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

[PRlady]

Sweetie: Kihira, Kostornaia, Yoshida, Young You, Higuchi, Tuktamysheva, Watanabe.

Pick one you won’t complain about. They are all higher in the +5 system.

Interesting that none of those skaters except Tut (I think, who knows) and Yoshida (young) still have one.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Isabeau's short program music for the Olympic Season. Let's make it happen!

Main Title

Provided to YouTube by Rhino AtlanticMain Title · Andrew Powell · The Philharmonia OrchestraLadyhawke Original Motion Picture Soundtrack℗ 1985 Atlantic Recor...

www.youtube.com

 

[mtnskater]

Works for me as long as her coach doesn’t do the choreography.

 

[Sylvia]

So how will the 3 U.S. women finish at Skate Canada Int'l later today? From USFS' recap:

With a score of 65.19, [Audrey] Shin trails Rino Matsuike of Japan in third by just over one point. Skating to "Pina" by Thom Hanreich and "Lilies of the Valley" and "All Names" by Jun Miyake, Shin earned positive grades of execution on all of her elements, opening with a well-executed triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and earning Level 4 on each of her spins and her step sequence.
Lindsay Thorngren and Starr Andrews finished less than one point apart, ending day one in fifth and sixth with scores of 61.99 and 61.07, respectively.

ETA - I enjoyed my first viewing of Lindsay's SP to Windmills of Your Mind by Venus, choreographed by Sandra Bezic - 4 photos by Mao Yanzheng, including one of her deeply arched Ina Bauer! https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy7jFaKO9Pc/

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Here's a Fan Zone article by Rachel Lutz that was published before Starr competed at Skate Canada International:

With Eyes Up, Starr Andrews Looks Toward More Medals and World Team - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Starr Andrews' season may have begun in fits and starts, but she is keeping her goals in mind and her eyes on the horizon.

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Confirmation that Starr's FS music is Lea Michele's Glee cover:

Longtime coach Derrick Delmore choreographed Andrews' free skate, set to the "Glee" cover of "Being Good Isn't Good Enough."
"It's a beautiful program," Andrews said. "Listening to the music just makes me smile. I watched 'Glee,' and I love Rachel Berry. She's a drama queen. I was happy to be able to turn this into a program."

As I posted earlier, she skated to this version of the song at the Peggy Fleming Trophy in July 2021.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

Lindsay Thornton has improved so much as a skater. She`s lovely lines and better skating skills this last year. If she hadn`t had the unders she would have had a tech score of 73 and might have been on the podium. I know that`s a big if but she deserves more attention than I think she gets. She was the top American here.

I`m not the uber type but maybe someone could create a thread for her.

 

[Sylvia]

It's Thorngren. I liked her SP more than her FS at first viewing ... I appreciate the effort she's making to improve her expression/presentation side this season.

 

[Sylvia]

ISU Season Best Total Scores of 159+ as of Oct. 16, 2023 (Sherry Zhang & Annika Chao are the ones competing Junior domestically):

5	Isabeau LEVITO	USA	ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2023	23/09/2023	198.79	S
14	Bradie TENNELL	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023	15/10/2023	185.84	S
24	Elyce LIN-GRACEY	USA	ISU JGP Istanbul 2023	08/09/2023	179.16	J
32	Sherry ZHANG	USA	ISU JGP Armenian Cup 2023	06/10/2023	175.18	J
34	Ava Marie ZIEGLER	USA	ISU CS Finlandia Trophy 2023	08/10/2023	173.60	S
37	Clare SEO	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023	15/10/2023	171.94	S
43	Audrey SHIN	USA	ISU CS Autumn Classic 2023	15/09/2023	169.04	S
45	Sarah EVERHARDT	USA	ISU JGP PGE Solidarity Cup 2023	29/09/2023	168.69	J
53	Annika CHAO	USA	ISU JGP Bangkok 2023	25/08/2023	164.04	J
64	Sonja HILMER	USA	ISU CS Nebelhorn Trophy 2023	23/09/2023	160.13	S
65	Mia KALIN	USA	ISU JGP Osaka 2023	16/09/2023	159.93	J

ISU Season Best Total Scores of 171+ updated after Skate Canada International (Oct. 28):

4	Isabeau LEVITO	USA	ISU GP Skate America 2023 - 2nd	22/10/2023	208.15	S
16	Amber GLENN	USA	ISU GP Skate America 2023 - 5th	22/10/2023	189.63	S
17	Lindsay THORNGREN	USA	ISU GP Skate Canada International 2023 - 5th	28/10/2023	189.52	S
20	Bradie TENNELL	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023 - 1st	15/10/2023	185.84	S
29	Elyce LIN-GRACEY	USA	ISU JGP Istanbul 2023 - 4th [176.11 at JGP ARM, 2nd]	08/09/2023	179.16	J
33	Audrey SHIN	USA	ISU GP Skate Canada International 2023 - 7th	28/10/2023	177.14	S
39	Sherry ZHANG	USA	ISU JGP Armenian Cup 2023 - 3rd	06/10/2023	175.18	J
40	Starr ANDREWS	USA	ISU GP Skate Canada International 2023 - 8th	28/10/2023	174.82	S
42	Ava Marie ZIEGLER	USA	ISU CS Finlandia Trophy 2023 - 5th	08/10/2023	173.60	S
45	Clare SEO	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023 - 3rd	15/10/2023	171.94	S

