Figure Skating

[ChicksDigScars]

Twitter is REALLY beating up on the whole KC Chiefs red hat situation, under the #USChamps19 hashtag. People calling anyone who wore a hat, "trash" and hoping that they crash, burn, injure themselves and never win a competition again. They also lumped the Knerims in with their bad wishes, even though they did not wear the hats in the Kiss and Cry, since Chris Knerim was pretty vocal in his support of his deceased friend. 

I missed some of the dramatics and haven't watched my DVR yet. I had to leave for cardio drumming right after the Knerims, but from what I've been reading (Twitter, so grain of salt) was that Delilah Sappenfield was pulling these hats out of her bag as the skaters were coming off the ice, in front of network cameras, and handed them out as the went to the kiss and cry.  So, not pre-meditated on the skater's part, but more like a "take this and wear it" strong arm tactic. Talk about putting the skaters in a shitty position. TV cameras on you, and you take the hat, or tell her no. Either way, you lose and look like a shit to one side or the other.  Of course, she could have okayed this with them all beforehand, but I'm thinking that they were bulldozed into it.  I think that the toothless USFSA needs to have some words with Delilah Sappenfield. 

[BelleBrit]

8 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Twitter is REALLY beating up on the whole KC Chiefs red hat situation, under the #USChamps19 hashtag. People calling anyone who wore a hat, "trash" and hoping that they crash, burn, injure themselves and never win a competition again. They also lumped the Knerims in with their bad wishes, even though they did not wear the hats in the Kiss and Cry, since Chris Knerim was pretty vocal in his support of his deceased friend. 

I missed some of the dramatics and haven't watched my DVR yet. I had to leave for cardio drumming right after the Knerims, but from what I've been reading (Twitter, so grain of salt) was that Delilah Sappenfield was pulling these hats out of her bag as the skaters were coming off the ice, in front of network cameras, and handed them out as the went to the kiss and cry.  So, not pre-meditated on the skater's part, but more like a "take this and wear it" strong arm tactic. Talk about putting the skaters in a shitty position. TV cameras on you, and you take the hat, or tell her no. Either way, you lose and look like a shit to one side or the other.  Of course, she could have okayed this with them all beforehand, but I'm thinking that they were bulldozed into it.  I think that the toothless USFSA needs to have some words with Delilah Sappenfield. 

I read that Delilah said in the Kiss and Cry "you have to wear it backwards", so I'm guessing that was something to do with USFS...

 Delilah seems to be setting not the best example for her skaters, to put it gently. I don't agree with people getting their pitchforks out for everyone, but it just seems like a strange choice...won't these skaters feel awkward or betrayed if some really bad stuff starts coming out?  John apparently left Delilah a letter when he committed suicide. I have to laugh that some corners of the Twitter mob are beating up on some skaters for being silent, but for some of their favored skaters they were saying "she/he must have a reason".  Definite Sh*tshow.

Edited January 25, 2019 by BelleBrit

[IdleBrook]

I have been having trouble getting into nationals, so this morning I watched Wake Up U.S. Championships with Mirai and Nick McCarvel.  It is a daily feature U.S. Figure Skating is airing live on their Facebook.  It was interesting to hear Mirai’s thoughts as she actually competed with a lot of the athletes.  She praised Bradie’s competitive mindset, and predicted that this steadiness would help her repeat her title.  She also felt that Mariah created a moment despite her mistake on the triple-triple combo, noting that she could see Mariah’s facial expressions from her view way up high in the arena.  It was clear that she thought Alysa needed more time to develop and grow into becoming a senior lady.  It made me wonder if she wished she had time to do so without the pressure of being national champion as a 14 year old.

They also did a preview of the rhythm dance.  Mirai made it clear that she is not an ice dance expert.  However, she has been focusing on improving her skating skills since she is limited in what she can practice during her recovery from her hip injury.  She is currently taking ice dance lessons with Ben Agosto, and has been trying to learn the pattern for the Tango Romantica.  She emphasized how hard the pattern is.  Mirai and Nick both thought that H/D are the favorites for the title due to their experience and growth since getting World silver.  They were both excited to see Chock and Bates return.  Mirai thinks their connection has grown stronger due to their struggle with Madison’s injury.  They also think there is a lot of upcoming talent that deepens the field in the U.S.

