agnes zawadzki reminds me of Tonya Harding

[ks777]

Is it just me? Her make up, her big jumps, and her family situation.

 

[Nadine]

Yes, right on! :thumbsup:

But I rather view her as the *new & improved* Tonya Harding. Look at those thighs & slightly bowed legs exactly like Tonya, except Agnes is tall & lithe, but those powerful legs are just like Tonya's!

I love this kid, she has the most potential I've ever seen from an American lady since Tonya, can't wait to see what the future holds. But most importantly she's hungry, unlike some of these other pampered ballerinas. (;^)

 

[christinaskater]

I like Agnes, there is a fire in her skating!

I see a little of Tonya but I think Agnes is a more well-rounded skater. I think the height of the jumps is where the comparison ends, Tonya is one of the greatest jumpers of all time.

 

[Olympia]

Interesting point. It would be great to have another American jumper like that...but you'll understand why I hope Agnes isn't too much like Tonya. It isn't just what Tonya stooped to do at the end. It's the lack of discipline she showed through much of her career. In that area, I hope that Agnes is more like Michelle or Evan.

 

[evangeline]

....as well as the dodgy packaging and the need for improvement in basic skating skills. Yep, definitely some resemblance there.

 

[Nadine]

Yawn, of course I knew somebody would bring up the bad instead of focusing on the good.

Oops, in my original post I meant to say "pampered princesses".

Also, if anyone hasn't caught the award ceremony for the ladies you can now over on IN ~ looooooooooove seeing Agnes up there in 4th place (pewter medal) along with the rest of the great ladies! :thumbsup:

 

[blue dog]

....as well as the dodgy packaging and the need for improvement in basic skating skills. Yep, definitely some resemblance there.

Actually, Tonya had some good skating skills. She had excellent edging; she just wasn't good at figures. She had deep edges in spirals; she just didn't have the high leg position of Nancy Kerrigan.

As for her music choices--although some of those choices seemed in poor taste, they were not much different than 99% of the women at the time (except for Kristi and Midori). Most of the women in the late 80's-early 90's had the changes in rhythm, which resulted in those programs. Of course, when the era changed, even Tonya changed with it, by skating to programs from the same work.

Tonya and Agnes...hmmm...I see Tonya's fearlessness, her jumping and spinning ability in Agnes. I hope Agnes' team learned from Tonya's mistakes. Maybe Tonya II's story will have a happier ending.

 

[evangeline]

I see no point in sugarcoating everything. *shrugs* I guess I don't get all the hype about Agnes, she has decent jumps and spins but the lack of power and speed in her skating will prevent her from getting the results she wants. And this is where Agnes really differs from Tonya--Tonya did not have the most refined or ideal skating skills, but what Tonya definitely had was power and speed in her prime.

 

[fairly4]

for me agnes isn't the next best thing. only because she is a broadmoor kid is their
"Hype" if she wasn't from broadmoor i don't think they would keep her up their.
in fact scott , peggy , dorothy was from broadmoor . see gao-not broadmoor, see zhang-pcs low.

 

[sunny0760]

whole post

?????????

Really liked this gala at COC, 2010. Better than her comp programs.(the same gala at Nats too?)
http://dochi_kim.blog.me/130072674850

She looks relaxed and free here. Good Ina Bauer and spiral position even if it is short!
I don't think she is less powereful. It seems to me that she has the most powereful jumps than any other current US ladies and powerful spins.
Don't know about stamina... I consider her many mistakes in FS this season as inexperience and a little bit of mentality but if it is from the lack of stamina, she should improve stamina (+ speed and SS).

 

[ivy]

I feel like I'm wading into some murky waters here, but fools rush in where wise men fear to tread. Call me a fool!

As a progressive atheist, I have a knee jerk bias against most things associated with Colorado Springs - one the main centers of evangelical conservative Christianity in the US. This, I recognize, is not really rational, but still I have it. For primarily separate reasons, Ryan Bradley and Rachael Flatt are two of my least favorite competitive skaters, and that leads me to look at other Broadmoor skaters skeptically. So Agnes had a couple of hypothetical strikes against her before I ever saw her skate at Nat'ls.

