- Joined
- Oct 14, 2019
Lindsay was really hurt, development-wise, by the COVID outbreak and the total lack of competitions in the 2020-21 season. Her breakout season was the 2019-20 season, where she won Junior Nationals and was assigned to Junior Worlds, but it was clear that she was still very inexperienced. If she was able to compete on the JPG and at Junior Worlds in the 20-21 season, she may have been able to get enough world standings points and show her best to get senior grand prix spots. She was certainly ready for a breakout junior international season, as she placed sixth at US Senior Nationals in 2021, only behind the ready senior ladies and Alysa.100% agree with you. Lindsay and Alysa are the same age. Both are 16. Why they keep Lindsay at junior level for so long? Lindsay should be given senior grand prix, not junior GP last season. If US seriously wants to compete against Russians, Japanese and South Koreans, they really need to let Lindsay to compete at World NOW, not later. It's time to build up her confidence and senior international experience.
When the 2021-22 season started, Lindsay could have went for the senior grand prix circuit and would almost certainly have gotten a Skate America host spot, but she would have been unlikely to get a second Grand Prix assignment considering her position in the world standings and her total lack of history. I think it made the most sense for her to go for the guaranteed junior grand prix assignments instead, where she has less competition and made the junior grand prix final. Lindsay was very hurt by not having the junior grand prix final and not having a chance to show herself on a larger international stage.
I don't think this is USFS' fault. There just weren't junior international competitions in the past year for Lindsay to gain experience in. But this year, she has had a decent amount of competitive experience, competing at Senior Bs and JGPs. The status of Junior Worlds is hanging in flux right now, and it will be yet another blow to Lindsay's competitive experiences if it is fully canceled. I'm not sure if I would agree with sending Lindsay to Worlds this year though. For one, USFS has already named Amber as the first alternate, so if any of Alysa, Mariah, or Karen were to withdraw, Amber has already been designated as first replacement. Secondly, Amber gets significantly higher PCS than Lindsay does since Amber has been competing for longer as a senior. If Amber has the skate of her life with a triple axel, she can beat Alysa and Mariah, and help the US maintain spots. A clean Lindsay can't do that.
I hope next season, where I expect Lindsay will go full senior, that she will get the competition experience she needs to further develop as a skater.