Vash01 said:
It is too early to crown Alissa with the US nationals title, an Olympic medal, or the Ice princess title. She has wonderful spins and flexibility but she is a work in progress, IMO. Her maturity level (don't ask me to define it) is not the same as Sasha's or Michelle's (just talking of US ladies). I don't think she looks juniorish, but she still needs more work. Of course Sarah won the OGM without reaching a certain maturity level so it is not impossible.
I do feel that Alissa has not been tested in a pressure situation. She was not expected to win at SA or SC, particularly with a history of disastrous showings in the past. If she is viewed as a contender (and now she will be, at USN for a spot on the Olympic team), how will she handle the pressure? We don't know yet. Champions need mental toughness, in addition to talent and hard work. We don't know yet if Alissa is mentally tough. I like the fact that the US selects its Olympic team based on the performance at nationals. It is a good test of how a skater handles pressure.
I am not trying to put Alissa down. In fact I am happy that the absence of Michelle and Sasha has brought forth her talents. If you see her in the same competition with the other top skaters, I am not sure that she will do as well as she did at SA and SC. At SA her competition was Elena Sokolova, who I consider a second tier skater. At SC her main competition Carolina and Fumie both bombed. Rochette has a higher maturity level than Alissa at this point, and perhaps in a 6.0 setting Rochette would have placed higher. Alissa is definitely one reaping the benefits of the COP and there is nothing wrong with it. I just don't want to crown her too soon. Her time will come.
Vash
My interpretation of what Vash said, ie, "It is too early to crown Alissa with the US nationals title, an Olympic medal, or the Ice princess title" is with regard to the trend of comments made on both The Edge as well as the SA and SC forums. Some people have said they can see Alissa as the next Michelle. When somebody points out that Alissa isn't really a "top 6" level skater yet, someone says, "That would mean she'd have to beat Kostner and Suguri...oops! She just did!" Yes, it is a fact Alissa beat Kostner and Suguri, who typically skate poorly at the beginning of the season.
Those are just two examples and I hate to use those two examples because it makes it sound like I'm trying to rain on Alissa's parade and I'm not. I like her a lot and see a lot of potential, but like Vash, for me, she hasn't pulled it all together yet. It's like she's got all the great ingrediants but she hasn't shown me a cake yet. I didn't react to Vash's first sentence because to me there's a difference between people who post, "Wow! Czisny has some absolutely spectacular moves. I can't wait to see how she develops," and those who say, "Irina, Michelle, and Sasha, watch out! Your competition just stepped up to the plate" or those who have said Alissa could easily do what Sarah Hughes did in '02.
In '02, Sarah Hughes had a World bronze medal, had finished 2nd or 3rd at Nationals several years in a row, and had gone through the GP circuit two or three times. Sarah had been through the gauntlet. She had competed a number of times internationally AND outside of the US--meaning she had jet lag to contend with--and had done at least two full senior seasons including cheesefests at the previous one. So
Time magazine had a lot to go on when they picked Sarah to win the OGM weeks before the Olympics.
What Alissa hasn't done is prove herself over time. She hasn't been a contender at Nationals yet, much less gone to Worlds. We can compare numbers all we want but IMO a combined SP/LP score from Worlds is not the same as one from SA or SC. Alissa hasn't gone through the gauntlet yet and that's what makes me excited only to crown her "Most Exciting New Skater Early in the Season Until I See What Meissner Does," love a lot of things about her, not love a lot of things about her, and basically wait until Alissa has two seasons under her belt before I weigh in with an informed opinion about her. If I'd seen her skate live and been hit "zowie wham!" with that indefinable X factor, I might be singing her praises without restraint. But since I haven't had the pleasure, it's my nature to hold back.
Most of us have only seen Czisny in three events: Campbell's, in which she fell on almost every jump but showed us her great edges and extreme positions on her spirals and her amazing spins; SA, in which she landed a 3L/3t, but also fell; and SC, in which, IIRC, she landed five triples, including her 3/3, which was said to be her personal best.
Especially with the lack of Michelle, Irina, and Sasha in competition, Czisny has been a big bright spot at the beginning of what was turning into a depressing early season--depressing in that nobody likes to see skaters out because they're injured. Okay, a few people maybe do, LOL, but not on GS, by gosh!
Anyway, I can't help but think of other fast-rising stars such as Naomi Nari Nam, AP McDonough, and Jenny Kirk. However, just because I'm cautious doesn't mean others should be. I'm just explaining my POV, which is what it seemed like Vash was doing, although I can't speak for him.
Now watch, Alissa will win Nationals, the OGM, and Worlds!
Rgirl
(I'm so shallow!) I would be interested in hearing from one of our more technical experts on how that leg wrap on her jumps might affect (or not) her ability to "get around" easily on tripples, and especially 3A. Or is the leg wrap thing not an issue in terms of ability to jump well, but just more of a "visual appeal" thing?
