Tennell announces coaching change to Zakrajsek

[VGThuy]

Well, good thing he didn’t develop her. As unpopular as she was, I actually remember liking Rachel Flatt a lot in 2008 and he developed her, right?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I now consider Bradie a world class elite skater.

Heck, she made the GP Final with 4 Russian women and Mihara.

Its a strange choice for the status she has already reached.

I do agree that I havent seen many artists emerge from his camp, but if he can get her the jumps she needs....I think she already has the respect from international senior judges!

Bradie already has:

*consistency
*nerves of steel
*good technique
*artistry and maturity (very evident in her short programs)
*respect from judges

To go forward for more hardware she needs the 3 axel and perhaps a quad..... Tom isnt all that bad a choice when I start writing this all down. What she already has, and what she needs.....

And training in altitude wont hurt either.

 

[meggonzo]

Heck, she made the GP Final with 4 Russian women and Mihara.

Kihira.

 

[sonsofanarchy]

Unpopular opinion here, but I think it's a good move for Bradie to go to Tom Z.

Tom Z isn't the best but he's one of the top US coaches there are and he's based at one of the top training centers in the country. I mean, Bradie could do worse. This is a different situation. It's not like he's starting with Bradie from scratch. She's a mature skater who is technically sound and established on the senior level. And, as an added bonus, she has a strong mind for competition. He doesn't need to fix anything with Bradie...his role will likely be to take what she has and elevate her to the next level by helping her get a 3A or possibly a quad.

People saying this is a bad move from a PCS/artistic standpoint need to remember that she's not going to Tom Z as a choreographer; he's her coach. I'm fairly certain his focus will be on the technical side and I doubt this is an Eteri/Daniil type packaged deal where switching coaches means switching exclusively to one particular choreographer. Bradie can continue to work with Benoit or whoever else she wants to. As she's an adult, I'm sure she has a bit more say in what kind of image and style she has on the ice as well. It will be up to her and that part of her team to continue to grow and improve her skating artistically.

I'm happy for her and I'm excited to see how she plans to step it up.

Agree with all that and gaining a 3axel and/or quad is far more important than her PCS at this point. Heck the way the judges score PCS mainly follows TES anyway, although they atleast distinguish from someone like Kostornaia and Trusova there (thank goodness). If Trusova who has horrendous skating skills and virtually no artistry gets decent to good PCS when she lands her jumps, Bradie will for sure, any top skater will really. Without any 3axel or quad you can't even compete for a medal though. If she further improves her PCS and even GOE, but gains no 3axel or quad, she almost for sure won't be competing for medals given the current climate of womens skating. If she gains a 3axel and maybe even a quad she could be regardless.

I now consider Bradie a world class elite skater.

Heck, she made the GP Final with 4 Russian women and Mihara.

Its a strange choice for the status she has already reached.

I do agree that I havent seen many artists emerge from his camp, but if he can get her the jumps she needs....I think she already has the respect from international senior judges!

Bradie already has:

*consistency
*nerves of steel
*good technique
*artistry and maturity (very evident in her short programs)
*respect from judges

To go forward for more hardware she needs the 3 axel and perhaps a quad..... Tom isnt all that bad a choice when I start writing this all down. What she already has, and what she needs.....

And training in altitude wont hurt either.

I agree with all this as well.

 

[Natanielle825]

I'll say this here, not trying to be mean, cuz I know she won't read it. I do think she should be pursuing higher technical content cuz I think she's capable, not that Tom's video made her look close to that 3A but I wouldn't expect her to be yet. To me what's missing from Bradie's skating and off ice 'persona' is any kind of personality. 5 facts about Bradie... she likes books and pink. I don't know her obviously but there seems to me a glaring lack of life experience and artistic/emotional voice. Not that she's the only one guilty of this, but she is technically an adult and I'd like to see her look more like one in her programs.

