U.S. Ladies Prediction & Speculation Thread

[prettykeys]

What is the difference between figure skating and boxing?
A world champion skater can lose several times, and still be the champion.

What is the difference between figure skating and professional wrestling?
There are still some people who think wrestling is judged fairly.

So true with the boxing champion title, though.

 

[janetfan]

Which 14/15-yr-old are you thinking about? Yasmin Siraj (14)? Kiri Baga (15)? Neither of them managed to blow their JGP fields away, and while they are good skaters making lots of recent progress, I don't yet see them as serious contenders for Nationals' podium. PCS alone will keep them down unless everyone else has a total meltdown.

Christina Gao and Agnes Zawadzki are both 16, while Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu are both 17. Age-wise, they're really not that far apart. Christina & Agnes both feel like fresh faces because they were relatively late boomers compared to Caroline & Mirai. And there's no way that Christina & Agnes have both gone through puberty already. They are both extremely lanky and long-limbed, they will most likely fill out significantly in the next couple of years, which has even more of an effect on jumps than growth in height.

When I wrote, "wouldn't it be nice if" it means I don't think the USA has a 14 year old skater setting the ice on fire at this time.

As to Agnes - did you see the pic I posted? How much more does she have to "fill out" for you to see her as a young Lady and not a young girl?

Put it this way, if a rival decided to pull a Tonya Harding and kneecap her I might take a couple of grown men and a crowbar to hurt her

My gosh, Agnes looks "mature" and very strong to me. Her jumps reflect this as they are easily the biggest of any USA lady at the moment. Her lutz is higher and covers almost twice as much ice as our other girls.

It is harder for me to say with Christina becasue she is so petite. Maybe she will grow some more. In the case of Agnes though I think she is already 5'6 and no longer has the body of a 12 year old girl.

 

[silverlake22]

When I wrote, "wouldn't it be nice if" it means I don't think the USA has a 14 year old skater setting the ice on fire at this time.

As to Agnes - did you see the pic I posted? How much more does she have to "fill out" for you to see her as a young Lady and not a young girl?

Put it this way, if a rival decided to pull a Tonya Harding and kneecap her I might take a couple of grown men and a crowbar to hurt her

My gosh, Agnes looks "mature" and very strong to me. Her jumps reflect this as they are easily the biggest of any USA lady at the moment. Her lutz is higher and covers almost twice as much ice as our other girls.

It is harder for me to say with Christina becasue she is so petite. Maybe she will grow some more. In the case of Agnes though I think she is already 5'6 and no longer has the body of a 12 year old girl.

Judging by how small Christina was at 13 when she competed at nationals as a novice, I'd be surprised if she turned out to be a tall girl. I know Mirai and Caroline were also very tiny when they were 13, but now at 5'3"-5'4", while they are a lot taller than before, they aren't tall by any means, and further where both girls are pretty thin with small frames, they can still be considered petite. Christina is now 5'2"-5'3", so I'd assume the tallest she'd end up is around Yuna's height, 5'4"-5'5". Yuna, Mao, Miki, Laura, Mirai, etc are all around the 5'4" range but all with thin frames and thus their height really does not seem to be an issue. I tend to think Christina will be just fine unless she has a huge growth spurt and ends up in the 5'6"-5'7" range which I think is highly unlikely. Agnes could be at a disadvantage where she's 5'6" but unlike most girls her size, her jumps seem pretty consistent, at least for now.

 

[feraina]

I agree that neither Agnes or Christina is likely to gain much more height, but their bodies just don't look "filled out", the way Caroline's or Mirai's is. Caroline & Mirai both have feminine curves (even though they are petite), whereas Agnes & Christina are all arms and legs. I agree though that Christina has very big and high jumps, though, and may well ride out the next phase of puberty just fine.

Well, time will tell, I guess. It doesn't matter how we speculate now. It looks like, in any case, that both Christina and Agnes are on course for a good season, including possibly a breakthrough at National's.

 

[R.D.]

^^ And in fact, the Hype Machine has them on the US world team already.

I still think they need another year.

 

[janetfan]

^^ And in fact, the Hype Machine has them on the US world team already.

I still think they need another year.

Based on what? We just saw that if Agnes skates clean and Flatt skates clean Agnes will beat her. Agnes has much bigger jumps, better spins and nicer positions - and even if she is as slow as Flatt she already appears to be a more stylish skater.

So you want to wait until she beats her again ....OK..... it will only be a few months from now

And I think you are dead wrong when you talk about "hype."
It is strickly about "hope."

 

[FlattFan]

Flatt has some triples downgraded. She wasn't clean.

Another factor is, Flatt is way more reliable. She's consistently doing 7 triples LP under pressure. Agnes is not there yet.

 

[Mathman]

I always wonder, in these discussions, whether the 14-year-old skaters appreciate being the subject of so much scrutiny with regard to how "filled out" they are.

When Michelle was that age she pointedly remarked about how embarrassing the whole topic was. Her reply to questions about whether her new figure would interfer with her skating was, "What do you think I am going to do, topple over?"

 

[bigsisjiejie]

I always wonder, in these discussions, whether the 14-year-old skaters appreciate being the subject of so much scrutiny with regard to how "filled out" they are.

When Michelle was that age she pointedly remarked about how embarrassing the whole topic was. Her reply to questions about whether her new figure would interfer with her skating was, "What do you think I am going to do, topple over?"