Top 5 ISU SB SP scores as of today:

4	Amber GLENN	USA	ISU GP Skate America 2023	21/10/2023	71.45	S
8	Isabeau LEVITO	USA	ISU GP Skate America 2023	21/10/2023	70.07	S
16	Audrey SHIN	USA	ISU GP Skate Canada International 2023	27/10/2023	65.19	S
17	Bradie TENNELL	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023	14/10/2023	65.09	S
18	Ava Marie ZIEGLER	USA	ISU CS Finlandia Trophy 2023	06/10/2023	65.07	S

Top 6 ISU SB FS scores as of today:

4	Isabeau LEVITO	USA	ISU GP Skate America 2023	22/10/2023	138.08	S
13	Lindsay THORNGREN	USA	ISU GP Skate Canada International 2023	28/10/2023	127.53	S
21	Bradie TENNELL	USA	ISU CS Budapest Trophy 2023	15/10/2023	120.75	S
24	Elyce LIN-GRACEY	USA	ISU JGP Istanbul 2023	08/09/2023	119.41	J
29	Amber GLENN	USA	ISU GP Skate America 2023	22/10/2023	118.18	S
37	Sherry ZHANG	USA	ISU JGP Armenian Cup 2023	06/10/2023	114.66	J

 

[Allskate]

I enjoyed my first viewing of Lindsay's SP to Windmills of Your Mind by Venus, choreographed by Sandra Bezic

This already is my favorite program of Lindsay's. I think they did a great job picking music that fits her on ice demeanor.

For some reason, though, I found myself thinking about how Yuka Sato would have skated to this song. She was so good skating to slower, quieter, and gentler music.

 

[mtnskater]

I think Bezic and Thorngren are a great match. Much better than Benoit Richaud was for her.

 

[Jammers]

Lindsay has so much potential with how she skated here at SCI her skating skills are improved and her speed is a bit better too i put her in the top 4 of US ladies sorry but it's not going to happen for Audrey with her underrotated jumps or Starr and her 1980's jump content. Lindsay needs to rotate those jumps though to break through at US Nats. What i do wish for Lindsay though is she didn't skate so deliberately and by the book but had more attack in her skating.

 

[layman]

Lindsay Thornton has improved so much as a skater. She`s lovely lines and better skating skills this last year. If she hadn`t had the unders she would have had a tech score of 73 and might have been on the podium. I know that`s a big if but she deserves more attention than I think she gets. She was the top American here.

I`m not the uber type but maybe someone could create a thread for her.

Is there any way to teach a skater to pull in tighter and rotate faster? I think Lindsay has excellent natural spring but she does not pull in tight enough to the get the rocket rotations that some skaters (like Isabeau) are able to achieve.

I think if Lindsay could learn to pull in tighter (and quicker) and rotate faster, it would instantly clean up her unders.

 

[layman]

Lindsay has so much potential with how she skated here at SCI her skating skills are improved and her speed is a bit better too i put her in the top 4 of US ladies sorry but it's not going to happen for Audrey with her underrotated jumps or Starr and her 1980's jump content. Lindsay needs to rotate those jumps though to break through at US Nats. What i do wish for Lindsay though is she didn't skate so deliberately and by the book but had more attack in her skating.

I think Starr did quite well for "1980's jump content." She got the 3 flip back into the LP (she did two of them, one in combination) and she did two 3 loops (her best jump; both in combination). So I think she is adding the technical content back (like we saw with Carolina Kostner). She just needs to work on cleaning up those jump landings. She got quartered (there were no under calls though) on almost everything and it killed her score.

 

[Vagabond]

There weren't many women doing triple flips in the 1980's, let alone two in the same program.

 

[SkateFanBerlin]

Is there any way to teach a skater to pull in tighter and rotate faster? I think Lindsay has excellent natural spring but she does not pull in tight enough to the get the rocket rotations that some skaters (like Isabeau) are able to achieve.

I think if Lindsay could learn to pull in tighter (and quicker) and rotate faster, it would instantly clean up her unders.

I see the spring also. Probably not the same thing but her split jump is impressive - high for someone with long legs.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I'm glad to see Starr getting the 3 Flip back in successfully. One of the biggest knocks against her as a skater has been her jump content, so if she can improve there, she's much more likely to be successful.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

This already is my favorite program of Lindsay's. I think they did a great job picking music that fits her on ice demeanor.

