Christina Gao is the REAL deal!

[just wondering]

Actually, it's entirely possible to earn the highest TES at a competition while having weaker basic skating. All it takes is landing more difficult jumps. And maybe getting higher levels on the non-jump elements.

To argue for stronger basic skating based on the scores, look at the Skating Skills component, not the TES.

gkelly, I've tended to also look to the transition score to assess skating skills. While it's not as pure a skating skill assessment as the skating skill score itself, I've thought it gives a picture of the in-between blade work not necessarily tied to jumping, yet still related to skating skills. Do you think this is true? JW

 

[gkelly]

gkelly, I've tended to also look to the transition score to assess skating skills. While it's not as pure a skating skill assessment as the skating skill score itself, I've thought it gives a picture of the in-between blade work not necessarily tied to jumping, yet still related to skating skills. Do you think this is true? JW

Yes, I do.

It kind of depends on what kind of transitions the skater is doing, though. If the skater is racking up transition points with well-extended but shallow spirals, lots of half jumps, etc., or just the sheer quantity of in-between moves with so-so quality, they might not actually have very strong skating skills. If the TR mark is higher than the SS mark, as is rarely the case, that might be a clue.

GOEs for the step sequences also tend to correlate with the skating skills. Not necessarily, though -- good GOEs could be more because of the musical expression than the skating quality in the steps.

 

[silverlake22]

Actually, it's entirely possible to earn the highest TES at a competition while having weaker basic skating. All it takes is landing more difficult jumps. And maybe getting higher levels on the non-jump elements.
.

She didn't land the most difficult jumps though, Kanako and Polina did. Polina's jumping technique is iffy to me though, Gao's is much better. Once Polina grows up I bet she won't do very well. Her legs are so long I bet she'll end up being built like Carolina Kostner and fall a lot because she's tall with weird technique. Kanako is more polished then Gao at this point but I think Gao's potential is equal.

If you think back to Yuna at 14 and 15, she was very good, but no one regarded her as highly as Mao Asada. By the time Yuna was 16 though, she was even with Mao and has continued to progress since and is now far superior to Mao (JMPO).

Gao has potential, but then again so did Mirai, let's just hope she doesn't grow 10 inches really fast

 

[just wondering]

Ahh, great advice, gkelly. Just what I've come to expect from your posts. :agree:

 

[gkelly]

She didn't land the most difficult jumps though, Kanako and Polina did. Polina's jumping technique is iffy to me though, Gao's is much better.

So then the higher TES might be attributable to stronger jumping technique.

Which is a "basic" in a way, but not usually what we mean when we talk about "basic skating," as chuckm did.

I'm talking in general, not specifically about the skaters at this year's JGPF.

E.g., we could say that Surya Bonaly had better jumping technique than Yuka Sato -- at least in the rotating-in-the-air part of the technique -- and if they had competed under IJS Bonaly would often have had better TES as a result, but no one would that that was an indication of stronger "basic skating."

 

[chuckm]

Christina didn't get high PCS scores, partly because she skated in the first group. Although CoP isn't supposed to consider skating order, it does make a difference in how the skaters' skills are viewed. Murakami had the highest SS score, Makarova the second highest.

 

[iceminx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA4ZoDwqV_A

Her JGPF 2009 free skate!

I absolutely adore her and she does remind me of a little Yuna, while Kanako is like a little Mao.
I just wish she was competing the National JUNIOR level this season again, because while I like Deedee Leng, I really wanted Christina on last year's podium with the gold...and in Novice the year before when she had such high high scores in regionals.

 

[silverlake22]

I absolutely adore her and she does remind me of a little Yuna, while Kanako is like a little Mao.
I just wish she was competing the National JUNIOR level this season again, because while I like Deedee Leng, I really wanted Christina on last year's podium with the gold...and in Novice the year before when she had such high high scores in regionals.

Christina might do well at senior nationals considering the competition. Caroline has been having big issues, Mirai has problems with UR, Alissa often only lands 3 or 4 clean triples in her programs, Ashley is hot and cold, and so that leaves Rachael. Of course there could be other spoilers, but Gao should finish in the top 10 if not the top 5

 

[wonderlen3000]

I hope USFSA stops sending Caroline, Ashley, Rachael or Mirai to JW (if getting slots for the 2011 JGP/JW is their concern, I don't see it as a problem if they send the JGP ladies). I'm rooting for Gao, Maxwell and Baga.