[HartofDixie]

https://thefinersports.com/2019/01/some-notes-on-the-john-coughlin-situation/

[HartofDixie]

2 hours ago, alexa said:

I don't think Alyssa's age is much of an advantage--I can't see that she will keep up the momentum when she is old enough to attend the senior events.  Not very many that rise so early at 13 do well later on.

I don’t think she should have been allowed to qualify for Senior Nationals this year when she can’t compete internationally as a junior.

https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2019/01/25/alysa-liu-makes-history-but-wants-to-make-more/

[annzeepark914]

9 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Twitter is REALLY beating up on the whole KC Chiefs red hat situation, under the #USChamps19 hashtag. People calling anyone who wore a hat, "trash" and hoping that they crash, burn, injure themselves and never win a competition again. They also lumped the Knerims in with their bad wishes, even though they did not wear the hats in the Kiss and Cry, since Chris Knerim was pretty vocal in his support of his deceased friend. 

I missed some of the dramatics and haven't watched my DVR yet. I had to leave for cardio drumming right after the Knerims, but from what I've been reading (Twitter, so grain of salt) was that Delilah Sappenfield was pulling these hats out of her bag as the skaters were coming off the ice, in front of network cameras, and handed them out as the went to the kiss and cry.  So, not pre-meditated on the skater's part, but more like a "take this and wear it" strong arm tactic. Talk about putting the skaters in a shitty position. TV cameras on you, and you take the hat, or tell her no. Either way, you lose and look like a shit to one side or the other.  Of course, she could have okayed this with them all beforehand, but I'm thinking that they were bulldozed into it.  I think that the toothless USFSA needs to have some words with Delilah Sappenfield. 

I'm dumbfounded reading this.  Who the h*ll is she to be handing out those hats to skaters?  Someone with USFSA should've nipped that in the bud after the first skaters were handed the hats. I sure do hope the truth eventually comes out about Coughlin. Granted, I have no inside information.  But we do know that 3 skaters came forward (two of them underage).  Sounds like the other side (the anti-Coughlins) are just as evil as the pro-Coughlins, wishing bad luck and injuries to those who wore the hats. What kind of people are these pro's & anti's, wishing harm to innocent skaters?  As we've discussed in the past re: where the word "fan" comes from (fanatic), these folks sure are OTT fanatic. It's sick.

Nevertheless, I'm enjoying Nationals so far (on NBCSN).  Watched pairs SP and Ladies SP.  I was pulling once again for Stellato/Bartholomay and hope they can somehow get on the podium tomorrow.  I like their style, music selections, and he's a really good pairs partner.  And I admire Deanna for taking on the most dangerous discipline in figure skating at, I think, age 32? They're just special to me.

Edited January 26, 2019 by annzeepark914

[blackwing]

I watch figure skating once every four years but came here to read some of the discussion about this Coughlin guy.  Since I am not a regular skating follower, I have no idea who this person was, but it sounds like a bad situation overall and a potential black mark on the sport.  Interested to see how it all plays out.

It seems like this Alyssa Liu is being hailed as the second coming of Michelle Kwan, because she's also young and Asian?  I remember Michelle Kwan at 13/14 when she was known as a good jumper but lacking in artistry.  I particularly remember one competition where the commentators were saying it's like she's just looking to make her jumps and check them off and just then she did another jump and one of them said something like "and she just checked off some more".  Sounds like from reading here that Liu looks the same way?  Interested to see how her career develops.

Like I said, I don't follow figure skating regularly and I saw a story about how Gracie Gold pulled out of the competition and I was shocked because I thought she had retired a while back.  Also, looks like Ashley Wagner is "taking a break" which probably means she has retired?  Good.

Happy to read that the stunning Vanessa James won the European pairs competition.  She is a delight.

[Darknight]

3 hours ago, alexa said:

I don't think Alyssa's age is much of an advantage--I can't see that she will keep up the momentum when she is old enough to attend the senior events.  Not very many that rise so early at 13 do well later on.

