U.S. Ladies [#22]: No More Carrots!

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RoseRed said:
I can help ;) Keep in mind, that 1) it's a small club comp, which often have higher scores than internationally, and 2) with the changes in the scoring system, a 222 doesn't mean the exact same thing as it did before.

But still, very impressive summer skate for Bradie.
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So true, thanks.

But I get the feeling this year is going to be chaotic. The scores at Asian Open were all over the place with some judges unsure on whether to give a 2 or 5. I’m not looking forward to it.
 
MrMystery said:
While it's only a small snippet of Bradie's program, she looks quite strong. Yes, plenty of room to go, but looks like she's prepared and ready for the season. Nice to see her up her tech with the 3Lz/3Lp. Hopefully there will be a new costume for the GP.
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The SP dress she wore is an old one from a show, so I'd imagine that one's a work in progress. Someone on this thread said the FS dress was also just for the summer competition.
 
Re-posting from the U.S. Men's thread and replying here:
Dobre said:
Are the [DuPage Open] scores posted somewhere? I am curious what Courtney earned.
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@Dobre, I've updated my "Top Ten" with scores (only total scores were published by the club) from DuPage Open and Philadelphia: https://unseenskaters.wordpress.com/top-ten/
Courtney scored 176.92 at DuPage, 2nd to Bradie's 222.63.
 
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Looks like Bradie will be holding up the US Ladies on her shoulders for at least a couple seasons before the younger girls start to make their move. The older ladies like Angela, Courtney and even Mariah have had many chances and couldn't get it done and are not the future. Amber is still only 18 but is such a headcase i can't see her ever getting it together and Karen is probably the most purely talented skater the US has but struggles with consistency and UR's. The fact that some people think Katie Mcbeath should get SA tells you the state US Ladies are in right now.
 
Skate America TBD chatter aside, I would like to give Katie McBeath, a TON of credit for skating as well as she did at Skate Detroit last month to qualify for the ISP and then taking advantage of her late invitation to the Philadelphia comp. and winning the gold with 2 solid skates in her first senior international. :) Here she is at the Aston, PA rink with one of her longtime coaches in Cleveland, Sally Tasca: https://twitter.com/LynnRutherford/status/1026165802981109762
I think she is a great example of perseverance in and dedication to her sport, as she continues to improve her skating at the age of 23!

I found this article from 4 years ago after she won the silver at the Collegiate Championships representing Cuyahoga Community College: https://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2014/08/silver_medal_in_national_colle.html
 
MrMystery said:
And that's on the very, very low end of the spectrum in terms of lesson time, and hourly rate.
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I agree completely. I was actually suggesting an additional 30 minutes a day over and above her usually technical lesson, spin lesson, stroking/conditioning lesson etc. I have no idea what the coaching rates are where Bradie is but they could be upwards of $120/hour which would put this additional time a time closer to $300/week or $1200 to $1300/month.

I am pointing this out because there are often many comments about the lack of polish or choreography (I have made them) and it is important to realize how much that kind of work costs. It does not come “naturally” despite what many like to think. When a skater is still working hard developing the technical side of their skating it is often difficult to find the time and money needed to work on the program polishing.
 
I think the part that annoys me about Courtney is that she has these great jumps and is capable of winning GP medals and skating lights out, but she always peaks in fall. It's as if January comes and something stops clicking every season... If she could just peak at the right time (or not peak at all, instead becoming consistent) I think she could be a threat for the US world team.

@euterpe I'd love to see bangs of some sort or maybe an interesting braided look.
 
euterpe said:
Couldn't Bradie at least consult with a hairdresser to come up with a better hairdo than that squeezed-tight bun? It wouldn't cost a bundle but would pay off with a softer, more flattering look, more Juliet than Lady Capulet (her mother).
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Hair and makeup would make a HUGE DIFFERENCE. And that is not expensive. She looks so washed out.
 
