2020-21 US Women's Figure Skating

[macy]

Since as of right now we only have two spots, who do you guys think it might be? (I know it’s hard to say since we still have awhile until Beijing and there are a lot of question marks when it comes to the US ladies, but I’m curious)

ooooooh i completely forgot we only have 2 spots currently...i really hope they can gain back a 3rd this year. there was a huge opportunity lost this year with worlds being cancelled, Bradie and Mariah could have absolutely done it.

if Alysa stays healthy, i think it will be her and either Bradie or Mariah if they keep 2 spots.

 

[princessalica]

I'm not discounting any possibility - I mean at NAtionals in 2016 did anyone think the 2018 would be different from the 2014 team - Polina almost beat Gracie, Gracie was top form and if she hadn't melted down very well might have been world Champ, and Ashley followed up a weaker Nationals with a World silver. We made major changes at the same point out. 4 years ago, so the same point in the cycle Polina was injured but we had no idea that it was a career ender, Gracie hadn't even stumbled her performances at Skate America, and Ashley was still in top form.

I think it is anyone's game.

 

[natsulian]

New article on Alysa Liu --> https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...f-change-with-new-coaching-team-programs.aspx

Short program will be to "La Strada" and her Free will be to "The Storm." Liu plans on having two triple-Axels and one quad-Lutz in her Free.

 

[dancelion21]

New article on Alysa Liu --> https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...f-change-with-new-coaching-team-programs.aspx

Short program will be to "La Strada" and her Free will be to "The Storm." Liu plans on having two triple-Axels and one quad-Lutz in her Free.

A little sad to see that Alysa is a bit more jaded about social media. I loved seeing her TikToks, but it was probably inevitable with the relentless hate that she got. It's definitely healthier that she's not exposed to all of it.

I'm not too worried about Alysa's growth spurt. She was already noticeably taller last Nationals compared to 2019 Nationals (the podium picture makes it obvious), and it didn't affect her jumps. Her jumps were stronger last year than during her first national title. I'm still unsure about this virtual coaching situation with Lee Barkell. Evgenia Medvedeva just had to leave Brian Orser's group because she couldn't get the same instruction virtually as she could with an in-person, and we've seen how impactful coaching is to a skater (I'm reminded of Shoma Uno's capitulation and revival last season). I hope Alysa's coaching situation is ok and she has the instruction she needs.

 

[natsulian]

I think Alysa's long program to "The Storm" is the same music as what would have been Carolina Kostner's 2018-2019 program to "The Storm" by HAVASI. The music is haunting.

Link --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53UG28poX84

 

[Skatefan15]

ooooooh i completely forgot we only have 2 spots currently...i really hope they can gain back a 3rd this year. there was a huge opportunity lost this year with worlds being cancelled, Bradie and Mariah could have absolutely done it.

if Alysa stays healthy, i think it will be her and either Bradie or Mariah if they keep 2 spots.

Yeah, I think that definitely would have gotten the third spot back. Hopefully, there’s a worlds this year and Bradie and Mariah will be solid enough to get the third spot (this year is just so weird) . Also, I agree with with who you think it’ll most likely be.

 

[bubblecherry]

Worlds cancellation was a huge detriment to the US ladies. Bradie and Mariah were absolutely on track to have their best showing ever at Worlds 2020, and if they would’ve done so, they could’ve absolutely gotten 3 spots back.

 

[mrrice]

I agree. When it comes to Bradie and Mariah, I think it comes down to programs. Jump for Jump, I think that Bradie is the stronger skater. This would have been a very exciting Nationals.

 

[bubblecherry]

Any news on Calista Choi so far this season? Is she competing Junior or Senior? Is she still with the same coaches?

 

[katymay]

But there's another factor ... US fans and USFS also Love, Love, Love to have a fire-cracking newcomer burst onto the scene, especially in the ladies' division. Mirai in 2008-2010. Polina and Gracie in 2014. Bradie in 2018.

In my opinion, Lindsay Thorngren has potential to become that "best new thing." After everyone was talking about her this past week, I tried to watch her Sept. 22 ISP vids, which for me did the stop, start, skip all the jumps thing; no go. So I watched her Gdansk JGP from last year. Impressive technique, and Ted B. even commented: She has a haunting quality, and she doesn't know it yet. He's right, and that could become an "it" factor.

Reading others' comments about Ting and Hanna, what concerns me is the link between learning/doing a 3A or quad, and being injured, to the extent that they were both more or less out of competition all last year. Those elements are so new for ladies, I imagine it's hard for coaches to catch up to how to manage the new stresses on the body. ETA: at least Tom Z. knows how to do that.


Gracie said in the SH interview in May that it's really hard for her not to be physically present with the people who give her support and validation (a word she used more than once in other contexts). So I concur with your "10x" evaluation. And don't forget, until a couple of years ago, she and Carly had each other 100% of the time, being each other's biggest fan. So yeah. And just speaking of the physical, more than one skater has said the pandemic break was the longest time off ice they've ever had except for recovering from injuries. And that was qualitatively different because they were still doing rehab that kept them working with others toward their goal.

