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

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The sad part about Dave lease is often he does get news long before anyone else. We listen just because of that. But the show and gossip is trash as far as I concerned.
 
Any word on how tonight went? Did Alysa land her 3A?
My hearsay info from the SoCal Interclub comp. is that Alysa fell on 3A in her SP and landed her second half 3Lz+3T and 3F. She won the SP (67.66) over Starr Andrews (59.11) and Akari Nakahara (55.78). Alysa Liu scored almost 7 points higher (130.91) than her FS last week and had an impressive TES score (72.51) -- I assume she must have landed one or both 3A plus her other triples? Her total score was 198.57 and Nakahara's 150.47 was a bit higher than her previous competition. They were the only ones who did both segments.

Audrey Shin won Junior Ladies with a total of 169.79 (63.32 SP, 106.47 FS) but I have no details on how she skated.
 
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Can someone provide the backup for Lease's claim that the judges are going to be stricter on underrotations going forward?
He seems to be saying that a quarter turn short will be called UR. Or is he saying that any degree of UR will be called? I can't find anything in the new rules that says anything about URs.
 
Can someone provide the backup for Lease's claim that the judges are going to be stricter on underrotations going forward?
He seems to be saying that a quarter turn short will be called UR. Or is he saying that any degree of UR will be called? I can't find anything in the new rules that says anything about URs.

That is new to me as well.
 
Can someone provide the backup for Lease's claim that the judges are going to be stricter on underrotations going forward?
He seems to be saying that a quarter turn short will be called UR. Or is he saying that any degree of UR will be called? I can't find anything in the new rules that says anything about URs.
That is new to me as well.
Yup. That was one of the new rules passed at the ISU congress this year: that a UR is greater than or equal to 1/4 turn as opposed to simply greater than 1/4 turn.
So the UR rule is stricter. Whether or not the technical specialists will call it that was is yet to be seen. I'm leaning towards URs being called as strictly as they have always been.
 
Yup. That was one of the new rules passed at the ISU congress this year: that a UR is greater than or equal to 1/4 turn as opposed to simply greater than 1/4 turn.
So the UR rule is stricter. Whether or not the technical specialists will call it that was is yet to be seen. I'm leaning towards URs being called as strictly as they have always been.

I hate to be silly................but isn't the idea to have a triple that is totally completed? 1/4 turn, IMO deserves a deduction. Not only would that make more sense especially to the viewer who just turns in, and the commentators re discussing whether is is 1/4 this or that.

It is around or it isn't..........and then sit back and watch clean jumps magically appear everywhere.
 
Can someone provide the backup for Lease's claim that the judges are going to be stricter on underrotations going forward?
He seems to be saying that a quarter turn short will be called UR. Or is he saying that any degree of UR will be called? I can't find anything in the new rules that says anything about URs.


Part of the rules changes. Basically right at the 1/4 short was ok before, but now is not. TSLs theory is that most of the "under review" calls will not go green/get called clean with this. And I think that is a pretty fair assessment especially early on. I suspect most under review will be right at 1/4 short and get called under now.
 
I thought a jump was counted as full rotation even if it was up to a 1/4 short. Underrotated was between 1/4 to 1/2 short. Downgraded was more than 1/2 short.

So the only question is where that 1/4 short falls, right? Under the new rules it is now underrotated.
 
Yup. That was one of the new rules passed at the ISU congress this year: that a UR is greater than or equal to 1/4 turn as opposed to simply greater than 1/4 turn.
So the UR rule is stricter. Whether or not the technical specialists will call it that was is yet to be seen. I'm leaning towards URs being called as strictly as they have always been.

Does someone have a link to this change?
 
I really do think callers will still be callers and it'll still be inconsistent. Some callers called jumps UR even if it was within the 1/4 grace area while other callers were actually calling those jumps rotated. I'm sure it drove a lot of skaters mad.
 
