Should Gracie or Caroline or Agnes or Mirai replace Alissa for Worlds?

[skateflower]

The Challenge Cup isnt even a real competition. I cant believe anyone is taking the skaters performances there seriously, be it Czisny, Abbott, or whoever else.

Then why would they go there then? Czisny wanted to do another competition to show her 'progress'. She got her wish ...

 

[museksk8r]

Jeremy Abbott only landed ONE clean jump in the long program, beyond pathetic. He should probably stay home as well. I'm tired of these headcases.

Who taught you how to count? Nobunari Oda?? I counted 5 clean jumps in his long program. Your counting is beyond pathetic.

 

[feraina]

Bomb away, Alissa--get the bugs out, so that when you come to worlds, you can have the skate of your year.

This sounds good in theory. But in principle... how often does it happen that a skater has a meltdown at a warmup competition and then two weeks later goes out to blow away the competition at the real thing? It seems to me that the top prizes usually go to skaters who have been skating close to top form for at least a couple of months before the big comp. For example, at the Vancouver Olympics, Yu-na and Joannie were having fabulous, steady skates for months before the Olympics. Mao was a little up-and-down, but certainly not bombing anything within a few weeks of the Olympics. S/Z & P/T also looked especially good since the previous summer, as did V/M & D/W. It's not like Alissa has especially amazing technical content that's going to catapult her to the top if she just happens to put it all together at the WC. No 3-3, 2A-3T, or 3S; plus a lip. And worst of all, she looks like she's been going steadily downhill this whole season, so the momentum is definitely not with her.

As far as momentum goes this season, Carolina K, Ashley W, Polina K look in good form. Maybe also Valentina M and Kiira Korpi. Mao doesn't especially have momentum, but she seems to be hanging in there despite her personal tragedy, which is pretty impressive. Also the lovely Akiko Suzuki. Then Alena Leonova is a real fighter and you can never totally count her out. I think if Alissa skates her average programs for this season, she will be out of top 5 at Worlds, because everyone else has been steadily progressing.

 

[museksk8r]

The Challenge Cup isnt even a real competition. I cant believe anyone is taking the skaters performances there seriously, be it Czisny, Abbott, or whoever else.

I totally agree. You have to admit though that it provides a bit of comic relief to see certain posters lose all sense of reason and get into a complete panic over this event though.

 

[museksk8r]

For example, at the Vancouver Olympics, Yu-na and Joannie were having fabulous, steady skates for months before the Olympics.

Not true at all. Yu-Na and Joannie both skated very subpar during the GP season of the Olympic year. Kim was actually beaten in the LP by Rachael Flatt at Skate America that season, falling numerous times in the LP and at the GPF, Yu-Na was pretty lackluster in both the SP and the LP, but still did enough to win the title overall. Rochette was very dismal during the GP season and did not look Olympic podium form, aside from a season debut LP skate at the Japan Open, which she won, until she skated the LP at her Nationals, skating a perfect 7 triple program there. Joannie had a complete meltdown during the LP at the GPF, only managing to finish 5th there. Thank goodness, they found their jumping legs at the Olympics, where it mattered the most!

 

[Jammers]

Real competition or not both Jeremy and Alissa were awful. That's the bottom line and it doesn't matter if it wasn't an important competition. Neither of them looks ready to put up much of a fight in Nice.

 

[museksk8r]

Real competition or not both Jeremy and Alissa were awful. That's the bottom line and it doesn't matter if it wasn't an important competition. Neither of them looks ready to put up much of a fight in Nice.

Great, maybe you should petition the USFSA to replace them on the team then.

 

[skateflower]

Who taught you how to count? Nobunari Oda?? I counted 5 clean jumps in his long program. Your counting is beyond pathetic.

