U.S. Ladies [#30]: Cover Girls

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It’s nice to be arguing and splitting hairs with all of you again, I took a week or two off. I’m back in the saddle now though

 

[Sylvia]

Alysa Liu and Kristi Yamaguchi made a virtual appearance on ABC's Good Morning America around/after 10:30 Eastern time today and had a nice chat with GMA weekend co-anchor Eva Pilgrim, both individually and with each other. Here's the clip: https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1398662128849100804

For context: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...o-stop-anti-asian-racism.108223/#post-6006566

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

What is Chromatica?

It would be nice if Miss Bell could advocate for Tchaikovsky or Liszt or Brahms instead of reality television starlets.

-BB

Nothing against Bell's decisions. But, are teens/young adults completely off any form of classical music?

 

[Sylvia]

... are teens/young adults completely off any form of classical music?

That's a rather sweeping generalization.

After all, Alysa Liu chose to skate to a modernized piano version of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor (a.k.a. the "New World Symphony") for her 2019-20 free skate.

 

[zigzig]

Ugh why is Bell going that route again. This is NOT her lane. Her Britney program took off like a lead balloon

 

[Wyliefan]

I thought the Britney program was a terrible choice, but IIRC, she ended up doing well with it.

The ABBA program, now . . . THAT was a terrible choice.

 

[Sylvia]

Posted on April 3:

USFS has updated its ISP list:

Starr Andrews
Mariah Bell
Karen Chen
Elsa Cheng
Amber Glenn
Gracie Gold
Hanna Harrell
Finley Hawk
Tamnhi Huynh
Rena Ikenishi
Gabriella Izzo
Mia Kalin
Pooja Kalyan
Isabeau Levito
Jessica Lin
Alysa Liu
Heidi Munger
Emilia Murdock
Paige Rydberg
Clare Seo
Audrey Shin
Kanon Smith
Bradie Tennell
Lindsay Thorngren
Violeta Ushakova
Sierra Venetta
Kate Wang
Emily Zhang
Adele Zheng
Ava Ziegler

Josephine Lee is the most recent addition to USFS' ISP at the Junior level, presumably (primary coaches appear to be Amy Evidente & Naomi Nam Poor in Lakewood, CA): https://www.instagram.com/p/CPXI0gULlTP/
The most recent U.S. qualifying competition result I could find for her was 12th in Novice Ladies at the Pacific Coast Sectional Championships in November 2019 (she didn't enter the virtual U.S. Championship Series in either Junior or Novice this past season).

Congratulations to Heidi Munger who has graduated from Boston University! https://www.instagram.com/p/CO85USCLBH6/

 

[Coco]

I think ABBA was a terrible program more than a terrible choice. Not sure how they picked the music or edited it, but it was a clunker.

 

[Sylvia]

Posted on April 4:

Courtney Hicks, who was listed in the 2020-21 ISP, spoke about her surgery in January to repair a hip labrum tear after the 26-minute mark of Polina Edmunds' March 23rd podcast (she didn't submit a FS video for Nationals virtual qualifying due to her injury and hopes to be back on the ice this month):
https://art19.com/shows/bleav-in-figure-skating/episodes/c87eeb1f-ae53-4e0a-9e82-617d0566eab1

ETA that Hicks and Ting Cui are not listed currently but they and others will have the opportunity to re-qualify in the future.

Hicks posted on May 22 that Jonathan Cassar has "completely reworked the "Samson and Delilah" Freeskate" from last year: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPMFX6QpS66/

Re-posting here from last year's PFT thread (8 of the 12 ladies who've entered this year are currently in the ISP):

The 2021 Peggy Fleming Trophy will be streamed on July 16 via USFS' Fan Zone: https://twitter.com/PFTrophy/status/1392982063205265409
...
Starr Andrews
Maxine Marie Bautista
Karen Chen
Julia Fennell
Courtney Hicks
Sonja Hilmer
Pooja Kalyan
Isabeau Levito
Alysa Liu
Audrey Shin
Bradie Tennell
Sierra Venetta

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

That's a rather sweeping generalization.

After all, Alysa Liu chose to skate to a modernized piano version of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor (a.k.a. the "New World Symphony") for her 2019-20 free skate.

