Senior Ladies FS

[Kimmie Fan]

my 2 cents regarding olympic team selection

I say take the top finishers at the nationals because it is the fairest test.
All the skaters competed against each other at same time, under same conditions, in front of the same judges.
It's like taking the SAT test! all variables have been equalized so that only the skaters' performances can be compared without bias.

Olympic spot should not be some sort of career achievement award
Do we really want to select our Olympians based on some Cup of China result from last year? GPF result from 3 years ago?
It's irrelevant.

Ok, maybe some people don't like the results from this year's nationals.
Guess what? That's sports. That's life. Deal with it.
The moment that USFS starts manipulating results and showing favoritism, I'm out.

 

[Penny]

Polina blew me away and not "juniorish" in my opinion. Her arms are beautiful.

 

[ice coverage]

Does USFS have the selection criteria for Olympics published somewhere, like JFS does?

Yes. The link is in another thread.

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...Google-Hangout&p=818397&viewfull=1#post818397
​

 

[SkatingFun]

USFS is in quite a spot, isn't it?

Are they going to kill the Olympic dream of a 15 year old girl who beat everyone (but Gracie's) in both the short program and the long?

I've been a lukewarm supporter of Ashley's, but it's time to face reality. She didn't earn her spot. Sochi is less than a month out... and she did nothing in this competition to merit discussion of dumping a superior competitor.

And, yeah, I know it was a pressure packed situation, but it ain't nothing like Olympic pressure.

Completely agree with you. They either replace Mirai, or just simply send the top 3 to Sochi! She scored 2nd on both SP and LP, has most difficult elements comparing to any of top girls around worlds. She has consistent and ambition for US Figure Skating. They will break so many younger girls' dream if USFSA pull Polina using many nonsense excuses which many folks saying on this forum (Do you guys care about we all have obligation to promote Figure Skating to General Audience? Do we hard core fans on this forum only prefer to keep this sports into this "Elite circle"? )

 

[Artistry]

I personally don't care which is left off - Ashley or Mirai.
Both are heavy and leaden in style and interpretation imho (remember the Black Swan
spiral sequence? Talk about "wooden", artificial- looking movements.)
Realistically, neither will compare favorably on Olympic ice with
skaters that have the whole package, whether young talents like
Gracie, Polina and Julia or established stars like Yuna or Mao.

 

[lavender]

People will have to deal with it whichever way this goes even if it's not the way you want and the tradition. That's life. Nationals just isn't the deciding factor..it says so in their big rule book. I'm glad I'm not a diehard fan of these ladies.

 

[Hurdler4eva]

I'm a purist and I say that you earn an Olympic berth by winning gold, silver, or in this case bronze at US Nationals. Period. If you say that the 4th place skater would have to replace the bronze medal winner and not the silver medal winner - then you certainly cannot do it for this Nationals. You can say that Ashley just had an off night, but an off 2 nites? What, put her in Mirai's place? Absurd!

And I certainly would be 100% against the 4th place skater replacing the silver winner, in any case and especially in this case. You can say all you want about Polina's inexperience and "juniorish" appearance, but remember, "juniorish" won '97 Nationals and Worlds and '98 Olympics.

In 1997-1998, there was a different points system, though. I think COP makes it significantly more difficult for "juniorish" skaters to beat more elegant, mature skaters. Particularly when they are new on the scene. It seems that with COP, a skater that has stronger presentation and skating skills can score well even with mistakes (a la Patrick Chan or Mao Asada) whereas somebody who relies on jumps to generate big scores has much less room for error.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

Orbitz on FSU suggested Ashley, Mirai, and Gracie for Olympics and sending Polina to Worlds. I think this is the best scenario. Ashley has more than earned her spot based on the above criteria.

I agree with this, and as Sandra said the reason the US women have 3 spots is because of Ashley.

 

[bekalc]

I agree with this, and as Sandra said the reason the US women have 3 spots is because of Ashley.

So Gracie had nothing to do with that?

 

[Becki]

Gracie looks very skinny...it's a bit scary :S I like her new dresses!! They are so classy and elegant.

I hope the Olympic team will be Ashley, Mirai and Gracie. Polina said her role model, Tara Lipinksi, went to Olympics as a 15 year old. True - but Tara went as reigning World Champion. I can't imagine her making a senior debut at the Olympics.....

 

[aero]

The moment that USFS starts manipulating results and showing favoritism, I'm out.

I'm pretty sure that's already been happening.

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Gracie looks very skinny...it's a bit scary :S I like her new dresses!! They are so classy and elegant.

