Alissa having to wait around all nervous before skating dead last doesn't bode well. While she is jumping better this season, she still doesn't jump great, and nerves only add to the problems. But hey, maybe she'll surprise us.
Ladies SP
- Thread starter Wrlmy
- Start date
Alissa having to wait around all nervous before skating dead last doesn't bode well. While she is jumping better this season, she still doesn't jump great, and nerves only add to the problems. But hey, maybe she'll surprise us.
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2009
Maybe Alissa hasn't done well with pressure in the past, but maybe it wasn't her time yet. I'm not going to count her out or put negative energy out there. She's a lovely young woman and a beautiful skater overall, and I think she puts "lady" in "ladies figure skating" more than anyone else we have in the US right now. Maybe this is finally her time! :thumbsup:
in that case, I don't think I even want to argue with you since you have no idea what they really skated.
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Allissa got the only standing ovation in the arena. Will she get it for the LP? The audience is there for her.
Yeah I know. It's such a shame because her spins and spirals are soooo beautiful otherwise. But that's what we wanted, right? We wanted her to get more into her program and skate with confidence and speed and all that in hopes of higher PCS (which didn't happen even though she did skate with speed and confidence because the judges seemed to have made up their minds before she even skated). I guess she just has to find a balance between the technical and artistic parts of this judging system. Though if you ask me, it's the TES that keeps a skater up in the standings. When she hits her spins/spirals in addition to the jumps, Caroline has scored very high in the SP with the same low PCS.
I would love to see the rest of the SPs, and I've got my fingers crossed for the long. If Alissa and Caroline make the world team, I would die, just die!
I know, that would be my dream podium (1-2 anyway...) and World team. I have faith in Alissa, she's produced more clean programs this season than perhaps her whole career (with the exception of 2005 season). And I really hope Ave Maria will work for Caroline. How much time has she had with it this season? I wonder if she made the decision to switch back in December or right after TEB?
I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed that about Mirai's jumps. She nevers gets a clean, flowing edge, it's like she wobbles out of them. I don't know, I think that issue could be as disastrous as Caroline's mule-kick, which only affects lutz/flip. And despite the takeoff, at least Caroline can land her jumps beautifully. Anyway, I can't imagine what Mirai is going through. If she does change coaches, I wish her the best.
On the other hand, I think you're right about Caroline and Li Mingzhu. I've heard them in Kiss and Cry, she speaks in Chinese to Caroline (though Caroline speaks in English back). I think the family is too close to her, though I hope to God they'll see the light. If a bad result at Nationals this year is what it will take, I think I'd be willing to endure that. I'd much rather sacrifice World team this year for Vancouver next year.
Still, I've been thinking about what changes it would mean to the family if they did decide to switch coaches. I doubt they'd be willing to move very far or away from CA at all, but there are a lot of great coaches in CA too... What do you guys think? Who might be a good coach for Caroline?
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
I would like to think that in addition to working with Alissa on her jumps that Brian helped her with her head. I mean if anyone knows anything about pressure...it would be Brian. I guess we will have to wait and see.
Thank you so much, kate
. I have been a fan of Alissa's for some time, and I am so glad she has done well so far in this competition. I hope she continues in this vein. She is one of the truly lovely-to-watch lady skaters. I hope they show this on NBC.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
Helene Elliott's article on Mirai makes me angry. There is no need for a sportswriter to be so scathing toward a 15 year old. I hope Mirai and her circle know to take the media with a box of salt.
I don't know, but I really think only a few weeks would probably actually be enough. The hardest part of learning a new program is learning where your rests are, where you take your breaks. And that hardest part of competing it is that much of that goes out the window when you're under pressure and nervous. Caroline already has lots of practice with both with Ave Maria -- she has the major parts down, and all she would have had to do is get it back in her system. In addition, skating is such a mental sport. If you pop a jump in your first competition with your new program, it doesn't matter how many times you do it perfectly in practice, there's a good chance you'll pop it the next time too. And when you do that, every time you get to that jump in competition, you freeze up and are more likely to mess it up. The same goes for not getting great scores. If you don't get the scores this year that you were getting last year, you lose confidence in the changes you've made -- the programs. She's going back to something that has worked so well for her last year, and all those mental issues and popped jumps and underrotations are much less likely to occur now that she has something that she thinks will work for her.
