2020-21 US Women's Figure Skating

[Dawn825]

Frankly, our ladies are not deep enough to warrant a 3rd spot at this time.

I disagree. Even if they aren't contenders for individual medals, any of the current US top 5 could probably finish in the top ten at the Olympics, and no lower than 12th. To me that means they warrant the spot as much as if not more than the 20 other girls who will be there that don't even have a chance at cracking top 10. On a balance between let's say Amber or Mariah versus the girl from Latvia or Ukraine or Kazakhstan who's going to finish last, I would definitely say the US - and also Korea - definitely warrant three spots.

 

[Thrashergurl]

If they earn the 3 spots then they sure as heck will warrant the 3 spots.

 

[mrrice]

I disagree. Even if they aren't contenders for individual medals, any of the current US top 5 could probably finish in the top ten at the Olympics, and no lower than 12th. To me that means they warrant the spot as much as if not more than the 20 other girls who will be there that don't even have a chance at cracking top 10. On a balance between let's say Amber or Mariah versus the girl from Latvia or Ukraine or Kazakhstan who's going to finish last, I would definitely say the US - and also Korea - definitely warrant three spots.

At this point, Bradie is the US Lady that I feel I can rely on to deliver under the extreme pressure of Worlds and the upcoming Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I would be thrilled to see 3 ladies who we'd consider contenders for medals at Worlds. 2016 is really the last year I was confident that we'd bring home a medal from Worlds. I was expecting it to be Gracie but, Ashley came through.

As for the younger ladies, it is really hard to tell how they wil or would have faired since we didn't see them skate against any international competition.

 

[Greengemmonster]

I think Alysa looks to be ok as well. Bit of a freak thing happened with the flip at Nats but even if she doesn't get her quad or 3A back, she's pretty solid.

Alysa does not seem to be a temperamental skater.

I have to say, one thing I love about Bradie, amongst her many qualities, is her willingness to squeeze as many points as she can from what she has. I noticed the 2Ts added on at Nats and I was so super proud of her. She's such a realist!

 

[LiamForeman]

I really hope Bradie doesn't go for a 3axel. The world championships which decide the number of Olympic spots is NOT the time to try out a brand new jump. The only person I can think of who debuted an ultra-c at Worlds was Tursynbaeva, but she had really nothing to lose by attempting it. Anyway, it's probably just PR from Bradie anyway. Her team wants her to be considered as a potential ultra-c, so her reputation might become more favorable.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

I just really want karen to land a fully rotated triple-triple at Worlds. Maybe a 3sal-3toe? Her lutz is too big to add a 3toe on the end, we've known this since 2015.
Can't wait to see Butterfly Lovers again.

 

[dancelion21]

Strategically, Bradie should not go for a triple axel at worlds. If she pops it or falls on it, she can go from potential top 5 to outside the top 10. With Olympic spots on the line, a disastrous performance could lead to the US going from two spots to one spot. Worlds is not the time to try new elements which have never been debuted in competition before. I think this playing it safe is why the US didn't assign Amber and chose Karen instead. If Amber landed the 3A, she would be in serious contention. If she doesn't, by falling or popping, which affects her jumps later in the program, then she can tumble down the standings, and the worst case scenario is losing two spots. Worlds isn't the time to try an unstable 3A.

 

[mrrice]

Strategically, Bradie should not go for a triple axel at worlds. If she pops it or falls on it, she can go from potential top 5 to outside the top 10. With Olympic spots on the line, a disastrous performance could lead to the US going from two spots to one spot. Worlds is not the time to try new elements which have never been debuted in competition before. I think this playing it safe is why the US didn't assign Amber and chose Karen instead. If Amber landed the 3A, she would be in serious contention. If she doesn't, by falling or popping, which affects her jumps later in the program, then she can tumble down the standings, and the worst case scenario is losing two spots. Worlds isn't the time to try an unstable 3A.

I totally agree with this post. Bradie needs to skate clean and hope for a top 5 finish. That way, if something happens and Karen finishes way down in the standings, we still have a second spot for the ladies at the games.