I really hope they fix her 3a and other technical issues. I don't like the hype around her because she is only 13. So much can change. We have seen many skaters hyped up only to not live up to it. She has potential for sure

19 hours ago, specialj67 said:

Watching the US pairs short is tough, given what’s been happening in the skating world this past week. Apparently a number of skaters are wearing Kansas City Chiefs hats in honor of John Coughlin? That’s what I gleaned from the commentators on the NBC Sports stream, anyway. It fills me with a lot of mixed up, complicated emotions. 

Why were they allowed to do this crap? Where is US skating to stop this? Seriously. 

[ChicksDigScars]

3 hours ago, BelleBrit said:

I read that Delilah said in the Kiss and Cry "you have to wear it backwards", so I'm guessing that was something to do with USFS...

I don't think it had anything to do with the USFSA. I read that wearing a backward baseball cap where ever he went,  was a John Coughlin thing. So, my guess is that's what Delilah was going for.  "Wear it backwards like John did." I'm thinking that the USFSA is embarrassed to be caught flatfooted in the middle of this one. I'll bet the hats don't make a second appearance in the Kiss and Cry after the free skate on Saturday. If they do, we'll know that the feckless USFSA said nothing. If we don't see the hats, either the skaters responded to the backlash and said no, or the USFSA grew balls. 

 

I mean, I get it. I get that the woman is heartbroken, especially if Coughlin left HER (and her alone), a suicide note.  And she wants to believe the best in her skater and friend. But putting the other teams in a bad situation in front of the camera's? Especially if any of the three victims/accusers are at Nationals and can see them? Tacky. And kinda bullying. 

[displayname]

10 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Especially if any of the three victims/accusers are at Nationals and can see them?

This is what irks the most...

[Guest]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I'm dumbfounded reading this.  Who the h*ll is she to be handing out those hats to skaters?  Someone with USFSA should've nipped that in the bud after the first skaters were handed the hats.

She is seriously coming out as awful in all this (the hats, the GFM, etc) and the USFSA reallly needs to step up!

[Ruby Gillis]

20 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Especially if any of the three victims/accusers are at Nationals and can see them? Tacky. And kinda bullying. 

Especially any victims of other coaches or skaters can see them!! Even if Coughlin turns out to be innocent, no one knows at this point. But the message to victims is clear, keep quiet because we won’t respect or support you, only those with power.

[BelleBrit]

Sofia Samodurova just won Europeans.  Alina had some struggles, but the judges padded her PCs score a lot to try and help her out.  Wow, it just shows that Olympic timing is everything (especially with the Russian skaters).  Hell, I remember when everyone was convinced that Polina Tsurskaya was going to be the next Evgenia (to be fair, she also has health issues that held back her development).

[SeanC]

Sofia!  I love that lil diva.  You could see the whole last minute or so of the free was just a victory lap for her.  Mishin skaters have their deficiencies, on the PCS side, but I enjoy watching them.  I’m sure Liza is delighted for her Mini-Me.

Alina’s technique collapse continues apace.  At Worlds where she has to face the Japanese ladies (and some other solid mid-tier skaters) in addition to her own countrywomen, she’s increasingly looking headed for a second podium miss.

[Darknight]

1 hour ago, BelleBrit said:

Sofia Samodurova just won Europeans.  Alina had some struggles, but the judges padded her PCs score a lot to try and help her out.  Wow, it just shows that Olympic timing is everything (especially with the Russian skaters).  Hell, I remember when everyone was convinced that Polina Tsurskaya was going to be the next Evgenia (to be fair, she also has health issues that held back her development).

I'm so happy for Sofia. I feel bad for Alina. This season has been a struggle for her. My heart breaks for this poor girl. I don't think she will win worlds. I think she's injuried and Eteri just doesn't care enough to fix her skating. I am worried about her soon to be seniors. If Evgenia stayed, I don't think she would be skating  

[HartofDixie]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/sports/gracie-gold-figure-skating-.html

[Mellowyellow]

Poor Alina. Someone get that poor sweet baby away from Eteri. There was talk of her yelling at Alina in practice but as usual even Alina fans are defending Eteri.

I wish she would change coaches but I don't think she will and they'll probably kick her to the curb when their new batch of seniors rise next season.

Alina seems like the type to endure things. Someone needs to save that poor kid.

