2020-21 US Women's Figure Skating

[centerpt1]

I wonder if there are adequate off ice training/ strengthening resources for Alysa -she's not at a known training center.

I prefer ladies skating to girls skating. Bring back the long spiral!

 

[Sjs5572]

Well without jumps totally useless though

She had an injury in Vegas. Alysa should have her full arsenal of jumps, save the triple axel and quad lutz, at Nationals.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

My sources have indicated that Alysa's PCS related skills are improving dramatically under Jeremy and Massimo's guidance. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a 1995 Kwan-like tranformation at Nationals with regard to skating skills, choreography and interpretation.

She was already pretty good in the areas you mention, and everything aside from the jumps looked better when she last skated. The biggest difference I see between her and the top American women is speed and ice coverage. I understand speed isn't the only thing that matters, but the contrast is very noticeable when the Americans compete. That's the main reason I can't imagine her getting monster PCS marks this year without the 3A/quads.

 

[mrrice]

She was already pretty good in the areas you mention, and everything aside from the jumps looked better when she last skated. The biggest difference I see between her and the top American women is speed and ice coverage. I understand speed isn't the only thing that matters, but the contrast is very noticeable when the Americans compete. That's the main reason I can't imagine her getting monster PCS marks this year without the 3A/quads.

When it comes to speed and ice coverage, you really need to be in the arena to see what a big deal they are. If you can tell on TV, it will be a huge deal in person. Fumie Suguri was such a fast skater and though she was a bit rough around the edges, her speed made her a thrill to see in person. Granted, those were the 6.0 days but, speed and ice coverage are big factors IMO.

 

[Jeanie19]

When it comes to speed and ice coverage, you really need to be in the arena to see what a big deal they are. If you can tell on TV, it will be a huge deal in person. Fumie Surgury was such a fast skater and though she was a bit rough around the edges, her speed made her a thrill to see in person. Granted, those were the 6.0 days but, speed and ice coverage are big factors IMO.

I loved Fumie, I wish I saw her live.

 

[Skatefan15]

I know it’s controversial, but I wish they WOULD raise the senior age, as they did for gymnastics. These girls are just not able to bring the maturity of life experience to do a lot of the music justice.

I’m more 50-50 on this topic. There are some people doing harder jumps that don’t have the “ideal” body type (think Wakaba, Tuktik, etc) and they are doing them well. I think that in terms of maturity it really depends on the skater. Aliona K and Anna S were a little more mature (mostly in the short programs) to me than many skaters who were older than them, same with Rika her first year. Of course there are some people who are not as mature yet. I kind of am ok with where the age limit is for seniors (this could be the bias in me talking though because I love seeing skaters try the harder jumps - quads and 3A’s) . I just wish people were more balanced— having both the technical and the artistry because when skaters are overly just one or the other I don’t find it as enjoyable.

 

[Sjs5572]

She was already pretty good in the areas you mention, and everything aside from the jumps looked better when she last skated. The biggest difference I see between her and the top American women is speed and ice coverage. I understand speed isn't the only thing that matters, but the contrast is very noticeable when the Americans compete. That's the main reason I can't imagine her getting monster PCS marks this year without the 3A/quads.

I've heard her edges are much better. I think this will translate to increased speed and ice coverage. It will be exciting to see the improved Alysa, even if it's sans 3a and 4lz.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

If so, that's great. But, without her 3A/4Lz she will not be very competitive internationally or nationally. I wish Alysa the best and hopefully she'd still have time to restore everything before the Olympics, but this likely isn't going to be a great year at nationals.

They didn't say that they weren't working on the jumps and she won't have them soon. I trust her team. And working on PCS and skating skills aren't a bad thing ever.

 

[AshWagsFan]

Just uploaded a bunch of Audrey Shin videos to the new “media” section of the forum. Please check it out!

 

[readernick]

They didn't say that they weren't working on the jumps and she won't have them soon. I trust her team. And working on PCS and skating skills aren't a bad thing ever.

Of course not, it is wonderful that she is working on those things. Particularly, speed as that is the area that needed the most improvement. She has always been a charming performer. But, I have found her ( more likely her father’s) coaching decisions to be odd. Her previous coach was obviously successful at helping her with consistency and maintaining her jumps. Obviously, she needed help in other areas (speed, jump height) but choosing to get rid of her old coach without having a replacement onsite was a strange decision. This coaching team has no proven track record with single’s skaters. Why not add ice dancing coaches to her team rather than completely abandoning what appeared to be a successful coaching relationship? Anyway, the intention of my original post was just to be realistic with expectations. Change takes time, and I highly doubt she is going to be at the same competitive level she was last year based on her previous performances this year. That’s fine. But, let’s not put too much pressure on her or have unrealistic expectations of change.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Of course not, it is wonderful that she is working on those things. Particularly, speed as that is the area that needed the most improvement. She has always been a charming performer. But, I have found her ( more likely her father’s) coaching decisions to be odd. Her previous coach was obviously successful at helping her with consistency and maintaining her jumps. Obviously, she needed help in other areas (speed, jump height) but choosing to get rid of her old coach without having a replacement onsite was a strange decision. This coaching team has no proven track record with single’s skaters. Why not add ice dancing coaches to her team rather than completely abandoning what appeared to be a successful coaching relationship? Anyway, the intention of my original post was just to be realistic with expectations. Change takes time, and I highly doubt she is going to be at the same competitive level she was last year based on her previous performances this year. That’s fine. But, let’s not put too much pressure on her or have unrealistic expectations of change.