Every jump had a wobble landing or turn-out. They were not clean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAoKxzPz8s8

 

[clairecloutier]

Normally I'm a strong supporter of the policy of National medalists going to Worlds. But in this case, yes, I think Alissa should be removed from the World team. How can she possibly be ready to compete at Worlds in two weeks after a horror show like this?? Two falls in the short, not a single clean triple in the long?? That's crazy bad. And I don't buy the argument that the Challenge Cup isn't a serious competition. Kostner and Joubert were obviously taking it seriously. It's 2.5 weeks away from Worlds. Any competition that close to Worlds is serious.

IMO Alissa should be urged to withdraw from the team, and if she will not do so voluntarily, she should be removed. At times, the federation simply must make a call and step in and do the right thing for the overall skating program.

As to those saying that a 2-fall Alissa might still place better at Worlds than Agnes, Caroline, or Gracie . . . Well. You may be right. But if Alissa skates as badly as she did at Challenge Cup, then again, you may be wrong. And the thing is, Alissa probably just lost some of her international standing, if you will, this weekend, with this terrible performance. That could affect her PCS at Worlds.

I would be fine with Agnes, Caroline, or Gracie replacing Alissa. My first choice would be Gracie, followed by Caroline.

 

[DianaSelene]

I really don't know what to say. They did skate poorly but was it nerves, a bad day, or they just didn't care about how they skate? This reminds me a lot of how I saw Tuktamysheva skate very badly at Russian test skates a few weeks before her first senior gp. I thought she wasn't prepared. But she came out and had a great grand prix debut. I don't know whether this is a similar case but who knows? They might really be unprepared or something is wrong.

 

[skfan]

Normally I'm a strong supporter of the policy of National medalists going to Worlds. But in this case, yes, I think Alissa should be removed from the World team. How can she possibly be ready to compete at Worlds in two weeks after a horror show like this?? Two falls in the short, not a single clean triple in the long?? That's crazy bad. And I don't buy the argument that the Challenge Cup isn't a serious competition. Kostner and Joubert were obviously taking it seriously. It's 2.5 weeks away from Worlds. Any competition that close to Worlds is serious.

IMO Alissa should be urged to withdraw from the team, and if she will not do so voluntarily, she should be removed. At times, the federation simply must make a call and step in and do the right thing for the overall skating program.

As to those saying that a 2-fall Alissa might still place better at Worlds than Agnes, Caroline, or Gracie . . . Well. You may be right. But if Alissa skates as badly as she did at Challenge Cup, then again, you may be wrong. And the thing is, Alissa probably just lost some of her international standing, if you will, this weekend, with this terrible performance. That could affect her PCS at Worlds.

I would be fine with Agnes, Caroline, or Gracie replacing Alissa. My first choice would be Gracie, followed by Caroline.

i'm no czisny fan (right, mathman?) but this strikes me as very wrong--wrong enough to make me de-lurk, LOL. IMO you (the USFSA, whatever governing organization) should decide ahead of time what competition or competitions will decide the world team, you tell all the competitors so they know what to expect, and you don't get to take it back, unless the skater is truly injured or otherwise incapacitated.

if it truly is an injury that is hindering czisny then she should do the right thing and withdraw--the spot she saves might be her own at 2013 worlds. but if you keep saying, we reserve to change our minds at any time, the competitors never get to set their training schedules and mindset, IMO.

i always believe and i still do in US nationals being the night to make or break, decide it all, and even so the judges were able to influence the world team by fudging the judging at us nationals. they already took into account the whole GP season or whatever their tea-leaves-reading told them when they decided the 1,2,3,4 etc. so leave it at that. sleep in the bed you made.

it pains me to say this since i like many of the younger skaters like nina jiang, angela wang, leah keiser, and czisny skating like this at worlds would hurt them, but i really think this sort of knee-jerk neither here nor there is unfair to skaters in general.

 

[silverlake22]

Real competition or not both Jeremy and Alissa were awful. That's the bottom line and it doesn't matter if it wasn't an important competition. Neither of them looks ready to put up much of a fight in Nice.

