What will 2010-11 bring for Caroline Zhang?

[feraina]

I agree. It looks gorgeous. It's her best jump, so far.

OT: I've read her sister's post on her FB wall, and it seemed that the summer was no playtime for her. It sounded that she worked really hard to improve her skating. If that's the case, I won't give up on her. I believe that it'll get worse before it gets better. Who knows, she may amaze us at the latter part of the season (a la 2008-2009)

Yeah, her 3F is a lot better now. And in fact, considering she has to hurl much more mass than she used to into the air, that 3F is pretty high. The mule kick is simply gone, it's totally amazing. The mule-kick on the 3Z is a lot better too, though it's still a flutz.

I just saw the full FB album from Caroline's sister, on their outing for All That Skate. What struck me was that although Caroline had clearly already gained some weight (hard to say exactly how much since she wore baggy clothing), her face had not yet changed so much. Her face still looked more or less like it always did, whereas at NHK her face suddenly got a lot rounder/fuller. That happened over the course of just 3 weeks, it's rather shocking. I wonder if she got sick or had to take some medication that affected her physique. It's hard to imagine that one's face can fill out so much over 3 weeks even whilst doing nothing but sitting around and eating all day, never mind training intensively as an elite athlete day-in, day-out...

ETA: Actually, it's not only that the mule-kick and the corkscrew entry on the 3F are gone, but she also now has a much shorter, steadier, inside entry into her 3F. She was getting edge calls on that 3F (as well as the 3Z) at times in the last couple of seasons, because she was swerving back and forth. I think the high kick and extreme counter rotation induced all that edge change; and now that she's got a whole new (correct) technique on the entry, she can hold the inside edge better, too. :thumbsup:

 

[PolymerBob]

After the short program, it sounded like Caroline mentioned somebody named "Feraina" in the kiss & cry.

A little off-topic but still Caroline-related: Some pictures from NHK taken by Maia and Alex Shibutani http://cz-online.org/?p=667

Those are nice pictures. Caroline's shoulders have gotten broader. Rachael seems to have an odd shape.

 

[Wicked]

Caroline definitely has had a sudden change in her body. This would take time for anyone to adjust to. Personally, I think she looks prettier and more mature on the ice. I like her look now- I am NOT a fan of the baby ballerina look. I hope she can keep this body and regain her previous flexibility. I miss her spins terribly.

 

[R.D.]

Yeah folks...it's known as GROWING UP.

Caroline Zhang is no longer a little girl. She's developing curves, hips, etc...you know, WOMANLY features.

 

[silverlake22]

Yeah folks...it's known as GROWING UP.

Caroline Zhang is no longer a little girl. She's developing curves, hips, etc...you know, WOMANLY features.

Yeah, in those pictures it's also really clear that she has also become rather chesty - at least in skating standards. It looks good on her, but I wonder if that trend will continue and she'll end up like YangYang with a rather large chest and we'll be worried about her in the way we worry about Elene.

I also wonder after this big change in Caroline if Mirai will have undergone a similar transformation when we see her on the GP in a few weeks. I guess that kind of change doesn't happen to everyone though.

 

[krenseby]

Yeah folks...it's known as GROWING UP.

Caroline Zhang is no longer a little girl. She's developing curves, hips, etc...you know, WOMANLY features.

But for figure skating, this is not a matter of course thing, mostly because it has the power to affect the young woman's routines on the ice that were established over the course of many years. I wonder if coaches have a discussion with their students about it ahead of time, warning them that once significant body changes set in, technique will have to change as well.

 

[Olympia]

One of the difficulties of committing to a demanding sport or performing art as a very young child is that one can't always be sure that one will end up with the body type most needed for that sport later on. I remember one or two female tennis players who had the opposite problem from Caroline: very promising juniors, they never grew past 5 foot 2 or so and couldn't compete with the tall, long-reach players who dominate the game. Then there was Princess Diana, one of the world's great beauties, who regretted growing too tall for ballet. Yet all these girls, Caroline included, are attractive--even beautiful--even gorgeous! But they would trade their bodies for something else that doesn't flunk the size requirement. It doesn't seem fair, does it.