[Darknight]

I just watched Alina's program. Can someone just give this child a hug and maybe some icecream? My heart truly breaks for her. I don't know if Russia believes in sports psychology but I think it would help her. She has been beaten down so much

I predict Alina will give Eteri flowers and Eteri will go on another bashing spree next season. I can't see how she will skate better with Eteri. It seems like 16/17 is the magic number for Eteri skaters to decline. 

 

I don't understand how yelling and screaming how horrible your skater did will help them. Especially teens. 

[Mellowyellow]

I can't watch it yet. I've got such a soft spot for that girl. I went to bed worried last night after hearing she'd been yelled at and then I wake up to read that what I feared would happen has come true. 

I just so wish her parents would instigate a coach change. 

[specialj67]

2 hours ago, BelleBrit said:

Sofia Samodurova just won Europeans.  Alina had some struggles, but the judges padded her PCs score a lot to try and help her out.  Wow, it just shows that Olympic timing is everything (especially with the Russian skaters).  Hell, I remember when everyone was convinced that Polina Tsurskaya was going to be the next Evgenia (to be fair, she also has health issues that held back her development).

I was thinking, rather troll-y, yesterday while watching her SP that I’d love for her to Burleqsue her way to a win. I look forward to watching it later.

[annzeepark914]

I said, after that Eteri horror show in the K&C, after Alina was declared the Olympic champion, that the poor kid needs to move to the US. And skate for the US. We'll take care of her & she'll experience real appreciation probably for the first time. And no nastiness re: her family's ethnicity. C'mon Alina. Wake up! You deserve better. The poor kid 😔

[Mellowyellow]

9 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I said, after that Eteri horror show in the K&C, after Alina was declared the Olympic champion, that the poor kid needs to move to the US. And skate for the US. We'll take care of her & she'll experience real appreciation probably for the first time. And no nastiness re: her family's ethnicity. C'mon Alina. Wake up! You deserve better. The poor kid 😔

I find it disgusting and disturbing the way some people (even her fans) defend Eteri. She was doing jump after jump in practice and they were not nice to her. 

I doubt she'll move though. She's a lot younger and not as shrewd as Zhenya I think. 

Alina was at her press conference apologising for not doing her best. I guess we'll wait and see how this will all play out over the course of this year. 

I keep repeating myself. Poor baby. 

[Darknight]

56 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I said, after that Eteri horror show in the K&C, after Alina was declared the Olympic champion, that the poor kid needs to move to the US. And skate for the US. We'll take care of her & she'll experience real appreciation probably for the first time. And no nastiness re: her family's ethnicity. C'mon Alina. Wake up! You deserve better. The poor kid 😔

I wish she could train here. Especially with someone like RAF but Russian FED wouldn't support it. It's too expensive for them and it would be dumb to send one of their own to the USA to train. I want to hug this girl. I really do feel for her. Poor baby just needs a hug and some love. She is so wonderful too. Her own country hated that she won. Her coach treats her like trash. Now, she is being pushed away for the new Eteri skaters with quads. Poor Alina. I hope after Worlds she can take a nice long vacation 

[Darknight]

43 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I find it disgusting and disturbing the way some people (even her fans) defend Eteri. She was doing jump after jump in practice and they were not nice to her. 

I doubt she'll move though. She's a lot younger and not as shrewd as Zhenya I think. 

Alina was at her press conference apologising for not doing her best. I guess we'll wait and see how this will all play out over the course of this year. 

I keep repeating myself. Poor baby. 

The Eteri defenders are disturbing. Nobody can say anything bad about Eteri. She is the best ladies coach ever! What? Eteri had so many skaters who left her, had eating disorders, injuries,etc. Her Instagram and interview with Ted is nothing more than a PR move. I'm sure she knows how the West views her. 

 

That's the issue I was talking about before. In dance and gymnastics, teachers and coaches limit what an athlete can do. I doubt any good coach would have their athlete jump,jump,jump. Here, we limit jumps. More jumping means more injuries. Eteri believes in repetitions over and over everyday. That does not work. Especially for skaters after puberty and during puberty. Heck, every young kids shouldn't jump so much. This is why I'm worried about her 2 quad girls. Men don't jump quad after quad in training. I also read if her skaters fall she not only makes them jump more but on top of that, they must do their whole programs over and over again. 

