Polina Edmunds World Championship prospects post 4CC.

[Flaya]

She is lovely and I truly appreciate her candor.

If I were to place bets, I would place her at 8th at Shanghai Worlds.

I do not believe she will be in contention for medals.

 

[StitchMonkey]

Gosh, this impassioned defense could have been written by a member of Polina's team. I do agree that her PCS was a bit low at NHK, but would have to see the protocols to understand the tech score. There must have been some issues. I don't think her scores are affected by reputation. Did she lose the bronze to Karen Chen at Nationals because of reputation?

If interested she had three under rotations and two unclear (!) edge calls. (fifth place/page three)

Those are the type of errors commentators can over look. Maybe the tech panel was strict or strict with her, but in the end it is what it is and it will have an impact on the scores.

 

[shine]

Gosh, this impassioned defense could have been written by a member of Polina's team. I do agree that her PCS was a bit low at NHK, but would have to see the protocols to understand the tech score. There must have been some issues. I don't think her scores are affected by reputation. Did she lose the bronze to Karen Chen at Nationals because of reputation?

I loved and agreed to much extend with the "impassioned defense", and I'm not a member of Polina's team.

 

[Skater Boy]

I agree that reputation has become too important, especially when it can be played arbitrarily, like a wild card, and skew the results of a competition. I would prefer to see figure skaters judged on the basis of what they do that evening, but I understand why judges have always considered the reputation of a skater in their scoring. The evening of a competition may be filled with borderline edge and rotation calls and the continuing difficulty of quantifying an overall artistic impression. A skater’s reputation is like a certification of that skater’s approach to skating. If the skater brings the same approach to a competition, which has been validated so often at previous competitions, the judges feel more comfortable in resolving those ambiguities in the skater’s favor.

Of course, in skating as in life, reputations can be tarnished and even ruined.

The problem for the sport is that the format of the scoring itself, with its categories and numbers, suggests something that is entirely objective when it is not and probably never will be, while human beings sit in judgment of other human beings. And since judges are simply people, too, that card may be played for reasons other than the good of skating or the skater.

When Polina said that she was glad to be going into World’s as Four Continents champion and wanted to be considered as a podium contender, she was implicitly acknowledging this aspect. For her, after the false start of the Grand Prix season, she’s beginning again the process of winning an international reputation, something that Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold have already gone through. The Four Continents was a good first step. If she skates no better at World’s than she did there, she can anticipate getting better scores for that reason alone. If she has a clean short program, she should skate her free skate with the elite flight of skaters, which will provide an opportunity for still higher scores. Even with that, however, if she places fifth or sixth, it would be a remarkable accomplishment for her but another step towards her goals.

Could she do even better? Yes, certainly. Nothing is written until the evening of the competition, with its vagaries, and it is difficult to compare the scores from one competition to another, as between the European Championships and the Four Continents, when there are subjective factors involved. The only real test is when skaters perform at the same venue before the same panel of judges. That’s why this forthcoming championship is so intriguing and could be much closer than many anticipate. If she did reach the podium, though, it would be like lightening striking.

As a fan of hers, I would simply want her to continue to mature as an artist and a person. I would want her to continue the process of investing herself, imaginatively and emotionally, into a program I find spiritually uplifting and exquisitely nuanced. I’m more interested in what happens three years from now than later this month, and more interested still in what happens all the years after that. If her progress continues and is reflected at World’s, then I would let be what will be.

But lightening does strike.

I totally believe she can win a medal maybe even silver if the stars align alright. Though one wonders if Anna P didnt get the medal last year that Polina might have to wait her turn. Interesting though the two faves didn't even go to world's or the olympics. Polina has technically the goods and the decent american polish or raising that one expects of a top American lady. She isn't overly special or unique but she could do it for sure. She also could be out of the top ten. Her GP skaters were quite blessedly held up for whatever reason When she isn't clean she doesn't have a lot compared to say ashley.

 

[Skater Boy]

And if the judges are fair if she skates like she did in the grand prix at times she should be placed out of the top ten.

 

[silverlake22]

I like Polina and her honesty but it seems that she's less willing to play the COP game than a lot of her competitors.

For example, doing a 3lo instead of 3f. I agree that the 3f is on an inside edge when she takes off, but in regards to what she can do to avoid edge calls, she was just like, I'm not on the outside edge when I pick in, so I shouldn't get an edge call. While she's right, a more COP savvy answer would be, I am going to try and avoid riding the outside edge for so long during my set up and get onto the inside edge earlier to avoid any edge confusion from the judges. Further, about doing another combo in the second half, she says she wants to do those hard combos the best she can so she puts them at the beginning. That makes sense, but in terms of COP, she could say, in the off season I might try training my programs with one of the 3-3s in the second half, and if I feel confident enough that I can do the combo well later in the program, I'll try doing it in competition.

So basically, I think Polina kind of controlls her own destiny. What she says is valid and true, but if she wants to get higher scores and move up the rankings, she may have to play the COP game a bit more than she's doing now. Meaning, either addressing her flip entry or doing 3lo in SP and 2 3lo in her FS, and considering backloading her program more.

 

[apgold]

Or adding some 'tano jumps, lol. Honestly, I could do without the 'tanopalooza of the Russians, but I think one or two in her program wouldn't be so bad. I think with her balletic arms, doing a jump with both arms overhead would be lovely.

I think her team does need to look at her layouts to maximize points. Even at 4CC's she did not break 125, IIRC. Her speed is also an issue. So Polina has a way to go if she wants to get on the Worlds podium.

 

[StitchMonkey]

OR at least talk about adding a Tano/Rippon similar to what Silverlake22 said. At least talk about what you are doing, even if just for talking.

She could also talk about/think about doing a 3X+1/2L+3F in the program (where x is whatever she bloody wants it to be) that could help with the edge call, can still keep her hard triple triples. Hell she could possibly even cram 3 triple triples in there if she really wanted to with a 1/2loop+3F added in.

 

[randomfan]

OR at least talk about adding a Tano/Rippon similar to what Silverlake22 said. At least talk about what you are doing, even if just for talking.

She could also talk about/think about doing a 3X+1/2L+3F in the program (where x is whatever she bloody wants it to be) that could help with the edge call, can still keep her hard triple triples. Hell she could possibly even cram 3 triple triples in there if she really wanted to with a 1/2loop+3F added in.

Since the base value of a 3Lo is not that much away from 3F, I think she should put the 3Lo in x. But if she does that, her jump layout will be the exact same as Elena Radionova (and I think also Anna Pogorilaya).

Like somebody else said, I think the World podium will be highly unlikely for her this time because her season's best was only 184.

 

[silverlake22]

Polina's chances at Worlds may have just improved since an article came out mentioning that Anna Pogorilaya sprained her ankle badly and was off the ice for about a month and only starting training fully again on March 12th. Granted, she hasn't withdrawn or been replaced by an alternate so she may be fine, but still, her condition being questionable puts the odds in the US ladies favor that much more.