Fixing the Canadian Ladies Program

[alilou]

Nam Nguyen has a new coach! I believe! Now that there's a very good chance his potential will emerge. He went to Orser didn't he?

[The Accordion]

Yes he did! Good thinking! (knock wood)

[The Accordion]

I am pretty busy these days. But I will think about it and get back to you.

I hear Joanne McLeod has an opening now that Nguyen is gone~! Have your people contact her people!

[PeterG]

And while it's all still potential, hopefully at least one of Firus, Rogozine, Nguyen, and Mitchell can really step up.

Manhn. If you don't mind stepping outside for a moment. Jeremy Ten and I would like to have a word with you.

[clarie]

Too bad we can't have more Kaetlyns. That girl just sparkles on the ice. Even if she wasn't Canadian, I would still have a new fav in her. I hope she never loses that as time goes on and she enters the pressure cooker. I wish I could see more Canadian women skate with that kind of joy and abandon and connect with the audience instead of the serious puke faces we normally see. Wishful thinking for Nats. .

[spikydurian]

As I was falling asleep last night I was thinking about this thread and how - for the first time in a while we might have to think about fixing Men's skating in Canada.

Accordion, you are a die-hard FSU-er!
Okay, I admit this did cross my mind too though not when I was about to fall asleep. It does look bleak unless the current successors take a great leap forward, IMO.

But I will think about it and get back to you.

You do think?

Nam Nguyen has a new coach

I am impressed with his 'new image'. No more gloves and colourful costumes. He has a more sophisticated and elegant skating style now. Hope this kid keeps growing.

[Sylvia]

After searching the twitterverse it seems as though Alexe Gilles has advanced to the Skate Canada Challenge next month! She was in 2nd after the short but cant find the final results.

The full results never got updated but here's the full protocol:

http://www.skatecanada-centralontari...02013/swde.pdf

Giouzelin Mutlu was the story here, attempting six triples in her free skate. I hope she makes nationals and the JGP next year.

The official final results are published online at last: http://www.skatecanada-centralontari...02013/swrs.pdf

So the top 4 COS Senior Women advancing to Challenge are:
Eri Nishimura 123.92
Giouzelin Mutlu 119.70
Alexe Gilles 118.77 (coached by Christy Krall in Colorado Springs according to her recent tweet)
Olivia Houston 110.36
Note: Gabrielle Daleman WD but also advanced to Challenge for being a JGP competitor.
---
Next 3 COS Women:
Rachel Greben 108.79
Michelle Long 108.65
Christina Yan 108.43

Guest Skaters at COS:
Kelsey McNeil (NB) 121.34, 2nd overall
Gabrielle Anne Cormier (NB) 113.52, 5th
Kate Charbonneau (MB) 107.34, 10th

ETA links:

Here's the Canadian Sectionals results/discussion thread in Kiss and Cry: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/show...26-Nov-11-2012

Explanation of Canadian qualifying system for Nationals:
http://www.skatecanada.ca/Developmen...S/Default.aspx

Do we know if current National Team members Alexandra Najarro and Adriana DeSanctis could be receiving a medical bye to Challenge after their withdrawal from COS?

[googooeyes]

Quebec sectional have just finished as well.
Here are the full results:
http://www.patinage.qc.ca/doc/result...on_A_2013.html
Juliane Seguin had 153.10 in senior ladies.

[Marco]

Perhaps it is just that we have been spoiled in my lifetime of skating - with kind of skating version of lighting the next cigarette with the previous one
Toller Cranston - Brian Pockar - Brian Orser - Kurt Browning - Elvis Stojko - (a bit of a blip but still such potential and always the hopeless hopers with Sandhu) - Jeff Buttle - Patrick Chan.

But who next?

Too greedy.

Any other nation would have killed for a champion streak like that. Or, most nations would have killed for having just one of the above champions.

[googooeyes]

Too greedy.

Any other nation would have killed for a champion streak like that. Or, most nations would have killed for having just one of the above champions.

Don't forget Donald Jackson and Donald McPherson who led the way for the others

[chantilly]

I think Joanne Macleod is a crappy coach. Sorry all of her male skaters have been head cases. And she is the common denominator. Kevin shows promise but I think he should get far away from her and got to Brian Orser or someone else. Javier has improved so much with him. And so have many other of Brian's skaters. But agree, men's skating in Canada behind Patrick seems a bit dire.

