2023 U.S. Nationals Sr. Women's Free Skate

[jenaj]

BUT USA can legitimately win all 4 gold. They are favoured in 3 and with the vulnerability of Loena and the Japanese ladies including Kaori the door is open. Though I do think the better teams this year in dance are from Canada and the Japanese in pairs. USA has the power, the luck (injuries to others) so you just don't know.

Mai Mihara hasn't shown any vulnerabilty, so far. Isabeau as a first year senior isn't going to get (and doesn't deserve) the PCS of seansoned performers like Loena and Kaori. They and Mihara would all have to bomb and she would have to be clean for her to have a chance to win.

 

[SkateTM0102]

She did her 3-3 in August at Philly. Oldest woman to ratify a 3L-3T. Honestly she’s injured, but still finished 8th, which is normally enough for USFS to start sending you to Senior Bs.

@moonvine I meant to ask you. Did you get to actually speak to Gracie? Any word as to if shes planning another season?

 

[blue_idealist]

But she didn't do the jumps when they counted. Don't get me wrong. I love Gracie and want her to do well, but time has just about run out on her comeback.

Her problem seems to be the FS. In my non-professional opinion, she should work more on stamina because she seems to do the short program well and make mistakes in the free. Most of her mistakes were near the end, too.

 

[lunastartron]

This event featured some of the most transparently cynical domestic judging since the 2003 Championships. It’s outrageous that one judge even ranked Bradie first in the FS. I wish her well with her continued recovery and admire the tenacity and fortitude it must have taken to overcome her injury but I can’t help but be mystified by the Federation’s caping here. An international panel is not going to overlook blatant underrotations of the ilk that plagued her in California - it’s why she fell to 9th in 2021.

 

[Skater Boy]

But she didn't do the jumps when they counted. Don't get me wrong. I love Gracie and want her to do well, but time has just about run out on her comeback.

Mai Mihara hasn't shown any vulnerabilty, so far. Isabeau as a first year senior isn't going to get (and doesn't deserve) the PCS of seansoned performers like Loena and Kaori. They and Mihara would all have to bomb and she would have to be clean for her to have a chance to win.

Well she came second at the GPF. Don't be surprised. Ice is slippery. There are not 3 Russiatn ladies to contend with so gold could be hers.

 

[Skater Boy]

This event featured some of the most transparently cynical domestic judging since the 2003 Championships. It’s outrageous that one judge even ranked Bradie first in the FS. I wish her well with her continued recovery and admire the tenacity and fortitude it must have taken to overcome her injury but I can’t help but be mystified by the Federation’s caping here. An international panel is not going to overlook blatant underrotations of the ilk that plagued her in California - it’s why she fell to 9th in 2021.

I am more concerned about the scoring in dance or even pairs. But you have to remember the Russians aren't com eting so everyone for the most part is getting bumped up. I was so impressed with Bradie. What a competitor. Though I admit the odds are one of the Americans likely will have a bad skate at worlds. Not to be mean but lack of experience at worlds, pressure of skating at world or coming back like Bradie the odds are one skate will not be so good.

 

[moonvine]

@moonvine I meant to ask you. Did you get to actually speak to Gracie? Any word as to if shes planning another season?

Yes I spoke to her. I showed her the Gold Standard flag @Seven Sisters kindly had made for me and explained it and she was really touched. I told her her flowers were coming and that I would get them to her. She was like “we will work it out.” I asked about her Skate America flowers that @ptvvibezz gave her. She says she loves them. The last time I asked her if she would be skating another season the light died out of her eyes and she lost her smile for a split second and I don’t want to be the one to put that look on her face ever again.

It was pretty funny, @bagofgoldfish said “she just ran over to you after that practice.” She now calls me the “Gracie whisperer.” I get asked at least once per competition if I am her mother. And every time I say “Gracie” heads turn and someone says “Gold?”

She didn’t even decide to skate this season until like 2 weeks before Philly. Her choreographer for the long as done by Michael Solonoski sp? (and Jeremy). Michael is the national adult gold medalist for whatever his age group is. Then he saw he in Philly and said he remembered me from Chicago? Maybe she has nicknamed me “the flower lady” or something.

Anyway Terry Gannon said she is “chasing HER ideal of perfection” and I doubt that last night was it. But if the hip is too bad and can’t be remedied, I would expect her to seriously think about quitting. (And want her to. No one should be maimed for life for sport).

If she retires and does ice shows, I will watch them. If she does adult skating at any point, I will be there cheering her on. As long as she’s happy and healthy.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

This event featured some of the most transparently cynical domestic judging since the 2003 Championships. It’s outrageous that one judge even ranked Bradie first in the FS. I wish her well with her continued recovery and admire the tenacity and fortitude it must have taken to overcome her injury but I can’t help but be mystified by the Federation’s caping here. An international panel is not going to overlook blatant underrotations of the ilk that plagued her in California - it’s why she fell to 9th in 2021.

