About Gracie Gold - Phil Hersh

[DORISPULASKI]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't USFS also sending 2 other ladies to compete at Junior World's? What are they? "chopped liver"?!

No. They're seniors Both skated in seniors the last 2 years at US Nationals. So far, they have shown solid skills, but based on their current results, have yet to show the ability to challenge the Russian juniors.

And neither has Gracie, yet.

Vanessa Lam (7th last year, 9th this year in US Seniors) and Christina Gao (4th last year at Jr Worlds, 5th last year in US Seniors, and 5th in US seniors the year before). Vanessa skated the JGP this year and finished 5th at the JGPF.

However, the overhyping in the past of Lam and Gao is a warning for those supporting Gracie. Sometimes it is better to wait for results before proclaiming victory. You can wind up being compared to chopped liver if the results don't materialize.

[MacMadame]

Some of the comments by members of her "team" border on trashtalk.

The comments made on FSU are not even remotely those of her actual team.

[PDilemma]

The comments made on FSU are not even remotely those of her actual team.

I assumed that by "team" demetriosj meant the uber fans posting about her, not her coaches/parents, etc... The quotation marks being the clue.

[demetriosj]

I assumed that by "team" demetriosj meant the uber fans posting about her, not her coaches/parents, etc... The quotation marks being the clue.

actually, I did mean some of the comments put out there by members of her coaching team in interviews after she won Junior...

[Nomad]

actually, I did mean some of the comments put out there by members of her coaching team...

Then you shouldn't have used the quotation marks. That made it seem like you were being sarcastic.

[demetriosj]

Then you shouldn't have used the quotation marks. That made it seem like you were being sarcastic.

sorry for the confusion

[MacMadame]

actually, I did mean some of the comments put out there by members of her coaching team in interviews after she won Junior...

I haven't seen anything said by her team that was remotely as you describe. I have seen articles that said stupid things but if you look at the article, it's usually not her team being quoted, but the author speculating.

The most ambitious things she or her team have said is that, if she continues to skate how she's been skating, she'll be in the mix for Sochi. And I don't think they've even said it that definitively.

Since this is true... if she keeps going how she's been going, she'll definitely be in the mix... I don't have any issue with it.

[vesperholly]

Gold certainly looks like she has sound jumping techniques, and they're impressive; However, the non-jump aspect of her skating isn't that impressive yet.

Agreed. Very nice jumps, but I wasn't blown away by them. She skates very fast and goes into her jumps with lots of speed, gets good height, then lands practically at a standstill. That's not the best technique (indicative of a skater jumping up but not out), and it may make combinations troublesome.

I was also unimpressed by the choreography of her programs. Nothing but crossovers and a few basic steps that even I could do. She skated right through the music. Pretty arms, but she has breaks in posture and the long limbs can look a little Gumby-loose.

The PCS scores she got in Juniors don't surprise me - big-time jumps can pump up PCS scores like nothing else. Many judges try to get their technical marks and their presentation marks somewhat close, because it's strange to have an insane disparity unless a skater is really, really bad at one and really, really fantastic at the other. I've tracked tech vs PCS scores at big events, and they're almost always in line with each other or very, very close.

The talent and potential is there. She just has to refine it for Seniors. If she doesn't, and her jumps fail her, right now there's very little left.

[demetriosj]

[QUOTE=MacMadame;3470257]
I have seen articles that said stupid things but if you look at the article, it's usually not her team being quoted, but the author speculating.

Not even remotely referring to the Springfield local article. That's just local hoopla, which is fine. Referring to USFS interview with her coach after she won. In it he states she is the best skater in the US.

Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, who knows?, I could understand her team speaking like this amongst themselves celebrating over some coffee after her win,

but, it's just unseemly and premature to speak like this in an USFS interview, kind of disrespectful to the rest of the US team, IMHO.

& again she is not the only Ladies skater being sent to Junior Worlds, as many of these comments and articles would lead one to believe..

[Sylvia]

Not even remotely referring to the Springfield local article. That's just local hoopla, which is fine. Referring to USFS interview with her coach after she won. In it he states she is the best skater in the US.

If you are referring to this IceNetwork article on the Junior Ladies FS, the exact quote was:

"She is the best jumper in the U.S.," Alex Ouriashev, Gold's coach, said in the mixed zone. No argument here.

(Snark: I think having three active GG threads -- 2 in GSD, 1 in the Trash Can -- is a bit much. )

[gkelly]

Many judges try to get their technical marks and their presentation marks somewhat close, because it's strange to have an insane disparity unless a skater is really, really bad at one and really, really fantastic at the other. I've tracked tech vs PCS scores at big events, and they're almost always in line with each other or very, very close.

I don't see how the judges can keep their PCS close to "their" TES for each skater, since they don't know what levels were called on nonjump elements and don't have time to add up the element scores and factor the component scores.

At most they might operate on a principle that, for instance, several good triples automatically deserve PCS at least in the 5s and many good triples deserve at least 6s or 7s. But that would be a principle about how to reflect jump content in PCS rather than a principle about consciously keeping the TES and PCS totals close numerically.

[MacMadame]

PCS are factored. That makes them generally come out close to the TES. This is done on purpose and it's part of the formula, not something the judges "do".

[Ozzisk8tr]

I so don't get the Lam love. I've seen her live and she jumps so low you couldn't fit an ants penis under those blades. Still, the judges seem to like her. I just don't get it though myself.

[pinky166]

I so don't get the Lam love. I've seen her live and she jumps so low you couldn't fit an ants penis under those blades. Still, the judges seem to like her. I just don't get it though myself.

She's fairly consistent with her jumps and has very nice spins and good flexibility. I personally like her interpretation as well, even though she skates a bit workmanlike.

[Ozzisk8tr]

She's fairly consistent with her jumps and has very nice spins and good flexibility. I personally like her interpretation as well, even though she skates a bit workmanlike.

She did remind me of Ann Patrice. Very little passion about her skating. I do hope she loves it and isn't just being pushed.