I truly hope Karen can deliver two strong programs at the NHK event. It seems like she's dropped off the radar with Bradie and Mariah having such great seasons.
I truly hope Karen can deliver two strong programs at the NHK event. It seems like she's dropped off the radar with Bradie and Mariah having such great seasons.
I truly hope Karen can deliver two strong programs at the NHK event. It seems like she's dropped off the radar with Bradie and Mariah having such great seasons.
A quick average of Karen's total scores over the course of her senior career comes out to 175. She's never cleared the 200 point mark internationally (she came close at worlds in 2017 - 199.29) and all of her stronger scores come nationals. It's rare that she's on but when she is she can get good scores.
I'm surprised she's never topped 200 internationally. Her best score wouldn't have even placed in the top 10 at Worlds earlier this year. As a comparison, Bradie has score 200+ twice this season and Mariah three times (and both surpassed the mark at Worlds). It's hard to see any of the US women breaking into the top two with the success Bradie and Mariah have had in 2019 (aside from junior-eligible Alysa).
I'm surprised she's never topped 200 internationally. Her best score wouldn't have even placed in the top 10 at Worlds earlier this year. As a comparison, Bradie has score 200+ twice this season and Mariah three times (and both surpassed the mark at Worlds). It's hard to see any of the US women breaking into the top two with the success Bradie and Mariah have had in 2019 (aside from junior-eligible Alysa).
It's going to be tough for Karen to make a big improvement in her skating (performance and marks) now that she's a full-time college student. At least Nathan was already at the top of his game when he started college. It's a different story for Karen, who had two subpar seasons in a row.
Her best score DID place her 4th at Worlds which helped the US have 3 spots for the Olympics, though Two things both Mariah and Bradie haven't done (yet... hopefully!) I don't think their scores are comparable as scores in general continue to become more and more inflated, but alas, Mariah and Bradie are certainly more stable than Karen ever was. Karen will probably always be the #1 US lady in my heart, but it's true, there's always something up with her. It's unfortunate, really. Mariah and Bradie are both just now finding their consistency and improving their tech into their 20s. Karen certainly still has time, but she needs stability in her life, in her training environment, with her health for an extended amount of time. I hope she can do that one day and get the results I believe would be possible, but time will tell.
Assuming the the Russian ladies and Rika place Top 4, Bradie and Mariah's main competition would be: Kaori Sakamoto, Satoko Miyahara, Elizabet Tursynbaeva, Young You, and Eunsoo Lim.
Bradie and Mariah have a realistic shot at finishing #6 and #7. It's a stacked field just to make Top 10 though, so I wouldn't blame them if they just fall short. I'd just feel bad for the American ladies next year who may yet again not be able to challenge Bradie-Mariah for the 2 spots (Ting, Hanna, Amber, Starr, Karen, and Gracie).
It's not certain that we will see Tursynbaeva this year. I really wouldn't put Young You or Eunsoo Lim ahead of either Bradie or Mariah. I think 4+5 and 5+6 might be more reasonable to expect. Though I'm still not sure that Russia will send it's 3 BEST ladies. They often seem to send their top two then one extra. That's the problem with having too many choices.
About Karen Chen— it seems like, too me, there’s this “oh what could have been” talk about her, and she’s had difficulty after difficulty for the past while, but I believe in her to skate well and again wish her the best of luck at NHK and then US Nationals.