 

I can't believe Alexandra and Anna are two years younger than Alina and Alena is less than a year younger than her. 

 

Russian ladies have a serious issue with keeping skaters through and after their teens but I doubt they care. They're winning. That's all that matters. Let's hope she does not ruin Alena or Kamilla. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

I must be old (get off my lawn), but I'm beginning to think that if you're not old enough to go to Worlds, then one should not be at a senior level event.  USA and Russia, I'm looking at you.  The age requirement for Worlds/Olympics exists for a reason. 

I have about six hours worth of skating to watch after I get home from work, and I can't watch!  Sounds like there was a lot of great skating.

[stet]

2 hours ago, HartofDixie said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/sports/gracie-gold-figure-skating-.html

 

So heartbreaking. I hope she continues her journey toward wellness.

I recall on Ye Olde Site during Sochi that posters were not very kind to Gracie - I think it was more about the NBC/USFSA hype machine, and her looks and last name* feeding into it. 

This quote really stood out to me: “I almost created this other person ... I wanted to be the most flawless, angelic, plastic, Barbie-doll-face human who just says all the right things and does all the right things and is sterling. And people just don’t like her because she’s so perfect.”

This persona she created - with the blessing of TPTB - was ultimately destructive. I’m happy to learn that USFSA paid for her rehab. 

And poor Alina ... 💔 I hope she knows she is loved by so many people, and that she gets back to her sweet dog soon for some snuggles. 

 

* I wonder if Boyang has had similar pressure in China, because Jin means “gold.”

[HartofDixie]

http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/25826280/lgbtq-ice-dancers-karina-manta-joe-johnson-challenge-figure-skating-norms

[specialj67]

I know there’s no good or satisfying answer, but HOW/WHY did Alina Zagitova have the highest PCS in the women’s field at Euros? I just needed to say this into the void to get it out of my system...

Edited January 26, 2019 by specialj67

[Mellowyellow]

3 minutes ago, specialj67 said:

I know there’s not good or satisfying answer, but HOW/WHY did Alina Zagitova have the highest PCS in the women’s field at Euros? I just needed to say this into the void to get it our of my system...

Becuase Eteri will beat Alina with an ice skate afterwards and curse them all if they didn't give a high PCS.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, stet said:

I recall on Ye Olde Site during Sochi that posters were not very kind to Gracie - I think it was more about the NBC/USFSA hype machine, and her looks and last name* feeding into it. 

This quote really stood out to me: “I almost created this other person ... I wanted to be the most flawless, angelic, plastic, Barbie-doll-face human who just says all the right things and does all the right things and is sterling. And people just don’t like her because she’s so perfect.”

This persona she created - with the blessing of TPTB - was ultimately destructive. I’m happy to learn that USFSA paid for her rehab. 

 

GG didn't do herself any favors making fun of the way an Asian skater talked.  She was also not pleasant to Ashley Wagner back in 2013 when Ashley's LP beat Gracie's (it was shown on TV that night).  So you can't put blame onto NBC/USFSA for the activation of unkind posters.

[stet]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

GG didn't do herself any favors making fun of the way an Asian skater talked.  She was also not pleasant to Ashley Wagner back in 2013 when Ashley's LP beat Gracie's (it was shown on TV that night).  So you can't put blame onto NBC/USFSA for the activation of unkind posters.

I didn’t recall those bits, so thanks for bringing them up.

There’s no excuse for racism, so I hope Gracie has learned from that. And it says a lot about Ashley (also a controversial personality) that she was the one who told USFSA that Gracie needed help. 

[annzeepark914]

I've always liked Ashley Wagner and I haven't seen the side of her that her critics talk about.  I've just seen someone who said it was time to "go big or go home" and she took off for California to train with Rafael (which turned out to be a very good decision).  There was also a good interview on TSL in which she showed her fun personality (self-deprecating and all).   We all have our good sides and not so good sides, I guess.  I didn't know she told USFA that GG needed help. This is a tough sport mentally as well as physically. I hope she has retired and can find work as a commentator.  

