What's wrong with Emily Hughes' jumps? | Golden Skate

What's wrong with Emily Hughes' jumps?

fiercemao

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Emily had a total meltdown at TEB. She fell four times and got multiple UR calls. At regional championships, she 'landed' all of her jumps, but still got most of them downgraded.

I understand her lack of training seems to do her in at recent competitions in terms of jumps. But even in her best days, Emily suffered from underrotations in her triple jumps which was pretty weird. Her jumps had good height, and she is generally considered to have good technique. So my question is : What caused Emily to get so many UR calls, even more so than many other skaters who do not have natural jump ability as she.

Is it because her rotations are too slow? :agree:

Emily Hughes LP at 2008 TEB.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIRavjaySD0
 
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isk82

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
I can't comment on the reason for the under-rotations but I love this program. It's the first time I've seen it. The music is beautiful. Her skating reminds of the old days of skating where everything was smooth and classic and not all frantic. Her dress is lovely. She looks great! She looks a bit leaner and more mature. I hope she can fix the technical problems she's having. I would love to see this program skated cleanly.
 

goldenskates

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 20, 2006
I do truly believe that Emily's problem with under-rotated jumps is that she spins in the air EXTREMELY slowly; she gets very good hight but she seems to go up, then spin in the air. It's really a shame because she tries so hard at her jumps, but most of the time it does work.

I absolutely think she is a really competitive skater, and I really like her skating.....but, she does seem to skate slowly, and a bit heavy on the ice. Even her spins seem to be labored.

It would be awesome and I would be shocked to see a huge transformation, like next year, perhaps.... but I don't think we'll see that. It's very sad, because she's my favorite female skater, even though she doesn't have the difficulty in jumps.
 

gold12345

Medalist
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Off topic, but when did Emily Hughes switch back to her former coach and how is that working out with Emily away at college?
 

fiercemao

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
I do truly believe that Emily's problem with under-rotated jumps is that she spins in the air EXTREMELY slowly; she gets very good hight but she seems to go up, then spin in the air. It's really a shame because she tries so hard at her jumps, but most of the time it does work.

.

Maybe that's the reason. Lu Chen had the similar situation although Lu was by far a much better jumper than Emily. Lu had this unique technique of delaying spinning, it made her jumps spendid with this 'hang' time. However, with poor conditioning and injuries, she could no longer get the same height as before, all of her jumps at 1998 Olys seemed underrotated.

I can't comment on the reason for the under-rotations but I love this program. It's the first time I've seen it. The music is beautiful. Her skating reminds of the old days of skating where everything was smooth and classic and not all frantic. Her dress is lovely. She looks great! She looks a bit leaner and more mature. I hope she can fix the technical problems she's having. I would love to see this program skated cleanly.

The music is beautiful, but there's absolute NO choreography, NOTHING in the program except jumps and stroking in-between.

Off topic, but when did Emily Hughes switch back to her former coach and how is that working out with Emily away at college?

I'd also be curious to know.
 
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chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Apparently Bonnie travels to Boston a couple of times a week to work with Emily; the Hugheses must be paying her big bucks for this. Obviously, it isn't enough. Bonnie looked thoroughly disgusted in the KnC, and Emily sure didn't look happy.

I can understand loving to compete, but to compete and place so much lower than Emily's ever placed before? That cannot be fun.


There are going to be 25 Senior Ladies at Nationals, and at least half of them are capable of beating Emily in her current state of preparedness. I don't see her giving up any of her schooltime or schoolwork to work on her skating. If she goes to Nationals and finishes 15th or lower, there goes any hope of internationals for next season. She's already bottomed herself out of the GP (her TEB score would put her below the 75 mark on the Seasons Best list) and her ISU World Rank will soon fall below 24, with no second GP and no 4CC or Worlds.

OTOH, if she pleads injury and bows out of Nationals again, the USFS may well give up on her.

She's between a rock and a hard place.
 

fiercemao

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
Apparently Bonnie travels to Boston a couple of times a week to work with Emily; the Hugheses must be paying her big bucks for this. Obviously, it isn't enough. Bonnie looked thoroughly disgusted in the KnC, and Emily sure didn't look happy.

.

I didn't get the sense Bonnie was disgusted or Emily was unhappy. They seemed to be smiling in the KnC. I doubt Hughes family is taking competition seriously. They have enough money to burn, figure skating is just a hobby for them.
 

Marine63

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 25, 2007
Maybe that's the reason. Lu Chen had the similar situation although Lu was by far a much better jumper than Emily. Lu had this unique technique of delaying spinning, it made her jumps spendid with this 'hang' time. However, with poor conditioning and injuries, she could no longer get the same height as before, all of her jumps at 1998 Olys seemed underrotated.



The music is beautiful, but there's absolute NO choreography, NOTHING in the program except jumps and stroking in-between.



I'd also be curious to know.

ITA. There were no transitions just crossovers and jumps. It made her jumps look very telegraphed.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
I didn't get the sense Bonnie was disgusted or Emily was unhappy. They seemed to be smiling in the KnC. I doubt Hughes family is taking competition seriously. They have enough money to burn, figure skating is just a hobby for them.


It isn't a hobby for less well-off skaters who work hard at maintaining and growing their skills. Those skaters wouldn't be laughing and smiling for the cameras after receiving those abysmal scores---they'd be holding back the tears.

BTW, Bonnie could hardly wait to get out of the KnC after getting the scores. Emily's performance doesn't exactly reflect well on Bonnie's skill as a coach.
 

fiercemao

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 13, 2008
BTW, Bonnie could hardly wait to get out of the KnC after getting the scores. Emily's performance doesn't exactly reflect well on Bonnie's skill as a coach.

Just rewatched the tape and I think my memory was correct. Bonnie and Emily were having a leisure chat in the KnC, Emily was even making faces in front of the camera. Only when the scores came up, both of them seemed stunned and sat silent for a while and then both of them managed a smile, only then Bonnie got up and left Emily in a hurry.
:laugh:

Emily said in an interview before going to Paris that she's just trying to enjoy having the chance to travel to France, which made lots of her classmates envy.

Does Bonnie have other elite level skaters?
 
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Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Emily always underroatted her lutz and a several other jumps, but the judges have really been cracking down on that since she was last on the scene. As we all know by now, falling on underotated jumps is a death sentence. Also her program was very simple...mostly just stroking between the elements.
 

ManyCairns

Medalist
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Country
United-States
Emily's never had a 3-3 in competition, has she? I was always amazed at the scores she used to get, given her level of difficulty in many areas (the jumps but also her basic skating and other skill areas), so I can see where she and Bonnie would be stunned.
 
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