Canadian Olympic Figure Skating Team Announced; also World/4CC/Junior World teams

[overedge]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

No it's not. It's sending the three women who placed at Nationals and who placed above hundreds of other senior women to get there. They qualified to be there, and not everyone going to the Olympics is going to be a medal contender - and I'm fine with that. I'm proud to have all three of them representing Canada regardless of where they end up in the standings.

 

[vesperholly]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

Austman can do a 3lutz. She landed a beauty in the FS warmup, but stepped out of it in the competition.

 

[mag]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

No it's not. It's sending the three women who placed at Nationals and who placed above hundreds of other senior women to get there. They qualified to be there, and not everyone going to the Olympics is going to be a medal contender - and I'm fine with that. I'm proud to have all three of them representing Canada regardless of where they end up in the standings.

Austman can do a 3lutz. She landed a beauty in the FS warmup, but stepped out of it in the competition.

I would say Austman has the ability to do a 3lutz, but doesn’t have a consistent 3lutz. She landed in her Wildrose FS and again here at Nationals. I don’t believe she tried it at Nepela or Skate Canada. She also has the ability to do a 3loop. She landed back in 2013 and I think maybe once in 2015? But again, not consistent. The thing is, that is what sport is supposed to be about. She landed those jumps when it counted so she earned her spot. Maybe with the pressure off her consistency will improve over the next few weeks.

I could see an argument if we only had one spot, for not sending someone with her competitive record. But we have three spots so the third one doesn’t really matter so much. Whoever goes in that spot is going for experience. Might as well be the one who laid it down on the day.

 

[screech]

Tessa and Scott's interview with Scott Russell, Tessa said they're confident they can can come up with a plan with Marie-France and Patrice that will help them to be present and engaged in the opening ceremony, but also be ready and prepared to do their job in the competition.

Also sounds like they'll do Worlds, since Moir said it's almost a shame they only have 2 months left.

 

[Bill Trenary]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

So is Italy.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Have W/P said anything about retiring? I would see them going to worlds, looking for a post Oly medal perhaps and help Canada keeping 3 spots in dance.

Didn't W/P say they wanted to continue through 2020 Worlds because it is in Canada?

I don't know if they'd consider a season off with 2020 so close, but they might need a rest, and they're popular worldwide, as far as I can see.

 

[skatingguy]

Tessa & Scott were named.

I wonder how that will play with the Team event: split the dance with Piper/Paul?

The short dance for the Team Event is Sunday morning, and the Opening Ceremonies are Friday night Korea time so I don't think it will have any impact on their participation in the Team event.

 

[skatingguy]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

Have you been watching Canadian skating for a long time? There was a time, not that long ago, when a Canadian woman with a 3 lutz was a rarity.

Cynthia Phaneuf went to the 2010 Olympics and didn't have a 3 flip.

 

[overedge]

@skatingguy And before that there were times when many Canadian ladies struggled to consistently land *any* triple jump at all, or to land them without cheats or underrotations.

When people (not yourself) are nitpicking about what triple Canadian ladies currently have or don't have, I'd sooner think about what an accomplishment it is to have gone from those times to currently having two World medalists.

 

[skatingguy]

@skatingguy And before that there were times when many Canadian ladies struggled to consistently land *any* triple jump at all, or to land them without cheats or underrotations.

When people (not yourself) are nitpicking about what triple this Canadian lady currently has or doesn't have, I'd sooner think about what an accomplishment it is to have gone from those times to currently having two World medalists.

1996 Canadian Championships - Chouinard tried to make a comeback - finished 2nd and we only had one spot for the Ladies at the World Championships. I remember Barbara Ann Scott (the event was in Ottawa, her home town) saying that if you can't do a triple, just do a lovely double - that's how bad the jumping was during this event. It's a shame she didn't live to see Osmond and Daleman. Just remembering that it will be the 70th anniversary of her Olympic Gold Medal this year.

 

[Rafter]

Austman can do a 3lutz. She landed a beauty in the FS warmup, but stepped out of it in the competition.

Hmm, after watching Skate Canada and Nationals practices, I would not have said Austman can do a 3lutz.

 

[danafan]

You can probably find a video of it on youtube but at the Challenge Cup last year, Austman executed the triple lutz, possibly for the first time in her career, and got +0.28 GOE on it.

http://kunstrijden.knsb.nl/2016-2017/20170224/TheH230217_LadiesSenior_FS_Scores.pdf

 

[DFO]

1996 Canadian Championships - Chouinard tried to make a comeback - finished 2nd and we only had one spot for the Ladies at the World Championships. I remember Barbara Ann Scott (the event was in Ottawa, her home town) saying that if you can't do a triple, just do a lovely double - that's how bad the jumping was during this event. It's a shame she didn't live to see Osmond and Daleman.

What do you mean by "It's a shame she didn't live to see Osmond and Daleman.". Maybe it's my bad English, but to my knowledge Josée Chouinard is still alive. Is that just an expression? Or did I miss Chouinard passing?

 

[Dobre]

Didn't W/P say they wanted to continue through 2020 Worlds because it is in Canada?

If they did, it's the first I've heard of it. I skimmed through the last couple pages of their fan fests on GS and FSU and there are only posters hoping Weaver & Poje might stay in for Montreal. No one saying they have discussed it. Anyaskate did mention that they gave a brief interview implying they would go to Worlds this year in Milano, Italy. (I don't see a link to that either). I only watched TSN's coverage of their actual performances & the scores, though, so if anyone has new information since Canadians, let us know.

 

[Dr.Siouxs]

Chouinard is alive, I think OP mis-typed.

 

[falling_dance]

Skatingguy was talking about Barbara Ann Scott, who died in 2012.

