We need a poll on which commentator is the biggest jinxer.
By the way, on Christina's perfect 800 on her math SAT, less than 1 percent (0.8%) of students achieved that last year.
Alissa seems to have fallen into the pattern of skating like a zombie up until she has that first fall that takes her out of contention. Once that's settled then she can relax and skate her best.
Good on Rachael! Good on Caroline! Good on Christina!
If Ashley skates like that, I don't see why she can't aim for the podium at worlds.
Well that was an all-around sucky event! Kudos to Ashley, Caroline and Christina...the rest were a hot mess!
Ashley: She put her boot where her mouth was and I'm very happy for her. Ashley has been very determined all year long and I'm glad to see it work out for her. I have a lot of respect for people who can put it out there when it counts and that's what she did. I hope she's able to have a similar program at worlds. If she can be strong there and Alissa doesn't implode, those three spots could actually be a possibility this year.
Alissa: Well, in terms of her down-years, this one isn't so bad. Usually she'd have ended up 9th or 11th, but 2nd is damn good considering what she put out. I don't disagree with the results though. She fought her way through the rest of that program and that's the difference in her placement. Alissa is the 2nd best person to send to worlds so I'm glad she's going, but she can't expect to make the podium or even make top 5 skating like that. I hate that freakin' dress! SPEW!! She usually has such good fashion sense. For the US's sake, I hope Alissa pulls herself together. She's been fragile all season long. She needs to rediscover some of that focus, confidence and strength she has last season...
Agnes: I was proud of her for her SP, but not for one minute did I think she was going to win this. Agnes is not a long program skater...I can't remember the last time I saw her give a solid LP. Still, I hope she realizes that if she ever gets her act together she will be tough to beat. Her jumps are gorgeous but her nerves will keep her out of that number one spot every time. It was very sweet to see Ashley comforting her after the competition...
Caroline: I AM SO PROUD OF HER!! I can't believe how far she's turned herself around! She was only about a point away from bronze! Other than the step out on the flip, she was wonderful. Obviously, she still needs work: her lutz is as flutzy as ever and she doesn't have a salchow, also her spins (except her kick-@$$ layback) looked very slow...but she's a work in progress. She wasn't as good in this program in terms of really feeling the music and selling it. Undoubtedly she was concentrating on the jumps and good on her b/c it paid off. I hope she continues to work and improve. What a comeback story! I'm so proud!!
Christina: Very proud of her too. I think this might be the third year in a row she's been 5th but it's not a terrible place to be. Her jumps were very lovely and I'm happy she was able to settle herself and skate her program relatively cleanly. Her 3f-3t was gorgeous and the only 3-3 in the last group. Christina's still a little awkward looking on her feet but with a little more refinement, she'd be a lovely skater. I'm happy for her for having such a good skate.
Rachael: Naturally, she wasn't going to be anywhere near that podium and rightly so, but congrats to her for pulling off a mostly clean skate. I don't think she'll gain anything from continuing to compete. Her podium days are pretty much over but she's got a bright academic future ahead of her and I think that is what she should focus on. I don't know how good her chances are of getting a GP next year and, in the future, I seriously doubt she'll be in contention for an Olympic spot. She's had a successful figure skating career but IMO her time has passed.
Mirai: I'm officially done with Mirai at this point. :scowl: The crappy programs, the lifeless skating...I can't do it anymore with her. I give up. I'm sick of her bullsh*t excuses. Did anyone hear what she said when she came off the ice? Right before they went on commercial break, you can hear Mirai say, "I don't know what happened. I think I was focusing too much on my facial expressions..." and then it cut off. What facial expressions?! I saw the same dead-in-the-face look she always has. I'm sick of Mirai at this point. She's not the skater I thought she'd be when I saw her at nationals in 2010. She's obviously missing something and it appears to be something that Frank cannot give her.
I'm happy with the results. Congrats to Ashley, the new US champ...she deserves it. I think Alissa has a lot of work to do before nationals but I really hope she does it...we need her to do well. So who is going to 4CC? Ashley, Alissa and Agnes? (triple A!)
It is amazing to think there are atleast 6 women with a good shot at making the U.S Olympic team for 2014- Wagner, Czisny, Agnes, Gold, Nagasu, and now Zhang. Maybe a 7th with Gao and maybe some more to come. Other than the certainty Flatt wont make it (if she is even still competing by 2014) it is hard to predict what will happen.
If she is scored the way she has been in the past by international judges she has no shot even if she skates her best BUT now as U.S Champion they might pay her more respect and see her scores rise appropriately relative to how she skates. I think they saw her as a second tier American lost in the shuffle in the past. Still based on the GP scoring they see someone like Leonova well above her (a bad Leonova beat a good Ashley in their head to head meeting) so alot will have had to changed with the judges for her to have a podium shot.
Ashley Wagner. Well yes, all things considered, she did earn that title, but am I the only one who finds some of the choreography a bit strange? I think it may be those periodic staccato arm movements.
