2020-21 US Women's Figure Skating

[Skatefan15]

Karen never said she was working on 3A until this year, though. Actually, last year she specifically said she wasn’t working on it, so it’s new.

Ah, gotcha. I remember her saying last year that she wasn’t but I thought I remembered her or her coaches talking about in like 2017 or maybe slightly earlier. There’s so much in skating that happens that it’s hard for me to remember

 

[TontoK]

This season has been so strange that I don't put too much stock in the results. Nationals is where we will "Hopefully" see the skaters trained and prepared for the event. Until then, I take results with a grain of salt.

This is actually my take most years, but especially this one.

I wonder if this year's lack of competitions might make training for higher-scoring jump content a reasonable approach. Training isn't interrupted for competition travel, tapering, etc. It's just train, train, train every day, at least for the most part.

This year reminds me of the olden days when we saw figure skating on Wide World of Sports twice a year, at Nationals and Worlds... and even then on tape delay, perhaps weeks after the event. Maybe a Peggy Fleming or Dorothy Hamill special thrown in occasionally. And if something caused you to miss these competitions, you just missed them. We didn't even have VCR - we were reduced to scouring sports pages to get a little snippet of who might have won.

We've been spoiled by weekly competitions on the GP series, as well as Senior B's, Russian competitions, and don't even get me started on viewing junior competitions... Technology has given us all sorts of access we never dreamed of. I was well into the adolescence of my fanhood before I ever saw a junior skater.

 

[TontoK]

I get what you are saying, you can't do your current content cleanly why are you going to make it more difficult. I can make a couple of thoughts on that:

• If they are training harder jumps it could make the easier jumps more doable, especially if the issue they are having is a mental issue
• Outside of popping the harder content, messing up on those elements is not as hard on the TES as if you mess up on easier elements
• lastly and really the main point: If they have aspirations of getting on a podium at a major competition then they are going to need a quad or triple axel, unless they have issues with the axel it's best to get the triple axel since that can be done in the SP and FS. Given the lack of competitions and traveling for competitions happening this year, it might be the best time to start getting those jumps now, especially since all skaters need to work under the impression that the Olympics are going to happen as planned in 2022

There is also something to be said about the concept of "why keep doing what ain't working?"

Maybe working on harder jumps will make the easier jumps more rotated and effortless.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

There is also something to be said about the concept of "why keep doing what ain't working?"

Maybe working on harder jumps will make the easier jumps more rotated and effortless.

I'm hoping this is the case. OTOH, I sometimes wonder if the skaters get used to landing these jumps right at "q" because it's somehow easier to check the jump and prevent turning out on the landing than it is on a fully rotated jump.

 

[skatinggold]

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHoM4tWFDNV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Alysa's Long program from the Las Vegas Invitational. Her dress is so beautiful, one of my favorite dresses this season. She is skating so much faster and I see such a big improvement in her skating. I really enjoy the program a lot.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHoM4tWFDNV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Alysa's Long program from the Las Vegas Invitational. Her dress is so beautiful, one of my favorite dresses this season. She is skating so much faster and I see such a big improvement in her skating. I really enjoy the program a lot.

The program was nice, and I saw improvements too. However, I question her team letting her compete in an event when she's lacking the necessary preparation, whether that's due to injury and/or time off the ice. Her LP score would have been 10th in that segment at Skate America, and I'm hoping this result doesn't have a negative impact on her confidence level going forward.

 

[Moxiejan]

The program was nice, and I saw improvements too. However, I question her team letting her compete in an event when she's lacking the necessary preparation, whether that's due to injury and/or time off the ice. Her LP score would have been 10th in that segment at Skate America, and I'm hoping this result doesn't have a negative impact on her confidence level going forward.

I was thinking the exact same thing. She also skated in the SA gala (shown on NBC in place of the canceled Skate Canada), with similar problems on jumps. So this wasn’t an issue of one fluke bad performance. I really question the wisdom of the adults on her team.

 

[bubblecherry]

Alysa’s basic skating has improved so much wow! When I saw the layout she did, I was super concerned, but maybe she just needs time to adjust to her new, more powerful and effective skating, and her more mature body. The focus on skating skills really shows! Good for her. Still, she probably shouldn’t have competed here. She has a year to prepare for the Olympics, I could definitely see her getting back into top form, so there’s no need to rush her competing and risk the mental pressure and criticism that skating with her current lack of technical content will bring.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Just realized something: even though she has no World or Olympic medals, nor GPF medals, Mariah Bell is still an incredibly lucky skater?
She is a gifted artist. She is over 23yo and still has the "desired" petite body type. She's seen as a "skater's skater." She hasn't had to quit due to lack of a substantial GoFundMe page. She's never had a serious back injury even though she's very flexible and performs a beilmann. She has charisma.
Usually a female skater can't maintain the petite frame; Mariah was born with it. Usually it takes years for a skater to develop charisma and artistry; Mariah just had it. And usually all of the ladies have to take a long extended break due to back injury because the human body isn't designed to do both a beilmann and a Lutz.

