2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating

[Figure 8's]

I’ve been at events all week and for sure women’s long has been the most well attended event. I think a lot does have to do with Gracie (though not all). I was sitting around a bunch of locals and when looking at the starting order sheet many of them pointed out Gracie’s name as one they recognized. A few recognized Mariah as well.

You are giving Gracie way too much credit. It is great that she has gotten to the point where she could skate again, but to say she was the big draw is way off base. Especially since it was highly unlikely she was going to win.
And frankly, I was not impressed with her interviews with Andrea Joyce. Too much woo is me. Many watch Nationals no matter who is skating but the big draw has to be the little 14 years old who always has a smile on her face and is not afraid to go for the Gold.

 

[katymay]

You are giving Gracie way too much credit. It is great that she has gotten to the point where she could skate again, but to say she was the big draw is way off base. Especially since it was highly unlikely she was going to win.
And frankly, I was not impressed with her interviews with Andrea Joyce. Too much woo is me. Many watch Nationals no matter who is skating but the big draw has to be the little 14 years old who always has a smile on her face and is not afraid to go for the Gold.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Alysa did wonderfully when interviewed-especially when asked if it was difficult to skate after Mariah's wonderful program.

 

[bubblecherry]

Ok I could watch miked up Adam Rippon all day

Where'd you see this? I saw someone else discussing it earlier, too

 

[skatenewbie]

Why Mariah is not going to 4CC? She is a possible medal contender. Also she can place in last group in Worlds with a 6th place or better there... unless Mariah outright decline the spot its stupid decision from USFS

 

[moonvine]

Where'd you see this? I saw someone else discussing it earlier, too

On the Jumbotron in the arena. I expect it will make its way over to the Fan Zone. I know Adam isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea, but his reactions were pretty close to mine when I was watching the Knierims skate. And he is my cup of tea so...

 

[moonvine]

You are giving Gracie way too much credit. It is great that she has gotten to the point where she could skate again, but to say she was the big draw is way off base. Especially since it was highly unlikely she was going to win.
And frankly, I was not impressed with her interviews with Andrea Joyce. Too much woo is me. Many watch Nationals no matter who is skating but the big draw has to be the little 14 years old who always has a smile on her face and is not afraid to go for the Gold.

We’ll have to agree to disagree. I have not seen her interviews with Andrew Joyce. I have seen and felt the enormous standing ovation she received. I have seen it be literally standing room only at her Regionals, where people literally could not move. Most regionals have parents there and that’s it. I can assure you she got a bigger ovation than Alysa did. There were people screaming tonight over a still picture on the Jumbotron. Not everyone loves her, but those who do love her fiercely. Even at her heyday she had detractors. And the draw for me will never be any 14 year old girl. I like to see adult women skating. Like Mariahs fabulous long program. But again that’s just my preference.

 

[Gullygirl84]

Why Mariah is not going to 4CC? She is a possible medal contender. Also she can place in last group in Worlds with a 6th place or better there... unless Mariah outright decline the spot its stupid decision from USFS

People are being silly. Of course Mariah would have been offered 4CC by USFS. At this point, I feel like Mariah has been to enough 4CC/worlds that she should know the impact that going to 4CC has on her body and her training, and be able to make a decision. But it is a bit disappointing because an ISU championship medal is nothing to sneeze at (or, conversely, she could have gotten a bad performance out of her system and then done better at Worlds, like Karen Chen in 2017). The situation with the Japanese ladies could be completely different next season. Ashley had already won 4CC when she started to skip it. But, at the end of the day, Mariah needs to do what's best for her and I'm sure that her team weighed the decision carefully.

 

[macy]

i am finally getting around to sharing my thoughts on the weekend...

Mariah was the star. i have not been that moved by a performance from any ladies skater from any country since Ashley's 2016 worlds FS. Those 2 skates are the only ones that give me chills and bring me to tears every time i watch them. it was pure magic and the definition of a nationals moment. i was literally sobbing. i adore her and Adam together, they make a wonderful team. he has done so much for her skating this season and i'm hoping she builds on this for worlds. wow wow wow. what a moment.

Alysa has shown so much improvement in just a year, and it's visible each competition. they even made an effort to package her more maturely which i am very on board with. she is still only 14 and has much much more room for improvement, but she is absolutely on the right path with the right priorities. i knew if she was clean there was no way anyone else would beat her.

Bradie's short was amazing, it absolutely deserved the record. best i've ever seen her skate it. her free just doesn't draw me in like her short does, but i am sooooo glad she got a new dress that makes her look like an accomplished senior lady.

Amber has to be the most frustrating skater out there. i thought she finally had got it together after the short, it was SUBLIME, but she fell apart in the free. i don't know what she needs to do at this point, would a change in coaches help? she needs an Adam in her life IMO. i'm starting to lose hope that she will realize her potential.

