The New USA Baby Ballerinas

Joesitz (RIP) · Feb 6, 2005

Which ones do you like and who will lead the pack:

Beatriza Liang - been around but this is her breakthrough year.

Kimmie Meissner - Novice gold and Jr. silver and triple Axel.

Katy Taylor - Runner up to Kimmie. Very talented.

Emilie Hughs - Gutsy and better than we thought.

I think it will be a battle between Kimmie and Bebe for the next 4 years.

Joe

mzheng · Feb 6, 2005

Joesitz said:
Which ones do you like and who will lead the pack:

Beatriza Liang - been around but this is her breakthrough year.

Kimmie Meissner - Novice gold and Jr. silver and triple Axel.

Katy Taylor - Runner up to Kimmie. Very talented.

Emilie Hughs - Gutsy and better than we thought.

I think it will be a battle between Kimmie and Bebe for the next 4 years.

Joe

Among Kimmie, Katy and Emilie. I think Katy is the one to watch. Her skating is more powerful than Kimmie and her expression looks more natural than Kimmie at the moment. Kimmie's bigest enemy is puberty monster. I believe Katy already half through it.

lavender · Feb 6, 2005

Katy is my pick.

Edited to add...I picked her because I like her artistry the best out of all of them. Kimmie will do well technically but she has no expression in her skating. There's also something about Bebe the judges don't like. I think she needs to slow down with her movement. Emily..I like her skating much, much better than Sarah but I don't think puberty is finish with her.

To be honest I don't think any of them at this point can do much damage internationally. I give it a few years.

mpal2 · Feb 6, 2005

I haven't been paying that much attention to the ex-junior (now senior) ladies, but I've been under the impression that Katy's competitive results have been inconsistent. If that's true, I don't think she can really be the next leader of the pack until she fixes the problem.

I've got to go with Beatrisa or Kimmie.

Fairy · Feb 7, 2005

I'll root for Katy,she is so talented and energetic!Sometimes she remainds me of Tara ,but she is not consistent .Bebe did a very good job in this year's US Nats,but it seems that she is not the sweetheart of judges(I'm sad for that)and considering her back injury which bothered her a lot,I don't think she will be a consistent skater.Kimmie is the most famous among these young skaters,but I think she is so slim and powerless.Her artistry is very unmature and the choreography of her program is too complicated for her,is it really choreographyed by Lori Nichol?I don't think it's her style.Emily is fine,but she is not the kind of skater I love.

Vash01 · Feb 7, 2005

I think the judges love Kimmie and she will be given the benefit of doubt in a close competition. I love Bebe, but the judges don't seem to. My other concern for Bebe is the lack of edge jumps. Unless she starts landing 3-3 jumps she will not be able to beat Kimmie who seems to be very consistent and has a greater variety of jumps, a more slender body which helps her create lines.

Sorry but I don't see Katy as one of the top skaters at least right now. I hope I am not judging her based on just one disastrous LP. At last year's Jr.worlds she made numerous mistakes but came in 3rd.

Emily Hughes is the one to watch IMO. She has determination and power. The difficult jumps will come with time.

So I have really not answered the question, I guess, but based on the fact that Kimmie is willing to go for the triple axel, she has a head start over others, the judges like her, and she lands the jumps consistently.

Vash

chuckm · Feb 7, 2005

I think Kimmie has a date with the puberty monster in the near future. Katy is dealing with that now, and by next season she should have gotten her consistency back.

BeBe is long past that scene, and I believe she will get her edge jumps back soon. She's progressed so much since her GP events in the 2003-2004 season, and I was amazed to see her zipping around so blithely at Nationals. I'm hoping for a podium finish for BeBe at 4CC. That will go a long way to boost her international reputation. She's been away too long.

Emily Hughes, too, seems to have finished her battle with the PM. She still seems a little gawky, though and both Kimmie and Katy look more "finished" than Emily does, even though they are younger. I think that is due to the confidence the younger ladies have gained from their successful competitions on the Junior international scene. Emily will have her first taste of that at Junior Worlds. It will be interesting to see where she places.