Bradie does need polishing, but even the film clips from this summer show her posture and arms much improved since even Worlds. If she hasn't done so already, I think she should perhaps add a half hour per day for artistry, on top of what are probably already a lot of lessons that she should already have scheduled even before Nats and Worlds last season. Since she did so well, for which I believe she is now receiving $$$ from USFS that would help pay for all of the work with pros. Skating is not for the faint of heart, err, pocketbook. But many many many lessons will pay off in the end. And the bottom line is, excellent choreography to set great programs would probably be the most important improvement of all.

Also, I'm not sure that any of us understand what type of hair Bradie has and we are, therefore, unqualified to pick a style for her. I have the world's straightest and thinnest hair, and many many styles that I would prefer for skating styling or that might have held up on the ice for a pwetty program with no hair flying in the eyes just wouldn't work for me. Straight hair only makes for a straight ponytail, nothing else to do with it. Good facial structure helps thin hair. Both of my girls take after their fathers and have thicker hair than me, but multitudes of spray or gel, no matter the locks, just didn't work. And short hair would have been the worst choice for any one of us, yuk! I think curls help everyone, ladies and men.

(And P.S., I have nightmares all the time about Jason Brown cutting his hair, please no no no.)
 
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Willin said:
I think the part that annoys me about Courtney is that she has these great jumps and is capable of winning GP medals and skating lights out, but she always peaks in fall. It's as if January comes and something stops clicking every season... If she could just peak at the right time (or not peak at all, instead becoming consistent) I think she could be a threat for the US world team.

@euterpe I'd love to see bangs of some sort or maybe an interesting braided look.
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I agree Willin. I WANT to root for her, but she's always a disaster at USN. She's lightened up her skating, and sometimes has an elegance about her, but then, well, she's more likely to be awful. This might be her year though if she works hard enough. There are two openings (assuming Bradie stays on track) that she could win one. I always root for skaters to do their best, because it is the only way to compare skaters. But I am looking way past her now...
 
Willin said:
I think the part that annoys me about Courtney is that she has these great jumps and is capable of winning GP medals and skating lights out, but she always peaks in fall. It's as if January comes and something stops clicking every season... If she could just peak at the right time (or not peak at all, instead becoming consistent) I think she could be a threat for the US world team.
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I honestly think it's not a matter of peaking, but a matter of being unable to handle U.S. Nationals pressure, particularly if she's had a good GP in the Autumn, and thus expectations are high. I feel like that was the story of her whole last quad. I just don't think she can handle the pressure when it's crunch time at Nationals.

She's talented enough to not only make the World team but win medals, but that's never going to happen (would love to be proven wrong on all of the above, btw).
 
Maximillian said:
I honestly think it's not a matter of peaking, but a matter of being unable to handle U.S. Nationals pressure, particularly if she's had a good GP in the Autumn, and thus expectations are high. I feel like that was the story of her whole last quad. I just don't think she can handle the pressure when it's crunch time at Nationals.

She's talented enough to not only make the World team but win medals, but that's never going to happen (would love to be proven wrong on all of the above, btw).
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Agreed. I think, unfortunately, over the last several season Courtney has shown that she has the goods, but can't put it together when she needs to.
 
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WillyElliot said:
I agree Willin. I WANT to root for her, but she's always a disaster at USN. She's lightened up her skating, and sometimes has an elegance about her, but then, well, she's more likely to be awful. This might be her year though if she works hard enough. There are two openings (assuming Bradie stays on track) that she could win one. I always root for skaters to do their best, because it is the only way to compare skaters. But I am looking way past her now...
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Am I crazy, but wasn't Courtney 4th at US nationals several years ago? I feel like she is always in the mix and skates one decent program (usually the long).
ETA I guess she was 4th her first year at Senior Nats (after she broke her leg) and hasn't been very high every since. I feel like her jump layout doesn't suit her. I am not sure why she goes for the 3fl3lo.
 
She rocks that unitard, and the choreo. I think you need a certain fierceness to pull that all off.
 
