2021-2022 US Women's Figure Skating

[skatingiscool]

The US ladies did not cover themselves in glory after the short program in Skate America. Audrey and Starr were always outside hopes for olympic spots, but based on today's showing, they're far behind in the pecking order, certainly both behind Lindsay, who has consistent and difficult triple triples. Starr's tech content has never been up to par, and Audrey's clearly still struggling with her injury since we didn't see a more difficult combination jump. Maybe Audrey can fully recover in time for US Nationals and showcase more difficulty, but by then it will probably be too late with BOW. I don't see Starr suddenly getting a difficult triple-triple when she's been doing the 3T+3T for years.

Amber's more frustrating because of the 3A. I'm starting to feel like she will never land it in competition since she usually chooses to play it safe. Even if she does land it, I feel like it will be too late. She's a nervous competitor, and it's feeling more and more like her Nationals free program in 2020 was a fluke. I wonder if putting her 3A all over social media is a bad idea. She definitely needs to publicize it since the 3A is what puts her on the map, but by constantly posting it, Amber's setting expectations that she's going to do it in competition, and that just hasn't happened.

I agree. Nobody has landed a clean 3A in the short program at SA. The field is not that stacked and deep compared to SC and Finlandia. (Both Sasha and Daria are dealing with injury now) Top Russian/Japanese girls who can throw multiple 3A are all in SC. Feel a bit surprised that both Audrey and Amber are so far way from podium in this relatively easy competition. If they cannot place higher than 6th at SA tomorrow, I think they are all game over (Amber, Audrey, Starr).

Karen 6th place at Finlandia trophy is more impressive considering Finlandia trophy has more top contenders. Even Amber place second and Karen place third at Nats again, USFSA will make the same choice again - choose Karen over Amber for Olympics team.

 

[skatingiscool]

Yes, but in fairness a lot of calls were ignored. The panel only called URs that were evident in real time. Ksenia's combo was UR, so was Young's flip and 3A but neither got called. . It was a lenient panel. With a strict panel everyone would have either edge calls or UR calls. This panel called no edges.

Besides URs call, I feel like PCS for the top 6 are way over scored.

 

[Jammers]

To be honest i'm getting tired of hearing about Amber's triple axel like i was in the 2018 season with Mirai but the 3axel actually didn't get Mirai on the team since she never really landed it cleanly until the Olympics but something tells me Amber might need to land one to make the Olympic team so she needs to not play it safe.

 

[halulupu]

Finally a clean skate for amber. But only 67 points. Lindsey outscores that easily, even with junior deduction scoring. That 3a of hers, will we ever see it in competition? The other us ladies at SA are technically really far behind the top 15 ladies of the world.

 

[Lzbee]

Here's the thing about Karen. Other than Worlds last year, she has a poor record when competing against Bradie. Technically, I can't see her defeating Alysa, Bradie, or Lindsay if they all skate clean. We can't forget that she lost to Amber at last years Nationals and was saved by her pre-nationals record. Mariah has basically dropped off the Map which is sad as she was great just 2 seasons ago. I hope the committee doesn't come into play and the top 3 ladies from Nationals are sent.

To be honest, Karen's national's loss was really more of a tie than a loss. Amber scored 0.35 points more than her in total. And right now, she's one of only two US ladies to have scored over 200 this season. Lindsay probably can do it too with a senior layout but we don't know how her PCS will be scored as a senior yet.

Besides URs call, I feel like PCS for the top 6 are way over scored.

This tech panel was asleep but I thought the judges actually scored quite fairly. 3 out of the top 6 scored less than 2 points more than Amber and Audrey in PCS.

 

[chuckm]

Why would USFS put an inconsistent skater on the Olympic team because she has potential? Seems to me she should first have results that show she is making headway on becoming more consistent. It's pretty late in the game for her to do that. Her 10th place at Finlandia sure doesn't help. At this point, she needs to medal at SA---so let's see if she can do that.

Doesn't look very likely at this point, as she is in 7th place and still in the first group to skate the Free. Question---why does Amber do 3f+3t and then 3lo? A SP with no lutz isn't going to score well. And she hasn't impressed the judges on the PCS side either. All the top 6 women were in the 8s or higher, while Amber is all 7s.

Looking back at the last Olympics, IIRC, Bradie stamped her ticket to Korea by winning bronze at SA, then winning the US Championship. She was the top finisher of the 3 US women, and then placed 6th at 2018 Worlds. But even then, Bradie was an extremely consistent skater and a very strong competitor.

 

[readernick]

Why would USFS put an inconsistent skater on the Olympic team because she has potential? Seems to me she should first have results that show she is making headway on becoming more consistent. It's pretty late in the game for her to do that. Her 10th place at Finlandia sure doesn't help. At this point, she needs to medal at SA---so let's see if she can do that.

Doesn't look very likely at this point, as she is in 7th place and still in the first group to skate the Free. Question---why does Amber do 3f+3t and then 3lo? A SP with no lutz isn't going to score well.

Looking back at the last Olympics, IIRC, Bradie stamped her ticket to Korea by winning bronze at SA, then winning the US Championship. She was the top finisher of the 3 US women, and then placed 6th at 2018 Worlds. But even then, Bradie was an extremely consistent skater and a very strong competitor.