Instead of making unfounded judgments, why not read the freaking article which lays it all out there. It explains why everything is happening or has happened the way it has/is. https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/12/11/alysa-liu-adds-jeremy-abbott-to-coaching-team/

 

[happycamper2554]

Of course not, it is wonderful that she is working on those things. Particularly, speed as that is the area that needed the most improvement. She has always been a charming performer. But, I have found her ( more likely her father’s) coaching decisions to be odd. Her previous coach was obviously successful at helping her with consistency and maintaining her jumps. Obviously, she needed help in other areas (speed, jump height) but choosing to get rid of her old coach without having a replacement onsite was a strange decision. This coaching team has no proven track record with single’s skaters. Why not add ice dancing coaches to her team rather than completely abandoning what appeared to be a successful coaching relationship? Anyway, the intention of my original post was just to be realistic with expectations. Change takes time, and I highly doubt she is going to be at the same competitive level she was last year based on her previous performances this year. That’s fine. But, let’s not put too much pressure on her or have unrealistic expectations of change.

What coach do you think taught her the terrible technique that's failing her now. It was absolutely time for a change.

 

[skylark]

Instead of making unfounded judgments, why not read the freaking article which lays it all out there. It explains why everything is happening or has happened the way it has/is. https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/12/11/alysa-liu-adds-jeremy-abbott-to-coaching-team/

I just read this article, which is thorough and really great. I was going to post it, but I didn't know if it had already been posted here. So Thanks!

Talk about serendipity. It sounds to me like Jeremy Abbott was the perfect person at the perfect time. A Lovely, lovely read. I adore Alysa and am so happy that she and Jeremy "happened."

 

[natsulian]

I don't understand where the talk of "her jumps disappeared" came from. From the Las Vegas Invitational that Alysa competed in? Did we forget that during the International Selection Pool Points Challenge, Alysa landed a myriad of triples in her Free and fell on a 3A while putting forth a clean Short? That was just a few weeks prior to the competition and Alysa may have decided to either downgrade her technical content or was injured... or a combination of both. In the aforementioned cases, we cannot say for certain that her jumps are lost because there is so much that happens behind the scenes that we do not know of.

Alysa is growing and although the pandemic threw a wrench in her team's plans, I for one am applauding them for not trying to "change" her body or overloading her with triples and quads when she absolutely not ready for them. Let Alysa develop, improve the areas she needs to improve, and then re-introduce the ultra-C elements that made her a household name. Alysa still rotates like a rocket and with more speed and height, she can probably get back her elements but it will take TIME, COMMITMENT, and PATIENCE. She has good shoulders on her head and (hopefully) around her.

I wish Alysa nothing but the best!

 

[halulupu]

Instead of making unfounded judgments, why not read the freaking article which lays it all out there. It explains why everything is happening or has happened the way it has/is. https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/12/11/alysa-liu-adds-jeremy-abbott-to-coaching-team/

Don't really understand the reasoning behind adding yet another more pcs expert coach ("skaters skater") to her team while she struggles with her basic triples

 

[skylark]

Don't really understand the reasoning behind adding yet another more pcs expert coach ("skaters skater") to her team while she struggles with her basic triples

I'm not a skater, but even I've always been able to see that Jeremy's jumps, including up to quads, were technically excellent as well as stunningly beautiful. In addition, he didn't just jump; he paid attention to every second leading in and out of the jumps. I'm pretty sure the article said they asked Jeremy to work with Alysa specifically on her jump technique.

Jeremy's trouble was always inconsistency usually caused by nerves. Thankfully, Alysa's consistency is already one of her strengths.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Don't really understand the reasoning behind adding yet another more pcs expert coach ("skaters skater") to her team while she struggles with her basic triples

This and then some.

I'm not a skater, but even I've always been able to see that Jeremy's jumps, including up to quads, were technically excellent as well as stunningly beautiful. In addition, he didn't just jump; he paid attention to every second leading in and out of the jumps. I'm pretty sure the article said they asked Jeremy to work with Alysa specifically on her jump technique.

Jeremy's trouble was always inconsistency usually caused by nerves. Thankfully, Alysa's consistency is already one of her strengths.

 

[AshWagsFan]

I think Alysa adding Jeremy to her team could be a key factor that helps her get back up to where she used to be. I know many people think he’ll help her transform into a Michelle Kwan, but I think they are trying to push her into a Tara Lipinski (at least for next year): someone who can jump, and had a charisma and performance ability that was fun and refreshing for spectators. She has problems with her PCS basics, so they should focus on regaining the jumps and working long term on the PCS/skating skills, while focusing for now on trying to “mask” her shortcomings with choreography that shows her off as a fresh face.

 

[macy]

You beat me to it. Expect transformed skating skills and PCS.

this is great to hear, especially since you are a reliable source. i'm excited to see her progress at nationals.

 

[brightphoton]

Anyone in the know about what's going to happen to 2021 US Nationals? Website looks a bit bare

2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships | U.S. Figure Skating

www.usfigureskating.org