What will 2010-11 bring for Caroline Zhang?

[pangtongfan]

I think if Caroline's results improve she will get another sponsor.

 

[brightphoton]

There is one concern I have, and that is finances. It appears AT&T did not renew Caroline's contract, and to my knowledge, she has no other sponsors. I wonder if she can afford to skate until the next Olympics. Can she afford to skate and go to college at the same time? :think:

:disapp: that makes me very sad.

 

[R.D.]

She was at quite a low point. I figure she would have made the decision to quit by now if she couldn't...

 

[pangtongfan]

I think Caroline has World medalist potential, maybe even World Champion or Olympic medalist. She will never dominate skating and set historical marks, but I do believe she could be one of the great skaters of her own era. It will take alot of work and all the pieces coming together to make that happen for her though. I hope she atleast comes closer to fulfilling her true potential then what she has reached thus far which is a vast underfullfillment of her talent.

I often think her career might have been different had she not been screwed over at the 2009 Nationals and gone to Worlds, assuming Flatt also wasnt screwd over and the team was Zhang and Flatt instead of Czisny who skated poorly in the long program at Nationals which should have ceded her spot. I believe Zhang and Flatt would have earned the U.S 3 spots for Turin and Zhang after presumably a top 6 finish at the 2009 Worlds would have gone in with alot more momentum and confidence than she did, and it would have been harder to just chuck her aside out of frusteration with some of her problems as sort of happened.

For this years Nationals I am not sure if she can make it yet. She has worked hard in the off season and shows improvement , I hope she stays on this track. However I am not sure she can make it in time for them. If I had to call now I would predict her to be 7th or so at Nationals behind Nagasu, Czisny, Flatt, Wagner, Zadwaski, and one of Gao or Dobbs. I expect 1 or 2 of those to bomb so probably 5th or 6th if she has a decent Nationals (unlike last year). However ice is slippery and things can change fast so who knows. Maybe she will be able to have improved enough and have swayed the judges enough by then to be in contention for the podium or even the World team. I do think the improvement she is showing now could get her there long term even if it doesnt this season though. If she has the patience to ride it out. Of course given her past dissapointments, turbulations, and the possible fincancial woes I couldnt blame her if she doesnt have that patience.

Either way I wish her the best, and I admire that she was willing to obviously do some hard work to lose the mule kick on her toe jumps over the summer. That is already a big step and start.

 

[feraina]

Somewhat OT: Alissa Czisny looked much thinner than in previous seasons. But she also skated better in SC than she has in years. Like Yu-na in the Olympic season. I think there is just a natural set point for different people in terms of what body weight/shape is peak fitness for them.

 

[silverlake22]

Somewhat OT: Alissa Czisny looked much thinner than in previous seasons. But she also skated better in SC than she has in years. Like Yu-na in the Olympic season. I think there is just a natural set point for different people in terms of what body weight/shape is peak fitness for them.

People keep mentioning this but to me she looks exactly the same as always. She is very thin, but she has always been very thin.

 

[Tinymavy15]

:disapp: that makes me very sad.

I don't think the Zhangs have too many financial problems. Caroline's family seems more well-off than many skating parents, like Mirai for instance . Caroline lives in orange county, she is going an online schooling, her older sis went to MIT...and NBC has yet to do. fluff piece on her struggle to afford skating lol.

 

[brightphoton]

I don't think the Zhangs have too many financial problems. Caroline's family seems more well-off than many skating parents, like Mirai for instance . Caroline lives in orange county, she is going an online schooling, her older sis went to MIT...and NBC has yet to do. fluff piece on her struggle to afford skating lol.

That's true. I heard that her family is very well off. But it's nice to be sponsored. A feather in your cap. To not be renewed by a sponsor because of your poor results is, well, not a good feeling.

I hope she medals at Skate America.

 

[gold12345]

That's true. I heard that her family is very well off. But it's nice to be sponsored. A feather in your cap. To not be renewed by a sponsor because of your poor results is, well, not a good feeling.

I imagine some sponsors only offer contracts during the Olympic year and then that's it, regardless of what the results look like. It's wonderful to have a sponsor even for just one year, and I wouldn't take it personally if they don't renew you... It could just be a business decision.

 

[PolymerBob]

That's probably what happened. There are really very few U.S. ladies who have done well with endorsement deals. Plus the economy doesn't help either. If one of our ladies makes the World podium next year, that should be worth something, unless the sponsors feel winning is everything.