Though if you look at skaters like Jennifer Robinson of Canada and Carolina Kostner, they do well though they're not tiny dolls. (Kostner and Robinson both have triple jumps, though Kostner can be inconsistent because of her temperament). So I'm wondering whether there's some strategy that a really savvy coach can make use of that would get a taller girl the greatest possible benefit of technique. There's got to be a way! (I'm leaving Czisny out of this discussion because I'm not sure of her jump technique, but again, her main problems are difficulties of temperament.) I'm not sure of the height and build of the two Finnish ladies, but to me both Lepisto and Korpi look in the taller range. And they jump just fine, don't they? There's also Viktoria Volchkova, who was kind of curvy and had the most beautiful springy jumps.

Anyway, those are my jumbled thoughts on the situation. I just hate to think of any girl feeling bad about her body, and it just seems like a waste for a girl as lovely as Zhang to wish for some other physique--which she might start to do if it seems to be interfering with her progress in skating.

 

[miki88]

Figure skating is like gymnastics. Body physique is really important for one's success. Caroline is still young though. She may be going through a phase. I've seen girls shape change quite a bit through their teens (naturally of course).

 

[PolymerBob]

Anyway, those are my jumbled thoughts on the situation. I just hate to think of any girl feeling bad about her body, and it just seems like a waste for a girl as lovely as Zhang to wish for some other physique--which she might start to do if it seems to be interfering with her progress in skating.

There is nothing wrong with curves and Caroline is certainly not fat. As far as I know, she could possibly do modeling on the side like Alissa. But that is not her problem. She MUST gain speed, jump height, jump distance and the appearence of effortlessness she used to have. ( Skating is not effortless, but to pull spectators and judges into a program, it has to look that way. ) To do this, she will have to increase her strength to weight ratio.

Now I'm not a personal trainer, but I know a little about sports conditioning. To increase strength to weight ratio, there are only 3 ways, and none of them are easy.

1) increase strength by adding muscle mass
2) lose weight
3) some combination of 1) and 2) ( usually the case )

 

[frauregina]

Yeah folks...it's known as GROWING UP.

Caroline Zhang is no longer a little girl. She's developing curves, hips, etc...you know, WOMANLY features.

I was surprised when I saw her summer picrtures (with Mirai). Her shoulders broadened and like Wicked, I'm not a fan of her baby-ballerina look either. It's just a matter of adjusting to her new body and having the patience to wait for her development (which I know will come before Sochi). She'll have her luster back. I just know it.:yay::yay::yay:

 

[silverlake22]

One of the difficulties of committing to a demanding sport or performing art as a very young child is that one can't always be sure that one will end up with the body type most needed for that sport later on. I remember one or two female tennis players who had the opposite problem from Caroline: very promising juniors, they never grew past 5 foot 2 or so and couldn't compete with the tall, long-reach players who dominate the game. Then there was Princess Diana, one of the world's great beauties, who regretted growing too tall for ballet. Yet all these girls, Caroline included, are attractive--even beautiful--even gorgeous! But they would trade their bodies for something else that doesn't flunk the size requirement. It doesn't seem fair, does it.

Though if you look at skaters like Jennifer Robinson of Canada and Carolina Kostner, they do well though they're not tiny dolls. (Kostner and Robinson both have triple jumps, though Kostner can be inconsistent because of her temperament). So I'm wondering whether there's some strategy that a really savvy coach can make use of that would get a taller girl the greatest possible benefit of technique. There's got to be a way! (I'm leaving Czisny out of this discussion because I'm not sure of her jump technique, but again, her main problems are difficulties of temperament.) I'm not sure of the height and build of the two Finnish ladies, but to me both Lepisto and Korpi look in the taller range. And they jump just fine, don't they? There's also Viktoria Volchkova, who was kind of curvy and had the most beautiful springy jumps.

Anyway, those are my jumbled thoughts on the situation. I just hate to think of any girl feeling bad about her body, and it just seems like a waste for a girl as lovely as Zhang to wish for some other physique--which she might start to do if it seems to be interfering with her progress in skating.

Isn't Alissa Czisny only 5'4"? So unless that figure is inaccurate, she is not tall, not even for skating, considering the 3 current ladies World Medalists are all the same height as her.

