2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating | Page 217 | Golden Skate

2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating

Tolstoj

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Congrats Alysa!

To medal in such a tough field, it is quite the achievement, especially for an american girl after so many years of absence at podiums in juniors for USA.

The difference in speed/skating skills/transitions costed her the silver which was within reach.

A bit more height on quads and 3a also would help a lot, but maybe that will come as the body develops.
 

Spirals for Miles

Anna Shcherbakova is my World Champion
Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Congratulations to Alysa! Her 3A is on another level compared to last year - it's become so quick and high, and those transitions are lovely. Even with the fall, she should be very proud of herself! :)
 

Sjs5572

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 27, 2012
Congratulations to Alysa! Her 3A is on another level compared to last year - it's become so quick and high, and those transitions are lovely. Even with the fall, she should be very proud of herself! :)

I cannot believe Alysa received an underrotation on the 3A in the combo. What was it, 91 degrees short?
 

skatenewbie

Medalist
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
that's true, i forgot it, but it still feels a rarety, before that no other american got it since Gracie Gold in 2012 i think.
True but overall US ladies manage to medal in 4/10 last JW which is not bad. Its same with Japan actually, they medaled at 4/10 last JW but they have 6 medal including 1 gold. 2 more medal than US.
 

Jammers

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 4, 2010
Country
United-States
that's true, i forgot it, but it still feels a rarety, before that no other american got it since Gracie Gold in 2012 i think.

I think the fact that US Ladies have medaled at Junior Worlds in consecutive seasons is a sign that US Ladies are finally on the way up again. I can't wait to see that little spitfire Isabeau Levito in Juniors next season. She needs polish and work on her speed and skating skills but at Nationals she was money on her jumps and beat girls much older then her.
 

apgold

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Country
United-States
Happy for Alysa to move up from 4th to get the bronze medal. Nobody was going to beat Kamila and Daria had a great skate to take the silver.

She's had a pretty good season - 2 JGP Golds, GPF Silver and JWC bronze, not to mention her second US Title. Her 3A has improved and her spins are really centered and fast. She just needs to work on the in between.

As for Starr, she had two good skates and wound up in a respectable 8th, even though she is really not a junior anymore. I like Starr's skating, but her scoring potential is pretty low. I wish she could up her tech content and get her scores up closer to the 200 mark.
 

hippomoomin

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Does anyone think Alysa should switch to a powerhouse coach who can improve her skating skills before the Olympics? Her lack of speed and effortless gliding will cost her a lot in the future. Lack of speed can also affect her jumps when she grows. I know nobody can tell for sure, but I feel her body type in a year or two (even keeping the same proportion) does require her to jump with great speed like most top Japanese ladies do. She needs mature programs next seasons for sure.
 

lucyrose

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
So something I love about Alysa is that she so genuinely loves being on the ice and I can really feel how much she loves skating. I get nothing like that from Kamila or any of the Eteri girls. However, alysa cannot even compare when it comes to skating skills and her jumps are just so small. I hope she keeps that inherent joy but if she really wants to take her skating to the next level and even be a factor in the Beijing olympics, she really needs an overhaul. I think a coaching change would be wise.

Also, I really really wish her components during nationals were more realistic. I get that there’s always national inflation but USFS is doing her no favors. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that our senior national champion can’t win junior worlds.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Does anyone think Alysa should switch to a powerhouse coach who can improve her skating skills before the Olympics? Her lack of speed and effortless gliding will cost her a lot in the future. Lack of speed can also affect her jumps when she grows. I know nobody can tell for sure, but I feel her body type in a year or two (even keeping the same proportion) does require her to jump with great speed like most top Japanese ladies do. She needs mature programs next seasons for sure.

Sure, she could improve some things but I feel like I see noticeable improvements every time she steps out there. It's hard for me to criticize her team when they made Alysa, at 13, the top US woman technically and strong enough artistically to win two US titles and be competitive with the top juniors in the world.
 

Dr. Jenn

Medalist
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
So something I love about Alysa is that she so genuinely loves being on the ice and I can really feel how much she loves skating. I get nothing like that from Kamila or any of the Eteri girls. However, alysa cannot even compare when it comes to skating skills and her jumps are just so small. I hope she keeps that inherent joy but if she really wants to take her skating to the next level and even be a factor in the Beijing olympics, she really needs an overhaul. I think a coaching change would be wise.

Also, I really really wish her components during nationals were more realistic. I get that there’s always national inflation but USFS is doing her no favors. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that our senior national champion can’t win junior worlds.

I definitely agree with your first point. You can tell that Alysa completely loves skating and has a ball every time that she is on the ice. As you said, I don't see the same in the junior skaters from Eteri's school. In fact, many of them look scared/uncomfortable on the ice.
 