Re the ISI vs USFS discussion: One BIG factor for a lot of skaters is COST. ISI costs SO much less than USFS. Tests, and competitions. USFS club competitions usually start at $75 on up (some are quite a bit more than that) for just one event. ISI you might start at $20 or $30, and every subsequent event is often $10. Testing in ISI is informally done by your coach up to a certain level, so there's no additional cost. USFS tests start at probably $30 if I remember correctly and it only goes up from there (and you have to schedule them well in advance at most clubs).
 
Cleo1782 said:
Am I crazy, but wasn't Courtney 4th at US nationals several years ago? I feel like she is always in the mix and skates one decent program (usually the long).
ETA I guess she was 4th her first year at Senior Nats (after she broke her leg) and hasn't been very high every since. I feel like her jump layout doesn't suit her. I am not sure why she goes for the 3fl3lo.
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I’m really interested to see how Courtney does with Kori. Since Kori seems to pay a lot of attention to mental preparation and getting skaters to peak at the right time, it might be a good match!
 
Eunsoo Lim looks lovely, but she had mistakes in both programs (more in her fp) at Asian Trophy. She should do well under Raf I think. Her sp is to Somewhere in Time with choreo by Jeff Buttle. And it's interesting that Eunsoo's fp is to Chicago (choreo by Akiko Suzuki), former music used by her new training mate, Mariah Bell. In fact, Eunsoo and Mariah have some similar stylistic qualities on the ice too.

I enjoy both of Starr Andrews' programs at Asian Trophy. The fp has the potential to be great, but it needs more work on polishing and bringing out the unique flavor of the African-themed musical details. Maybe that's a challenge for Starr right now in combination with focusing on the technical elements. But hopefully it will flesh out better over the course of the season. I think the fp started out great (even with the fall on 3-axel), but it lost a bit of intensity about the midway mark when the music changed to a slower beat. They need to rethink the pacing and transition through that section, so the spirit of the program isn't lessened. It needs to be building but it seems to slack off a bit there.

I love the Louie Armstrong/ Ella Fitzgerald rendition of Summertime for her sp! Starr is a wonderful performer and I hope she can continue to improve.

As far as references to Starr's body suit in the fp, I love it! She looks fine and she's a good performer. She just needs to build strength, and work on a bit more sharpness and precision, as well as improving her skating skills (as mentioned earlier by other posters). TSL's snide put-down of Starr and her programs is so nasty.
 
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aftershocks said:
Eunsoo Lim looks lovely, but she had mistakes in both programs (more in her fp) at Asian Trophy. She should do well under Raf I think. Her sp is to Somewhere in Time with choreo by Jeff Buttle. And it's interesting that Eunsoo's fp is to Chicago (choreo by Akiko Suzuki), former music used by her new training mate, Mariah Bell. In fact, Eunsoo and Mariah have some similar stylistic qualities on the ice too.

I enjoy both of Starr Andrews' programs at Asian Trophy. The fp has the potential to be great, but it needs more work on polishing and bringing out the unique flavor of the African-themed musical details. Maybe that's a challenge for Starr right now in combination with focusing on the technical elements. But hopefully it will flesh out better over the course of the season. I think the fp started out great (even with the fall on 3-axel), but it lost a bit of intensity about the midway mark when the music changed to a slower beat. They need to rethink the pacing and transition through that section, so the spirit of the program isn't lessened. It needs to be building but it seems to slack off a bit there.

I love the Louie Armstrong/ Ella Fitzgerald rendition of Summertime for her sp! Starr is a wonderful performer and I hope she can continue to improve.

As far as references to Starr's body suit in the fp, I love it! She looks fine and she's a good performer. She just needs to build strength, and work on a bit more sharpness and precision, as well as improving her skating skills (as mentioned earlier by other posters). TSL's snide put-down of Starr and her programs is so nasty.
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Thank you once again for reminding me why I don't watch the TSL.
 
Did Starr or her team snub Dave or Jonathan somehow? J/K, I know they don't need a reason to put skaters down.
 
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