Christina Gao

[Mrs. P]

That would be me. And I agree with your post.

BTW, I find it interesting how two Chinese American skaters are living up to their namesakes. Gao (高) means tall and Chritina is certainly at least looking tall, particularly for a skater. Caroline Zhang's Chinese name is 圆圆 (Yuan Yuan). In the Chinese forums, she is often represented with OO because 圆 means round or circle (I know I know, it looks like a square), also denoting full, complet, perfect or togetherness/union. Well, Caroline has a bit of weight issue (for a skater) as she grew up, a little too rounded.

Thanks for the piece to trivia! That is interesting indeed.

I think Christina is well in sticking to Orser. I really liked how he dealt with Christina in this competition. I remember him saying during her FS -- 100, Christina, that's quite good, or something like that.

For all the bad press he got during the Yuna/Orser spilt and to a lesser degree, when Rippon switched coaches, it is clear that Orser still is a good coach. Her relative consistency shows that Orser is doing something right, I'd say.

 

[skateluvr]

She is lovely, but I agree she looks like a stick and it detracts from her overall look and line on the ice. I like her and was impressed with her jumps but nothing about her at present makes me say Oh, wow, she's worth watching two or three times. She isn't memorable but she certainly has time. But presently, she isn't going to wow anyone with the current package. Beautiful face, tho, to be nice.

 

[Violet Bliss]

I think Christina can turn out to be a real beauty once she passes the awkward stage, like a swan from an ugly duckling or a butterfly from a cocoon.

 

[Binthere]

To me, Christina is unfolding beautifully, step by step. Adjusting to growth spurts in height simply cannot be underestimated in terms of their impact on timing but also for inducing injuries, both minor or otherwise, when an athlete is engaging in such intense repeated use of muscle groups. Different tissues mature at slightly different rates, so bones may lengthen, while supporting and connective tissues or muscles may need additional time to catch up.

She seems about to approach the physiologic time where she will be able to focus next on strengthening herself, and with her excellent core technique, I am very optimistic about how she can continue to evolve as a skater. Developing into a performer is IMO the most critical step for her, given all of the wonderful core ingredients she has as an athlete. More experience, and the right material, can come together to produce leaps of change (as we saw for instance with Michelle Kwan when she went from 15 to 16). The next 2 seasons will be important, and exciting to watch.