Fried

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2020
I definitely agree with your first point. You can tell that Alysa completely loves skating and has a ball every time that she is on the ice. As you said, I don't see the same in the junior skaters from Eteri's school. In fact, many of them look scared/uncomfortable on the ice.
With all my love for this sport, I find the expectation that you should smile constantly while attaining absolute top performance in competition is absolutely unsportsmanlike.
 

Dr. Jenn

Medalist
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
With all my love for this sport, I find the expectation that you should smile constantly while attaining absolute top performance in competition is absolutely unsportsmanlike.

That's not what I said at all. I do think, however, that it is nice to see a skater enjoying themselves on the ice, and this can be expressed numerous ways. Obviously, smiling throughout a serious program is not appropriate. Figure skating is an art/sport, so there is an expectation (which is codified in PCS) that skaters perform, unlike, say, weightlifting or running, where a competitor's facial expression is completely irrelevant.
 

lucyrose

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
That's not what I said at all. I do think, however, that it is nice to see a skater enjoying themselves on the ice, and this can be expressed numerous ways. Obviously, smiling throughout a serious program is not appropriate. Figure skating is an art/sport, so there is an expectation (which is codified in PCS) that skaters perform, unlike, say, weightlifting or running, where a competitor's facial expression is completely irrelevant.

Agreed. It has nothing to do about smiling but more an ease and musicality. Eteri girls look like someone is literally pointing a gun to their heads when they get on the ice. It makes me so uncomfortable to watch given that they are actual children.
 

sammy78

Spectator
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
So something I love about Alysa is that she so genuinely loves being on the ice and I can really feel how much she loves skating. I get nothing like that from Kamila or any of the Eteri girls. However, alysa cannot even compare when it comes to skating skills and her jumps are just so small. I hope she keeps that inherent joy but if she really wants to take her skating to the next level and even be a factor in the Beijing olympics, she really needs an overhaul. I think a coaching change would be wise.

Also, I really really wish her components during nationals were more realistic. I get that there’s always national inflation but USFS is doing her no favors. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that our senior national champion can’t win junior worlds.

How is it embarrassing that our national champ finished 3rd in Juniors? These juniors can compete with the seniors.. They are very good and unfortunately Eteri's current 3 will possibly not last until the Olympics. I think it is good for Alyssa to get this experience of getting 3rd and being challenged to continue to improve as she tries to make it to the Olympics in 2 years. Curious to see how Alyssa handles a growth spurt and going through puberty. Wishing all of them the best.
Also, our current US seniors are terrific, but no us woman has medaled at worlds since 2006 except for Ashley Wagner in 2016 and of course some coming close in 4th like Gracie and Karen.
I'm happy for Ting and Alyssa as they have been able to medal at jr worlds the past 2 years against strong competitors.
Hope Ting has a good recovery and is able to come back strong next season. I think she is such a lovely skater.
 

katymay

Medalist
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Anyone else suspect Alysa will make a coaching change in the off season? (I'm in no way saying that her current coach hasn't done a wonderful job, she has).
 

bytheriver

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
I actually think a coaching change could be detrimental to her love of the sport. She has been very clear in interviews and on social media that her favorite part of going to the rink is that all of her closest friends are there. Of course, things change.

Just noting that all possible “solutions” have both pros and cons. It could result in a higher level of her skating, but also take away some of the inherent love she has for the sport - because the second these athletes move away from home, the sport becomes a job whether you like it or not. See: Gracie, Mirai, etc. And then it becomes harder to take losses (even third place finishes) in stride when you’re sacrificing so much.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
As joyful about skating as Alysa is, it's also obvious that she doesn't have the speed and finesse of her Russian rivals. At times she was almost painfully slow, especially going into jumps. As she grows and matures, it's going to be hard for her to rotate 3A and quad unless she develops more speed and power---and without 3A and quad, she won't be competitive with the top ladies.
 

Edwin

СделаноВХрустальном!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
There is more to skating than ice time (at a public rink as I gather?): PE, conditioning, choreo and all the other off-ice activities that make up the majority of a skater's working day.

Alysa at 14 is still a kid, with a kids outlook at the world. She seems of a more sturdy build compared to the (younger) Russians that are now her rivals. Everybody talks about how the Russian girls will loose their skills when they go through puberty and the changes, but the same applies to Alysa too.

I think she'll be at a real disadvantage when she has no sparring partners or high level training mates once the going get tough, and all mental and moral strength and support will be needed.

Most important for Alysa is to stay injury free and motivated. 'Warm bath' domestic scoring and then a 'cold shower' in international competitions? Better not.
 
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