No American woman is going to medal on the GP with the possible exception of Alysa because Rika withdrew from SC. If the USF makes that the selection criteria then they might be sending one woman to the Olympics or possibly zero. Let's be realistic, none of the American women are that good. 2018 was a different field. How many US women have actually even rotated a 3-3 in the SP this year? Alysa and Lindsay are the only Senior eligible skaters who have done this. The US can't be that picky.

What Amber needs to do is to go out there tomorrow and skate as she does in practice in competition. If she does that, she would score very well but would likely not medal. However, I think it is unlikely unless this "cleanish" SP gives her the confidence to get over her nerves. She needs a sport psychologist.

About the 3A, I found it odd that Amber was going for in the SP. I think it makes more sense if she attempts it in her LP and only adds it to her SP if she manages to land it in the LP. Right now, the only woman in the World who is actually landing 3As is Tuk but many women are attempting them. Attempting and falling isn't helping their score in the SP scores much...

 

[Minz]

One rule change that I feel MUST be changed is this business where you are ineligible to compete in senior competitions because your birthday is after June 30. If they want only 15 y/o's and up, then they should say that any person age 15 on the date of the competition is eligible. I'm born 7/7, like Akatieva, and I'd be livid if I was her. Especially seeing Maiia win Budapest with a shaky program. Any Akatieva performance this year would have cleaned Maiia's clock. Never mind Anna's.... But to think Sofia Akatieva not only is being denied the chance to beat Maiia in international competition this season, but NEXT season as well, due to her being 8 days too young. It's ridiculous. And yes, I wish Isabeau Levito was eligible for the Olympics too. Alysa, Isabeau, Lindsay/Amber. Perfect for me!

Sofia is only 14. So either way, she couldn't be a senior this season.

And also there would be a lot of logistics issues with that. For example, if your birthday is in the middle of November, someone would have to make sure that you only get GP's after November otherwise, you couldn't compete.

Also, do you have a personal grudge against Maiia or something?

 

[Lechat]

I hope for Kami, Alena and Liza to have their visa on time. Skate Canada is next week

 

[Lutzedge]

No American woman is going to medal on the GP with the possible exception of Alysa because Rika withdrew from SC. If the USF makes that the selection criteria then they might be sending one woman to the Olympics or possibly zero. Let's be realistic, none of the American women are that good. 2018 was a different field. How many US women have actually even rotated a 3-3 in the SP this year? Alysa and Lindsay are the only Senior eligible skaters who have done this. The US can't be that picky.

What Amber needs to do is to go out there tomorrow and skate as she does in practice in competition. If she does that, she would score very well but would likely not medal. However, I think it is unlikely unless this "cleanish" SP gives her the confidence to get over her nerves. She needs a sport psychologist.

About the 3A, I found it odd that Amber was going for in the SP. I think it makes more sense if she attempts it in her LP and only adds it to her SP if she manages to land it in the LP. Right now, the only woman in the World who is actually landing 3As is Tuk but many women are attempting them. Attempting and falling isn't helping their score in the SP scores much...

I don't understand why some people say that they aren't that good. Just because they may not be picking up a GP medal or not at the very top doesn't mean they aren't that good. Karen is the reason the US has 3 spots. She was 4th in the world, and the only country she placed behind was Russia. Last season, their were a bunch of good skates at Nationals. Bradie is better than she was in 2018. Karen has struggled with injuries, and UR seem to be the only thing holding her back a lot. Mirai Nagasu wasn't strong at rotating her jumps either, and she was at the 2018 Olympics. Karen and Ashley were 3rd and 4th that year at Nationals that year, and they both had errors. This will be a battle for the Olympics this season, and the US doesn't have 3 spots in Ladies for nothing.

 

[ice coverage]

... How many US women have actually even rotated a 3-3 in the SP this year? Alysa and Lindsay are the only Senior eligible skaters who have done this. ...

Amber and Starr rotated 3-3 in SP yesterday, per Skate America tech panel:

- Amber rotated 3F+3T with +1.29 GOE

- Starr rotated 3T+3T with -1.56 GOE

(In SP at Championship Series Blaine, Starr rotated 3T+3T with +1.37 GOE)

​

 

[readernick]

Amber and Starr rotated 3-3 in SP yesterday, per Skate America tech panel:

- Amber rotated 3F+3T with +1.29 GOE​

​

- Starr rotated 3T+3T with -1.56 GOE​

(At Championship Series Blaine, Starr rotated 3T+3T with +1.37 GOE)​

​

Yes, but really they didn't. The panel was just lenient. Either way, my comment was in reply to the poster who was suggesting that Amber's SP score wasn't good enough to be considered by the USFS because she didn't have a 3A or 3lz in her program. Her jump layout is fine considering the fact that most US women aren't even rotating their 3-3s.

