U.S. Ladies [#28]: Achieving 2020 Vision

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Maximillian said:
I was sort of apathetic about Karen continuing on, however, for whatever reason her skates at Nationals (as flawed as they were) reminded me of what a talent she is, and how even though she is clearly in limbo with the school/skate decision, she's still the most talented lady we have at the moment, so I (selfishly) hope she focuses on skating through to the next Olympics.
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"She's still the most talented lady" ??? Really? Sorry but I think there are several clearly just as talented, if not more so.
 
Carolla5501 said:
I’m going to be honest I felt like this year we had a couple of skaters who saw what Nathan did and went “well I can do it too” and honestly maybe they can’t. Nathan is an exception that he can even maintain without a coach nearby. ( I don’t know that you could say last year’s worlds free skate was a “maintenance” skate LOL)
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who cares though? Also I think Karen started college the same year as Nathan. I don’t think she is doing anything strange or out of the ordinary as far as being a college student goes.
 
Maximillian said:
(shrugs) Ok
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I totally agree with you. That speed, power, glide mixed with that excellent carriage and flexibility and sensitivity to the music is underappreciated by certain fans on the forum. However, her rotations need work since she was taught to jump and then rotate which makes impressive big Lutzes but causes her issues in getting that 3 toe consistent and rotated afterwards. She also isn't the most reliable competitor...but who knows how much of that is her inability to compete with the pressure and how much of it is off-ice stuff (like the weird boot issues and then having unreliable jumping technique, etc.) Vincent and her shared the same coach for a while, right? He had to go elsewhere to get his jumps in order and she probably needs to do the same. Mariah Bell's jumps are wonky too but she whips around enough to get the rotations and this judging system deems them better than big airy but slightly UR jumps. Even Bradie had issues with URs but she has such a solid head on her shoulders that she just shrugs and quietly works on improving them until they have improved.
 
Congrats to Bradie for medaling at 4CC. Some may argue she deserved the silver, but the most important thing is that she did it and it was basically a coin toss in terms of points between silver and bronze and that's with You hitting her triple axel. With that they nearly tied on BV thanks to a > for You. Bradie has come a long way since people were sort of mocking her for losing out last season thanks to > calls. It goes to show you that a skater can go far if they drown out the critics and just keep their head in the game and focus on what you can fix. I admire Bradie so much for being such a freakin' level-headed and mature minded competitor and just focusing on the work.

I will also take time to excitedly give Karen all the props. Did anybody predict she still had a performance like that in her? So many people have dismissed her since 2018 Nationals and she's been the butt of so many jokes thanks to her weird boot issues and her Olympic performances (I felt people were ready to pounce on her for daring to make the Olympic team which I won't get into further). She's out-of-favor (as indicated by her SP scores here) and yet she managed to show everyone, including me, that there's still a fire in her belly to be a world-level competitor. And she did this while taking a month off of the first half of this semester or whatever schedule she's on in Cornell that allows her to miss that many classes. Even people were commenting about that in a way to continue the narrative that she's sort of headcase. She may be inconsistent but I think it comes down to her jump technique and I hope now that she scored in the 133 range for that LP internationally and originally was going to score in the 140 range before her TES dropped 7 points that she contemplates her next steps carefully and decides what's the best course of action for her if she wants to continue competing. Her career as an international competitive skater is not over yet if she doesn't want it to be.
 
Bradie VERY impressive at 4Cs and this entire season. (Nationals LP fall a fluke.) Sometimes I think that America doesn’t quite appreciate her...to be in her 20s and stay neck to neck with the teen tech wizards.

Glad that Karen is sticking around. I hope that she decides to defer school for a serious run at skating (again)...without boot distractions and excuses.
 
To be honest i had given up on Karen being a factor in the future with all of her struggles and now going to college but with her skates here she has i think put herself back into the conversation among the top US Ladies and if she is willing and able should think about putting college aside to focus on her skating and make a run for another Olympic team.
 
