U.S. Women [#5]: Remain on the Dance Floor

[ice coverage]

...
Soho Lee 170.76 3 4 [currently #1 "next best national score"] with new coaching team of Sean Rabbitt & Junichi Takemura at Great Park Ice
Lindsay Wang 159.15 2 6 [#2]
Sonia Baram 154.34 8 5 [#3]
Alena Budko 154.19 6 7
Hannah Herrera 145.91 7 8

3 spots TBD by "next best national score" after next week's Midwestern Sectional (main contenders are Clare Seo, Sonja Hilmer & Wren Warne-Jacobsen, all of whom scored over 170 in a NQS comp.) - we'll know on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 18.

Very sorry that Bradie will miss this season.

I believe a silver lining is that now four Senior Women waiting to see the outcome of "next best national scores" will advance to Nationals.

 

[Wyliefan]

Oh, how horrible.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

(((Bradie)))

I hope she can concentrate on getting fully healed and ready for the next.

 

[Sylvia]

Bradie is out for the season. Broke her ankle on a bracket.

Copying out Bradie's post for those who can't view her Instagram post today:

Brackets - 1, Bradie - 0

Two weeks ago I had a little mishap while warming up my step sequence during training. I caught an edge on a bracket and managed to break my ankle in a funky fall. Despite the bad luck, timing, and falls, I’m in good spirits with an awesome support system helping me through this. Although I’ll miss this season, I’m on the mend and determined to come back stronger. Thanks for the support and hugs to everyone reaching out to check on me - I appreciate you all!

(I've re-posted this news in her fan/cheer thread.)

 

[Frau Muller]

Bradie is out for the season. Broke her ankle on a bracket.

How sad. I found her to be fabulous at Shanghai Trophy. May she recuperate (AGAIN) and come back stronger.

 

[coppertop1]

Why does the universe hate Bradie?

 

[skatfan]

Gosh what bad luck. I'm sorry for her missing the rest of the season just as she was gaining some momentum.

 

[coppertop1]

This makes the two spots from the US team even more wide open. Isabeau is probably secure. Other than that, if anybody's

 

[Jammers]

This makes the two spots from the US team even more wide open. Isabeau is probably secure. Other than that, if anybody's

I hope Elyce moves up to Senior next season since she medaled in her first Senior international event beyond Isabeau and maybe Amber if she doesn't implode the field is wide open and it's time to get some new blood ready for 2026. Bradie is now always injured Starr is simply limited Audrey can't rotate jumps and Lindsay is still a question mark though at Skate Canada she showed more. Why waste more GP's on older skaters like Starr get Elyce out there next season especially if she does well at Nationals. At the very least maybe a Skate America spot. The last time the Senior field at Nationals was this lacking in depth was 2008 when 3 Junior and one 16 year old first year Senior made the podium and we lost the 3rd spot. The 3rd spot has already been lost it's time to give other skaters the chance now.

 

[Sylvia]

Congrats to Elyce Lin-Gracey on winning the bronze in her ISU Challenger Series debut at Warsaw Cup yesterday! 177.50 total, 117.65 in FS.

And KUDOS to Amber Glenn for coming back from 11th in the SP to claim the bronze just now at GP Espoo! (185.39 total, 133.78 in FS, 2nd).

We will know very soon which Senior women claim the final qualifying spots for Nationals...

 

[Karen-W]

I hope Elyce moves up to Senior next season since she medaled in her first Senior international event beyond Isabeau and maybe Amber if she doesn't implode the field is wide open and it's time to get some new blood ready for 2026. Bradie is now always injured Starr is simply limited Audrey can't rotate jumps and Lindsay is still a question mark though at Skate Canada she showed more. Why waste more GP's on older skaters like Starr get Elyce out there next season especially if she does well at Nationals. At the very least maybe a Skate America spot. The last time the Senior field at Nationals was this lacking in depth was 2008 when 3 Junior and one 16 year old first year Senior made the podium and we lost the 3rd spot. The 3rd spot has already been lost it's time to give other skaters the chance now.

Uhm, Elyce IS skating senior at Nats - her assignment to Warsaw Cup was her 3rd international and gave her a bye. She also already has the TES mins for Worlds.

 

[Sylvia]

We will know very soon which Senior women claim the final qualifying spots for Nationals...

The 10 projected Women's qualifiers via Sectionals (listed by Sectional total score) are:

P2 Katie Shen 185.21
P3 Mia Kalin 174.29
M1 Wren Warne-Jacobsen 170.93
P4 Soho Lee 170.76
M2 Clare Seo 170.41
M3 Sonja Hilmer 163.31
E1 Sarah Everhardt 162.05
E2 Alex Evans 159.70
M4 Michelle Lee 159.45
P5 Lindsay Wang 159.15 (filling Bradie's spot when her WD is made official)

Top 2 finishers from each Sectional (excluding Josephine Lee who had a bye & elected to compete - her 186.78 P1 was the highest Sectional total score) + the 4 "next best national scores": Soho Lee, Sonja Hilmer, Michelle Lee, Lindsay Wang.

