2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

[college pat]

personally for me they need to step it up a bit.

i am curious to see how bradie does in skate america, i hope she can keep it up ; get better.
does well she could get over 200 in sa.

i just hope karen, ashely, and bradie skates wells .

i want them to skate the way they know they are capable and believe in themselves while doing it.

state-she i know i can, watch me.

 

[R.D.]

Man, that SkAm SP was a stinker to be honest. Wagner messy and Chen was just...off. Hats off, at least, to this Bradie Tennell girl who took advantage and made her mark :thumbsup:

I expect some movement to occur in the FS. Wagner needs near the skate of her life if she wants in the GPF...but it may end up being better for her actually if she doesn't (just have that feeling). Chen, will wait for her FS but I'm getting nervous.

 

[MarinHondas]

Bradie had a great sp! Only a point out of bronze medal position so she’ll need a good fs to medal. Ashley was messy. Infact I thought it was lucky that she didn’t get a downgrade on the 3-3. I know she will fight in the long but she needs to WIN to make gpf. Unfortunately doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen. As for Karen, I just feel so bad for her. She got lost this season. On one hand, she’s the reason the US has three spots so to not give her one of them would be sad but on the other hand, she hasn’t had one solid performance this season. She did an okay job in her short at US classic but obviously not enough and that was in Sept. I love Karen sm it’s sad she got caught up with her programs and this season turned in to a giant mess for her. I’m terrified for the long for her.

 

[NAOTMAA]

The last thing we need is another American lady heading into nationals with more pressure on their shoulders but I really hope Bradie can hold it together and win a medal. She skated her SP with more attack and freedom then any American lady has done so far during the GP. A real breath of fresh air

 

[andromache]

I'm mad at Karen/Karen's team and basically let loose about it in the competition thread. A waste of talent. Unlike Gracie, due to total mismanagement by her team rather than pressure and nerves. She needs a new coach ASAP. BOrser or Frank - someone who is experienced in molding raw talent. Karen has it in spades, but her jumps need cleaned up and she obviously needs (good) guidance regarding programs and packaging. She's obviously very artistically-minded and has her own ideas, but they could be better channeled with someone to focus her, rather than chasing down several different ideas until none of them work out.

Heck, sign her up for Plushenko's school. Sima had the skate of the night (as did Bradie).

 

[R.D.]

Yeah, Team Chen is in quite the disarray right now. :disagree: If she doesn't turn things around quickly...I'm afraid her OLY chances will slip.

That said, this competition is not over. We've still got an FS to skate. Let's see how she does there first.

 

[skatinggold]

Something about Karen jump is different. She is not going into her jumps with her fast speed as before and she is going into it slower. Not sure if it is some technique change to make her jumps more stabilize but that loop was scary. Hope she is okay.

 

[MarinHondas]

Something about Karen jump is different. She is not going into her jumps with her fast speed as before and she is going into it slower. Not sure if it is some technique change to make her jumps more stabilize but that loop was scary. Hope she is okay.

Karen’s jumps are all done out of having lots of speed to carry her through them. Going slower certainly won’t help, only hurt. I hope this wasn’t an intentional technique change.

 

[Bcash]

Why is consistency soooo elusive for the US ladies now?

What is it that Michelle Kwan had that is so irreplicable? She had rough skates during many smaller events I know (back then they also had to appear at many more competitions than today), but when it counted she never had a melt-down even when she would be tight. Am I being naive in assuming that elite competitors should be able to skate fairly consistently in competition?

Neither Ashley nor Karen is doing anything extraordinary compared to the field, and with Ashley's seemingly level-headed awareness of her own strengths and weaknesses you'd expect that she would not be this messy skating an old program at this point in the season. And I don't know what's the deal with Karen. Technically she has the goods, is she preparing for this season in a smart and effective way? Does not look like it.

 

[dailytg20]

With Karen I think it's lower energy going into the jumps as opposed to a change in technique. It really took me by surprise.

I would like her to have all the best resources, but I don't know if there are other issues like $$$, family or other ties keeping her with her current team.

Why is consistency soooo elusive for the US ladies now?

I honestly feel like ladies as a whole are getting increasingly inconsistent, maybe because of the increase in difficulty? The only exceptions on the world stage that don't usually give me anxiety-induced ulcers are Evgenia and Satoko. But you're right, we don't really have a Michelle anymore to serve as an anchor for the US.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I expect some movement to occur in the FS. Wagner needs near the skate of her life if she wants in the GPF...but it may end up being better for her actually if she doesn't (just have that feeling). Chen, will wait for her FS but I'm getting nervous.

One good thing for Karen and Ashley is that the technical panel was very generous. Both of their 3T could have been marked <<, so if they can skate well in the LP then upward movement in the standings is possible. I'd like to see Polina T or Ashley in the GPF, so hopefully they can skate well in the LP.

 

[frida80]

I'm mad at Karen/Karen's team and basically let loose about it in the competition thread. A waste of talent. Unlike Gracie, due to total mismanagement by her team rather than pressure and nerves. She needs a new coach ASAP. BOrser or Frank - someone who is experienced in molding raw talent. Karen has it in spades, but her jumps need cleaned up and she obviously needs (good) guidance regarding programs and packaging. She's obviously very artistically-minded and has her own ideas, but they could be better channeled with someone to focus her, rather than chasing down several different ideas until none of them work out.

