2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating

[Gullygirl84]

Both before and immediately after the Olympics, Mirai had said that she planned to do more seasons, but wasn't going to go for another Olympics. That was before she was public about needing hip surgery, and since then, she has admitted that it was harder than she thought it would be. She has been more quiet on social media than she has been in year's past, so it's hard to know what her ambitions are. I could see her perhaps deciding to do a nationals, but I'm not sure about much else. I remember last year that she even said that she could see herself as an Adult skater.

Tom Dickson apparently did these programs, I know that he's gotten on her about dropping choreography in the past. Depending on what her ambitions are,I really hope that she keeps the choreography, even if it means having to skate it with scaled back technical content at this point in her career.

 

[SkateSkates]

Does anyone know if returning Olympic medalists still get a bye to US Nationals if they haven’t competed since their last Olympic season? I remember this being a rule in the past and how Sasha Cohen got to 2010 Nationals. Would Mirai qualify for this since she won a team medal? I can’t find anything about it on the USFS website.

 

[tothepointe]

Does anyone know if returning Olympic medalists still get a bye to US Nationals if they haven’t competed since their last Olympic season? I remember this being a rule in the past and how Sasha Cohen got to 2010 Nationals. Would Mirai qualify for this since she won a team medal? I can’t find anything about it on the USFS website.

Didn't Sasha actually get to the 2010 nationals by having international assignments that clashed with regionals/sectionals and thus giving her a bye but then she withdrew with injury but still kept the bye to nationals. I mean it was still a well deserved bye because she placed 4th overall at nationals but I don't think she got it based on just the Olympic silver.

 

[chuckm]

Sasha won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics and a bronze medal at 2006 Worlds---I think she got her shot at 2010 Nationals on that basis. Mirai, OTOH, has never won a World medal let alone an individual Olympic medal. I doubt an Olympic team medal carries the same weight as an individual World or Olympic medal, since the medal was earned as a team, not as an individual, and the individual skater, not the team would be competing at Nationals.

 

[SkateSkates]

Sasha won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics and a bronze medal at 2006 Worlds---I think she got her shot at 2010 Nationals on that basis. Mirai, OTOH, has never won a World medal let alone an individual Olympic medal. I doubt an Olympic team medal carries the same weight as an individual World or Olympic medal, since the medal was earned as a team, not as an individual, and the individual skater, not the team would be competing at Nationals.

Yeah that’s why I’m not sure if this rule would apply to Mirai, if it even exists anymore.

If anyone knows where I can find the list of criteria to qualify for byes, let me know.

 

[ice coverage]

Starting this season, a minimum TES score *from the same season* is a requirement to compete as a senior at U.S. Nats.

https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/TN 229 Minimum TES for Championships.pdf
​

I don't think that U.S. Nats could be a skater's first competition of the season?? ...

My understanding is that the minimum TES requirement applies to all senior skaters -- including those with byes.

From the 2019-20 USFS Rulebook (p. 132) [emphasis added]:

2501 Singles competitors qualify for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships:

B. For the senior events by meeting the minimum required technical score per rule 2505 and:

1. Placing in the top 4 in senior at their respective sectional singles final;
2. Earning a bye: …​

​

These semi-recent posts re the new requirement for minimum TES are from the Gracie fan thread.

At the moment, perhaps of some interest in this thread too.

---

... I doubt an Olympic team medal carries the same weight as an individual World or Olympic medal, since the medal was earned as a team, not as an individual, and the individual skater, not the team would be competing at Nationals.

IIRC, in at least one recent season, an Olympic *team* medal was sufficient for a bye to Nationals.

At some point during the 2014-2018 quad (I don't remember exactly when), USFS changed the rule from requiring an individual medal from the most recent OWG (meaning an Olympic-based bye only for Meryl/Charlie) to requiring any medal from the most recent OWG.

Off the top of my head, I don't know what the latest/greatest rule in the 2019-20 USFS rulebook is.

 

[skatespin]

Well Aurora was interesting, I've been a fan of Mirai for years but I was thinking she might be in for retirement with the surgery, the break from competition, and her age. Now I'm thinking if Mirai is willing to do Skate America, they should give her the spot. There really isn't any other US lady that has made a strong case for the spot. I think with a little more time Mirai will get her triple triples back, her solo jumps seem to be there, and she has two good programs so why not.

 

[gkelly]

https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/2019-20 Rulebook.pdf

See rule 2501 for singles, and the other rules it refers to.

