2022 US Nationals: Women - Thoughts?

[saturdaysun]

Gentle reminder that we don't know these skaters and Alysa has repeatedly begged for the public to stop obsessively reading too much into every move she makes. She cited fans' caring too much as a reason to "troll" them with her IG lives.

 

[bigsisjiejie]

Gentle reminder that we don't know these skaters and Alysa has repeatedly begged for the public to stop obsessively reading too much into every move she makes. She cited fans' caring too much as a reason to "troll" them with her IG lives.

Yeah, she could really have a lot of fun with the obsessed fans. Like announcing that she's changing her SP to "Big Spender" or "Roxanne."

 

[MiraiFan]

OK, nobody shoot me, but watching this mess of a competition really made me miss Bradie and also Amber in the free skate (she may be inconsistent, but when she brings it she is awesome). Karen and Mariah had FOUR YEARS to figure out how to rotate triple triple combos and here we are. Again. Over it, sick of it--I am done.
I feel like USFS should just donate our third spot to South Korea--way more merit there at the moment.
On the upside, I really enjoyed some of the juniors--it will be interesting to see who survives their teenage years.

 

[moonvine]

Yeah, she could really have a lot of fun with the obsessed fans. Like announcing that she's changing her SP to "Big Spender" or "Roxanne."

How about changing her SP to “Big Spender” and long to “Roxanne?”

 

[moonvine]

OK, nobody shoot me, but watching this mess of a competition really made me miss Bradie and also Amber in the free skate (she may be inconsistent, but when she brings it she is awesome). Karen and Mariah had FOUR YEARS to figure out how to rotate triple triple combos and here we are. Again. Over it, sick of it--I am done.
I feel like USFS should just donate our third spot to South Korea--way more merit there at the moment.
On the upside, I really enjoyed some of the juniors--it will be interesting to see who survives their teenage years.

Mariah landed a triple triple in the short. I think Karen did. Gracie did for sure.

I probably wouldn’t have put a triple triple in the long if I didn’t need to. Mariah didn’t need to. She wanted the National championship. I think it was smart. Maybe less exciting for fans. But smart.

 

[apgold]

I am happy that Mariah won Nationals at the ripe old age of 25 - considering that most had written her off after Cranberry Cup in the early fall, she certainly turned the ship around, changed her programs to ones that showcase her strengths and worked really hard at consistency. Yes, her Flip/Toe isn't stellar but the rest of the skating is.

Karen was a well deserved silver - if her rotations were cleaner she could've taken the title. I liked her attitude that she now has medals in every color.

I had predicted that Isabeau would take silver here, so I was a placement off. She certainly has the difficulty (two triple triples in the second half of her FS) and balletic style and attention to details. She needs more speed and I hope her jump technique survives as she grows. Hope she will be a national champion in the future.

I was also happy to see Gabby Izzo grab the pewter even after some mistakes in her Sunset Boulevard program. Her season has been going well, so I'm sure she was thrilled to get on the podium and be sent to 4CCs.

I also was surprised that Lindsay made some mistakes in her FS - she is usually rock solid. I suppose she will learn from this how to skate under pressure - I think she wanted to make the team a little too badly.

Since we didn't see Alysa skate due to her unfortunate Covid diagnosis after the SP, I'm glad she is going to Olympics as the top US woman thus far.

Honorable mention to Gracie - who had her moment during the SP. I think she should've scored a bit higher but seeing her genuinely happy after a competitive skate was so amazing.

All and all, even without Bradie there to defend her title and the withdrawal of Alysa and Amber, it was an exciting event.

Good luck to the Olympic team and may they stay healthy!

 

[Penny]

About the judges being in Mariah's corner this time around, Johnny Weir made the point that "the judges are just the first row of the audience." Mariah performed for the sudience and it paid off.

My overall take-away is this. All of the short programs, as usual, were better than the long programs, especially with respect to skating to the music. (Notable exception: Audry Shin gave an excellent interpretation of Moonlight Sonata.) I just think that the SP format and length are better suited to the sport of figure skating. Many of the LPs devolve into an endurance test -- how many jumps can you reel off before without falling down.