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Karen truly had her best skate in AGES alongside Amber Glenn. I was so belated for both ladies as they showed grit, passion, and a liberation and freedom that was lacking in the . Comparing Amber and Karen to the other ladies truly underscores why they are SO special. The way they move and just... SKATE is spine tingling, exciting, and so endearing. Amber and Karen have now earned their place as one of the top US ladies at the moment. I cannot wait to see what next season brings.

Congratulations to Bradie who managed to shake off a weird turn on the opening Lutz combo to skate one of her best Free programs yet. With a medal at Four Continents and being only a point away from a Young You with a triple-Axel, Tennell could very well challenge for the top 5 or 6. Best of luck Bradie.
 
Unlike pairs, I see the US Ladies having a clear shot at winning back 3 spots. Tennell did what she had to do; mixing it up w/ Young You and beating JPN #2 Wakaba Higuchi all while competing in Asia, and she slayed score-wise. If Mariah is equally ready, 3 spots are doable.
 
^^Took a look at Young's skate. Lovely jumper but not exceptional otherwise. Average (for elite lady) spinner. As usual if you have a trick (3A, 4) you ride in on a wave of PCS. Her choreography comparatively simple compared to Bradie. Bradie may not be the most expressive skater. But, Young was deadpan throughout.

If there wasn't this problem with PCS Bradie would have taken silver. Unfortunately to metal Bradie has to be perfect. She needs ALL jump combinations perfect. She should continue to work on PCS. Her BV is not that far behind these young skaters
 
As I continue to prattle on about Karen--and thank you @VGThuy for articulating (much better than I could) why I think that Karen is the most talented U.S. lady overall and how nice that Karen then went out and backed up everything you said. I had pretty much written off Karen after the boots debacle and the injury and seeing her in the fall I have to say I was getting major Christina Gao 'the Harvard years' vibes, but for some reason when I saw her SP at Nationals I just knew she still was in it. I really hope that this proves to be the catalyst for her to focus on her skating (and work out the delayed rotation issue) because I think with her performances in Seoul she earned back a lot of good will she had lost from the judges and next year should be a lot better PCS-wise.
 
Kudos to all three American ladies at 4CC! Great job to Bradie for winning the bronze - she could have easily let that program go after the first lutz! Amber skated her free here SO much better than Nationals... just those dang axels! And KAREN! I was fist-pumping and giving her a standing O in my bedroom lol - that was beautiful! So hope it's a harbinger of things to come for her.
 
Some smart people have trouble finding the single mindedness that elite level sports demands. I wonder if Karen might be one of those people. I'm not sure that leaving school and going back to training full time would be the best thing for her. Perhaps having classes to worry about, hundreds of peers who couldn't care less about the Olympics and some distance from the pressures of home have allowed her to let her talent shine through?
 
Coco said:
Some smart people have trouble finding the single mindedness that elite level sports demands. I wonder if Karen might be one of those people. I'm not sure that leaving school and going back to training full time would be the best thing for her. Perhaps having classes to worry about, hundreds of peers who couldn't care less about the Olympics and some distance from the pressures of home have allowed her to let her talent shine through?
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Some people just thrive off of chaos and they don’t realize that until much later. I think having so many things to worry about really pushed her to change her mindset about figure skating and pushed her to the edge. It’s quite an unexplainable phenomenon but I think something finally switched and if this is Karen with a few weeks of “real” training, imagine a full off season?
 
I’m just happy that the judges seem open to bringing Karen back to their good graces with that LP score because that score is a real encouraging one where if she keeps standing up on her jumps and work on her rotations they are willing to build her back up. She just has to keep skating well for them to have confidence in her again.
 
Never paid much attention to Bradie in past seasons but this season she really won me over with her presence on the ice, her programs and last but not least her dresses. And she skated well most of the time. Such a shame neither Bradie nor Mariah have a chance for a medal at Worlds.
 
