What will 2010-11 bring for Caroline Zhang? | Page 21 | Golden Skate

What will 2010-11 bring for Caroline Zhang?

Olympia said:
Feraina, though I hate to talk about weight on girl athletes for all sorts of reasons, I have to concede that each sport has one or two ideal body types because of the demands of the sport. That doesn't mean that someone with another body type can't excel, but it could be a bit harder. (One exception that crossed my mind in skating is Shue Shen, who's rather tall for a pair skater and not quite as starved-looking as either Pang or Ms. Zhang (Dan?), and yet she magically is able to perform the most demanding lifts and throws.) One ideal body type for ladies' singles skating is lean and narrow, preferably petite. The other ideal type, though, seems to be muscular and compact, like Midori Ito and Tonya Harding, so there are other possibilities for skaters.

Your other point, about American foods in terms of both quality and quantity is, alas, right on the mark. It's hard to resist the siren call of junk food, especially as an adolescent. We're also a lot more sedentary as a society. Interestingly, Asian Americans tend to be taller and bigger than their counterparts in Asia. That's got to be diet.

As this applies to Caroline, I hope she can figure things out (pun not intended) and resume her climb upward in skating. It's hard watching youngsters falter on the way to their goals, especially in sports where the peak age comes so early, giving them no second chances.
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I think Caroline is at a disadvantage because she doesn't fall into the petite, lean, and narrow category and or muscular and compact. Most of the more sturdy figure skaters are very short, around 5 feet tall, and so despite being muscular with a more stocky build, they still don't weigh very much. Caroline is like 5'4" or 5'5" yes? So it's hard for someone of that height to be really compact, and she doesn't have the long limbs and ectomorphic frame to be the willowly thin type of skater. If she had her current build but was about 4 inches or so shorter, than there might be more hope for her, but just looking at her frame and build now, it looks like she has a body type better suited to being a soccer player or swimmer than a figure skater. Weight can be controlled somewhat, but if she is meant to be 5'4" and 125 pounds, she's never going to be able to get down to 104 pounds (what Yuna and Mao, who are of similar heights weigh) without some drastic or unhealthy measures, and she can't make herself shorter, so it's just tough.
 
Medusa said:
I cannot imagine how Zhang must have felt in the last months. You notice it when you gain weight like this, she certainly must have noticed it. And she knew that once she stepped on the ice with the new body, people would talk. Judges, competitors, other coaches, officials, fans... And she still went to Japan, showcased her new, not finished, technique, yes, she crashed and burnt in the freeprogram, but she certainly has courage and spunk.
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And add in the fact that she has been fawned over all her skating life for being so petite, tiny and doll-like.
 
R.D. said:
Some people seem to think the thinner, the better. But you need to have the strength, too.
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Thinner is "better" because it gives the illusion of a longer, sleeker line. One could be thin and still be strong enough to execute programmes. Think Russian ballerinas.

The camera makes one look 10 pounds heavier so I'm not totally convinced that Caroline is fat. Rather, she reminds me of Bebe Liang in terms of body type. For an elite athlete in an image-conscious sport, I doubt a skater can afford to be "fat". Better to be healthy than be stricken by an eating disorder.

I'm willing to give Caroline the benefit of the doubt. If she can correct her mule-kick, clearly, she's serious about correcting her problems. She's probably still getting used to her body, so it'll be a while before she gets her spins and spirals back to where they used to be. Give her time to adjust; she's a work in progress.

ETA: I'm quite sure the point about Asians living in the US/ Europe weighing heavier compared to those in Asia is true to a large extent. The main reason is because of the portion size; I can never finish my meals! :laugh:
 
I have to be honest, I was floored when I saw Caroline at NHK for the first time since Nationals, and that was due to the incredible height she seemed to have attained in a matter of months, as well as the extra pounds, but as I stated originally I think it's muscle combined with her new woman's body, that's all. Anyhow, I also noticed she has, thankfully, held onto her natural grace & elegance.

She's getting used to her new body, but more importantly she's working on her technique issues (same as Mao), therefore I don't expect much from either one of them this season or even next season. Give 'em time, that's what they need, time... :)
 
Medusa said:
I cannot imagine how Zhang must have felt in the last months. You notice it when you gain weight like this, she certainly must have noticed it. And she knew that once she stepped on the ice with the new body, people would talk. Judges, competitors, other coaches, officials, fans... And she still went to Japan, showcased her new, not finished, technique, yes, she crashed and burnt in the freeprogram, but she certainly has courage and spunk.