 

[natsulian]

I'll say this here, not trying to be mean, cuz I know she won't read it. I do think she should be pursuing higher technical content cuz I think she's capable, not that Tom's video made her look close to that 3A but I wouldn't expect her to be yet. To me what's missing from Bradie's skating and off ice 'persona' is any kind of personality. 5 facts about Bradie... she likes books and pink. I don't know her obviously but there seems to me a glaring lack of life experience and artistic/emotional voice. Not that she's the only one guilty of this, but she is technically an adult and I'd like to see her look more like one in her programs.

I don't think liking books and the color pink inherently makes you an "uninteresting." People's perception of what is and isn't interesting is different. Personally, I find Bradie's skating to be artistic and beautiful but that has nothing to do with the fact that she likes books.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Kihira.

Yes. Yesterday was day drinking

 

[VGThuy]

I'll say this here, not trying to be mean, cuz I know she won't read it. I do think she should be pursuing higher technical content cuz I think she's capable, not that Tom's video made her look close to that 3A but I wouldn't expect her to be yet. To me what's missing from Bradie's skating and off ice 'persona' is any kind of personality. 5 facts about Bradie... she likes books and pink. I don't know her obviously but there seems to me a glaring lack of life experience and artistic/emotional voice. Not that she's the only one guilty of this, but she is technically an adult and I'd like to see her look more like one in her programs.

I find Bradie refreshing. She's serious, driven, grounded, and focused on goals she knows are within her control. She doesn't seek out the press or is openly promoting a brand. She's about the skating and the training. She reminds me somewhat of a Shannon Miller, another athlete who was passed over by the press (and even fans) for brighter personalities, even though she really does look like Jaycie Phelps to me. I get uncomfortable when outsiders delve into whether an adult skater has life experience or whatnot because I find that to be a seriously narrow definition of "life experience". TSL and their fans used to do the same thing to the Shibs and would make fun of them, thinking their life experience consisted of getting haircuts in L.A. Of course, as we see now, that was not the case as they were networking and making friends with many people, some of them notable, outside the skating circle which they still have to this day, and have had life experience outside of that narrow perspective.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I find Bradie refreshing. She's serious, driven, grounded, and focused on goals she knows are within her control. She doesn't seek out the press or is openly promoting a brand. She's about the skating and the training. She reminds me somewhat of a Shannon Miller, another athlete who was passed over by the press (and even fans) for brighter personalities, even though she really does look like Jaycie Phelps to me. I get uncomfortable when outsiders delve into whether an adult skater has life experience or whatnot because I find that to be a seriously narrow definition of "life experience". TSL and their fans used to do the same thing to the Shibs and would make fun of them, thinking their life experience consisted of getting haircuts in L.A. Of course, as we see now, that was not the case as they were networking and making friends with many people, some of them notable, outside the skating circle which they still have to this day, and have had life experience outside of that narrow perspective.

Perfect comparison to Shannon Miller. Totally agree

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

I'm just grateful to have a US lady that doesn't seem to fall apart at the drop of a hat. I appreciate Bradie's competitive mindset and she's smart about it. She seems to know where she's going to get the most value out of her training time given her particular set of strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Sylvia]

FIGURE SKATER BRADIE TENNELL HOPES MILE-HIGH MOVE PAYS OFF WITH TRIPLE AXEL by Lynn Rutherford (Oct. 1, 2020): https://www.teamusa.org/News/2020/O...opes-Mile-High-Move-Pays-Off-With-Triple-Axel
Excerpts:

But it wasn’t enough. In a sport increasingly dominated by teenagers, the 22-year-old Tennell decided it was time to make a big move.
“It really wasn’t about what age I’m at,” she said. “I have goals I want to accomplish, and I needed to feel that I could grow, and I felt like I could do that here. I came to work with Tom for a week or two on my jumps, and then it just kind of evolved.”
...
“I knew I needed to make a change if I wanted to stay in the sport and progress,” Tennell said. “I feel I am not done in the sport. I love the sport and I know I have more to give to it. I felt like I needed to make a change for myself.”

“It is totally realistic, not pie in the sky,” he [Zakrajsek] said. “We worked on all of her jumps to make them more efficient, tighter on the way up and with better control on the landing. … Most perfectionist athletes like many repetitions to feel confident, but that can lead to injury. When you are training a program and trying to learn a triple axel or quad, you can’t do that every day, every session. So a big goal is to help Bradie train in a way that helps her build confidence.”

The skater has already landed the jump in practice, he added, although a bit short of full rotation.

 

[Carolla5501]

I'll say this here, not trying to be mean, cuz I know she won't read it. I do think she should be pursuing higher technical content cuz I think she's capable, not that Tom's video made her look close to that 3A but I wouldn't expect her to be yet. To me what's missing from Bradie's skating and off ice 'persona' is any kind of personality. 5 facts about Bradie... she likes books and pink. I don't know her obviously but there seems to me a glaring lack of life experience and artistic/emotional voice. Not that she's the only one guilty of this, but she is technically an adult and I'd like to see her look more like one in her programs.

Actually she looks a lot more interesting than your entire post. She can read and I bet she can write.

You may not be trying to be mean, but you are accomplishing just that

 

[Evgeniafan]

I like Bradie more because she likes the color pink and books.

 

[Lemonade20]

Actually she looks a lot more interesting than your entire post. She can read and I bet she can write.

You may not be trying to be mean, but you are accomplished just that

agreed, keep the judging to when she’s on the ice

 

[arakwafan2006]

This is like me needing to loose weight and going to the buffet. Her already ghastly programs and presentation will get and have gotten , worse.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^^^^ Dems are fighting words!!!!!

 

[Sylvia]

Might as well put this link in here - Zakrajsek was interviewed yesterday by a Mexican skater/commentator Marisol Paiz on her Cafecito con Masha YT channel:

ENTREVISTA CON TOM ZAKRAJSEK

Una entrevista muy interesante! Conoce los métodos de enseñanza del coach olímpico y mundial Tom Zakrajsek.No te pierdas su opinión acerca del patinaje femen...

www.youtube.com

He first brings up Bradie around the 9-min. mark and he says they've "gelled really well, really quickly" at 10:30.

Phil Hersh wrote an article before the start of Skate America:

Bradie Tennell pushes forward in fresh start, aiming for triple Axel

Bradie Tennell is starting fresh in Colorado Springs this season ahead of Skate America and planning to add a triple Axel to her repertoire.

olympics.nbcsports.com

 

[Sylvia]

Since she's now a 2-time U.S. national champion, I'm reviving this thread and posting these 2 articles in here...

Fan Zone article by Meg Sauer (January 26, 2021):

Gratitude, Confidence Led Tennell to Her Second U.S. Title - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

In the silence before her free skate at the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Bradie Tennell knelt into her starting position and reminded herself to

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Excerpts:

Sitting in a socially distanced kiss-and-cry, Tennell's sparkling face covering didn't mask her emotion. Her scores were announced, accumulatively 232.61 points, and her hands covered her mouth in attempt to contain her pure joy. Tennell had won her second U.S. Championships with 17 points over Amber Glenn, who captured silver.
"I could live in that memory forever," Tennell said, noting how special it felt to have her mom cheering her on from the virtual display behind her. "I was so incredibly happy and proud, and I found myself really wishing [my coach] Tom Zakrajsek was sitting next to me, because he helped me reach this ending."

Since then, Tennell admitted she's gone back and watched the program, studying every edge and choreographic flair. As the skating world nears the end of the "quad," Tennell will have to prepare for what she hopes to be her second Olympic season — but she isn't setting goals for next season just yet. Plans for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2021 in Stockholm are in limbo, and until a decision is made, Tennell will prepare.
"No matter what happens, I'll be trained and ready," Tennell said. "Then, I'll reassess after Worlds and see what happens from there. I like to live in the moment, so for now, I just look forward to the day when our fans and my Team USA teammates can safely be together."