Of course, things happen anyway, but I think even if this was last minute, it was definitely the right move.
^ Oh, that makes sense, thanks. I really hope you're right. The only thing that concerns me is that initially she wasn't very happy about going back...I hope that's changed. Do the ladies have LP practice today? I wonder how it's going in practice.
EDIT: I just checked, they practice this afternoon starting around 3pm. Good luck Caroline!!
EDIT: I just checked, they practice this afternoon starting around 3pm. Good luck Caroline!!
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You got that one right. I cannot imagine once he worked with her, he didn't try to psych her up as well.
Oh man. Alyssa going last? That's the end for her. She had the advantage in the SP going early, but not this time.
Wouldn't mind if she proved me wrong, but if it's true the champion MUST go to worlds, I'd rather her finish 2nd in that case for sake of the long-term.
Wouldn't mind if she proved me wrong, but if it's true the champion MUST go to worlds, I'd rather her finish 2nd in that case for sake of the long-term.
Not if she skates a blinder. Then she'll deserve it.
And seriously, other than Rachael, who else would you send? No one else has really stepped up.
I don't understand why everyone is so apprehensive about sending Alissa to Worlds. Although it is understandable for U.S. fans to want to recover that third ladies spot for the Olympics, the truth of the matter is that it is very unlikely that any combination of skaters we send will be able to do so. All of the young teens have numerous problems related to their jumps, presentation, speed, etc. Furthermore, the international judges are unlikely to give them the PCS scores needed to place high at Worlds-they haven't done so all season.
To me, the issue of who to send to worlds is a potential vs risk problem. For example, Rachael Flatt is an incredibly consistent skater, but has limited potential no matter how well she does. Alissa on the other hand, is seen as risky and unstable, but perhaps has the highest potential placement possibility out of any U.S. lady.
Since I'm not counting on the U.S. ladies to secure three spots for the Olympics, I'd rather watch Risky Czisny go to Worlds and sit on the edge of my seat to see whether she fulfills her potential.
To me, the issue of who to send to worlds is a potential vs risk problem. For example, Rachael Flatt is an incredibly consistent skater, but has limited potential no matter how well she does. Alissa on the other hand, is seen as risky and unstable, but perhaps has the highest potential placement possibility out of any U.S. lady.
Since I'm not counting on the U.S. ladies to secure three spots for the Olympics, I'd rather watch Risky Czisny go to Worlds and sit on the edge of my seat to see whether she fulfills her potential.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2007
I think Czisny and Flatt have a reasonable chance to recover the third spot. Czisny and Zhang would be too risky though. Czisny gets good PCS, good GOE - so even one, two downgrades would be alright. Flatt has the technical goods, her jumps are rarely downgraded, she lands her stuff. Together they might be able to go 6-7, 5-8, 4-9... With Zhang the probability of downgraded jumps is very high, her PCS are relatively low, it would be too risky.
And by the way, I don't really get the PCS difference between Zhang and Czisny. Czisny isn't really fast over the ice either, her edges could be better...
And by the way, I don't really get the PCS difference between Zhang and Czisny. Czisny isn't really fast over the ice either, her edges could be better...
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Perhaps like Balanchine they are just charmed by graceful women with an overbite.
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2005
You have clearly never seen Alissa in person. She has clear speed advantage over the teens and much stronger edges. Just look at the Charlotte spiral on the fwd outside edge. It doesn't waver and is a really STRONG edge.
Seconding this. Speed doesn't necessarily translate to the screen, nor does edge quality some times, but Alissa has both in spades where the other's really lack them. It's the same reason Carolina Kostner has gotten high PCS and GOE on things like spirals when it doesn't seem warranted by what you can see on tv. TV only shows half of what the judges are seeing.
