State of US Ladies in skating III: 2014-15 Season | Page 32 | Golden Skate

State of US Ladies in skating III: 2014-15 Season

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Oh, for heaven's sake. When directly asked about skating against much younger competition, Ashley made a quick joke about it and then went on to talk about how talented the teenage skaters are.

Okay, I'm glad I wasn't the only one that laughed. I think the sonogram joke is more that they weren't born yet when Ashley started skating, not that she thinks they're sonograms NOW.
 
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My opinion of Courtney Hicks is that she's a very, very good athlete but needs to improve a lot on her presentation. She isn't "all jumps" but she's darn close! I thought Ashley did a great job at Skate Canada and I think if her combo had been stronger she could have bested Pogo. In her interview after the competition she addressed that - said she was going home to work on the combo and her "flutz!" I think Ashley still has the fire. She had a good time at SC, was pleased with her performance, and came away knowing what she needed to work on. I think her presentation is better than Pogo's (that may not be a popular opinion but I think Ashley's program was more mature) and the couple points difference came down to the difficulty of their respective programs. But bottom line - I think a clean Gracie can beat both of them!!!
 
A new Ashley Wagner interview was posted on the Skate Guard blog today.

Worth looking it up to read the whole thing (the link is not permitted on GS). An excerpt from the end:

Q: What's one thing most people don't know about you?
A: (laughing) I just want a big hug! At the end of the day, I think people have really started to see me as this aggressive attention seeking athlete. In reality, beyond the rink I'm a normal person. I love cooking and baking, watching guilty pleasure TV shows, am hopelessly addicted to shoes and love biking to the beach. So be nicer to me on Twitter! I'm actually a nice, normal person!

Q: What is the biggest life lesson that skating has taught you?
A: That it's just skating. At the end of the day, my life will not crumble around me if something goes wrong. I go home, rinse off my makeup and start over the next day. People get so wrapped up in this sport - fans and athletes alike - but I just do it because I love it, and there's nothing wrong with that.
 
Was I the only one really impressed with Courtney

No, you're not the only one. I became a Courtney fan this summer when she skated in the Salt Lake City Challenger series competition. I love her big, easy, high jumps. And I don't dislike her dress particularly. It's just that it's a frou-frou dress and she's not a frou-frou skater. Still, compared to some of the truly hideous, unflattering costumes out there, Courtney's dress seems fine.

Courtney won the LP in SLC and grabbed the silver behind Polina. I think she's a dark horse for the podium at the US nationals.
 
A new Ashley Wagner interview was posted on the Skate Guard blog today.

Worth looking it up to read the whole thing (the link is not permitted on GS). An excerpt from the end:

Q: What's one thing most people don't know about you?
A: (laughing) I just want a big hug! At the end of the day, I think people have really started to see me as this aggressive attention seeking athlete. In reality, beyond the rink I'm a normal person. I love cooking and baking, watching guilty pleasure TV shows, am hopelessly addicted to shoes and love biking to the beach. So be nicer to me on Twitter! I'm actually a nice, normal person!

Q: What is the biggest life lesson that skating has taught you?
A: That it's just skating. At the end of the day, my life will not crumble around me if something goes wrong. I go home, rinse off my makeup and start over the next day. People get so wrapped up in this sport - fans and athletes alike - but I just do it because I love it, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I really love her personality
 
Courtney was in the podium in 2013 when she won pewter at Nationals.
 
Oh, for heaven's sake. When directly asked about skating against much younger competition, Ashley made a quick joke about it and then went on to talk about how talented the teenage skaters are.

So at her next GP event, someone that is 7 years younger than her (which is the age difference between Ashley and Anna, who was the youngest at SC), can comment about the old lady she's skating against and as long as right after she says it, she says something complimentary about Ashley - everything is okay?
 
So at her next GP event, someone that is 7 years younger than her (which is the age difference between Ashley and Anna, who was the youngest at SC), can comment about the old lady she's skating against and as long as right after she says it, she says something complimentary about Ashley - everything is okay?

Old lady would be a bit much.

Babysitter might be fair.
 
I dont understand the joke about sonogram, a sonogram is a ultrasound, right?, I dont understand why she called them sonograms, and I dont understand why someone feels offended about it, it is like someone saying ¨you look like a resonance¨, ¨you look like a tomography¨ :scratch: , I love Ashley but it was :confused:
 
So at her next GP event, someone that is 7 years younger than her (which is the age difference between Ashley and Anna, who was the youngest at SC), can comment about the old lady she's skating against and as long as right after she says it, she says something complimentary about Ashley - everything is okay?

I can't say I've ever heard "sonogram" used as an insult, as "old lady" can be, so I don't really see the equivalence. As Mrs. P said, it's a reference to the fact that some of her competitors hadn't even been born yet when Ashley began skating.
 
I dont understand the joke about sonogram, a sonogram is a ultrasound, right?, I dont understand why she called them sonograms, and I dont understand why someone feels offended about it, it is like someone saying ¨you look like a resonance¨, ¨you look like a tomography¨ :scratch: , I love Ashley but it was :confused:

lol I didn't get it either. :laugh::confused:
 
I can't say I've ever heard "sonogram" used as an insult, as "old lady" can be, so I don't really see the equivalence. As Mrs. P said, it's a reference to the fact that some of her competitors hadn't even been born yet when Ashley began skating.

