No Respect For Bebe....

[JonnyCoop]

Was I the only one who was kind of annoyed that ABC showed the entire Ando Withdrawal Drama blow by blow, then showed Ashley's complete and total mess of a long program, yet didn't even bother to show Bebe, who placed higher both overall and in the long program than Ashley?? (And didn't do much worse than Kimmie). She was in the top 10, for crying out loud!!

On top of the fact that USFS seems determined never to have her on the podium at Nationals (tho she has admittedly done herself no favors the last couple of years with falls, but she was IMHO undermarked prior to that), it certainly seems a rather thankless task being Bebe Liang these days.....

 

[chuckm]

Here's what BeBe did in her Worlds FS:

3Z(e)+2T, 3F, 3L, 3Z(e)<(fall), 3T(hd), 3F+Seq<(fall), 2A+2T+2L

Ironically, this was BeBe's best FS this season, only two falls and no pops. She finished 13th in the FS, behind Kimmie, and less than 3 points ahead of Mira Leung.

I think this was BeBe's last shot at Worlds, and I think she did a pretty good job, making top 10.

 

[Mathman]

Think about it. The top ten in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I were in the top ten in the world at something.

 

[iluvtodd]

They should have shown Bebe and Stephen Carriere's free skates, absolutely!

 

[fumie_fumie]

Think about it. The top ten in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I were in the top ten in the world at something.

You are
No. 1 fiddler of the CoP numbers.
No. 1 in Numerical Analysis on CoP protocols.

 

[sorcerer]

You are
No. 1 fiddler of the CoP numbers.
No. 1 in Numerical Analysis on CoP protocols.

Mathman is playing dead-heat with Joesitz in number of posts on (in?) this forum. Possibly No.1 anytime.

 

[PolymerBob]

Just a thought. Would Bebe get more respect if she called herself "Beatrisa"?

 

[Mathman]

^ Didn't work for Kimberly Meissner.

OT -- Here are Fumie, Mirai, Mao, Rachael, Caroline, Miki, Bebe and Rumi at the 2007 Japan-U.S.A. team challenge.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_xJRvtY9ZMS0/RwwZIJ3PxzI/AAAAAAAAACk/w15Jtu9eIus/s320/77208736.jpg

 

[krenseby]

I think the reason Bebe's top 10 finish was overlooked is because ABC/USFSA's Worlds Coverage seems to want to highlight the people who impressed at Nationals.

Ashley Wagner's Nationals performance seemed so promising that she was the one to watch for Worlds. Bebe was pegged as the one not to watch, because the hopes for her were low. The fact that she didn't get much praise also has to do with her lack of exposure. The US skating fans were already primed for Czisny so if Alyssa had a top 10 finish, the both ABC and the USFSA would have crowed about it because Alyssa is an established commodity. And besides, with Flatt, Wagner, Zhang, and Nagasu on the verge of making it big, they are the ones who will get all of the chatter and profiling devoted to them. The rest will have to remain out of sight and out of mind.

 

[NatachaHatawa]

Well thant's a little shocking, as I personnaly think that Bebe is the US senior ladie with the most potential.

 

[chuckm]

Well thant's a little shocking, as I personnaly think that Bebe is the US senior ladie with the most potential.

Problem is she's been the lady with the most potential for the last 8 years. :frown2:

There comes a point when a skater is expected to deliver on that potential. Most skaters aren't even in the game for as long as BeBe has been. She's the new Amber Corwin, only BeBe achieved making it to Worlds.

 

[NatachaHatawa]

Problem is she's been the lady with the most potential for the last 8 years. :frown2:

There comes a point when a skater is expected to deliver on that potential. Most skaters aren't even in the game for as long as BeBe has been. She's the new Amber Corwin, only BeBe achieved making it to Worlds.

Well it's the first time I saw her skate this year as I'm not from the US. It's such a shame though, because she has real personnality and presence on the ice.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

She has proven herself to be a 2 minute skater on the way to placing gold and then screw it all up. I hope she gets GPs this coming season and bow out if the 2minute demon shows up again.

While Kimmie and Bebe did not add up to 13, they did get 2 skaters to LA.

Joe

 

[krenseby]

She's the new Amber Corwin, only BeBe achieved making it to Worlds.

