Will Carolina Kostner live up to her full potential? | Golden Skate

Will Carolina Kostner live up to her full potential?

christinaskater

christinaskater

Medalist
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Surely Carolina Koster has improved leaps and bounds in her overall skating. In the past I hated her awkwardness and lack of polish but her musicality, lines, transitions and spins are all top notch and her positions have improved immensely ! If she would be on i think she can be 2nd to Yu-Na or may even challenge Yu-na in the world. Sadly, she is not a consistent competitor, she is either on or off.

But seeing her at the Europeans this year made me appreciate the overall beauty of her skating. I really dream that one day she would be a world champion because she really has all the qualities to make it. I really wish she would be psychologically more prepared for competition.

She has meltdowns specially after performing after Yu-na like in the worlds last year!
 
I'm with you. She is a lovely skater and along with Tomas Verner I believe she has everything she needs to be at the top, except the consistency. Hope she figures out how to get her nerves under control and have more consistent performances (same goes for Tomas) because when she is on, she is lovely!
 
I agree that she can be stunning when she skates well. But I fear that her freakouts during competitions may be too ingrained at this point... Is she still training with Carroll ? I noticed that he's not with her in the K&C anymore... Heard that Marchei gets the spot in Torino. If so, that's a good idea by the Italian federation, the last thing Carolina needs after the disaster at the Olympics is the added pressure of a Worlds in her home country.

Will she skate another season or retire? She could be a stunning show skater, I think.
 
I heard on the ice she gets too "sensitive" , that makes her so consicious of the noise, everyone watching her, silence before the music starts and etc,,, It seems she is constantly feeling those when she performs.
 
I honestly think she will never be able to be consistent enough. She just gets too nervous, and it's became worse, not better, over the last couple of years.
 
katha said:
I agree that she can be stunning when she skates well. But I fear that her freakouts during competitions may be too ingrained at this point... Is she still training with Carroll ? I noticed that he's not with her in the K&C anymore... Heard that Marchei gets the spot in Torino. If so, that's a good idea by the Italian federation, the last thing Carolina needs after the disaster at the Olympics is the added pressure of a Worlds in her home country.

Will she skate another season or retire? She could be a stunning show skater, I think.
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Apparently Carrol is not her coach anymore...he's said it at italian press! her main coach is christa fassi! this change started in january...but...where did you heard that valentina has got the spot for torino? the federation has left to caro the decision to do or not worlds and she want so badly to go there to prove that she can skate, that she is "nothing" like the president of the CONI Petrucci said right after the long program...and yes..she is gonna do other season (if she doesn't change her mind..right after Olympics she said that she loves skating and she wouldn't stop as far as she loves doing it! she said that vancouver was a great disappointment but she won't give up because her moment has to come!she deserves it!
I don't know what will happen at torino but I really hope that she will be able to skate freely like she did at europeans!
 
Tanja90 said:
Apparently Carrol is not her coach anymore...he's said it at italian press! her main coach is christa fassi! this change started in january...but...where did you heard that valentina has got the spot for torino? the federation has left to caro the decision to do or not worlds and she want so badly to go there to prove that she can skate, that she is "nothing" like the president of the CONI Petrucci said right after the long program...and yes..she is gonna do other season (if she doesn't change her mind..right after Olympics she said that she loves skating and she wouldn't stop as far as she loves doing it! she said that vancouver was a great disappointment but she won't give up because her moment has to come!she deserves it!
I don't know what will happen at torino but I really hope that she will be able to skate freely like she did at europeans!
Click to expand...

During the NBC coverage, Sandra Bezic mentioned that Carolina does not do run-throughs. And all know from reading about Mirai that Carroll is the king of run-throughs. I think a lack of run-throughs can be connected to a lack of consistency.
 
Carolina has gone from being inconsistent to nonexistant in the past year and a half. I don't think the move to Frank Carroll helped her at all, I guess in order for her to really re-work her technique it will take a long time. Now that she is with Christa Fassi I don't know if she will make Carolina re-work her technique or do full run-throughs. I don't need to explain the importance of the latter. Evan, Mirai and Michelle speak for themselves. Back in 2005 Carolina was the rising star, but even with the big bonuses she usually gets from the judges she has been unable to reach half of what she is capable. I don't know if the problem lies mainly in her technique or if she just a head case like Alissa, but judging by her very rough practices, I would say the former.
 
