U.S. Women [#5]: Remain on the Dance Floor

[Frau Muller]

I’m amazed by the top three free skates:

1. Josephine 138.85
2. Amber 135.48
3. Sarah…my newly-discovered Peggy Fleming! 130.16

…and the first Sr US woman to hit a quad, Mia Kalin, is in 8th place overall (7th place FS. 118.10) with weak PCS…

Winter Youth Olympic Games 2024 - Men Single Skating - Short Program

www.isuresults.com

Who would’ve predicted this one week ago?

 

[Jarrett]

So how do the age rules work? Is Lee eligible for senior next year? Or the year after that? Do they have to be the age requirement before the season starts or what?

 

[skatingguy]

So how do the age rules work? Is Lee eligible for senior next year? Or the year after that? Do they have to be the age requirement before the season starts or what?

17 before July 1, 2024 - assuming that you're asking about Josephine Lee she will be age eligible for the 2025/26 season.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

Happy for Josephine Lee but also happy she will have to wait. Things for young skaters can change so dramatically - growth spurt, technical things easier on a small frame suddenly disappearing, etc. This will work exactly as it was meant to. Senior winners at worlds will have the skating and interperative skills that make skating a sport-art.

 

[Allskate]

Amber posted an IG Story that includes her reaction when she won and a photo of Isabeau hugging her.

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Isabeau posted an IG Story that includes one of the spins she did in the long program and Amber's reaction to winning. I'm glad she can at least acknowledge what she improved. And I love that Isabeau and Amber are both so driven while also being so supportive of each other.

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[Rukia]

I love the friendship and energy between Amber and Isabeau.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

When a skater has an off day and doesn't perform up to their expected potential, I can understand the concern.

That being said, why the top athletes are so good is that they make extremely difficult elements look very easy. There are also many internal variables and external factors which contribute to good performances. Not to mention how to handle the intense pressure.

Skating is hard, and you only need to attend a club or regional competition. At this level, pretty much everyone falls on or omits the more difficult moves.

 

[Jonas]

I might have missed this somewhere, but is the USFSA hosting some sort of Jr. Worlds Selection camp/competition as they have seasons past??

For the ladies, I think any two of Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Logan Higase-Chen should be sent. (Personally, I like the first two.) These three all skated two clean, solid performances in Columbus this week. Elyce Lin-Gracey arguably had the strongest international season, but she definitely fell short here this week.

I can't imagine Martnov not being named on the men's side. I'd go w/Beck Strommer for the 2nd spot based on the fact that he barely missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final.

Your thoughts...

 

[BittyBug]

(Wrong thread.)

 

[skatingguy]

I might have missed this somewhere, but is the USFSA hosting some sort of Jr. Worlds Selection camp/competition as they have seasons past??

For the ladies, I think any two of Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Logan Higase-Chen should be sent. (Personally, I like the first two.) These three all skated two clean, solid performances in Columbus this week. Elyce Lin-Gracey arguably had the strongest international season, but she definitely fell short here this week.

I can't imagine Martnov not being named on the men's side. I'd go w/Beck Strommer for the 2nd spot based on the fact that he barely missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final.

Your thoughts...

I don't believe they are this year. With the Youth Olympic Games this week, and then just a few week until the World Junior Championships I don't think there's a place in the schedule for such a camp.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I might have missed this somewhere, but is the USFSA hosting some sort of Jr. Worlds Selection camp/competition as they have seasons past??

For the ladies, I think any two of Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Logan Higase-Chen should be sent. (Personally, I like the first two.) These three all skated two clean, solid performances in Columbus this week. Elyce Lin-Gracey arguably had the strongest international season, but she definitely fell short here this week.

I can't imagine Martnov not being named on the men's side. I'd go w/Beck Strommer for the 2nd spot based on the fact that he barely missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final.

Your thoughts...

well, I think that Sherry is probably the very first choice for the junior worlds team, but her short program score at youth Olympic games was an eye-opener…

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It is with my pleasure to announce that Amber has chosen the same avatar I have at this moment as her new Instagram profile photo.