I didn't know Lindsay was Olympic age eligible. At that convoluted Points thing, she seemed to hit every jump (and the only one who did). There is only one glaring issue for me, and that is she is slow. So slow. Fix that and she could be a contender. Ting had beautiful flow and speed, light effortless jumps- can she get back to where she was? I hope so, but who knows. Another skater on the cusp is Tammy Hunyh (sic). Huge powerful jumps, but fails to check out on the landings. The camera vantage point was terrible, so couldn't tell if there were UR's etc.

 

[macy]

I think Alysa's long program to "The Storm" is the same music as what would have been Carolina Kostner's 2018-2019 program to "The Storm" by HAVASI. The music is haunting.

Link --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53UG28poX84

i hope it's this one, i really love it. i can see her skating to it. Hannah Miller also skated to this years back.

 

[natsulian]

New article by Phil Hersh --> https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/09/29/alysa-liu-figure-skating/

They have been working on making her skating more powerful. The triple-Axel and quad-Lutz are not back it seems, although she wants to add them later in the season but only time will tell.

 

[ice coverage]

Wishing good luck to Emilea Zingas!
Representing Cyprus, she is on the entry list for Budapest Trophy in October. (In Senior Ladies -- i.e., the Challenger portion of BT.)
Through last season, she competed in USFS qualifying -- e.g., sixth in Junior Ladies at sectionals for the past two seasons.

---

... Another skater on the cusp is Tammy Hunyh (sic). ...

I like her too -- she also looked promising in her Junior FS at 2020 Nats.

Sincere question: Does she go by the nickname of Tammy?
All I know is that her formal name is Tamnhi Huynh. (And that it is the name on her Insta account.)

---

In all honestly, unless injury or something else bad happens, I feel like the USFSA will set to Alysa, Bradie and Mariah to the Olympics no matter what. ...
Besides those three who else currently has a strong international record? Nobody else comes close to those three. ...

If Amber Glenn can land her triple axel consistently in competition , I believe that she will be in the mix, even if the U.S. has only two spots.

(Her first successful one in competition was for Colonial Cyber Series.)

BTW, she apparently performed in her club's exhibition this past weekend?
A sign, I hope, that her recovery continues to go well after the cryotherapy mishap.

 

[skylark]

I didn't know Lindsay was Olympic age eligible. At that convoluted Points thing, she seemed to hit every jump (and the only one who did). There is only one glaring issue for me, and that is she is slow. So slow. Fix that and she could be a contender. Ting had beautiful flow and speed, light effortless jumps- can she get back to where she was? I hope so, but who knows. Another skater on the cusp is Tammy Hunyh (sic). Huge powerful jumps, but fails to check out on the landings. The camera vantage point was terrible, so couldn't tell if there were UR's etc.

Yes, that's one problem with the ISP, everyone's camera was different, and different elements and other qualities are hard to see.

I wondered about Lindsay's age too, so I looked on Fanzone. She'll be 16 the December before 2022 Olympics, so, plenty of time. Alysa Liu is a few months older than Lindsay, who'll be 15 this Dec.

I'm a big fan of Ting, and personally I dearly love Mariah and want her to get to go to the Olympics. It may have sounded like I was making a big prediction about Lindsay being part of the Olympic team, and I do like what little I've seen of her. But it wasn't a serious prediction; I tend to take performances as they come. I meant to mainly make the point that USA has a tradition of loving the new girl who explodes onto the scene ... every year, but especially in Olympic years. Also, we've already got Alysa and at her age she'll still seem like the new girl.

 

[skylark]

A little sad to see that Alysa is a bit more jaded about social media. I loved seeing her TikToks, but it was probably inevitable with the relentless hate that she got. It's definitely healthier that she's not exposed to all of it.

I'm not too worried about Alysa's growth spurt. She was already noticeably taller last Nationals compared to 2019 Nationals (the podium picture makes it obvious), and it didn't affect her jumps. Her jumps were stronger last year than during her first national title. I'm still unsure about this virtual coaching situation with Lee Barkell. Evgenia Medvedeva just had to leave Brian Orser's group because she couldn't get the same instruction virtually as she could with an in-person, and we've seen how impactful coaching is to a skater (I'm reminded of Shoma Uno's capitulation and revival last season). I hope Alysa's coaching situation is ok and she has the instruction she needs.

I'm not sure she's jaded. She said it was exhausting. I can relate to that. It takes emotional energy, especially, as you say, when she gets so much hate. She stays wonderfully positive and joyful, which is a tribute to her and people around her in person.

 

[skylark]

Sincere question: Does she go by the nickname of Tammy?
All I know is that her formal name is Tamnhi Huynh. (And that it is the name on her Insta account.)

---

If Amber Glenn can land her triple axel consistently in competition , I believe that she will be in the mix, even if the U.S. has only two spots.

(Her first successful one in competition was for Colonial Cyber Series.)

