U.S. Nationals - Ladies (gettin' excited!) | Golden Skate

U.S. Nationals - Ladies (gettin' excited!)

reynycpr

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 25, 2007
Watching and reading the coverage from Japanese and Russian Nationals pretty much got me excited for US Nationals so I started watching some past vids (plus I'm practically snowed in so there's nothing else to do.) Lets take a stroll down memory lane shall we?

1990 - Jill Trenary (W)
1991 - Tonya Harding
1992 - Kristi Yamaguchi (W) (world champ in '91 as well.)
1993 - Nancy Kerrigan
1994 - Tonya Harding (...well we all know how that one turned out... btw lol at the horoscope mention)
1995 - Nicole Bobek :clap:
1996 - Michelle Kwan (W)
1997 - Tara Lapinski (W)
1998 - Michelle Kwan (W)
1999 - Michelle Kwan
2000 - Michelle Kwan (I couldn't find her nationals performance but linked her worlds performance. :) ) (W)
2001 - Michelle Kwan (W)
2002 - Michelle Kwan
2003 - Michelle Kwan (W)
2004 - Michelle Kwan
2005 - Michelle Kwan
2006 - Sasha Cohen :party:
2007 - Kimmie Meissner (world champ in '06)
2008 - Mirai Nagasu
2009 - Alissa Czisny :rock:
2010 - Rachel Flatt
2011 - ......who will it be??? :biggrin:

Im also excited to see 3 ladies have a chance to become repeat champions...would be the first time since Kwan if it happens.

Enjoy!
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
What fun! Surprising that Debi Thomas was only National champ twice, by the way. And Lipinski only the once. Thanks for the links.
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Hey, thanks for doing this!!!! Fantastic.....it would make a great DVD....sorry about the snow....I bought a new snowblower and it repells all the storms away from Spokane and sends them to the east.....
 

reynycpr

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 25, 2007
I'm pretty much already used to the snow, just sucks when an entire city isn't.

Yea Olympia also surprised about Debi...thought she had 3 or 4 titles, and Jill only 1 lol.

Btw heres a Wiki link to past champions, all events: U.S Nationals - Past Results , some years have detailed results.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
What fun! Surprising that Debi Thomas was only National champ twice, by the way. And Lipinski only the once. Thanks for the links.

Probably they both give that impression because they are both also world champs :thumbsup:

Anyway ... thank you so much for this trip down memory lane. And I too find it interesting that three U.S. ladies have the chance to be two-time champs. I fully expect one of them to do so. If it's Rachael she'll be the first lady to defend her title since Michelle Kwan. If it's Alissa or Mirai they'll be the first lady to reclaim their lost title since.... Michelle Kwan :biggrin:
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
This year's nationals are going to be so tough to watch. Alissa, Mirai, Rachael and Ashley are all deserving of going to worlds and only two can go... it'll be tough to watch two of them be disappointed. :cry:Ashley really wants this year to be her to year to rise above bronze, Mirai and Alissa want to reclaim their titles and Rachael deferred Standford for a year just for this.. Sigh.

Well. At least Alissa would have her GP victory. Mirai, Rachael and Ashley will have next year and the next and the next and the next if they want it. Okay, that made me feel better about watching. :)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Thank you.
IMO I think her Red Violin program is her best LP ever. Song of the Black Swan is close behind.

It's a lovely program, though I'd put Black Swan ahead of it. Part of the reason for me is that I just love the Black Swan music: starting with Villa-Lobos's "Song of the Black Swan" and continuing with Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio. This "Red Violin" music is haunting but is more intellectually interesting than sublime to me. That being said, I'm thrilled that Kwan skated to such unusual, thought-provoking music as this. I prefer it greatly to the warhorses that she tended to use in the post-Lori Nichol years, unsettling though it is. Definitely one of her top programs! I'd rank it third, after Black Swan and Lyra Angelica, the 1998 program. (Definitely the "Lyra" skated at Nationals, rather than the one skated at Olympics.)

As for this "Red Violin" program, I've now watched both versions, Nationals and Worlds. Thank goodness she did her best version at Worlds! That triple-triple is splendid. Thanks for the links!

On the subject of this year's skaters...yes, it's going to be painful to watch. So many skaters, so few slots! I just hope everyone skates her best, so the winner doesn't go to Worlds just because she fell fewer times than the others.
 
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Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
:yes: We can only hope they all skate their best so that at least they can be happy with that. Oh pleeeeeeaaaseee let it be...
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
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Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
^^

Christina Gao JGP Cup of Austria. 109.07

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE1wMEdn47w

Yasmin Siraj JGP John Curry Memorial. 106.09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL0gUfHQvCc

Vanessa Lam JGP Czech Skate. 103.36

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-1XWXuvh8I

Kiri Baga JGP SBC Cup. 88.61

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7w8qbPEJe0

Kristene Gong JGP John Curry Memorial. 88.24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu3QSVDzO3E&feature=related

Vanessa Lam might be the dark horse of Nationals. We've only seen her at one international event -- which she won and she easily won sectionals even with a sub-par free skate.

I don't think she'll shake up the podium, but I see her popping in for the final group.

Also just saw that her coach is Dianne de Leeuw-Chapman, the Dutch-American skater who was the 1975 World Champion and 1976 Olympic silver medalist. (Though she lived in the U.S. all her life she had duel citizenship an represented the Netherlands)
 

reynycpr

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 25, 2007
Thanks kalle and silverlake for the vid links. A couple of these girls I am watching for the first time.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
About Michelle's Red Violin, in my opinion her best performance was the exhibition version at 1999 Worlds. (The music had not been released in the United States yet at that time.)

