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Repeat after me: MIRAI GOT SKATE AMERICA.
Can we quit with the "USFSA hates Mirai" rubbish now please?
Is Gold solid as numero uno with USFS?
- Thread starter skateluvr
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Repeat after me: MIRAI GOT SKATE AMERICA.
Can we quit with the "USFSA hates Mirai" rubbish now please?
I'm so glad someone finally said this. I'm so tired of people underselling Polina because they're annoyed she dared to beat Mirai. And I don't agree with the argument that she came into Nationals with no pressure, she may have come in with no media hope but read the piece from 2010 where they talk to her mother and her coach about their goals for her. The internal pressure on that kid was undoubtedly huge. It might not have been the fans' or the media's plan for Polina to be in Sochi but her team was definitely gunning for it so I do think there was pressure especially after she found herself in second after the short with two bigger names trailing her.
I won't be the least bit surprised if she makes the GPF and/or wins Nationals. That said I think the main one to get in Gracie's way will be Gracie herself.
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Yes, Christina Gao is competing this year. Cup of China and NHK are her GP assignments.
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I agree with this... Mirai's issues have to do with her, not USFSA. Plus, after the outpouring of support for her after last year's Nationals, the USFSA would stupid NOT to support her, hence the Skate America assignment. We all want Mirai to be successful and show off her oodles of talent, but she needs to want the same thing for herself. We shall see...
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Gracie needs to step up her consistency, otherwise Polina can overtake her (especially given Polina's higher difficulty). I think on an off-day for Gracie, Wagner can certainly beat her -- after all, she would have beaten Gracie at Worlds if she had attempted a 3F+2T in her SP, instead of the 3F+3T<<.
Another thing is Gracie has only had two 190+ performances, and is showing some technical decline (lower jumps, wonky axel, a fall in every FS). I think she'll get it together over the summer and cement herself as the US #1, but right now, there's no clear-without-a-doubt US favourite. If there were a competition right now, I'd actually wager on Polina to put out the cleanest performance... once Polina's speed improves, the judges will have to raise her PCS (or at least close the PCS gap between Polina and Wagner/Gold), and with her technical difficulty she is the US skater to watch.
Another thing is Gracie has only had two 190+ performances, and is showing some technical decline (lower jumps, wonky axel, a fall in every FS). I think she'll get it together over the summer and cement herself as the US #1, but right now, there's no clear-without-a-doubt US favourite. If there were a competition right now, I'd actually wager on Polina to put out the cleanest performance... once Polina's speed improves, the judges will have to raise her PCS (or at least close the PCS gap between Polina and Wagner/Gold), and with her technical difficulty she is the US skater to watch.
Polina isn't as blazing fast as Gracie, but she isn't a snail either. I'd say she's above average and she has pretty good skating skills/ice coverage. That's my impression having seen her in-person.
She needs more development in the choreography department, but others say she does have some musicality.
She needs more development in the choreography department, but others say she does have some musicality.
Edmunds is still somewhat of a question mark since we don't know what'll happen once she fills out more. Just 2 seasons ago she was a chronic underrotator and fixed a lot of that this season. Hicks is also a question. She has the jumps but her polish, neatness, and artistry are just
and 
. I don't think she'll ever develop enough in those areas to become the top US lady. We have some promising juniors coming up and it'll be interesting what they'll do on the senior scene (my personal favorite is Karen Chen-- she has the spins to equal Lipnitskaia and her jumps are better, but injuries might be an issue for her).
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You know...watching her WC FS earlier today I noticed that the choreo is there and she has nice balletic concepts but where she loses me is the commitment to it. With how crisp and convincing she delivers her technical arsenal, I want to see the same level of commitment to the story or feeling of her programs. The little nuances act like accents do in music but if you don't commit, it almost has a negative effect. Once she gets a better delivery in terms of her choreo I fully expect a thread "Is Polina solid as número UNO with USFS" :yes:
The truly amazing thing is how calm she skated at Worlds not having skated the Senior GP and with such limited experience.
You know...watching her WC FS earlier today I noticed that the choreo is there and she has nice balletic concepts but where she loses me is the commitment to it. With how crisp and convincing she delivers her technical arsenal, I want is to see the same level of commitment to the story or feeling of her programs. The little nuances act like accents do in music but if you don't commit, it almost has a negative effect. Once she gets a better delivery in terms of her choreo I fully expect a thread "Is Polina solid as número UNO with USFS" :yes:
The truly amazing thing is how calm she skated at Worlds not having skated the Senior GP and with such limited experience.
That's my take with her too. I actually was sort of bored by her FS after she did the big jumping passes in the beginning. But I agree that will improve with time.
At least with Ashley, even though she messed up big time, she still tried to commit to the choreography.
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I agree. She doesn't have that spark that we saw from Michelle or Sasha. Even more technical skaters like Tonya, Midori, and Irina had an energy to their performances that made you want to watch until the end. When all of the top competitors are doing 3-3's a skater needs more to stand out.
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At least Kostner did win WC in 2012, while Cohen never.
And without the controversy at Sochi, Kostner could have had a silver or even Gold (according to some people), not just bronze since she was so clean.
Agreed. Polina's presentation will hopefully mature with time, but I feel like she's on the right track.
The truly amazing thing is how calm she skated at Worlds not having skated the Senior GP and with such limited experience.
Yes, Polina does seem to be a really confident person. And it helps that she had nothing to lose this year. It's a whole lot different than Gracie who went into Worlds expecting herself to seriously challenge for a medal (she also has dealt with being the so-called "great US ladies hope" since she entered the Sr ranks).
Nothing seemed to faze Polina this year, but that could definitely change as she spends a lot more time on the Sr level. All these skaters are human, and none of them will be calm and collected in competition every time. Polina also has to get though puberty, and hopefully any body changes won't throw her off too much and rattle her in the middle of a competition season. Her jump technique seems pretty sound though, so that might help her make any necessary adjustments.
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I still say that Polina was under NO pressure this year and that makes a world of difference in competition. I also wonder how Jason is going to handle expectations next year after his successes of this year.
Polina is 16 years old. I imagine puberty isn't an issue anymore. I also think her body isn't going to change that much anymore. If she were 2 or 3 years younger, perhaps! But I do think she'll have to deal with the fact that she very well could win Nationals and in some camps will be expected to do just that. That's different than going to Nats your first year in seniors just for the experience, winning a silver medal and skating in the Olympics. She's probably still pinching herself!!!
Polina is 16 years old. I imagine puberty isn't an issue anymore. I also think her body isn't going to change that much anymore. If she were 2 or 3 years younger, perhaps! But I do think she'll have to deal with the fact that she very well could win Nationals and in some camps will be expected to do just that. That's different than going to Nats your first year in seniors just for the experience, winning a silver medal and skating in the Olympics. She's probably still pinching herself!!!
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Amber Glenn?
Looks pretty solid to me. Any chance she could surprise people at Nationals?
Looks pretty solid to me. Any chance she could surprise people at Nationals?
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I love Mirai but she can't be in the same category as an Olympic and Worlds medallist - which Sasha is.
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Never say never. Carolina Kostner has been written off so many times. Mirai has all the goods and I love her programs. She could surprise this year.
Carolina had the advantage of skating in a country with very little competition for her.
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My issue with Mirai is that in order to skate cleanly she has to resort to slashing her choreo. Kostner has been written off for inconsistency but her artistry and commitment to her program/content is always there. I'm hoping Mirai turns a corner next season though.
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