2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating

[natsulian]

Sorry, I just keep thinking - so there is no way that Gracie can compete at Four Continents. Mentor Torun Cup is literally the last competition she could possibly skate at before Four Continents. I think that they were considering that Emily Zhang might place high enough to go, especially if some higher than her are too young to compete. I don't know that this will be the case, but Gracie will not have the minimums to compete. If she does well, I wonder if they will send her to an international competition after Nationals (like Bavarian Open?) to get qualifiying scores - and of course that is dependent on Gracie doing well enough at Nationals to need those scores. - I think if Gracie is top 5 or 6 - based on sectionals its a stretch, but looking at her improvement trajectory then possible, They might want her to have a qualifying score just in case for Worlds. they might end up kicking themselves for not sending Gracie to Torun - I think Emily felt the pressure - Has she had international competitions before??

I think this was Emily’s first international competition. Hopefully, she rebounds in the Free.

 

[moonvine]

Just realized that the ladies short program is currently going on and Emily will be skating within the hour. She is 9th to skate. There is a free livestream and live results. I'll post after the segment has ended, but I hate to miss seeing a US lady skate. I don't see any big names, and so if she skates as she did at sectionals, she could possibly even win this event.

Thanks! I barely managed to catch her program.

 

[concorde]

Just noticed that Isadora William's is skating at Mentor. This has to be at least her 7th year as a Senior Internationally. Talk about the Energizer Bunny in that she keeps going and going. Good for her!

While she represents Brazil, she has trained in the US for most (if not all) of her career.

 

[Ice Dance]

If she does well, I wonder if they will send her to an international competition after Nationals (like Bavarian Open?) to get qualifiying scores - and of course that is dependent on Gracie doing well enough at Nationals to need those scores. - I think if Gracie is top 5 or 6 - based on sectionals its a stretch, but looking at her improvement trajectory then possible, They might want her to have a qualifying score just in case for Worlds.

They often send a top 5 or 6 athlete to a spring international if he or she has not competed in one yet during the calendar year. However, it is also not uncommon for USFS to skip over athletes without minimums when naming athletes below the top 4 to the alternate list.

 

[KatGrace1925]

I don't think Gracie's goal was to compete internationally this year even if she does very well at nationals. Her comeback is more of a long game at this point and I think long term goals are most important now.

 

[macy]

I don't think Gracie's goal was to compete internationally this year even if she does very well at nationals. Her comeback is more of a long game at this point and I think long term goals are most important now.

agree, although i do hope her goal for next season is to do at least a couple smaller international competitions. next season she will need to start getting back into the international game if she is serious about contending for the Olympics the following year.

 

[Sai Bon]

agree, although i do hope her goal for next season is to do at least a couple smaller international competitions. next season she will need to start getting back into the international game if she is serious about contending for the Olympics the following year.

What placing (or score) at Nationals would put her on the ISP?

 

[macy]

What placing (or score) at Nationals would put her on the ISP?

i'm not sure if there is a placement or score she needs to reach...per USFSA there are a set of requirements she would need to meet which can be viewed here: https://www.usfigureskating.org/story?id=84156&menu=TeamUSA

i'm not sure if there are any other things they look at.

 

[KatGrace1925]

agree, although i do hope her goal for next season is to do at least a couple smaller international competitions. next season she will need to start getting back into the international game if she is serious about contending for the Olympics the following year.

If she does well at nationals I am sure she'll get an invite to Skate America at least, she will probably definitely do international competitions next season. I think that is what makes sense to me, focus on nationals and getting back into a good place then start building for international. If next season goes well she could head into the olympic season with a good build and momentum.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

If she does well at nationals I am sure she'll get an invite to Skate America at least, she will probably definitely do international competitions next season. I think that is what makes sense to me, focus on nationals and getting back into a good place then start building for international. If next season goes well she could head into the olympic season with a good build and momentum.

I'd hope she doesn't get the third spot that typically goes to skaters who do well in summer events (unless she earns the spot that way). While she is no doubt a marketable name, that spot could be a launchpad for our next good skater as it was for Bradie in 2017.

 

[KatGrace1925]

I'd hope she doesn't get the third spot that typically goes to skaters who do well in summer events (unless she earns the spot that way). While she is no doubt a marketable name, that spot could be a launchpad for our next good skater as it was for Bradie in 2017.

Yeah but the assumption is Gracie will be able to go to the summer competitions or if she proves to be doing very well over the summer they might choose to send her. Gracie really does have the potential to make this comeback big.

 

[Good Vibes Only]

I am so excited to see Gracie skate at nationals!! I hope that she has two skates that she is proud of!! I would love to eventually see her compete on the GP series, but only if she is ready for it. I really hope that she skates clean. If she does I think that I might cry because of everything that she has been able to overcome. She has had to deal with so much in her life, I really want her to have that special moment of “I did it”. Even if that doesn’t happen though, qualifying to nationals is already a huge a accomplishment in itself and she should be so proud.

 

[moonvine]

I am so excited to see Gracie skate at nationals!! I hope that she has two skates that she is proud of!! I would love to eventually see her compete on the GP series, but only if she is ready for it. I really hope that she skates clean. If she does I think that I might cry because of everything that she has been able to overcome. She has had to deal with so much in her life, I really want her to have that special moment of “I did it”. Even if that doesn’t happen though, qualifying to nationals is already a huge a accomplishment in itself and she should be so proud.

I know I will cry. The last time I saw her live was at Nationals in KC and it was ...not good.

 

[crazydreamer]

I know I will cry. The last time I saw her live was at Nationals in KC and it was ...not good.

I'm actually expecting about the same as in KS. I think she's in about equivalent shape. In KC she hit her 3-3 and two other triples, and popped her other jumps. But I'm totally fine with that at this stage, it's an incredible improvement for not having skated for 3 years. The expectations are totally different this time around.

 

[surimi]

Can anyone tell me if Pooja Kalyan is still skating competitively? I remember liking her programs last season but haven't seen her this season. Is she among the Nationals entries?

 

[chuckm]

Pooja was 5th at Senior Ladies Midwest sectionals, so she didn't make it to Nationals this time.

 

[Tavi...]

I'm actually expecting about the same as in KS. I think she's in about equivalent shape. In KC she hit her 3-3 and two other triples, and popped her other jumps. But I'm totally fine with that at this stage, it's an incredible improvement for not having skated for 3 years. The expectations are totally different this time around.

Unless you’re at her rink every day, how can you possibly know what shape Gracie is in right now?

 

[jenaj]

If she does well at nationals I am sure she'll get an invite to Skate America at least, she will probably definitely do international competitions next season. I think that is what makes sense to me, focus on nationals and getting back into a good place then start building for international. If next season goes well she could head into the olympic season with a good build and momentum.

I'm sure that a spot will be reserved for Gracie at Skate America, assuming she does OK at Nationals. After the top three--Alysa, Bradie and Mariah-- things are wide open, so we'll see. I would think she would at least be somewhere between 6th and 10th.

 

[macy]

does anyone know if planned content will be released for nationals? i am interested to know if Gracie is keeping the same layout as sectionals or if she will be attempting something more difficult.

 

[Ice Dance]

I'm sure that a spot will be reserved for Gracie at Skate America, assuming she does OK at Nationals.

Oh, I'm not. With Ting out this season and Hanna still up in the air, I think it's quite plausible anyone wanting a berth at Skate America will have to fight for it.