VarBar said:
Never paid much attention to Bradie in past seasons but this season she really won me over with her presence on the ice, her programs and last but not least her dresses. And she skated well most of the time. Such a shame neither Bradie nor Mariah have a chance for a medal at Worlds.
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Yes, either would have been plausible World medal contenders as little as two years ago, skating as they currently are. The shift has been quite rapid; at the moment the ladies’ World podium is effectively a contest between four people (with a couple of others, like You and Higuchi, trying to scale up to join — or rejoin, in Higuchi’s case — that tier).
 
The Top 10 ladies coming into Worlds based on their highest scores throughout the season:

1. Alena Kostornaia, 247.49
2. Alexandra Trusova, 241.02
3. Anna Shcherbakova, 240.92
4. Rika Kihira, 232.34
5. Young You, 223.23
6. Bradie Tennell, 222.97
7. Mariah Bell, 212.89
8. Satoko Miyahara, 211.18
9. Wakaba Higuchi, 207.46
10. Yelim Kim, 202.76

The chances of gaining back the three spots rests in the hands of our ladies and although that may seem daunting, I think it’s a great indicator of their skills and how far they have come. If Amber and Karen manage to find their resolve and become as consistent as Bradie and Mariah, the US is looking at producing a level of depth not seen since many years ago with (hopefully) a healthy Ting C. and Hanna H.

Of note: Satoko has been scoring in the 190s as of late whilst Wakaba and Mariah are on the upswing. Trusova without her quads scores around 223-225 and Young without a 3A in the Free scores around 218-220. Bradie with < scores around 215-218. Worlds is going to be very exciting.
 
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VGThuy said:
Congrats to Bradie for medaling at 4CC. Some may argue she deserved the silver, but the most important thing is that she did it and it was basically a coin toss in terms of points between silver and bronze and that's with You hitting her triple axel. With that they nearly tied on BV thanks to a > for You. Bradie has come a long way since people were sort of mocking her for losing out last season thanks to > calls. It goes to show you that a skater can go far if they drown out the critics and just keep their head in the game and focus on what you can fix. I admire Bradie so much for being such a freakin' level-headed and mature minded competitor and just focusing on the work.

I will also take time to excitedly give Karen all the props. Did anybody predict she still had a performance like that in her? So many people have dismissed her since 2018 Nationals and she's been the butt of so many jokes thanks to her weird boot issues and her Olympic performances (I felt people were ready to pounce on her for daring to make the Olympic team which I won't get into further). She's out-of-favor (as indicated by her SP scores here) and yet she managed to show everyone, including me, that there's still a fire in her belly to be a world-level competitor. And she did this while taking a month off of the first half of this semester or whatever schedule she's on in Cornell that allows her to miss that many classes. Even people were commenting about that in a way to continue the narrative that she's sort of headcase. She may be inconsistent but I think it comes down to her jump technique and I hope now that she scored in the 133 range for that LP internationally and originally was going to score in the 140 range before her TES dropped 7 points that she contemplates her next steps carefully and decides what's the best course of action for her if she wants to continue competing. Her career as an international competitive skater is not over yet if she doesn't want it to be.
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And Bradie won PCS in the free too!!! Just amazingggggggg

Karen has won me back. Did she do this free program at nationals? No, she switched back to it?

Glenn Realness: A great step forward. She did show signs of mental toughness. A shame I won’t see either of these programs again I’ll have to keep them on the DVR for 10 years
 
SkateFanBerlin said:
^^Took a look at Young's skate. Lovely jumper but not exceptional otherwise. Average (for elite lady) spinner. As usual if you have a trick (3A, 4) you ride in on a wave of PCS. Her choreography comparatively simple compared to Bradie. Bradie may not be the most expressive skater. But, Young was deadpan throughout.

If there wasn't this problem with PCS Bradie would have taken silver. Unfortunately to metal Bradie has to be perfect. She needs ALL jump combinations perfect. She should continue to work on PCS. Her BV is not that far behind these young skaters
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THIS

Although Bradie won PCS!
 
I’m really proud of all three U.S. ladies at 4CCs. Bradie was her usual kick-ass self, and I agree with whoever said she doesn’t get nearly enough love from American fans for everything she does well. She has stepped it up this season and I’ve really enjoyed watching her. Also I have to say her spins are amazing. The speed she got in both final spins in the LP was excellent.

