U.S. Women [#2]: The Unbearable Lightness of Beijing

[Vagabond]

Onwards!

 

[Sylvia]

Copying over 2 pre-Skate America articles I posted in the previous thread:

Fan Zone article (Oct. 12) on Audrey Shin who will make her "real" Grand Prix debut this week:

Audrey Shin Looks to Repeat Magic at Skate America® - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Last year, Audrey Shin surprised everyone, including herself, when she earned the bronze medal at the 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America behind veterans Mariah Bell

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Excerpt:

At the end of August, Shin was invited to attend Champs Camp in Nashville, Tennessee, receive feedback on her programs. The performance-based camp is intended to prepare athletes for the Grand Prix Series. The feedback from Champs Camp proved to be valuable and helped Shin win a skate-off against other skaters to secure her Skate America® assignment.

Audrey and Gabriella Izzo were invited to Champs Camp in addition to Starr Andrews (since she initially was assigned to GP France) and, from what I heard, Starr placed a close 2nd to Audrey in the skate-off and became the 1st alternate. Andrews was subbed in after Bradie Tennell withdrew with a foot injury on 10/18 (bringing over from the previous thread):

Bradie's post 3 days ago about her injury: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLStagFieO/
Bradie elaborated further during her Team USA media summit virtual appearance later on Monday 10/18:
“I had a stress reaction [note: this is less serious than a stress fracture] earlier in the summer and then I was on my way back and ended up tearing a few muscles in my foot.”

Starr Andrews' ISU bio still has her last season's music listed; her Team USA bio has her 2021-22 program music: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/figure-skating/roster/starr-andrews/468

SP Music: “At Last” performed by Starr Andrews, composed [mixed] by Brady Kerr
FS Music: “Bigger” and “I Was Here” by Beyonce

An audience member's clip of Starr's 3T+3T in her SP run through earlier today: https://twitter.com/courtneymilan/status/1451321916330057728

Fan Zone article on Amber Glenn (Oct. 20):

Heading into Skate America, Amber Glenn is Peaking at the Right Time - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

This time last year, Amber Glenn was mired in uncertainty.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Excerpts:

After some downtime, she came back hard in the summer, almost peaking too early as she was running clean programs with the triple Axel in June or July.
The intense training led to some overuse injuries, including multiple stress reactions in her foot and an ankle cyst that needed to be removed, forcing her to withdraw from the free skate of the Cranberry Cup in August and take three weeks off the ice to heal.

"The season before last was the first time I had two Grand Prixes, and one was the competition to get the TBD spot for Skate America, and the other was because someone else withdrew last-minute," Glenn said. "So this is my first year going into a season with two set Grand Prixes, having set competitions. I've never had that before. So that's been really nice because I can actually plan, and schedule things, and not be unpacking and packing and freaking out all the time. I actually have a plan, when to let myself heal and rest and when to push hard. Knowing when to peak is a big thing for me."

She trained quads this summer and was getting close before her body decided enough was enough, but is loath to give up on that challenge.
"That's one of my goals in skating, is before I retire, I want to land a quad," she said. "I think that'd be so sick. Younger me would never have thought that, and it's just really cool to go past that dream of what I thought I'd be able to do."
At 22 years old, Glenn is not looking to retire after this Olympic season.
"I don't feel like I'm done, or even close to that," Glenn said. "It really all depends on my body. Mentally I feel like I could keep going, for sure. I still have that passion and love for it, which not a lot of people at the higher level will have. They'll kind of just do it, get it done, move on. I really do enjoy the day-to-day. I enjoy competing. I enjoy accomplishing new things. And after getting a new jump last season, I want more."

Link to the same person's 3A clip tweeted from today's practice: https://twitter.com/courtneymilan/status/1451321604949041153

 

[Jarrett]

GO U.S. LADIES!

 

[Jammers]

Kind of sucks that the US doesn't have their top 2 skaters here at SA. Would still have been hard to medal but Bradie and Alysa are usually good competitors and you know what to expect.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I LOVE the thread title - although the film that the thread title is based on was quite bittersweet ...

Can't wait to watch the U.S. ladies bring it!

 

[centerpt1]

Kind of sucks that the US doesn't have their top 2 skaters here at SA. Would still have been hard to medal but Bradie and Alysa are usually good competitors and you know what to expect.

At least Bradie was assigned, but withdrew. Alysa should have been assigned here. Instead, Alysa has two difficult GP's.