Heck, sign her up for Plushenko's school. Sima had the skate of the night (as did Bradie).

BOraer yes! He’s adept with dealing with raw talent like hers. Frank no. They’d be terrible together.

 

[noskates]

Totally agree with Andromache. Karen has had problems with consistency and URs since she was a Junior. I think she had the skate of her life last year at Nats and I haven't seen much since then that convinces me she's turned the corner. Tonight's SP was just indicative of what she's always done. I don't think Tammy has done her any favors and I also don't think she should be doing her own choreography. It's juvenile and nothing special. I don't really expect her to medal at Nats this year.

On the other hand, Ashley is making me mad with her sexy shoulder rolls, etc. Just skate, dammit. That might be good for an exhibition but I was almost embarassed for her tonight. It was a very sloppy performance at best and the old adage about her loving being the underdog and coming from behind is just fluff. Maybe she might pull it out at Skate America but she definitely won't at the Olympics IF she makes it.

Both of these ladies need to have very strong SPs if they expect to compete successfully internationally.

Very disappointed in the US Ladies.

 

[klutzy]

Well, well, Miss Bradie Tennell. Now can we start talking about her? I kind of hate the idea of skating to Disney music, but her Cinderella FS is charming anyway. Good luck with it tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm not surprised Karen Chen's skate was a wreck--but, oh, that fall. You can't keep switching programs like that *and* work on things like under-rotations. I think, emotionally, she just wasn't ready to be U.S. Champion--she and everybody else probably thought it would be another two years of Gold v. Wagner with Polina E. playing possible spoiler, but that went all out the window. So there was Chen and her terrific talent, but she was lacking in the aplomb of someone who'd been groomed for the position. Michelle Kwan was a very young national champion, but the fed actually made it clear to her team that before she became chamption, she'd need a more mature look--and, presto, the following year her hair, make-up and costuming had all been kicked up a notch. And she won.

It just seems like none of the top ladies skaters are getting adequate guidance. Ashley does okay because she's good at figuring out what she needs (she might have been better, though, with earlier attention paid to her SS lacks). The Gold situation should also have been preventable--poor Gracie couldn't just skate, she was supposed to save American figure skating.

At this rate, I'm going to put Polina E., underbaked FS and all, back into the mix

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

On the other hand, Ashley is making me mad with her sexy shoulder rolls, etc. Just skate, dammit. That might be good for an exhibition but I was almost embarassed for her tonight. It was a very sloppy performance at best and the old adage about her loving being the underdog and coming from behind is just fluff. Maybe she might pull it out at Skate America but she definitely won't at the Olympics IF she makes it.

I've pretty much given up hoping that Ashley will rotate her 3-3, but she can't afford to miss her solo triples that have been so reliable in the past. It's disappointing that none of our women will go into the Olympics with any buzz or momentum.

 

[R.D.]

I *really* wonder if Gold's situation was truly preventable TBH. Yes, I think external factors may have pushed. But still, even with all that pressure on her, she lasted 4 years. I don't remember her being vilified after her 4th place in Boston, yet that seemed to be the "straw the broke the camel's back" so to speak. Something else was going on...something within her.

Tough not to be down after tonight. I hope Wagner and Chen can bounce back in the FS, for their sake as well as for US skating's sake.

 

[Seren]

I don't really feel like retyping what I wrote in the ladies SP thread but the point is.

1. None of know anything about how Karen's team made the decisions they made. All we have is gossip and speculation.

2. Tammy Gambill is a really good coach. I met her and got to watch her work with my clubs skaters. She was very knowledagle and competent.

3. It's fine to say someone needs change, etc. But not to throw someone under the bus when you don't know anything about how they really are.

 

[Mrs. P]

I *really* wonder if Gold's situation was truly preventable TBH. Yes, I think external factors may have pushed. But still, even with all that pressure on her, she lasted 4 years. I don't remember her being vilified after her 4th place in Boston, yet that seemed to be the "straw the broke the camel's back" so to speak.

Tough not to be down after tonight. I hope Wagner and Chen can bounce back in the FS, for their sake as well as for US skating's sake.

I really think there was issues that came into play LONG before she got on the senior scene, even dating back to when she was in the lower levels of U.S. Figure Skating. I think it was just building for a long time and a lot of things happened, such as her result at Worlds, that really sent her into a tailspin. I'm not sure if it would have been preventable or not.

Anyway, I've only watched four ladies programs so far: Bradie, Serafima, Polina and Satoko. I'm glad Granny Bradie came through -- she really seized and attacked the opportunity. I like her new costume too (that was new, right?)

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Anyway, I've only watched four ladies programs so far: Bradie, Serafima, Polina and Satoko. I'm glad Granny Bradie came through -- she really seized and attacked the opportunity. I like her new costume too (that was new, right?)

Bradie's 67.01 is the best international SP skated by a US woman this season. This score puts her 16th on the ISU season's best list. It's a very dire situation for the US women at the moment.

 

[klutzy]

I think without question that Gold must have had long-term underlying issues--but the pressure she was under would have exacerbated them. That's just kind of how those things work--stress makes things harder.

I've been watching skating a long time--and this chaos among the Ladies is not like anything I remember. At this point, it doesn't look like an individual skater thing, but something more systemic.