I hope the Olympic team will be Ashley, Mirai and Gracie. Polina said her role model, Tara Lipinksi, went to Olympics as a 15 year old. True - but Tara went as reigning World Champion. I can't imagine her making a senior debut at the Olympics.....

I could not agree you more abt Polina's comment re Tara, which apparently has really ruffled some feathers, and if I were Tara, would ruffle mine. Tara Lipinski went to the Olympics at 15 as the reigning World Champion, the previous year's US National Champion, and a medalist in her first US Championships two years earlier. She had FIRST place results in the most prestigious international competition other than the Olympics. Polina's team seems to be getting a bit carried away.

 

[caseyl23]

Gracie looks very skinny...it's a bit scary :S I like her new dresses!! They are so classy and elegant.

I hope the Olympic team will be Ashley, Mirai and Gracie. Polina said her role model, Tara Lipinksi, went to Olympics as a 15 year old. True - but Tara went as reigning World Champion. I can't imagine her making a senior debut at the Olympics.....

It's happened before – Emily Hughes did it in 2006 and gave a pretty good showing for herself. And although she had a couple Grand Prix events, Kimmie Meissner made her senior debut that season, and she also did pretty well. Ksenia Makarova also made her senior debut in an Olympic season, with just one minor competition before Europeans and the Olympics. I'm sure there are other examples, but those are just a couple.

 

[R.D.]

Wow. OMG DAMN what an event!!!

I dunno what to say...I guess I'll start at the beginning -

First, Rachel Flatt - she has REALLY become a performer on the ice. I know she has been forgotten amidst the drama that unfolded later (we'll get to that in a moment), but I'll just like to point out that I like this Rachel much better than the one that went to Vancouver in 2010. Too bad her other skating qualities (jumps in particular) deteriorated so...it's clear she likes to skate and I appreciate that she showed us why, mistakes aside. Isn't this her last nationals? Maybe her last competition? Sounds like she will retire afterwards and throw herself 100% into Stanford/medical school. Best of luck to her.

Sad for Zawadzki once again that she couldn't overcome her FS demons even after having the pressure of Olympic qualifying lifted off her. It would have been nice to have her go out on her own terms with a performance she could be proud of...Now she's at a crossroads regarding her career. Does she retire...or does she undergo a Wagner-like transformation and work her way back into the mix over the next quad? I still think she has the talent...but if she doesn't do something big soon, she risks being surpassed/forgotten. I know she wanted this bad - sad to see. Never fun seeing someone's dreams crushed.

Sounds like Hicks was able to redeem herself (icenetwork did not show her performance, though, and neither did NBC)...same with Cesario. Good for them, and even though they ultimately came up short of the Olympics, they can be proud of their efforts and the way they fought.

Group 3 started strong...great performances from Barbie Long and Leah Keiser as well.

Final group...Christina Gao...oh man, this is where things began to get seriously funky. She started off very well but just couldn't hold it together during the performance. Local/hometown favorite pressure, perhaps? Anyway, she took a year off Harvard to fulfill her Olympic dream but wasn't able to completely recover from the egg she laid at TEB a couple months earlier. Might be the end of her career as well...

Wagner...holy cow. Where do I start? I was on Twitter during the freeskates and I said on there that although earlier I was not nervous for Wagner...just as she was about to take the ice, suddenly I began feeling uneasy, but wasn't exactly sure why. Normally she relishes this position...coming from behind, skating before all those ahead of her...but I dunno, there was still so much at stake - the Olympic team, being defending champ, high expectations - that ended up with her having her worst competition since 2008 Worlds. Now, granted she did not melt down - even with two falls, she fought through it and never gave up - on a night like this, you just have to bring it. That's just the way it goes...you've got to rise to the occasion. It was complete deja vu for her - just like in 2010, those ahead of her did not give an inch and delivered solid freeskates, maintaining their positions above her. Seeing her break down in the K&C afterwards was probably one of the toughest things I've ever had to watch in my 12 years following this sport. Almost up there with MK missing out on the OGM a 2nd time in 2002. Yikes...

Cain - again, a promising SP followed by a sub-par freeskate. Shades of Zawadzki...she's gonna need to pull herself together if she wants more success. She has the goods to compete with the best statewide, she just needs to be mentally tougher. More tears. More heartbreak.