 

[Cayuse]

Finished reading Gracie’s book Outofshapeworthlesslooser on the plane ride from Nationals. I was lucky enough to win a copy in a drawing when she gave a talk at the Columbus Metropolitan Library (a gorgeous facility!) The book will be released February 6 and would be worth a discussion thread in FSU. The book should be required reading for all coaches, skating parents, everyone connected with US Figure Skating and with all posters on skating blogs. We discuss how bad the skating culture is in Russia and France; it’s time we own up to how bad the skating culture in the US can be. And most importantly, how much damage the negative comments about the SKATERS themselves can affect their mental health.

Gracie doesn’t hold back. She talks about all of her coaches including one she calls Cruella, her family’s complicated disfunction (thank goodness she had a twin sister for support) her sexual assault (still not resolved through Safe Sport), her eating disorders, the stresses of high expectations, the stresses of poor performances, the impact of body shaming, her experience in a mental health facility, why she decided to continue skating, a leave-behind letter from John Coughlin, and why she loves coaching kids. The average fan (myself included) make a lot of assumptions based on a few words or actions caught on camera or reported from a media session or posted in here (i.e. the throwing of her team jacket in the trash can.) We really don’t know much, if anything, about the athlete’s personal situation or their motivation.

 

[Rukia]

Finished reading Gracie’s book Outofshapeworthlesslooser on the plane ride from Nationals. I was lucky enough to win a copy in a drawing when she gave a talk at the Columbus Metropolitan Library (a gorgeous facility!) The book will be released February 6 and would be worth a discussion thread in FSU. The book should be required reading for all coaches, skating parents, everyone connected with US Figure Skating and with all posters on skating blogs. We discuss how bad the skating culture is in Russia and France; it’s time we own up to how bad the skating culture in the US can be. And most importantly, how much damage the negative comments about the SKATERS themselves can affect their mental health.

Gracie doesn’t hold back. She talks about all of her coaches including one she calls Cruella, her family’s complicated disfunction (thank goodness she had a twin sister for support) her sexual assault (still not resolved through Safe Sport), her eating disorders, the stresses of high expectations, the stresses of poor performances, the impact of body shaming, her experience in a mental health facility, why she decided to continue skating, a leave-behind letter from John Coughlin, and why she loves coaching kids. The average fan (myself included) make a lot of assumptions based on a few words or actions caught on camera or reported from a media session or posted in here (i.e. the throwing of her team jacket in the trash can.) We really don’t know much, if anything, about the athlete’s personal situation or their motivation.

ohhh I pre-ordered the book and I cannot wait thank you for this info

 

[skatingguy]

ohhh I pre-ordered the book and I cannot wait thank you for this info

I have just done the same, and thanks to @Cayuse for the preview & endorsement.

 

[Firedancer]

I have just done the same, and thanks to @Cayuse for the preview & endorsement.

I have preordered it too and can’t wait to read it. Thanks @Cayuse for the review

 

[natsulian]

Based on nationals and Youth Olympic Games, my team for Junior Worlds is Elyce Lin-Gracey and Sherry Zhang with Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Mia Kalin as alternates.

 

[toddlj]

Based on nationals and Youth Olympic Games, my team for Junior Worlds is Elyce Lin-Gracey and Sherry Zhang with Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Mia Kalin as alternates.

I know it's just one competition, but Lin-Gracey really underperformed at nats. I do like her... but let's see how she does at 4CCs?

 

[Coco]

I want Sarah to have a championship on principle.

 

[zebobes]

Based on nationals and Youth Olympic Games, my team for Junior Worlds is Elyce Lin-Gracey and Sherry Zhang with Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Mia Kalin as alternates.

I think it's fine to have preferences as to who should have assignments, but I have no idea how the results of nationals and youth olympic games would have caused you to pick Elyce and Sherry, as they both underperformed, and as for Sherry, she especially underperformed in the short, which is catastrophic at a Junior Worlds when only 24 make the free.

They are both great skaters, and I can see reasons to pick them, but if we are going by YOG and Nationals, I would say that Josephine and Sarah have clearly performed the best and make the most sense at the moment, with the order of the alternates TBD. Like toddlj said, Elyce still has a chance to prove herself, so we can wait and see.

 

[mtnskater]

Sarah Everhardt’s jumping and solidity was impressive at Nationals but her presentation is really lacking at this point. Her posture and extension needs lots of work. Hope her team really gets her to focus on that because she is an exciting prospect.

My vote for Junior Worlds women goes to Sherry Zhang. Sherry’s free skate at YOG was impressive! And Elyce LG if she does well at 4CCs, like she skated earlier this fall. Josephine has been a disaster internationally. But it is tempting to give her another shot after nationals. I’d go with international consistency though.

