Compared to the hype and wild event last season, this time it was just overall a bit disappointing. Hopefully, most of them can skate better in the FS.
1. Polina Edmunds: I have to say, this is when her consistency is really taking the spotlight! She reminds me of Satoko Miyahara in NHK - a meltdown for most of the ladies and then her being the only one to shine. Everything looked very nice and polished today. I still do not understand why her StSq GOE was that high, but it's nationals so I have no problem with it. Tomorrow will be interesting, since this is the first time Polina is in the lead of the SP of a very big competition. Will she be able to skate well under intense pressure? And with the chance that her rivals tend to be good underdogs?
2. Gracie Gold: I was really hoping to see a clean skate from her. She is very skilled and I do enjoy watching her when she is clean, but unfortunately she just can't seem to get it together. After Ashley left the door wide open for Gracie to at least go ahead of her, I wanted Gracie to skate really well. I guess she was just too nervous. Skating last in the FS is not easy, but if Gracie miraculously pulls of a Yuna Kim at 2013 Worlds and 2014 Olympics, then that will be good for her.
3. Tyler Pierce: Great performance! The 3Lo and the StSq were beautiful and overall everything was executed very well. I haven't watched Tyler that much, so I don't know if she is more of a SP skater than an FS skater, but either way I hope that she skates well for the FS!
4. Ashley Wagner: That 3F combo is a problem for her. After a flawless one at the Skate Canada SP, she stepped out of it at both NHK and the GPF, and now she got the combo here but fell. She tends to land it in the FS though (with the URs obviously) so I don't think she'll count it out. Anyways, I was actually surprised at how the score was pretty much fair. Maybe not the placement, but she is still in the range for the podium. And she can beat Polina by a large margin if Polina skates badly, so she still has a chance for the gold, that is, if she repeats her FS showing from the GPF or last year's nationals.
5. Mirai Nagasu: Underscored. She deserved to pass 60, even with the edge call. I'm not too sure about how the layback spin levels work, but it seemed clear that the judges did not want her to score too high. As for the boot, I hope that they can find a solution quickly. It would be devastating if she had to withdraw when she has a good chance of being on the podium (after this disappointing SP). On the other hand, finding new boots in just a day is difficult. I wish all the best for her and her team.
6. Mariah Bell: Good for her for making the final flight after skating in the first group! Her performance today was still good even with the mistakes. She's skating first in the final group which is after the warm-up so that will be great for her. Plus, unless someone from an earlier group has a flawless killer performance, she won't be as pressured as the others coming after. Go Mariah!
7. Bradie Tennell: I enjoyed her skate. She's the leader of the second-last group with a solid score, so I hope that she can skate to her full potential here.
9. Hannah Miller: Wonky combo as expected, but the 3F was stunning! Hannah has been struggling a lot so if she has a wonderful FS here then it'll be great for her. I hope that she can give out the performance that she desires.
10. Angela Wang: I thought she was underscored. I don't think she deserved a 60+, but the judges should've been a bit more nicer with her. I hope that she can have a greater performance in the long!
11. Courtney Hicks: Jumps are still all over the place, and the two falls looked painful. Courtney isn't the definition of a consistent skater (like most US skaters) so it's hard for me to visualize how she may do in the FS, but I hope that she can pull off a better performance. She still has a chance to move up drastically!
12. Karen Chen: Again, the two falls...:hopelessness:. Karen is so talented all around but if she isn't consistent then her scores won't get better. I hope that she redeems herself with a great FS, maybe like the one last year.
palmf
