U.S. Ladies [#6]: "Swaggering with the S'Wagner" et al. into 2013

[modern_muslimah]

I hope she's ok by Nationals and more importantly that this isn't affecting her training for Nationals. Off topic but I love her hair color.

[olympic]

As we all know, a true case of the flu usually leaves you pretty incapable of mirth and amusement, so due to the fact she's smiling and joking (in the pics) I doubt it's a knock-you-flat-on-your-back flu virus. She probably has a cold or something.

[lulu]

Slate's "Doers" column features a short video interview with skater Brianna Laxson. http://www.slate.com/articles/sports...her_jumps.html

[aftershocks]

I thought Alexe Gilles had retired. I didn't realize she was skating for Canada. Of course her and her siblings have Canadian ancestry through their mother, as I recall reading.

[victoriaheidi]

I thought Alexe Gilles had retired. I didn't realize she was skating for Canada. Of course her and her siblings have Canadian ancestry through their mother, as I recall reading.

Is she scheduled for Canadian Nationals? I assume Piper and Paul are.

[chipso1]

Is she scheduled for Canadian Nationals? I assume Piper and Paul are.

Yes, Alexe will skate in the senior women's short program this afternoon.

[apatinar]

Alexe is still around??? I thought that when she got too tall, she would have stopped skating.. I guess a giraffe in Canada has a better chance of getting to the Olympics than a giraffe in the U.S.A!

[Sylvia]

Alexe Gilles qualified for Canadians by finishing 9th at Challenge in December (top 17 advanced) - I think a 8-10 finish would be a reasonable result for her. She is coached by Christy Krall in Colorado Springs but will likely have other coaches with her at Canadians.

ETA:

Slate's "Doers" column features a short video interview with skater Brianna Laxson. http://www.slate.com/articles/sports...her_jumps.html

Thanks! Laxson is coached by Andrey Kryukov (interviewed in the video) and she was 6th in Novice at Nationals last year. She is competing in Junior Ladies this year.

[Sylvia]

Pre-Nationals article on Mirai Nagasu with quotes from her and her coach, Wendy Olson: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

[Sasha'sSpins]

Pre-Nationals article on Mirai Nagasu with quotes from her and her coach, Wendy Olson: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

Great article on Mirai by Lynn Rutherford! Love it! And I love that Mirai seems in a much much better place than last year. She's obviously in great shape and in a better frame of mind. Those two-hour drives really seemed to take a toll last season but that's behind her now. It's interesting they brought in other choreographers (Jamie Isley and Cindy Stuart) to tighten Mirai's SP and LP respectively. I can't wait to see what they've done as far as adding transitions. etc. and I also like that her coaches have zeroed in on her UR's. She's my fave and it'll be a dream if she makes the World team this year-and the Olympics again (next year)!

Mirai posted a pic of her (and a friend) on her twitter and FB accounts:
http://instagram.com/p/UpW-UKC5Zv/

I think she looks to be in great shape.

[Karpenko]

I would love to see Mirai kick butt at Nationals. She sounds like she's in the exact frame of mind we see a lot of skaters have when they are about to throw down some amazing performances. An Ashley/Mirai World team this year would be a dream come true. Both of them also have the potential to really shake things up at Worlds.

[worldsnice12]

Pre-Nationals article on Mirai Nagasu with quotes from her and her coach, Wendy Olson: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

What a difference a year can make!She seems in such a good place both mentally and physically,the only way is up now

[apatinar]

I hope that these new people brought in to enhance Mirai's skating have worked on her arms as I have found that they have become very mechanical and robot looking.. Definitely not like the younger Mirai who blew everyone away with her freedom of movement.

[Jammers]

But what happens if Mirai does well and makes it to Worlds again? History tells us when she isn't flying under the radar but is expected to do well she crumbles when the pressure is on. Just look how she collapsed in 2011 when Alissa skated lights out right before her. She was beaten before she even took the ice.

[Sylvia]

Each competition provides a new opportunity for every skater to be successful.

[AliasJohnDoe]

Each competition provides a new opportunity for every skater to be successful.

And each competition is a learning experience for every skater.

[judgejudy27]

But what happens if Mirai does well and makes it to Worlds again? History tells us when she isn't flying under the radar but is expected to do well she crumbles when the pressure is on. Just look how she collapsed in 2011 when Alissa skated lights out right before her. She was beaten before she even took the ice.

Even if she makes Worlds the expectations for her will be mild, unless somehow Wagner doesnt make it and the pressure is really racheted up on the remaining 2 Americans. Going to Worlds with Wagner she would be expected to deliver a finish of around 8th or 9th, and Wagner would be the one under pressure to win a medal or atleast make top 5, to gain the U.S 3 spots back. No matter how well she does at Nationals nobody will be expecting a medal from her if she goes to Worlds, so she should remain under the radar, which as you suggested is a good thing for her.

[Coco]

...remaining 1 American lady.

I think if Mirai skates fearlessly and with attack, she wins whether she makes the world team or not and at worlds, whether she makes the final group or not. That's all she needs to prove this season.

(And of course "fearlessly and with attack" means rotated jumps.)

[reese]

Just saw on twitter that Vanessa Lam has WD from Nationals.

[Stephanie]

That's really too bad for Vanessa. I hope it's not too late for the first alternate, Laney Diggs, to be able to compete.