 

[RatedPG]

OC: There has been a lot of discussion around you adding a triple Axel to your jump repertoire. Where is that at the moment?

Tennell: I feel like everybody who knows me knows that I love to keep a little mystery surrounding myself. It definitely would be a very cool skill to have. So, I'm just going to leave it right there.

 

[ice coverage]

You probably mean this:

https://twitter.com/fsonline/status/1371579068945170435

So kind of?

According to Lynn Rutherford's Mar 19 article, Bradie will *not* try triple axel at Worlds. Lynn's article has quotes from Tom Z, such as:

“She has not done (triple Axel) the last two weeks,” he [Tom Z] said. “She was rotating them really close to fully clean. It was tough; we talked about whether or not she would throw some at practice (in Stockholm), and we decided to take a little break from it and come back to it as soon as worlds is over.”

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/March/19/Five-Team-USA-Storylines-To-Watch-At-World-Figure-Skating-Championships

ETA:

I should have mentioned before that the article has quotes from Bradie too.
The whole thing is worth reading. For all four disciplines, it discusses Team USA storylines at Worlds. Lots of quotes from additional U.S. skaters and coaches.​

(The earlier tweet is from Mar 15, at the time of Bradie's media call.)

---

If they earn the 3 spots then they sure as heck will warrant the 3 spots.

Agree, especially regarding three Olympic spots -- which would require the combined efforts of not only Bradie and Karen at Worlds, but also a third U.S. lady at Nebelhorn, where the last six OWG spots will be at stake.

 

[LiamForeman]

I totally agree with this post. Bradie needs to skate clean and hope for a top 5 finish. That way, if something happens and Karen finishes way down in the standings, we still have a second spot for the ladies at the games.

Does anyone know what the combined total is to keep 2 spots?

 

[mrrice]

According to Lynn Rutherford's Mar 19 article, Bradie will *not* try triple axel at Worlds. Lynn's article has quotes from Tom Z, such as:

“She has not done (triple Axel) the last two weeks,” he [Tom Z] said. “She was rotating them really close to fully clean. It was tough; we talked about whether or not she would throw some at practice (in Stockholm), and we decided to take a little break from it and come back to it as soon as worlds is over.”​

​

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/March/19/Five-Team-USA-Storylines-To-Watch-At-World-Figure-Skating-Championships

(The earlier tweet is from Mar 15, at the time of Bradie's media call.)

---

Agree, especially regarding three Olympic spots -- which will require the combined efforts of not only Bradie and Karen at Worlds, but also a third U.S. lady at Nebelhorn, where the last six OWG spots will be at stake.

I agree with Tom, This is not the time for throwing a new skill. Get the job done and skate clean. If Karen manages to do well, who knows what could happen. Karen often does very well in the SP and that could put her in the second to last flight, Let the chips fall where they fall.

 

[chuckm]

My take is we will see Bradie attempt 3a at low-pressure events like a Senior B or early Challenger. She won't go for it until it's pretty much there 80% or more in practice.

 

[RatedPG]

I didn’t see this new article about Bradie. This makes sense. I think she should go for clean skates here, to guarantee at least two spots and possibly three spots for USA. If they are able to get three spots, that would almost guarantee her a spot to the Olympics next year. That is the goal here. What I love about Bradie is her determination to improve. She gets better every year. I think working on the triple axel for next year should be her goal for the Olympic year. I just love that she is close enough that they had to deliberate whether or not to include it at this competition. I think if spots were not on the line, she would have gone for it, at least in the free skate. But, right now, she is thinking about what is the best for the USA team.

 

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

Does anyone know what the combined total is to keep 2 spots?

28! That's very easy. 13 or less for 3 spots is doable but difficult.

 

[halulupu]

28! That's very easy. 13 or less for 3 spots is doable but difficult.

