- Joined
- Aug 27, 2003
^^That's fair. To be honest Gracie is behind the curve. Most of the ladies make the jump to seniors at 14 or 15...so to be 17 and debuting as a senior is somewhat odd. I know a lot of skaters debut at an older age but the majority of the phenoms come out of the gate younger than Gracie is.
That's one reason I was so annoyed with her this season. At 17 I was expecting a higher level of maturity and development from a performance standpoint. But I realize now it's going to take time for her to gain that experience and grow and mature.
The name of the game with Gracie is patience. Even though her skill level is high and she's older, I rank her with the rest of the 15 year olds and below a few of them when it comes to things like artistry, interpretation, etc.
I think it's good that Gracie waited until 17 to come out as a senior. How many phenoms have we seen come out sooner, at 14 or 15, and then flame out as seniors? Personally, and this is just my opinion, I do feel that Gracie has a stronger presence and generally more mature look out there than the younger phenoms like Lipnitskaia, Li, and even Tukt. Yes, her artistry and musical interpretation definitely need work, but what I like is that Gracie keeps your attention. She has charisma, and that is important. You could argue that Lipnitskaia and Li both have more lovely individual positions than Gracie. But their skating lacks amplitude, and fire, and Gracie has some of that.