Ladies Retirement

[parma]

It is really rare under this judging system for a ladies skater to have four triples with some consistency, let alone five.

I think Yuna has at most one more competitive season in her, if any, and if she decides to compete in the upcoming season, I think she will aim at the world title.

 

[Layfan]

Yuna has choked at Worlds on almost every occasion. She's only won 1 worlds out of 5 attempts! All the other times she was at least a co-favorite, but made horrible mistakes in one or other segment of the competition to lose it. So let's say she has a 20% chance of winning each Worlds she enters and she enters 3 more worlds (including the one after Sochi). There's an 89.6% chance she'd only win 1 or less of those Worlds (and a 51.2% chance she'd win none). She's not going to break any records in World gold.

Yuna has medaled at her last five worlds, which is more than you can say for her top two competitors, Mao and Miki. It's more than you can say for any skater of her era. And when was the last time she ever even finished off the podium? Again, more than you can say about Mao and Miki ... or anything other skater around these days. And Miki and Mao may have won one more WC than Yuna, but Yuna won the Olympics sometime in between all this so it comes down the same thing. All in all, and even though Yuna maybe not be perfect every time she steps out, it's hard not to think of her as both the most dominant and most consistent skater of her time.

Problem she has is that from now on anything less than gold will be seen as "losing." I can certainly see why she would find hanging around for the next four years daunting.

 

[krenseby]

Miki isn't planning on retiring.

Yes, but I think this doesn't change the fact that a lot of skating fans on this forum would still like her to.

 

[wonderlen3000]

Yes, but I think this doesn't change the fact that a lot of skating fans on this forum would still like her to.

That's a little harsh. LOL I don't know why so many peoples don't like Miki. FS need diversity, Miki certainly fits that criteria. We had Michlle (artsy one) vs Irina (jumper) decade ago and now we have the same thing with Mao/Yuna vs Miki. I certainly dont want to see 24 ballirina clones doing similar program over and over again.

Althou I can see the point as now Miki, Mao and Yuna sweep all 6 major titles world/olympic the last five years and each has two + other numerous grandprix and 4cc gold. They are at the crossroad and Sochi is still 3 years away and alot can happen and change. Yuna has won everything there is avaliable, Mao still want OG and the only thing Miki missing is Olym medal. These are remarkable achievement for a skater these days and it will be hard to find motivation.

Miki: Two W titles and a bronze. Will she stick till Sochi?? If Miki stay another season, she capable of adding another world medal. Question is will there be motivation for her with injury and her rumors personal problems. Finishing 5th at Olym is not bad either and far far better result from her first try.

Yuna: OG and W title, + 3 more world medals. There is nothing left for her to achieve other than accumulating medals and perhaps gold. Still prone to injury and with her celebrity status, can she balance both skating and being Korea #1 star. If she wants to retire, now will be the time. Seem like she is skating not for money or anything, just out of obligation to her country. That's quite a burden to carry.

Mao: Two W titles and a silver + OS. Only thing missing and she badly wants is OG. With her reworking her jumps from scratch and the rules changing everyyear, can she keep up and improve till Sochi? And something Mao seem to loos focus on the bigger picture, because she is trying so hard and focusing on thing, like just beating her rival or just landing the 3A. It can be double edged sword.

Kostner: 3 world medals is not shabby and it will be great to see her finally won a world title. Perhaps next year?? Sochi might be a long stretch for her thou and she needs to land consistently harder jumps to challange others.

Joannie: I think she always skate better in exhibition than in actual competition. And it will be wise for her to take advantage of her star status. If she return, she can easily top the national, but it might be hard to challange for top spots in Sochi.

Laura: the only other skater to win a world medal beside above 5. But if she returns, it will be hard for her to stay competitive. Sure she has great presentation and basic skating skills but, having no consistent jump, esp the Lutz will hurt her chances to stay on the podium again.

and biggest question is the russian babies. I hear they will be skating in senior GP this season, but will not be eligible for world till 2013, so we will see how they will fare against each other and the rest of the other skaters.

 

[R.D.]

Yes, but I think this doesn't change the fact that a lot of skating fans on this forum would still like her to.

Perhaps. I mean, personally- I would never push anyone into retirement- but I can't say I'd miss her if she did do so.

 

[npavel]

Carolina Kostner has all the triples without the 3A. She has done the most of them in 3-3 combination over the last years. This year she still is injured and thinking about to get surgery now on her knee, that's why she didn't do the flip until January and the luz, but as reported she did some beautiful 3Lz in the training but just because she miss it soo much not doing them. She has done many programs with all the 5 jumps, in 2008 worlds she had all of them. So now, she fought her way back on the top and learned to manage the tension and the pain, I really hope she can rest her knee and decide whatever it takes to get over this knee problem and be stronger next year. She still can do 3F-3T, 3S-3T, 3A-3T that I have seen recently, problem is only the pain on the knee that can't take to much and she has to deal with it

 

[jovani2293]

People!!!!!! Shizuka Arakawa was 24 when she won the Olympics, and she would have easily walked into the 2010 Olympics and won a medal....She could easily comeback now and be a medal contender. This sport is no long the sport of a decade ago of 16 and 17 year olds. It is a sport of mature young artistic women.

 

[pista04]

Shizuka Arakawa was 24 when she won the Olympics, and she would have easily walked into the 2010 Olympics and won a medal....She could easily comeback now and be a medal contender. This sport is no long the sport of a decade ago of 16 and 17 year olds. It is a sport of mature young artistic women.

Factually, yes, a 24 year old did win OG....but, let's remember the context: the reigning Grand Prix Final champ was, in fact, too young to even compete: that begins a whole new game of 'what if' but, that does not negate the fact that had that 15 year old competed she definitely would have been seen as one to challenge for gold.

 

[Jammers]

People!!!!!! Shizuka Arakawa was 24 when she won the Olympics, and she would have easily walked into the 2010 Olympics and won a medal....She could easily comeback now and be a medal contender. This sport is no long the sport of a decade ago of 16 and 17 year olds. It is a sport of mature young artistic women.

Shizuka Arakawa was a bit underwhelming when she won Gold in Torino. The skating was miles better in 2010 then in 2006 when every top contender except for Arakawa bombed in the LP.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I think ability overrides age in competing for top contenders. The problem with age is that there is the unsettling feeling of not acomplishing a goal. For others there is the excitement of just being a part of an Olympics.

With the obvious two Ladies from Russia who will definitely be in Sochi; and the present day Asian Ladies still around for Sochi, it doesn't leave much for nonAsian, nonRussian Ladies to think about Gold.

Yuna already has the coveted Oly medal. She doesn't need back to back, so she should redeem herself with a first rate Gold Worlds while the Russian gals are still in Juniors. Mao is the one to hang in there and give it her ALL.

 

[Spun Silver]

Carolina Kostner has all the triples without the 3A. [...] She still can do 3F-3T, 3S-3T, 3A-3T that I have seen recently, problem is only the pain on the knee that can't take to much and she has to deal with it

So I guess you meant 2A-3T?

 

[herios]

People!!!!!! Shizuka Arakawa was 24 when she won the Olympics, and she would have easily walked into the 2010 Olympics and won a medal....She could easily comeback now and be a medal contender. This sport is no long the sport of a decade ago of 16 and 17 year olds. It is a sport of mature young artistic women.

Shiz was a late bloomer. Unusual in ladies figure skating to start to move to a new level past 20. Joannie falls ito the same category. Still very rare.

 

[kwanatic]

Mao has already expressed her intention to compete, so I think that takes her out of the discussion. HOWEVER, I think it'd behoove Mao to take a season off to rest and get her head right. She's been going non-stop since juniors--she needs a break! Especially if she's eying Soichi. She can't keep pushing her body like that, not letting up at all...she'll burn out before she gets where she's going.

It's time for another Good Idea, Bad Idea. Good Idea: Reworking technique to get correct edges, better speed and more flow; Bad Idea: Competing while reworking technique to get correct edges, better speed and more flow...the end (anybody remember that from Animaniacs? )

I really admire Mao for taking the time to go back to the drawing board but that technique is never going to stick if she doesn't take the time to really learn it. Her flip is the only real improvement I saw last year (she no longer drops her back before taking off, and it had better spring). However, her lutz isn't any closer to being correct and her salchow was often two-footed or UR, and I think she got only one 3A ratified all season long...

I'd like to see Mao take a break next year. Continue to train, but scale back a bit...at least until October. Then she can start training full-out for Nationals, 4CC and then worlds. The key to longevity is knowing how to pace yourself. With two world titles, GPF titles and Olympic Silver, Mao can afford to rest until the big ones role around (worlds and the Olympics). If she continues at the pace she's at now...I don't know if she'll make it to Soichi.

As for Yu-Na, her decision will be about motivation. I think narrowly missing gold this year may be incentive to come back and try again next year; hopefully, she's learned her lesson about debuting at worlds, and she'll test run her programs at 4CC prior (I still think had she participated in 4CC, she'd have won worlds easily b/c she'd have been a lot less nervous).

Still, Yu-Na is very busy. She has a show she's shooting, plus her endorsement deals, the Olympic bid for her country, her duties for UNICEF, her ice show, etc...she's doing a lot. I think last year was a learning year for her in terms of what all she can do. Having won everything there is to win, the only reason she'd need to continue competing is to stack titles...if she wants to do that. The other reason would be love of competition, but I don't recall if I've ever heard her say that. She's reached the mark where anything less than gold is considered failure (a horrible stigma given to skaters who carry a high level of expectation). Anything less than perfection is seen as choking...it's sad but that's the way it is once you're pegged as the "standard".

That's a heavy burden to bear and I don't know if it's one she wants to bear. Right now, there are no elite skaters from South Korea; Min Jung Kwak didn't even qualify to compete at worlds pass the QR. Korea needs Yu-Na to continue until someone decent comes along...however, her obligation to her country has to end at some point and she has to take what she wants into consideration.

IMO, I don't see Yu-Na skating past next year...IDK why, but I don't. I think one more shot at getting another world medal (hopefully gold) is all she really wants...but I could be wrong. I'll just say, I'd be surprised if she goes all the way to Soichi...

 

[kwanatic]

Shiz was a late bloomer. Unusual in ladies figure skating to start to move to a new level past 20. Joannie falls ito the same category. Still very rare.

Alissa too! She came in with a boom in 2005 and then kinda teetered back and forth on the brink of "getting there" before finally getting it together this year, at the ripe old age of 23.

With the new rules and age restrictions, I'm thinking we'll see a lot more skaters doing more in the later years of their careers...we'll never see another 15 or 16 year old world champion on the senior level again, mostly because they can't even get to senior worlds!

 

[R.D.]

we'll never see another 15 or 16 year old world champion on the senior level again, mostly because they can't even get to senior worlds!

it will still happen on occasion, though- Meissner did it in '06

 

[pangtongfan]

People!!!!!! Shizuka Arakawa was 24 when she won the Olympics, and she would have easily walked into the 2010 Olympics and won a medal....She could easily comeback now and be a medal contender. This sport is no long the sport of a decade ago of 16 and 17 year olds. It is a sport of mature young artistic women.

You have no evidence in your statement Shizuka could have easily walked into the 2010 Olympics and won a medal. The 2010 Olympics was a much better skated event than the 2006 Olympics. Shizuka's winning performances in 2006 most likely wouldnt have even medalled in Vancouver. Are you saying she would have been skating at a higher level at 28 than 24, lol!

And in Vancouver the gold and silver medalists were both 19, who were only in their first Olympics due to the silly age restriction rules.

 

[Krislite]

[...]
IMO, I don't see Yu-Na skating past next year...IDK why, but I don't. I think one more shot at getting another world medal (hopefully gold) is all she really wants...but I could be wrong. I'll just say, I'd be surprised if she goes all the way to Soichi...

Remember when Chen Lu skated at Worlds 1997 trying to get Olympics spots for China? Korea will need Yuna in Worlds 2013 to do the same. And if she stays until 2013, well...Sochi will be just around the corner.

 

[kwanatic]

Remember when Chen Lu skated at Worlds 1997 trying to get Olympics spots for China? Korea will need Yuna in Worlds 2013 to do the same. And if she stays until 2013, well...Sochi will be just around the corner.

No argument with that logic. Still, it does suck a bit for her. In order for her country to continue on, she has to compete...what if she doesn't want to?

 

[silverlake22]

No argument with that logic. Still, it does suck a bit for her. In order for her country to continue on, she has to compete...what if she doesn't want to?

Competing at 4CC and Worlds only could be a wise decision for her, then she'd still be competing, but not a full season, maybe let her compromise a little?

 

[miki88]

I really admire Mao for taking the time to go back to the drawing board but that technique is never going to stick if she doesn't take the time to really learn it. Her flip is the only real improvement I saw last year (she no longer drops her back before taking off, and it had better spring). However, her lutz isn't any closer to being correct and her salchow was often two-footed or UR, and I think she got only one 3A ratified all season long...

Although she only got one 3A ratified this season, it was one of the best she had done in a while, as evidenced by the GOE she got. At first, I thought it may be better for her to take a break from competition but after hearing Mao's own opinion on why she chose to compete, I am unsure because she says she will feel more uneasy if she chose not to compete. Either way, her choice to rework her jumps is a big risk that may or not may not payoff in the end.