Well I think the comparison to Amber Corwin is unfair, since Bebe is a lot more technically competent than Amber ever was. I think it's more fitting to compare Bebe to Jenny Kirk. Both were capable of a full complement of triples in their senior career, but unfortunately rarely lived up to that potential. As juniors they were very strong, but their jumping skills weakened as they came onto the senior level.

 

[PolymerBob]

While Kimmie and Bebe did not add up to 13, they did get 2 skaters to LA.
Joe

And that will be plenty.

 

[chuckm]

Well I think the comparison to Amber Corwin is unfair, since Bebe is a lot more technically competent than Amber ever was. I think it's more fitting to compare Bebe to Jenny Kirk. Both were capable of a full complement of triples in their senior career, but unfortunately rarely lived up to that potential. As juniors they were very strong, but their jumping skills weakened as they came onto the senior level.

The comparison to Jenny Kirk is unfair to Jenny. Jenny was 2000 Junior World Champion (BeBe's best placement at JW was 4th); as a Senior, she medaled at 2004 Nationals, was 2002 4CC Champion and 2005 4CC bronze medalist, and won silver at 2003 Skate America.

BeBe won bronze at 4CC in 2006, behind Katy Taylor and Yukari Nakano, when none of the top Olympic-bound skaters participated. That was her only notable international medal; Amber Corwin was the 2003 4CC bronze medalist.

 

[krenseby]

The comparison to Jenny Kirk is unfair to Jenny. Jenny was 2000 Junior World Champion (BeBe's best placement at JW was 4th); as a Senior, she medaled at 2004 Nationals, was 2002 4CC Champion and 2005 4CC bronze medalist, and won silver at 2003 Skate America.

BeBe won bronze at 4CC in 2006, behind Katy Taylor and Yukari Nakano, when none of the top Olympic-bound skaters participated. That was her only notable international medal; Amber Corwin was the 2003 4CC bronze medalist.

With all that mentioned, don't forget that Bebe made top 10 in a field that included ladies with triple-triples; Jenny, who faced a field of competitors where triple-triples were a lot rarer, came in 18 and 17th place at the 2004 Worlds and 2005 Worlds respectively. So all things considered, I don't think it's right at all to consider Jenny as someone whose accomplishments are way above Bebe's.

 

[chuckm]

Jenny Kirk had loads of personal problems that hampered her skating career: her mother's death from cancer when she was still in her mid-teens, having to live alone and move from one city to another, losing her aunt just before Worlds 2004. Although her sister came to live with her in her last couple of years of skating, they had to build a relationship, as they hadn't been close in the prior years while Jenny was enjoying her successes. After a spate of injuries and setbacks, Jenny had lost her passion for skating by the time she went to Worlds 2005 and quit competitive skating shortly after that.

By comparison, BeBe has had a close and supportive family throughout her career, something that might have helped Jenny through the rough times.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

Jenny Kirk had loads of personal problems that hampered her skating career: her mother's death from cancer when she was still in her mid-teens, having to live alone and move from one city to another, losing her aunt just before Worlds 2004. Although her sister came to live with her in her last couple of years of skating, they had to build a relationship, as they hadn't been close in the prior years while Jenny was enjoying her successes. After a spate of injuries and setbacks, Jenny had lost her passion for skating by the time she went to Worlds 2005 and quit competitive skating shortly after that.

By comparison, BeBe has had a close and supportive family throughout her career, something that might have helped Jenny through the rough times.

I couldn't agree more... BeBe had been touted as the second coming since she was 12/13 but struggled to live up to that potential. I've always loved Bebe's skating, her style on the ice and always interesting programs - in particular the Harry Potter and Duke Ellington pieces. Simply awesome - unfortunately, she has not lived up that potential. She won a spot on the Worlds team not by virture of her performance or record of wins but because of a technicality.

Jenny, on the other hand, proved that skating is a mental sport vs. a physical sport. Based on her "up & coming" years, I believe she had the talent to compete & more importantly beat the best of the best... and in a time where greatness was the rule, not the exception. She was a fighter with tons of spunk and decent technique. She lost her swagger after her mom's death and never really skated the same.

I swear, sometimes this sport will break your heart...

 

[Grgranny]

I remember that she also lost her coach that she was very fond of.
I miss her so much. She was such a lovely skater.