Come to think of it, some of Michelle's most outstanding performances came right after she lost something. Like Fields of Gold at the 2002 Olympic gala and the exhibition version of East of Eden that she used in several events after the 1998 Olympics.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
It's a lovely program, though I'd put Black Swan ahead of it. Part of the reason for me is that I just love the Black Swan music: starting with Villa-Lobos's "Song of the Black Swan" and continuing with Dvorak's "Dumky" Trio....

I prefer it greatly to the warhorses that she tended to use in the post-Lori Nichol years, unsettling though it is.

I don't think Michelle ever "got" the Black Swan music, or liked it very much. Lori Nichol knows a lot about music and has a subtle ear. Michelle, not so much. This may have been a factor leading to the breakup of the team the next year.

Left to her own devices, Michelle heard Slutskaya's Tosca music and said, "That's for me, and Bolero next!"

I can't complain. Her 2004 Nationals performance of Tosca might be her most triumphant tour-de-force of all. :)
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
^^

Christina Gao JGP Cup of Austria. 109.07

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE1wMEdn47w

Yasmin Siraj JGP John Curry Memorial. 106.09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL0gUfHQvCc

Vanessa Lam JGP Czech Skate. 103.36

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-1XWXuvh8I

Kiri Baga JGP SBC Cup. 88.61

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7w8qbPEJe0

Kristene Gong JGP John Curry Memorial. 88.24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu3QSVDzO3E&feature=related

I'm excited about the future of Vanessa and Yasmin... Yasmin needs to work on the flow out of her jumps a bit and the speed of her spins, but she's so young. And the musicality and personality is already there. What a great spinner Vanessa is! Does anyone know anything about the technique of her jumps? It was far beyond my abilities to assess from this video - she was too far. But her entries on some of her jumps, like the lutz look a big odd. I don't know what it is. Anyway, still, I was impressed over all. How old is she?

Ladies LP performances so far this season...

Alissa Czisny GPF. 116.99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXK3i98momk

Rachael Flatt SA. 111.84

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSLS8lS0FYw

Ashley Wagner COR. 110.85

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQIx70cdQ9M

Mirai Nagasu TEB. 109.07

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtvNu...eature=related

Agnes Zawadski SC. 98.06

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltzyRsO5GIs

This is why I'm saying, let's not forget about Ashley. :) It's like last year with Mirai - people were kind of forgetting about her because the hype was on Rachael and Ashley for making the final - and Sasha of course. People kinda forgot that Mirai had good skates during the GP. Obviously, comparing different competitions isn't perfectly useful but still - Ashley posted the third most competitive FS of the American ladies this year.
 
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kalle

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
I'm excited about the future of Vanessa and Yasmin... Yasmin needs to work on the flow out of her jumps a bit and the speed of her spins, but she's so young. And the musicality and personality is already there. What a great spinner Vanessa is! Does anyone know anything about the technique of her jumps? It was far beyond my abilities to assess from this video - she was too far. But her entries on some of her jumps, like the lutz look a big odd. I don't know what it is. Anyway, still, I was impressed over all. How old is she?



This is why I'm saying, let's not forget about Ashley. :) It's like last year with Mirai - people were kind of forgetting about her because the hype was on Rachael and Ashley for making the final - and Sasha of course. People kinda forgot that Mirai had good skates during the GP. Obviously, comparing different competitions isn't perfectly useful but still - Ashley posted the third most competitive FS of the American ladies this year.

I think Ashley will do well this year..if she can do a clean SP :think:
Agnes LP have quite some room for improvement. Agnes jumps are just amazing (when she lands them!) and just like Ashley, she should not feel to much pressure at Nationals.

I wonder if Mirai will go for the 3Z/3T this year..I have been watching her programs over and over and they start to grow on me, just like last years Carmen :p
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
I'm excited about the future of Vanessa and Yasmin... Yasmin needs to work on the flow out of her jumps a bit and the speed of her spins, but she's so young. And the musicality and personality is already there. What a great spinner Vanessa is! Does anyone know anything about the technique of her jumps? It was far beyond my abilities to assess from this video - she was too far. But her entries on some of her jumps, like the lutz look a big odd. I don't know what it is. Anyway, still, I was impressed over all. How old is she?



This is why I'm saying, let's not forget about Ashley. :) It's like last year with Mirai - people were kind of forgetting about her because the hype was on Rachael and Ashley for making the final - and Sasha of course. People kinda forgot that Mirai had good skates during the GP. Obviously, comparing different competitions isn't perfectly useful but still - Ashley posted the third most competitive FS of the American ladies this year.

Vanessa is 15 and will turn 16 in June, so she is old enough for senior ISU competitions this season. If she does well at nationals I could see her going on to Junior Worlds and then earning 2 assignments on the senior GP next season. About her jumps, the thing I notice is that they are really tiny and spinny, but for now it seems to be working for her. Yasmin is great too, but at this point I think the up-and-comers most likely to spoil would be Christina and Agnes, just due to their technical prowess, strong jumps, and 3-3 combinations.

I think Ashley will do well at nationals, but I think a lot depends on if she can do a clean SP and if skaters like Alissa, Christina, and Agnes bring their A game or not, and then of course obvious flutzing and 2-footing issues.
 
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