Mirai...oh dear. I think the first thing someone needs to do is have Frank write 1000 times on a blackboard, Mirai is not Michelle Kwan. Mirai is not Michelle Kwan. That music just screamed Michelle Kwan to me. And it simply doesn't fit Mirai's personality. In fact, as much as I think Frank is a wonderful coach, I think Mirai should seriously consider asking Mr Nicks if there is room for her. It's the Bela Karoli trick: pit two top prospects (in this case, Mirai and Ashley) in practice on a daily basis, and let their competitive spirit take over, so that they push each other on a daily basis. It's certainly done wonders for Jeremy Abbot and Adam Rippon this season...
It'd be sad that Mirai would have to encroach on Ashley's territory (ie. working with Nicks) just to get some motivation out of her. I just don't think she wants it bad enough. Call Ashley cocky or overconfident, but at least she knows what she wants and attacks for it. Ashley made visible changes to her skating and now she's reaping the rewards for the hard work she's put in. I've never heard Mirai say anything but "I want to be the best"... It's easy enough to say that but her actions have never reflected that statement. We get the same stories we've been getting since she was 15 about how she's lazy and lacks the motivation to practice and that she's emotional or she let's the negative voices get in...I'm sick of the excuses at this point.
I think it's a shame that the only time she seems motivated to skate is when Evan Lysacek is skating on the ice with her. That's pathetic. :sheesh: Why is it so hard for her to motivate herself? The reason Evan is a world and Olympic champion and the reason Michelle Kwan is the legend she is is because they worked for it. Frank didn't have to kick them in the @$$ to get them to work. Michelle and Evan did it because they loved the sport and they wanted to be the best, thus they put the work in.
I know I'm being really hard on her, but I'm SO frustrated with Mirai!! God, why can't she get her sh*t together?! It's so upsetting because for the past two years I've rooted so hard for her and damn near every time she's let us (the fans) down. It's sad really. I think her time with Frank has passed. She's stagnant at this point which means it's time to move on. He's tried his hardest but Mirai hasn't improved much...she's actually regressed a bit, especially when you look at what she did in 2010 to where she is now. That light that she had has gone out...the energy and excitement is completely gone. She looks nothing short of depressed whenever she skates now...I just keep thinking back to that girl I saw just two years ago and it breaks my heart that someone so promising can't seem to pull herself together.:disapp: She needs to make some changes next season. I never thought I'd say it, but she needs to leave Frank and train elsewhere. Maybe with Rafael, whom she seems to like. She needs to find a different choreographer. Lori just ain't cutting it for her. Mirai excels with upbeat energetic music, something that compliments her personality. Her programs this year were too far of a departure from who she is and it's obvious she wasn't really feeling either of them. She was never comfortable being "sexy" in her SP and that LP was a boring disaster that stifled her personality to the point that she was complete void whenever she skated it.
Something needs to change for this girl and it needs to change now if she's shooting for a trip to Soichi because right now it's not looking good for her at all.
It'd be sad that Mirai would have to encroach on Ashley's territory (ie. working with Nicks) just to get some motivation out of her. I just don't think she wants it bad enough. Call Ashley cocky or overconfident, but at least she knows what she wants and attacks for it. Ashley made visible changes to her skating and now she's reaping the rewards for the hard work she's put in. I've never heard Mirai say anything but "I want to be the best"... It's easy enough to say that but her actions have never reflected that statement. We get the same stories we've been getting since she was 15 about how she's lazy and lacks the motivation to practice and that she's emotional or she let's the negative voices get in...I'm sick of the excuses at this point.
I think it's a shame that the only time she seems motivated to skate is when Evan Lysacek is skating on the ice with her. That's pathetic. :sheesh: Why is it so hard for her to motivate herself? The reason Evan is a world and Olympic champion and the reason Michelle Kwan is the legend she is is because they worked for it. Frank didn't have to kick them in the @$$ to get them to work. Michelle and Evan did it because they loved the sport and they wanted to be the best, thus they put the work in.
I know I'm being really hard on her, but I'm SO frustrated with Mirai!! God, why can't she get her sh*t together?! It's so upsetting because for the past two years I've rooted so hard for her and damn near every time she's let us (the fans) down. It's sad really. I think her time with Frank has passed. She's stagnant at this point which means it's time to move on. He's tried his hardest but Mirai hasn't improved much...she's actually regressed a bit, especially when you look at what she did in 2010 to where she is now. That light that she had has gone out...the energy and excitement is completely gone. She looks nothing short of depressed whenever she skates now...I just keep thinking back to that girl I saw just two years ago and it breaks my heart that someone so promising can't seem to pull herself together.:disapp: She needs to make some changes next season. I never thought I'd say it, but she needs to leave Frank and train elsewhere. Maybe with Rafael, whom she seems to like. She needs to find a different choreographer. Lori just ain't cutting it for her. Mirai excels with upbeat energetic music, something that compliments her personality. Her programs this year were too far of a departure from who she is and it's obvious she wasn't really feeling either of them. She was never comfortable being "sexy" in her SP and that LP was a boring disaster that stifled her personality to the point that she was complete void whenever she skated it.
Something needs to change for this girl and it needs to change now if she's shooting for a trip to Soichi because right now it's not looking good for her at all.