Frau Muller
From Puerto Rico…With Love! Not LatinX!
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… My gut says they'll use Bell because she's the National Champ.
So they’ll go with inflated mediocrity?
… My gut says they'll use Bell because she's the National Champ.
Ooooookay. I wouldn't call Bell "inflated mediocrity" but we can take that discussion over to the US Ladies thread...So they’ll go with inflated mediocrity?
Wow. Rude.So they’ll go with inflated mediocrity?
K/F's scores are appreciably better against the rest of the projected field (assuming China swaps out S/H for P/J in the FS; and based on the AnythingGOEs tweet today that said Italy's using Ghilardi/Ambrosini in the TE).Whether it’s Ashley/Timothy or Alexa/Brandon, where would their scores fall into the team event compared to the other pair teams? Would it be 3rd -6th place with Russian, China, Japan likely in 1st thru 3rd?
What I would really like to see is Timothy as a flag bearer for the U.S. at the Olympic opening ceremony.
I could make a case that the ISU owes them for sidelining them for most of the year...over lipstick!C/J have beautiful skating, but they didn't land a single jumping pass cleanly in the long. They got the benefit of the doubt in the sp, but their jumps just aren't there in general. Even their throws were off. I'm not surprised they're sending K/F.
WADA & USADA, not ISU, and it was reportedly eyelash serum:I could make a case that the ISU owes them for sidelining them for most of the year...over lipstick!
Today it is. Risk assessment Of factors in play I don't anyone can be sure of their status, venue status, airline...and on and on.The guidance changed with omicron, and a negative test is no longer required. It's just 5 days of isolation if your symptom free at the end of that period, or 10 days if you still have symptoms at day 5. Day 1 is either the day following the onset of symptoms or the day of your first positive test if asymptomatic.
This is cute -- Alexa and Brandon practicing "together" via Facetime while he was still sick. https://www.instagram.com/alexa_knierim/p/CY2yGScrtoa/?utm_medium=share_sheet
I mean she failed the drug test… it was later dropped because the substance became approved since then.I could make a case that the ISU owes them for sidelining them for most of the year...over lipstick!
Median International Score | SP Scores | LP Scores | |
Knierim/Frazier | 202.97 | 76.09, 70.15, 69.83, 66.44, 66.37 | 136.60, 136.46, 136.04, 131.54, 120.25 |
Cain/LeDuc | 191.45 | 70.75, 64.98, 61.68, 59.58 | 132.04, 128.22, 128.02, 111.06 |
I think Ashley and Tim have a great case for being in the team event. They’ve been improving all season and had two incredibly solid skates at Nationals. We know they are in peak form. And I’d like to see them have a chance at a medal since Alexa already has one (sorry, Brandon ).
WADA & USADA, not ISU, and it was reportedly eyelash serum.
Looked like she was back in CA and he was in Nashville hotel still???
I agree, 100% with your assessment on the TE. It's a no-brainer for me that K/F should be given the assignment.
Median International Score SP Scores LP Scores Knierim/Frazier 202.97 76.09, 70.15, 69.83, 66.44, 66.37 136.60, 136.46, 136.04, 131.54, 120.25 Cain/LeDuc 191.45 70.75, 64.98, 61.68, 59.58 132.04, 128.22, 128.02, 111.06
To maximize the US's chances, I want K/F in the Team Event. There's little risk in using them (their scores are always good), and a lot to gain. I'm assuming they'll be monitored to see what form they are in. Judging by yesterday's video of their throw triple flip, they haven't missed a beat- one of the best 3FTh in Pairs today.
The USA is in a good position to challenge Russia for gold. We need more to go our way than Russia needs to go their way to make it happen, but the USA should have no trouble securing silver. Japan and Canada will be duking it out for bronze. I have a post comparing all of the likely pairs teams competing in the TE event in the Qualification for the TE discussion - https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/th...n-at-the-beijing-olympics.108082/post-6169396 - K/F are neck and neck with M/K (and P/J) in the FS scores so far this season. They've been more inconsistent in the SP than M/K but there's a bunch of teams (J/R, H/S, S/B) who have all scored 66+ in the SP this season, so it's going to be a matter of who skates best that night.The US has to pick their best potential team and try to maximize their chances at doing well in the Team Event. We have a chance at going for a higher placement than bronze this year, and we also have to fend off Canada to get on the podium. Knierim/Frazier have the best scoring potential, the most realistic chance at challenging a pair like Miura/Kihara (they outscored them in the LP on the GP), and are our best chance at staying in front of some of the other better pairs in the field. Their international scores are convincing. All these 200+ scores for K/F is unprecedented for a US pair.
