U.S. Women [#1]: The Contenders Unmask Themselves

[Wyliefan]

Why Wagner's silver medal is forgotten?

That was the "Yay" in 2016.

 

[karmena]

Thank you,Wyliefan! After reading your post, I checked in the Oxford dictionary. Ha! Ha! I did not get it that "yay" was meant as an approval exclamation...!! here we are... not everyone is good in English. Thank you once more for the explanation and for the patience to do so!

 

[Alexa]

Karen around 0:18, Mariah around 0:49 in this TeamUSA video

https://twitter.com/teamusa/status/1438918925325115393?s=21

 

[Sylvia]

Fan Zone article on Gabriella Izzo before she competes at U.S. Classic today:

Gabriella Izzo Exudes French Flair This Season - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Gabriella Izzo is proud to represent Team USA domestically and internationally, but she reserves a special place in her heart for France.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Her passion for the City of Lights will shine through in her short program this season. She's skating to an Edith Piaf medley.
"I picked these specific songs because I fell in love with [Canada's] Kaetlyn Osmond's short program during the 2018 Olympic season," she explained. "I absolutely love French culture and the accent, the language."
The routine was choreographed by Adam Blake and they worked together to tell a story. Izzo recently got her skating costume for the piece. It's a one-shoulder dress that is eggplant in color with some black lace. "It's super romantic. It's super French," she described. "It has a belt and everything about it is like evening gown in Paris on a night out."

Izzo recently began her sophomore year at Harvard University. She has yet to officially declare a major, but she is leaning towards government with a secondary in environmental science and public policy. She's taking a pre-law route and may pursue politics or criminology. Due to the pandemic, Izzo spent her entire freshman year taking virtual classes. She is excited to experience campus life for the first time.

 

[Jammers]

Looking at all of the US senior ladies it seems like Alysa is the only one skating like she has something to prove. She wants it and is going out and taking it. I don't see that with the other US ladies. Maybe we'll se it with Amber and Bradie when she gets healthy but Alysa is setting herself up to be the huge favorite come Nationals.

 

[Frau Muller]

Congratulations to Kate Wang for the highest finish today at JGP Krasnoyarsk by a non-Russian Woman - 6th place! Her LP to Haunted Heart by Aguilera.

Kate WANG USA | Women Free Skating | Krasnoyarsk - 2021 #JGPFigure

Womens Start List :http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/jgprus2021/FSKWSINGLES-JUNIOR----FNL-000100--_StartListwithTimes.pdfVisit https://isu.org/Jun...

m.youtube.com

America’s Maryn Pierce also moves up - 10th to 8th place - with her elegant, expressive style...but also fine tech, including a 3-3 combo. Seemed like another era but I love it.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

I am really impressed with Kate Wang!! Beautiful skater. She seems so laid back and casual when she skates, and then out comes 3/3s! It's like I know the goal is to make everything look effortless, but Kate? Lol, sometimes I was thinking she could at least ACT like she's putting some effort into her program!! I like it! Yet another strong American junior. Finally!

 

[Tahuu]

The most confusing part about Ultra-C (other than it not being much shorter than what it intends to shorten) is that it's only being used in reference to women's skaters. Not men, not pairs. Just the women.

Sorry for back to Ultra-C. Wouldn’t it be more fitting to use Ultra-She then? Quad queen Sasha definitely has proven she is super Ultra.

 

[Frau Muller]

Sorry for back to Ultra-C. Wouldn’t it be more fitting to use Ultra-She then? Quad queen Sasha definitely has proven she is super Ultra.

How about Ultra-He...as in Nathan?

 

[Sylvia]

Phil Hersh tweeted today that he asked Zakrajsek about Bradie's current status:

"Just some foot pain related to fixing some boot issues. Being cautious early in the season." He said Tennell still plans to do Skate America.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Phil Hersh tweeted today that he asked Zakrajsek about Bradie's current status:

Will that be her first competition then?

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Phil Hersh tweeted today that he asked Zakrajsek about Bradie's current status:

At least it's not her back. That was my big concern. Hopefully she'll be good and ready for SkAm.

 

[Rukia]

Olympic season boot issues have a history of being unkind to skaters. Hope everything is good for Bradie now and she can heal and skate well.

 

[centerpt1]

Do we trust Tom Z to be totally honest about a skater's injury? He has a history ......

 

[sk8nlizard]

Do we trust Tom Z to be totally honest about a skater's injury? He has a history ......

I am no Tom Z fan but if I was a coach (or skater) that had even a slim chance of making the Olympics, I’m not sure I would be forthcoming about injuries.

 

[Stephanie]

Per the USFS international assignments page Mia Kalin is going to the Poland JGP and Kate Wang to the Austrian one.