Than she should go for it. To spare it for the olymic year is not enough. She needs a quad and a 3a for next year if she wants to have a medal hope. Lets be real

 

[Sjs5572]

According to Lynn Rutherford's Mar 19 article, Bradie will *not* try triple axel at Worlds. Lynn's article has quotes from Tom Z, such as:

“She has not done (triple Axel) the last two weeks,” he [Tom Z] said. “She was rotating them really close to fully clean. It was tough; we talked about whether or not she would throw some at practice (in Stockholm), and we decided to take a little break from it and come back to it as soon as worlds is over.”​

​

https://www.teamusa.org/News/2021/March/19/Five-Team-USA-Storylines-To-Watch-At-World-Figure-Skating-Championships

ETA:​

I should have mentioned before that the article has quotes from Bradie too.​

The whole thing is worth reading. For all four disciplines, it discusses Team USA storylines at Worlds. Lots of quotes from additional U.S. skaters, plus coach Jenni Meno.​

(The earlier tweet is from Mar 15, at the time of Bradie's media call.)

---

Agree, especially regarding three Olympic spots -- which would require the combined efforts of not only Bradie and Karen at Worlds, but also a third U.S. lady at Nebelhorn, where the last six OWG spots will be at stake.

I believe the US Olympics spots are based totally on placement at this year's worlds. If Bradie and Karen's placements total 13 or less, we get three spots in Beijing.

 

[kirauza343]

Than she should go for it. To spare it for the olymic year is not enough. She needs a quad and a 3a for next year if she wants to have a medal hope. Lets be real

I disagree. If she misses it she almost guarantees she won’t get 4th or 5th which will likely be what she needs to get the US three spots. She doesn’t need it to beat Liza or Kaori (though a clean Liza will be unbeatable for Bradie even if she added a triple axel) and it wouldn’t make enough of a difference to get her on the podium if the top three are even moderately clean. It’s an unnecessary risk, especially when the goal here is to get three spots for Beijing.

 

[ice coverage]

I believe the US Olympics spots are based totally on placement at this year's worlds. ...

Not totally.

... If Bradie and Karen's placements total 13 or less, we get three spots in Beijing.

Not automatically.

For 2022 OWG, there are extra new rules for qualifying for multiple OWG spots in a discipline.

The effects of the new rules are broader than their effect on the particular situation of the ladies on Team USA (two Worlds entries + a goal of three OWG spots).

But the excerpt below from Lynn Rutherford's article explains how the extra new rules apply to Team USA ladies and Team USA pairs (emphases added):

In order to gain three entries to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the results of a country’s top two finishers at the 2021 world championships cannot total more than 13, and all of the country’s athletes must qualify for the free skate or free dance. If two skaters or teams are competing [at Worlds], and placements total 13 or less, another step is required: the country must send a third athlete — not one of the two who competed at worlds — to the 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany this fall, to compete for the third spot.​

In other words:

In order to earn three OWG spots without anyone competing at Nebelhorn, a federation must have three Worlds entries in the discipline *PLUS* the placements of the top two finishers at Worlds cannot total more than 13 *PLUS* all three Worlds entries must qualify for the free skate or free dance.​

(I will steer clear here of a discussion of other manifestations of the revised rules in other scenarios.)

 

[Sjs5572]

Not totally.



Not automatically.

For 2022 OWG, there is an extra new requirement for qualifying for multiple OWG spots in a discipline.

The effects of the rule are broader than its effect on the particular situation of the ladies on Team USA (two Worlds entries + a goal of three OWG spots).

But the excerpt below from Lynn Rutherford's article explains how the extra new rule applies to Team USA ladies and Team USA pairs (emphases added):

In order to gain three entries to the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the results of a country’s top two finishers at the 2021 world championships cannot total more than 13, and all of the country’s athletes must qualify for the free skate or free dance. If two skaters or teams are competing [at Worlds], and placements total 13 or less, another step is required: the country must send a third athlete — not one of the two who competed at worlds — to the 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany this fall, to compete for the third spot.​

In other words:

In order to earn three OWG spots without anyone competing at Nebelhorn, a federation must have three Worlds entries in the discipline *PLUS* the placements of the top two finishers at Worlds cannot total more than 13 *PLUS* all three Worlds entries must qualify for the free skate or free dance.​

(I will steer clear here of a discussion of other manifestations of the rule in other scenarios.)

Thanks for the clear explanation. I have confidence in Alysa to bring that third spot home if Karen and Bradie rock it this week!