Very, very likely, but not automatic. Consider a fourth place finish for Alissa and the following (which is very UNLIKELY, but just to demonstate that 4th place will not guarantee Alissa a GPF spot at the moment): Carolina finishes 1st&3rd, Miki 1&3, Ksenia 2&2, Akiko 1&2, Rachel 2&2 and Kanako 3&1. But very unlikely. We'll see what happens at Skate America, where Rachel, Carolina and Kanako will skate their 2nd assignment.
Alissa Czisny among the notables competing at US Sectionals this week
- Thread starter Sylvia
- Start date
Very, very likely, but not automatic. Consider a fourth place finish for Alissa and the following (which is very UNLIKELY, but just to demonstate that 4th place will not guarantee Alissa a GPF spot at the moment): Carolina finishes 1st&3rd, Miki 1&3, Ksenia 2&2, Akiko 1&2, Rachel 2&2 and Kanako 3&1. But very unlikely. We'll see what happens at Skate America, where Rachel, Carolina and Kanako will skate their 2nd assignment.
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2010
Here's the Mids protocols from the Senior Ladies short program: http://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2011/68089/results.html
Alissa got a 56.98. That's 12 points higher than the second place skater. And that's also including a 1 point deduction AND a downgraded Triple Flip.
1 3Lz+2T 7.40 1.12 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 8.52
2 3F<< << 1.80 -0.90 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 0.90
3 2A 3.30 0.60 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 3.90
4 FCSp4 3.20 1.00 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 4.20
5 SlSt2 2.30 0.70 1 0 2 2 1 2 1 3.00
6 CCoSp4 3.50 1.30 3 2 2 3 3 3 2 4.80
7 LSp4 2.70 1.40 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4.10
Total BV: 24.20 Total elm. score: 29.42
Level 4's on all of her spins. And all 2's and 3's for GOE on two of them (the mostly 2's on the other one's nothing to sneeze at either.)
Great job, Alissa!
This is a good example of why skaters/teams who compete on the GP/JGP circuit, if not internationally in general, during the fall should get byes through to Nationals. At least the medalists should. The same situation happened with Vanessa Lam at Coasts. She got a 53.64, 10 points higher than the next competitor.
It's kind of nice thinking of all those skating parents at Sectionals getting to see level four spins in person. And what a motivator for the young competitors!
Despite the fact that it's a bit ludicrous making Czisny compete with thirteen-year-olds or whatever, this situation is beginning to look like a winner all around. Alissa gets a lower-pressure competition to sharpen and smooth her program, the audience gets--well, Czisny--and, God willing, we skating fans will get to see "good Alyssa" at Nationals.
Despite the fact that it's a bit ludicrous making Czisny compete with thirteen-year-olds or whatever, this situation is beginning to look like a winner all around. Alissa gets a lower-pressure competition to sharpen and smooth her program, the audience gets--well, Czisny--and, God willing, we skating fans will get to see "good Alyssa" at Nationals.
Yes, perhaps; but on the flip side, it IS another competition that adds an element of stress, etc. to the season that otherwise would not be there. The tank only holds so much gas and while the stress level may not be as high as at a GP, sectionals is not free.
I guess it depends on the skater.
Last edited:
Well you can all breathe now. Alissa won sectionals. By 40 points. Despite 2 falls in the LP (which she won by 20 points).
In other news, Christina-Maria Sperduto, who was 19th at last year's Nationals finished a dismal 13th with a LP score of 48.80 with six downgrades and an under-rotation. Sad. Tatyana Khazova, who finished right behind her in 20th, did manage to make it again to Natl's with top 4 sectionals finish (despite a 7th place LP).
In other news, Christina-Maria Sperduto, who was 19th at last year's Nationals finished a dismal 13th with a LP score of 48.80 with six downgrades and an under-rotation. Sad. Tatyana Khazova, who finished right behind her in 20th, did manage to make it again to Natl's with top 4 sectionals finish (despite a 7th place LP).
Gee, how predictable.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
- Country
-
You think so? What's the motivation to skate well when you know you can sleepwalk through your programs and fall on every single jump and still beat the level of competitors at a sectionals competition. No one is pushing Alissa here, so it's no wonder her head wasn't in the game to do her best.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2006
- Country
-
You can't be at your best all the time though. A skater has to know when to peak or else they suffer burn-out. They have to experience peaks and valleys. Alissa didn't have to be at her best here and she and everyone else knew it. I don't understand the point of freaking out about her not blowing the roof off the arena at a sectionals competition she shouldn't have had to skate at to begin with. :scratch:
I completely agree. Alissa is focused on her GP events, as she should be. She needed time to "come down" from Skate Canada before getting set for her next GP which is coming up shortly. Sectionals was just an added hassle to the schedule that she didn't need. I like how she got pretty good scores here without having landed many jumps. It was like the judges were saying, "yeah, yeah, we know you don't belong here, sorry about that".