 

[bigsisjiejie]

Isn't Alissa Czisny only 5'4"? So unless that figure is inaccurate, she is not tall, not even for skating, considering the 3 current ladies World Medalists are all the same height as her.

Correct. Alissa is 5'-4" which isn't considered "tall." I believe her body proportions and her (good) choices of costuming just fool you into thinking she's 2-3 inches taller. I'm 5'-3" and I've been reasonably close to her when she was in flat shoes, and 5'-4" or a tiny bit more, seems pretty accurate.

I think Lepisto is in the same range as Czisny, and Korpi is definitely taller, maybe about 5'-6".

While height is not a desired attribute for lady figure skaters, it certainly doesn't have to be an impediment. Find some videos of US skater Lisa Marie Allen (who was about 5'-10"--REALLY tall) and watch her jumps and technique. I believe even back in her prime (late 70's-ish), she could do at least a triple salchow, at a time when triples were just becoming part of a lady's regular jump arsenal. I can't recall who her coach was, though.

 

[R.D.]

Correct. Alissa is 5'-4" which isn't considered "tall." I believe her body proportions and her (good) choices of costuming just fool you into thinking she's 2-3 inches taller. I'm 5'-3" and I've been reasonably close to her when she was in flat shoes, and 5'-4" or a tiny bit more, seems pretty accurate.

I think Lepisto is in the same range as Czisny, and Korpi is definitely taller, maybe about 5'-6".

I've stood next to her and she seemed about average height. Not tiny like, say, S. Cohen or something.

 

[Olympia]

Correct. Alissa is 5'-4" which isn't considered "tall." I believe her body proportions and her (good) choices of costuming just fool you into thinking she's 2-3 inches taller. I'm 5'-3" and I've been reasonably close to her when she was in flat shoes, and 5'-4" or a tiny bit more, seems pretty accurate.

I think Lepisto is in the same range as Czisny, and Korpi is definitely taller, maybe about 5'-6".

While height is not a desired attribute for lady figure skaters, it certainly doesn't have to be an impediment. Find some videos of US skater Lisa Marie Allen (who was about 5'-10"--REALLY tall) and watch her jumps and technique. I believe even back in her prime (late 70's-ish), she could do at least a triple salchow, at a time when triples were just becoming part of a lady's regular jump arsenal. I can't recall who her coach was, though.

Yes, I remember Lisa Marie Allen, and she was wonderful. I remembered that she was somewhere around 5' 8" or taller. And then there was Katarina Witt, who was a bit taller than Czisny, I think, and she certainly was curvy.

Your point that height is not a desired attribute but that it doesn't have to be an impediment is the idea I was looking for. I certainly hope that Caroline will prove this to be true!

 

[silverlake22]

I've stood next to her and she seemed about average height. Not tiny like, say, S. Cohen or something.

5'4" is average height so that would make sense . Kiira is 168 cm so yeah that's 5'6" though she looks taller, Agnes is also 5'6". I think the tallest you really see ladies on the international stage now is around 5'7" / 170 cm, which would be Kostner, Phanuef as well as some of the younger ladies like Hecken, Joshi Helgesson, and Gilles. I think taller than that and triples become really hard and back problems very common. Caroline's height shouldn't be an issue for skating for most of the top skaters are around her height.

 

[feraina]

Caroline's height is definitely not her problem, of all the problems that she does have...

 

[blue dog]

I really hope Caroline doesn't read THIS thread.

And she's not big--her body type is similar to that of a gymnast who is built for the floor exercise (broad shoulders, but thick, muscular legs).

 

[demarinis5]

I really hope Caroline doesn't read THIS thread.

And she's not big--her body type is similar to that of a gymnast who is built for the floor exercise (broad shoulders, but thick, muscular legs).

We know that Mirai's visits GS. She tweeted about a comment that was posted here in another thread. So it would not suprise me if Caroline visits GS, as well as other skaters.

 

[blue dog]

We know that Mira's visits GS. She tweeted about a comment that was posted here in another thread. So it would not suprise me if Caroline visits GS, as well as other skaters.

Mira Leung has a twitter?

 

[dorispulaski]

That would be Mirai. She tweeted about a comment about her choice of music in the 2010 2011 Programs thread.

(GS' 15 minutes of fame for the year )