I hope Starr and Audrey do well. Not sure what to think about Amber. All the talent, but she hasn't been competing up to her potential this season.

 

[skatingguy]

At least Bradie was assigned, but withdrew. Alysa should have been assigned here. Instead, Alysa has two difficult GP's.

Alysa got the only Grand Prix with only two Russian skaters, that is as easy as it gets in the women's field these days.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Just want to say that I LURVE the new title!!!

 

[Sylvia]

Michael Marinaro & Trennt Michaud spoke with Amber Glenn after Finlandia Trophy/before Skate America for their podcast:

Episode 19 with Amber Glenn

Podcast Episode · Ice Lab Podcast · 10/20/2021 · 55m

podcasts.apple.com

ETA:

Clip of Amber's 3A in Friday's practice: https://twitter.com/shoshpd/status/1451672955977490436

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

At least Bradie was assigned, but withdrew. Alysa should have been assigned here. Instead, Alysa has two difficult GP's.

I hope Starr and Audrey do well. Not sure what to think about Amber. All the talent, but she hasn't been competing up to her potential this season.

Finishing fourth place at US nationals has never been a requirement for being assigned to skate America. And she was going to get two Grand Prix assignments anyway

Amber has been injured this season and competing injured that’s why. Her and Bradie have leg/foot problems

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Is this really the first time since 1987 that no American woman attempted a 3lutz in the SP at Skate America?!?!?! Man, US ladies skating is in trouble. Not one 3lutz attempt. Sorry, no American here is going to the Olympics. This is like the third string filling in.

 

[Sylvia]

Not one 3lutz attempt.

Well, 3Lz not a required jump in the SP. Skaters do the jumps they have that can maximize their points.

Amber's 3F+3T in her Finlandia Trophy SP had +GOE & received 10.47 points. Audrey Shin has gone for 3Lz+3T in past short programs but lost quite a bit of training time this past summer due to her injury. I believe she was considering doing solo 3Lz in her SP but, IIRC, popped the jump in her practice run through this morning so her team must have decided against it. I know Starr has worked on correcting her flutz entry edge in practice but it makes more sense for her to try and skate a clean program -- 3T+3T is her most reliable combo and usually receives + GOE... it's too bad she couldn't do it cleanly today.

 

[clairecloutier]

As usual not understanding the scoring here ...

 

[Sylvia]

As usual not understanding the scoring here ...

Did you mean to post this in the Skate America Women's SP play-by-play thread?

 

[clairecloutier]

Did you mean to post this in the Skate America Women's SP play-by-play thread?

Oops, yes

 

[Frau Muller]

.... Sorry, no American here is going to the Olympics. This is like the third string filling in.

But there’s a good likelihood we’ll see them at Four Cs in Estonia!
Still feels odd to say it...Four Cs in ESTONIA.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

But there’s a good likelihood we’ll see them at Four Cs in Estonia!
Still feels odd to say it...Four Cs in ESTONIA.

I love it that Starr, who has no 3axel, no difficult 3/3, no 3LUTZ (!!!!) and a'ight SS has probably had one of the most active and successful careers of all the second tier and below US skaters. She knows how to get big assignments, so I expect to see her at 4Cs too! And good for her. I replayed her SP when I realized it was she who was singing. She's got a really good voice too. She knows how to market herself that's for sure!

 

[aml78]

I wish Amber would do more to get her base value up. She has so much speed and power on her jumps. I have to image there are other options for her that are slightly less risky than just the 3A. Another triple triple? 2A-3T? Does she not have a 3S? Has she ever tried a second 3L in the long or moved her combo to the 2H to get bonus? It just feels like she could be maximizing points in other ways other than just going for the big gun. And she really needed to be competing that 3A last year if she wanted to count on it for this year. Hitting it in one completion (since she’s running out of time) is not going to convince anyone they should take her to Beijing. Clean Amber is not going to beat clean Karen with the PCS Chen gets. Assuming Bradie is able to come back I think right now Amber is headed for an alternate position. I can’t help but think smarter coaching and better packaging would have put her in a better position to make the team. That being said I know she prioritized her mental health and happiness (AS SHE SHOULD!) and I think being with the Cains is right for those reasons. Love Amber. Glad to see her deliver that program with such confidence.

 

[layman]

Re-posting from the Skate America Thread:

I was deeply impressed with Amber Glenn's performance (in both the short and long). It looks like she and her team are taking a step by step approach to the season.