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I think the best way to insure that you land all your jumps at Nationals is to land all your jumps the time before, and the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that. Alissa needs that confidence to know that she can do it. Otherwise, she often wilts under the pressure when the big event finally arrives.
I keep hoping for a sign that this season maybe the change in her coaching situation would bring about a more reliable jump technique, greater consistency and a corre4sponding boost of confidence that would give her some momentum. She gave an excellent accounting of herself at Skate Canada. But still, she did not get through her programs without falling. IMHO it cannot be good for an athlete's psyche to know in her heart that she is going to fall no matter what. It becomes a vicious circle and a self-fulfilling prophesy.
True, Sectionals is little more than en exhibition for Alissa at this point. My point -- don't fall down in exhibitions!
I keep hoping for a sign that this season maybe the change in her coaching situation would bring about a more reliable jump technique, greater consistency and a corre4sponding boost of confidence that would give her some momentum. She gave an excellent accounting of herself at Skate Canada. But still, she did not get through her programs without falling. IMHO it cannot be good for an athlete's psyche to know in her heart that she is going to fall no matter what. It becomes a vicious circle and a self-fulfilling prophesy.
True, Sectionals is little more than en exhibition for Alissa at this point. My point -- don't fall down in exhibitions!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
PS. And here's another thing that bugs me.
Fans often say thing like, oh look, the judges gave so-and-so good scores even though she had a hand down on her flip and doubled her loop. She'll be unbeatable when she skates clean.
That doesn't mean a thing if that time never comes.
Fans often say thing like, oh look, the judges gave so-and-so good scores even though she had a hand down on her flip and doubled her loop. She'll be unbeatable when she skates clean.
That doesn't mean a thing if that time never comes.
PS. And here's another thing that bugs me.
Fans often say thing like, oh look, the judges gave so-and-so good scores even though she had a hand down on her flip and doubled her loop. She'll be unbeatable when she skates clean.
That doesn't mean a thing if that time never comes.
Yeah, that's true. But considering nobody has managed to outscore Alissa so far this season, I'd say she's doing pretty well. She hasn't skated clean, but neither has anybody else except Miki Ando, who has her own weaknesses. Alissa's jump technique won't change overnight, and it won't ever be perfect, but she's surely keeping herself competitive. Competitive programs are obviously very challenging whether you are doing them at Worlds or at Sectionals. I don't think it's realistic for her, or anyone, to be at the top of her game for three competitions in a row. As for the coaching change, Alissa says that she feels comfortable with it and that she feels it's helping her, so isn't that enough to deem it a success? IMO, it is.
Forget the falls for a minute- I was referring to the fact that she won convincingly. Of course she would. Everyone saw that one coming.
But now...
I disagree. While a competitor should strive to put her best foot forward all the time, it's just not going to happen automatically, but especially not at this point in the season. I think having something to work towards will be in her best interest. And like Zhang, if she is trying to mess with her jump technique, not going to get results overnight. It's better than running through cruise control.
But now...
I disagree. While a competitor should strive to put her best foot forward all the time, it's just not going to happen automatically, but especially not at this point in the season. I think having something to work towards will be in her best interest. And like Zhang, if she is trying to mess with her jump technique, not going to get results overnight. It's better than running through cruise control.
Neither can I, especially since I know that you really like Alissa.
But I actually agree with your assessment. Alissa tends to start off strong but taper off as the season progresses. This seems to confirm the downward spiral that she has sometimes experienced. I don't want to sound the alarm, but we cannot exclude the possibility that she will show more jump problems in upcoming competitions. Of course, I am not forecasting anything, but this competition simply reaffirms the fact that with Alissa things are up one day and down the next. If one of us could bet a hefty chunk of cash on her competition outcomes, that would feel like a tremendous risk ;-)
Last edited:
Folks, this has happened before. Good/Bad Alyssa, hot/cold Alyssa. Here is my question: why is it suddenly "a bad sign" that she messed up a couple of times at this competition right after SC (remembering that she also fell once in the FS and stumbled in the SP)? I just see it as typical of her, to be honest. Remember, SC had a relatively weak field, so Alyssa was able to win even with mistakes. It's not like she blew the roof off the arena with this flawless performance, although she did do well for herself relatively speaking.
Here's my counter-argument. It has been stated (and I agree, generally) that Alyssa tends to start off strong and then fade away later in the season, typically as Nationals approaches. Now, suppose I put forth the theory that if she has issues now, if she struggles a bit now, then maybe there's actually room for improvement down the road? When you start off strong, there's nowhere to go but down, really. Maybe she's learning to better pace herself. Maybe she's making an effort to not let old habits creep in when the chips are down. Take home message here: Too soon to raise any alarm. Now, if she totally bombs out of TEB, she'll have some serious thinking to do (and work as well).
