U.S. Women [#1]: The Contenders Unmask Themselves

[BittyBug]

It seems so odd to me that the name and location of the competition are new.

I think the Yarmouth and Boston clubs are affiliated now.

 

[WOULDACOULDARETURNS]

Or in Oregon-speak, "Tunee Can"!!! hehe

I couldn’t come up with the spelling, but that’s what I think every time I’m on the Cape!

 

[WOULDACOULDARETURNS]

I think the Yarmouth and Boston clubs are affiliated now.

I’m still bitter about SCOB moving out of their old building. Their ice was beautiful!
I know, the new facility is supposed to be beautiful. I’m just a crabby old woman who doesn’t like change. Smart move for Boston & Yarmouth to partner.

 

[Sylvia]

ISP skaters Paige Rydberg (Univ. of Colorado-CO Springs) and Heidi Munger (Boston Univ. graduate) are among 36 who registered to compete in the Senior event of the 2021 U.S. Collegiate Championships that's being held today and tomorrow in Aston, PA (same venue as the Philadelphia Summer Championships). For those withou access to the Kiss & Cry forum, I'll cross-post the results in this thread later.

 

[Sylvia]

Mariah was the guest skater in Sun Valley this past Saturday - here's a one-minute clip of her practicing her SP before the show: https://www.facebook.com/sviceshows/posts/220534453405507

She shared a 20-second practice clip from the end of her SP: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRsm2eCDlLW/

Photo by Diana Dumbadse of Mariah practicing on the outdoor rink: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRuXhBILO2l/

ETA link to Melanie Heaney's shot from the Sun Valley show ("... More photos coming soon from @figureskatersonline and @icedancecom !"⁠): https://www.instagram.com/p/CR4750aFcKN/

 

[natsulian]

The Skating Club of Boston recently posted on Instagram that Alysa Liu, Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell, and Gabriella Izzo will be competing at the Cranberry Cup.

 

[Sylvia]

The Skating Club of Boston recently posted on Instagram that Alysa Liu, Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell, and Gabriella Izzo will be competing at the Cranberry Cup.

Thanks! Link is: https://www.instagram.com/p/CR46uJYrL3C/
Also tweeted by SCoB: https://twitter.com/SkatingClubBOS/status/1420527881529315332

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

The Skating Club of Boston recently posted on Instagram that Alysa Liu, Mariah Bell, Bradie Tennell, and Gabriella Izzo will be competing at the Cranberry Cup.

I hope Amber Glenn is okay and not injured. But I question why she would not be at this competition? She needs to put herself out there, build a BOW, get the scores, land the jumps, show she is worthy. Or if I was on her team that's what I would be pushing her to do. Any opportunity to place above the other Americans shouldn't be wasted. Hopefully she's okay and just a slow starter in the season.

 

[ptvvibezz]

Someone on Twitter posted a picture of Gracie at the Philly Summer Championships where she received a 59.41 for the SP.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1421206806110556170

 

[aml78]

Someone on Twitter posted a picture of Gracie at the Philly Summer Championships where she received a 59.41 for the SP.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1421206806110556170

I hope Gracie can get some good clean competitions under her belt to gain some confidence. It’s really what she needs. It sounds like maybe she went for some easier content which I think makes sense. Hopefully she can get some momentum this year.

 

[Sylvia]

I'm tweeting results links for those currently without access to the Kiss & Cry section (Gracie's SP music is "East of Eden" choreo. by Jeremy Abbott): https://twitter.com/SylviaUnseen/status/1421228592277622790

 

[ptvvibezz]

Video of Gracie's SP to East of Eden.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Sylvia]

Thanks - link to Gracie's IGTV fan cam for those who prefer non-embedded videos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CR987c-nSZl/

Same account has Lindsay Thorngren's Philadelphia SP: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CR995vvnp8K/

 

[flyingsit]

Gracie has a freedom of movement that I haven’t seen from her since she started her comeback. And her flow over the ice looks great.

 

[B.Cooper]

I like how Gracie moves over the ice as well....a sense of freedom that has not been seen in her skating. Several sections very reminiscent of work that Lori Nichol has created for other skaters over the years....

