Gracie Gold will go senior in 2012-2013

[FlattFan]

The combo was clearly not average.

It was the highest scored element in this competition. Much better than average. Epic? maybe not.

The combo is average. It has high base value, but it's not a spectacular combo. The judges gave her appropriate GOE for that. You can't compare BV of one combo vs. another. Just like you can't compare an average 4T-3T combo with a spectacular 3F-3T.

Hence, adequate 4T-3T vs. great 3F-3T. There's a distinction.

 

[Mrs. P]

Still don't see what the big deal is. I was just disputing the hype that she was the next Midori Ito in term of jumps. Her jumps are just adequate. They have no weakness, but they aren't spectacular. You can look at Miki lutz or Yuna lutz and compare that to Gracie lutz and see there are a huge difference. And these two girls aren't in the same level as Midori.

Is the state of figure skating so terrible now that you have to inflate "adequate" to "spectacular"?

I saw her doing 2A along with several junior girls and her 2A was maybe 3rd best in that group. It wasn't good. So the talk about 3A is pure "hype"

Her air position on that combo wasn't good. Ride out wasn't good. It was an adequate combo.

There is a range between adequate and spectacular. I think Gracie's jumps fall in that range.

If she was just adequate, she would receive no +GOE her jumps.

The judges gave her +GOE on her jumps. Some gave her +2. That indicates the judges think the jumps was MORE than adequate.

 

[FlattFan]

There is a range between adequate and spectacular. I think Gracie's jumps fall in that range.

If she was just adequate, she would receive no +GOE her jumps.

The judges gave her +GOE on her jumps. Some gave her +2. That indicates the judges think the jumps was MORE than adequate.

I have said many times I don't think she's as good a jumper as some WC. In fact, I believe I said she is better than almost everyone else who aren't WC. Only dispute the fact that people said her jumps are out of this world. You can be adequate and still are better than everyone else, right?
mskater is so defensive about it. what terrible thing did I say about her aside from some very obvious flaws?

 

[dorispulaski]

It sounds like we are having a semantic argument, then, and everyone is in essential agreement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Zm...DvjVQa1PpcFM9Sawdf5SiJUCoAeSbeXLB_h3kITWfnYk=

Here's Gracie's SP from the Japanese TV broadcast; the sound is better synched.

The one PCS thing that Gracie does nicely is punctuate high points in the music on the beat, something I appreciate.

And her spins are already Lev4

 

[Mrs. P]

It sounds like we are having a semantic argument, then, and everyone is in essential agreement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Zm...DvjVQa1PpcFM9Sawdf5SiJUCoAeSbeXLB_h3kITWfnYk=

Here's Gracie's SP from the Japanese TV broadcast; the sound is better synched.

The one PCS thing that Gracie does nicely is punctuate high points in the music on the beat, something I appreciate.

And her spins are already Lev4

I agree we are having a semantic argument.

I guess from where I stand, being adequate indicates that you are just "passing," i.e. you can graduate from high school. I feel Gracie has more than "passed" the jumping test. Maybe some more work on making it an A+, but I think she has at least an A- or a B+.

Anyway thanks for the link; I'll check it out when I get a chance.

 

[DianaSelene]

I think it's pretty much established that Gracie needs to improve in presentation. As mskater93 said, it's not realistic to overhaul of artistry with weeks between JW and WTT.

She does have decent skating skills/speed and transitions. The mark she will need to work on is the IN/CH/PE mark.

Still 59/60 is a decent score, which what she's received all season long. That would have put her in the final group if she would have received the same score at Worlds.

I have never been in the mindset that she needed to burn a hole in the world, but to show steady progress over the next few years.

I agree about the skating skills but she doesn't have that many transitions.

 

[macy]

Still don't see what the big deal is. I was just disputing the hype that she was the next Midori Ito in term of jumps. Her jumps are just adequate. They have no weakness, but they aren't spectacular. You can look at Miki lutz or Yuna lutz and compare that to Gracie lutz and see there are a huge difference. And these two girls aren't in the same level as Midori.

Is the state of figure skating so terrible now that you have to inflate "adequate" to "spectacular"?

I saw her doing 2A along with several junior girls and her 2A was maybe 3rd best in that group. It wasn't good. So the talk about 3A is pure "hype"

Her air position on that combo wasn't good. Ride out wasn't good. It was an adequate combo.

have you seen the youtube video of her 3A in the pole harness? it's HUGE and her coach doesn't pull much.

but anyways, i have to disagree with your statement about her jumps. i watched her at 2011 mids and her jumps were quite impressive. i'm not saying the QUALITY is up there with some of the senior skaters, but her jumps were very big.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Is it just me or does Gracie remind anyone else of Leanne Rimes?

 

[R.D.]

Team Gold made the right call here, I believe. She held her own against this field yesterday, even if it wasn't spectacular. But as the freeskate is longer, I think that will be a bigger test. I will reserve further judgment until that segment of the competition is completed.

As for other US women to "rue this day", well...why would they?

