U.S. Women [#7]: Make Me a Believer!

[Wyliefan]

I hope by the fall we can also include Ava in the mix.

I'm not getting my hopes up, but this would be on my wishlist too. In any case, I hope Ava keeps going in the next quad and has more successes.

 

[Vagabond]

I think she already has by never falling, she is one consistent rock. The Kristi Yamaguchi nerves of steel it seems.

Oh, and a big high jumps. She gets herself off the ice.

PC's analysis was based on the assumption that all six skaters had clean programs, so never falling is meaningless in this context. Everhardt's only triple-triple combination is the 3T+3T, which she performs only in the Short Program, and her PCS is, or at least should be lower, than any of her rivals' when they all skate clean. So I agree with PC on this one. I say that as someone who does find much to admire about the way she skates.

 

[Private Citizen]

I hope by the fall we can also include Ava in the mix.

I’d love that, but she will have been out for 1.5 years, with an erratic record before that. I think she’d probably need a reliable triple axel and / or quad to overcome the body of work deficit. I’m not sure what she’s eligible for in terms of int’l assignments. She needs to win early and often if she has any chance. I hope she sticks around for 2030.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Without season-ending injury of a competitor, Ziegler would need to make GPF and out-skate any other American in the GPF to be considered seriously, IMO, even if she won Nationals, because everyone else melted down there.

I just don't get the Lin-Gracey love: I find her movement quality extremely weak, if not completely unwatchable.

 

[Kateri]

I just don't get the Lin-Gracey love: I find her movement quality extremely weak, if not completely unwatchable.

This - she did great at Jr Worlds, but I'm surprised she's in the conversation for big-league spots. She's still so, so, expressionless and junior, more so than Everhardt, but without the consistency.

 

[jlai]

This - she did great at Jr Worlds, but I'm surprised she's in the conversation for big-league spots. She's still so, so, expressionless and junior, more so than Everhardt, but without the consistency.

That can be fixed as long as someone has good technique, which she has

 

[Kateri]

That can be fixed as long as someone has good technique, which she has

Isn't she coached by Tammy Gambill? Good luck to her.

 

[her grace]

This - she did great at Jr Worlds, but I'm surprised she's in the conversation for big-league spots. She's still so, so, expressionless and junior, more so than Everhardt, but without the consistency.

She almost has negative expression in that she actively looked scared during the first 3 jumping passes, then was blank until she finished jumps, and finally gave something at end of long program at Junior Worlds. Everhardt’s even-keeled expression is less emotionally taxing.

To me, Tennell, Liu, and Everhardt had better performances at 4CC than Lin-Gracey did at Junior Worlds.

 

[jlai]

She almost has negative expression in that she actively looked scared during the first 3 jumping passes, then was blank until she finished jumps, and finally gave something at end of long program at Junior Worlds. Everhardt’s even-keeled expression is less emotionally taxing.

To me, Tennell, Liu, and Everhardt had better performances at 4CC than Lin-Gracey did at Junior Worlds.

You meant expression or even the technical aspects as well?

 

[her grace]

You meant expression or even the technical aspects as well?

I meant overall impression of combined technical and performance.

 

[jlai]

I meant overall impression of combined technical and performance.

I thought Tennell did the best she could do. Liu, on her way to peak, but not quite there. I always wonder about her lutz edge, but will need to review her programs to be sure.
Sarah did great but possibly bordering on the q at points.

 

[Karen-W]

Isabeau up next - looks like her "Breakfast at Tiffany's" SP. That's a choice, seeing as it gets peppy.

And down she goes on her opening triple-triple combo. That will be fodder for the US Women's thread later.

Levito attempted a 3-3

going for that 3-3 under spots is kind of ballsy actually

True enough, but it makes me wonder just how much pressure she's feeling behind the scenes with the USFS to show she's going to be ready for Worlds.

I'd probably think better of the attempt had it been anywhere close to fully rotated.

 

[Rukia]

True enough, but it makes me wonder just how much pressure she's feeling behind the scenes with the USFS to show she's going to be ready for Worlds.

I'd probably think better of the attempt had it been anywhere close to fully rotated.

eh I truly don't think an attempt under show lights is a fair representation of what she can do. I have the hardest time staying oriented in lighing like that, although i could barely handle one light in the rink being much dimmer than the other areas it was literally like i had never skated before lol

 

[Allskate]

True enough, but it makes me wonder just how much pressure she's feeling behind the scenes with the USFS to show she's going to be ready for Worlds.