Doggygirl · Feb 7, 2005

My heart is with BeBe!

Of the younger skaters, I enjoyed watching BeBe the most. Of course Kimmie's jumping ability is very exciting, but I thought BeBe had the best overall programs. Interesting choreography, high energy, an enthusiastic style that seems all her own.

I think Emily has potential to be among the top American contenders of the future as does Kimmie. I've only seen Katy skate on TV a couple times, and of course she had such a hard time of it at Nationals I couldn't really get a good feel for her.

I hope the judges come around to Bebe. Anyone think she might fare better under CoP than 6.0?

DG

Ogre Mage · Feb 7, 2005

I agree with Joe that it will be between Kimmie and Bebe.

Kimmie's strengths are her arsenal of jumps, nice carriage/posture and elegant style. These are advantages which are very clear to the casual viewer. From the little we've seen of her, she seems consistent -- whether that will hold up post puberty is another matter. When it comes to speed, spins, spirals and footwork however, Bebe takes the cake. Her non-jump elements were clearly stronger than Meissner. But if Meissner maintains her 3axel, Bebe will need a 3/3 to match her.

Meissner vs. Liang is interesting because it isn't a clear cut matchup of artist vs. athlete. Kimmie is light and airy, Bebe is dramatic and energetic. This is really highlighted by their music choices, with Kimmie skating to Debussy's "Reveire" and "Daphnis and Chloe" while Bebe opted for "Harry Potter" (!) and a tango.

I wasn't impressed with Katy. Even without the falls, her skating seemed juniorish. Emily may be one to watch, however, I could see her moving up.

hockeyfan228 · Feb 7, 2005

Meissner has wonderful proportions and the body to produce good line: unlike Kostner, who has a tendency to look coltish because her legs are so long, she skates within her body. However, she doesn't have Kostner's prodigious speed or even medium height on her jumps. She still lacks speed and power and height, but I think she'll gain this as she grows older and stronger.

I think Liang is already there, with speed, power, and interpretive skills, but obviously, the judges at Nationals didn't agree. Yes, she does need edge jumps, although under CoP, that's not as critical as under 6.0/OBO.

Emily Hughes was terrific to watch, with power in her jumps and clean, sure edges. Not everything is there yet, but I think she has the best basics.

Taylor wasn't in the same class with the others.

It looks like Liang has already passed the puberty monster, and hopefully, so has Hughes. (Or at least is encountering it slowly and adapting.) Meissner is a different story. She might have the natural physique of a ballet dancer (in the short size) or she may be hit hard. I suspect that height will be more of an issue than weight, but that would affect her jumps.

shine · Feb 7, 2005

Am I the only one who just completely doesn't get the appeal of Katy Taylor? The so called artistry of her skating just escapes me. I think she does remind people of Tara Lipinski, except with even less expression and polish. She's probably a good enough skater since she is the reigning jr. world bronze medalist, but in terms of basic skating quality, she' can't even come close to Meissner, nor are her stretch/extension and posture. And I don't find her particularly musical or lyrical. She is a very mediocre skater to me. I'll take Liang, Meissner and Hughes over her ANYDAY.

Linny · Feb 7, 2005

Baby Ballarinas

Please add Jane Bulguva to the list. She's not balletic yet, but her jumps are amazing.
Linny

merrywidow · Feb 7, 2005

My pick is Meissner. I don't think puberty will be a problem for her or at least, not much of one. She has the jumps, is developing a very attractive style & seems to be ambitious & focused. I like little Bebe but I think it is Sarah Kawahara's choreography that made her such a standout at this year's Nationals. It was brilliant. Liang is my 2nd choice of the 4 mentioned.

Sylvia · Feb 7, 2005

Linny said:
Please add Jane Bulguva to the list. She's not balletic yet, but her jumps are amazing.