2501 Singles competitors qualify for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships:
A. For the junior events by:
1. Placing in the top 4 in junior at their respective sectional singles final;
2. Placing in the top 2 in novice at their respective sectional singles final;
3. Earning a bye:
a. For qualifying to compete in the same event at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final;
b. As a member of the United States Figure Skating Team who meets the approved criteria per rule 2511.
Competitors qualifying under this subparagraph (3) have the choice to compete at their sectional singles final but
do not lose their bye to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, regardless of placement, nor displace a skater who
would have placed in the top four at the sectional singles final if said skater had not competed. At such final the top
four places plus the byed competitor(s) will advance to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
B. For the senior events by meeting the minimum required technical score per rule 2505 and:
1. Placing in the top 4 in senior at their respective sectional singles final;
2. Earning a bye:
a. For placing in the top five in the same event at last year’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships;
b. For winning a medal in the same event at the most recent World Championships;
c. For winning a medal in the same event at the most recent Olympic Winter Games;
d. For qualifying to compete in the same event at the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final or Grand Prix of
Figure Skating Final;
e. As a member of the United States Figure Skating Team who meets the approved criteria per rule 2511.
Competitors qualifying under this subparagraph (2) have the choice to compete at their sectional singles final but
do not lose their bye to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, regardless of placement, nor displace a skater who
would have placed in the top four at the sectional singles final if said skater had not competed. At such final the top
four places plus the byed competitor(s) will advance to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, provided that all meet the minimum technical score per rule 2505.

Does "winning a medal in the same event at the most recent Olympic Winter Games" mean winning a medal in the Ladies' or Men's event at the most recent Olympics and not include the team event? That's how I would understand it, but it's not 100% explicit.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

I can’t find out anything about anything related to champs camp. Are the skaters told to keep everything on the down low? No Twitter pictures, no Instagram stories, everything must be kept secret?

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Does "winning a medal in the same event at the most recent Olympic Winter Games" mean winning a medal in the Ladies' or Men's event at the most recent Olympics and not include the team event? That's how I would understand it, but it's not 100% explicit.

"c. For winning a medal in the same event at the most recent Olympic Winter Games;"

I would interpret this to mean that the skater would have to be a medalist in their event and not just the team event. I don't think the intent is to give someone a bye for three subsequent Nationals who might of medalled only because of the performance of others; Jeremy Abbott was a 2014 Team medalist but finished 7th in his team SP skate and 12th in the individual event.

 

[frida80]

I can’t find out anything about anything related to champs camp. Are the skaters told to keep everything on the down low? No Twitter pictures, no Instagram stories, everything must be kept secret?

Every year. It’s very hush hush. There’s a group pics and some times some fun pics released later by USFS only.

 

[tothepointe]

https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/2019-20 Rulebook.pdf

See rule 2501 for singles, and the other rules it refers to.



Does "winning a medal in the same event at the most recent Olympic Winter Games" mean winning a medal in the Ladies' or Men's event at the most recent Olympics and not include the team event? That's how I would understand it, but it's not 100% explicit.

I wouldn't think it would need to be to be honest because I can't imagine them rejecting any team skater from the previous olympics if they wanted to skate at Nationals. Forcing an olympic level skater to bump a lower rank skater at regionals and sectionals would be kind of mean tbh. I'm sure if Mirai came back USFS would be having a talk with her as soon as she registered for the national season.

 

[frida80]

It doesn’t really matter about her Olympic medal. If Mirai decides she wants to compete at nationals, and she does relatively well at Japan Open, they will give her Challenger Competition Warsaw, which will give her an automatic bye to nationals as it is the same time as sectionals.

 

[natsulian]

Gabriella Izzo is assigned to Junior Grand Prix Croatia. A this point, only Alysa and Izzo have two assignments. Everyone else will have to earn their second assignment by placing well in their first assignment.

 

[andromache]

If Izzo automatically gets two assignments for being Junior National Champ, it would be nice to see Hanna Harrell automatically get two as well for her pewter at Senior Nationals, despite her poor showing at her first JGP event.

 

[frida80]

Huh...

It looks like USFS already has their junior World trio decided. Let’s see if any other girl can snag the spots instead.

 

[natsulian]

If Gabriella can skate two clean programs, she can score 180. She’s been landing clean 3F-3Lo and although she’ll be at a deficit in terms of her Short score, her vehicle, “I’m Here” from the Color Purple, is stunning and could score high PCS. Cannot wait. An Alysa, Gabby, and Hanna trio could do very well while Kate, Jessica, and Emilia will also be gunning for spots.

Also, Sarah Jung is assigned to the same event as Izzo, but currently, she does not appear on the US Figure Skating website so things can still change.

 

[bubblecherry]

I asked a few weeks ago with no response so I'll ask again. What is the deal with Sarah Jung? When I look her up on youtube I see basically nothing except a 3A attempt.

 

[gkelly]

Jung placed 4th in Junior Ladies at 2019 US Nationals.
https://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2019/27958/CAT013SEG029.html

She hasn't competed internationally yet.

There are plenty of junior and lower-level ladies out there, or seniors who haven't been to Nationals at that level yet. You won't have heard of all of them and they don't all promote themselves on youtube etc. Some of these kids may prefer to maintain their privacy. Some of them will break through and some won't. For any given skater, wait and see.

 

[Shani]

Absolutely wait and see. It's a big deal to get your 4th place at Nationals and your first JGP. Let her skate her own skate, and ignore public media. It's honestly her event and she should enjoy it.