Best. Answer. Yet. The only skater who I was ever afraid might "topple over" was Elene Gedenevashvili! She is not vertically gifted, but is seriously horizontally so.

 

[R.D.]

...And I think you are dead wrong when you talk about "hype."
It is strickly about "hope."

Both are completely different feelings, but they are interrelated in one sense:

Hope > Crazy Result > Hype > Ridiculous Expectations

(Crap, couldn't get the arrows to display properly but hope is also supposed to be connected DIRECTLY to hype.)

:yes:

 

[silverlake22]

I agree that neither Agnes or Christina is likely to gain much more height, but their bodies just don't look "filled out", the way Caroline's or Mirai's is. Caroline & Mirai both have feminine curves (even though they are petite), whereas Agnes & Christina are all arms and legs. I agree though that Christina has very big and high jumps, though, and may well ride out the next phase of puberty just fine.

Well, time will tell, I guess. It doesn't matter how we speculate now. It looks like, in any case, that both Christina and Agnes are on course for a good season, including possibly a breakthrough at National's.

Some people are just built like that. I mean Carolina Kostner is all arms and legs even at 23. Mao has broad shoulders but no hips as a 20 year old. Laura Lepisto is 21 and still has a very straight up-and-down build. Joannie is 24 and yet still has an angular, muscular build. Miki and Yuna are different, they are both very thin but still have curves, but not everyone can be built like those two!

 

[R.D.]

Gotta agree. None of them have any REAL "curves". Emily Hughes comes the closest IMHO of the recent crop of US ladies. And as for Asada, Kim, Ando, et al you can FORGET IT


http://www.frogsonice.com/skateweb/reports/2007-ewc/hughes-1.jpg NOW WE'RE TALKING

 

[janetfan]

Gotta agree. None of them have any REAL "curves". Emily Hughes comes the closest IMHO of the recent crop of US ladies. And as for Asada, Kim, Ando, et al you can FORGET IT

Sorry RD - I deleted because I was afraid mathman would give us a lecture on the evils of discussing "curves."

I think Yuna and Miki are beautiful and I wouldn't change a thing about either one of them. But I see no real curves - only sleek, bordering on skinny - model type looking young ladies.

It's funny but Yuna, Miki, Mao, Laura, Mirai and others with the right hair/makeup and outfits could easily pass for 14. None of them will ever be confused with Sophia Loren,,,,,,
sorry mm

 

[FlattFan]

Recently saw some pictures of Brian Boitano and Rachael Flatt together. Boy, has he "filled out" or what.

 

[Mathman]

None of them will ever be confused with Sophia Loren,,,,,,

sorry mm

Cheekbones, cheekbones, cheekbones!

Miki at twenty:

http://images.nipponcinema.com/news/miki-ando.jpg

Miki at fifty, with swept-up hair:

http://www.myclassiclyrics.com/artist_biographies/images/Sophia_Loren_Biography.jpg

 

[janetfan]

Cheekbones, cheekbones, cheekbones!

Miki at twenty:

http://images.nipponcinema.com/news/miki-ando.jpg

Miki at fifty, with swept-up hair:

http://www.myclassiclyrics.com/artist_biographies/images/Sophia_Loren_Biography.jpg

Hey, what can I say - I threw you a bone

 

[Mathman]

Recently saw some pictures of Brian Boitano and Rachael Flatt together. Boy, has he "filled out" or what.

Well, he always did have those thighs...

http://dailypostal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/boitano.jpg

...and now that he has his own cooking show...

http://d2eosjbgw49cu5.cloudfront.ne...11--images--What-Would-Bryan-Boitano-Make.jpg

 

[feraina]

Gotta agree. None of them have any REAL "curves". Emily Hughes comes the closest IMHO of the recent crop of US ladies. And as for Asada, Kim, Ando, et al you can FORGET IT
http://www.frogsonice.com/skateweb/reports/2007-ewc/hughes-1.jpg
NOW WE'RE TALKING

Now, wait a minute. Curves don't mean only boobs. Lots of Asian girls just don't have big boobs, even if they are average built or overweight. You can still add on mass in other parts of your body that would interfere with jumping high or rotating fast or skating with great flow or not losing your stamina through a LP...

 

[silverlake22]

Now, wait a minute. Curves don't mean only boobs. Lots of Asian girls just don't have big boobs, even if they are average built or overweight. You can still add on mass in other parts of your body that would interfere with jumping high or rotating fast or skating with great flow or not losing your stamina through a LP...

Miki Ando has boobs. She actually has a womanly physique, just a very thin womanly physique. And fans drool over Yuna's butt all the time. Sure they are both skinny but so are lots of Asian women.

 

[silverlake22]

Sorry RD - I deleted because I was afraid mathman would give us a lecture on the evils of discussing "curves."

I think Yuna and Miki are beautiful and I wouldn't change a thing about either one of them. But I see no real curves - only sleek, bordering on skinny - model type looking young ladies.

It's funny but Yuna, Miki, Mao, Laura, Mirai and others with the right hair/makeup and outfits could easily pass for 14. None of them will ever be confused with Sophia Loren,,,,,,
sorry mm

http://absoluteskating.com/reports/2009doi/Miki-Ando.jpg . Miki is hot. Enough said. She doesn't look 14. Yuna could look 14 in the right outfit but she can also look really feminine and sexy in the right outfit.