I agree. I prefer the short program. It seems obvious to me that there should be an "artistic" winner, an "athletic" winner, and an overall champ. The short could be changed to "artistic"; a shortened free could be the "athletic," with scores combined to get an overall champ. Reminder: the short was created to allow skaters who were not good at figures to win. But we no longer have figures, so what is the purpose of the short? Anyone?

 

[moonvine]

I agree. I prefer the short program. It seems obvious to me that there should be an "artistic" winner, an "athletic" winner, and an overall champ. The short could be changed to "artistic"; a shortened free could be the "athletic," with scores combined to get an overall champ. Reminder: the short was created to allow skaters who were not good at figures to win. But we no longer have figures, so what is the purpose of the short? Anyone?

Please don’t make the free skate, no matter what you’re going to call it, be any shorter. It’s much too short already.

You make a good point about the short.

I really wonder how this would work. Would skaters who are moderately artistic and moderately athletic be rewarded? Say 3rd in both parts vs 1st in one part and 10th in another. If so that might not be so great.

 

[Amei]

Mariah landed a triple triple in the short. I think Karen did. Gracie did for sure.

I probably wouldn’t have put a triple triple in the long if I didn’t need to. Mariah didn’t need to. She wanted the National championship. I think it was smart. Maybe less exciting for fans. But smart.

Mariah intended to go for a triple-triple in the FS, but only managed a triple-double and she was very close to losing, she was saved by the fact the tech controller actually called Karen's under-rotations, had the tech controller ignored 1-2 of them she wouldn't have been National champ. But I think the point is they aren't consistently doing them, and its the 1st jumping pass of the program when they do complete them. Sure Mariah could survive and win Nationals without 1 in the FS, but now fans listen to the broadcast (for casual viewers) and for seasoned fans we know after Nationals is going to be the international scene, for the casual fans they heard all about 3 Russians doing multiple quads &/or triple axels, us seasoned fans know that in addition to those 3 Russians there are also Japanese and Korean skaters doing triple axels so we know that the 1 triple-triple in the SP and 1 in the FS is very likely not going to end well for the US ladies internationally.

 

[moonvine]

Mariah intended to go for a triple-triple in the FS, but only managed a triple-double and she was very close to losing, she was saved by the fact the tech controller actually called Karen's under-rotations, had the tech controller ignored 1-2 of them she wouldn't have been National champ. But I think the point is they aren't consistently doing them, and its the 1st jumping pass of the program when they do complete them. Sure Mariah could survive and win Nationals without 1 in the FS, but now fans listen to the broadcast (for casual viewers) and for seasoned fans we know after Nationals is going to be the international scene, for the casual fans they heard all about 3 Russians doing multiple quads &/or triple axels, us seasoned fans know that in addition to those 3 Russians there are also Japanese and Korean skaters doing triple axels so we know that the 1 triple-triple in the SP and 1 in the FS is very likely not going to end well for the US ladies internationally.

They are not competitive internationally. Of that there is no doubt. But this was the national championship and I’m happy that Mariah won it.

 

[skatingiscool]

Alysa’s demeanor is 100% changed from Cranberry Cup. I’m concerned about her as a person. Beyond skating.

Stop making assumption about Alysa's mental health. You don't know Alysa in person. You don't watch Alysa instagram live like I do. I watched her instagram and she even answered my questions on instagram a couple days ago. She is 100% normal, happy and super excited. She is just a typical 16 years old girl which is a good thing. You cannot judge her mental stage just by a "few lines" from interview and SP. Yes, she was shocked about the coach change at the beginning but now she is adapted to the new change. Her performance was slightly off at nationals but still solid. Alysa still can do triple triple in 2nd half while Gracie cannot. You also have to factor in COVID and perhaps COVID impact skaters performance (Alysa and Amber). Nothing to be worried about her. Nothing is off about Alysa. Actually, she still has lots of humor and fun. Still same old Alysa to me. Stop spreading rumor and bashing Alysa. Again, you know NOTHING about Alysa.

