That’s not the point though. Someone said Mariah deserved an Olympic spot over Karen even if Mariah placed below Karen at Nationals. The season hasn’t started yet, so what makes Mariah at the moment more deserving to go to the Olympics? Karen, as volatile as she is, placed 4th at Worlds. That’s a big deal.
And sometimes, they don't have a say: there's a selection order by draw among the Feds, like a draft order (without being able to formally trade round picks). All of the members of each selection group have to be assigned before the hosts can start on the next group, starting with host selections (where there can be TBAs). If you're the last host to pick, and there's only one skater in group 7-9 without a second assignment, then you get that skater, unless it violates another rule (like three-max-per-country rule). Or the host that picked before you couldn't take the last skater in a group because they already had three from that country, and you need to take that skater, which could mean having to choose a stronger skater/team than you'd hoped for. Plus there's some also unwritten, but widely accepted rule that a Fed can nix an assignment of one of their skaters/teams for back-to-back assignments, especially those with considerable travel demands.
I agree with you, for sure. In fact, I think Mariah should be the last person of the top to be on the Olympic Team. Karen is by far a better skater, it's just the 'competitor side' Karen could improve upon (placing 4th at Worlds twice shows she has a competitive instinct in there). I see the team already as Alysa and Bradie. I know I shouldn't let skaters "rest on their laurels", but Alysa is twice national champion and Bradie the reigning National champ and they have both done their part for reviving/continuing interest in USFS over the last four years. So the last spot is between Amber, Karen, and then Mariah. And who knows what new girl from juniors will arrive at Nationals this year. I want Amber, because I don't see Karen with ultra-c or clean 3/3, and Amber can at least go for it, it's not like either of them are medal threats.
I think Karen has shown she can produce, though she doesn't have any medals to show for it. Two 4th place finishes at Worlds, 4 years apart, are nothing to sneeze at. And last year's 4th place at Worlds is going to earn her a fair bit of credibility with the federation since without it we wouldn't have qualified 3 ladies for the Olympics.
And look where the Russian ladies who she was competitive with when she burst on the Nationals scene are... Apart from Liza T none of them are on the GP representing Russia this year. Like Bradie, Karen came at us with a technical arsenal that was competitive with her Russian and Japanese peers but each successive crop of Russian girls have added 3As and quads to their jump arsenals. It's a big ask to expect every single woman to be like Liza and add a 3A or quad just to remain competitive.
Yes, more Olgas and Leeonas!!! I also like Mete. And Kurakova. And Safonova, and now Gracheva. Shabotova. You name it!!!
Taljegard is not. But is she really an OES given her performance at Worlds?
Wash, rinse, repeat.
With the 3rd spot depending on Nebelhorn, right? Not Karen's issue, but just saying...
This is where I think Alysa should be the one to go to Nebelhorn. Even without ultra-c you can depend on her landing everything else, get those 3/3s into the second half. I could see Mariah Bell not being clean or not having clean reliable 3/3s (well yeah, that's all she does really). Let Alysa go, and start her senior career off with a win and start the momentum early. Then it's also "her spot" in my mind. Karen made it possible to compete for a third spot, but Alysa would have 'won' that third spot is my reasoning.
I said it and I'm sticking with my story. Of course, season has not started. Based on the past I would say Mariah is more likely to be on a GP podium than Karen. If that happened and Karen was ahead of Mariah at nationals it would not be an easy call for USFS.
We really haven't seen her since nationals. As I recall she wasn't skating that well last year until nationals. Would like to see her in a club competition this summer. What is ultra-c?
Based on past results, I would say that Mariah Bell is the likelier to be on a Grand Prix podium and that Karen Chen is the likelier to be on an Olympic or World podium and also to help the U.S. earn three entries at 2023 Worlds. YMMV.
Ultra-C just refers to a difficult element. Like a 3axel or a quad. Someone recently posted a Wiki that further describes it.
Well, anybody except the Russians are on the outside right now, so we have plenty of company around the world. I hope for pretty clean skates for our US ladies - that would make me very happy.
Ultra-C Is someone trying to bring gymnastics terminology into skating and it's annoying.
That may be the understatement of the year.
Trying to bring? I've seen "ultra c" used in skating for some time now. I'd say it's already been brought.
It’s been used forever in the google-translated Russian skating articles I’ve seen.
Define "forever". I haven't really read Russian skating articles in the past few years because I stopped closely paying attention to ladies. In Russian articles I've read about ice dance and pairs and even some men, I haven't seen it used.
Doesn't mean we all have to use the term!
Same thing. T/M’s quad twist was called ultra-c in the Russian press when they were doing it last quad.