Arakawa was 22 when she became World Champion, she was at the peak of her jumping ability, in contrast to lots of other Asian skaters these days she had a butt and powerful tighs back then. Even as a tiny teen she never jumped that well.

Arakawa probably had better basic technique than Zhang, but Zhang certainly has talent and I am quite sure that she could get to a good place with lots of patience and discipline.
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Awww, Medusa, you are back! :)

And yes, I totally agree with you. As with Mao and Joannie, I have a LOT of respect for Caroline, those who are willing to go back to square one to fix problem areas from the root. It's definitely very encouraging to see the changes unfold and seeing the fruits of the skaters' efforts/labour.
 
Nadine said:
I have to be honest, I was floored when I saw Caroline at NHK for the first time since Nationals, and that was due to the incredible height she seemed to have attained in a matter of months, as well as the extra pounds, but as I stated originally I think it's muscle combined with her new woman's body, that's all. Anyhow, I also noticed she has, thankfully, held onto her natural grace & elegance.

She's getting used to her new body, but more importantly she's working on her technique issues (same as Mao), therefore I don't expect much from either one of them this season or even next season. Give 'em time, that's what they need, time... :)
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She definitely didn't gain an incredible amount of height recently. She was asked about that in this interview http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=494182.html from a few weeks ago. She said last year she was 5'3.5" last year and this year she is 5'4" and sometimes 5'4.25". Half an inch is barely noticable. She did have a huge height increase, but it wasn't recently, she's about the same height as she was last season and maybe 2 inches taller than she was in 08-09. Her big growthspurt was during the 07-08 season when she went from like 4'10" to 5'2".
 
Last edited:
aftertherain said:
Originally Posted by Olympia
Interestingly, Asian Americans tend to be taller and bigger than their counterparts in Asia. That's got to be diet.

'Taller' does not apply to me. I cry a little on the inside. :cry:
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There are taller Chinese people in China - particularly in the Northern areas. Yes, they are an exception.

I haven't found Asian Americans to be taller than people from Asia. I have some older relatives who are taller than their children and vice versa. On my Dad's side, all of my male cousins born in the US are shorter or the same height as their China born fathers. All of us female cousins are taller than our mothers (except 1) and a couple are taller than their brothers.

Now, if you said 'heavier', I would agree that the American diet has made us bigger than our ancestors.
 
I definitely did not think 'fat' when I watched Caroline on Universal Sports channel. She's just not a little baby ballerina anymore, she's a young woman. If you go back and look at MK at 14 vs 17, you see a great difference, too.

Also, it's early in the season. Many of the skaters aren't in top form yet. Some of them do yo-yo some pounds from beginning to end of season and back.
 
silverlake22 said:
She definitely didn't gain an incredible amount of height recently. She was asked about that in this interview http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=494182.html from a few weeks ago. She said last year she was 5'3.5" last year and this year she is 5'4" and sometimes 5'4.25". Half an inch is barely noticable. She did have a huge height increase, but it wasn't recently, she's about the same height as she was last season and maybe 2 inches taller than she was in 08-09. Her big growthspurt was during the 07-08 season when she went from like 4'10" to 5'2".
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That's really interesting, silverlake, thanks for your post. Still, to me, whom hadn't see her skate since Nationals, that's the first thing I noticed ~ she seemed incredibly tall out there.

Anyhow, I'm not going to worry about Caroline, rather I will let her work on her skating in relative peace. Seriously, as one gets older, what seemed like forever actually only turns out to be a moment in time. I'll blink and it'll be next year or four years from now. And that's the honest to God truth.
 
frauregina said:
I wonder what's with the bandage on her hand. I think she had it a month ago.
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She could have some kind of injury. If she is injured or was in the past, that could definitely explain some of her body change. When you are used to exercising so much and then take a break, you body can react pretty drastically. Anyhow she still has her triples and that's what's most important, so I won't worry about her body until it appears it is preventing her from doing triple jumps. For the record I'm really impressed with her 3f, it's so solid now.
 
silverlake22 said:
For the record I'm really impressed with her 3f, it's so solid now.
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I agree. It looks gorgeous. It's her best jump, so far.

OT: I've read her sister's post on her FB wall, and it seemed that the summer was no playtime for her. It sounded that she worked really hard to improve her skating. If that's the case, I won't give up on her. I believe that it'll get worse before it gets better. Who knows, she may amaze us at the latter part of the season (a la 2008-2009)
 
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