[Growsonwalls]

Poor Alina. When I look at her gorgeous legs and arms I keep thinking she went into the wrong field. I feel like she has the lines for a dancer. I hope she gets to hug her dog soon because she certainly isn;t getting any warmth from Eteri ...

Now the thing about Eteri. Her fans are ... weird. Part of it is this mystique of the strict Russian coach. And yes, you do need to be strict, but do Mishin, Moskvina, etc. scream and berate their students on camera constantly? Do they ignore their students or give them snide looks in the K&C? Do their students fall like flies to injuries and eating disorders once they hit that magical age of 16/17? I just don't understand how the Eteri cabal on the internet is so fierce. When I see her I don't see a particularly good coach.

[sweeks]

I really like Mariah Bell. Her skating is lovely, and she has had some great music choices over the years (her Celine Dion program this year is one of my favorites). She reminds me of a less consistent but much more versatile version of Nancy Kerrigan. She has Nancy's classic style without all of the recycled choreography (I am/was a big Nancy fan, but I fully recognize her limitations :). 

[Enero]

Congrats to James/Ciprès on winning their first European Championships. They are having a great season thus far. I think the only team standing in their way for a World title this season is Sui/Han. Aren’t they due to return for worlds?

They are a gorgeous team and the only team I like over James/Ciprès. 

Alina’s LP wasn’t as disastrous as I thought it was going to be. I thought she had a complete meltdown, but really it was just a really uneven skate. That said, I too wonder how she received such high PCS. That OGM is definitely giving her some free points because she does not connect with her music at.all. And how could she? She’s a 16 year old girl trying to skate to music about a woman who was a femme fatale. It just wasn’t a good fit for her. 

It was good to se Javi again, skating in the men’s event. I miss his bromance with Hanyu. 

[Darknight]

3 hours ago, specialj67 said:

I know there’s no good or satisfying answer, but HOW/WHY did Alina Zagitova have the highest PCS in the women’s field at Euros? I just needed to say this into the void to get it out of my system...

Because she is from Russia, she is an Eteri skater, the OGM, and politics in figure skating sucks. 

[Darknight]

Also, forgot to add congrats to Vanessa and Morgan  from France. I love them. I'm happy for them too. 

Edited January 26, 2019 by Darknight

[displayname]

32 minutes ago, Darknight said:

Also, forgot to add congrats to Vanessa and Morgan  from France. I love them. I'm happy for them too. 

They got "cancelled" recently, too.

[specialj67]

I was never really a Mariah Bell fan before this season. Her skating always struck me as blandly nice. But Mariah Bell’s LP this season has shown me how wonderful a skater and performer she can be. Even with the fall, her performance this evening was my favorite. I can’t imagine her not being named to the US team for Worlds.

Even more than Alysa Liu, I was pleasantly surprised by Ting Cui and Hannah Harrell in their senior nationals debuts. Sure, they’re still young and their style isn’t fully formed yet, but they each had their own kind of pizzazz that made them interesting to watch between the jumps.

I feel like a bit of a shithead for not being as enamored by Alysa Liu as the NBC hype machine tells me I should. When I look at her 3A compared to Rika Kihira’s, it doesn’t have the same wow factor. Especially the second one in her free skate—looked like she barely eked it out. I sincerely hope she stays in good health and competitive spirit, because I genuinely do want to see how she grows as a skater. If she can maintain the tech. content she has now and improve her delivery and PCS, she really could be a powerhouse in the future.

Edited January 26, 2019 by specialj67

[Minneapple]

Poor Alina. I developed a soft spot for her after the Olympics last year. My daughter's name is Alina. Zagitova's crazy-ass coach appears to hate her so I just want to give her a hug and some cookies. Just like with my daughter.

Congrats to Alysa Liu!

Edited January 26, 2019 by Minneapple

[annzeepark914]

Is it me or does anyone else feel a bit deflated re: the ladies outcome? 

[Libby96]

3 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Is it me or does anyone else feel a bit deflated re: the ladies outcome? 

I’m right there with you.  Congrats to Alysa Liu on her win, which was deserved, but you know that NBC will now be pushing the Alysa Hype Train hard, and I don’t think it will be good for anyone.  There is a long road still until the next Olympics, and Alysa is going to meet puberty somewhere between now and then.

