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

[UGG]

I really think due to Ashley's international record over the last year (4C's Champion, 4th at worlds, 2 gold GP events, and silver at GPF) there is no way she is being left off the world team. i really think she would have to have an epic meltdown for her to not place top two.

[Tesla]

I really think due to Ashley's international record over the last year (4C's Champion, 4th at worlds, 2 gold GP events, and silver at GPF) there is no way she is being left off the world team. i really think she would have to have an epic meltdown for her to not place top two.

I agree. With her record, I think the only way she isn't going to Worlds is if she's out for the season with an injury.

[Jarrett]

Point already made by another poster.

[aftershocks]

If Ashley is still planning to skate this Saturday at the event Sylvia mentioned (post #200) on previous page, then Ashley must be feeling better and is healed somewhat from the bruise to her hip at GPF.

[query5]

she might have an easy time winning her 2nd straight national, but she will have to skate whole lot better if yu-na goes to 4cc and worlds,
competition will be tough.

[chipso1]

she might have an easy time winning her 2nd straight national, but she will have to skate whole lot better if yu-na goes to 4cc and worlds,
competition will be tough.

According to the Korean federation, Yuna will not compete at 4CCs this season.

I think Ashley will be just fine. At the very least, though, I'd like to see her get the 2A+3T in the FS. With 7 triples and two 2A's, she could probably afford a small mistake and still medal at Worlds.

[UGG]

Point already made by another poster.

after 205 posts, probably a lot of people point out the same point.

[BigB08822]

According to the Korean federation, Yuna will not compete at 4CCs this season.

I think Ashley will be just fine. At the very least, though, I'd like to see her get the 2A+3T in the FS. With 7 triples and two 2A's, she could probably afford a small mistake and still medal at Worlds.

Maybe. The judges seem dead set on giving Mao and Kiira medals so long as they can manage 4 triples, even if those 4 triples are loops and toes. Mao has many redeeming qualities and won GPF fair and square but what happened at NHK was just sickening and Kiira has been gifted for far too long for content that wouldn't have even been all that competitive in the early 90s.

[olympic]

Perhaps...certainly seems like so but with what happened to Wagner, will she even be present (or fit) to defend her title?

Apparently from what I've read, the hip bruise should only keep her off the ice 1- 3 weeks. I think she's stated she will get an X-Ray later this week but I think we'll see her at Nationals in good shape

[RD]

Apparently from what I've read, the hip bruise should only keep her off the ice 1- 3 weeks. I think she's stated she will get an X-Ray later this week but I think we'll see her at Nationals in good shape

I hope so, but I want to hear from team Wagner. She claims she was ok, but that was right after it happened.

Anyway, I still don't buy those saying she'll have an "easy time winning" nationals again....for reasons explained earlier many times.

[olympic]

I hope so, but I want to hear from team Wagner. She claims she was ok, but that was right after it happened.

Anyway, I still don't buy those saying she'll have an "easy time winning" nationals again....for reasons explained earlier many times.

No, it won't be easy. It never is. But if there is a scenario where Ashley is not 100%, she only needs to finish 2nd at US Nationals. So either Gracie or Mirai could beat her and she still would move forward (which admittedly is not optimal). Even if it's close for 2nd, the judges will probably give her high PCS to keep her on the team. This is the pre-Olympic year and I'm sure the USFSA wants skaters who have the best chance to deliver at Worlds.

[judgejudy27]

Maybe. The judges seem dead set on giving Mao and Kiira medals so long as they can manage 4 triples, even if those 4 triples are loops and toes. Mao has many redeeming qualities and won GPF fair and square but what happened at NHK was just sickening and Kiira has been gifted for far too long for content that wouldn't have even been all that competitive in the early 90s.

Mao maybe but Kiira? The only medals Kiira has ever won are at small grand prixs and Europeans. She isnt coming anywhere near a World medal unless by some miracle she pulls off 6 or 7 triples.

[pinky166]

Mao maybe but Kiira? The only medals Kiira has ever won are at small grand prixs and Europeans. She isnt coming anywhere near a World medal unless by some miracle she pulls off 6 or 7 triples.

The same could have been said of Lepisto a few seasons ago who ended up winning a world medal....with a 3 triple FS.

[RD]

No, it won't be easy. It never is. But if there is a scenario where Ashley is not 100%, she only needs to finish 2nd at US Nationals. So either Gracie or Mirai could beat her and she still would move forward (which admittedly is not optimal).

Finishing 2nd wouldn't be the end of the world for her. Didn't stop Cohen from placing above Kwan at Worlds twice...

Basically, what she needs to do is a) get on the team and b) get back to full strength.

This is the pre-Olympic year and I'm sure the USFSA wants skaters who have the best chance to deliver at Worlds.

