Zijun Li vs. Kaetlyn Osmond: The Unsung Rivalry | Golden Skate

Zijun Li vs. Kaetlyn Osmond: The Unsung Rivalry

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
Li beat Osmond at all their head-to-heads in the 2012-2013 season, but Osmond had her revenge in the Sochi Olympics and at Saitama Worlds. I think these two have the potential to really push each other. Theirs is probably not a fight for the gold, but still a fight to reach the final flight at Worlds and to by some miracle scrape by into the GPF. Last year I was really expecting Li to impress us during the 13-14 season but her terrible programs reduced my enthusiasm and injuries took their toll (on Osmond as well, a strange coincidence). Osmond also struggled with injury but is widely touted as having the best transitions among the ladies today.

EDIT whoops, I got their results mixed up for Sochi and Saitama. So can Zijun Li recover and catch up to Kaetlyn Osmond, or can Osmond keep her lead?
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I think it is more on Li than on Osmond. Li had a "sophomore slump" last year after a promising 2012-13 season. Can she come back strong, or is her best work behind her already?
 

Krunchii

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Kaetlyn was 13th in Sochi (168.98) and 11th at Worlds (170.64) while Zijun was 14th in Sochi (168.30) and 17th at Worlds (150.34), She didn't beat Kaetlyn handily at all, Kaetlyn beat her barely there. Honestly consider them neck to neck, Kaetlyn can make mistakes in her SP and still beat Zijun while Zijun skates an LP much more soundly than Kaetlyn. Personally I think Kaetlyn is much more fun to watch but I like both girls, Kaetlyn's programs are packed full of transitions and she's got huge jumps, if she can land her jumps like she did in her Saitama SP then she can threaten a lot of other girls other than Zijun. I just hope next season neither of them are hampered by injury and can both skate to their fullest because I like what they both bring to the table. I've only watched them last season and this season so I think I still need some time to watch them more haha
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
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May 19, 2011
^^Agreed.

Last season both Zijun and Kaetlyn suffered injuries and never had enough time to really get their feet under them for the big events.

At this point I do find Kaetlyn much more enjoyable to watch. She delivers her programs with speed, energy and enthusiasm which helps to boost her a bit when she makes mistakes.

Zijun on the other hand pretty much disappeared last season from a performance standpoint. She was sort of sleepwalking through her programs (both of which were rather blah) which really hurt her PCS. There was no life or energy to her performances which was really sad to see b/c she's such a talented girl.


I think both ladies have the goods to be in the mix moving forward. Kaetlyn still needs someone to smooth her out; she's still a little all over the place when she skates. BUT she has personality and pizazz and can definitely put on a show. Refinement and some consistency will put her back near the top.

Zijun needs better programs. She's good with light classical music but I think Lori should step out of the box and find her some nice contemporary classical pieces instead of saddling her with warhorse after warhorse each season...and for goodness sake, switch up the choreography. Every single one of her programs follows the exact same layout and exact same pattern across the ice. Variety please!

In addition, Zijun has to perform; put some energy and feeling behind the movements and bring it to life otherwise her PCS will never go up and she'll fade into the background.


Both ladies are talented. The more successful of the two will be the one who steps up first.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
While they are talented, they won't make it to the top if they don't step it up and undergo a major transformation. The Russians and Americans seem slated to dominate.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I wouldn't consider them as having a rivalry. The way I see them now, they're two skaters who were out of the picture last season due to injuries. But if both stay healthy, they are talented enough to potentially make a splash on the GP. Neither will threaten for a world medal soon, or maybe ever, but they could be in the second-tier level of skaters.
 

shine

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I wouldn't consider them as having a rivalry. The way I see them now, they're two skaters who were out of the picture last season due to injuries. But if both stay healthy, they are talented enough to potentially make a splash on the GP. Neither will threaten for a world medal soon, or maybe ever, but they could be in the second-tier level of skaters.
If Kaetlyn gets a 3loop and gets some consistency with the rest of her jumps, I don't think why she SHOULD'T threaten for a medal at some point. Is it because she's not blonde?
 

pointyourtoe

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 11, 2013
If Kaetlyn gets a 3loop and gets some consistency with the rest of her jumps, I don't think why she SHOULD'T threaten for a medal at some point. Is it because she's not blonde?