Well both are making derogatory remarks about someone's age (something they can't control), but generally people will say it's not an insult when you're talking about how young someone is , but say someone is old and it is considered an insult. And just because social norms say it's not insulting, doesn't mean it's not insulting.

it's a reference to the fact that some of her competitors hadn't even been born yet when Ashley began skating.

Which makes very little sense considering that the youngest competitor was only 7 years younger than her - you'd think Ashley was closer to 30 than 20. And if your comment is the case, then it wouldn't be an insult for someone to reference that she was already skating the day they born.
 
Well both are making derogatory remarks about someone's age (something they can't control), but generally people will say it's not an insult when you're talking about how young someone is , but say someone is old and it is considered an insult.

That's precisely my point.

And just because social norms say it's not insulting, doesn't mean it's not insulting.

So... people are mad at Ashley for saying something that she probably didn't realize was insulting because social norms have taught her that it isn't?

Which makes very little sense considering that the youngest competitor was only 7 years younger than her - you'd think Ashley was closer to 30 than 20. And if your comment is the case, then it wouldn't be an insult for someone to reference that she was already skating the day they born.

She's done just that in other interviews this week.
 
oh, I get it now :o: , they are like fetus in an ultrasound, hahaha. So, it is a compliment, everyone feels good when someone says they look young.
 
Well both are making derogatory remarks about someone's age (something they can't control), but generally people will say it's not an insult when you're talking about how young someone is , but say someone is old and it is considered an insult. And just because social norms say it's not insulting, doesn't mean it's not insulting.



Which makes very little sense considering that the youngest competitor was only 7 years younger than her - you'd think Ashley was closer to 30 than 20. And if your comment is the case, then it wouldn't be an insult for someone to reference that she was already skating the day they born.

How doesn't it make sense, she was on the podium with 2 16 year olds and she was 5 when she started skating, 2 years before either of them were even born. She was the 3rd oldest female skater there. She added afterwards that they were incredibly talented so it really felt like a joke. It's a hot topic anyway that a lot of younger skaters are stepping up to the occasion and having great results anyway so it's inevitable that older skaters would be talking about it.

My opinion of Courtney Hicks is that she's a very, very good athlete but needs to improve a lot on her presentation. She isn't "all jumps" but she's darn close! I thought Ashley did a great job at Skate Canada and I think if her combo had been stronger she could have bested Pogo. In her interview after the competition she addressed that - said she was going home to work on the combo and her "flutz!" I think Ashley still has the fire. She had a good time at SC, was pleased with her performance, and came away knowing what she needed to work on. I think her presentation is better than Pogo's (that may not be a popular opinion but I think Ashley's program was more mature) and the couple points difference came down to the difficulty of their respective programs. But bottom line - I think a clean Gracie can beat both of them!!!

I agree with your post, not a fan of Gracie but when she's on her jumps are big and spins are good so technically she is ahead, just wondering when that "on" performance will be because poor performances are no fun to watch. Ashley is still the best performer of them all though (imo).
 
I was quite pleasantly surprised by Courtney Hicks - after what I'd heard here on GS I expected her to be... well... rather awful (that she'd be "all jumps" and absolutely nothing else); but I quite liked her and her performances at Skate Canada.

I was really impressed by her performances there. Last season she was almost unwatchable for me. This time though she kept my attention during both of her performances and by the end of the FS I was actually rooting for her. Now I'm looking forward to her next GP and I hope she does great at TEB. She might become my new favorite underdog amongst US ladies (Sorry, Mirai).
 
I dont understand the joke about sonogram, a sonogram is a ultrasound, right?, I dont understand why she called them sonograms, and I dont understand why someone feels offended about it, it is like someone saying ¨you look like a resonance¨, ¨you look like a tomography¨ :scratch: , I love Ashley but it was :confused:

I think it is sorta along the lines of the saying "before you were a glimmer in your parents' eyes" type thing. or "since you were wearing diapers" both are expression to indicate "I am older than you" she just split the difference between the two.

It could also be a way to go one step younger than "babies". We have been saying "babies" for years. So now she went pre-natal to get even younger than "babies"
 
I was not impressed by Ashley at Skate Canada. Her programs are empty and her technical ability is not improving. She simply cannot do a rotated 2A-3T or 3-3 combo. And her other triples are looking barely rotated. She stands no chance against the Russians and their massive TES.

Let's not forget Courtney Hicks her programs this year are good, she has speed and the quality of her jumps when landed are amazing. If she becomes consistent she could be a contender. When she lands her jumps she gets big GOE.

I was really impressed by Courtney at Skate Canada. She reminds me of Tonya Harding with those massive jumps. Every jump she lands cleanly deserves +2 GOE.

I don't like her long program costuming (way too matronly and ill-fitting,) but she has the WOW factor most of the US girls are missing. I think she can be a factor at Nationals (if the judges don't bury her with low PCS.) Her Skate Canada LP score (with mistakes) was highly competitive - the same score technically inferior Gold received at Skate America. If she could skate clean, her TES would be massive. As of right now, I'm rooting for her to make the US world team. I love her athleticism and the fact that she's not trying to be a princess.
 
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