Biggest Skating Busts (USA Ladies Singles)

[shine]

I'm so glad to see the story about Ye Bin Mok. She was always one of my favorite skaters, beautiful artistry, stretch. I'd love to see her skate professionally.

Nice revisit of Ye Bin Mok's 2003 SP. What she demonstrated there was close to perfection I'd say. She had a lot more talent than many of the ladies skaters much more well known than her IMO. I didn't knew why she stopped competing until the recent article posted here - what a shame that her career had to end the way it did

ETA: And what a triple lutz she had!

[Skater91]

When will you all realise that there will never be another US Lady that can match what Michelle Kwan did.....

When the US stops putting so much pressure on the Ladies to be the next Michelle Kwan and just encourage them to do the best they can is when they will finally succeed.

In my eyes the reign of US Ladies skating is over and so I don't want the US to have 3 spots just because they don't deserve it. Other countries have ladies that are more deserving of the spot!

[aftershocks]

^^ Well, I think figure skating should be more like tennis in terms of the ranking system. If you're one of the best in the World, you should be able to compete at Worlds regardless of country affiliation. In that case, there'd be plenty of U.S. singles skaters attending Worlds both men and ladies, and perhaps 4 or 5 dance teams and perhaps a couple of pairs (as there is now). They could institute qualifying rounds for lower-ranked skaters to reduce the overall field at Worlds. The current country selection system is antiquated, but that's figure skating.

You may wish for U.S. ladies skating reign to be over, but wow, what a long tradition, and what a 10-year statement by Michelle Kwan to so-called "end" it. Even now, the U.S. has a strong group of about six ladies who are very competitive with the rest of the World, in addition to some good juniors coming up. Japan still has a tremendous way to go to compete with what U.S. ladies have accomplished over the years, but it's true that Japanese ladies have a great start and such a magnificent early pioneer in Midori Ito!

In any case, what other countries are you referring to that deserve 3 spots more than the U.S. does, other than Japan and Russia? Ya know, as it is, you have skaters like Carolina Kostner who has had the chance to go to Worlds year after year simply because she is the main top level skater in her country and her Nationals is not as competitive. Having that opportunity to compete every year at the biggest international competition allowed Carolina to grow and to gain experience and to improve, even in the years when her skating was not at its best.


BTW, in the current U.S. Ladies thread in Trash Can, Maximillian has posted (#190) some interesting reflections re why he thinks U.S. ladies have recently suffered against the rest of the World.

[TheIronLady]

When will you all realise that there will never be another US Lady that can match what Michelle Kwan did.....

When the US stops putting so much pressure on the Ladies to be the next Michelle Kwan and just encourage them to do the best they can is when they will finally succeed.

In my eyes the reign of US Ladies skating is over and so I don't want the US to have 3 spots just because they don't deserve it. Other countries have ladies that are more deserving of the spot!

What kind of dark hearted wishing is this? Any lady who benefits from one less US spot is likely to be an American posing as from Taiwan or an American pretending to be from one of those outdoor museums in Europe that call themselves countries. I hope the USA gets three spots for its best ladies.

[Skater91]

In any case, what other countries are you referring to that deserve 3 spots more than the U.S. does, other than Japan and Russia? Ya know, as it is, you have skaters like Carolina Kostner who has had the chance to go to Worlds year after year simply because she is the main top level skater in her country and her Nationals is not as competitive. Having that opportunity to compete every year at the biggest international competition allowed Carolina to grow and to gain experience and to improve, even in the years when her skating was not at its best.

Sorry, I dont mean that another country should get 3 spots instead of them, I think it would be better to see that 1 spot go to a skater from a smaller country or a developing skating country. The only problem is getting the scores now for those skaters.

[aftershocks]

^^ That doesn't really make sense. You could say that about any country then that has either 2 or 3 spots -- that the third spot should go to a smaller or developing fs country. That's an even worse scenario than what currently exists. The only way to develop the sport in countries that are smaller or where the sport is still developing is to have good coaches working with young athletes in those countries, and to try and find ways to promote and market the sport in the local communities of those countries.

If skaters are not as skilled in terms of not having the required scores under IJS, I think that means there should be a more structured B circuit with more events that can provide opportunities for lower-ranked skaters to compete (and again not have the participation in either A or B events to be based on country affiliation and fed selection). The rankings should be based on skill level and competitive success.