I think you're mistaking him for Sky Fly :laugh:
 

Sandpiper

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
The funniest part is, CSG is the most pro-Canadian person around and constantly at odds with Skyfly. :laugh: Oh the irony...

Ahem, well, I don't have strong opinions on either Li or Osmond, but it's kinda stretching it to call it a rivalry at this point. I know it might sound elitist to say this, but they need to be competing for medals for it to be a rivalry. Not for sixth place/spot in final group.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
If Kaetlyn gets a 3loop and gets some consistency with the rest of her jumps, I don't think why she SHOULD'T threaten for a medal at some point. Is it because she's not blonde?

I think she needs to pay more attention to detail and the positions she achieves. Her programs are hard and she has great energy but she doesn't have very good lines. An example would be her illusion position, which looks very bent. I'd prefer to see her pull out some of the difficult transitions and focus more on her line.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Well, as much as an Osmond fan as I am, it's hard to ignore the influx of Russians.

I think Osmond could potentially threaten for a bronze, or even GP wins, but a World medal is rather bleak given that the podium will quite possibly be monopolized by at least 2 Russians over the next few seasons, and probably the other podium spot going to Gold/Edmunds if not the 3rd Russian entry.

I like Osmond, but just because I like her I'm not going to say crazy stuff like she will win the next 3 World titles, especially when she hasn't shown any indication that she can. Really, Julia is the only one who has shown indication to dominate -- the rest of the field is too inconsistent. Radionova, once her PCS starts getting up to snuff, will likely be that other Russian who monopolizes the top spots... and maybe Pogorilaya.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
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May 19, 2011
I think she needs to pay more attention to detail and the positions she achieves. Her programs are hard and she has great energy but she doesn't have very good lines. An example would be her illusion position, which looks very bent. I'd prefer to see her pull out some of the difficult transitions and focus more on her line.

That's exactly what I mean by her needing refinement. She's kinda sloppy. It's something that can definitely be fixed but she does need to work on that.

Kaetlyn's lack of blond hair dye has nothing to do with her ability to score well. Personally, I prefer Kaetlyn to Gracie; she's a far superior skater in terms of her energy, interpretation and ability to perform...and her transitions make Gracie's look like chump change too. Gracie has benefited from working with Frank and Lori who are known to really smooth a skater out and slow them down. That is exactly what Kaetlyn needs.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Agreed. Kaetlyn needs refinement, but she's got more spunk and energy than many other skaters. Like Daleman, she sometimes needs to rein it in just a tad. Osmond certainly has bigger jumps and better projection to the audience than Li does, but hopefully both can bounce back from last season.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I agree although Sotnikova is incredibly sloppy, unartistic and everything she does is incredibly ugly, but unfortunately for Osmond she is not Russian so for her that wont fly, and she does need to fix that aspect of her skating.

Augh, get over yourself. We get it... Sotnikova won because she's Russian. Nobody even mentioned her in this thread, and you figured you'd use it as a tirade. Although I suppose now that she's the new Chan in your mind, you'll spam 100 non-Sotnikova related threads to make everyone aware of your sentiments towards her.

Saying everything she does is incredibly ugly is just bitchy. :unsure: We're referring to her skating after all -- not your posts/general attitude. :rolleye:
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
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May 19, 2011
I agree although Sotnikova is incredibly sloppy, unartistic and everything she does is incredibly ugly, but unfortunately for Osmond she is not Russian so for her that wont fly, and she does need to fix that aspect of her skating.

I agree with CSG. This is just uncalled for and a little pathetic. :sarcasm:

At 17 years old of course Adelina needs some refinement but calling everything she does "incredibly ugly" is just plain childish. If you're older than 10 years old, I'm embarrassed for you. :slink:

Besides, I think this is very beautiful.
 

shine

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Since there are a slew of young Russians and young Americans who are already far ahead of her at this point, and while she can improve alot more so can they.