Hmm...you'd think so...but remember, they did send Czisny in 2009

[olympic]

Mao maybe but Kiira? The only medals Kiira has ever won are at small grand prixs and Europeans. She isnt coming anywhere near a World medal unless by some miracle she pulls off 6 or 7 triples.

I have slowly been warming to Kiira and her skating. But, no way she competes w/ a rejuvenated Mao, a Yu Na returned to form, Carolina, or a clean Ashley and Akiko. I will say that her SP clean might get her into the final group at Worlds for the LP. But maybe not even that, if one of the Russians like Leonova, Sotnikova or Tuk start bringing it in the coming months, which at least one

Finishing 2nd wouldn't be the end of the world for her. Didn't stop Cohen from placing above Kwan at Worlds twice...

Basically, what she needs to do is a) get on the team and b) get back to full strength.



Hmm...you'd think so...but remember, they did send Czisny in 2009

I really have faith that Wagner will be OK. If something like this was supposed to happen, now is the right time when there's a gap between competitions due to the holidays. Depending on how long she's off the ice, she may choose not to up the technical ante at Nationals and do enough to make the team (even if Nats would be a perfect venue to test drive harder jump combos for Worlds).

Re Czisny in '09 - I think on reflection that '09 was a crazy competition which came at a time of upheaval in US ladies: Supposed leaders of this quadrennial like Meissner and Hughes 2.0 had utterly imploded the year before. Then, there was a cluster of brand new seniors like Flatt, Zhang, Wagner and Nagasu but none had any senior cred. Plus, they were not living up to the promise they showed on the Jr. Circuit for a variety of reasons, like injury and growth spurt (Nagasu), finally getting called on bad technique (Zhang, to some extent - Wagner). Flatt was the only one who somewhat performed well for herself but she was never going to be a world beater even as the leading US scorer.

That pretty much left Czisny as a contender, who was completely undependable as witnessed by her own meltdown at '08 Nationals. She did enough to get on the team and it wasn't an awe-inspiring performance. I think Czisny was rewarded at '09 Nats because of all the aforementioned ladies, she had the best shot at good PCS on the world stage. Plus, she really was the ideal lady skater in the minds of the USFSA.

Re your post below re Czisny - I would send her to 4CC's to be fair, but she really would need to prove herself based on her past.

[RD]

A little bit of a game here. Let's just suppose that Czisny surprises everyone at Nats and say, finishes 2nd. If you, as the poster, are USFS, what do you do?

- Send her directly to worlds (!)

- Send her & 3rd place finisher to 4CC, higher finisher gets the spot

- Send her to 4CC, but not to worlds

- Don't send her anywhere

[toddlj]

A little bit of a game here. Let's just suppose that Czisny surprises everyone at Nats and say, finishes 2nd. If you, as the poster, are USFS, what do you do?

- Send her directly to worlds (!)

- Send her & 3rd place finisher to 4CC, higher finisher gets the spot

- Send her to 4CC, but not to worlds

- Don't send her anywhere

As much as I love Czisny, I would nonetheless pragmatically go with choice D.
ETA: actually, I'd send her to 4CC in that scenerio. Why not. But not worlds.

[Coco]

You forgot option E - take the skaters who finished 3rd through 6th, lock them in a room and make them listen to Yoko Ono on a loop 24-7 until they REPENT!

[Triple Butz]

A little bit of a game here. Let's just suppose that Czisny surprises everyone at Nats and say, finishes 2nd. If you, as the poster, are USFS, what do you do?

- Send her directly to worlds (!)

- Send her & 3rd place finisher to 4CC, higher finisher gets the spot

- Send her to 4CC, but not to worlds

- Don't send her anywhere

If Czisny skated well enough to place 2nd, that would mean that all but one of Wagner, Gold, Zawadzki, Gao, and Nagasu skated quite poorly. If that really happens, can we trust any of them, save Ashley, to get it back on track in a month? If Ashley is the champion and Czisny skates lights out to finish second, then I say send her. She has been top 5 before and the international judges give her high PCS. If it's Czisny and anyone else, I say bump her for Wagner on the WT, and send her to 4CC...
Stranger things have happened but with an entire year off, I just don't see Czisny being able to skate that well.

ETA: After this Olympic cycle, I would love to see Czisny join team Sato/Dungjen as a spin specialist.

[dawnie]

A little bit of a game here. Let's just suppose that Czisny surprises everyone at Nats and say, finishes 2nd. If you, as the poster, are USFS, what do you do?

- Send her directly to worlds (!)

- Send her & 3rd place finisher to 4CC, higher finisher gets the spot

- Send her to 4CC, but not to worlds

- Don't send her anywhere

I would send her to just 4CC and call it a day. I doubt they would ever do that but IMO, it would be totally justified. She has been given many chances and if the 2012 Worlds appearance wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back for USFS, then I would be very surprised.