Yes, but it's the exception don't you think? I think it's accurate to say that few programs are based on classical music now.

 

[Sylvia]

Ever since the ISU allowed music with lyrics (2018 was the first Olympics where lyrics were allowed for singles/pairs), the trend has been selecting modern over classical music.

It also depends on the choreographer. For example, Misha Ge has chosen 2 classical pieces for Hanna Harrell this season - Liszt's Liebestraum (SP) and Puccini's Turandot (FS).

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Nothing against Bell's decisions. But, are teens/young adults completely off any form of classical music?

These skaters should be savvy enough to know their public (and the judges) are of a certain age and do not enjoy or relate to popular electronica/disco 'music'.

Figure skating should be pristine and artful—and absolutely not represented by music one finds at the local loose-moraled discotheque.

-BB

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I thought the Britney program was a terrible choice, but IIRC, she ended up doing well with it.

The ABBA program, now . . . THAT was a terrible choice.

Agree and agree. And in that ABBA program didn’t she use like three or four or five different edits?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Ever since the ISU allowed music with lyrics (2018 was the first Olympics where lyrics were allowed for singles/pairs), the trend has been selecting modern over classical music.

What has surprised me the most since lyrics have been allowed are the skaters going for the sad, down, depressing downers of music titles. And covers of titles. But I guess that’s the trend in Pop music today. At this point I’d rather hear Judy Garland’s forget your troubles come on get happy then all these sad downers.

 

[Sylvia]

And in that ABBA program didn’t she use like three or four or five different edits?

4 cuts originally - down to 3 by Nationals.

ICYMI - Karen confirmed what was expected via her Instagram message that was posted in the Programs/Choreographers thread last week:

Karen Chen
FS: "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto" performed by Takako Nishizaki (kept from previous season)
Choreographed by Pasquale Camerlengo

Forgot to cross-post in this thread... the Olga Ganicheva/Aleksey Letov IG account posted a clip on May 19 that indicates Gabriella Izzo is a (new) student of theirs: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPDr6bzA4Ym/

 

[Vagabond]

Nothing against Bell's decisions. But, are teens/young adults completely off any form of classical music?

Have you ever heard of either Carmen or Swan Lake?

 

[Willin]

As much as I hate the ice princess image USFS molds their ladies into, Mariah really is an ice princess and does her best when she stays in that lane. Roxie was great and Britney was fun, but both times her fit with the character was awkward. Just because she does the choreo really well doesn't mean the program is a great fit on her acting ability.

 

[Wyliefan]

I get the sense that Mariah has very little input into her own music. Raf recycled Jenny Kirk's Roxie program for her. And in the last few years Adam has picked most if not all of her music for her. Sometimes it's worked out great and sometimes it hasn't, but as long as others are making the choices for her, there are probably going to be some awkward fits. Still, it's up to her. Maybe she feels uncomfortable picking her own music and would rather keep outsourcing it.

 

[gkelly]

These skaters should be savvy enough to know their public (and the judges) are of a certain age and do not enjoy or relate to popular electronica/disco 'music'.

Figure skating should be pristine and artful—and absolutely not represented by music one finds at the local loose-moraled discotheque.

-BB

Many of today's judges are of an age to have been teens or young adults during the disco era. Whether they enjoy(ed) or relate(d) to such music then or now will vary by personal taste.

 

[flyingsit]

Skaters definitely have different approaches to picking music. Nathan Chen has said that he leaves it entirely up to the choreographers.

I'm pretty sure that Mariah picked the ABBA music herself; I believe Shae-Lynn had suggested a Beatles medley and she wasn't feeling it so suggested ABBA instead, but I could be misremembering.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Skaters definitely have different approaches to picking music. Nathan Chen has said that he leaves it entirely up to the choreographers.

I'm pretty sure that Mariah picked the ABBA music herself; I believe Shae-Lynn had suggested a Beatles medley and she wasn't feeling it so suggested ABBA instead, but I could be misremembering.

I do not think that this was entirely the case for Nathan's long this year. He may have worked with Shae-Lynn to pick pieces of Phillip Glass' music after studying it at Yale.