I also find Johnny and Tara’s crowing “Oh look out Russia and Japan, we have one too!” to be kind of tasteless.

I think if either Bradie or Mariah had stood up for their entire performances, the result would have been different.

[Chaser]

I’m happy for Liu. She really did throw it down. That said...I can’t get over the gushing. It’s overkill. Stop putting her with the greats already, she’s 13. She has mad potential, just allow her to get there on her own. 

I was pulling for Mariah. Her program was the best of the night (in terms of design and performance). For a moment in that skate I thought she had it.

[SeanC]

15 hours ago, alexa said:

I don't think Alyssa's age is much of an advantage--I can't see that she will keep up the momentum when she is old enough to attend the senior events.  Not very many that rise so early at 13 do well later on.

While being very successful at 13 is not a guarantee that you will make it, those who make it were generally very successful at 13.  Figure skating as a sport favours early adopters.  So Alysa is definitely advantaged.

[redpencil]

Quote

I was never really a Mariah Bell fan before this season. Her skating always struck me as blandly nice. But Mariah Bell’s LP this season has shown me how wonderful a skater and performer she can be. Even with the fall, her performance this evening was my favorite. I can’t imagine her not being named to the US team for Worlds.

Even more than Alysa Liu, I was pleasantly surprised by Ting Cui and Hannah Harrell in their senior nationals debuts. Sure, they’re still young and their style isn’t fully formed yet, but they each had their own kind of pizzazz that made them interesting to watch between the jumps.

I've always liked Mariah, though she never quite put it together as well as she has this season. She's always been a lovely skater, but this season her jumps have really improved and there's such a natural joy to her skating. Watching her just makes me happy. Especially her short program; I'm not even really a Celine Dion fan but that program is made for Mariah. Her rapport with Raf in the kiss and cry was also hilarious. There's zero suspense in the ladies team this year for Worlds.

I completely agree about Hannah Harrell especially. Her jumps are so gorgeous, and she has a nice style (with still room to grow there). Aside from the triple axels (which is obviously a big aside), I feel like her jumps were stronger than Alysa's. I assume Ting and Hannah will go to Junior Worlds. Interesting to see how they do, though obviously everyone has a tough road with all the Russian and Japanese skaters.

[Darknight]

3 hours ago, Libby96 said:

I’m right there with you.  Congrats to Alysa Liu on her win, which was deserved, but you know that NBC will now be pushing the Alysa Hype Train hard, and I don’t think it will be good for anyone.  There is a long road still until the next Olympics, and Alysa is going to meet puberty somewhere between now and then.

I also find Johnny and Tara’s crowing “Oh look out Russia and Japan, we have one too!” to be kind of tasteless.

I think if either Bradie or Mariah had stood up for their entire performances, the result would have been different.

Omg they were so annoying with it. See look Russia and Japan we have Alyssa. She is the future of USA skating. O look, she is training quads too. Well see, she is only 13 years old. She can do 3a's when most ladies can't. Look, see, she beat two 20 year olds. See look Russia and Japan remember the name Alyssa Liu. Ugh! 

 

I think Johnny said that was the most perfect 3a he had ever seen and the only one he has seen in ladies skating. What? Tara and Johnny are so annoying with everything. It's nails on chalkboard. 

 

Alyssa got lucky because Fed wanted Brandie or Mariah to win. She still has so much work to do. I don't think they called out her UR's did they?  I hate getting on the hype machine. Especially with kids. Alyssa is 13 years old. We don't know the future. People thought Polina, Caroline, and Mirai were the next Michelle Kwan's. Look at what the hype did yo them? The Olympics are 3 years away. Stop with the hype and let these skaters grow and make mistakes. 

3 hours ago, displayname said:

They got "cancelled" recently, too.

Can you explain why?

[Mellowyellow]

Dammnit I'm upset about Bradie. She's normally so Zen! What happened???!!! Still enjoyed the intensity she brought to the performance though. I know I'm in the quiet minority but I really like Bradie. Her programs this season just sit very right with me in terms of programs I enjoy. 

She should be going to Worlds right? Between Rika, Alina and Bradie I have 3 totally different skaters to root for. 

