Predict US ladies national champion in 2018

[Vash01]

Last year Karen Chen surprised everyone by winning the US championship. Will there be a surprise this year or will the experienced skaters make a come back?

Choose One:

2018 US ladies champion- who will it be?

 

[Sylvia]

Tyler Pierce is not competing.

 

[Vash01]

Tyler Pierce is not competing.

I tried to edit but looks like I can't change the options.

 

[olympic]

My predictions -

1. Tennell - Clockwork (knock wood). Speaking of clocks, I love her stiff arm movements to the sound of the clock / bells tolling in her LP. It reminds me of something Jutta Mueller would've choreographed for Annett Poetzsch

2. Nagasu - Skating determined more than ever before

3. Wagner - I think new programs will keep her from winning or finishing higher, but only she and Tennell medalled on the GP circuit, so even with limitations, she should still podium.

4. Chen - I think she is just too inconsistent and she has been playing around w/ programs as well.

5. Bell - Also inconsistent

 

[Sylvia]

The 10 U.S. ladies that had byes through Sectionals and are competiing at 2018 Nationals are: Karen Chen, Ashley Wagner, Mirai Nagasu, Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell, Courtney Hicks, Angela Wang, Caroline Zhang, Amber Glenn & Polina Edmunds.

Sectionals qualifiers (12):
E 1-4: Emmy Ma*, Franchesca Chiera, Katie McBeath, Megan Wessenberg
M 1-4: Hannah Miller, Brynne McIsaac*, Emily Chan*, Ashley Lin*
P 1-4: Starr Andrews*, Tessa Hong, Vivian Le*, Kaitlyn Nguyen*

* = senior national debut

 

[DimaToe]

1.Nagasu
2. Tennell
3.Wagner
4.Hong
5. Hicks

No specific reasoning behind it, just went with the order that first came to mind.

 

[blue_idealist]

I think Ashley will manage to eke out a win but it'll be close. I'm predicting Tennell and Chen for silver and bronze (Nagasu could 'spoil' this).

 

[icellist]

I think it's Bradie or Mirai's this year. Bradie has the technical consistency, but Mirai isn't too far behind this year. And it would be great for her to win nationals 10 years from her first trip.

I'm hoping that major spoiler either bronze or pewter medals this year.

 

[Areski]

Mirai I hope (and this hope is not unwarranted this time).

Karen Chen will be very lucky to finish 3rd. Defending her National title looks like mission possible for me.

 

[Vash01]

I think Ashley will manage to eke out a win but it'll be close. I'm predicting Tennell and Chen for silver and bronze (Nagasu could 'spoil' this).

I too think Ashley will win. I am hoping that Mirai finishes third or higher.

 

[olympic]

Does anyone who predicts Ashley will win have a concern about new programs holding her back? Just curious

 

[chapis]

I seriously hope that Mirai will be the winner

 

[kittysk8ts]

Does anyone who predicts Ashley will win have a concern about new programs holding her back? Just curious

Has she changed her SP too?

 

[Wyliefan]

This is a really tough one to predict, but my guess is that Ashley and Bradie make the podium. I see Karen and Mirai fighting for the other spot.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

1. Bradie (feel so strong on this)
2. Mirai or Ash
3. Mirai or Ash

^^^ Olympic team

4. Courtney
5. Karen
6. Angela or Mariah

 

[skatingguy]

Does anyone who predicts Ashley will win have a concern about new programs holding her back? Just curious

Ashley's programs often hold her back, but she's been the most consistent US ladies skater for a long time now and most likely to deliver under the pressure.

 

[Sasha is DIVINE]

If Mirai wins, would 10 years be the longest gap between titles?

She really should be going for her third title though. She was jipped in 2010 IMO.

 

[Vash01]

Does anyone who predicts Ashley will win have a concern about new programs holding her back? Just curious

Not necessarily. It may even energize her to skate a new program instead of the old MR LP. I always thought the La La Land music was perfect for her. I was surprised when she used the old programs for the GP.

 

[berthesghost]

If Mirai wins, would 10 years be the longest gap between

Yup. The only other time anything even came close was Weld 1914-1920 but 4 of those 6 years no competition was even held.

 

[mag]

If Mirai wins, would 10 years be the longest gap between titles?

She really should be going for her third title though. She was jipped in 2010 IMO.

Just an aside here, the term “jipped” or “gypped” is a racial slur. Robbed might be a better choice of words.

 

[Sasha is DIVINE]

Just an aside here, the term “jipped” or “gypped” is a racial slur. Robbed might be a better choice of words.

My apologies. How about "screwed over"?

 

[AxelAnnie]

Just an aside here, the term “jipped” or “gypped” is a racial slur. Robbed might be a better choice of words.

What race is being slurred?

 

[Bronxfan]

I voted for Bradie. I know we had the “pacing” explanation for Ashley, but Bradie is the only one who has skated at the Grand Prix like she really wants to win this.

 

[Areski]

What race is being slurred?

Roma people aka Gypsies. There's a stereotype of them being known as thieves in Europe, unofortunately it's not far removed from truth to be honest. The thing is that they are mostly in touch with each other, there are not too many of them at least in my country - Poland so people outside their own ethnic group mostly got to know them after they steal.

 

[blue_idealist]

I think that Ashley's new program will work in her favour. I believe using a program that she'd used in two previous seasons may have worked against her (boredom on her part and the judges' part).

 

[Sasha is DIVINE]

I voted for Bradie. I know we had the “pacing” explanation for Ashley, but Bradie is the only one who has skated at the Grand Prix like she really wants to win this.

I must disagree. Mirai seemed quite impassioned and hungry at NHK--to the point where she was serving some fierce OTT facial expressions! With her, it's all going to come down to nerves. She's had so many shaky free skates at Nationals. But if history is any indicator, she does skate best at Nationals in Olympic years.

 

[berthesghost]

I disagree too but for other reasons as well. Mirai is not the only former champ with several podium finishes under her belt. Karen’s “surprise” win can after a bronze finish, so not really that surprising, and the 3 former champs and former aren’t the only inconsistsnt skaters who will be there, other than that one good outing recently Bradie’s results have been all over the place so people can pretend she won SA will amazing skates all they want but it’s not reality.
But why exactly is an injured skater who tried to push thru her gp assignments anyways being labeled as not wanting to win nats? Makes no sense and at the end of the day she didn’t get a lower result that Bradie on their single gp events.

 

[AxelAnnie]

If anyone thinks they can predict this could they then pick Lottery tickets for me?

 

[wickedwitch]

I disagree too but for other reasons as well. Mirai is not the only former champ with several podium finishes under her belt. Karen’s “surprise” win can after a bronze finish, so not really that surprising, and the 3 former champs and former aren’t the only inconsistsnt skaters who will be there, other than that one good outing recently Bradie’s results have been all over the place so people can pretend she won SA will amazing skates all they want but it’s not reality.

It was not one good outing. Bradie's been the best US lady all season. Her score from Lombardia is higher than any score posted by another US lady this season. Plus, she won several minor competitions over the summer.

I'm rooting mostly for Ashley and Angela, but there's no need to rewrite history to downplay other skaters' success.

 

[berthesghost]

^this is literally the first I’m hearing any of this. If she does pull it off at nats, the general public will really be gobsmacked. Thanks. While I still don’t agree that a few early b comps make her the favorite, it does go a long way to explain why everyone had suddenly done lost their minds picking. Lol