- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
I think Michelle can win the OGM in Torino. I had said it before her test skate too, but it depended on whether or not she would make the team.
Here is why.
She will have no pressure compared to Irina and Sasha who are the favorites. She will be in a position that Tara and Sarah were in, in 1998 and 2002, except that she has much better skating skills than these two young ladies.
Having been away from competition for the whole year, she will be hungry and she is going to feed off the roar she will get from the audience.
The test skate was probably more pressure filled than the US nationals would have been, so her ability to handle pressure has been tested at a different level. That will help her more at the Olympics than a win a USN would have.
In the past her best performances were at the US nationals. Since that did not happen, her best performance could be at the Olympics.
She has upgraded her programs to levels 3 and 4 spins and footwork, from what I read. So she will have base marks that are comparable to the top ladies.
Under the COP a 3-3 combination is not as important as it would have been under the 6.0. So the COP could actually help Michelle, even if she does not complete a 3-3.
Of course she has to compete with skaters other than Irina and Sasha. Shizuka and hometown girl Carolina could be in a similar situation. IMO Michelle has the mental toughness that no one else has, and she will pull it off.
Vash
Here is why.
She will have no pressure compared to Irina and Sasha who are the favorites. She will be in a position that Tara and Sarah were in, in 1998 and 2002, except that she has much better skating skills than these two young ladies.
Having been away from competition for the whole year, she will be hungry and she is going to feed off the roar she will get from the audience.
The test skate was probably more pressure filled than the US nationals would have been, so her ability to handle pressure has been tested at a different level. That will help her more at the Olympics than a win a USN would have.
In the past her best performances were at the US nationals. Since that did not happen, her best performance could be at the Olympics.
She has upgraded her programs to levels 3 and 4 spins and footwork, from what I read. So she will have base marks that are comparable to the top ladies.
Under the COP a 3-3 combination is not as important as it would have been under the 6.0. So the COP could actually help Michelle, even if she does not complete a 3-3.
Of course she has to compete with skaters other than Irina and Sasha. Shizuka and hometown girl Carolina could be in a similar situation. IMO Michelle has the mental toughness that no one else has, and she will pull it off.
Vash