What will 2010-11 bring for Caroline Zhang?

[burntBREAD]

Dear Caroline,

I hope you are reading this.

Report card so far.

Flip. A+

Lutz: Incomplete. You are about 90% there. Easy does it. One thing at a time.

Double Axel: B+ Big improvement. I am not a coach, but it looks to me like it would be better with a straighter approach (?) As we say in the air force, you drop some delta-v's at the very end of your turn.

Spins. They are fine. That's not your focus this year. True, when you were 12 you were pretzel-girl, now you are grown up. That's life.

Presentation. Just keep on looking like a movie star. (Do you need an agent? )

Goal: Keep on keeping on. I hope you make the podium at U.S. Nationals.

Well, maybe not at the expense of Alissa, but still...

ITA, but I also agree with kresenby and lavender in that while perhaps she can't improve her flexibility, she can retain some of the things she used to have like the sheer speed (her spins are still relatively good speed, but in the past they were awesome).
Also, would adding a 3-turn before her loop help her from pulling so hard across on her takeoff? I see people who do 3-turns before their loop (Carolina, Miki, Mirai, Ashley) tend to have very nice technique on the loop (not so sure about Mirai, but her loop certainly looks nice and doesn't look harsh on the body). Or she could model her loop after Mao/Akiko, whose loops are great.

 

[Nadine]

I just wanted to say Caroline was a joy to behold in person for the very first time! She reminds me of a baby swan, not quite full-fledged yet, but getting there. Her outfit suits her. And she has such a charming smile & looks you in the eyes with genuine friendliness.

And she is NOT as slow as everybody says. In fact this is how I would rate the lady skaters at SA in terms of spped: Elene G. 100% speed demon, Carolina Kostner 90-95%, Rachael & everybody else about average at 85%, and Caroline about 80%. Not a big difference. Even the guy I was sitting next to, whom was taking pictures of everybody with his huge fancy camera, said they were ALL fast, thus he had a hard time capturing them on film, lol.

 

[miki88]

And she is NOT as slow as everybody says. In fact this is how I would rate the lady skaters at SA in terms of spped: Elene G. 100% speed demon, Carolina Kostner 90-95%, Rachael & everybody else about average at 85%, and Caroline about 80%. Not a big difference. Even the guy I was sitting next to, whom was taking pictures of everybody with his huge fancy camera, said they were ALL fast, thus he had a hard time capturing them on film, lol.

This is what I have been thinking for a while. I don't think there's any skater at senior level who is actually slow. There's just average, fast, and faster.

 

[krenseby]

I just wanted to say Caroline was a joy to behold in person for the very first time! She reminds me of a baby swan, not quite full-fledged yet, but getting there. Her outfit suits her. And she has such a charming smile & looks you in the eyes with genuine friendliness.

And she is NOT as slow as everybody says. In fact this is how I would rate the lady skaters at SA in terms of spped: Elene G. 100% speed demon, Carolina Kostner 90-95%, Rachael & everybody else about average at 85%, and Caroline about 80%. Not a big difference. Even the guy I was sitting next to, whom was taking pictures of everybody with his huge fancy camera, said they were ALL fast, thus he had a hard time capturing them on film, lol.

If she is not slow, why do a lot of people viewing her get the impression that she is? (I am talking about this particular competition.) Do you think viewing her on TV distorts her speed?

 

[Nadine]

You know I really don't know, krenseby, because watching her on IN in the past I thought she was a little slow, especially on the 2A, but all's I ever heard on the boards was how SLOOOOWWWW she was, crawling, et al. Thus, I was genuinely surprised when I saw her skate live for the very first time ~ she's not slow, crawling, et al ~ there's a reason why she's amongst the top. If she was as slow as most claim, she wouldn't be there. A tiny bit slow, yes, but no where near the EXAGGERATED claims people have made in the past. Not even close.

Or for all I know she could have genuinely improved her speed from when fans saw her skate live in the past. That's my only explanation. To really know for sure one has to see her skate live, and make your own evaluation. My opinion is only one. C'est la vie.

 

[Olympia]

Maybe it's the fact that we see these skaters year after year, but I think a lot of us tend to get attached to them and take an interest in their success. This is a good thing; both art and sport do best when there is a connection with viewers. That's why even in the "pure" sports like baseball, people support certain teams, even hard-luck ones. This is why many of us feel genuine regret when someone like Kimmie gives it up or when a promising young skater seems to lose skills instead of gaining them. Thus I'm so glad to hear that Caroline has improved some of her jumps and possibly her speed. Like Mathman, I'd love to see her on the podium again. Never say never!

