2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating

[Weathergal]

Getting around to actually watching NHK LPs....holy cap Mariah Bell. That choreo sequence had me in tears.

I think it'll be Mariah versus Bradie for Nationals. Bradie has the edge on tech since I don't think her URs will be under scrutiny. But Mariah's programs are so beautiful.

Mariah also sometimes struggles with URs (ex. SC SP where her 3Lz +3T was dinged for underrotations on both jumps; she also had two underrotations in the free). I'm hoping that both skaters will be clean at Nationals. BUT if they're not, I sincerely hope they will be scored appropriately. Propping up our skaters by not calling URs (whether it's Bradie, Vincent, whoever...) does them no favors in the long run -- especially internationally.

I would be thrilled if they both were on the podium and were sent to Worlds. I think my ideal podium would be Bradie and Mariah (in any order) then Gracie. Send all three to 4CCs and Bradie and Mariah to Worlds. (Give Gracie a chance to keep building.) But I hesitate to even mention Gracie because I don't want too many expectations for her. Just getting to Nationals is a huge victory for her and hopefully will be a positive experience for her no matter what the score/standings. It would also be great to see Starr on the podium - or Courtney, who's been at this a long time... Definitely wide open and very exciting!

 

[katymay]

It was wonderful to see Mariah skate her best. Thank goodness she has a more sophisticated program. But she doesn't have a 3x3x except for the 2a3t. Bradie is struggling with the 3L3L. (In Russia, the top group of girls in only a stage competition all landed the 3L3L easily) This year, Bradie will win nationals, and I think Cui will be 2nd. And since Ting Cui is capable of doing a quad, and has in fact landed them in practice, I'm predicting (guessing) she is the future of U.S. figure skating, and after this year, will be the US #1. (I would add Alysa Liu as the second hope) I love Bradie and Mariah, but I don't see either one of them able to compete with the tech that will be necessary next year. (E.G. at least a 3A)

 

[Spirals for Miles]

It takes a while to get a 3A/quad stabilized in competition - sometimes up to a year. Just look at Trusova! Ting hasn't tried it in competition yet - not to say that she won't, but it would require more time before nationals, probably. Alysa has done her 3A multiple times and has already attempted 4Lz. She'll probably attempt it again at sectionals.

 

[concorde]

This is a little random, but I compiled a projected list of ladies who have a bye to Nationals this year...

Ting Cui - International bye through Tallinn Trophy

This is incorrect - Ting has to go through Sectionals.
To get a bye, the international events has to be 1 week on either side of Sectionals. Tallinn Trophy is two weeks out so she does not qualify for a bye.

 

[bennorii]

I've been trying to find where in the rulebook it says that a skater having 2 GPs automatically gets a bye to Nats but have been unsuccessful. Can anyone link me?

 

[frida80]

This is incorrect - Ting has to go through Sectionals.
To get a bye, the international events has to be 1 week on either side of Sectionals. Tallinn Trophy is two weeks out so she does not qualify for a bye.

It’s unfortunate but it will be good practice for nationals. Ashley Lin does have a bye though. I hope she does well this week at her second CS.

 

[bennorii]

It’s unfortunate but it will be good practice for nationals. Ashley Lin does have a bye though. I hope she does well this week at her second CS.

Hmm... I'm wondering why USFS wouldn't just assign Ting to Inge Solar Memorial in addition to Ashley to a) be more economical (Camden is there) and b) just give her a bye?

I guess what I'm saying is, if they're putting so much promise into her, why wouldn't they give her a bye? She still gets the same international experience but with less domestic competition distractions (not that she probably wouldn't win Sectionals anyway).

Aside from that, good luck to Ashley in Austria! I hope she can perform well and add on to the depth of the ladies field. Also excited and interested to see Gracie's return at Rostelecom. My only hope is that she puts out two performances that she is satisfied with.

 

[concorde]

I've been trying to find where in the rulebook it says that a skater having 2 GPs automatically gets a bye to Nats but have been unsuccessful. Can anyone link me?

Maybe there is not one but most skaters with two GS assignments typically get a bye based on how the events fall.
This year, if a skater competes in any of the last 3 events (or 50% of the GP events), they qualify for a bye. I think it is fair assumption that if a skater has 2 GP events, then odds are in the skater's favor that the second assignment will be one the last three events, hence they get a bye. Unfortunately for Starr, she got the first two GP events and hence no bye.