Well, Alissa's scores were low, but as poorly as Jeremy skated, his score here is still 2 points higher than Rippon's SB. With Dornbush bombing recently and Armin's bad international track record, the 1st alternate and logical replacement is Ross, but Ross at his best will score only a little higher than Jeremy did here, at his near-worst, so it's really a moot point. I would say send Josh Farris because he's as good as all the other guys in contention but years younger so it could set him up well for the future, but he's not even an alternate and the pressure might get to him. If Jeremy manages to skate technically ok at Worlds, his PCS will help hold him up. Alissa's scores are more concerning but Agnes is 1st alternate and she hasn't scored great in her FS all season so, again moot point. I wish we could send Gracie but that would be a little unfair and idk, probably just not a good idea, she's been solid as a rock all season but to send her to worlds before ever skating a senior FS in competition, and letting her know just weeks before the event and right after JW, idk, asking for trouble/her to bomb, in which case just let Czisny go. Even if she doesn't skate great she can probably place top 8 and if Ashley is top 5, which if she keeps it up she should be, that would get us 3 spots.

 

[sweetskates1]

I think they should just send Jeremy, he will still be a contender for the bronze medal. Alyssa can bomb and retire.

 

[skateluvr]

Is Alissa planning on retiring or is she planning to try to stay in until Sochi?

 

[feraina]

If she really bombs Worlds like she did at Challenge Cup, I feel like Alissa might not be able to find the motivation to continue. She struggled for year swith her self-confidence and nerves, and finally seemed to find her way last season -- if everything were to fall apart for her now, I think she might feel discouraged.

From a practical point of view, as bad as it is to send the "wrong" person to Worlds, so that a good chance to earn back three spots just before the Olympics is "wasted", it'd be worse for it to happen next year, so that there are only two spots at the Olympics itself. Either Alissa will overcome her current issues and deliver at least a decent show at Worlds, thus helping to earn back three spots, or she will really bomb (I think Ashley could place top 5, so Alissa would have to fall out of top 8), in which case she will probably not be held up again next year like Rachael Flatt wasn't this year.

 

[demarinis5]

Unless Alissa is injured and withdraws she will not be replaced because of her bad skate today. After the scenario with Rachael last season I hope that the the powers that be makes inquires to Alissa's team regarding her present condition and if her bad skate was due to an injury, if the answer is no, end of story, if the answer is yes, well......

 

[chuckm]

This is her third subpar performance in a row, and it's actually as bad as or worse than her GPF performance where she was reportedly injured. I think USFS should have a doctor check Alissa and if she is injured, she should be replaced by the first alternate (Zawadzki). We don't need a repeat of Worlds 2011.

 

[jaylee]

I echo thoughts by above posters saying if Alissa is injured, then she should be replaced. If not...maybe she should consider withdrawing.

I really question, though, the decision by Alissa to compete here and also the decision to plan for a double axel/triple toe combination. I wonder why Jason, a trained technical specialist, thinks that Alissa can successfully execute a 2A/3T? Is Alissa an entirely different skater in practice than she is in competition? Because I've been watching her in competition since 2005, and given that fully rotating (and landing) her solo triples and the triple in a 3/2 combination has always been the biggest challenge for her--and still is--why on earth did they think she could execute a 2A/3T in competition? Her few 3Lz/3T attempts this season were, I'm sorry to say, completely disastrous. Her 2A was never great, either. So why did they think Alissa could pull this off?

 

[Olympia]

Wow, I take my eyes off this site for a few hours, and Alissa is dangling by a thread. This is heartbreaking. It's giving me hives just to think about it. Can you imagine how anxious everyone in her coaching team must be--not to mention the USFSA. And Jeremy is with Yuka and Jason as well? Oh, my paws and whiskers. It's as if the American skating program (except for ice dance) is under a dark star.

Well, I don't know what to suggest, short of asking Sasha Cohen to come out of retirement. (Relax, folks. I'm being extravagant.) Heck, at this point, I'd be knocking on Debi Thomas's door, or Lipinski's. Did they ever officially retire?

I have nothing to say. Two weeks? We're cooked.

 

[brightphoton]

This is what happens when you gift people silver medals. The USFSA made their bed. They can lie in it.