- Joined
- Nov 22, 2009
... it really does make me wonder if jumping straight to the GP after winning the junior title hurt both Gold and Zawadzki in terms of becoming good competitors. ...
Then there is Gao. She competed on the JGP after placing 3rd at Junior Nats. She did quite well on the JGP that season and even won bronze at the final, had a solid debut as a senior at Nationals finishing 5th in a tough field, was sent to JW and placed 8th - and that wasn't a great performance to her. Given her JGP success and placement at senior Nationals, it would have been sensible to move up to the GP, but she and her coaches wisely decided to stay on the junior circuit another season. That season Christina grew a lot but also developed a consistent 3f-3t and showed she was capable of putting up big scores internationally, even at junior competitions. She gained valuable experience,..... Her good results this season are really not that surprising given her ability, work ethic, and VALUABLE EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM HAVING COMPETED IN A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS WITHOUT A BUNCH OF HYPE.
Say what you will about the JGP, but it's still valuable international experience and I think Christina's two full seasons on that circuit really helped her as a competitor. She had ups and downs and learned from them and is now a better competitor because of it. Part of me thinks if Agnes and Gracie had done a full season on the JGP before making the leap up to seniors, nationally and internationally at the same time, they may be more steady at this point. ...
There's a lot to be said for this viewpoint. I agree with you. International experience at the junior level, at least a full season if not more, should be almost a requirement for USFS to impose on age-eligible skaters who may do well at US national level competitions, but are unseasoned in internationals of of the caliber of JGP or at least Senior B's.