How are they far ahead of her? In skills? or consistency?
 

uhh

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
I agree with CSG. This is just uncalled for and a little pathetic. :sarcasm:

At 17 years old of course Adelina needs some refinement but calling everything she does "incredibly ugly" is just plain childish. If you're older than 10 years old, I'm embarrassed for you. :slink:

Besides, I think this is very beautiful.

Exactly. Sotnikova has gorgeous extension & lines that many other girls competing currently would do well to learn from, in addition to her big jumps and clean edges in her footwork. Admittedly her programs don't always work or please everyone, but if you ever get the chance to watch her practicing you will see that she has fantastic basic skating skills.

Back to the thread, I am more excited by Zijun that Kaetlyn. Her FS at Worlds in 2013 was divine, and it's such a shame that she had injury problems this year. It might have been better for her to take more time away from the ice to fully recover, but I suppose no one wants to do that in an Olympic season, but I hope she can come back strong in the autumn.

How are they far ahead of her? In skills? or consistency?

Consistency. Again, because of the injury Kaetlyn's problems were more understandable this season, but even last year when she had some good results she didn't manage to deliver clean free programs. Compare that to Lipnitskaia & Radionova who deliver on a much more regular basis, and manage to have 3-3 combinations and all the triples.
 

shine

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Exactly. Sotnikova has gorgeous extension & lines that many other girls competing currently would do well to learn from, in addition to her big jumps and clean edges in her footwork. Admittedly her programs don't always work or please everyone, but if you ever get the chance to watch her practicing you will see that she has fantastic basic skating skills.
I agree she has very nice leg extension, but to say she has nice lines overall is really a stretch. Her upper body posture is akward, and I don't think she uses her arms very well. I also don't like the way she lands the first jump in a 3-3's - so bent-over.

Back to the thread, I am more excited by Zijun that Kaetlyn. Her FS at Worlds in 2013 was divine, and it's such a shame that she had injury problems this year.
It was only good because she landed all her jumps. If it wasn't for that, it would've been a pretty bland program seriously lacking in interpretation in many parts of the program where the music was asking for much more.
Consistency. Again, because of the injury Kaetlyn's problems were more understandable this season, but even last year when she had some good results she didn't manage to deliver clean free programs. Compare that to Lipnitskaia & Radionova who deliver on a much more regular basis, and manage to have 3-3 combinations and all the triples.
This I agree with. It's something she really needs to work on if she ever wants to contend for a medal. And she should, as I don't think she's any less talented than these other skaters.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Consistency. Again, because of the injury Kaetlyn's problems were more understandable this season, but even last year when she had some good results she didn't manage to deliver clean free programs. Compare that to Lipnitskaia & Radionova who deliver on a much more regular basis, and manage to have 3-3 combinations and all the triples.

Consistency is very important because it allows skaters to build their scores through the season and set themselves up to compete on the big stage. Miki Ando (2011), Carolina Kostner and Alena Leonova (2012), and Julia and Adelina this year all had strong seasons and built momentum to finish their season with great scores.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
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May 19, 2011
I agree she has very nice leg extension, but to say she has nice lines overall is really a stretch. Her upper body posture is akward, and I don't think she uses her arms very well. I also don't like the way she lands the first jump in a 3-3's - so bent-over..

I love Adelina's leg lines. Gorgeous stretch and extension. I think her basic skating is very strong: deep edges, nice speed and easy flow....she's far better than a lot of people want to give her credit for.

I don't find her posture as awkward/bothersome as some people do but it could be better. I think her use of her arms is fine...it's more their utilization in the choreography that sometimes leaves me wishing for more.

I agree re: her landings. If there is one thing I'd like to see from her it's better flow out of some of her jumps. She has excellent spring, pop and height in her jumps but her landings sometimes lack good flow. She loses the speed and drops her back too much. Serafima Sakhanovich has that same issue. She lands very deeply in her knees and drops her back.
 
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