U.S. Ladies [#18]: These Boots Are Made for Skating

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I hesitate to post this because I don't want to inflame people, but Ashley had a rough season last year.

It's possible that one of the following two scenarios are true:

*Judges were ignoring her underrotations between 2012 and 2016, they are no longer ignoring them because she's not US #1 anymore; or
*Her jumps have declined, and maybe they aren't coming back

If she were feeling fit as a fiddle and raring to show off her hard work, confidant in the belief that she can do well, I have to think she'd be putting herself out there more. When MK retired, we learned that her reduced schedule was the result of chronic injuries. I imagine there is something similar going on with Ashley, whether it is the concussion troubles she's publicly discussed or the hip issue there was mention of after 2016 worlds.

So I'm guessing Ashley is trying to hang on and save herself for the big competitions. I wish her all the best. No complaints for me that she's going back to MR and HHCC. Those are two of the best programs of the quad, so - to me - it's not like when other skaters return to old programs. Glad she's putting her energy into perfecting her programs instead of learning new ones.

Her presentation has always been first rate. If the scoring system was more fairly administered, she could count on her PCS scores staying where they have been in the past. But we all know that's not how it works.
 
@Coco I believe you make valid points. Given how brutal judging can be in an Olympic season (as Wagner knows from experience) I just can too easily see her being "hosed" in PCS during the second half of the season because of her repeat programs.
 
Thanks, @DimaToe . I'm afraid if she gets 'hosed' it will be because she's not US #1 anymore, but repeating the programs will be a convenient excuse.
 
I still don't get what this debate about Ashley is about. She's literally doing nothing different except not doing the Japan Open.

(And we still don't know if she's repeating Moulin Rouge, if it's just TSL-generated gossip, or if she did it at Champs Camp because her LaLa Land FP was not ready yet)

Let's wait until we see literally anything from her other than short instagram clips without music to decide how she's going to do.
 
Willin said:
I still don't get what this debate about Ashley is about. She's literally doing nothing different except not doing the Japan Open..
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True..... but she created a lot of hype around her "new LP"... She is a voicy girl.... First she announces "I am doing La-La-Land! other girls please take a note (and think twice about using MY music)"... Then she involves SL-B and hires a videographer to make a movie "Making of La-La-Land" and publishes it on the web... And then we see clips of it. And then we hear going back for the 3rd time to M-R....Naturally, people are wondering.
 
@vesperholly , I don't mean where she finished at the most recent US Nationals. She was #2, but right on the heals of #1 based on the GP. Polina, who had finished 2nd at US Nationals, wasn't even there.
 
Coco said:
@vesperholly , I don't mean where she finished at the most recent US Nationals. She was #2, but right on the heals of #1 based on the GP. Polina, who had finished 2nd at US Nationals, wasn't even there.
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My point was more that Ashley's PCS scores are excellent regardless of how other US ladies are doing. I truly don't think that the Worlds judges were sitting there after her FS going "well, she was 4th at the GPF ahead of Gracie ... +2 not +1"
 
The issue isn't the judges' perception on their own. I think the issue is what the Federation says to the judges, who they talk up and promote.
 
I do think she is going back to MR for her freeskate. On her Instagram story yesterday she posted a (gorgeous) 3Lo-1Lo-3S; it had the Moulin Rouge entrance, as well as a transition out of it, into some more MR choreography. There was no music, but that pretty much says Moulin Rouge.

You know, if Ash is doing this to be smart, and work her jumps so they're stellar it's a smart move. Especially given how last season went. That said I'm not super stoked that I don't get to see a new freeskate from her. I was so looking forward to La La Land
 
alexikeguchi said:
LOL that one of Mirai's few triples not called UR was the axel... But this year I have confidence she'll work the kinks out as she gets more experience competing this program.
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After watching the axel, I thought it was as under-rotated than some of her triples. Confidence bonus mark for standing up on a good attempt at the triple axel?
 
I know it's easier said than done, but until Mirai and her team figure out how to prevent her from overthinking while competing, it won't matter now many triples and 3axels she is rotating in practice for Instagram videos. What matters is what happens on competitive ice

I guess that applies to all of the American women though. Yeah it's quite early in the season but it seems that the Olympic champion will either be Russian or Japanese.
 
I think if anything her team needs to figure out the URs. Her 3A is looking good and her programs are lovely - particularly her LP. But if she keeps getting URs it won't matter. If she doesn't have those URs in the LP we could be seeing her having Nationals/Olympics/Worlds moments. Maybe not on the Olympic podium, but great skates from her that make you cry. She's worked so hard and I've been rooting for her so long that I hope she finds a way to have that moment - I know I'll cry if she does.
 
I'm going to be real here and say after seeing Liam Firus's excellent skate to La La Land at SLC, I think the program has been dropped not just by Ashley but others because whatever one thinks about the music a lot of the faster up-tempo music will require the skaters to keep up and calls for faster footwork during the piece that they can't really get away with with posing and upperbody dramatics and maybe it's too much for a lot of them with everything that's required in the LP.
 
Most skaters include a fast tempo piece in their programs, they need to show a range of tempo anyway (and as we see a lot with SDs, music editors can easily make a fast piece a little slower). There is plenty of slower music in LLL...Firus had a good arrangement of both tempos. Ashley and C/B have good speed and power so I doubt the tempo of the faster cuts would have been a problem. My guess is that TPTB thought it was overused and maybe not as sophisticated/dramatic as Oly medal contenders' music should be. After watching Firus, I think Ashley and C/B could have done great things with it...oh well....
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
I'm going to be real here and say after seeing Liam Firus's excellent skate to La La Land at SLC, I think the program has been dropped not just by Ashley but others because whatever one thinks about the music a lot of the faster up-tempo music will require the skaters to keep up and calls for faster footwork during the piece that they can't really get away with with posing and upperbody dramatics and maybe it's too much for a lot of them with everything that's required in the LP.
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Liam and his team really nailed the brief. I love his free skate, and of the dozen or so LLL programs I've seen already, his is my favourite by a mile.
 
Debbie S said:
Most skaters include a fast tempo piece in their programs, they need to show a range of tempo anyway (and as we see a lot with SDs, music editors can easily make a fast piece a little slower). There is plenty of slower music in LLL...Firus had a good arrangement of both tempos. Ashley and C/B have good speed and power so I doubt the tempo of the faster cuts would have been a problem. My guess is that TPTB thought it was overused and maybe not as sophisticated/dramatic as Oly medal contenders' music should be. After watching Firus, I think Ashley and C/B could have done great things with it...oh well....
Click to expand...

They do, but they don't really do much with it and most skaters skate through faster pieces. However, La La Land has a lot of beat and rhythm to it that's really faster than what most skaters use and they can't skate through it as easy as they could with other pieces. I like Ashley but her speed and power wouldn't match it plus she needs a lot of breathing space for the LP. Even the more dramatic pieces in the epilogue need that sort of speed and power to match the more sweeping and uplifting parts of the music. Chock/Bates have had issues keeping up to "Under Pressure" during their footwork sequences throughout last season as well and that was a bit slower. It's just my feeling on it.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
I'm going to be real here and say after seeing Liam Firus's excellent skate to La La Land at SLC, I think the program has been dropped not just by Ashley but others because whatever one thinks about the music a lot of the faster up-tempo music will require the skaters to keep up and calls for faster footwork during the piece that they can't really get away with with posing and upperbody dramatics and maybe it's too much for a lot of them with everything that's required in the LP.
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That's true. But also without the movie the music is thin - like B'way muzak at the supermarket. I can't imagine a great choreographer wanting to work with it. Liam was great, BTW.
 
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