U.S. Ladies [#4]: Gold or Pyrite?

[skfan]

jump details are in the first link Sylvia provided in post #794. does it show how impressed the judges are with hannah, since she won even without being perfect, without gracie having many jump errors?

i like her broadmoor open long program dress, though, so i'm sorry to see it go

[chipso1]

Cross posting this from the Skate Detroit thread:

Here's Hannah Miller's final round skate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEtTRXugMDs

[skfan]

Hannah's jumps are not tiny for Hannah's size. She gets quite nice lift on loop especially, and her Lutz looked much improved to me last night (much less flutzed). She has solid technique and I think her jumps are actually fairly strong. They may not soar like Gracie's, but not many people's do.

Gracie doubled a Lutz and turned out of a 2A that I think she intended to do a 2A+3T combo on, but otherwise skated quite well. I thought Hannah just looked more "on" last night. Both were wonderful to watch, and it was a treat to watch them skate back-to-back.

thanks for your eyewitness report

can you comment on nina jiang's long program music /choreography? i know she hasn't skated to her potential so far this season (from the scores), but she's still a beautiful skater and certainly one of my favorites.

thank you chipso1 for the link to hannah's program. i'm certain she will get her JGP now

[mgobluegirl]

can you comment on nina jiang's long program music /choreography? i know she hasn't skated to her potential so far this season (from the scores), but she's still a beautiful skater and certainly one of my favorites.

Her FS was Memoirs of a Geisha and she wore a black dress with her hair in a bun very high on her head. The program was alright; it didn't really strike me either way. I did think she looked like she was kind of going through the motions toward the end, after making several mistakes (something I remember her doing a lot in her Ladies in Lavender FS). I remember watching her skate as a Juvenile years ago at Skate Detroit (she had to be only 8 or 9) and thinking she had wonderful edge quality and softness to her skating. I hope she can pull it together as this program gets a little more mileage. But last night she looked pretty mediocre, and with the number of strong skaters vying for JGP spots, I wouldn't send her out.

[Ziggy]

Miller definitely looks improved.

Jumps aren't very high but as hasn't been pointed out already, she's still quite short so they are decent enough for her body build.

Flutz is much improved, she had nice flow over the ice and ice coverage and speed seemed better.

A good effort.

[skfan]

Her FS was Memoirs of a Geisha and she wore a black dress with her hair in a bun very high on her head. The program was alright; it didn't really strike me either way. I did think she looked like she was kind of going through the motions toward the end, after making several mistakes (something I remember her doing a lot in her Ladies in Lavender FS). I remember watching her skate as a Juvenile years ago at Skate Detroit (she had to be only 8 or 9) and thinking she had wonderful edge quality and softness to her skating. I hope she can pull it together as this program gets a little more mileage. But last night she looked pretty mediocre, and with the number of strong skaters vying for JGP spots, I wouldn't send her out.

thank you so much.

many of my favorites including nina aren't anywhere near as polished and comfortable as hannah miller at this point in the season, and i'm still holding out hopes for all of them. as for the JGP, i never had nina in my 'initial 8' in the first place, but i hope she will manage to qualify for nationals--more challenging now with hannah vying for mids and a resurgent becky bereswill in the mix as well. perhaps barbie long will decide to go senior as well...

interesting season to come

[pinky166]

Barbie is staying junior another season, and so is Mariah Bell. Hannah Miller if she keeps skating this well likely won't be competing at Mids, if she qualifies for the JGPF she won't have to compete, and even if she doesn't, if she gets 2 JGPs depending on the timing she might not have to compete either though I'm not sure. So Nina's main competition will be Amanda Dobbs, Becky Bereswill, Alexe Gilles (if she's not competing for Canada?), McKinzie Daniels, Morgan Bell, Carly Gold, Kiri Baga (JGP pending) and Lauren Dinh. So even the way she's skating now, she still has a decent shot to make it as none of these other girls have been skating totally brilliantly recently either, and when she skates to her potential, Nina could easily win, like she did last season.

