overall (height in jumps, speed, etc.).

I think Polina is a lovely skater. Very Kostner-esque with her long limbs but I'm surprised by how controlled she is. Most younger skaters with those kind of limbs tend to look like Bambi; very unsteady and awkward. Polina is aware of her limbs and controls them very well. I enjoy her style of skating very much and I'm excited to see how she will progress. With a little more experience I could see her among the top ladies in the US in the coming years.
 

thinspread

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
^^ I agree on what you said, except that I consider Edmunds no less athletic than Gold. Gold is athletic and a powerful jumper, but being fluid and graceful while going through demanding routines requires a different level of athleticism IMO.
 
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