Believe me, when we're talking about Czisny, (and I mean this with all due respect to her) a one or two-fall performance from her isn't THAT bad. In fact, with one fall it's actually pretty good. Now, a 3 or 4-fall performance would be sub-par for her and then THAT would be eyebrow-raising. I'll wait until TEB to draw any further conclusions.
Here's my counter-argument. It has been stated (and I agree, generally) that Alyssa tends to start off strong and then fade away later in the season, typically as Nationals approaches. Now, suppose I put forth the theory that if she has issues now, if she struggles a bit now, then maybe there's actually room for improvement down the road? When you start off strong, there's nowhere to go but down, really. Maybe she's learning to better pace herself. Maybe she's making an effort to not let old habits creep in when the chips are down. Take home message here: Too soon to raise any alarm. Now, if she totally bombs out of TEB, she'll have some serious thinking to do (and work as well).
Believe me, when we're talking about Czisny, (and I mean this with all due respect to her) a one or two-fall performance from her isn't THAT bad. In fact, with one fall it's actually pretty good. Now, a 3 or 4-fall performance would be sub-par for her and then THAT would be eyebrow-raising. I'll wait until TEB to draw any further conclusions.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I do like Alissa. Besides being an wonderful skater she is an earnest, modest, sweet-tempered and down-to-earth. She deserves one season of unfettered joy. Instead. it seems to be her lot that every triumph comes a leavening of yes, but...
In 2005-06 she got second in Skate America and she won Skate Canada. But then she finished last in the Grand Prix Finals and seventh at U.S. Nationals. In 2008-09 she won the U.S. Championship. But she kind of backed into itwith a sub-par long program, and finished out of the top ten at Worlds.
So every season I start out hoping, this is a fresh star, all the doubts and insecurities are past, here we go!
And then...its up, its down. smiles and tears. I am a nervous wreck by the end of the season.
I want her to do a Michelle Kwan. Hit every jump every time. I don't care if it's a cheesefest, B event, ice show, whatever. If you can land your jumps, land your jumps. The idea of carelessly falling in minor events in the hope that this kind of inconsistency will somehow help you to "peak" at the biggest events, I don't get that at all. Stand up all the time, every time. Then when the biggies come along, it's like falling off a log. :yes:
In 2005-06 she got second in Skate America and she won Skate Canada. But then she finished last in the Grand Prix Finals and seventh at U.S. Nationals. In 2008-09 she won the U.S. Championship. But she kind of backed into itwith a sub-par long program, and finished out of the top ten at Worlds.
So every season I start out hoping, this is a fresh star, all the doubts and insecurities are past, here we go!
And then...its up, its down. smiles and tears. I am a nervous wreck by the end of the season.I want her to do a Michelle Kwan. Hit every jump every time. I don't care if it's a cheesefest, B event, ice show, whatever. If you can land your jumps, land your jumps. The idea of carelessly falling in minor events in the hope that this kind of inconsistency will somehow help you to "peak" at the biggest events, I don't get that at all. Stand up all the time, every time. Then when the biggies come along, it's like falling off a log. :yes:
I can't believe R.D. is being more optimistic than Mathman either 
In another thread he was expressing optimism that it will happen for Carolina Zhang 
Now if only we could get him to be less gloomy about Mirai
Anyway. About Alissa. I don't think it's that she fades as the season goes. I think it's that she just can't pull it together when "people are looking"
Mathman's recap shows it: In 2009, nobody was expecting anything of her and she goes and nails her SP. Then the pressure is on and she messes up her LP. And then of course, she flubs her worlds when she goes it as the US champion.
And if you go back: she messes up her 2007 SP but when she's an afterthought in the LP, she nails it. Then she goes to worlds and people are paying attention and she messes up. At 2008 nationals, the pressure is back on because people are expecting her to improve on her bronze and she messes up.
It's all about pressure. I think Mathman is right. She needs to show the world and herself that she can be clean whether she's at practice, a show, a sectional, a pressure-cooker - anytime! I want it for her very much but it is so nerve-wracking being a fan :no:
In another thread he was expressing optimism that it will happen for Carolina Zhang Now if only we could get him to be less gloomy about Mirai Anyway. About Alissa. I don't think it's that she fades as the season goes. I think it's that she just can't pull it together when "people are looking"
Mathman's recap shows it: In 2009, nobody was expecting anything of her and she goes and nails her SP. Then the pressure is on and she messes up her LP. And then of course, she flubs her worlds when she goes it as the US champion.
And if you go back: she messes up her 2007 SP but when she's an afterthought in the LP, she nails it. Then she goes to worlds and people are paying attention and she messes up. At 2008 nationals, the pressure is back on because people are expecting her to improve on her bronze and she messes up.
It's all about pressure. I think Mathman is right. She needs to show the world and herself that she can be clean whether she's at practice, a show, a sectional, a pressure-cooker - anytime! I want it for her very much but it is so nerve-wracking being a fan :no: