Mariah Bell: "I'm still learning"

[gsk8]

USA’s Mariah Bell also improved her placement from last year, finishing fifth overall (185.84). The skater, who trains under Rafael Arutyunyan, feels she is still learning a great deal this season, but admits she is not quite ready for the Olympic team.

“I take this as an experience doing something under pressure so that I can prepare myself for the future when I am competing in the Olympics, since there is no more pressure than that,” said the 21-year-old. “I keep learning from my new coaching team and I’ve been really enjoying my life in California and enjoy working hard. I am proud of myself, although I had a few silly mistakes. I am really proud of what I did and the arena is so cool. In Taipei, I really have a good time and it’s an honor to represent Team USA and I can travel the world and do what I love. After the competition, I’ll go home and keep training, but I’m really excited to give back and get working the next season. I really want to develop my skating skills and the program.”

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It will be exciting to see how her jumps come along after spending more time with Arutyunyan.

 

[TontoK]

She's already made the biggest change she needed to make, and that's getting a new coaching situation.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, and I wasn't interested in her at all a year ago.

 

[el henry]

She's already made the biggest change she needed to make, and that's getting a new coaching situation.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, and I wasn't interested in her at all a year ago.

:scratch3:

Mariah has been at Team Raf for two years now. So if you weren’t interested in her last year, she had the same coaches then that she does now.

To me, Mariah’s biggest problem has always been her consistency... and this year, she reverted to the same old lift you up one minute, break your heart the next Mariah that she had been for years before then. IMHO, what *will* make a difference, and in a negative way, is if she chooses not to use Rohene as her choreographer. He brought something out in her that I had not previously seen. And it was fortuitous, for her, that she returned to the SP, at least.

But I do hope Mariah figures it out, whatever she does. And find that magic potion that makes her consistent, year in and year out

 

[Eeyora]

Two things held Mariah down this season. First and Foremost her consistency. Did we even see a clean short once? Followed by her generic long program. I too hope she goes back to Rohene. I do wonder if it’s nerves that gets in the way of her consistency at times. This season was rather meh... Not horrible...

 

[TontoK]

:scratch3:

Mariah has been at Team Raf for two years now. So if you weren’t interested in her last year, she had the same coaches then that she does now.

To me, Mariah’s biggest problem has always been her consistency... and this year, she reverted to the same old lift you up one minute, break your heart the next Mariah that she had been for years before then. IMHO, what *will* make a difference, and in a negative way, is if she chooses not to use Rohene as her choreographer. He brought something out in her that I had not previously seen. And it was fortuitous, for her, that she returned to the SP, at least.

But I do hope Mariah figures it out, whatever she does. And find that magic potion that makes her consistent, year in and year out

I know.

I acknowledge that these competitors are people... and, as such, they are not homogeneous in terms of their desires and motivations.

If the desire is to improve competitive results and they are working their hardest... truly... and are not seeing the results they want, then they need to reevaluate something... maybe many things.

A year ago, Mariah was a boring and stagnant skater. This year, I've become more interested, not that she's one of my favorites, but she's better. I haven't done a study of her results and numbers... because I haven't cared about her enough to make the effrot... but I assume she gradually getting better. To me, this is a sign that her coaching change has been good.

 

[el henry]

I know.

I acknowledge that these competitors are people... and, as such, they are not homogeneous in terms of their desires and motivations.

If the desire is to improve competitive results and they are working their hardest... truly... and are not seeing the results they want, then they need to reevaluate something... maybe many things.

A year ago, Mariah was a boring and stagnant skater. This year, I've become more interested, not that she's one of my favorites, but she's better. I haven't done a study of her results and numbers... because I haven't cared about her enough to make the effrot... but I assume she gradually getting better. To me, this is a sign that her coaching change has been good.

A very interesting take (as I would expect from you, Tonto)

As I re-read the article, I realize Mariah made it sound like she had a brand new coach. Most people last season, with her "better" results immediately after the change, were going "look how wonderful the coaching change was". And this season, she reverted to her old inconsistent self, in her second year with the "new" coach, and finished lower at Nats than she did last season, and we didn't hear that so much. I don't think skaters should blame all their woes on their coaches, and I'm glad she's sticking it out, but in the long run I think Mariah needs to figure out Mariah.

That, and keep Rohene

 

[Mrs. P]

I do feel that Mariah's more consistent with her 3-3s and 2A combos since working with Raf. However, I felt she had less of that performance spark that I saw from her back in 2014 (this was before she was with either Kori or Raf). Granted I didn't see her Chicago SP but her West Side Story FS at Nationals. She had a perfectly nice performance of it and did the jumps (besides that pesky final 2A), but I realize I'm blanking out beyond that.

I do think one thing that Kori DID give Mariah was the ambition to be a top skater. I think prior to going to Kori, she had a lot of personality and performance skill, but I don't think she had the mindset that she could be one of the best in the U.S. I think had she not gone to Kori first, she wouldn't have gained the mindset to pursue Raf's coaching and make the switch in the first place.

But I would love to see more of that spark I remember her having in her early days.

 

[noskates]

I have liked Mariah since the first time I noticed her. Her mistakes are silly ones and it seems like they should be fixable (easy for me to say, I know) I do hope she is able to find that consistency because she has everything else. Her personality is far and above any of the other American skaters IMO and she really knows how to sell a program. Count me in on those that want her to go back to Rohene.

 

[ancientpeas]

Ladies skating is so brutal these days. You start to feel like once they pass 20 the clock definitely starts ticking. Mariah seems like a sweet girl and I hope she continues to improve and reaps the rewards of her hard work.

 

[Mrs. P]

I just watched Mariah's FS on NBC. It was pretty solid other than the popped loop and a few little errors. What's encouraging that she hit her 3-3 and 2A-3T here. We may be seeing the fruit of some of Raf's reworking of her jump technique.