I ahvent read anywhere but here also that she withdrew from Worlds. Her face is all over Torino posters for Worlds. Ouch.
Although I would love Valentina to have the opportunity and go.
 
seniorita said:
I ahvent read anywhere but here also that she withdrew from Worlds. Her face is all over Torino posters for Worlds. Ouch.
Although I would love Valentina to have the opportunity and go.
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Really? I wonder if she is quitting the sport or just taking the time to rework her process ans technique. After all, no point in going if she is not ready.
 
Tinymavy15 said:
Carolina has gone from being inconsistent to nonexistant in the past year and a half. I don't think the move to Frank Carroll helped her at all, I guess in order for her to really re-work her technique it will take a long time. Now that she is with Christa Fassi I don't know if she will make Carolina re-work her technique or do full run-throughs. I don't need to explain the importance of the latter. Evan, Mirai and Michelle speak for themselves. Back in 2005 Carolina was the rising star, but even with the big bonuses she usually gets from the judges she has been unable to reach half of what she is capable. I don't know if the problem lies mainly in her technique or if she just a head case like Alissa, but judging by her very rough practices, I would say the former.
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I don't know if she does full run-throughs or not..but it's not a training issue..you can see it in everything! in the warm ups in Vancouver she was great! 3Lutz, 2axel-3toe..everything was there and I've read that she is gorgeous in trainigs!at europeans she was perfect and in vancouver she was good (yes, she does have the usual problem with the lutz but it's not new!)...and another thing that proves she was fit is that the last two jumps in the free were perfect! even carolina herself said she was really angry because is not possible to fall in every jump at the beginnig and then, when you are supposed to be tired your jump are perfect! so..what i want to say is tha IMO she is ready, fit, she trains in the right way! if she feels that she doesn't need to do run- throughs well..she doesn't have to do them...maybe she and her team has their rights to train like she does...no, her problem is her head...in the long program she did the same mistake she had done in Los angeles and then Game Over...she needs to find her way...
And about worlds..I don't know..at the beginnig I thought that it was better for her to take a break and come back stronger next year..but in the interviews she seemed so convinced and so determined to prove to the world that she is way better than what she has shown that now I think she has to try! she is ready for it! I'm convinced she is! but she has to be relaxed because she can be at the top with yuna mao and joannie..so...if carolina si calm and relaxed we're gonna see a great come back..
 
Is Valium a banned substance? If not, she should consider popping a few before every comp.
 
Erm, don't know where I heard about skipping Worlds. Perhaps I heard that she's given the choice to skip and my mind made up the rest? :confused: Sorry for causing confusion!
 
Maybe there just always has been too many expectations from the Italian media, the Skating Federation, etc.? She has not been able to develop without too much attention. Maybe she now just needs a coach who is able to give her more self-confidence and mental strength. I think she stayed too long in Oberstdorf, should have left the place years ago. I´m afraid she may never live up to her full potential now, but I hope that I´m wrong...

About her warm-up at the Olympics I think that maybe she should not do her most difficult stuff there. Maybe she should just get the feel of the ice, do a double axel or something like that.
 
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I would also like to see an official statement of Valentina replacing Carolina at Worlds. The official website of Carolina has a statement of Caro saying 'her season isn't over yet' . So at least last week she was still fully intending to go to Worlds... I personally would miss Carolina very much at Worlds. This is her shot to prove what she's worth before a home crowd.
 
Tanja90 said:
I don't know if she does full run-throughs or not..but it's not a training issue..you can see it in everything! in the warm ups in Vancouver she was great! 3Lutz, 2axel-3toe..everything was there and I've read that she is gorgeous in trainigs!at europeans she was perfect and in vancouver she was good (yes, she does have the usual problem with the lutz but it's not new!)...and another thing that proves she was fit is that the last two jumps in the free were perfect! even carolina herself said she was really angry because is not possible to fall in every jump at the beginnig and then, when you are supposed to be tired your jump are perfect! so..what i want to say is tha IMO she is ready, fit, she trains in the right way! if she feels that she doesn't need to do run- throughs well..she doesn't have to do them...maybe she and her team has their rights to train like she does...no, her problem is her head...in the long program she did the same mistake she had done in Los angeles and then Game Over...she needs to find her way...
Click to expand...