Overall, I thought the placements were just about right. I might have had Starr one place lower, but she did benefit from having the strong SP and skating later in the LP event. You shouldn't let one rogue judge ruin the event for you when the results were reasonable. As far as rotation calls, they're generally more favorable in domestic events so Bradie getting away with a few close calls isn't unusual.

 

[RatedPG]

I just finished watching the Womens free skate

I loved Gabby’s free skate comeback
Sonja Hilmer was my fave. Loved that she moved up to 10th in the standings. I want her to be sent to two Senior B’s next year
Gracie - I expected this free skate. She is a 40+ TES free skate skater. She just can’t land more than three triples… considering how she skated, she is lucky to have finished in 8th

Amber Glenn - That 3A attempt was good and she should aim to try this jump at 4CC and Worlds. If she can score over 5 points, it is worth trying. The bad part about Amber is she really struggles with adding this three jump combo to her programs. She tried with a 1A here. I assume it was supposed to be a 2A + 2A seq combo. The triple axel allows her to add this combo which could give her a lot of points.

Bradie - Was amazing. This is the perfect jump layout for her. She has two things to work on.
1) 2A 3T
2) Landing the 3Lz in the second half of her free skate
This result here would have scored her over 200+ internationally. She is getting better. I hope she aims for 210 for Senior Worlds, which could place her in the top 5. I think she can do it

Levito - Amazing! Getting better and better. She heads to Worlds with Mihara and Sakamoto as one of the top three favourites. If she skates cleanly, and Mihara makes a minor mistake on a jump and Sakamoto pops a jump or falls on a jump, she can win

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

There's so much to talk about, and not enough time. It was a good women's event overall. I was watching Peacock feed, expecting them to show the award ceremony, but it was cut-off before the ceremony began. Bummer! Maybe the NBC broadcast feed on Peacock showed the awards ceremony. Does anyone have a clip of the women's award ceremony? The women's event replay was taken down on Peacock.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Her problem seems to be the FS. In my non-professional opinion, she should work more on stamina because she seems to do the short program well and make mistakes in the free. Most of her mistakes were near the end, too.

I think that, having finished the fourth season of her comeback, Gracie is going to remain in the mid-to-lower half of the top 10 nationally scoing in the 150-180 range usually. You can't really look at Gracie 1.0 as a model for how she should be skating. She's older now, she makes healthier decisions in regards to her diet, and she's doing this as much for the joy of skating as she is for achieving results.

 

[moonvine]

I think that, having finished the fourth season of her comeback, Gracie is going to remain in the mid-to-lower half of the top 10 nationally scoing in the 150-180 range usually. You can't really look at Gracie 1.0 as a model for how she should be skating. She's older now, she makes healthier decisions in regards to her diet, and she's doing this as much for the joy of skating as she is for achieving results.

I think had she skated her program clean she could have been top 6. No matter where she finishes I hope she is happy.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

The women's event replay was taken down on Peacock

I noticed that all the other event finals remained up on Peacock for replay, except for the women's final! Such wacky inconsistency!

Plus, the award ceremony for women was cut off on Peacock, but the other award ceremonies were shown at the completion of events.

 

[mskater93]

I can't imagine bringing something like that to a skating competition.

It is much easier on the person's hands than clapping for 3-5 days straight (basically).

 

[mskater93]

Starr was on the podium. Pewter medal is a medal and there is a space for it on the podium. So after lo these many years of “she has to leave Derrick Delmore, she has to leave Derrick Delmore” well, guess what? Derrick Delmore now has a GP medalist and a U.S. Nationals medalist. I think she had to get her heart condition fixed and she did and she’s improved a lot, in my opinion.

Honestly, I think she got lucky the Lee had such a major error in the SP and Thorngren is going through body adjustment. Andrews had some mistakes in her LP and doesn't have a 3Lz at this time (or a 3A to make up for the lack of Lz). There's also some fundamental issues with her basic skating that seem to be overlooked.

 

[mskater93]

She did her 3-3 in August at Philly. Oldest woman to ratify a 3L-3T. Honestly she’s injured, but still finished 8th, which is normally enough for USFS to start sending you to Senior Bs.

She landed that 3+3 in the SP. She was rubbing/grabbing that hip after the FS was over.

 

[moonvine]

She landed that 3+3 in the SP. She was rubbing/grabbing that hip after the FS was over.

Yes to both observations. Bad hip! Bad!!!

 

[mrrice]

Ok, I am the only person who was shocked when I looked back at Sasha Cohen's SP from the Olympics and realized that she's uses the orchestra version of the same piece that Isabeau uses for her LP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDWCrlkloPA