Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker
- Thread starter snowflakebeautiful
- Start date
I am also not a huge fan of the SD. The quality of the ballet movement is really not there. It's so not there that at certain points (the pause before the step-sequence especially) it almost comes off as ballet parody. Compared to Maia and Alex's ballet SD, it really doesn't come off well. It also makes them appear very youthful -- I'm not saying they look Juniorish because I really don't think they do, but they just look very young and like they have a ways to go, and in contrast their main domestic competition comes off as superior (Maia and Alex) or much more mature (Madison and Zach). I think strategically-speaking this SD was a miscalculation by them and their coaches.
That said, I don't think it's worth it to change the program. If the program was the only problem, I'd say go for it, but it isn't. I think their time could be better spent improving their technical performance, the ease of their lifts, Kaitlin's twizzles (tbh), and most importantly their speed and ice coverage. They haven't managed more than a level 2 on their SD step sequence. Their technical levels in the short dance are honestly pretty dismal. I really think the best way they could show up H/D is to skate faster, bigger, and be technically superior. It may not be enough to beat them, but they could put themselves in position to capitalize on any mistakes H/D might make or at least be close enough to them that USFS will consider sending them to 4CC again. (This is all assuming that the placements at Nationals will be stagnant, which I have no way of knowing, obviously!)
ETA: Just to expand on this a little, at Cup of China they nearly matched their personal best in the SD with a 58.35. That's almost exactly six points below what H/D got at TEB. But their levels were quite bad (poor Kaitlin was ill). If they delivered the same levels as H/D did at TEB (very do-able IMO), just adding in only the additional base-value points, their score would be 61.65. That's less than three points off of H/D's score at TEB. So that's where I think their focus should be -- improving levels and GOE.
Anyway, I'm really glad they will be at Golden Spin. I was worried Nationals might be the last time we'd see them this season!
That said, I don't think it's worth it to change the program. If the program was the only problem, I'd say go for it, but it isn't. I think their time could be better spent improving their technical performance, the ease of their lifts, Kaitlin's twizzles (tbh), and most importantly their speed and ice coverage. They haven't managed more than a level 2 on their SD step sequence. Their technical levels in the short dance are honestly pretty dismal. I really think the best way they could show up H/D is to skate faster, bigger, and be technically superior. It may not be enough to beat them, but they could put themselves in position to capitalize on any mistakes H/D might make or at least be close enough to them that USFS will consider sending them to 4CC again. (This is all assuming that the placements at Nationals will be stagnant, which I have no way of knowing, obviously!)
ETA: Just to expand on this a little, at Cup of China they nearly matched their personal best in the SD with a 58.35. That's almost exactly six points below what H/D got at TEB. But their levels were quite bad (poor Kaitlin was ill). If they delivered the same levels as H/D did at TEB (very do-able IMO), just adding in only the additional base-value points, their score would be 61.65. That's less than three points off of H/D's score at TEB. So that's where I think their focus should be -- improving levels and GOE.
Anyway, I'm really glad they will be at Golden Spin. I was worried Nationals might be the last time we'd see them this season!
Last edited:
Interesting analysis. Their FD has such potential that I'm hoping that some re-work of the SD could lead to a score in the 60s and give them a fighting chance. I don't like to hope for bad things with another couple so let Hubbell and Donahue put forth their best at Nationals. I don't have the same connection nor find the same level of engagement with H/D compared with H/B but the technique level of H/D - at least when error free- is strong. Many years experience. I'm afraid the ballet theme for H/B was a bad decision likely by the coaches who may have tried to broaden horizons and find new strengths in Kaitlin. Just in the first 10 seconds you see that's not happening. I'm still a big fan!
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
I agree, and ordinarily I think it's good to try to broaden horizons in unimportant years, but unfortunately, I feel like for H/B, since they haven't really 'broken through' on the Senior level yet, every year until they do manage to break through it important, even crucial. This really was the year when they ideally would have 'made their move' to pass H/D or at least to get very close to them, and move up a bit internationally to position themselves to firmly pass H/D and make a big move up internationally next year. Unfortunately, it seems they've basically stagnated this year. I truly hope they'll be able to work hard in the next few months and at least get in a position where they can skate their very best at Nationals and be sent to 4CCs again. Unfortunately I'm not sure it's realistic at this point to think they'll be able to pass H/D there.
Hopefully in the long term though we will see growth from them because they tried to stretch themselves this year
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
SP in Zagreb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKxp8hlviI&feature=youtu.be
No real changes to be seen, unfortunately.
No real changes to be seen, unfortunately.
Oh too bad... That would explain the score of 58.76... I guess, they are just going with what they had. Personally, I would have tried to re-work it, there is no way they will overtake HD at US Nationals with that SD and they won't make the World team. And they should be shooting for the World team.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2011
Honestly I don't even know if they can make the 4CC team again unless someone else chooses not to go
Honestly I don't even know if they can make the 4CC team again unless someone else chooses not to go
Exactly my point. They should be moving forward or at the very least matching last year, not regressing... Technically, they are not regressing in scores, but they are in placement.
Hope the results of the the Golden Spin Challenger event is a wake-up call for Kaitlin and Jean-Luc's coaches. They could rationalize the SD 58 score at Cup of China when Kaitlin had food poisoning and ultimately had to withdraw. But to basically stay at the same score at a Challenger event where inflation was rampant is not a good sign. That SD is a mess. I do love the FD and see that slowly strengthening and becoming special. I just don't know if they have enough time in the competitive season to give it its full due. I really hope they look to do some major revamping with the SD with the costumes and perhaps some of the footwork and transitions to give it more of a balletic quality. It's a shame to lose the momentum they initiated last year.
I agree.
While I do think the SD is not really working, I wouldn't say inflation was rampant at Golden Spin, it was just G/F scores that were totally out of control and off base.
As a Christmas present to myself, I went back and watched Kaitlin's and Jean-Luc's FD to the "Theory of Everything" from Skate America. It is beautiful and has such potential! The lifts were still new then and the footwork was more deliberate than flowing but I love the concept and their essential skills at performing it. I'm afraid that the FD's biggest deterrent is the short dance. That Nutcracker SD has been consistently scored low in technical and artistic elements. I'm afraid that Kaitlin is focusing so hard on being "ballet-like" that she's missing technical points and then not even carrying the artistry. I truly hope they have spent the last month reworking this SD from costume to elements to try to squeeze out something decent. The FD could have the potential to be accepted like the Shibs' "Fix You" if not held back based on the SD. Sometimes it's hard for even a trained judge to see past a mediocre performance right before one that could be so good.
Couldn't agree more!!
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
DSC had their Nationals send-off this weekend. Looks like Kaitlin has a new dress for their SD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5VmqKYhosc
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
Throwing back to a sweet mini-vid from Skate America:
(Wouldn't surprise me if this moment was used in a USFS video montage, but sweet enough for another look, IMO.)
In any case, good luck to Kaitlin and Jean-Luc in St. Paul.
https://www.instagram.com/p/9Krj5xiaya/ (Oct 23)
(Wouldn't surprise me if this moment was used in a USFS video montage, but sweet enough for another look, IMO.)
In any case, good luck to Kaitlin and Jean-Luc in St. Paul
.
Last edited:
Similar threads