 

[readernick]

I don't understand why some people say that they aren't that good. Just because they may not be picking up a GP medal or not at the very top doesn't mean they aren't that good. Karen is the reason the US has 3 spots. She was 4th in the world, and the only country she placed behind was Russia. Last season, their were a bunch of good skates at Nationals. Bradie is better than she was in 2018. Karen has struggled with injuries, and UR seem to be the only thing holding her back a lot. Mirai Nagasu wasn't strong at rotating her jumps either, and she was at the 2018 Olympics. Karen and Ashley were 3rd and 4th that year at Nationals that year, and they both had errors. This will be a battle for the Olympics this season, and the US doesn't have 3 spots in Ladies for nothing.

The US women in 2018 weren't any better than the US women now. I agree. In fact, I think Lindsay, Alysa, Mariah, Bradie, Karen and Amber are all-around better skaters than the 2018 US skaters. Karen had the same UR issues then as she does now and was also inconsistent at that time, and Ashley was having the worst year of her career. Mirai also struggled with URs. The difference is the expectations to be at the top now compared to then.. In order to be at the top now, you need to have 3As, quads, or at the very least a completely clean program without any URs. Most of the US women just aren't competitive unless the rest of the field has a terrible day and there is a very lenient technical panel as happened at 2021 Worlds.

 

[ice coverage]

Per Finlandia SP tech panel, Amber rotated 3F+3T with +0.97 GOE.

(Also in answer to the question that had been asked.)

 

[readernick]

Per Finlandia SP tech panel, Amber rotated 3F+3T with +0.97 GOE.

(Also in answer to the question that had been asked.)

Thanks. I agree that Amber can rotate a 3-3

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Rising star Levito doesn't have a training base at one of "the big three" does she? She doesn't train in California or Colorado Springs and has a sorta unknown Russian coach. She really made a name for herself with the artistry. [ I hope she is told to go to a jump specialist. ]

 

[LiamForeman]

Sofia is only 14. So either way, she couldn't be a senior this season.

And also there would be a lot of logistics issues with that. For example, if your birthday is in the middle of November, someone would have to make sure that you only get GP's after November otherwise, you couldn't compete.

Also, do you have a personal grudge against Maiia or something?

Oh I know how old Akatyeva is, and I'm okay with her being held back this season. But NEXT season as well?!?! Because she is SEVEN DAYS too young?!?!?!? I think I'm revising my opinion and I feel that if you turn 15 by December of that year, that you are eligible to compete as Senior. Like how it is in gymnastics.

I LOVE Maiia! As well as most every skater from Eteri's camp. Plus Panova's students, and Davydov's., and Rukavicin, etc etc. I love good skating. I've been following Maiia's skating since she was 11, and I am so happy to see her finally break through. But my comment about her and Akatyeva was really based on the fact that at Budapest when Anna left the door open, that I was WORRIED for Maiia. Will she land her quad? Can she hold it together to finally get a big win? And then I thought "Well, Akatyeva would be out there landing easy 4toe-3toe, 3axel, 4sal and 4toe-eu-3sal on autopilot". Maiia needs alot of work to get to Sofia's level and I thought how Sofia could have run away with the gold medal by 20 points if given the opportunity to defeat Anna. Maiia is darn lucky that she won't have to compete against Sofia in international competitions for two more years. She really needs to be confident on her Ultra jumps, like, automatic. Don't forget Samodelkina and Zhilina are coming up soon too. Maiia might instantly fall from her perch once these girls move up. I was happy to see Maiia hold herself together at Budapest against the "pressure" of possibly beating Anna. I wish she could look at it, not as pressure to slay Goliath, but the OPPORTUNITY to assert herself in the Eteri (and World standing) hierarchy and step out of the shadows. Like a champion. She has it in her.

 

[Lutzedge]

Rising star Levito doesn't have a training base at one of "the big three" does she? She doesn't train in California or Colorado Springs and has a sorta unknown Russian coach. She really made a name for herself with the artistry. [ I hope she is told to go to a jump specialist. ]

Isabeau is coached by Yulia Kuznetsova and Slava Kuznetsov, along with some other coaches. Slava is one of the coaches of the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

[LiamForeman]

To be honest i'm getting tired of hearing about Amber's triple axel like i was in the 2018 season with Mirai but the 3axel actually didn't get Mirai on the team since she never really landed it cleanly until the Olympics but something tells me Amber might need to land one to make the Olympic team so she needs to not play if safe.

And not just land one once at USN. If there is no stable 3axel in her Grand Prix programs, she's watching Beijing from home. For me she could only be relegated to the "third spot consideration". And for my money, Lindsay Thorngren will own that spot if she does better than Karen/Bradie at USN. I would rather have Lindsay on the team than Amber, sad to say. We know what we get from Amber. A lot of pops, falls, URs and competition nerves. If anything Amber's BOW would be held against her because she has never been reliable. That is not going to change in the next ten weeks, sadly.

 

[LiamForeman]

Most of the US women just aren't competitive unless the rest of the field has a terrible day and there is a very lenient technical panel as happened at 2021 Worlds.

It's bizarre. This is the first time since ****** 1987 ***** that NOT ONE American woman attempted a 3lutz in the SP at Skate America. 35 years..... Seeing all the Americans down at the bottom of the standings/results after the SP is pathetic. It reminds me of the Canadian ladies in the 90s.