Hoping Bradie will sneak in a medal at Worlds!

ETA: There is some talk of a Russian skate off and a tiny chance Zhenya might still go. I'm not sure if I want this for Zhenya right now (part of me thinks she needs more time without pressure to deliver at Worlds) but if she goes that's a lot of people for me to cheer on😂

Edited January 26, 2019 by Mellowyellow

[displayname]

30 minutes ago, Darknight said:

4 hours ago, displayname said:

They got "cancelled" recently, too.

Can you explain why?

Because James posted an IG story saying she was sad about the deaths of Denis Ten, Jean-France B., and Coughlin, in the same sentence.

[BelleBrit]

I have mixed feelings about Alysa’s win. On the one hand, I feel like we all saw this train coming, especially after the media’s reaction to the US ladies performances at the last Olympics. And while it’s annoying to see the media hype machine start the “Hey Russia, we got one!” narratives (they literally said the same thing about Polina, Karen, and Bradie), and while Alysa’s skating skills need to mature, I feel like it’s also hard to deny the 3 triple axels, and it’s not like the judges weren’t trying to help Bradie and Mariah out.  Mariah’s performances were electric and I know that the current GOE system rewards clean skating, but do we really want a champion who can't do a clean triple triple? I guess it's more of an issue for the short, but  I was surprised by how high her scores were in both programs. And while Bradie is consistent by US standards, it’s funny that she screws up that narrative quite often. Who knows how Alysa's trajectory will play out.  I believe that Liza and Adelina also won nationals at around that same age, and while they had ups and downs in their careers, they won their world and Olympic titles respectively after their bodies had matured.  I remember people being so excited about Gracie because her body had already matured by the time she had started seniors, and that didn't seem to help much. For every Caroline Zhang at 13, there is also a Mao at 13 (not that I'm comparing Alysa to Mao...or discounting the struggles that Mao also had with her career....actually, I'm most exited about Ting's potential!).   Bradie and Mariah will probably be decent at worlds. Of course, it would have been nice to have a champion who was at least age eligible for JUNIOR worlds, but alas...yes, Alysa probably had a few uncounted unders.  I did read on a skating board people making a good point that when the media talks about how grounded and mature these young skaters sound, that this is how a lot of "child stars" are coached to sound....

Speaking of Gracie, the timing of the NYT article was interesting, and kudos to her for being so willing to put it ALL out there.  Reading all of that, I was relieved that she wasn't skating at nationals, in Detroit of all places. The article really filled in the gaps about her time in Michigan when she was living by herself, though I still wonder why her coach at that time, Marina, is never mentioned.  Gracie's weight losses and gains, not brushing her teeth or hair, sleeping for 24 hours and then staying up to two days, thinking about her landlord finding her dead when the rent was due....wow.  Also, Gracie existing on tomatoes and coffee before Sochi (I'm guessing the coach who said "that's a big number [on the scale]" was Alex when she was in Chicago? It made me think of Jenny Kirk and how she said that basically everyone she toured with had disordered eating. The USFS paying for her treatment is probably one of the better uses of their funding in recent years...

edit: Mirai Nagasu did a good job at the Ice Desk! She made some interesting comments about Alysa's win and said that it seems like she did understand the weight of the title and pressure by her reaction and sobbing at the end, whereas Mirai was just like "Oh, that was easy, what next?" when she won her title.  They also had an interesting discussion about Mariah in the Kiss and Cry and whether maybe she should have been more mad?  After the short Mariah did seem pissed about her combo, so it was also a little surprising to me how she didn't seem upset after the long, though probably it's healthy behavior  in the context of her life.  I have had the thought of whether Mariah was too "nice" to ever get the US title, which sounds weird but you know what I mean. 

Edited January 26, 2019 by BelleBrit

[specialj67]

Oh no! Just checked the live results of the men from Euros, and Mikhail Kolyada placed 11th in the free—and fell to 5th overall. So Javi won (!), Alexander Samarin is 2nd, Matteo Rizzo is 3rd , and Kevin Aymoz finished 4th. Honestly, I look forward to watching 3 out of the 5 of those guys later. I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch Kolyada fall that many times, and I find Samarin’s skating boring.