2014-15 Caroline Zhang

[Skater Boy]

Thx for the update, Icey.

Carly and Gracie Gold are twins.

Must be tough on Carly and her family. How do you say to one twin you get to wear Vera Wang but the other here's three hundred dollars let's hope for the best.

 

[ice coverage]

Must be tough on Carly and her family. ...

Understand what you're saying, BUT the good news is that the Gold twins are best friends and are quite inseparable. Gracie is Carly's biggest cheerleader :yay:, and vice versa.
Both Gracie and Carly love to tweet photos of themselves together as well as affectionate msgs to/about the other.
Carly has been included in many of the special perks offered to Gracie -- such as attending an Oscar after-party on one occasion and a Hollywood movie premiere on another. They took the ALS ice bucket challenge together, so anyone curious to see Gracie get drenched with water saw Carly too. Etc., etc.

And in terms of skating, Carly and Gracie train together at the Toyota Center with Frank Carroll -- an opportunity that perhaps otherwise would not have been available to Carly.
Back when Gracie was trying out with FC, Gracie said (I'm paraphrasing) that Carly and she were a package deal -- that wherever Gracie ended up, Carly would go too.
I have a lot of respect for Carly, because as you say, her life is very much affected by what is best for her twin. OTOH, I am very impressed also that Gracie would never dream of leaving Carly behind.

Gracie said last season that the twins' shared dream is for Carly to compete at Nationals along with Gracie. Congratulations to Carly for advancing to sectionals.

(BTW, Gracie is the one who sleeps in the trundle bed :yes: in the cozy California bungalow where the twins live with their mother.)

 

[nam57]

Must be tough on Carly and her family. How do you say to one twin you get to wear Vera Wang but the other here's three hundred dollars let's hope for the best.

Maybe someone should post a pic of Carly's dresses....Wow, wow they were not $300 maybe $3000 of crystals!

 

[Skater Boy]

Maybe someone should post a pic of Carly's dresses....Wow, wow they were not $300 maybe $3000 of crystals!

I am glad the Gold sisters are so close and my comments eren't to be nasty but it can be hard when children are so close in age (twins) and like the same things - figure skating but one is much more proficient with many more opportunities but it sounds like they have good hearts, super heads on their shoulders and great crystals on their dresses lol.

 

[Skater Boy]

Caroline finished 3rd with a total score of around 139. Carly Gold (Gracie's sister???) finished 4th.

That's a pretty low score ONe would hope her freeskate would be over 100! NOt mired in the 80's this reminds me a bit of Fumie as she slide into oblivion

 

[Icey]

I am glad the Gold sisters are so close and my comments eren't to be nasty but it can be hard when children are so close in age (twins) and like the same things - figure skating but one is much more proficient with many more opportunities but it sounds like they have good hearts, super heads on their shoulders and great crystals on their dresses lol.

True, well known that sibling rivalry is particularly intense when children are very close in age and of the same gender, or where one child is gifted. I doubt the sisters are able to completely escape this.

 

[tulosai]

That's a pretty low score ONe would hope her freeskate would be over 100! NOt mired in the 80's this reminds me a bit of Fumie as she slide into oblivion

To me this comparison is a bit unfair. Fumie is 33 years old and has failed to qualify for Japanese Nationals for 3 years.

Caroline is only 21 and has never failed to qualify for Nationals. She was 4th there as recently as 2012 (when as was said above many had already written her off). While I don't think she's likely to be successful internationally again because I think that to do so she'd need to seriously start from the ground up and she seems not to understand this, I think it's a bit early to compare her to Fumie. I also think Fumie gets way too much flack on this board, and that a lot of it is because she makes us uncomfortable. The reality is she herself does not seem uncomfortable and seems totally happy with what she is doing, and really, that is her choice and prerogative and none of our business.

 

[Jammers]

To be honest Caroline only qualified for Nationals last season because the competition level at the Pacific Coast Sectionals was so poor compared to other Sectionals. If Sectionals has a higher level of competition this year she might not make it to Nationals.

 

[Skater Boy]

To me this comparison is a bit unfair. Fumie is 33 years old and has failed to qualify for Japanese Nationals for 3 years.

Caroline is only 21 and has never failed to qualify for Nationals. She was 4th there as recently as 2012 (when as was said above many had already written her off). While I don't think she's likely to be successful internationally again because I think that to do so she'd need to seriously start from the ground up and she seems not to understand this, I think it's a bit early to compare her to Fumie. I also think Fumie gets way too much flack on this board, and that a lot of it is because she makes us uncomfortable. The reality is she herself does not seem uncomfortable and seems totally happy with what she is doing, and really, that is her choice and prerogative and none of our business.