BYES (8 with Tennell removed): Levito, Glenn, Andrews, Josephine Lee [P1], Audrey Shin, Ava Ziegler, Lindsay Thorngren, Elyce Lin-Gracey.

 

[olympic]

Amber Glenn = Elaine Zayak.

A Comeback

 

[Allskate]

And KUDOS to Amber Glenn for coming back from 11th in the SP to claim the bronze just now at GP Espoo! (185.39 total, 133.78 in FS, 2nd).

Personal best in the free skate even with the popped axel. Talk about emotional whiplash between the short and the free. It's like the opposite of what happened at Skate America. For her sake, I hope that there is at least one competition where she is able to put together both a great short and a great long program.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I wasn’t going to do it but @SidelineSkater told me to watch, but I didn’t think that I was going to do it. So glad I did it.

Amber won the technical in the free skate and had the second highest PCS, almost winning the free program as well. So happy for her, so happy to see she could do it. It was a really really good program. So happy for her a big shout out and congratulations to her.

and no faxes?

 

[kwanfan1818]

Talk about emotional whiplash between the short and the free.

And Damon Allen is brought along for the ride .

 

[Karen-W]

Just gonna be the dimmer switch here and point out that Amber's bronze-winning total score at Espoo is 4 points lower than her 5th-place finish at SkAm. It's hard to get on board her fan train when she can't string together two good programs in one competition.

Rooting for Lindsay to skate well next week.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

the dimmer switch here and point out that Amber's bronze-winning total score at Espoo is 4 points lower than her 5th-place finish at SkAm.

Kaoris score was 15 points, nearly 20, lower than skate Canada. So what’s ur point?



tee-hee

Loena too!

so everybody on the dance floor bump those dimmers right back up!!!!!

 

[Karen-W]

Kaoris score was 15 points lower than skate Canada. So what’s ur point?



tee-hee

Loena too!

so everybody on the dance floor bump those dimmers right back up!!!!!

Well, my point is the same as it ever is when it comes to Amber - she is inconsistent AF and that story hasn't changed in her entire time at the senior ranks. Your girl doesn't handle the pressure well.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Your girl doesn't handle the pressure well.

uhhhh she kinda does 11th and then 2nd? Yassssss

triple axel? Yes very high GOE.

and the only skater of all 12 of them to have all green blobs, and no symbols of any kind, congratulations to her

 

[Wyliefan]

That WAS an impressive accomplishment. If Amber is learning how far a clean program with plenty of combos can take her, that's the best possible thing she can learn.

 

[Karen-W]

uhhhh she kinda does 11th and then 2nd?

Sure - she's 15 points from a medal after the SP, so there's not exactly much pressure on her to do anything except prove that she can actually deliver her planned program content.

Call me when she steps up and delivers a clean FS with a 3a after delivering a clean SP in the same competition.

Until then, I stand by my assessment that she does not handle competition pressure at all well. She's like the Bebe Liang of the current crop of US women.

 

[Wyliefan]

Be merciful, @Karen-W. Let the fans have this one. It was a great day for her, and sometimes fans just need to bask a little in the good days.

 

[Karen-W]

Be merciful, @Karen-W. Let the fans have this one. It was a great day for her, and sometimes fans just need to bask a little in the good days.

Hey, to be honest, I tuned in for the last three women (and Mark's comments while Young was waiting for her score), and I was amused at how high Amber was climbing. I was honestly rooting for her to win, but then Kaori skated and put that nonsensical notion to rest, lol.

 

[Wyliefan]

I was rooting for Rion most of all -- but then, this is the U.S. thread, so I shouldn't wander too far afield!

But it's interesting to speculate on what would have happened if Amber had managed to double that axel, for instance.

 

[olympic]

That WAS an impressive accomplishment. If Amber is learning how far a clean program with plenty of combos can take her, that's the best possible thing she can learn.

I think she has normally bailed on combos in the 2nd half, even during her more decent LPs (?)

 

[Spikefan]

Call me when she steps up and delivers a clean FS with a 3a after delivering a clean SP in the same competition.

What I hope she has learned from this: the 3a is a distraction. A SkAm short and the FS here would have likely won. Go for that and once you do that a few times you can start adding the 3a.

 

[tony]

I was rooting for Rion most of all -- but then, this is the U.S. thread, so I shouldn't wander too far afield!

But it's interesting to speculate on what would have happened if Amber had managed to double that axel, for instance.

She probably would've gotten ~3.1 points max extra and still finished with bronze?

 

[jlai]

Amber may not be superconsistent, but no one has stepped up as US #2. So if I were USFSA I would think that a team of Levito / Amber may work for worlds (for now, unless someone steps up).

 

[her grace]

Amber may not be superconsistent, but no one has stepped up as US #2. So if I were USFSA I would think that a team of Levito / Amber may work for worlds (for now, unless someone steps up).

Agreed. I mean hate on Glenn all you want, but her BOW is superior to all the other choices so far.