word!!
Is Flatt USA's best hope for 3 in LA?
- Thread starter Joesitz (RIP)
- Start date
word!!
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
Actually we will be sending only 2 ladies to LA. As of now I have no idea who they will be. ANYTHING could happen. Racheal was not great at SA either. She was downgraded and didn't even try the 3/3 in the freeskate. As I said on the SC thread, none of the American ladies have proved themselves as of yet.
But I think we need to ask ourselves...do we want them going all out now and then running out of steam come March? Better struggle now and work out the issues than later.
I think that is a huge burden to place on Rachel though. I would distribute it evenly among Flatt, Nagasu, Zhang and Wagner.
I think that is a huge burden to place on Rachel though. I would distribute it evenly among Flatt, Nagasu, Zhang and Wagner.
Don't Struggle Now
Actually, since our U.S.ladies for the most part are on the "new" side, I think they REALLY need to start out real strong in the early season, building their PCS scores slowly throughout the season.
Only then can they challenge for a medal or even place in the top 5. If they skate perfectly, but just once at Worlds, they won't get high PCS scores, whether they deserve it or not.
Once someone has established themselves, it becomes okay to have horrible performances early in the season and skate light at Worlds. But if a skater is not established, the judges won't easily change their minds.
This is not fair, I know.
There are exceptions of course.
Actually, since our U.S.ladies for the most part are on the "new" side, I think they REALLY need to start out real strong in the early season, building their PCS scores slowly throughout the season.
Only then can they challenge for a medal or even place in the top 5. If they skate perfectly, but just once at Worlds, they won't get high PCS scores, whether they deserve it or not.
Once someone has established themselves, it becomes okay to have horrible performances early in the season and skate light at Worlds. But if a skater is not established, the judges won't easily change their minds.
This is not fair, I know.
There are exceptions of course.
but they SHOULD.
That's probably the biggest problem I have with this NJS. It DOES NOT eliminate rep scoring. May as well bring back the presentation mark.
IIRC, Kimmie M. did her first GP events back in 2005. She had the advantage of doing the Olympic Games before Worlds, but that didn't stop her from stealing the show in Canada. If the top skaters (we know who those are) falter, it could make room for a breakout star. I just hope Asada and Co. aren't TOO far ahead because I want someone to challenge them. It's never fun when one (or a pair) dominates. Ever.
Last edited:
There's no way to predict this. It really could be anyone right now. Nationals is still pretty far away, and that pressure-filled night of the long program will determine it all. Who knows how everyone will react to that pressure and who will be skating well that exact week.
All I can say is that there are no real front runners right now. Czisny is the only one with a medal thus far, but she obviously has a history of being extremely inconsistent from one competition to the next. Her track record under pressure is not good. We'll see what happens!
All I can say is that there are no real front runners right now. Czisny is the only one with a medal thus far, but she obviously has a history of being extremely inconsistent from one competition to the next. Her track record under pressure is not good. We'll see what happens!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Predictions by fans are not a relevant way to look at future medals when much of them are predicated on Nationality and the Last Time Results.
It's always a wait and see with elite skaters. Whether Caroline, Mirai and Rachael have attained that unrecognized title of 'ELITE', we can only base any prediction on what we have already seen. Medals do not tell the whole story. Skating improvements do. We haven't seen any improvements in US Ladies, yet. Cizny skated well but still not as good as she was in SC a few years back.
Katrina Hacker and Ashley Wagner will face Ando, Kim and Meier in CoC..
It's always a wait and see with elite skaters. Whether Caroline, Mirai and Rachael have attained that unrecognized title of 'ELITE', we can only base any prediction on what we have already seen. Medals do not tell the whole story. Skating improvements do. We haven't seen any improvements in US Ladies, yet. Cizny skated well but still not as good as she was in SC a few years back.
Katrina Hacker and Ashley Wagner will face Ando, Kim and Meier in CoC..
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2006
I am going to cut Nagasu and Flatt some slack here. SA was the first SGP for both of them and perhaps nerves played into their performances. Nagasu has growth and injury issues going on and Flatt, as consistent as she has been, perhaps let her nerves get to her. Flatt is a smart kid...I would think we will see a much improved outing at CoR.
Zhang did the SGP last season, knows what it is like to compete at the top level, and has yet to make changes to some of the technical issues. She has obviously grown as well in the past season and is most likely dealing with a new center of gravity. We haven't seen Wagner yet, Liang still has some of the same issues, Cizny looks to be on the right track and Meissner, despite looking good at practices at SA, still seems to have some trouble with performance. Hacker, as beautiful as she is on the ice, still does not do the full compliment of jumps, so I just don't think that will hold weight in terms of considering her as a competitor in LA.