 

[Frau Muller]

Gracie looks lovely and the dress is angelic. Hope that her LP goes equally well and that she’ll be in contention for the SkAm tbd spot. (Starr’s my other hope for that spot.)

 

[Frau Muller]

TSL just posted Gracie’s FS

Gracie Gold 2021 Philadelphia Summer Championships FS

Gracie Gold 2021 Philadelphia Summer Championships FS

www.youtube.com

Daphnis et Chloe, I believe...so two classy, traditional instrumental programs from Gracie this season! No pops sappy-lyric female vocals ballads!!!

 

[B.Cooper]

TSL just posted Gracie’s FS

Gracie Gold 2021 Philadelphia Summer Championships FS

Gracie Gold 2021 Philadelphia Summer Championships FS

www.youtube.com

Daphnis et Chloe, I believe...so two classy, traditional instrumental programs from Gracie this season! No pops sappy-lyric female vocals ballads!!!

Did Jeremy Abbott also choreograph the FS?

 

[Coco]

This is her LP from 2017, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe 2015? It seems to have been reworked a bit but it was originally a Lori Nichol program.

 

[Sylvia]

Did Jeremy Abbott also choreograph the FS?

I haven't seen this confirmed officially yet but I believe Abbott reworked the choreography (Lori Nichol originally choreographed Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé for Gracie in the 2016-17 season).

ETA link to Philly Senior Ladies final results: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2021/30050/CAT010SEG027.html

Thorngren's best 3A attempt in comp. yet (3A< -1.12 GOE = 5.28 points).

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

TSL just posted Gracie’s FS

Gracie Gold 2021 Philadelphia Summer Championships FS

Gracie Gold 2021 Philadelphia Summer Championships FS

www.youtube.com

Daphnis et Chloe, I believe...so two classy, traditional instrumental programs from Gracie this season! No pops sappy-lyric female vocals ballads!!!

Uggh. Watching that LP I wish Gracie would just retire for good. It's not even just that she doesn't have her jumps anymore. There is NO reason to watch her. She doesn't look like she even wants to be out there, her skating skills are not improving and her programs are color by numbers without any personality. I am saying this as a stark contrast to what I see in Ting Cui so far this season. Ting isn't hitting her jumps either, but her SKATING is alive, her programs seem to mean something to her, and she has improved her skating skills so much. Ting is presenting to us what/who she is as a skater, and I just don't see Gracie much invested in performing in addition to not doing any jumps. I'd rather throw all my support to Ting's Team, even though her road doesn't look so promising either, but at least I'd ENJOY Ting's journey and skating along the way. When Ting has skated this summer, you can at least feel a little of her soul that she is expressing through her skating. Gracie to me is soulless. And it hurts me to say that, but come on, someone needs to call out the elephant in the room.

 

[Karen-W]

Uggh. Watching that LP I wish Gracie would just retire for good. It's not even just that she doesn't have her jumps anymore. There is NO reason to watch her. She doesn't look like she even wants to be out there, her skating skills are not improving and her programs are color by numbers without any personality. I am saying this as a stark contrast to what I see in Ting Cui so far this season. Ting isn't hitting her jumps either, but her SKATING is alive, her programs seem to mean something to her, and she has improved her skating skills so much. Ting is presenting to us what/who she is as a skater, and I just don't see Gracie much invested in performing in addition to not doing any jumps. I'd rather throw all my support to Ting's Team, even though her road doesn't look so promising either, but at least I'd ENJOY Ting's journey and skating along the way. When Ting has skated this summer, you can at least feel a little of her soul that she is expressing through her skating. Gracie to me is soulless. And it hurts me to say that, but come on, someone needs to call out the elephant in the room.

Maybe you feel that way watching the FS but her SP that she debuted yesterday is a thing of beauty. Absolutely lovely and full of flow and lyricism. Shades of the Gracie of old, for sure.

 

[Rukia]

Gracie should retire when she's decided she's had enough and not a moment before. Not matter what we may read into her performances, only she knows what's best for her.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Gracie should retire when she's decided she's had enough and not a moment before. Not matter what we may read into her performances, only she knows what's best for her.