Yikes! She's only 12 years old! What do you think of the "natural charisma" of this young skater? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42l8lZ7m9qY

Oh my Lord, this is a video I've never seen before of the great MK. I knew there were a few early ones in her junior career that I'd missed. Thanks for posting. It looks like the video has been sped up somehow at the beginning, or else Michelle was on amphetamines. ;)

Still, there's no comparison really. MK always exuded excitement, passion and charisma, even though she was mostly a jumping bean until her gradual transformation, which seemingly appeared overnight. In actuality, MK was as much inspired by her sister Karen over the years, as she was guided by Frank and eventually Lori to bring out her unique inner artist. :D

The main issue though is that this is exactly the comparison the whole current scenario warns against, as I mentioned in passing earlier! There's only one MK, but I don't think some people in U.S. fed have ever accepted that reality. :drama: This is a completely different era. Anyone who comes after MK and who greatly succeeds at the highest level, will be writing their very own story and adding their own chapter to the rich legacy of U.S. ladies figure skating.
 
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Exactly my thought. Dull and slow. Too slow and lackadaisical for this age. Zero natural charisma. Someone earlier mentioned “Skates like a day in the office.” That’s not a compliment.
Her presentation is, uh, exactly what I expect from a 12-year-old. The 3axel is incredibly impressive but she has a long way to go. Then again, I am always incredibly skeptical about hype.

Complete package? Pooja Kalyan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RadTGfgM2OM :swoon: Can't wait to see her in seniors.
 
I'm excited to see what Alysa will do but, as with most pre-teens/early teens, I will temper my expectations. I'm hoping that as she grows she's develop more lift into her jumps as well as power. Her technique looks very reliant on her small size (both for her 3-3s and her 3A). I look at Trusova who despite being very tiny is extremely powerful; she gets both tight rotations and quite a bit of height in her jumps. Same for Kostornaia who isn't quite as small but is very powerful. Hopefully Alysa's team can focus on solidifying her technique so that she'll be able to do these jumps at 15, 17 and 20 years old and not just during her pre-puberty competitive years.
 
Maybe this thread is only for novice/juniors. I don't know. Wonder what going on with older skaters. We're almost at the end of June and so many have not said what their competition plans are. Polina Edmunds? In the Icenetwork "stories" countdown they reported rumors that Gracie is coaching in Scottsdale. No one knows for sure? Ashley has been hinting she's through - who are we going to send to the Grand Prix? As Bradie is just getting started she must be continuing. But Mirai? Nothing said so far. It could be a huge hole in US ladies skating this year.
 
Maybe this thread is only for novice/juniors.

Alysa Liu, Ting Cui, Pooja Kalyan, & Hannah Harrell are competing as seniors Nationally.

Courtney Hicks, Amber Glenn, Paige Rydberg, Brynn McIsaac, & Livvy Shilling have been competing this summer as well.

I'd say there are four things going on here. 1. The summer season has barely started. It's normal to see the athletes preparing for the JGP compete right off the bat while most senior athletes are just beginning to emerge on the scene. The U.S. has limited JGP ladies spots so there is some proving to be done for the younger athletes hoping to compete soon. 2. The top athletes had a longer 2017-2018 season and went on tour. Therefore, you have a naturally slower start to the upcoming season for those that plan to continue. 3. Some of the U.S. ladies will undoubtedly retire. They've been in this game a long time, and have every right to take their time, consider their options, reap what rewards they can from post-Olympic opportunities, and decide if they wish to compete this upcoming season. And 4. This upcoming generation is hungry and has grown up with the jump format that has been winning competitions over the past quadrennium. We got a glimpse of it last year during the Aerial Challenge, when multiple younger ladies outjumped the seniors. I think they will contend.
 