Karen made me so happy here. I loved watching her free skate and seeing those big positive GOE numbers come in for everything she did. It’s all so deserved, too. Everything is done with quality. The jumps are big (although yes still needing to work on URs), the spins are fast and centered, the footwork has great edges, and she’s beautiful to watch, too. I was really intrigued by her jump strategy here—no 3/3 combo attempts until the second half, right? I like the idea of this layout. She’s had so many issues with consistently landing the 3Lz/3T up front that maybe it’s smart to put it aside for a bit. Not trying a combo right away is unusual but it gives the judges an opportunity to notice how high and powerful her solo triples are (rather than thinking about mistakes she may have made in the combo). Interesting.

Really proud of Amber, she continues to get better and proved some doubters wrong here (Johnny Weir from Natls, right?). I love her connection to the music, which was really unsurpassed by anyone else IMO. In the past I’d always thought Amber stood out more for her athletic ability than her artistry, but that is not the case any more at all. I love what she’s been able to accomplish this season.

I am hopeful for regaining the third spot at Worlds. This event and Nationals should give Bradie and Mariah a ton of confidence respectively heading into Worlds. They’re both doing so well this season, and all they need to do is to carry that one competition further. Both of them have a lot of experience at Worlds and/or Olympics, so nerves theoretically shouldn’t be an issue. Hoping for the best!
 
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natsulian said:
The Top 10 ladies coming into Worlds based on their highest scores throughout the season:

1. Alena Kostornaia, 247.49
2. Alexandra Trusova, 241.02
3. Anna Shcherbakova, 240.92
4. Rika Kihira, 232.34
5. Young You, 223.23
6. Bradie Tennell, 222.97
7. Mariah Bell, 212.89
8. Satoko Miyahara, 211.18
9. Wakaba Higuchi, 207.46
10. Yelim Kim, 202.76

The chances of gaining back the three spots rests in the hands of our ladies and although that may seem daunting, I think it’s a great indicator of their skills and how far they have come. If Amber and Karen manage to find their resolve and become as consistent as Bradie and Mariah, the US is looking at producing a level of depth not seen since many years ago with (hopefully) a healthy Ting C. and Hanna H.

Of note: Satoko has been scoring in the 190s as of late whilst Wakaba and Mariah are on the upswing. Trusova without her quads scores around 223-225 and Young without a 3A in the Free scores around 218-220. Bradie with < scores around 215-218. Worlds is going to be very exciting.
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There are several ways this can play out -

The top tier are the Russian Wunderkinder and Kihira: I think Rika has a shot at the podium but only if Trusova overextends herself on the quads and makes mistakes, which there is a remote chance of happening. Otherwise, Russia will probably sweep 1-2-3.

The interesting battle is among Tennell, Bell, You, Higuchi and maybe Miyahara. You barely edged Tennell at 4CCs in her backyard, but will the same hold true in NA? They are evenly matched for 5th place right now. If Tennell prevails, Bell can finish 8th and the US locks up 3 spots. If not, Bell cannot lose to Higuchi or Miyahara. I believe Miyahara is in a rebuilding year but she is tough and determined, so Bell will probably go toe to toe w/ Higuchi and quite possibly Miyahara. If Higuchi lands a 3A, it makes everyone's life a lot tougher and could throw 5th place into doubt.

There used to be a gap after #9, but Yelin Kim is creeping up on the group w/ her 4CCs performances. It remains to be seen how close Yelin gets to the aforementioned skaters. But, I think she will land just behind and finish top 10. After that though, there is a sizable gap between the non-Russian skaters from Europe (Azerbaijan) and Canada
 
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This would be the year to get that 3rd spot back for Worlds next year since i see more skaters vying for the podium at Nationals next season with Ting and Hanna back competing and Karen making a comeback. Slowly the depth in US Ladies is starting to get stronger and hopefully no more injuries taking out promising younger skaters like this season.
 
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