Gracie brought me to tears. just being here was huge for her. i can't say how proud i am of her...nothing but respect and admiration. the support she has from the fans and audience just warms my heart, she deserves all of it. if she made this many improvements in only 2 months time, imagine where she'll be by the fall. i'm very excited for her future and where she will go.

i knew they couldn't deny Alysa the title after her tech. as much as i was hoping it would be Mariah's, the placements were correct based on the scoring system. as well as Mariah skated, the difficulty isn't there yet and her layout isn't competitive with Alysa's. she will need to work on this in the off season big time if she wants that national title. i do agree with some posters and wonder what exactly the point and purpose of allowing underage skaters to compete at the senior level at nationals if they can't internationally. i don't really see what this accomplishes.

does anyone know if Gracie did enough to possibly get a senior b or challenger next season?

edit: i do want to add to the argument of quads/jumps being valued too much and suggest maybe bumping PCS to be worth 55% or 60% of the total segment score. i do agree especially this season that the emphasis is absolutely on jumps to win (which i don't think is a completely bad thing) but i do feel that PCS is still very much overlooked by many if not most skaters. we see the effort to score higher going to 3As and quads instead of improving PCS, because more points are available on the tech side. this would also encourage full package skating and force skaters to prioritize all aspects of PCS without devaluing jumping elements.

 

[moonvine]

i am finally getting around to sharing my thoughts on the weekend...

Mariah was the star. i have not been that moved by a performance from any ladies skater from any country since Ashley's 2016 worlds FS. Those 2 skates are the only ones that give me chills and bring me to tears every time i watch them. it was pure magic and the definition of a nationals moment. i was literally sobbing. i adore her and Adam together, they make a wonderful team. he has done so much for her skating this season and i'm hoping she builds on this for worlds. wow wow wow. what a moment.

Alysa has shown so much improvement in just a year, and it's visible each competition. they even made an effort to package her more maturely which i am very on board with. she is still only 14 and has much much more room for improvement, but she is absolutely on the right path with the right priorities. i knew if she was clean there was no way anyone else would beat her.

Bradie's short was amazing, it absolutely deserved the record. best i've ever seen her skate it. her free just doesn't draw me in like her short does, but i am sooooo glad she got a new dress that makes her look like an accomplished senior lady.

Amber has to be the most frustrating skater out there. i thought she finally had got it together after the short, it was SUBLIME, but she fell apart in the free. i don't know what she needs to do at this point, would a change in coaches help? she needs an Adam in her life IMO. i'm starting to lose hope that she will realize her potential.

Gracie brought me to tears. just being here was huge for her. i can't say how proud i am of her...nothing but respect and admiration. the support she has from the fans and audience just warms my heart, she deserves all of it. if she made this many improvements in only 2 months time, imagine where she'll be by the fall. i'm very excited for her future and where she will go.

i knew they couldn't deny Alysa the title after her tech. as much as i was hoping it would be Mariah's, the placements were correct based on the scoring system. as well as Mariah skated, the difficulty isn't there yet and her layout isn't competitive with Alysa's. she will need to work on this in the off season big time if she wants that national title. i do agree with some posters and wonder what exactly the point and purpose of allowing underage skaters to compete at the senior level at nationals if they can't internationally. i don't really see what this accomplishes.

does anyone know if Gracie did enough to possibly get a senior b or challenger next season?

But see, the problem is in my eyes, Mariah is the better *skater*. Alysa is the better *jumper.” Maybe they need a new sport of “skate jumping.” Otherwise I pray they fix the system or skating will lose yet more fans.

I expect they will want to see Gracie in some summer comps before they make an assignment. But I’m not the selection committee.

 

[macy]

But see, the problem is in my eyes, Mariah is the better *skater*. Alysa is the better *jumper.” Maybe they need a new sport of “skate jumping.” Otherwise I pray they fix the system or skating will lose yet more fans.

I expect they will want to see Gracie in some summer comps before they make an assignment. But I’m not the selection committee.

i just edited my comment and added some thoughts on the scoring system, let me know what you think.

 

[Seren]

Mariah is a more well rounded skater, Alysa is a wonderful Junior who has the potential to be a well rounded skater. To me it's like apples and oranges. Personally, I don't think you should be able to compete domestically as a senior until you are age eligible internationally. I say this as a fan of both Mariah and Alysa.

 

[KatGrace1925]

You are giving Gracie way too much credit. It is great that she has gotten to the point where she could skate again, but to say she was the big draw is way off base. Especially since it was highly unlikely she was going to win.
And frankly, I was not impressed with her interviews with Andrea Joyce. Too much woo is me. Many watch Nationals no matter who is skating but the big draw has to be the little 14 years old who always has a smile on her face and is not afraid to go for the Gold.