[Seerek]

I think Joanne Macleod is a crappy coach. Sorry all of her male skaters have been head cases. And she is the common denominator. Kevin shows promise but I think he should get far away from her and got to Brian Orser or someone else.

I think part of it is mental/psychological, but I think part of the problem is also the technique of Joanne's students breaking down in competition situations (i.e. not-so-great technique shows itself in pressure situations)

As for the ladies, has Canada ever had really had periods of sustained depth? In the last 40 years, I believe that Canada placed 2 in the top 10 at Worlds only 7 times (the last being 1994).

[chantilly]

I think part of it is mental/psychological, but I think part of the problem is also the technique of Joanne's students breaking down in competition situations (i.e. not-so-great technique shows itself in pressure situations)

As for the ladies, has Canada ever had really had periods of sustained depth? In the last 40 years, I believe that Canada placed 2 in the top 10 at Worlds only 7 times (the last being 1994).

Yup. I think you are exactly right here.

[Proustable]

From the boys, I think that Mitchell and Sadovsky have the most potential. Rogozine too.

[essence_of_soy]

I remember seeing the Canadian Championships live in 1994, and the top four women were fantastic. Josee Chouinard, Karen Preston, Susan Humphreys, and a girl I had never seen but heard a great deal about, Tanya Bingert had all of the big jumps and wonderful, mature presentation. it was a better skated event than US Nationals which I had seen in person the week before.

Unfortunately, they just did have the mental game to put it together on the competitive stage when it was absolutely needed.

Kay Thomson was a skater who should have done so much better at the world level. Her short program at the 1983 Canadians was years before its time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixXuiiOZ3Nc

[googooeyes]

I remember seeing the Canadian Championships live in 1994, and the top four women were fantastic. Josee Chouinard, Karen Preston, Susan Humphreys, and a girl I had never seen but heard a great deal about, Tanya Bingert had all of the big jumps and wonderful, mature presentation. it was a better skated event than US Nationals which I had seen in person the week before.

Unfortunately, they just did have the mental game to put it together on the competitive stage when it was absolutely needed.

Kay Thomson was a skater who should have done so much better at the world level. Her short program at the 1983 Canadians was years before its time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixXuiiOZ3Nc

So true! She originated that upright spin with the foot crossed behind. It is still called a Thomson Spin in Canada (at least by us old folks)

[Rock2]

Thomson's spins were utterly sick. Check out her longs. Interestingly the only consistent triple she had was the lutz. She also did the flip but it was often underrotated. She didn't do any other triples. Weird.

I find that skating in the 80s yeah had cheesy music but also seemed to have much more abandon than any other decade. You can youtube gobs of performances like this from all countries. Orser's performances in 83 and 84 were just insane, too. Went hard after everything.

[Rock2]

I remember seeing the Canadian Championships live in 1994, and the top four women were fantastic. Josee Chouinard, Karen Preston, Susan Humphreys, and a girl I had never seen but heard a great deal about, Tanya Bingert had all of the big jumps and wonderful, mature presentation. it was a better skated event than US Nationals which I had seen in person the week before.

Unfortunately, they just did have the mental game to put it together on the competitive stage when it was absolutely needed.

Very sad that Bingert never made it to world's. Huge lutz and 3 other triples as well as an outstanding layback but was often 3rd.
1994 nationals were incredible in all disciplines. Lots of drama everywhere. 16,000 seats were packed in Edmonton for pretty much the whole thing. Quite the heyday....

[danafan]

So the top three at Canadians this year all had triple triple in the short, the bronze medallist landed seven triples, and our champion is a senior Grand Prix winner and the silver medalist isn't senior age eligible yet. Does our program still need fixing?

[all_empty]

Thomson's spins were utterly sick. Check out her longs. Interestingly the only consistent triple she had was the lutz. She also did the flip but it was often underrotated. She didn't do any other triples. Weird.

I find that skating in the 80s yeah had cheesy music but also seemed to have much more abandon than any other decade. You can youtube gobs of performances like this from all countries. Orser's performances in 83 and 84 were just insane, too. Went hard after everything.

The arch in her layback is amazing and I've never seen a back layback as good as hers. Love the disco Firebird ... A true staple of the '80s.