I think once a skater pass 16 yrs of age, they should stop sending them to JW. It just wierd see Ashley compete for JW in 07, Senior in 08 and J again in 09.
It's kind of like spoiling the kids party. lol

 

[silverlake22]

I think once a skater pass 16 yrs of age, they should stop sending them to JW. It just wierd see Ashley compete for JW in 07, Senior in 08 and J again in 09.
It's kind of like spoiling the kids party. lol

I agree, Katrina went last year as a 18 yo college student, Alissa went when she was 19. Really? It's junior worlds people

 

[Skatetomusic]

here is the short program! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPJK-ijF4hw&feature=related
listen to the crowd at the end!

 

[herro]

She definitely has potential. I hope she just continues on the right path.

I can also definitely see some resemblances to Yeon-A (trying something new). Not to be a total ball-buster, but Yu-na was definitely more mature at her age though. Her performance at jr. worlds (both years) still give me the chills.

 

[chuckm]

I agree, Katrina went last year as a 18 yo college student, Alissa went when she was 19. Really? It's junior worlds people

Katrina wasn't a college student last year. She just started college this fall.

And Alissa couldn't have gone when she was 19---her birthday is in June, and if she had turned 19 in June, she would have been ineligible for junior events. Alissa went to JW in 2006, when she was 18.

Since skaters are still eligible to compete as Juniors at 18, I see no problem in their doing so. Considering that spaces in the JGP for the following season depend on placement at JW, I think it is important for the federations to send their best age-eligible skaters, regardless of whether they are 13 or 18.

BTW, Alena Leonova was 18 when she won JW 2009. She placed 6th at her first JW in 2008, at 17.

 

[gkelly]

By the way, what does it mean to say that a skater is "the real deal"?

Is it an affirmation of what the skater has already accomplished? I can get behind that!

Is it a prediction of what they will accomplish in the future, although that may end up being proved wrong?

Does it imply that there was some doubt that said skater was previously thought to be a fake deal? Or that other skaters are only fake deals?

 

[cornell08]

The "real deal" is a response to the myraid "THE ONE" threads. This is for people who realize that the next big star in US ladies figure skating is not one of the current senior grand prix ladies but a developing up and comer. Not about accomplishments, not about the future. Just what can be seen now in sound fundamentals-- good jumping technique, good posture, good speed, clean/long lines.

 

[gkelly]

The "real deal" is a response to the myraid "THE ONE" threads

Yeah, I just rolled my eyes and stayed away from all of those threads.

There are lots of skaters with lots of good qualities to appreciate. I think that makes for a healthier sport than one star and a lot of also-rans.

For this thread -- Go, Christina!

 

[Phoenix347]

Christina doesn't have Yuna's accomplishment at age 15. Yuna won 3 Jr GP, Jr GPF and World Jr. Championship by the time she was 15. Christina is a nice skater but we'll see how she pans out in the next few years. Definitely watch for her at Sochi.

 

[Mathman]

Is there any reason to be concerned about all those !'s on her Lutz jumps?

 

[R.D.]

The "real deal" is a response to the myraid "THE ONE" threads. This is for people who realize that the next big star in US ladies figure skating is not one of the current senior grand prix ladies but a developing up and comer. Not about accomplishments, not about the future. Just what can be seen now in sound fundamentals-- good jumping technique, good posture, good speed, clean/long lines.

...and once this girl is 17 or 18, attention will shift over to another 14 or 15 yr old

Man, so much hype...I remember Caroline Zhang broke on the scene- so much hype. Rachel Flatt got less buzz but there were a few posters on there hyping her. I think she's probably the only one who has lived up to it to some degree, although the quality of US ladies' skating overall has really taken a dive since Kwan/Cohen retired and Kimmie lost her competitive edge...

 

[silverlake22]

...and once this girl is 17 or 18, attention will shift over to another 14 or 15 yr old

Man, so much hype...I remember Caroline Zhang broke on the scene- so much hype. Rachel Flatt got less buzz but there were a few posters on there hyping her. I think she's probably the only one who has lived up to it to some degree, although the quality of US ladies' skating overall has really taken a dive since Kwan/Cohen retired and Kimmie lost her competitive edge...

True. It seems as though female skaters generally go through puberty very late so often times they are *awesome* at 15 and then by the time they are 17 they're nothing special. It seems like all skaters are short and thin until they are about 15 then a lot of them grow up and don't stay tiny. Weird because in gymnastics, all the workout stunts your growth and it's very odd to see an elite gymnast over 5'5" with most being around the 5' range. Seems like a lot of skaters these days are 5'6" or 5'8" which seems like it would make things hard