I really hope that the UFSA would not ask a skater to use a memorial exhibition as a test event. I saw a video of Isabeau skating and fooling around with one of the girls who was killed. Even if this was not a memorial event, asking her to do a triple/triple at an exhibition under spotlights and without the usual warm-up would not be nice or fair. There are other ways to test her. It's possible that she might have been feeling pressure to do it, though. She did do a triple flip/triple loop in practice in Milan, and I think the USFSA probably was her target audience, even though they asked her just to do a triple/double in the competition.

 

[her grace]

I just assumed she wanted to try it.

 

[Karen-W]

I really hope that the UFSA would not ask a skater to use a memorial exhibition as a test event. I saw a video of Isabeau skating and fooling around with one of the girls who was killed. Even if this was not a memorial event, asking her to do a triple/triple at an exhibition under spotlights and without the usual warm-up would not be nice or fair. There are other ways to test her. It's possible that she might have been feeling pressure to do it, though. She did do a triple flip/triple loop in practice in Milan, and I think the USFSA probably was her target audience, even though they asked her just to do a triple/double in the competition.

Sorry, I wasn't clear in my original comment. I don't think the USFS put any pressure on her for the exhibition to deliver any difficult content (though I do think there was likely Worlds monitoring going on yesterday before or after the show rehearsal). I do worry that SHE was putting pressure on herself to do it.

 

[Allskate]

I just assumed she wanted to try it.

I can't recall seeing Isabeau do a triple/triple in an exhibition before. I think she probably is feeling pressure, regardless of whether USFS was being explicit and demanding that she do it at this event. It was a "ballsy" thing to do, but probably not the smartest thing to do given the emotional and physical circumstances in which she was trying to do it.

 

[Karen-W]

I can't recall seeing Isabeau do a triple/triple in an exhibition before. I think she probably is feeling pressure, regardless of whether USFS was being explicit and demanding that she do it at this event. It was a "ballsy" thing to do, but probably not the smartest thing to do given the emotional and physical circumstances in which she was trying to do it.

She was definitely feeling some pressure. See Jackie's notes from the morning practice at Cap One Arena...

https://x.com/rockerskating/status/1896272232130949347?t=efH9pR3AQ2GvUVoQ1O-WeA&s=19

Sarah landed a 3Lz+3T - a combo she hasn't yet shown in competition.

 

[DreamSkates]

I think I'm w/you on this one. Unless Isabeau manages to win a medal in Boston (highly doubt it, to be honest), I think she and Elyce will be on even footing in the Fall.

Your thoughts...

How does a World silver medal weigh into the mix?

 

[Wyliefan]

How does a World silver medal weigh into the mix?

Ask Ashley Wagner.

 

[aml78]

did Sonia Baram quit? She seemed to have trouble finding a new partner and her singles trajectory seemed limited.

 

[Karen-W]

did Sonia Baram quit? She seemed to have trouble finding a new partner and her singles trajectory seemed limited.

She was at Sectionals but didn't make it to Nats this year.

 

[aml78]

She was at Sectionals but didn't make it to Nats this year.

Interesting. I wonder if she packed it in after that.

 

[Sktwo]

FWIW: According to Wikipedia, Andrew retired to focus on his work and college studies at Arizona State. Sonia was taking a “break” but not retiring.

 

[ChillSkate]

So I saw in the Men's thread that Jason Brown passed whatever his monitoring entailed, despite not having competed since early November, and is confirmed for Worlds.

Is Isabeau confirmed for Worlds? It's interesting that she felt compelled to show a triple triple combo at the Legacy on Ice show while Jason obviously felt no such pressure. One other thing I observed - Isabeau was the only skater at Legacy who warmed up before her performance - she skated numerous single and double jumps while a tribute to the victims video played just before her skate (I don't in any way think she was being disrespectful). I say this to say thay she seemed to believe a lot more was riding on her Legacy performance than the other skaters, including Jason. Seems like a double standard that he has been confirmed if Isabeau has not been given she has competed since Nationals and is the reigning Worlds Silver Medalist.

 

[DreamSkates]

Ask Ashley Wagner.

Oh, right.

 

[tony]

Is Isabeau confirmed for Worlds?

pretty sure she was confirmed right after her Road to 26 performances.

 

[Rukia]

pretty sure she was confirmed right after her Road to 26 performances.

bluesky won't embed on here but phil hersh posted today that isabeau has been cleared

 

[MacMadame]

I say this to say thay she seemed to believe a lot more was riding on her Legacy performance than the other skaters, including Jason.

Maybe she put the pressure on herself.

 

[DreamSkates]

As for Jason being prepared I'm confident he's working very hard daily and will show up at worlds with a 3x3 and 3A. I'm sure Isabeau is working just as hard to get her jumps back.