I would hope so. But does she? Who is advising her? Are they just "yes" people? Is Gracie taking any college classes? If she was I'd strongly encourage to compete in the University Games for competition, but it appears she isn't doing that. Just putting out these half-hearted "performances". She can't be a happy person doing this. Skating might finally be over for her. She can use that fire/light she had for skating that got her to the top of the world and put the same light/fire in some other endeavor and be wildly successful at that. It just seems she's just wasting her time, depressingly so, and slowly drifting into oblivion. And not seemingly caring one way or another about it. She's better than this. Someone close to her needs to fire her up for something else in life, because three years into her "comeback" she has little to show for it.

 

[Wyliefan]

Man Believes Himself Able to Read Woman's Mind and Entitled to Dictate Her Career Choices, Film at Eleven.

 

[peibeck]

I thought Gracie's SP is quite good, the step sequence could be more detailed IMO. I'm sure she could up the level there if she chooses. It could make the piece even more special.

In these days of the internet both raising up and ripping down Simone Biles, it strikes me as something similar to what Gracie has been through. She didn't have a remarkable free skate. It's not worth ripping her effort though.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Man Believes Himself Able to Read Woman's Mind and Entitled to Dictate Her Career Choices, Film at Eleven.

Thanks for the womansplaining. I was just giving an opinion. Like you always seem to in everything. I didn't realize it's not okay to give an opinion about anyone that is not my gender without being attacked by some of you. I just hope that you don't comment on skaters that don't match your gender identity. Otherwise that makes you a hypocrite. And quite sexist. But that's okay. It's okay to not be okay.

 

[thvu]

Thanks for the womansplaining. I was just giving an opinion.

Your defense of “I’m just giving an opinion” at someone else’s opinion of your opinion shows an astounding lack of self-awareness, speaks much to your lack of critical thinking skills, and reeks of privilege.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Your defense of “I’m just giving an opinion” at someone else’s opinion of your opinion shows an astounding lack of self-awareness, speaks much to your lack of critical thinking skills, and reeks of privilege.

Well, what does attacking my opinion by someone with a sexist tone make them? And you too, for seemingly supporting such blatant sexism. Reeks of something too, vu. That shows an astounding lack of self-awareness and lack of critical thinking skills too, vu.

 

[layman]

Uggh. Watching that LP I wish Gracie would just retire for good. It's not even just that she doesn't have her jumps anymore. There is NO reason to watch her. She doesn't look like she even wants to be out there, her skating skills are not improving and her programs are color by numbers without any personality. I am saying this as a stark contrast to what I see in Ting Cui so far this season. Ting isn't hitting her jumps either, but her SKATING is alive, her programs seem to mean something to her, and she has improved her skating skills so much. Ting is presenting to us what/who she is as a skater, and I just don't see Gracie much invested in performing in addition to not doing any jumps. I'd rather throw all my support to Ting's Team, even though her road doesn't look so promising either, but at least I'd ENJOY Ting's journey and skating along the way. When Ting has skated this summer, you can at least feel a little of her soul that she is expressing through her skating. Gracie to me is soulless. And it hurts me to say that, but come on, someone needs to call out the elephant in the room.

Why did Ting withdraw from the freeskate at this competition?

Gracie was having problems, but I give her credit for attempting both the short program and the freeskate. I see shades of the Gracie of old...the pre-Frank days. She skates on deep curves (something I think Ourashiev taught her). It gives her skating a nice sense of flow, freedom and "bigness"...she fills the entire ice surface. Frank made everything smaller and had her skating more on straight lines but I can see that Gracie has gone back to the curving edges and big jumps of her Ourashiev days, so I can see that she is training. She just needs a little more snap and pull-in in her rotations to be able to pull off the jumps cleanly (she gets tremendous height in her jumps - I love the way that she pushes off her entrance edge). I am seeing more speed in Gracie's skating than I have in the last couple of seasons. She's getting better. I see this competition as a great step. I don't see Gracie as a lost cause at all but rather as a work in progress.