 

[DFO]

Thanks! Now I understand.

 

[coppertop1]

1996 Canadian Championships - Chouinard tried to make a comeback - finished 2nd and we only had one spot for the Ladies at the World Championships. I remember Barbara Ann Scott (the event was in Ottawa, her home town) saying that if you can't do a triple, just do a lovely double - that's how bad the jumping was during this event. It's a shame she didn't live to see Osmond and Daleman. Just remembering that it will be the 70th anniversary of her Olympic Gold Medal this year.

And Barbara Ann told Barbie Underhill "I counted 49 splats!" Heck, in 1998 we didn't qualify a woman for the Olympics. We've come a long way. Wherever Larkyn finishes, it doesn't matter. It's about experience.

 

[Seerek]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

I don't see it being that big of a deal. More than a third of the women's Olympic field won't have 5 different triples.

 

[nyrak]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

20 years ago we didn't send a lady to Nagano, this year we're sending 3, two of whom are medal contenders. I'm not too worried about Austman not having a consistent triple lutz.

 

[Japanfan]

So Skate Canada is sending a lady to the Olympics who doesn’t have a 3lutz. It’s rather shocking.

Who would you have them send instead, if BOW rather than Nationals placements were the criteria?

Does Chartrand have a more reliable lutz than Austman? Probably in general - but she didn't even make the final flight, so she's not exactly reliable.

Austman fought for her performance and earned her spot. Canadian women don't have a lot of depth after Gabbie and Kaetlyn.

 

[dramagrrl]

When people (not yourself) are nitpicking about what triple this Canadian lady currently has or doesn't have, I'd sooner think about what an accomplishment it is to have gone from those times to currently having two World medalists.

Exactly. There were several years in the mid to late 90s when Austman's performances at this Canadians would have easily won the competition.

 

[coppertop1]

Who would you have them send instead, if BOW rather than Nationals placements were the criteria?

Does Chartrand have a more reliable lutz than Austman? Probably in general - but she didn't even make the final flight, so she's not exactly reliable.

Austman fought for her performance and earned her spot. Canadian women don't have a lot of depth after Gabbie and Kaetlyn.

And Alaine hasn't skated much better than Larkyn in competition this season or last.we have two strong medal contenders and the third skater gets invaluable experience. Sending three skaters is something to be proud of

 

[mag]

Exactly. There were several years in the mid to late 90s when Austman's performances at this Canadians would have easily won the competition.

And Austman is the end of an era. I believe she won junior with a sal and a toe. That kind of content won’t get you to Challenge at Novice in most sections these days. She is extremely lucky our current group of 14 years olds are all too young to qualify for the Olympics.

The experience thing is interesting. It is possible she will be able to use the experience, it is also completely possible that this will be her last international year. There is a lot of fire power coming up through junior. It will really depend, as it always does, who can stay injury free and who can keep/ get consistency.

 

[vesperholly]

I do think that Austman is trying to ramp up her technical content this season. She's got excellent technique so the mistakes may be a matter of nerves more than anything else. At Skate Canada she landed a really nice 2axel-3toe. I think she should try some half loop-3sal sequences because her 3sal is so rock solid.

 

[mag]

I do think that Austman is trying to ramp up her technical content this season. She's got excellent technique so the mistakes may be a matter of nerves more than anything else. At Skate Canada she landed a really nice 2axel-3toe. I think she should try some half loop-3sal sequences because her 3sal is so rock solid.

I agree she has certainly upped her game. I wonder about half loop - 3sal. She doesn’t get a lot of runout on her triples (she has an odd landing position) so it seems to be making a 3/3 difficult for her. The half loop may work but because she has a great 3sal+2t+2lo it doesn’t make sense to give up the extra base value until she is ready to repeat the lutz in combination.

 

[honey]

What I remember about Austman when she won junior was that she did a great 2A+3T. So, she’s obviously had this combination for a very long time. I think it’s ambitious for her to put it in the second half of the program, but maybe she has a better success rate in practice with this than the 3S+3T or any other combo. I agree with those suggesting she try a half loop+3S though.

I think her odd landing position comes from her tendency to start to lean back in the 2-3rd rotation of a jump. To correct that she starts to push the left shoulder forwards and then on the landing she’s kind of in a counter rotation position and doesn’t get run out because of that.

I think she has some potential to improve farther and hope she enjoys this Olympic experience to the fullest. I feel awful for Chartrand, and hope that she too can improve and come back from this disappointment.

 

[Sylvia]

Local Anchorage NBC news story on Keegan Messing as he and his mom arrived at the airport in Alaska on Monday: http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Local-figure-skating-community-welcomes-Messing--469640913.html

Article published on Sunday night: http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Girdwood-figure-skater-makes-Canadian-Olympic-team--469261963.html

Messing says he wants to represent Canada because his grandfather was the county's first Japanese immigrant.
We caught up with Messing earlier on Sunday and he said he couldn't put into words what this accomplishment means to him.
"Saying, I'm going to the Olympics, was scary," Messing said. "It's so final, but it's 23 years of work coming to fruition."
Messing said he feels immense pride for Alaska, for Canada and himself.
"Really, I've never understood the phrase living the dream, until now," he said with a grin. "I am truly living the dream."

 

[Rafter]

I don't see it being that big of a deal. More than a third of the women's Olympic field won't have 5 different triples.

That’s true but supposedly Skate Canada doesn’t even want to send a girl on the JGP without a 3lutz but yet a girl is going to the Olympics without one (argue all you want about Austman but she does not have a reliable lutz). Anyway, Skate Canada was probably not predicting the epic Chartrand meltdown so Austman it is.

 

[manhn]

Who in the world was not predicting an epic Chartrand meltdown?