 

[wouldacoulda]

I might have missed this somewhere, but is the USFSA hosting some sort of Jr. Worlds Selection camp/competition as they have seasons past??

For the ladies, I think any two of Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Logan Higase-Chen should be sent. (Personally, I like the first two.) These three all skated two clean, solid performances in Columbus this week. Elyce Lin-Gracey arguably had the strongest international season, but she definitely fell short here this week.

I can't imagine Martnov not being named on the men's side. I'd go w/Beck Strommer for the 2nd spot based on the fact that he barely missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final.

Your thoughts...

There is a camp for the National Development Team. A young dance team from my rink is attending. I believe selection is based upon placements at qualifying events. The kids from my rink competed in Intermediate.

 

[Frau Muller]

Sarah Everhardt’s jumping and solidity was impressive at Nationals but her presentation is really lacking at this point. Her posture and extension needs lots of work. Hope her team really gets her to focus on that because she is an exciting prospect.

…

Yeah, that’s what I thought of serious-faced Peggy Fleming in the 1960s. Sarah Everhardt (and Josephine Lee) for Jr Worlds!

 

[Karen-W]

Sarah Everhardt’s jumping and solidity was impressive at Nationals but her presentation is really lacking at this point. Her posture and extension needs lots of work. Hope her team really gets her to focus on that because she is an exciting prospect.

My vote for Junior Worlds women goes to Sherry Zhang. Sherry’s free skate at YOG was impressive! And Elyce LG if she does well at 4CCs, like she skated earlier this fall. Josephine has been a disaster internationally. But it is tempting to give her another shot after nationals. I’d go with international consistency though.

The USFS should be thinking long-term for not just the program but the women themselves. Elyce is going to earn ISU Championship points at 4CCs and that will help move her up the WS heading into next season - and possibly secure her at least one GP invitation. Sarah is also senior age-eligible and could also use the WS points from competing at an ISU Championship. She also did reasonably well at her one JGP last fall. Josephine manages to hit at Nationals but internationally, I agree, she's been a mess. Sherry has also done fairly well internationally. At this point, I'd lean toward a Jr Worlds team of Sarah Everhardt and Sherry Zhang with alternates being Josephine, Elyce and Logan (throw the Jr champ a bone, lol).

 

[Allskate]

Sarah Everhardt’s jumping and solidity was impressive at Nationals but her presentation is really lacking at this point. Her posture and extension needs lots of work. Hope her team really gets her to focus on that because she is an exciting prospect.

Yeah. Good jumps, but I found her skating boring. It's not just the posture, extension, and skating skills that aren't very impressive. She is not great with the interpretation and performance. But, she can improve all of this. She has Ilia as an example. (Yes, I think his PCS scores are inflated, but I do think he has improved a lot.) I think she has great potential.

 

[hoptoad]

Yeah. Good jumps, but I found her skating boring. It's not just the posture, extension, and skating skills that aren't very impressive. She is not great with the interpretation and performance. But, she can improve all of this. She has Ilia as an example. (Yes, I think his PCS scores are inflated, but I do think he has improved a lot.) I think she has great potential.

I don't disagree with the unimpressive choreography and PCS part, but I wasn't bored by Sarah at all. Somehow I just found myself really rooting for her as she ticked off her elements. Lots to improve on, of course, but her jumps seemed pretty solid.

I hope she does get a Jr Worlds spot to help her climb the world standings and transition to senior. I'd also send Josephine since she beat her in the same competition. Sherry Zhang is also really impressive, but she has to stay junior at least one more year and has time to rack up more points. Plus, she did get the Junior Olympics spot.

 

[Wyliefan]

Nick McCarvel has a new interview with Ava (it went up yesterday before the SP):

https://olympics.com/en/news/ava-marie-ziegler-exclusive-figure-skating--four-continents-future

Dealing with a lingering hip injury, Ziegler took the unusual step of sitting out the U.S. Championships last week, where Amber Glenn captured her first national title. 2023 champion and Ziegler’s fellow New Jersey native Isabeau Levito took third.

“It was definitely very hard... I was sitting there being like, ‘I should be there,’” Ziegler said. “But my team and I thought the best decision would be to focus on Four Continents [because] it’s been a struggle to recover. I’ve been working on my mental and physical health.”