In her first competition this season (coming back from a foot injury) she only skated the SP. In her 2nd competition, she skated both programs with reduced technical content and at Skate America she skated clean with a 3/3 in both the short and the long. The next step would be to add the triple axel (she did some amazingly clean ones in the practices in Las Vegas) in the short or long or both.

I thought Amber was robbed by the judges in her PCS. She should have been much higher in PCS (at least at the same level as Trusova - I actually think that Amber pays more attention to the choreography than Trusova does and I saw more transitions in Amber's program). It's obvious that the judges don't actually evaluate the PCS of the skaters but just award PCS based on reputation. It's a shame.

 

[Vagabond]

Has she ever tried a second 3L in the long or moved her combo to the 2H to get bonus?

Her seventh and eighth elements yesterday were a triple loop and a triple loop + double toe loop combination, both in the second half of the program.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpusa2021/FSKWSINGLES-----------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

Her seventh and eighth elements yesterday were a triple loop and a triple loop + double toe loop combination, both in the second half of the program.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpusa2021/FSKWSINGLES-----------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

I think she was meaning L= Lutz. We all saw her do two loops.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I wish Amber would do more to get her base value up. She has so much speed and power on her jumps. I have to image there are other options for her that are slightly less risky than just the 3A. Another triple triple?

Totes!!!!! OR the 3/2 she does at the first half of program can become a 3/2/2

Why is her lutz not in combination for the 3/3?

I think she should stay with The Cains... she seems to be very happy. Shes with her good friend Cain-Gribble and seems to be doing well.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I thought Amber was robbed by the judges in her PCS.

Ive always though that...For choreography, Interpretation and Performance she should be 9+.... Because...she's mastering those...I mean why arent they higher?

For transitions and the other category Ill leave it up to you all and the judges.

 

[Marco]

Quite impressed with Amber's form this weekend. Confident and crisp. I am sure as the season progresses she will work the 3sal into an euler combination, either with the loop or with the axel; and then also work the 3axel into the short / free by Nationals. That should be the goal anyways.

I would say however that she isn't quite versatile enough. Watching her program by program is fine, but if one were to take a step back and watch her programs from this season back to back - or even from the previous few seasons as well, one would find all her programs to be very similar, stylistically. I don't necessarily think judges judge CH and IN across phases of a competition or across seasons, but as a fan this is kinda disappointing.

P.S. not sure if this was the intention, but the US ladies at SA were 1. African American; 2. Asian American; 3. Out. Quite the diversity.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

P.S. not sure if this was the intention, but the US ladies at SA were 1. African American; 2. Asian American; 3. Out. Quite the diversity.

I would applaud if the Olympic team were Chen, Zhou, Ma, Liu, Chen, and Shin. It would be a nice FY to the racist Trump Covidiots. I loved the diversity of the women's gymnastics team this year too.

 

[Karen-W]

I would applaud if the Olympic team were Chen, Zhou, Ma, Liu, Chen, and Shin. It would be a nice FY to the racist Trump Covidiots. I loved the diversity of the women's gymnastics team this year too.

I would applaud if the Olympic team were the best athletes regardless of race. What a novel concept. Diversity is all well and good when you're not hoping to win Olympic medals.

 

[Vagabond]

P.S. not sure if this was the intention, but the US ladies at SA were 1. African American; 2. Asian American; 3. Out. Quite the diversity.

Starr Andrews was a replacement for Bradie Tennell, who is recovering from an injury. Audrey Shin is one of several skaters of at least partial Asian ancestry who could have been assigned.

I don't think USFS cares all that much about diversity when it makes assignments to Skate America. It does care about making sure that its deserving skaters get to compete on the Grand Prix.

 

[ЭPiKUilyam]

I would applaud if the Olympic team were the best athletes regardless of race. What a novel concept. Diversity is all well and good when you're not hoping to win Olympic medals.

Well, yes, but my statement was with sarcasm. Of course I want the best athletes. Just as long as Jason Brown is one of them!

 

[Karen-W]

Well, yes, but my statement was with sarcasm. Of course I want the best athletes. Just as long as Jason Brown is one of them!

Well, that's a conversation for the US Men's topic, lol.

 

[clairecloutier]

Bradie is out of GP Italy. Not unexpected but still .

https://twitter.com/AnythingGOE/status/1452985914964250631