- Joined
- Sep 8, 2016
Nope, I don't think u left anyone out. Of course, someone else might sneak onto the team but it's too early to tell.
What's the next big competition with some of the top names??
2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating
- Thread starter R.D.
- Start date
Nope, I don't think u left anyone out. Of course, someone else might sneak onto the team but it's too early to tell.
What's the next big competition with some of the top names??
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
I don't think Mirai and Mariah are that strong of competitors to where we should ignore the others. Mirai last won bronze at Nationals three seasons ago, and Mariah has won one bronze at Nationals ever. Their talent exceeds the others, but talent alone doesn't get you on an Olympic team.
The summary posted earlier has the major names, but some others who might be in the mix (along with Polina) are Bradie Tennell, Courtney Hicks, Angela Wang, Caroline Zhang, Amber Glenn and even young Starr Andrews, who seems to be improving with every competition.
And of course Gracie.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2013
Yet you don't think Polina is in contention? Just curious as to why?
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- Jul 26, 2003
Maybe because until Glacier Falls we haven't seen her compete since 2016 Nationals and she didn't have a triple Lutz or triple Flip there. Plus she's still getting back into competitive mode and is way behind the other contenders. That said, we have four months until Nationals and we'll see how quickly she can progress by then.
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2013
I think Nationals is a make or break event this year for our ladies. I actually think only having one GP event and doing well at Nationals benefitted Mariah in getting herself to WC last season. Maybe it didn't benefit or is ideal but she cashed in on it. I could see Polina building momentum in a similar fashion....also...this is not the first time she only did doubles at GF if I remember correctly.
I think if she gets her jumps on point she'll be very much in the mix come US Nationals and beyond. Only time will tell I guess.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I will admit, I like the idea of one of our American ladies going to the Olympics with a program that gives off some real Maria Butyrskaya vibes.
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- Jun 6, 2014
Rolling off of Mrs. P - She also never specified what help was. Depending on the type of treatment she can train and get help.
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- Dec 29, 2013
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- Jul 9, 2014
I agree.....You can't go wrong with emulating the first queen of the Russian Ladies......
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- Jul 9, 2014
This is like a bat signal for mrrice....
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!! This cracks me up because it's so true.....If you mention Maria or Jennifer Robinson, it's almost telepathic.....
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
Polina has shown no signs of being ready to compete at the Olympics. She's not going to just magically get her jumps back this season; her body has changed and she hasn't being putting as much focus on skating. Even when she was healthy it's not like she was a judges favorite anyway, frequently getting underrotation calls and lukewarm PCS.
Then there is Courtney Hicks, who the USFSA didn't even invite to Champs Camp. I've liked the improvements in her skating so far this season, but she still hasn't put together clean programs. Unless she outright wins Nationals, she is not getting sent to the Olympics, and the chances of that happening are so small it's not even worth talking about. The same thing goes for every other girl that might be randomly named in this thread too.
Nationals matters less than ever for deciding the Olympic team and the top 4 girls are the only ones with any track record. None of them have "fallen off the horse" this season either, they are all training hard and have already shown capability early in the season. Since the lower ranked ladies haven't shown more capability yet, it won't really matter if they have the skate of their life at Nationals. That will be one competition result only, with no other achievements to give them any weight for the Olympic team.
Then there is Courtney Hicks, who the USFSA didn't even invite to Champs Camp. I've liked the improvements in her skating so far this season, but she still hasn't put together clean programs. Unless she outright wins Nationals, she is not getting sent to the Olympics, and the chances of that happening are so small it's not even worth talking about. The same thing goes for every other girl that might be randomly named in this thread too.
Nationals matters less than ever for deciding the Olympic team and the top 4 girls are the only ones with any track record. None of them have "fallen off the horse" this season either, they are all training hard and have already shown capability early in the season. Since the lower ranked ladies haven't shown more capability yet, it won't really matter if they have the skate of their life at Nationals. That will be one competition result only, with no other achievements to give them any weight for the Olympic team.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
The USFSA would not in a million years replace a US Nationals medalist on the Olympic team with Mirai or Mariah if one of them were to come in fourth.