Oh I don't disagree but really as MYOB well this board is fullof people who should do that but it won't happen.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

To be honest Caroline only qualified for Nationals last season because the competition level at the Pacific Coast Sectionals was so poor compared to other Sectionals. If Sectionals has a higher level of competition this year she might not make it to Nationals.

What is also problematic is that her PCS lags far behind the first place finisher at the recent competition, so she is going to have to do a better job rotating her jumps in the LP to advance.

 

[Skater Boy]

I thought she advanced already by placing third??? ONe wonders though how she can afford to keep on going if she isn't really improving. Still I forget she is only 21 years old.

 

[Chemistry66]

I thought she advanced already by placing third??? ONe wonders though how she can afford to keep on going if she isn't really improving. Still I forget she is only 21 years old.

I think drivingmissdaisy means advancing through to Nationals.

US Qualifying goes Regionals --> Sectionals --->Nationals.

Caroline's 3rd at Southwest Pacific Regionals qualifies her to Pacific Coast Sectionals along with the 1st, 2nd, and 4th skaters. The 12 skaters who make it to Pacific Coasts compete for 4 spots to Nationals (same with the skaters who make it through the other regionals to Eastern Sectionals and Midwestern Sectionals). She still has another competition to go.

 

[Skater Boy]

Okay got it. I think Zhang needs to pick up those pcs - speed will help and yes she needs to rotate those jumps. Even 6 triples including "garbage" triples is key (triple toe or triple salchow).

 

[Jammers]

At this point i don't really see Zhang improving her skating skills which has been as big a weakness as her jump technique.

 

[Mrs. P]

I think drivingmissdaisy means advancing through to Nationals.

US Qualifying goes Regionals --> Sectionals --->Nationals.

Caroline's 3rd at Southwest Pacific Regionals qualifies her to Pacific Coast Sectionals along with the 1st, 2nd, and 4th skaters. The 12 skaters who make it to Pacific Coasts compete for 4 spots to Nationals (same with the skaters who make it through the other regionals to Eastern Sectionals and Midwestern Sectionals). She still has another competition to go.

Leah Keiser and Karen Chen are likely to be at Pacific Sectionals as well. If you include Pierce and Kulgeyko, who beat her at regionals, that's four skaters right there. So she's definitely not a shoo-in, by any means.

 

[tulosai]

Leah Keiser and Karen Chen are likely to be at Pacific Sectionals as well. If you include Pierce and Kulgeyko, who beat her at regionals, that's four skaters right there. So she's definitely not a shoo-in, by any means.

Yeah I unfortunately think it will be difficult (though definitely not impossible) for her to get to Nationals. She has a decent chance, but it's only a chance at this point.

 

[Icey]

She needs to have her skate maker put some heating elements in her blades (battery operated) and jump rope in training with weights on her ankles. except for the rope jumping!!!!!

 

[Chemistry66]

Leah Keiser and Karen Chen are likely to be at Pacific Sectionals as well. If you include Pierce and Kulgeyko, who beat her at regionals, that's four skaters right there. So she's definitely not a shoo-in, by any means.

Yeah. Byes. That does make things more complicated. Keiser and Chen will probably qualify. And Pierce. Kulgeyko did beat her here but I don't know much about her consistency in scoring. Caroline might have a shot at that last spot.

None of the NWP girls look to be any competition (the highest was 115.03 total).

Based on Sylvia's Scoretracker on Unseen Skaters, it looks like Angela Wang also has a bye to Pacific Coasts. Besides Polina Edmunds (bye to Nationals), Angela and Karen Chen are the only skaters from the Central Pacific region who look like they'll be contending (unless there's other CP girls who just haven't competed this summer that I'm missing).

So yeah, I guess it does look like Caroline's chances are minimal. I can see Leah, Karen, Angela, and Pierce being the 4 from Pacific Coasts.

 

[Skater Boy]

I just don't understand how things got so bad for her. Does she have a coach? How come her pcs and artistry has gone so far backwards? Shouldn't she be able to focus on 4 garbage trips, two loops and a flip or lutz? what happened to that gorgeous pearl spin - did she lose her flexibility? I know there is the mulekick and under rotations - so American in some ways I wish they gave her one more chance to bid farewell. Maybe she can work on getting that speed and consistency up.

 

[Icey]

I think Caroline has a back problem which has caused her to be unable or reluctant to do the peal spin.