[Sylvia]

Rachael Flatt and Ashley Cain are likely to be at Midwestern Sectionals as well.

ETA on 7/30 that Kiri Baga (Upper Great Lakes region) has the option to compete in Senior Ladies out of North Atlantics/Easterns because her pairs partner, Taylor Toth, is a member of SC of New York.

[skfan]

Rachael Flatt and Ashley Cain are likely to be at Midwestern Sectionals as well.

sorry, i'd already put ashley cain in the JGPFinal. j/k

perhaps by october i'll remember that mirai nagasu and rachael flatt finished out of the top 5 at last year's nationals.

[crankyintheAM]

Here's Hannah Miller's final round skate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEtTRXugMDs

Thank you, chipso1! She keeps improving all the time. I really enjoyed her program. I hope she'll get those JGP assignments.

[just wondering]

Great summer effort to mark her spot in the JPG season. She improves at such a fast pace. Her jumps do look stronger and higher, and all the other skills are maturing rapidly.

[Chris_E]

Haven't seen this posted but Ashley Wagner tweeted a "sneak peak" at her long program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEY...layer_embedded

[Triple Butz]

Haven't seen this posted but Ashley Wagner tweeted a "sneak peak" at her long program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEY...layer_embedded

Thanks for sharing. Not an original choice, but I think Saint-Saens will be great for her!!

[demetriosj]

Hannah Miller lists her birthplace as Chicago in her USFS bio. Did she ever train in Chicago, or has she only trained in Michigan?

[Jenna]

Haven't seen this posted but Ashley Wagner tweeted a "sneak peak" at her long program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEY...layer_embedded

Thank you!

Ah, finally a peak at Wagner this season. "Samson and Delilah," not an unique choice, but a powerful and exciting piece that is right up Ashley's alley. I'm very excited to see this in competition.

[l'etoile]

Thank you!

Ah, finally a peak at Wagner this season. "Samson and Delilah," not an unique choice, but a powerful and exciting piece that is right up Ashley's alley. I'm very excited to see this in competition.

ITA. She's unique as herself!

[Sylvia]

Ashley Wagner may be skating one or both of her programs at the Orange County Open, a small competition taking place August 18-20 in Yorba Linda, CA (the weekend before Champs Camp), but the event schedule isn't available online yet.

Hannah Miller lists her birthplace as Chicago in her USFS bio. Did she ever train in Chicago, or has she only trained in Michigan?

I think it's the latter. Hannah's father, 1988 U.S. Olympic hockey player Kevin Miller, was playing for the Chicago Blackhawks when she was born (October 1996), and if you look at the Competitive History section of her USFS bio, she was competing at the Juvenile level in the Eastern Great Lakes region (which includes Michigan) in the 2008-09 season.

[burntBREAD]

Karen Chen (her 3Lz-3Lo combo in her SP and her entire LP) from the Silicon Valley Open! Incredible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ3i-WkWkpU

[Triple Butz]

Karen Chen (her 3Lz-3Lo combo in her SP and her entire LP) from the Silicon Valley Open! Incredible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ3i-WkWkpU

She's amazing! I have a feeling when she gets a bit more height and strength in a year or two she'll be able to get all the way around on that 3z/3r! It reminds me a lot of Miki's attempts at that age, and we all know how big her jumps got...

[Ziggy]

Haven't seen this posted but Ashley Wagner tweeted a "sneak peak" at her long program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKEY...layer_embedded

"Bacchanale" from Samson & Delilah by Camille Saint-Saens.

Used a lot in skating but there's a reason for it. It's a great piece of music, with good tempo and power and lots of highlights.

Karen Chen (her 3Lz-3Lo combo in her SP and her entire LP) from the Silicon Valley Open! Incredible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ3i-WkWkpU

3loop was very clearly cheated but still a great effort.

She jumps really high for somebody that tiny!

Hopefully she can survive puberty.