 

[Karen-W]

I might have missed this somewhere, but is the USFSA hosting some sort of Jr. Worlds Selection camp/competition as they have seasons past??

For the ladies, I think any two of Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Logan Higase-Chen should be sent. (Personally, I like the first two.) These three all skated two clean, solid performances in Columbus this week. Elyce Lin-Gracey arguably had the strongest international season, but she definitely fell short here this week.

I can't imagine Martnov not being named on the men's side. I'd go w/Beck Strommer for the 2nd spot based on the fact that he barely missed qualifying for the Jr. Grand Prix Final.

Your thoughts...

well, I think that Sherry is probably the very first choice for the junior worlds team, but her short program score at youth Olympic games was an eye-opener…

Based on nationals and Youth Olympic Games, my team for Junior Worlds is Elyce Lin-Gracey and Sherry Zhang with Josephine Lee, Sarah Everhardt, and Mia Kalin as alternates.

I know it's just one competition, but Lin-Gracey really underperformed at nats. I do like her... but let's see how she does at 4CCs?

I think it's fine to have preferences as to who should have assignments, but I have no idea how the results of nationals and youth olympic games would have caused you to pick Elyce and Sherry, as they both underperformed, and as for Sherry, she especially underperformed in the short, which is catastrophic at a Junior Worlds when only 24 make the free.

They are both great skaters, and I can see reasons to pick them, but if we are going by YOG and Nationals, I would say that Josephine and Sarah have clearly performed the best and make the most sense at the moment, with the order of the alternates TBD. Like toddlj said, Elyce still has a chance to prove herself, so we can wait and see.

Sarah Everhardt’s jumping and solidity was impressive at Nationals but her presentation is really lacking at this point. Her posture and extension needs lots of work. Hope her team really gets her to focus on that because she is an exciting prospect.

My vote for Junior Worlds women goes to Sherry Zhang. Sherry’s free skate at YOG was impressive! And Elyce LG if she does well at 4CCs, like she skated earlier this fall. Josephine has been a disaster internationally. But it is tempting to give her another shot after nationals. I’d go with international consistency though.

Yeah, that’s what I thought of serious-faced Peggy Fleming in the 1960s. Sarah Everhardt (and Josephine Lee) for Jr Worlds!

The USFS should be thinking long-term for not just the program but the women themselves. Elyce is going to earn ISU Championship points at 4CCs and that will help move her up the WS heading into next season - and possibly secure her at least one GP invitation. Sarah is also senior age-eligible and could also use the WS points from competing at an ISU Championship. She also did reasonably well at her one JGP last fall. Josephine manages to hit at Nationals but internationally, I agree, she's been a mess. Sherry has also done fairly well internationally. At this point, I'd lean toward a Jr Worlds team of Sarah Everhardt and Sherry Zhang with alternates being Josephine, Elyce and Logan (throw the Jr champ a bone, lol).

I don't disagree with the unimpressive choreography and PCS part, but I wasn't bored by Sarah at all. Somehow I just found myself really rooting for her as she ticked off her elements. Lots to improve on, of course, but her jumps seemed pretty solid.

I hope she does get a Jr Worlds spot to help her climb the world standings and transition to senior. I'd also send Josephine since she beat her in the same competition. Sherry Zhang is also really impressive, but she has to stay junior at least one more year and has time to rack up more points. Plus, she did get the Junior Olympics spot.

Responded here in the general US selection speculation thread -

2024 Four Continents/Junior Worlds/Worlds US Team Speculation

ZingKol are almost there! 2 hrs ago they landed in Seoul - https://www.instagram.com/stories/emileazingas/3291577681437482080?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MXNlaGJzcTd1NWVtYw==

www.fsuniverse.net

 

[PRlady]

Nick McCarvel has a new interview with Ava (it went up yesterday before the SP):

https://olympics.com/en/news/ava-marie-ziegler-exclusive-figure-skating--four-continents-future

She piqued DH’s interest watching the replay today. He asked me how old she was and I got it wrong by two years. Her presentation is more mature than most 17-year-olds.

 

[Allskate]

She piqued DH’s interest watching the replay today. He asked me how old she was and I got it wrong by two years. Her presentation is more mature than most 17-year-olds.

ITA. She handles that choreography really well.