 

[moonvine]

Stop making assumption about Alysa's mental health. You don't know Alysa in person. You don't watch Alysa instagram live like I do. I watched her instagram and she even answered my questions on instagram a couple days ago. She is 100% normal, happy and super excited. She is just a typical 16 years old girl which is a good thing. You cannot judge her mental stage just by a "few lines" from interview and SP. Yes, she was shocked about the coach change at the beginning but now she is adapted to the new change. Her performance was slightly off at nationals but still solid. Alysa still can do triple triple in 2nd half while Gracie cannot. You also have to factor in COVID and perhaps COVID impact skaters performance (Alysa and Amber). Nothing to be worried about her. Nothing is off about Alysa. Actually, she still has lots of humor and fun. Still same old Alysa to me. Stop spreading rumor and bashing Alysa. Again, you know NOTHING about Alysa.

Saying that her demeanor has changed from Cranberry Cup (I saw her there) is not speaking a rumor. It’s an observation. Saying I am concerned about her as a person is not bashing her. I don’t bash any skater from skater competing in their first competition to Olympic champion.

I’m glad she appears happy on her Instagram and hope she enjoys the Olympics.

 

[skatingiscool]

Saying that her demeanor has changed from Cranberry Cup (I saw her there) is not speaking a rumor. It’s an observation. Saying I am concerned about her as a person is not bashing her. I don’t bash any skater from skater competing in their first competition to Olympic champion.

I’m glad she appears happy on her Instagram and hope she enjoys the Olympics.

Well, your observation is wrong. Alysa is still full of energy, cheerful and humor/fun on her latest instagram live. Most of the fans including myself noticed about Alysa's physical change on her instagram LIVE a couple days ago. She seems like to have another growth spurt since NHK GP. Alysa is getting taller. We all asked about her "new" height on instagram. The growth spurt is concerning because that can impact her jumps in Olympics. Anyway, Alysa is super happy and excited about her Olympics debut. Besides growth spurt, Alysa also lost significant ice training time due to COVID quarantine. We should not have any high hope and put pressure on her. Just let her try her best and see what's her placement in Olympics. Top 10 finish should be her realistic goal now.

p.s.: Alysa biological mom is 5"7 tall.

 

[bytheriver]

Alysa is definitely getting taller! I wouldn’t be surprised to see her reach Gracie or even Polina height given her genetics.

And side note: none of us know these skaters. People can make observations about what they see, but @moonvine’s interpretation is just as valid as @skatingiscool. What we see in competition isn’t always the case, and neither is what we see on Instagram. It might be best to just agree to disagree. I remember people debating if Gracie was really depressed years ago and some were confident she was going through something while other’s were sure she wasn’t. We don’t know what we don’t know.

I wish Alysa the best and a solid top 10 finish at the Olympics. Regardless of whether she is first or last place, she’s still an Olympian once she steps on that ice, and that counts for something.

 

[moonvine]

Alysa is definitely getting taller! I wouldn’t be surprised to see her reach Gracie or even Polina height given her genetics.

And side note: none of us know these skaters. People can make observations about what they see, but @moonvine’s interpretation is just as valid as @skatingiscool. What we see in competition isn’t always the case, and neither is what we see on Instagram. It might be best to just agree to disagree. I remember people debating if Gracie was really depressed years ago and some were confident she was going through something while other’s were sure she wasn’t. We don’t know what we don’t know.

I wish Alysa the best and a solid top 10 finish at the Olympics. Regardless of whether she is first or last place, she’s still an Olympian once she steps on that ice, and that counts for something.

Yes and I remember people saying Chris K looking like he wanted to be anywhere but skating. Unfortunately they were right. That wasn’t bashing Chris K.

I wish Alysa the best and to have the most wonderful Olympic experience ever! She has more than earned it!!

 

[Penny]

Please don’t make the free skate, no matter what you’re going to call it, be any shorter. It’s much too short already.

You make a good point about the short.

I really wonder how this would work. Would skaters who are moderately artistic and moderately athletic be rewarded? Say 3rd in both parts vs 1st in one part and 10th in another. If so that might not be so great.

It might turn out like gymnastics where the overall champ is competent at every event, excelling at some but rarely all. So I think someone who finished 3rd in each would deserve to be overall champ, rather than the one who is great at only one portion of the competition.

It's just my opinion but I think the free is too long. I find myself fast forwarding through many skaters' routines, they're all so similar (not Jason Brown, of course).

 

[moonvine]

It's just my opinion but I think the free is too long. I find myself fast forwarding through many skaters' routines, they're all so similar (not Jason Brown, of course).

And I don’t think it’s long enough. It’s been shortened at least once, maybe more.