BTW, she apparently performed in her club's exhibition this past weekend?
A sign, I hope, that her recovery continues to go well after the cryotherapy mishap.

Sincere question: How is her formal name, Tamnhi, pronounced? I've been wondering

And thank you for bringing up Amber and her successful triple axel! When she's on, she has strong audience appeal and connection, too.

 

[Sk8D8]

Wishing good luck to Emilea Zingas!
Representing Cyprus, she is on the entry list for Budapest Trophy in October. (In Senior Ladies -- i.e., the Challenger portion of BT.)
Through last season, she competed in USFS qualifying -- e.g., sixth in Junior Ladies at sectionals for the past two seasons.

---

I like her too -- she also looked promising in her Junior FS at 2020 Nats.

Sincere question: Does she go by the nickname of Tammy?
All I know is that her formal name is Tamnhi Huynh. (And that it is the name on her Insta account.)

---

If Amber Glenn can land her triple axel consistently in competition , I believe that she will be in the mix, even if the U.S. has only two spots.

(Her first successful one in competition was for Colonial Cyber Series.)

BTW, she apparently performed in her club's exhibition this past weekend?
A sign, I hope, that her recovery continues to go well after the cryotherapy mishap.

From what I have heard, Amber is still not able to train all of her spins. Think she left out her layback spin in the exhibition. She just got back to being able to train all of her jumps and doing almost full program run throughs. Her recovery is progressing though and she seems to be on track for Skate America, maybe ISP Points Challenge. I would imagine with a lower Orbital Bone fracture, spinning, especially layback, must make her dizzy. Better to not push herself too hard and recover fully for Skate Amercia.

 

[macy]

i'm finally getting around to watching some of the senior ladies from the ISP competition...Courtney Hicks looks in really rough shape. lots of jump problems and pops and looked to be struggling with stamina. Starr looks decent.

I'm rather confused about Mariah's FS...the music cuts are really odd and the opening choreography just seemed...empty? it was kind of strange. i like the mid section a lot, i just feel like the cuts are out of order or something, like winner takes it all should have been the first half and mama mia or dancing queen the second. it doesn't build or tell a story. it will be interesting to see how it develops.

Bradie looked a bit uncomfortable and out of her element. you can tell she is focusing on the new tweaks in her jumps. her interpretation was a bit worse than normal but that's expected for the circumstances and coaching change. i like that she went for lutz loops in both programs.

 

[ice coverage]

From what I have heard, Amber is still not able to train all of her spins. Think she left out her layback spin in the exhibition. She just got back to being able to train all of her jumps and doing almost full program run throughs. Her recovery is progressing though and she seems to be on track for Skate America, maybe ISP Points Challenge. I would imagine with a lower Orbital Bone fracture, spinning, especially layback, must make her dizzy. ...

Many thanks for the update on Amber.

... Better to not push herself too hard and recover fully for Skate Amercia.

I agree completely that Amber should not push herself too hard.
(I hope that my previous post did not sound as if I wanted her to rush back to competing before full recovery.)

ETA:

Finally am remembering to post this recent podcast interview with Amber.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...ring-amber-glenn/id1529457789?i=1000492054083 (52:28, published on Sep 21)
(ETA: Kevin Wu's interview with Amber lasts approx. 47 minutes)​

---

Sincere question: How is her formal name, Tamnhi, pronounced? I've been wondering ...

I too would be interested in definitive pronunciations for Tamnhi Huynh's first and last names.
Big caveat that "FWIW" applies to everything below:

I know for sure that the chief announcer at 2020 Nats made active efforts to verify pronunciations directly with skaters, including junior skaters. (Or if necessary, with their coaches.) I cannot guarantee that he was successful in getting verification in Tamnhi's case, but I at least am hopeful that he was.​

IIRC, the pronunciations of her first and last names at 2020 Nats sounded like the pronunciations at the beginning of this SP video from 2019 North American Cup (from Tamnhi's own YouTube channel, BTW):​

https://youtu.be/8pV2PzCaQwQ

Again, all only FWIW.

Random fun fact, which I just noticed:

Tamnhi and Alysa Liu were born on the exact same day: Aug 8, 2005.​

 

[katymay]

Wishing good luck to Emilea Zingas!
Representing Cyprus, she is on the entry list for Budapest Trophy in October. (In Senior Ladies -- i.e., the Challenger portion of BT.)
Through last season, she competed in USFS qualifying -- e.g., sixth in Junior Ladies at sectionals for the past two seasons.

---

I like her too -- she also looked promising in her Junior FS at 2020 Nats.

Sincere question: Does she go by the nickname of Tammy?
All I know is that her formal name is Tamnhi Huynh. (And that it is the name on her Insta account.)

---

If Amber Glenn can land her triple axel consistently in competition , I believe that she will be in the mix, even if the U.S. has only two spots.

(Her first successful one in competition was for Colonial Cyber Series.)

BTW, she apparently performed in her club's exhibition this past weekend?
A sign, I hope, that her recovery continues to go well after the cryotherapy mishap.

Actually, no, I just always get her name wrong. lol.