Edmunds - WOW...despite that fall she made a statement tonight...she has certainly arrived, and in a big way. She might very well be the future of US skating. This is one area where my prediction was off base- I figured she might place well, but assumed she wasn't ready yet and would probably finish a strong 4th-6th. This girl just threw the largest of monkey wrenches into this whole Sochi equation. What do you do with her? She certainly made her case for the team tonight...she's ready to go and ready to announce to the world that she has arrived...

Nagasu - Another WOW. I had Nagasu as the dark horse/wildcard for this event and knew that if she just laid down the FS she is capable of doing instead of making stupid mistakes/URing jumps or melting down, that she would be RIGHT in the mix. What a personal victory for her...4 years of struggle after her energetic debut in Vancouver - to fight back like this (coachless!!) and get back on the National podium...she has every right to be proud. Definitely a success story right here...

Gold - This gets the biggest WOW of the night. What a transformation. I said all along that our best hopes for a ladies' medal in Sochi is a 100% Gracie Gold. I had my doubts that we'd ever get that Gold to show up, but what Frank Carroll has been able to do in just two months with her is quite amazing. Not only did he give her more presence but he also seemed to give her more confidence, which enabled her to compete almost as well as she practices (which has been phenomenal, BTW...she ROCKS practices). To me, the message tonight is clear - the guard has changed and we now have a new US ladies frontrunner for a Olympic/world medal. Congrats Ms Gold...now every bit deserving of the name...

So...about that Olympic team again? What do you do here? I will not answer that in this post, but I will say this - the committee is between a rock and a hard place on this one. Regardless of the decision they make they will be blasted for it, so may as well make the call that gives us the best chance of Olympic success, whatever that may be.

RD out...

 

[KwanIsALegend]

Just finished watching and although the skating was very good it just seems to me that it is not on the same level it once was. I don't know, it just seems as if I am not be pulled into the programs the way I used to be. Maybe the programs aren't as complete as they once were and many times it seems as if the skaters aren't skating to the music, the music is just there. I can't put my finger on it right now, maybe it is COP's fault. It is just not the same.

 

[Danibellerika]

Poor Mirai I'm so sad I starting crying when she was in third because it like she's gonna be kicked off and I hope Polina is kicked off she can wait for another quad, I will be so upset if Mirai's off that team.

You and me both. I mean, I didn't cry but I really did feel bad for her. Though I don't necessarily think it's fair to say someone can wait for another quad. Many things can happen in 4 years. In 2010 many thought Mirai would be in a better place by now than she is. If they didn't implement the age restriction (which I am personally against) then Mao Asada would possibly be an Olympic Champion. Instead she had to wait 4 years for a silver when she was good enough for gold the first time around.

Just finished watching and although the skating was very good it just seems to me that it is not on the same level it once was. I don't know, it just seems as if I am not be pulled into the programs the way I used to be. Maybe the programs aren't as complete as they once were and many times it seems as if the skaters aren't skating to the music, the music is just there. I can't put my finger on it right now, maybe it is COP's fault. It is just not the same.

Agreed. It's kind of hard for me to believe it's an Olympic year. It makes me want to go back to watch the older games to see if I felt any different.

 

[SaraM]

Wouldn't have put it exactly that way, but I agree. No transitions, little choreography, and the Olympic judges' last memory of a Bond program had energy, commitment, and a skater who seemed like she cared. I just don't see anything about Mirai that suggests she could fight for a medal. At least Polina has the TES to fight for top 8. Her presentation isn't far behind the Russian girls to whom she is compared. Don't we also have to look to the future as well?

This. Totallt agree if anyone should be left off the team ir should be mirai whi also showes shes inconsistent and UR issuses, even the nbc commentators said that she was taking "breakes" during her free skate. Poorly choreographed no transitions and

 

[aero]

I'm pretty sure that the u.s has a selection criteria don't they? It hasn't been emphasized in the past but they they still have one nonetheless. Guess it's high time we look at it?

 

[Becki]

Any videos?

 

[SkatingFun]

my 2 cents regarding olympic team selection

I say take the top finishers at the nationals because it is the fairest test.
All the skaters competed against each other at same time, under same conditions, in front of the same judges.
It's like taking the SAT test! all variables have been equalized so that only the skaters' performances can be compared without bias.

Olympic spot should not be some sort of career achievement award
Do we really want to select our Olympians based on some Cup of China result from last year? GPF result from 3 years ago?
It's irrelevant.

Ok, maybe some people don't like the results from this year's nationals.
Guess what? That's sports. That's life. Deal with it.
The moment that USFS starts manipulating results and showing favoritism, I'm out.

Agree with you! This is the life!