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- Feb 27, 2012
How exactly have Ashley and Mariah already shown capability early in the season -- capability that we can be sure of?
Ashley has not competed yet (unless she went totally under the radar at an obscure local competition), and Mariah has competed at only one small club competition (for which no video has emerged, AFAIK).
They were at Champs Camp, but none of us were privy to their programs there.
I like Ashley and Mariah, but I like facts even more. (Shows don't count for much in this regard, IMO.)
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
Yes they will, depending on the Grand Prix showings. Showing you can deliver internationally this season + already having more international experience > Nationals.
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- Apr 2, 2009
geez mrrice, I don't think your fellow dancers are very niceit seems like they're always telling you that you're "the fat one" and "the only reason you got this dancing job was because you could also sing"
I sort of know the feeling too. At one of my last gymnastics classes my aunt (who raised me along with my late aunt - her sister - and my late grandparents) told everyone when she got home after my club's end of season exhibition that I was the 'fattest one' in the class. This is my aunt who I know loves me. But years later it still hurts. And when I look at pictures of that time - I look slim. It's just crazy. I was 96 pounds. Only 'problem' is I had developed beyond the 'waif' type gymnast that was popular in that era. This is why I have so much empathy for Gracie. She is going through such a tough time and in the public eye no less. Apparently (in her mind) she doesn't fit the 'thin' type of skater that she feels 'wins' more often than not over a larger type skater. And yet - she is perfectly normal as far as weight goes. She looks gorgeous. God only knows if she has tried to do unhealthy things to stay within the 'thin' body type that some perhaps feel is the ideal for the sport. I agree one must be in top condition for elite sport but you don't have to hurt yourself either. There is a healthier way. And there are quite a few top tier skaters who don't fit the straight up and down quite slender type of skater and they win medals! There is room for all body types in sport, as long as they maintain a healthy training regime.
I just hope that above all Gracie finds some peace in her life. She deserves it.
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2004
I recall a report that skaters at champs camp were told emphatically that winning the national championship did not guarantee them a spot on the Olympic team. Do some think this was just posturing? I tend to think USFS is committed to giving Nationals less weight when choosing the Olympic team.
Thanks for mentioning this!
That's what I gather, too, from fan reports on these forums -- that in the 2015-16 season, she intentionally downgraded some of her jumps at Glacier Falls; and then, of course, she went on to jump beautifully and win silver at nationals and qualify for Worlds. I know this year isn't exactly the same, but I don't think we can take her performance at Glacier Falls as evidence that she doesn't have her jumps back. Lynn Rutherford reported from Champs Camp that Polina was showing her usual "Polina confidence" and felt that she had accomplished what she set out to accomplish at Glacier Falls. So I don't think she was trying to lay out all her triples at once; she planned to perform just the way she did.
Polina has always seemed to me like a skater who makes long-term plans, and who isn't bothered by what speculations people make about her as she is in the process of fulfilling those plans (i.e., I remember one of the NBC announcers saying that she and her coach decided to keep her jump technique the same as she was hitting puberty: it meant she had to settle for pewter at 2014-15 nationals, but she was back to silver the next year). As long as everything we've seen so far is a part of her plan, then I feel reassured.
And I agree with others who have said they'd like to see her free skate at the Olympics. I'm a Polina fan, and even I know that Gone with the Wind wasn't her best program -- but I think the program she has this year has the potential to be sublime, especially on Olympic ice.
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2016
I was wondering about those "B-listers" who might make a splash. Bradie has the content but not the presentation; Amber has tanos and rippons but is inconsistent. I'm trying not to be worried for Courtney because someone always drops out of the GP and she could still get a shot. Tyler Pierce...... where is she? 
