- Joined
- Feb 21, 2006
Emily struggled with trying to land triple toes in the Skate For Hope event, so I would hazzard a guess that the ankle was still problematic over the Labor Day weekend show.
Emily Hughes update
- Thread starter MFarone
- Start date
Emily struggled with trying to land triple toes in the Skate For Hope event, so I would hazzard a guess that the ankle was still problematic over the Labor Day weekend show.
I heard Emily did the following jumps: 2axel (ok),3salchow (fell), 3flip (not good quality), 3toe (underrotated)2toe, 3salchow (bad landing), 1axel.
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I dunno, I'm willing to cut her slack given that she's been dealing with a rash of injuries, and hope she can make the best of her career. If it's not meant to be, then alas. Sounds like she's very much like her sister Sarah, though, and is veering towards the full-time college path. A good choice as well.
And the season hasn't even started yet. There's still over a month left. Why are people panicking now? How many other skaters have rough starts at season's beginning? They improve, generally, as time goes on.
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Well, actually she is doing "both". Unless she is competitive (if she does participate in her current GP assignment,) she will not further represent either unless she proves herself in USF regional comps leading to the ultimate trial, Nationals.
Second point: With the increasing demands of CoP (and even before this scoring was in place), it is impossible for a student to maintain competitive skating skills at an international level AND maintain a successful full time collegiate schedule. Both will suffer. Granted, we hear reports that so & so is in college, but closer scrutiny usually reveals part time, or online attendance--far different than maintaining a full schedule at a major university.
Third point. Why is it so difficult for skaters to return to full-time strenous training following an injury furlough--albeit a forced one! I guess the answer is obvious....It's a very disciplined sport, very difficult, and expensive, with no assurance of success. Certainly makes Irina Slutskaya a heroine for the amazing feat in her highly successful return to skating with such a debilitating illness.
Fourth point--Sarah couldn't/wouldn't return after her amazing Olympic gold and Yale enrollment. I found it disappointing that Sarah would return to participate in SOI following her amateur success (and a year's hiatus) without so much as getting herself in shape enough to recover even a few of her triples. I loved Sarah's skating--and Emily's as well.
I will be severely disappointed if Emily is not able to recover (and improve) her skating skills for whatever reason. But I wish her the best.....in whatever endeavor she chooses.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
The only injury I read about is the sprained ankle. What other injuries were there? There could be more problem with that sprained ankle than we know.
I wouldn't say panicking now. She just skated a competition, albeit a Club comp. She came in fourth behind 2 internationals, and also a second tier American.
It's mid September and she will be facing a heavy toll of international Ladies at Worlds, and the current crop of americans for Nationals.
We all wish her well, but that's not the topic.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2005
There's no assurance that she will even make it to Worlds with the skating level described in this thread. Even if she recovers what she had (jumps through Lutz), if Flatt, Zhang, Nagasu, Wagner, and (maybe) Meissner all pull out the 3/3's, she's got no chance as the four above mentioned ladies have PCS marks at least equal to Hughes at her best and there are only 2 spots for Worlds. Even the pressure cooker that is US Nationals will yield two of the five above mentioned ladies with a fairly clean skate and punching their ticket to Worlds.
Here's a new Emily Hughes article (includes a Mid-Atlantics club comp. wrap-up at the end): http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080916&content_id=51825&vkey=ice_news
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- Joined
- Dec 4, 2005
According the the ISU document on age restrictions, elite athletes mature
physiologically about 2 years later than their non athletic counterparts. I know that many of the teenage skaters I have worked with fit that description. There are a number of elite skaters who were hot shots until about 15-16, when their bodies decided to turn on them. Some skaters even make it to 17-18 before their bodies really change. Their proportions change, they gain height and weight - while still thin in comparision to their non-elite counterparts, and their leg muscles don't work the way they used to. It takes time to get the speed, agility, quickness of rotation and confidence back in those skaters.
Kimmie hit that wall, so did Canada's Cynthia Phanuef, and now Emily. And it doesn't help their mental outlook when they are centrefront on the world stage.
The tiny wunderkin we see now at the top may or may not hit that wall but Mother Nature doesn't wait forever.
I hope Emily can get her act together again and prove that you don't have to be a 15 or 16 year old to succeed in the skating world.
physiologically about 2 years later than their non athletic counterparts. I know that many of the teenage skaters I have worked with fit that description. There are a number of elite skaters who were hot shots until about 15-16, when their bodies decided to turn on them. Some skaters even make it to 17-18 before their bodies really change. Their proportions change, they gain height and weight - while still thin in comparision to their non-elite counterparts, and their leg muscles don't work the way they used to. It takes time to get the speed, agility, quickness of rotation and confidence back in those skaters.
Kimmie hit that wall, so did Canada's Cynthia Phanuef, and now Emily. And it doesn't help their mental outlook when they are centrefront on the world stage.
The tiny wunderkin we see now at the top may or may not hit that wall but Mother Nature doesn't wait forever.
I hope Emily can get her act together again and prove that you don't have to be a 15 or 16 year old to succeed in the skating world.
Kimmie Meissner turns 19 next month and yes, in the 17-18 years, she was struggling with body change. Sarah Hughes's metamorphosis began when she was 17-18, and by 19 she had a completely different body type than she had in her Olympic season. But Emily turns 20 in January; I think her body has already gone through that secondary change.
I think perhaps the reason Emily keeps getting injured is that she doesn't train regularly enough because she's juggling college and training. After she has slacked off a bit, she finds it harder to get up speed and land jumps, so she then trains too hard to make up for lost time, and that takes a toll on her body. Sasha has injured herself in the past in much the same way.
The video of Emily's Midlantics SP shows a skater who no longer attacks her program the way she used to. She stalks jumps the length of the rink, then fails to land them cleanly because of lack of speed and last-minute hesitation. Her footwork is very, very slow and a little awkward and that may reflect her ailing ankles.
I think perhaps the reason Emily keeps getting injured is that she doesn't train regularly enough because she's juggling college and training. After she has slacked off a bit, she finds it harder to get up speed and land jumps, so she then trains too hard to make up for lost time, and that takes a toll on her body. Sasha has injured herself in the past in much the same way.
The video of Emily's Midlantics SP shows a skater who no longer attacks her program the way she used to. She stalks jumps the length of the rink, then fails to land them cleanly because of lack of speed and last-minute hesitation. Her footwork is very, very slow and a little awkward and that may reflect her ailing ankles.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2004
Sounds like a good assessment - espcially when compared to other skaters who've taken a significant break from training... but is this a mental thing that can be overcome once muscle memory kicks in or a physical wall that will affect skaters long term? I was sitting here trying to think of a skater besides Sasha who was still able to compete at a high level despite the injuries- maybe Miki?
Obviously I am not counting Irina because she's simply a force of nature who willed herself back onto the top of the podium.
Would be great to see her get back to the awesome level of "attack" with her jumps that she had ... especially remember the verve she displayed in Portland, her first year in seniors... her opening triple flip was like... take THAT!!
This family.... if you could bottle the Hughes positive attitude, competitive spirit and smarts... good stuff. Hope she is in the best possible shape, to put out an effort she can be proud of... regardless of placement.
This family.... if you could bottle the Hughes positive attitude, competitive spirit and smarts... good stuff. Hope she is in the best possible shape, to put out an effort she can be proud of... regardless of placement.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omwHio06quc
not sure of anyone saw this. She looks like she is in great shape. taller, and thinner.
not sure of anyone saw this. She looks like she is in great shape. taller, and thinner.
Bonni Retzkin works with other students. For example, Teresa Thong, who took third place in the Intermediate Ladies "A" figure skating competition at the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid this winter.
Unfortunately, I watched her SP at this event.................at that rate, she will not make the podium (or even close) at US Nationals IMO.
Hopefully it won't be embarrassing for her at the GP event she has............
There is quite a difference between posting that Emily is Bonni's "only ELITE" skater, and that Bonni works "solely" with Emily. The fact that Bonni has an established business on Long Island is one of the reasons she can only afford to go to Boston one or two days a week. Just clearing up some misinformation.
The fact that Bonni will leave her 'established business on Long Island' two days a week says a lot. That is a LONG trip from LI to Boston, and it would eat up an entire working day. That means Bonni's other students (whom she normally coaches on those off-to-Boston days) have to settle for working with Bonni's assistant.
Bonni is a businesswoman, so she has got to be very well paid to be this accommodating. As I said in the first place, $$$ has helped pave the way to the Hugheses' success.
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