I disagree, Gracie Gold is perhaps the last big star that people outside the skating world know. I mention skating and mention whose on top now and no one I talk to knows them but if I say Gracie Gold they remember her from the 2014 olympics and her princess program which they loved. She's very much still known and loved in the sport and outside of it. The team event was one of those talked about events in 2014 where Gracie a Julia brought it and got their names out there.

 

[macy]

Mariah is a more well rounded skater, Alysa is a wonderful Junior who has the potential to be a well rounded skater. To me it's like apples and oranges. Personally, I don't think you should be able to compete domestically as a senior until you are age eligible internationally. I say this as a fan of both Mariah and Alysa.

i'm starting to agree with you. i was pretty indifferent to it before, but when you think about it, it just doesn't make sense. besides hype, what purpose does it serve?

would USFSA even consider changing this? probably not now, since they are trying to hype and market Alysa as much as they can in the lead up to 2022. maybe afterwards?

 

[SnowWhite]

i'm starting to agree with you. i was pretty indifferent to it before, but when you think about it, it just doesn't make sense. besides hype, what purpose does it serve?

would USFSA even consider changing this? probably not now, since they are trying to hype and market Alysa as much as they can in the lead up to 2022. maybe afterwards?

Valuable experience for Alysa? Competing senior at Nationals gives her the chance to keep in front of a much bigger audience compared to the junior event. Maybe the age minimum should be 14, but I really think skaters should be able to compete senior domestically at least the season before they might move senior internationally. It also gives them a chance to prove themselves for GP spots, earn BOW, and funding.

 

[moonvine]

Valuable experience for Alysa? Competing senior at Nationals gives her the chance to keep in front of a much bigger audience compared to the junior event. Maybe the age minimum should be 14, but I really think skaters should be able to compete senior domestically at least the season before they might move senior internationally. It also gives them a chance to prove themselves for GP spots, earn BOW, and funding.

When she first competed at US Nationals she was 13. And I really, truly, believe that constantly training these jumps at such a young age is going to come back to haunt them later. I believe Tara still has problems. They’re basically in a science experiment to see if they are crippled by 20. I don’t understand why the ISU isn’t doing studies. I mean they did a study on the quad twist and found that it’s (relatively) dangerous if done poorly, not so much if done well, and they still devalued it. I got this from Jimmie Santee, who I consider a reliable source. I am for athlete safety but do miss my Chris and Alexas stunning quad twist. Gymnastics is going the other way and valuing beautiful clean gymnastics over hard tricks. This is allowing female athletes to stay in the sport a lot longer (plus they land in giant pits of foam blocks a lot). I was watching World Cup gymnastics and saw 3 ladies over 30 in event finals. Well, one is Chusovitina, who is a beast, but the other 2 are not. One lady over 30 is an anomaly. 3 at the same comp (one ranked 4th in the world) is a trend. The commentators mentioned no one is doing difficult dismounts off beam anymore except the US and Chinese because it wasn’t worth it. Anyway.

 

[sjchilly]

I found Mariah Bell's free skate the most moving of the competition, and this from a Jason Brown uber-fan! Mariah is smart to skip 4 Continents in South Korea. She remembers how the South Korean media and some fans treated her during World's 2019.

 

[moonvine]

i'm starting to agree with you. i was pretty indifferent to it before, but when you think about it, it just doesn't make sense. besides hype, what purpose does it serve?

would USFSA even consider changing this? probably not now, since they are trying to hype and market Alysa as much as they can in the lead up to 2022. maybe afterwards?

Who knows. I have a list of gripes for USFS. And some praise also.

 

[moonvine]

I disagree, Gracie Gold is perhaps the last big star that people outside the skating world know. I mention skating and mention whose on top now and no one I talk to knows them but if I say Gracie Gold they remember her from the 2014 olympics and her princess program which they loved. She's very much still known and loved in the sport and outside of it. The team event was one of those talked about events in 2014 where Gracie a Julia brought it and got their names out there.

Thank you. I love her so much I have to really try to look at her from outside the lens of my love. And I had a moratorium on makeup buying. I have so much I may have to leave it to someone in my will. But get thee behind me Satan! Julep makeup shopping I will go (they sponsor her).

 

[sheetz]

i'm starting to agree with you. i was pretty indifferent to it before, but when you think about it, it just doesn't make sense. besides hype, what purpose does it serve?

Winning senior Nats qualifies Alysa for much higher funding.

 

[Seren]

Valuable experience for Alysa? Competing senior at Nationals gives her the chance to keep in front of a much bigger audience compared to the junior event. Maybe the age minimum should be 14, but I really think skaters should be able to compete senior domestically at least the season before they might move senior internationally. It also gives them a chance to prove themselves for GP spots, earn BOW, and funding.

I think the season before they can compete internationally is a good compromise- like make it 1 year before.