Is it just me or does Gracie remind anyone else of Leanne Rimes?

I wasn't thinking about it but now that you mention it, I can see a bit of resemblance.

 

[LeCygne]

On another note, Gracie revealed her music choices for next season in that same IN article: Hernando's Hideaway for the short and "Life is Beautiful" for the long. Thoughts? I'm curious how Hernando's Hideaway will sound instrumental..

 

[FlattFan]

have you seen the youtube video of her 3A in the pole harness? it's HUGE and her coach doesn't pull much.

but anyways, i have to disagree with your statement about her jumps. i watched her at 2011 mids and her jumps were quite impressive. i'm not saying the QUALITY is up there with some of the senior skaters, but her jumps were very big.

yes, saw it. Looked ok. But Sasha also did a 4S in a similar fashion. Until she's done it in competition, it doesn't mean anything. Her 2A is too small for her to pull off a 3A. In practice, she can jump 10 ft tall but in competition, her jumps were smaller.

 

[Jammers]

Sasha isn't even close to Gracie when it comes to jumps. Sasha's jumps were small and she always struggled with them.

 

[doctor2014]

Who will choreograph Gracie’s new programs? Scott Brown? I don’t think Scott is a very good choreographer. Yes, I’d like to see Julie Marcotte choreograph for Gracie. :agree:

 

[mskater93]

Gracie also looked REALLY nervous at the start of her program and only loosened up after the jumps were over. This IS her first Senior event and she's skating against someone she admires greatly (CaroK) and wants to hold her own in that regard.

I pulled the EXACT scores she received from Nationals because the implication was she basically received no/crappy GOE for her jumps which I didn't see. To me, like Mrs. P, "adequate" implies 0 GOE. "Spectacular" implies +3 GOE. I never said spectacular, I have always said GOOD, SOLID, and BIG; jumps first, then rotates, which are good descriptions of her jumps. Big is different than huge/Midori like and so on.

If I were a betting woman (which I am not), I would bet her programs improve greatly in terms of TR, IN, PE, and CH in the next year. As stated by me and others, this was her year to make a splash with her jumping consistency and big+difficult combinations and speed across the ice. She was skating as a JUNIOR this season and Juniors are typically immature with regard to how they cover the ice and present a program.

Just last week, I saw a lesson with Scott Brown and her and he was already really pushing the current (Senior version) LP in terms of PE. He knows the weakness.

PS Doctor2014, yes, Scott will choreograph the new programs.

 

[Jammers]

I would hope now that Gracie is hitting the big time she go to some of the top choreographer's because she needs to elevate her skating and a mediocre choreographer won't cut it.

 

[mskater93]

I really LIKED the programs he did for Cain and Cain/Reagan. They were interesting and different and once Cain got comfortable with the programs, I thought she really sold them.

Just because someone's a top choreographer doesn't make them a good fit for a skater, BTW. I think about Lori N's programs this past season for Nagasu which were awful.

 

[Mrs. P]

I really LIKED the programs he did for Cain and Cain/Reagan. They were interesting and different and once Cain got comfortable with the programs, I thought she really sold them.

Just because someone's a top choreographer doesn't make them a good fit for a skater, BTW. I think about Lori N's programs this past season for Nagasu which were awful.

And last year he was nominated for a national choreographer award.

2011 Paul McGrath Choreographer of the Year Award

Given to the choreographer that best exemplifies the dedication to artistic excellence portrayed by Paul McGrath in his career.

Josh Babb
Scott Brown
Lori Nichol
Cindy Stuart
Marina Zoueva
Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband

So clearly within in the skating world he isn't a "no-name" or mediocre. He just doesn't have the name recognition of Nichol, Zoueva and Wilson.

I loved Ashley Cain's programs too! She did a great job selling them at Nationals.

I know a lot of people did not like Gracie's SP music, but personally I thought it was better for her, given her level of artistry skill for her to skate to something like that rather than try to skate to some mature piece of music that's too big for her.

 

[Jammers]

True it's up to the skater to bring the choreography to life. Mirai skated like a zombie this year i don't think it mattered what Lori gave her. How well Gracie takes to her new programs time will only tell. But i am impressed by how levelheaded this girl seems to be. I bet she is watching Carolina and Akiko and seeing how they move on the ice and express themselves. It seems like when she needs to do something she will keep doing it until she gets it right.

 

[doctor2014]

Thanks mskater93 and Mrs. P, very useful info.

Just because someone's a top choreographer doesn't make them a good fit for a skater, BTW. I think about Lori N's programs this past season for Nagasu which were awful.

Yeah, this is true. Some of Nichol’s programs were quite boring. I didn’t know much about Scott as a choreographer. I hope he will make two good programs for Gracie next season.

 

[Mrs. P]

Upon further thought, even if the quality of the jumps are just good for now, what is spectacular is the consistency she has done both 3-3s this season. There are few lady skaters who can say they have done not just one, but TWO different 3-3 in just about every competition this year. And not only that none of them have had edge calls or UR.