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- Mar 9, 2011
Has the standard set in junior ladies now overtaken that of the senior ladies?
New article from Jackie Wong. Article reads:-
Is he right? Is the current standard set down by the current crop of junior ladies of a higher order than the seniors? It is also worth remembering that Tuktamyseheva (who was not at junior worlds) is still technically a junior as she was age ineligible to compete at Euro's and senior Worlds. Hence, are Lipnitskaya, Tuktamysheva, Gold, Sotnikova, etc, a better quality group of skaters than Kostner, Czisny, Asada, Suzuki, Leonova, etc? If true, what does this say about the current age eligibility rules? I've thought for quite a while now that they should be relaxed and reduced by a year to must turn aged 14 prior to the previous 1st July (i.e. rather that the current aged 15). Two reasons. Firstly, it would get rid of the ludicrous inconsistency that a skater can be considered old enough to participate in the senior GP, but not senior worlds. Basically, the rules need to be harmonised. Secondly, to prevent the kind of injustice that occurred to Mao Asada (my favourite skater) back in 2006. In 2006, she was quite simply the best skater in the world. She had beaten Cohen, Arakawa, and Slutskaya fair and square. Yet, she was not allowed to skate at the 2006 Olympics simply because she missed the cut off point by a measly 87 days. That was completely unfair and unjust. I've never regarded Arakawa as the true 2006 Olympic champion, because ultimately she did not beat the best skater in the world to truly earn the title. Moreover, I have my doubts as to whether Mao can win the 2014 Olympics. If that turns out to be the case, then when you look back on her career in coming years, I think 2006 will have represented her best chance of becoming Olympic champion and the fact that she was prevented from competing for the sake of a poultry 87 days is just cruel. These are the kind of injustices the current rule creates. And lone behold, she was able to compete in the senior GP that season, winning the GP final! Where is the logic in all that of denying her the opportunity then of going for the Olympic title? Hence, a better balance needs to be found which removes injustices like this and which harmonises eligibility for the GP and Worlds/Olympics. But, that is by the by. So, has the standard of junior ladies overtaken senior ladies, as Jackie Wongs article suggests, and if so, what are the wider ramifications of that?
New article from Jackie Wong. Article reads:-
I guarantee that you will not see the same level of difficulty executed at senior Worlds [in the ladies event] later this month, [as displayed at junior Worlds]. it’s not the first time that the junior ladies have been stronger technically than the senior ladies. Going back to the past four Worlds and Junior Worlds, the junior ladies landed more combinations with a backend triple jump during two of those years (2008 and 2011). [In] this years [junior Worlds], eight ladies landed triple-triples in the short program. And in the free skate, 15 backend-triple combinations were landed between ten ladies, seven of which were triple-triples (the other eight were double axel-triple toes). This is a feat that won’t be matched at senior Worlds, guaranteed. The difference [now] with some of these [junior] ladies, is the fact that they are truly natural jumpers.
Is he right? Is the current standard set down by the current crop of junior ladies of a higher order than the seniors? It is also worth remembering that Tuktamyseheva (who was not at junior worlds) is still technically a junior as she was age ineligible to compete at Euro's and senior Worlds. Hence, are Lipnitskaya, Tuktamysheva, Gold, Sotnikova, etc, a better quality group of skaters than Kostner, Czisny, Asada, Suzuki, Leonova, etc? If true, what does this say about the current age eligibility rules? I've thought for quite a while now that they should be relaxed and reduced by a year to must turn aged 14 prior to the previous 1st July (i.e. rather that the current aged 15). Two reasons. Firstly, it would get rid of the ludicrous inconsistency that a skater can be considered old enough to participate in the senior GP, but not senior worlds. Basically, the rules need to be harmonised. Secondly, to prevent the kind of injustice that occurred to Mao Asada (my favourite skater) back in 2006. In 2006, she was quite simply the best skater in the world. She had beaten Cohen, Arakawa, and Slutskaya fair and square. Yet, she was not allowed to skate at the 2006 Olympics simply because she missed the cut off point by a measly 87 days. That was completely unfair and unjust. I've never regarded Arakawa as the true 2006 Olympic champion, because ultimately she did not beat the best skater in the world to truly earn the title. Moreover, I have my doubts as to whether Mao can win the 2014 Olympics. If that turns out to be the case, then when you look back on her career in coming years, I think 2006 will have represented her best chance of becoming Olympic champion and the fact that she was prevented from competing for the sake of a poultry 87 days is just cruel. These are the kind of injustices the current rule creates. And lone behold, she was able to compete in the senior GP that season, winning the GP final! Where is the logic in all that of denying her the opportunity then of going for the Olympic title? Hence, a better balance needs to be found which removes injustices like this and which harmonises eligibility for the GP and Worlds/Olympics. But, that is by the by. So, has the standard of junior ladies overtaken senior ladies, as Jackie Wongs article suggests, and if so, what are the wider ramifications of that?
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