It's not enough to do a gazillion jumps in isolation. Runthroughs as part of training are key:
1) They build program stamina. Some coaches choose certain times in training for competitions to make their skaters do back-to-back runthroughs.
2) When mistakes are made during a runthrough, the skater has to get up and fight back the rest of the way through the program, just as in a real competition. No "do-overs." This is a much of a mental exercise as a physical one. How to grit your teeth and recover, rather than roll over and die. Even on those rare occasions when Michelle Kwan had a fall in a competition, you never saw her come completely unglued and screw up everything else that followed. You can bet Frank Carroll had her doing runthroughs from the time he first got hold of her.
3) They build auto-robot-program memory. Which is very useful when nerves overcome rationality in real time. I've been told there IS some such thing as over-thinking your program just before and during a competition, often to the detriment of being able to successfully execute it. Runthroughs can assist with the auto-pilot function when the chips are down in a real competition.

Runthroughs aren't a magic bullet, but if Carolina is fighting doing them regularly as part of her training--especially with her being a card-carrying competitive headcase--then she's not as smart as I originally thought.
 
bigsisjiejie said:
It's not enough to do a gazillion jumps in isolation. Runthroughs as part of training are key:
1) They build program stamina. Some coaches choose certain times in training for competitions to make their skaters do back-to-back runthroughs.
2) When mistakes are made during a runthrough, the skater has to get up and fight back the rest of the way through the program, just as in a real competition. No "do-overs." This is a much of a mental exercise as a physical one. How to grit your teeth and recover, rather than roll over and die. Even on those rare occasions when Michelle Kwan had a fall in a competition, you never saw her come completely unglued and screw up everything else that followed. You can bet Frank Carroll had her doing runthroughs from the time he first got hold of her.
3) They build auto-robot-program memory. Which is very useful when nerves overcome rationality in real time. I've been told there IS some such thing as over-thinking your program just before and during a competition, often to the detriment of being able to successfully execute it. Runthroughs can assist with the auto-pilot function when the chips are down in a real competition.

Runthroughs aren't a magic bullet, but if Carolina is fighting doing them regularly as part of her training--especially with her being a card-carrying competitive headcase--then she's not as smart as I originally thought.
Click to expand...

I've told you...I don't know...maybe she deos them but not so often as the other skater...we know how she trains during competitions..but not how she trains during normal days...maybe she does do ru throughs, just not during competitions..but, IMHO she has a very competent team and I think they are capable to organize the right train plan for an athlet of this level so if they think that her trainig is ok..well it should be ok...for me, and not only for me, her problem is her head...and no run throughs can solve this thing...but this is just my opinion...I'm not nor a psycologist or anybody...but it's just what I think..
 
She is a wonderful skater, but became totally useless competitor.
If I were her father, I would push her to retire making shows. She won enough to be asked for that.
The last year's World and the Oly was a real BLAME. Sad.
 
Tanja90 said:
I've told you...I don't know...maybe she deos them but not so often as the other skater...we know how she trains during competitions..but not how she trains during normal days...maybe she does do ru throughs, just not during competitions..but, IMHO she has a very competent team and I think they are capable to organize the right train plan for an athlet of this level so if they think that her trainig is ok..well it should be ok...for me, and not only for me, her problem is her head...and no run throughs can solve this thing...but this is just my opinion...I'm not nor a psycologist or anybody...but it's just what I think..
Click to expand...

Well she's barely has a team. She's only been with Fassi for a few months. Before that she was with Carroll another few months. Just from listening to the commentary from Bezie, Hamilton, et al, it sounds like she's the one who is unwilling to go with a training plan.

Yes, perhaps she has a mind problem that causes meltdowns, but I don't think the lack of training helps either.
 
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