USFS is trying to cut down the number of Senior level skaters at Nationals (next year Seniors will have to meet minimum scores even if they finish top 4 at Sectionals). With that in mind, it is not surprising USFS is being rather stingy on giving out byes. Byes increase the number of skaters at Nationals which is the opposite of what USFS wants.

 

[frida80]

Hmm... I'm wondering why USFS wouldn't just assign Ting to Inge Solar Memorial in addition to Ashley to a) be more economical (Camden is there) and b) just give her a bye?

I guess what I'm saying is, if they're putting so much promise into her, why wouldn't they give her a bye? She still gets the same international experience but with less domestic competition distractions (not that she probably wouldn't win Sectionals anyway).

Aside from that, good luck to Ashley in Austria! I hope she can perform well and add on to the depth of the ladies field. Also excited and interested to see Gracie's return at Rostelecom. My only hope is that she puts out two performances that she is satisfied with.

It comes down to scores. Ashley scored over 180 and there by earned her bye. Ting only scored 172, and has to prove herself at sectionals. But she still got a challenger series as an award for scoring so well at the JGP.

Ironically, I think the tech controllers were a little generous at Nebelhorn. I looked at everyone's jumps again and realized the didn't call quite a few underrotation a including Ashley's. I hope her team is aware of this and works on fixing them.

 

[littlesnow]

Sorry for my ignorance - what is a “bye”?

 

[el henry]

Sorry for my ignorance - what is a “bye”?

It’s an automatic entry into Nats without having to qualify at a Sectional comp.

 

[concorde]

"Bye" kinda equals by-pass. A "bye" means you get to skip a certain round. What you can skip depends on your placement at Nationals the previous year and/or your international assignments.

Skaters that finish in the top 4 at Regionals go to Sectionals.
Ting got a "bye" to Sectionals due to her JGP assignment. Skaters that finish in the top 4 at Sectionals go to Nationals.
Bradie gets a "bye" to Nationals due to her placement last year's Nationals.

 

[el henry]

"Bye" kinda equals by-pass. A "bye" means you get to skip a certain round. What you can skip depends on your placement at Nationals the previous year and/or your international assignments.

Skaters that finish in the top 4 at Regionals go to Sectionals.
Ting got a "bye" to Sectionals due to her JGP assignment. Skaters that finish in the top 4 at Sectionals go to Nationals.
Bradie gets a "bye" to Nationals due to her placement last year's Nationals.

Thank you for the longer explanation; I was too “Nationals centric”

 

[littlesnow]

"Bye" kinda equals by-pass. A "bye" means you get to skip a certain round. What you can skip depends on your placement at Nationals the previous year and/or your international assignments.

Skaters that finish in the top 4 at Regionals go to Sectionals.
Ting got a "bye" to Sectionals due to her JGP assignment. Skaters that finish in the top 4 at Sectionals go to Nationals.
Bradie gets a "bye" to Nationals due to her placement last year's Nationals.

Thanks!

 

[crazydreamer]

Well, within just a few days we should have some sort of answer about Gracie Gold's status....

 

[andromache]

Well, within just a few days we should have some sort of answer about Gracie Gold's status....

The suspense is killing me, but in a good way (I think?).

I'm stoked for her new programs, especially the LP. And I'm eager to see how she has developed (or regressed) on things like spins and skating skills. Gracie has always had fantastic spins, even if she wasn't known for them.

 

[MarinHondas]

Let’s just say with Gracie, I am expecting the worst but hoping for the best!
Hope she has a satisfying return for herself, whatever that may mean to her!

 

[brightphoton]

With that in mind, it is not surprising USFS is being rather stingy on giving out byes. Byes increase the number of skaters at Nationals which is the opposite of what USFS wants.

I've been out of the loop -- wait, what? We want less skaters at Nationals?

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Karen W/D from Rostelecom tonight and even confirmed it in a post on her Instagram account.

That post has now been deleted, so who knows?

ETA: IFS is now also reporting this on twitter.

 

[snowflake]

Jeremy Abbott choreographed both and they're .

Ooooh, that's exciting. Do you think Jeremy will come with Gracie and sit in kiss&cry? OK, maybe that's too much to wish for.... but if Suppose her coach (who is?) will accompany her.

Anyway, GOOD LUCK Gracie!