 

[Wyliefan]

Video of Hanna Harrell skating her new Liebestraum short at Pasadena Open:

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

 

[Jammers]

Per the USFS international assignments page Mia Kalin is going to the Poland JGP and Kate Wang to the Austrian one.

No Kanon Smith? Is she hurt because she certainly would be more competitive then some of the girls they have sent out plus she's the reigning US Junior ladies silver medalist.

 

[euterpe]

Per the USFS international assignments page Mia Kalin is going to the Poland JGP and Kate Wang to the Austrian one.

Kate was assigned to AUT. Mia is replacing Josephine Lee in POL.

 

[overedge]

Olympic season boot issues have a history of being unkind to skaters. Hope everything is good for Bradie now and she can heal and skate well.

As long as Bradie doesn't post an online picture of her damaged boot with the caption "pray for me"

 

[Coco]

Thank you for sharing the vid of Hanna. Lovely SP!

 

[sk9tingfan]

Thank you for sharing the vid of Hanna. Lovely SP!

I wonder if it was Ge who finally dissuaded her from doing all of her jumps with her arms over her head? Finally she has some stability. I know that her coaches tried to get her to stop but to no avail.

 

[natsulian]

Mia Kalin and Kate Wang have officially been assigned to JGP Poland and JGP Austria respectively. Kalin will join Clare Seo and Wang will join Isabeau Levito in representing Team USA.

Link: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...22-international-assignments-and-results.aspx

Thus, here are the junior women who received two assignments:

• Isabeau Levito
• Lindsay Thorngren
• Ava Marie Ziegler
• Clare Seo
• Kate Wang
• Mia Kalin

A list of the women who received one assignment:

• Josephine Lee
• Maryn Pierce

Kanon Smith, the silver-medalist at Junior Nationals, seems to be injured (my hypothesis, not at all confirmed) as she has not competed at all on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. Smith's last competition was Skate Milwaukee back in July.

 

[missing]

Even with a mask on, you can see Alysa Liu's big smile in this article about her by Philp Hersh.

Sonia Bianchetti of Italy, a longtime International Skating Union official and judge, went to Lombardia Trophy as a spectator. She came away very impressed by Liu, whose total and free skate scores were second best ever by a U.S. woman, with easily her highest component scores ever internationally.

“She skated very well both in the short and the free,” Bianchetti said in an email. “All her jumps are very well executed, effortless, high and long. She has also beautiful spins. What is even more important for me is that she glides well on the ice, with deep edges, and she moves her hands and body according to the music. She is very elegant considering her age.”

At the same time, Liu seems to be slowly regaining command of one of the big jumps, the triple axel, which had been her competitive plus. Her first attempt, at Cranberry Cup, ended in a fall and downgrade. The next, at Lombardia, was landed slightly under-rotated. She has no reservations about trying it again at Nebelhorn, where the stakes include her needing a top-six finish to earn the U.S. a third spot in women’s singles at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

“I was very shocked and pretty honored when they (U.S. Figure Skating) picked me to compete for the third spot,” Liu said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I think that must be a change in my mindset. I’m kind of skating just for myself right now.”

 

[wickedwitch]

“I was very shocked and pretty honored when they (U.S. Figure Skating) picked me to compete for the third spot,” Liu said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I think that must be a change in my mindset. I’m kind of skating just for myself right now.”

This is an odd comment. She was clearly the best choice. She won Cranberry -- and it's not like that was close.

Regardless, I'm thrilled with the improvements she's made and can't wait to see her skate again.

 

[VGThuy]

I think it’s hard for us fans to imagine that skaters may have a very different perspective of where they fit in the entire domestic and international skating field. I kind of believe they may have a more “limited” perspective, at least when they’re young, because they have more tunnel vision that is focused more on their own training, and especially younger ones are sort of shielded by their coaches of their competition as a whole, and they don’t watch skating and all the competitions and then do countless amounts of analyzation the way fans do. Of course there are some notable exceptions who seem very aware, and maybe even more aware than the most ardent fans even.

 

[Jammers]

Who would have though just a couple of years ago that someone as respected in the sport as Sonia Bianchetti would described Alysa's skating with words such as deep edges and how well she glides on the ice. Those were words we would not have used even last year about her skating what a difference a year makes.

 

[Spun Silver]

I wonder what she will do after the Olympics. I can't help hoping she will be around for more than one season as this newly matured, full-package skater.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

I wonder what she will do after the Olympics. I can't help hoping she will be around for more than one season as this newly matured, full-package skater.

I recall Dave Lease saying that Arthur Liu plans for Alysa to retire after this season.

 

[Karen-W]

I recall Dave Lease saying that Arthur Liu plans for Alysa to retire after this season.

Haven't we established long ago that Dave Lease has ZERO insider information when it comes to the Liu camp?