The US ladies who have been out on the JGP circuit, as good as they are, don't quite have the goods or the experience to be sent to LA. jmo
Zhang did the SGP last season, knows what it is like to compete at the top level, and has yet to make changes to some of the technical issues. She has obviously grown as well in the past season and is most likely dealing with a new center of gravity. We haven't seen Wagner yet, Liang still has some of the same issues, Cizny looks to be on the right track and Meissner, despite looking good at practices at SA, still seems to have some trouble with performance. Hacker, as beautiful as she is on the ice, still does not do the full compliment of jumps, so I just don't think that will hold weight in terms of considering her as a competitor in LA.
The US ladies who have been out on the JGP circuit, as good as they are, don't quite have the goods or the experience to be sent to LA. jmo
Last edited:
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
Yes, it is harder for the skater who hasn't been the favorite to get those high scores, but with CoP, it is easier. Look at what happened in the last two events. Low ranked skaters stole the show. Kimmie won in 2006 with below average artistry. Evan, who has been on the radar for years has been getting very poor PCS scores as of late.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
then why ask the question? this thread in and of itself asks for predictions...
Give the US ladies a break. Flatt skated well at SA, and yes, nerves may have entered into the picture. She has always skated better later in the season than earlier. Last season, there were complaints that she was slow at her first JGP event and she had some mistakes in her both JGP events, but by the JGPF she skated faster and better, and even more so at Nationals and JW.
It is not THAT important for the US youngsters to skate perfect programs early in the season. What is more important is that they skate well when it counts the most.
It is not THAT important for the US youngsters to skate perfect programs early in the season. What is more important is that they skate well when it counts the most.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
It's asking for a discussion of how to get 3 US Ladies for competing in LA. Try reading it again and see if you don't get that? With 3 pages of discussion, no one did any predicting because it was not asked for.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
I dunno, guessing who would be the best hope for the US sounds an awful lot like predicting to me... *shrugs*
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
\I dunno, guessing who would be the best hope for the US sounds an awful lot like predicting to me... *shrugs*
Hopefully, when you learn more about figure skating, you'll understand. It's just not about hunks to win.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
oh, come on, Joe. You can play nicer than that...
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I think it is very unlikely that USFS will send anyone to Worlds other than whoever finishes first and second at U. S. Nationals.
True, they re-wrote the by-laws this year to make it more clear that they can send whoever they want, based on how well skaters did at other competitions. But this year they do not really owe anyone any special favors.
Michelle Kwan got a special favor in 2006 because she was Michelle Kwan. Kimmie Meissner got a special favor last year because she was a former World Champion and, in spite of everything, was a better bet than Katrina Hacker to score well at Worlds.
This year, the only way anyone would deserve special consideration is if that skater had a super Grand Prix season, winning some medals and making the finals. It looks like that is not going to happen (go Ashley!) So I can't see any reason why USFS shouldn't just cross its fingers and go with the winner and runner up at Nationals.
One thing they could do, if they were in doubt, is use Four Continents as a final filter for the second spot at Worlds. (Go Alissa! )
True, they re-wrote the by-laws this year to make it more clear that they can send whoever they want, based on how well skaters did at other competitions. But this year they do not really owe anyone any special favors.
Michelle Kwan got a special favor in 2006 because she was Michelle Kwan. Kimmie Meissner got a special favor last year because she was a former World Champion and, in spite of everything, was a better bet than Katrina Hacker to score well at Worlds.
This year, the only way anyone would deserve special consideration is if that skater had a super Grand Prix season, winning some medals and making the finals. It looks like that is not going to happen (go Ashley!) So I can't see any reason why USFS shouldn't just cross its fingers and go with the winner and runner up at Nationals.
One thing they could do, if they were in doubt, is use Four Continents as a final filter for the second spot at Worlds. (Go Alissa!
)Rachael looked to me to be having a case of nerves at SA (didn't she say so in the press conferences herself?). Mirai may be having growth spurt issues or just dealing with that ankle. Caroline said she had tendonitis and twisted ankle before SC, and therefore wasn't ready for the competition stamina-wise. In fact, Caroline skated with really low energy, and looked like she was with physical discomfort or mental preoccupation. She was struggling to muscle out those jumps when she looked like she hardly had the stamina to get through the programs, which may be why she reverted to all her worst jumping habits from the days when she was a lot smaller and weaker and needed all that kicking and twisting to get 3 revolutions in. I mean, if she was skating with tendonitis and twisted ankle (or recent aftereffects), it shows just how much determination she had to get through all the triples without a downgrade.
So anyway, it's too early to say what's going on with any of these young ladies. One should at least wait for a couple of performances from each skater before finding a "trend".
So anyway, it's too early to say what's going on with any of these young ladies. One should at least wait for a couple of performances from each skater before finding a "trend".
Last edited:
