Interesting trend age wise

[johndockley92]

The typical stereotype is that the junior ladies and novice ladies have been more of girls lately - however just realized that the novice and junior champion of the men's event is younger than the same events in ladies. Just interesting that's all. Is our sport being taken over by children?

[feraina]

The typical stereotype is that the junior ladies and novice ladies have been more of girls lately - however just realized that the novice and junior champion of the men's event is younger than the same events in ladies. Just interesting that's all. Is our sport being taken over by children?

Well, the top girls/ladies in singles are getting older in every category, it feels like -- from Novice to Senior. Maybe it's because IJS has a greater emphasis on technical perfection over athleticism or something. You can no longer expect to score high just because you can do the hard triples or do each of the spins, you have to perfect your technique on the jumps, and your positions and techniques on the spins, plus the skating skills necessary to do well on the footwork sequences and PCS. It feels like aside from a few exceptions (e.g. Karen Chen), most young girls just can't compete the older ones in the same category, who may not have the harder triples but have their techniques perfected. Case in point, Carolina Kostner.

Not sure what's happening with men. Internationally, they don't seem to be getting younger. Maybe it's a temporary thing in the U.S.

[MacMadame]

I'm not sure two people one in Junior and one in Novice can be a trend.

[Zemgirl]

I assume you mean the US Champions?

I think sometimes you just have special talents who break through at a young age - such as Nathan Chen at US Nats or Yuzuru Hanyu back in his junior days; he was one of the youngest skaters at the event when he won 2010 Junior Worlds. But the year before the Junior World champion was 19, and the year after it was an 18 year old. So I don't think there's any trend going on. Every once in a while you'll simply have skaters who progress more rapidly than the norm.

The sport is certainly not being taken over by children. The European men's and ladies champions are 29 and 25, respectively, Patrick Chan is 21, and Takahashi is 25. Akiko Suzuki turns 27 next month. Actually, I think it's pretty accurate to say that most of the current top skaters are in their twenties - and yes, I know there are exceptions, but if you look at this season's podiums, there aren't a lot of teenaged medalists these days.

[VarBar]

You can no longer expect to score high just because you can do the hard triples or do each of the spins, you have to perfect your technique on the jumps, and your positions and techniques on the spins, plus the skating skills necessary to do well on the footwork sequences and PCS. It feels like aside from a few exceptions (e.g. Karen Chen), most young girls just can't compete the older ones in the same category, who may not have the harder triples but have their techniques perfected. Case in point, Carolina Kostner.

I think Sotnikova and Tuktamisheva can beat Kostner and Czisny next year if they land their jumps cleanly. And I see a lot of potential in Zawadski to do the same too, her SP performance at US Nationals this year was just amazing.

[DORISPULASKI]

Yes, and interestingly enough, Zawadzki got the Professional Skaters' Association's EDI award for the best performance by a lady at US Nationals for that SP. The EDI's are given strictly for the performance, and the award has gone to a lady was was as far down the standings as 8th (Stephanie Rosenthal) and went to the Junior Champion Courtney Hicks last year, so there's no particular preference for the eventual winner of the Senior Ladies' event.

Winning that EDI definitely signals Zawadzki has come of age as a performer. Now if she could only manage to excel in the LP consistently!

[aliceanne]

I think Sotnikova and Tuktamisheva can beat Kostner and Czisny next year if they land their jumps cleanly. And I see a lot of potential in Zawadski to do the same too, her SP performance at US Nationals this year was just amazing.

It remains to be seen how they weather puberty. Slutskaya was winning senior titles at their age, but then faded for about 3 years in her late teens, she was written off as a non-factor at the 98 Olympics. She had most of her success in her mid to late 20's. Kimmie Meissner faded in her late teens as well and never made it to the Olympics, although she did win a world title.

I don't consider Agnes Zawadski particularly young as a U.S. Nationals bronze medalist at 17. She still has a ways to go to medal internationally.

Rudy Galindo won the Novice men's title at an early age. I don't think that there are very many male competitors in the U.S. once you get past the intermediate level.

[Sylvia]

I've noticed an increase of young Asian boys "prodigy" types in recent years -- in addition to Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou in the U.S., there's Han Yan and He Zhang (China), Nam Nguyen (Canada) and Shoma Uno (Japan), for example (the latter 4 are competing at Junior Worlds this coming week).

[Nomad]

^ Meissner made it to the Olympics. She finished 6th in Torino.

[berthesghost]

It remains to be seen how they weather puberty. Slutskaya was winning senior titles at their age, but then faded for about 3 years in her late teens, she was written off as a non-factor at the 98 Olympics.

written off for what? Gold? She was a heavy favorite for bronze right up until after the sp, and even then was marked within podium distance dispite her sp mistake. Then she rebound to take silver at worlds. I don't think people "wrote her off" until her dismal 99 season. By 00 people were acting like she'd had this huge slump, but 97 (euro title and controversial 4th at worlds despie 3 first place votes) and 98 (silver at worlds) weren't really bad seasons for her.

[aliceanne]

written off for what? Gold? She was a heavy favorite for bronze right up until after the sp, and even then was marked within podium distance dispite her sp mistake. Then she rebound to take silver at worlds. I don't think people "wrote her off" until her dismal 99 season. By 00 people were acting like she'd had this huge slump, but 97 (euro title and controversial 4th at worlds despie 3 first place votes) and 98 (silver at worlds) weren't really bad seasons for her.

I don't consider that "taking over the sport".

[berthesghost]

I don't consider that "taking over the sport".

I think the 90s were much more about "children taking over the sport" then today is, with all of the rules in place to prevent just that. 96 was all about Kwan and irina ruling over "old guard" Chen and Ito, and when puberty bitch slapped them both the very next year they were tossed aside like day old fish for Lipinski "I'm 14 but skate like I'm 10" style. Had irina taken bronze in nagano like predicted, we would have had our first teen beat oly podium.

[aliceanne]

I think the 90s were much more about "children taking over the sport" then today is, with all of the rules in place to prevent just that. 96 was all about Kwan and irina ruling over "old guard" Chen and Ito, and when puberty bitch slapped them both the very next year they were tossed aside like day old fish for Lipinski "I'm 14 but skate like I'm 10" style. Had irina taken bronze in nagano like predicted, we would have had our first teen beat oly podium.

Yes, it is not just the IJS that has slowed the "children" down, but also the age requirement. With her bad hip, Tara never would have made it if she had had to wait until 2002. On the other hand, I wonder how Mao, Yuna, and Kimmie would have done if they had been allowed to enter the Olympics earlier in their careers.

[UGG]

Yes, it is not just the IJS that has slowed the "children" down, but also the age requirement. With her bad hip, Tara never would have made it if she had had to wait until 2002. On the other hand, I wonder how Mao, Yuna, and Kimmie would have done if they had been allowed to enter the Olympics earlier in their careers.

I don't think Kimmie could have gone any earlier that she did.

I do think she would have made the 2004 world team though (if she was allowed to skate as a sr at 12/13 like MK and others), and obviously she would have gone in 2005.

[Nomad]

...On the other hand, I wonder how Mao, Yuna, and Kimmie would have done if they had been allowed to enter the Olympics earlier in their careers.

Meissner would have been 12 in 2002. You do realize that she competed in the Torino Games?