Totally agree. My only thing with her is her nearly constant unhappy look. She always seems to display how unhappy she is IMO and if she could at least fake it and show some happiness I could get into her even more.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I think Bezic and Thorngren are a great match. Much better than Benoit Richaud was for her.

Totes.

hope she gets more speed though.. needs it!!!

 

[bladesofgorey]

Totally agree. My only thing with her is her nearly constant unhappy look. She always seems to display how unhappy she is IMO and if she could at least fake it and show some happiness I could get into her even more.

She's not unhappy during competitions and on camera, she's anxious. Part of that is just her natural expression too. She's not a dour person irl at all, she's just somewhat introverted which adds to her coming across as very serious/shy on tv.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

I was just thinking those kind of comments are why we get so many unreasonably happy grins during sad songs.

It's more important to match the expression to the music/program rather than worrying about whether they look happy all the time.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

She's not unhappy during competitions and on camera, she's anxious. Part of that is just her natural expression too. She's not a dour person irl at all, she's just somewhat introverted which adds to her coming across as very serious/shy on tv.

hmmmm I dunno..her Lea S, and occasionally alexia P just always seem so unhappy

 

[Sylvia]

hmmmm I dunno..

Well, I can say what @bladesofgorey posted is true in Lindsay's case... no need to continue harping on it?

It's more important to match the expression to the music/program rather than worrying about whether they look happy all the time.

THIS.

 

[Rukia]

lol I saw people saying the same thing about Torgashev at skam and I didn't get that impression at all (that he is miserable skating). He just seems a bit introverted, but I thought he had fabulous expression. It's just not as big as others ?‍

 

[peibeck]

I posted something last season about hearing how naturally introverted Thorngren is, which is why I am thrilled with her artistic progress this season.

In comparison, it's more surprising to have seen the USFS fluff where Torgashev described himself as introverted, because even as a junior his performance skills were off the charts. However, maybe being an artistic, talented male who does figure skating has made for a tough life outside of skating when he was growing up in FL? I know we can be snarky online here, but kids who are so addicted to social media can be a million times worse.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Except introversion doesn't mean shy or reserved, but rather whether the person has a preference for an interior life mentally and if interacting with other people is draining.

There are plenty of introverted performers across the arts.

 

[Private Citizen]

There weren't many women doing triple flips in the 1980's, let alone two in the same program.

Maybe Starr could've challenged Jill Trenary or Holly Cook, but she wouldn't have held a candle to the likes of Yamaguchi, Harding, or Kerrigan. She has no lutz, and her flip is not consistent. Her jump content is closer to what was done in the 1980s than it is to the current era. Maybe it's more 1991-92 than 80s if we want to be technical.

 

[Trillian]

She's not unhappy during competitions and on camera, she's anxious. Part of that is just her natural expression too. She's not a dour person irl at all, she's just somewhat introverted which adds to her coming across as very serious/shy on tv.

FWIW, this is exactly how Lindsay has always come across to me. I’ve never gotten an unhappy vibe, but I do think the anxiety has been apparent at times to a degree that gets in the way of performance. That’s something I have no doubt she can overcome.

In general, I’ve been so struck by how much Lindsay has developed the rest of her skating beyond the jumps over the last few years. It’s one of the most impressive transformations I’ve seen and I would imagine it’s a testament her work ethic and willingness to listen to feedback. I’m excited to see how she does this season.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I have to say Lindsay’s SP dress may be my favorite of the season so far

 

[morqet]

I can't find the exact tweet, but Starr mentioned at SC that she'd had another heart surgery over the summer. So frankly, 1980s content or not, I think what she put down this weekend was pretty impressive.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I can't find the exact tweet, but Starr mentioned at SC that she'd had another heart surgery over the summer. So frankly, 1980s content or not, I think what she put down this weekend was pretty impressive.

when it was commentated on this week I had no idea…..

 

[Sylvia]

I can't find the exact tweet, but Starr mentioned at SC that she'd had another heart surgery over the summer.

The info originally came from this article that I posted before Skate Canada: https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/...-looks-toward-more-medals-and-world-team.aspx

When she was finally ready to kick off the season, she had another heart surgery for two different types of tachycardia [link to Starr's June 9th IG post] that she has dealt with for over a decade.
"It's nice to know that I'm diagnosed and I know what I have," she said. "Before, I didn't know what it was."
By early July, she finally had programs, but normally she would be competing by July, along with everyone else at her rink.

ETA for @morqet - Golden Skate quoted Starr after her SP in the mixed zone via their X/Insta accounts: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy6v7rpvsy5/

I had to undergo another heart surgery this summer so I got into the season a little later. So I am just getting back into competition mode and we will see how it goes.