 

[lostlutz]

Poor Alysa. She improved so much but her pcs will never grow if she doesn't get her big jumps back. If she does get them back they will be scrutinizing her underrotations more than ever. I am so rooting for her after all the hate she got.

 

[Skatefan15]

Poor Alysa. She improved so much but her pcs will never grow if she doesn't get her big jumps back. If she does get them back they will be scrutinizing her underrotations more than ever. I am so rooting for her after all the hate she got.

Same, I guess if there’s any season for all of this to happen to her, this season is more ideal (?). Since it’s not the Olympic year, she has a little more time to get those jumps back. I thought her PCS improved, especially her skating skills (they looked stronger to me). Still some work to do, but I love when skaters improve areas they slightly lack on.

 

[halulupu]

Alysa was wonderful. She is such a delight, incredible speed, wonderful skating skills. Very nice dress indeed. The jumps,who cares when your skating skills improved so remarkably.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

The jumps,who cares when your skating skills improved so remarkably.

I'd be curious to know how she's been looking in practice. It sounds like she "planned" content like a 3A and a 3F-3S, but I don't know if it was a situation like Gracie's at Rostelecom a few season ago when she wasn't actually capable of executing her planned layout. The commentators didn't seem especially surprised by the jumps she executed, so it makes me think they knew she wasn't anywhere near her best. Nonetheless, they continue hyping her as the girl who can compete with the Russians with her 3A and quads and I'm not sure if it's helpful to set a bar that high for her.

 

[jenaj]

Poor Alysa. She improved so much but her pcs will never grow if she doesn't get her big jumps back. If she does get them back they will be scrutinizing her underrotations more than ever. I am so rooting for her after all the hate she got.

Alysa did so much better at the earlier challenge event. It makes me think she might be injured.

 

[dancelion21]

I'd be curious to know how she's been looking in practice. It sounds like she "planned" content like a 3A and a 3F-3S, but I don't know if it was a situation like Gracie's at Rostelecom a few season ago when she wasn't actually capable of executing her planned layout. The commentators didn't seem especially surprised by the jumps she executed, so it makes me think they knew she wasn't anywhere near her best. Nonetheless, they continue hyping her as the girl who can compete with the Russians with her 3A and quads and I'm not sure if it's helpful to set a bar that high for her.

Pretty much all the doubles looked planned, and it didn't really look like she had popped, except for the 1A at the start. She did much better at the ISP challenge last month, where she did all triples, including a 3Lz-3T and 3F-eu-3S in the second half of the program. There were probably some underrotations, but it was much better than what she did here or at the Skate America exhibition.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

I'd be curious to know how she's been looking in practice. It sounds like she "planned" content like a 3A and a 3F-3S, but I don't know if it was a situation like Gracie's at Rostelecom a few season ago when she wasn't actually capable of executing her planned layout. The commentators didn't seem especially surprised by the jumps she executed, so it makes me think they knew she wasn't anywhere near her best. Nonetheless, they continue hyping her as the girl who can compete with the Russians with her 3A and quads and I'm not sure if it's helpful to set a bar that high for her.

Yeah. I remember a lot of people saying "oh, don't worry about Alysa, she's got a good head on her shoulders, she can handle the pressure" but the thing is, even if she has the best possible attitude, if her jumps aren't firing like they used to she knows she's likely to fall out of the top three domestically in January, never mind facing the Russian ladies. And going from #1 to not good enough for a World team would be enough to crush anyone's spirits. Especially after Gracie's been so vocal about the devastating effects of being the "anointed one" on her health, USFS and NBC should know better, but instead it feels like they've collectively decided that was just a Gracie problem and Alysa will be fine because she's not Gracie. It's infuriating.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

The good thing for Alysa is that there is a pretty substantial gap between Mariah/Bradie and the other US women, as far as being able to consistently put up high scores. Getting to the point where she can do 3-3's and all the triples through the 3Lz should get her on the podium with two clean programs. Since she can't go to Worlds this year anyway, a podium finish would be a good goal and put her in solid position for the Olympic season.

 

[Skatefan15]

Especially after Gracie's been so vocal about the devastating effects of being the "anointed one" on her health, USFS and NBC should know better, but instead it feels like they've collectively decided that was just a Gracie problem and Alysa will be fine because she's not Gracie. It's infuriating.

This!! I completely agree with what you said. I love Alysa’s skating, but I feel like everyone from fans to USFS put WAY too much pressure on her. You can be the most calm person in the world, but hearing time after time that you’re virtually the US’s only chance internationally has to get mentally exhausting. And, like you said, we would think that USFS and NBC would have learned by now after Gracie (who I also like) but...

 

[Skatefan15]

Ok, I could be just overly sensitive to this but I really don’t understand the point in NBC posting Alysa’s free skate! It clearly was no where near her best and it opens up many non necessary comments (especially about her weight — which really makes me angry).

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Ok, I could be just overly sensitive to this but I really don’t understand the point in NBC posting Alysa’s free skate! It clearly was no where near her best and it opens up many non necessary comments (especially about her weight — which really makes me angry).

If she's going to compete she's got to expect that, as the 2x national champ, the public will be interested in seeing her performance.