In figure skating’s long, strange trip of a season, Nathan Chen showed the way

After the cancellation of the 2020 World Championships, through dealing with two more COVID-19 waves, the season came to a satisfying end.

olympics.nbcsports.com

 

[annie720]

I get the sense that Mariah has very little input into her own music. Raf recycled Jenny Kirk's Roxie program for her. And in the last few years Adam has picked most if not all of her music for her. Sometimes it's worked out great and sometimes it hasn't, but as long as others are making the choices for her, there are probably going to be some awkward fits. Still, it's up to her. Maybe she feels uncomfortable picking her own music and would rather keep outsourcing it.

Rohene Ward choreographed Mariah’s Roxie program for her when she was still training in CO, the season before she moved to RAF.

 

[Wyliefan]

Rohene Ward choreographed Mariah’s Roxy program for her when she was still training in CO, the season before she moved to RAF.

Okay, fair enough. Guess I had my time periods mixed up.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Many of today's judges are of an age to have been teens or young adults during the disco era. Whether they enjoy(ed) or relate(d) to such music then or now will vary by personal taste.

Frankly if figure skating judges ever enjoyed or partook in disco,I deem they have no right to judge artistic impression.

-BB

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I get the sense that Mariah has very little input into her own music. Raf recycled Jenny Kirk's Roxie program for her. And in the last few years Adam has picked most if not all of her music for her. Sometimes it's worked out great and sometimes it hasn't, but as long as others are making the choices for her, there are probably going to be some awkward fits. Still, it's up to her. Maybe she feels uncomfortable picking her own music and would rather keep outsourcing it.

I do wish she would accept advice from someone cultured (like myself). I am not fond of Mr. Rippon's aggressively contemporary and swashbuckling approach.

-BB

 

[yeslek]

Skaters definitely have different approaches to picking music. Nathan Chen has said that he leaves it entirely up to the choreographers.

I'm pretty sure that Mariah picked the ABBA music herself; I believe Shae-Lynn had suggested a Beatles medley and she wasn't feeling it so suggested ABBA instead, but I could be misremembering.

I believe it was the opposite. She wanted Beatles and shae Lynn picked abba. Mariah was hesitant about it. There was an article that stated this I think.

 

[Sylvia]

I believe it was the opposite. She wanted Beatles and shae Lynn picked abba. Mariah was hesitant about it. There was an article that stated this I think.

Wow, good memory! This is from Nick McCarvel's Olympic Channel interview with Mariah last August:

OC: Let’s talk ABBA. How did that come about?
Bell: Shae-Lynn brought me the idea. I was like, what about something like The Beatles? And she's like, ‘You know what? What about ABBA?’ I was unsure. But then I went and I played the music on the ice and felt like I really loved it, it felt really cool.

 

[carriecmu0503]

Frankly if figure skating judges ever enjoyed or partook in disco,I deem they have no right to judge artistic impression.

-BB

Well, luckily, "artistic impression" is NOT a part of a skater's score!

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Well, luckily, "artistic impression" is NOT a part of a skater's score!

Therein lies the the problem in figure skating today—in addition to the dearth of classical music,elimination of compulsory figures and provocative costuming.

-BB

 

[haribobo]

Summer 2021 US WOMEN Scores

SENIOR WOMEN SP (over 50)
Isabeau Levito 67
Starr Andrews 66
Lindsay Thorngren 60
Alex Evans 57
Sonja Hilmer 56
Alena Budko 55
Violeta Ushakova 55
Gabriella Izzo 52

SENIOR WOMEN FS (over 90)
Lindsay Thorngren 123
Isabeau Levito 116
Gabriella Izzo 108
Sonja Hilmer 95
Violeta Ushakova 89
Alena Budko 87
Alex Evans 80


JUNIOR WOMEN SP (over 45)
Kanon Smith 63
Maryn Pierce 62
Isabeau Levito 61
Josephine Lee 60
Sofia Frank 52
Laura Jacobsen 51
Ashley Leahy 50
Hannah Herrera 49

JUNIOR WOMEN FS (over 80)
Isabeau Levito 114
Kanon Smith 107
Hannah Herrera 106
Ashley Leahy 97
Maryn Pierce 95
Hazel Collier 90
Josephine Lee 85
Laura Jacobson 79

Feel free to update me if I have missed any scores so far this season, I only just started looking around today...