 

[yunasashafan]

I just came back from Skate America and I have to say that I agree with Nadine about Caroline. Now, that was only my second-ever live competition and my first time seeing Caroline, but my impression was that she was not as slow as I thought she would be. It could be, though, that my expectations were so low after reading so much about how slow she was. In any case, my first reaction was: she's not THAT slow.. maybe she did improve after all.

 

[pangtongfan]

there's a reason why she's amongst the top.

I wasnt aware she was amongst the top at this point.

 

[doubleflutz]

Not that it necessarily means anything, but watching on IN, I thought Caroline seemed noticeably faster at SA than she did at NHK. Not a huge amount, she clearly still has room for improvement, but enough that it definitely seemed like she'd been working on it.

 

[aftertherain]

I wasnt aware she was amongst the top at this point.

She's ranked #14 on the ISU website. I'd say that's pretty high.

 

[PolymerBob]

It's good to see so many posts supportive of Caroline. I haven't seen that in quite some time. I will be honest and say I was disappointed in Caroline's low placements in the Grand Prix, but I was happy to see her increased speed and lessened mule-kick. I guess she did as well as we could have expected. It seems that both Caroline and Tammi know what needs to be done, and they are working VERY hard to do it. We will have to just let the situation develop.

Remember, a flower blooms when it's ready. GO CAROLINE !!!!!!!!!! :yay:

 

[Dee4707]

SA was the first time I've seen Caroline for a year or so and she has grown up a wee bit. She such a lovely girl and I think once she masters her technique ........ look out!!!

 

[krenseby]

It's good to see so many posts supportive of Caroline. I haven't seen that in quite some time. I will be honest and say I was disappointed in Caroline's low placements in the Grand Prix, but I was happy to see her increased speed and lessened mule-kick.

I think the one potential problem with doing poorly at the Grand Prix competitions is that it doesn't get you on the good side of the judges at the U.S. Nationals. I am not sure how much the Nationals judges have the Grand Prix results on their minds, but if they do, than that will make things so much harder for her. But then again, the most important thing for any skater, be it Caroline, Ashley, Mirai, or Alissa, is to be ready to perform at their best at Nationals regardless of how they did at the Grand Prix events. By the way, I feel that Rachael Flatt is progressing quite nicely in her skating. But I'll expand on that in a special thread dedicated to Rachael, if there's ever one.

 

[PolymerBob]

By the way, I feel that Rachael Flatt is progressing quite nicely in her skating. But I'll expand on that in a special thread dedicated to Rachael, if there's ever one.

Rachael will get her own thread when there is just one poster who feels she deserves one.

 

[dorispulaski]

I believe FlattFan had a Rachael thread at some point. I believe it was closed because too many used the thread as their own personal latrine for dumping their stuff on her.

However, I think Rachael has stepped it up this year, and if you will read the thread where the people who went to Skate America are talking about their experiences, you will find quite a few thought that Rachael was the star of the show.

So if someone wants to start a Rachael thread, I would contribute too.

 

[R.D.]

Yes, Rachel was the scapegoat for everything wrong with US ladies skating. I don't know if she still is, though.

 

[janetfan]

Yes, Rachel was the scapegoat for everything wrong with US ladies skating. I don't know if she still is, though.

According to YOU, Sasha was the scapegoat for everything wrong not just in skating but the whole world.

 

[R.D.]

According to YOU, Sasha was the scapegoat for everything wrong not just in skating but the whole world.

overreaction much? I just expressed a little skepticism over her "comeback" - and I definitely wasn't alone. In fact, many of her supposed biggest fans over on SF were getting frustrated with her! THAT part surprised me.

 

[skatingforlove]

I'm super proud of Caroline. I bet it took a lot of hard work to fix her technique on the flip, especially with her body changing. I am rooting for her and I think she is showing some promise! GO CAROLINE!

http://skatingjuice.blogspot.com

 

[janetfan]

overreaction much? I just expressed a little skepticism over her "comeback" - and I definitely wasn't alone. In fact, many of her supposed biggest fans over on SF were getting frustrated with her! THAT part surprised me.

Fair enough RD - I find it ironic when you like to lecture me about being tough on Rachael.
But you know what - I think you are right. I am trying to reevaluate my feelings about Rachael's skating and finding more to like about it, especially her strong competitive abilty.

BTW, I never minded your posts about Sasha's skating - it was the 5 posts a day for several months that questioned her character that bugged me.

Anyway, this is Caroline's thread and wanted to say:
Go Caroline!