That said, I really enjoyed her performance and felt she was scored appropriately, as were her opponents. Does being from Broadmoor help? Maybe the judges give you the benefit of the doubt when you take the ice, but you still have to deliver, and Agnes did.

The Agnes/Christina rivalry reminds me a bit of MK and Irina, the artist and the athlete. MK was always my favorite, but Irina delivered some amazing performances and outskated Michelle at several competitions. Ultimately I think they were both better skaters as a result, and lets hope Agnes and Christina push each other to ever higher athletic and artistic heights!

 

[Serious Business]

But which one is MK and which one is Irina? Both Agnes and Christina have huge jumps (like Irina). Neither of them have the extremely mature artistry that MK had at a very young age (which to me is one of the most distinct things about MK in addition to her consistency). Agnes, however, has the exuberance that reminds me of Irina. While all I get from Christina is a po po po pokerface (not just the face, but in the body language and presentation, too). The Christina/Yuna comparisons are much more apt, as they have similar body types, technique and even share a favorite combo (although Yuna is vastly more expressive).

I can see Agnes = Irina, but even they have very different body types. Really, I can't think of any close doppelgangers for Zadwadzki. She may have the athleticism and spins of Tonya, but Tonya Harding was so tiny and squat, whereas Agnes is practically a giant compared to her (there's a 5 inch difference between them). I would say that Agnes is very much her own woman.

 

[Blades of Passion]

"Streetwalker" comes to mind, if I had to make a direct comparison.

 

[FlattFan]

If Agnes' sitch is so dire, how can she afford to pay for skating lessons. Her costumes look cheap compare to Rachael's and Ashley's, but I'm sure they don't come from the bin at Goodwill's.
Anyhow, I think she's an amazing jumper. Prob the best US lady jumper when she's on. Good luck at Junior World.

 

[blue dog]

Thinking about it more, her looks remind me more of a cross between Amber Corwin and Vika Volchkova. Thankfully, she has better jumps than either.

 

[Jammers]

Any skater with talent and promise like Agnes needs to leave Tom Z. He's great at technical things like jumps but his skaters are horribly slow with no choreography or flair or basic skating skills. Just look at Rachael Flatt or Brandon Mroz. Total snoozefest when they skate. He can only take them so far with their skating.

 

[Spun Silver]

As a progressive atheist, I have a knee jerk bias against most things associated with Colorado Springs - one the main centers of evangelical conservative Christianity in the US. This, I recognize, is not really rational, but still I have it. [...] So Agnes had a couple of hypothetical strikes against her before I ever saw her skate at Nat'ls.

You felt the need to express this on a skating board why? Do you think your bias against evangelical Christians is somehow more endearing than expressing bias against blacks or gay people (which I assume you'd find obnoxious)?

Back on topic, I don't like saddling young Agnes with a comparison to someone with as much baggage as Tonya. Plus, I don't see the resemblance. Tonya was a firecracker, Agnes seems like a steadier jumper. Plus Agnes is already a lot more artistic than Tonya. She comes across as very controlled, also intelligent, IMO - a word I rarely think of applying to skaters (unlike Scott Hamilton!). She's unusual and rather intriguing. I can't type her, at least not yet.

 

[brightphoton]

You felt the need to express this on a skating board why? Do you think your bias against evangelical Christians is somehow more endearing than expressing bias against blacks or gay people (which I assume you'd find obnoxious)?

Back on topic, I don't like saddling young Agnes with a comparison to someone with as much baggage as Tonya. Plus, I don't see the resemblance. Tonya was a firecracker, Agnes seems like a steadier jumper. Plus Agnes is already a lot more artistic than Tonya. She comes across as very controlled, also intelligent, IMO - a word I rarely think of applying to skaters (unlike Scott Hamilton!). She's unusual and rather intriguing. I can't type her, at least not yet.

I don't see why you're so upset. Jammers simply stated that he's an atheist, and he's not fond of Colordo's evangelical Christian reputation, which (s)he obviously does find obnoxious. The accusation of racism and homophobia is unneccessary on your part.

Agnes and Tonya don't really mach up together in my head. Tonya was a very strong jumper; her jumps had such great height. Agnes just struck me as a somewhat average, and somewhat consistent jumper.

 

[Mathman]

Moderator's note: Let's hold off on comments about how other people's religions annoy us, OK?

 

[Nadine]

Amen.