Chicago Daily Herald article (Jan. 22): https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/...-tennell-in-position-for-run-at-olympic-gold-
Excerpt:

Tennell, who recently moved to Colorado and is apart from her mother and brothers for the first time, says she notices a difference in her approach to skating, a difference in her mentality and confidence, and all of that showed in the way she performed last week in Las Vegas.
"Bradie has always been known as reliable and consistent but she came to me telling me that she was feeling that there was always just that one thing that would keep her from doing a clean program under pressure," Zakrajsek said. "There was always something, she would say. So, we made some changes to her training and Bradie was very open to new ideas and drills. She's never said no to anything. She's not interested in the status quo. She wants to be better as a skater and as an artist.
"She's always been very good. But now, I think we're seeing Bradie 2.0. She's become a different skater."

 

[giselle23]

I am sorry that it was read that way.

I absolutely adore Mirai, particularly that she worked so hard and accomplished so much technically that the USFSA had to stuff it and send her to another Olympics, where she fully rotated and landed every triple in one program. No lady had ever done that at the Olympics. I also think she should have made the Dancing with the Stars final.

I also think she received a lot of incorrect rotation calls over 8 years, which used to anger me. All in all, she is the only skater to ever be "undumped" by national and international figure skating officiating panels.

Mirai was so robbed on DWTS. I watched the most recent season until Johnny Weir was eliminated and Mirai danced rings around most of the contestants that season. She was better than Tonya Harding and also, Adam, based on his final performances. (OK, back to the topic, now.)

 

[Coco]

How did I not know Mirai was on DWTS? LOL!

Since this is the Bradie thread, um...GO Bradie! Well done! It's pretty uncommon to get a national title, lose it and then get it back. Always thrilling to watch

 

[carriecmu0503]

How did I not know Mirai was on DWTS? LOL!

Since this is the Bradie thread, um...GO Bradie! Well done! It's pretty uncommon to get a national title, lose it and then get it back. Always thrilling to watch

Not so much. Kwan won it in 96, lost it in 97, and of course won the next 8. Alissa Czisny won it in 2009, lost it in 2010, won it back in 2011. Ashley Wagner won it in 2012/2013, lost it in 2014, and won it back in 2015. Gracie Gold won it in 2014, lost it in 2015, and won it back in 2016. And then, of course, Bradie. That is 4 athletes in the last 10 years who have won a national title back after losing it. It's actually pretty common!

 

[Elisheba]

After watching US nationals, I will uber Bradie for not skating to dreary GFBs.

 

[AxelAnnie]

If the final paragraph isn't a recommendation for more proofreading and fewer Mai Tais before posting, I certainly can't think of one. One hopes you meant to use "tush" or "tuches".

I changed that once!

 

[Coco]

Not so much. Kwan won it in 96, lost it in 97, and of course won the next 8. Alissa Czisny won it in 2009, lost it in 2010, won it back in 2011. Ashley Wagner won it in 2012/2013, lost it in 2014, and won it back in 2015. Gracie Gold won it in 2014, lost it in 2015, and won it back in 2016. And then, of course, Bradie. That is 4 athletes in the last 10 years who have won a national title back after losing it. It's actually pretty common!

I have been watching/following 40+ years of Nationals, so 5 times in one discipline over 24 years doesn't seem frequent to me. I believe it has only happened 2 additional times since Nationals were first held in 1914.

 

[VGThuy]

I have been watching/following 40+ years of Nationals, so 5 times in one discipline over 24 years doesn't seem frequent to me. I believe it has only happened 2 additional times since Nationals were first held in 1914.

It really is uncommon for a lady to win her title back. I give Bradie all the props for doing so.