Performance and scoring wise, Alexa and Brandon are trending down while Ashley and Timothy are trending up. Cain-Gribble was also ill with *********-19 early in the season and had to adjust with the resulting loss in stamina and training time. Given all of their hype, Kneirim and Frazier should have won the Golden Spin of Zagreb, but instead they placed a very disappointing 5th in a generally weak field of pairs. I just have to look at these posts that claim it is a certainty that Kneirim and Frazier are going to outscore Cain-Gribble and Leduc with a very heavy side eye. Neither of them are beating the Russian, Chinese or Japanese pairs barring an apocalyptic disaster, so what difference does it make which of them is chosen for the team event? Alexa already has her Olympic TE medal, so personally I wish to see Ashley and Timothy get their chance.
One really poor FS @golden Spin does not indicate a strong downward scoring trend, especially in light of the extremely cold rink conditions in Croatia that negatively impacted their performance.Performance and scoring wise, Alexa and Brandon are trending down while Ashley and Timothy are trending up. Cain-Gribble was also ill with *********-19 early in the season and had to adjust with the resulting loss in stamina and training time. Given all of their hype, Kneirim and Frazier should have won the Golden Spin of Zagreb, but instead they placed a very disappointing 5th in a generally weak field of pairs. I just have to look at these posts that claim it is a certainty that Kneirim and Frazier are going to outscore Cain-Gribble and Leduc with a very heavy side eye. Neither of them are beating the Russian, Chinese or Japanese pairs barring an apocalyptic disaster, so what difference does it make which of them is chosen for the team event? Alexa already has her Olympic TE medal, so personally I wish to see Ashley and Timothy get their chance.
Now that the 5th place from Zagreb is their most recent performance going into Beijing and they are no longer reigning US champions, will K/F be rewarded those numbers? Skating is a very political sport. I am not convinced Brandon and Alexa would have defeated the consistency of Ashley and Timothy that we witnessed at Nationals. Both of the US teams are fighting for 4th in the team event and 7th in the individual pairs event currently.The US has to put together a team that has the best chance to produce the best result. Who has been to the Olympics before/already has a medal is irrelevant. I hope they use K/F because the numbers show they are our strongest team.
Alexa and Chris were reigning US champions back in 2018 and they had much better programs and connection than Alexa has with Brandon.Alexa Knierem has been able to “over perform” before and beat “better teams” at the last TE SP. By doing better than expected by a few places , she and Chris arguably salvaged Nathan Chen’s SP bomb. Maybe she can do the same with Brandon.
That’s a huge load of BS! The team chosen should be the team that is currently healthiest and skating with the most quality and consistency. Past successes and experience should be secondary considerations; no skater or team should get to rest on their laurels. It’s not as if Alexa and Brandon have individual Olympic medals, World medals or GPF medals on their resumes either.because Alexa is a strong enough skater to make two Olympic teams they should give if to Ashley and Timothy? That shouldn’t be a factor whatsoever. In fact if anything her success and experience should support why they should do it.
To be clear, I was only comparing Alexa and Chris to Alexa and Brandon; I never said “other pairs.” Most pairs are not Gordeeva and Grinkov or Shen and Zhao, nor should they be expected to portray a couple on the ice. The majority of my favorites do not have this aesthetic.I'm not a Knierim/Frazier fan, but I must take issue with the implication that Alexa/Chris had better on ice chemistry than other pairs. Far from it. Chris Knierim was never a gregarious skater and he grew uncomfortable with competing. Alexa was and still is, more outgoing and fiery.
Brandon projects better than Chris. Personally I'm glad Chris has taken so well to coaching, he can teach that great technique on the triple twist.
As for who will skate in the team event, well I'd like Ashley and Timothy but it's not up to me. So when they probably choose Knierim/Frazier I'll still cheer for them to skate their best.
Yet K/F have a mediocre twist. It's really odd. Brandon had a very good twist with Haven, too.I'm not a Knierim/Frazier fan, but I must take issue with the implication that Alexa/Chris had better on ice chemistry than other pairs. Far from it. Chris Knierim was never a gregarious skater and he grew uncomfortable with competing. Alexa was and still is, more outgoing and fiery.
Brandon projects better than Chris. Personally I'm glad Chris has taken so well to coaching, he can teach that great technique on the triple twist.
That's true but Alexa and Brandon have only been a team for a short time, relatively speaking. But I'd rather have Chris coach them for the triple twist than Jenni or Todd. Meno/Sand's twist was okay for the time but looking back now it's not impressive at all.Yet K/F have a mediocre twist. It's really odd. Brandon had a very good twist with Haven, too.