 

[demarinis5]

Somewhat OT: Alissa Czisny looked much thinner than in previous seasons. But she also skated better in SC than she has in years. Like Yu-na in the Olympic season. I think there is just a natural set point for different people in terms of what body weight/shape is peak fitness for them.

I agree. That was the second thing that came to my mind when I saw her SP. The first was please don't fall Alissa.

 

[feraina]

I agree. That was the second thing that came to my mind when I saw her SP. The first was please don't fall Alissa.

Me, too! And of course she flipped out of her 3Z first thing in her SP. Fortunately, the rest of the SP and most of the LP went well.

 

[frauregina]

Hi guys!

Caroline has agreed to answer questions from us (c/o Polymerbob and me), so I'd like to invite you to PM me your questions or leave a comment at cz-online.org. Thanks!

 

[Olympia]

Just tell her we're rooting for her, Frauregina!

 

[ManyCairns]

I second Olympia -- just let her know she's still got fans and support out here! Tell her to enjoy herself out there on the ice!

 

[Sylvia]

Quotes from Skate America (IceNetwork article published on 11/14 after the SP and before the FS):

"I actually think [my confidence] is better, because I don't have expectations for myself," the 17-year-old [Zhang] said. "I was always self conscious about my technique because I got so much criticism for it. Now I actually see an improvement, so I'm much more confident."

In Portland, Zhang worked diligently on her flip and Lutz in practice, missing the jumps more often than not. But when she competed her short program -- choreographed by Tom Dickson to a Tango -- she landed a solid triple flip.

"I was actually very surprised to be missing elements in practice," Zhang, who sits fifth going in to the free, said. "Before I came here, I was doing well. I was very consistent, so it was a surprise for me to be falling on [flips and Lutzes] instead of landing them.

"I've actually tried to work on the entrances to my flip and my Lutz a lot and I think they've improved. Of course there are more improvements I can make, but for now, I'm happy."

[Coach Tammy] Gambill said that while her pupil is not quite there yet, she's on her way.

"It's a work in progress," the coach said. "There's a long ways to go, but she's making the changes. It's difficult for her, especially under nervous situations. She tends to revert a little bit back."

Zhang would also like to develop a speedier, more impressive double Axel, and thinks she's making progress there, too.

"It's not where I want it to be," she said. "It was actually better in the summer, but since it got better, I stopped paying so much attention to it, so that it kind of regressed a little bit."

"I've seen it so much better [than it is in Portland], so it's not where I want it to be yet," Gambill added. "I know she's capable but again when she gets nervous she tends to get a little cautious. Hopefully by nationals she'll be firing it up more."

Regaining the podium at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships is obviously the goal, and Gambill said she's impressed with how Zhang has handled the changes so far.

"It's always a building process," she said. "As long as she's working and trying to make those changes I'm happy with her."

 

[nylynnr]

It seems the stories about Caroline re-tooling her techniques have unfortunately put the whammy on her. Stop.

 

[Mathman]

Dear Caroline,

I hope you are reading this.

Report card so far.

Flip. A+

Lutz: Incomplete. You are about 90% there. Easy does it. One thing at a time.

Double Axel: B+ Big improvement. I am not a coach, but it looks to me like it would be better with a straighter approach (?) As we say in the air force, you drop some delta-v's at the very end of your turn.

Spins. They are fine. That's not your focus this year. True, when you were 12 you were pretzel-girl, now you are grown up. That's life.

Presentation. Just keep on looking like a movie star. (Do you need an agent? )

Goal: Keep on keeping on. I hope you make the podium at U.S. Nationals.

Well, maybe not at the expense of Alissa, but still...

 

[krenseby]

Spins. They are fine. That's not your focus this year. True, when you were 12 you were pretzel-girl, now you are grown up. That's life.

I strongly disagree with you here. She should continue focusing on the spins. Not only do they bring in points but they can make her look a lot more pleasing to watch. Excellent spins can really be the highlight of a skater's program for viewers because they are that beautiful and breathtaking.

 

[lavender]

Yeah for now she needs to keep working on spins because the more points she gets for her spins the better. It will soften the blow that she gets from her jumps since they aren't quite there yet. I see the improvement in her jumps but it's certainly not second nature for her yet in a competition setting. I also see improvement in her speed unlike a lot of people.

I pray my dear Caroline will start looking like a star but she's not quite there anymore. I hope to see her come back.