I wonder if it'll become MORE common though. I am amazed at the stat that it may have only happened two other times since Nationals was first held in 1914. It was probably near impossible during the figures era and the reason it may have happened more often in the post-figures era was because of the triple jumps expectations simply made things more volatile. But the problem with most of the 6.0 post-figures era was that we had 8 years of Kwan winning straight. So, with IJS, one would think losing and winning back national titles should be more common since it's a numbers game and you add in the volatility of needing a high number of completed clean triples in both the SP and LP. I think the biggest issue in the U.S. with regard as to why we haven't seen this happen more often is that we've had a lot of one-off National champions post-Kwan who had a hard time maintaining their success much less retaining a title they lost.

So 20% in 24 years - deduct 8 years for Kwan - that's five times in 16 years and about 31%. It seems to be betting better with 4 out of 10 being re-won in the past decade. That said, it's still pretty uncommon, and Bradie was not the runaway fave to win this one with all sorts of conspiracy theories coming out. She worked really hard to get her title back and she could have lost had she made some common errors.

 

[MacMadame]

So 20% in 24 years - deduct 8 years for Kwan - that's five times in 16 years and about 31%. It seems to be betting better with 4 out of 10 being re-won in the past decade. That said, it's still pretty uncommon, and Bradie was not the runaway fave to win this one with all sorts of conspiracy theories coming out. She worked really hard to get her title back and she could have lost had she made some common errors.

Bradie skated great and getting her title back is impressive!

However, from a statistics POV, I think we should only count the post-figures error and then maybe only post-ISJ. That would make the percentage who did it higher and would give us some indication of how common it will be in the future. I wouldn't take Kwan out either. She existed and another Kwan could exist. Taking her out is cherry-picking IMO and cherry-picking is to be avoided.

 

[giselle23]

I have been watching/following 40+ years of Nationals, so 5 times in one discipline over 24 years doesn't seem frequent to me. I believe it has only happened 2 additional times since Nationals were first held in 1914.

And not that easy. Ask Mirai.

ETA And you are correct. Only two did it before Michelle in 1998--Maribel Vinson in 1935 and Debi Thomas in 1988. We are in an era now with no dominant US ladies skater. That was rarely the case before. I think that explains why, recently, we've had several skaters lose their titles and win them back.

 

[Maximillian]

And not that easy. Ask Mirai.

ETA And you are correct. Only two did it before Michelle in 1998--Maribel Vinson in 1935 and Debi Thomas in 1988. We are in an era now with no dominant US ladies skater. That was rarely the case before. I think that explains why, recently, we've had several skaters lose their titles and win them back.

Jill Trenary did it in 1989 as well

 

[genevieve]

I don't know her obviously but there seems to me a glaring lack of life experience and artistic/emotional voice.

I think that describes 90+% of all elite-level skaters. Probably most elite-level (or on track to become one) athletes whose sport requires such intense training during formative years.

 

[VGThuy]

Bradie skated great and getting her title back is impressive!

However, from a statistics POV, I think we should only count the post-figures error and then maybe only post-ISJ. That would make the percentage who did it higher and would give us some indication of how common it will be in the future. I wouldn't take Kwan out either. She existed and another Kwan could exist. Taking her out is cherry-picking IMO and cherry-picking is to be avoided.

I'm just saying in the 8 years Kwan won straight, there was no opportunity for a skater to lose a national title and then win it back. I don't think that's cherry-picking but putting up the relevant facts to bring necessary context to the stats. Since the argument being presented is how hard it is to lose a national title and win it back. For 8 years, we didn't have a situation of a skater winning and then losing a title so it paints a different picture than say in those 8 years, there've been 8 different national champions and none of them were able to win the title back, which the stat could make it seem like if we don't present the fact that Kwan won it for 8 straight years. We all know that if Kwan had lost the title in...say 2000 or 2004, she could have won again in 2001 and 2005 if we go by history (which is problematic because we're assuming everything stays the same), and say if Sasha won in 2000 or 2004 she could have won it again in 2006 (again problematic assuming everything stays the same). But since I rather not work in hypotheticals, I see the fact that for 8 years, only one person won nationals and she had already lost the title and then won it again.