2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating | Page 34 | Golden Skate

2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

frida80 said:
This seems to be Polina's thing. Dynamic short, flowy music for her long. That said, I think she's got a better composition this year. Now it's all about the jumps. I saw some < on some of her jumps. Plus she needs her lutz and flip back. I hope everyone can be patient with her. This was her first competition in a year and a half.
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Right. Even if she doesn't get it fully back by January, I don't see why she can't keep rebuilding for the next season.
 
^ That is, if she wants to stick around. I'm assuming that like in 2014, she wants the Olympics (again). But if she truly loves skating, we very well could see her remain through the 2018-22 cycle. Back in 2007 I never would have imagined we'd have Nagasu, Zhang AND Wagner still around 10 years later with two of them actually having a decent shot at the '18 Games!

Yes, Edmunds is still clearly on the upswing but remember, we've seen near transformations happen in short periods of time. I will not count her out. Honestly I don't think she's really any worse off than someone like Gold for instance. Likewise, the skaters that are hot now don't always stay hot...Chen is truly THE definition of hot/cold (or at least was - we shall see).

I'll take this pre-season club event with a grain of salt results-wise and conclude instead that as far as the US ladies go, we may be in for an interesting one. Hope everyone can stay healthy and maintain an upward trajectory...
 
R.D. said:
I'll take this pre-season club event with a grain of salt results-wise and conclude instead that as far as the US ladies go, we may be in for an interesting one. Hope everyone can stay healthy and maintain an upward trajectory...
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I also think this is the best conclusion to draw: whatever our own preferences for one skater or another, we can probably all agree that US nationals is going to be very competitive this year, and for that reason unpredictable. And I know I'm going to feel the way about it that I've felt about Russian nationals for the past few years -- it's almost inevitable that I'll be heartbroken for someone...

Personally, I loved Polina's long program. I say that as a Polina fan, so make of it what you will, but I was worried before I watched it that it would be monotonous, and by the end I wasn't worried at all. The ringing, brief echoes of voices in the beginning are sublime, and the music builds in a way that strikes me as complex and meaningful and not just a flourish for the sake of a flourish. I had the feeling that this is a program that can tell a story.

Also, I give Polina major props for sticking with two unusual music choices. Warhorses often work, there's no denying it, but skaters who are willing to take a risk on their music help to push the boundaries of the field for everyone. She even took a personal risk in creating a new short program rather than sticking with Moonlight Sonata, which had been so well received. I admire her courage in doing that.
 
I have to give it up for Karen Chen. It's still very early but, she is well on her way to having a great season. I was very skeptical of her using Carmen but, she's already got a good feel for the character. Her Jumps, spins, and spirals are looking great. Bravo to whomever spliced her music. It's obviously still Carmen but, it has a nice build in momentum all they way through.
 
Koralai said:
I also think this is the best conclusion to draw: whatever our own preferences for one skater or another, we can probably all agree that US nationals is going to be very competitive this year, and for that reason unpredictable. And I know I'm going to feel the way about it that I've felt about Russian nationals for the past few years -- it's almost inevitable that I'll be heartbroken for someone...

Personally, I loved Polina's long program. I say that as a Polina fan, so make of it what you will, but I was worried before I watched it that it would be monotonous, and by the end I wasn't worried at all. The ringing, brief echoes of voices in the beginning are sublime, and the music builds in a way that strikes me as complex and meaningful and not just a flourish for the sake of a flourish. I had the feeling that this is a program that can tell a story.

Also, I give Polina major props for sticking with two unusual music choices. Warhorses often work, there's no denying it, but skaters who are willing to take a risk on their music help to push the boundaries of the field for everyone. She even took a personal risk in creating a new short program rather than sticking with Moonlight Sonata, which had been so well received. I admire her courage in doing that.
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I hope this pays off in the end. I thought she should have kept Moonlight Sonata due to it's high scoring possibilities and the fact that she didn't end up taking it to Worlds. It was a beautiful, powerful, yet subtle program. Like others have said, it's still very early and if Polina really wants to make the team she and Rudy both know what she needs to do.
 