Actually, I like Jane Bugaeva's skating because she ISN'T a "baby ballerina" type. She's still rough around the edges and a "jock." Too bad she wasn't able to skate as well in Portland (12th place) as she did at Eastern Sectionals in November (7 triples landed in her FS). Alissa Czisny is definitely a "baby ballerina" type and, at 17, she had her best Nationals finish as a senior (7th) in her 4th trip. Other skaters whose performances I enjoyed at Nationals but were not televised: Megan Williams-Stewart (10th), who is long-limbed and athletic; Stephanie Rosenthal (14th) for her innovative choreography and joy of performing; and Yebin Mok (on the comeback trail, I'm hoping).

Hikaru · Feb 7, 2005

Doggygirl said:
Of the younger skaters, I enjoyed watching BeBe the most. Of course Kimmie's jumping ability is very exciting, but I thought BeBe had the best overall programs. Interesting choreography, high energy, an enthusiastic style that seems all her own.

I think Emily has potential to be among the top American contenders of the future as does Kimmie. I've only seen Katy skate on TV a couple times, and of course she had such a hard time of it at Nationals I couldn't really get a good feel for her.

I hope the judges come around to Bebe. Anyone think she might fare better under CoP than 6.0?

DG

I think all of them have a long way to go, but each has their own style. BeBe is very energetic, she took a difficult piece for her SP and I'm sad I couldn't watch her FS at nationals. OTOH, Kimmie's SP for me was much more better than her FS even with the 3Axel, the rest of it didn't sing for me. Katy had a much better choice for music in teh FS, she looked more sophisticated with her hair and dress than in the SP, unfortunately it wasn't a good skate, however I wouldn't count her out, she has a long way to develope her style into something more. Emily is also very powerfull skater, on TV it seemed that she had good speed. The four of them are a very interesting mix to watch in the years to come.

bdreampixie · Feb 7, 2005

My pick is Bebe. I think she'll be one of those skaters that Nats judges don't really like, but international judges will appreciate. Her speed, and spins are truly great. Her programs are interesting and packed with choreo which is great for COP. She's also just really exciting to watch, more so in person than on TV. My other favorites from Nats were Emily Hughes, Katy Taylor, and Megan Williams-Stewart. I also really liked Erica Archambault but I'm not sure how old she is and she doesn't seem to really have the jumps but she has nice flow and feeling to the music. Of course there's always Ye Bin Mok who is just beautiful and my favorite of the US ladies (well, 2nd to kwan) her edges, flow, spins, and jumps (when she completes them) are simply amazing. If she were consistent and had real competitive spirit she would definitely be a top lady.

Sylvia · Feb 7, 2005

bdreampixie said:
I also really liked Erica Archambault but I'm not sure how old she is and she doesn't seem to really have the jumps but she has nice flow and feeling to the music.

Archambault (13th in her 2nd senior nationals), from what I heard, was skating injured at Nationals. She's 16 (will be 17 in September) and has grown *really* tall in the 2 years since she won the junior national title in 2003.

BravesSkateFan · Feb 7, 2005

I love Bebe, and I'm beginning to like Katy Taylor a lot too. I've only seen her 2 times (nats, and last years' jr worlds), but I've liked her so far. Emily and Kimmie are zzzzzz to me right now. Perhaps they won't be in a few years, but right now ........

kyla2 · Feb 7, 2005

My Picks

I agree with those that picked Bebe and Kimmie. Kimmie will survive puberty without any problem because of her rock solid technique. But yes, she still needs to grow into her body. Bebe is underappreciated by the U.S. judges (sadly), but as someone said I suspect that she WILL be appreciated by the European judges. She is a much more itneresting skater than the others.

eliza88 · Feb 7, 2005

Bebe has improved a lot but really hasn't "captured" my attention. I think Kimmie and Alissa Czisny will be dueling it out over the next several years. Will Jenny Kirk stay in? If so (and I still have hope for her!) then she might be in the mix too (for an "old" baby ballerina!).

eliza88

The New USA Baby Ballerinas

Joesitz (RIP)

mzheng

lavender

mpal2

Fairy

Vash01

chuckm

Doggygirl

Ogre Mage

hockeyfan228

shine

Linny

merrywidow

Sylvia

Hikaru

bdreampixie

Sylvia

BravesSkateFan

kyla2

eliza88

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