Maybe this thread is only for novice/juniors. I don't know. Wonder what going on with older skaters. We're almost at the end of June and so many have not said what their competition plans are. Polina Edmunds? In the Icenetwork "stories" countdown they reported rumors that Gracie is coaching in Scottsdale. No one knows for sure? Ashley has been hinting she's through - who are we going to send to the Grand Prix? As Bradie is just getting started she must be continuing. But Mirai? Nothing said so far. It could be a huge hole in US ladies skating this year.
You're in the right thread, it's just the off season.
People are discussing skaters who recently competed in public, and that just happens to be young up and comers because established senior ladies tend not to do C list summer comps.
It's also a new world ever since $peedy broke skating. And you can also blame brian Boitano :lol: back in the day, accomplished skaters had to declair their retirement from Oly skating in order to make $$. Now it's the exact opposite where sponsors only give $$ to Oly skaters, so famous medalists like Ashley, Gracie, polina, Mirai, etc have to keep pretending they are still competing or else join the breadline. Or worse yet, still compete :yikes:
As for current skaters like our recent nat champs, it's also a new world where skaters apparently belive social media is for fans to tell them how yummy their soy latte looks, and gossip about a potential coaching change needs to be met with sarcastic put downs and insults.
 
Maybe this thread is only for novice/juniors. I don't know. Wonder what going on with older skaters. We're almost at the end of June and so many have not said what their competition plans are. Polina Edmunds? In the Icenetwork "stories" countdown they reported rumors that Gracie is coaching in Scottsdale. No one knows for sure? Ashley has been hinting she's through - who are we going to send to the Grand Prix? As Bradie is just getting started she must be continuing. But Mirai? Nothing said so far. It could be a huge hole in US ladies skating this year.
As others have said, those are pretty much the only skaters who have competed or done anything of note. Everyone of note is kind of an information black hole right now. I can tell you what we know:
  • Polina is still in college. There's no skating pictures on her instagram (maybe her story) since January. I haven't been to San Jose recently so I don't know if she's been practicing there, but I haven't heard anything. Either she's still nursing that injury or retired and unwilling to say so.
  • Gracie was coaching in Scottsdale this spring, although more recent rumors have her beginning to train again (I forget where). I think she's trying to decide if she wants to compete seriously again or just stick to coaching.
  • Ashley has been added to Raf's coaching staff, so I think she may be making the switch to coaching. However, I'd bet she's really annoyed about how last season ended, so I could see her coming back to set things right, if only for a single season.
  • Bradie is continuing. I think the big question is her coaching team - I've seen a couple rumors here about her possibly switching to another coach, but nothing substantial.
  • Mirai's apparently posted some video of herself training somewhere? Or maybe been spotted at rinks? Idk. Either way some people are saying there's some indication she's training.
Out of these four I think Bradie's the only one guaranteed to continue, and very maybe Ashley and Mirai.
Courtney's the only long time senior to have competed so far this season. She only did the SP at Broadmoor and got 55.27 points for it.

Maybe @Sylvia will know if any more established seniors are scheduled to compete this summer at club competitions?
 
For U.S. ladies, very few are guaranteed GP assignments.

Tennell will be seeded on the GP. Nagasu and Bell each get 2 by finishing top-12 at Worlds. Chen is guaranteed one from being in the top 24WS. Tennell was the only American in the top 24SB list.

Americans in the top 75 on the SB list who are eligible for GP selection:
Chen (35) (guaranteed 1)
Wagner (38)
Wang (39)
Hicks (41)
Cui (43)
Andrews (52)
Ma (53)
Zhang (57)
Lin (68)
Edmunds (75)

Of course, USFS could choose athletes not on that list for SA.

There was a lot of speculation that Cui would move up after her very good Jr. Worlds competition. Her recent Broadmoor results are nothing to write home about, though, so maybe she'll stay on the JGP? For JGP, early frontrunners based on summer competitions are Harrell, Kalyan, Lin, Shin, and Cui.
 
It's worth pointing out, also, that 18 of the top 24 ladies on the SB list are from either Russia or Japan.
(And at least one of the other ladies--Osmond--won't be competing).

Other non-U.S. ladies:
Kostner (who is a ? to compete)
Tursynbaeva
Choi
Daleman


There are obviously going to be a lot of ladies invites on the GP for ladies outside the top 24.
 
Gracie was most recently coaching at IceWorks, Aston. She hasn’t been in Scottsdale since February.

I hope that whoever is doing the top 30 countdown for Ice Network never gets another job in social media, web development, skating, or whatever the heck they do, again. Their headline, blurb and photos of Gracie make TSL look reputable and reasoned.
:angryfire
 
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