Ultimately the music doesn't really matter in the end - it's if she can get the jumps back or not.

What I did see was her taking greater command of the ice and demanding the viewer's attention more. The music can help, but ultimately it is up to the skater to convince you to watch her. There are times where (mostly in shows) I like the song they're skating to, but I remain unconvinced by the skater's performance to it.
 
R.D. said:
Ultimately the music doesn't really matter in the end - it's if she can get the jumps back or not.

What I did see was her taking greater command of the ice and demanding the viewer's attention more. The music can help, but ultimately it is up to the skater to convince you to watch her. There are times where (mostly in shows) I like the song they're skating to, but I remain unconvinced by the skater's performance to it.
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How old is Polina? If she's finishing her Freshman Year of college she must be what, 19 or 20. She's still very young and could definitely stick around for 2022. Even then, she'll the same age Ashley is now and without school, she'll be able to put 100% of her time and effort into her skating. She really hasn't had uninterrupted training for quite a while. She was in a boot, then she went to college and really hasn't had hard core training for several months.
 
R.D. said:
Wikipedia lists her birthdate as 5/18/98 which would make her 19.
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That's what I thought......Polina needs to go at her own pace. I don't know what her college life was like but, if she was in a sorority, I'm sure she was getting the full college experience. People have talked about her weight and she does appear fuller for a skater. However, skating is a very aerobic activity and if she's training and dieting, the weight will come off rather quickly and should be gone by skate America.
 
I was side-eyeing Karen's choices with everyone else when she announced them, but not anymore. I love Feisty Karen.
 
Regarding Polina: I think she looked decent for someone making "come back" from an injury and as much time off as she had. She's also going to college full time and in several clubs there, so she has a very full plate. She has time on her hands as far as Olympics if she wants to stick around for 2022 since she's only 19.
 
I don't see anything wrong with Polina's weight; I think she looks great. I almost couldn't watch her back in 2014; she looked so underweight I was uncomfortable. Normally I'm not fan of her skating but I love this SP and hope she gets the jumps back so we can see it at full impact. (I also hope she gets a real costume; I like the idea of pants with this music but this is just a bit too cas for my taste.)
 
Barely on Topic.. ;)

Did Sasha Cohen make a cameo in the new Sharknado 5 movie as an ice dancer? That's what I'm hearing. :love:
 
Is Emmy Ma just out of Juniors? I have never heard of her and I thought she skated very well. I believe that's Gracie's old music but, she really did a nice job with it. The US Ladies are really bringing it this year. In fact, it's clear that this is an Olympic season. Lots of good performances and a very exciting start to the season.
 
I think Mirai just did a clean SP at The Ice with her 3A, 3F+3T, 3Lz layout. She's been retweeting reactions. I can't really tell because I'm translating from Japanese. If has done her short clean, I'm glad she's using The ice to prepare for the season.
 
U.S. sends two junior girls to Asian Open this year, which will take place this week.
Not knowing anything about them, I searched youtube videos,
and these are the result.

SP: https://youtu.be/7n3YQnECmCo
FS: https://youtu.be/mha-gBitDso

Wow, this girl, Audrey Shin has all the goods to compete with Russians, Japanese & Koreans!
She has 3F+3T in her SP, which is the key element to compete with top juniors this season,
even with a very difficult entrance:love:
To me, she seems to be a better skater than Kaitlyn Nguyen
because of her more mature presentation.

@Asian Open, she will compete with Japanese top Juniors, Kihira & Yamashita,
also with Korea's Top Juniors Lim & Kim.
Even without the presence of Russian junior ladies,
this is going to be one of the most exciting junior ladies competition of this summer.
If Audrey beats any of these four girls, I assume that she has an ability to medal @JGP.

Junior ladies SP will be held 8/4, and FS on 8/5.
Results: http://www.hksu.org/event/aofst2017/index.htm
Live stream: youtube.com/user/MegaIceHK

Live feed is only on 8/5, and I am not sure that Junior ladies competition is included or not.
However, usually videos shot by fans are uploaded to youtube within a half day or so.
 
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