2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating

[andromache]

She should try to get the Oliie's Bargain Outlet gig!

Sidebar: I am from Ohio and Ollie's is pretty big here! I am not sure how familiar most people are with it. My husband and I shared a good laugh when we saw that Ollie's was a Nationals sponsor! It's a pretty janky store, but we loooooove going there for all kinds of random stuff. They have....interesting finds sometimes.

 

[macy]

Finally getting around to sharing a few thoughts from this weekend-

Alysa is so flippin cute. her reactions to her scores/winning and meeting Tara make my heart melt! if she stays healthy and survives puberty the future truly is bright for her. she brought way more than i was expecting.

I knew right after Bradie fell she had lost the title. i was so bummed when she missed her lutz loop, she landed one or 2 squeaky clean ones on warmup. also the camera really doesn't do her dress any justice, the big multi colored stones on it sparkled sooooo nicely under those lights in real life. you could actually see the colors all the way across the rink as the light hit them.

Mariah was so close to a national title. if she would have skated clean i have no doubt it would have been hers. she's been building momentum all season so i hope it continues into worlds.

Hanna also did way better than i thought she would. i wasn't expecting 2 clean programs but she skated beautifully and deserved her medal. she's also one to watch out for if she stays healthy. lots of potential.

i was rooting for Ting and Amber SO HARD. i'm happy ting put out a clean long but her short program made me so sad...and vice versa for amber. she just fell apart in her free program. 4th would have been hers if she had gone clean. I really don't know if we'll ever see her skate to her full potential...it's been so long already and she still hasn't "arrived"

Megan is FAST. she literally flies into her jumps and they are HUGE.

Starr did alright, but i think a coaching change might be smart for her. there's nothing that really stood out in her skating to me...she was a lot slower than some of the other top girls and her artistry/skating skills need some major work. there's a lot of junior skating still left in her. i hope one way or another she and her team address these issues as she grows.

 

[b-man]

I don't think a few TV appearances will make much difference to Alysa. It's when she starts to get endorsements that the pressure starts to build.

Passing by the Edea booth at Nationals before the competitions, they have posters of the usual suspects displayed, Zagitova, Nagasu, Knerims, Hanyu. Then I see one for Alysa and I am thinking, Already??

 

[Ambivalent]

Is it weird for me to think that the long-term prospects of Ting and Hanna seem better than Alysa? I loved Alysa's performances but there was something wonky and worked about her jumps that make me worry.

 

[skatenewbie]

Does anyone know if we will be sending skaters to Universiade?

i think no. US did participate in Winter Universiade but in the past event they did not participate in figure skating, idk why.

Is it weird for me to think that the long-term prospects of Ting and Hanna seem better than Alysa? I loved Alysa's performances but there was something wonky and worked about her jumps that make me worry.

i think Alysa jump technique is not that bad that it won't survive after puberty like Yulia Lipnitskaya. But her 3A technique does look a bit iffy so she may lose it... her toeloop jump also not that good tbh, but many skaters also bad.

 

[sheetz]

Passing by the Edea booth at Nationals before the competitions, they have posters of the usual suspects displayed, Zagitova, Nagasu, Knerims, Hanyu. Then I see one for Alysa and I am thinking, Already??

Boots and blades deal are very common so I wasn't even thinking of those. I mean something like Nike.

 

[natsulian]

I hope Alysa works with a jump coach this summer so that she can really have a good foundation to build on. As for Ting, she needs to work on consistency, but that’s something she’ll build on as she competes more. Hanna is the most consistent out of the three, technique and performance wise, but she needs to mature in her skating. It’s been a very long time since we’ve had such talented up-coming skaters. They’re going to put the U.S. ladies back on the map.

 

[Silver Ice]

I had hoped Starr’s programs would grow on me by the end of the season, but they didn’t. I just didn’t like her programs this year, and I think it was mostly because it didn’t feel like there was much connection to the music and it gave her the quality of just going through the motions rather than performing a program. Which is a shame because I really think she has something, technical issues aside. I love watching her skate and want her to succeed, but I just didn’t love these programs.

I was really rooting for Bradie. That short program was phenomenal. She just looked a bit stiff in the long that was probably mostly due to nerves.

I just love watching Mariah skate.

Great skate by Alysa! I don’t love the entrance to her triple axel. It has the same kind of quality that I didn’t like about Tara lipinki’s axel entrance. But it’s great to see our up and coming ladie’s working on these jumps!

 

[Mathman]

I’m sorry, but I think awarding her the OGM at 13 years old before she has stepped a toe onto even senior International competitive ice is insane. We don’t know who will be competing from other countries. Look how well awarding Nathan Chen the OGM in advance went.

Oh, I don't know. I don't think that Nathan was hurt by being promoted as an Olympic contender. True, he didn't win the gold medal, but he won the long program and he won the World Championship. National federations are naturally going to promote their rising stars.

 

[chuckm]

At least Nathan had the eligibility and potential to be OGM.

Alyssa is 13. It will be FOUR YEARS before she can even compete as a Senior Internationally.

 

[andromache]

On the one hand, it's 100% understandable why commentators/writers are telling people when Alysa turns age-eligible. It's just bad luck (or good luck) that the year happens to be 2022, just in time for the Olympics.

I really wish Bradie or Mariah would've been able to skate a clean LP and win over Alysa. National Champion at 13 is an incredible amount of pressure.

I'm also concerned that the tech panel seemed to overlook several URs from Alysa. I understand that it's Nationals and that's what happens, but Alysa is young enough that they should be trying to push her in the right direction re: her URs, especially given how much URs have hampered the careers of previous US stars.

 

[b-man]

i was rooting for Ting and Amber SO HARD. i'm happy ting put out a clean long but her short program made me so sad...and vice versa for amber. she just fell apart in her free program. 4th would have been hers if she had gone clean. I really don't know if we'll ever see her skate to her full potential...it's been so long already and she still hasn't "arrived"

Regarding Ting, She also has the whole package. Since Mirai may be retired, I am jumping on the Ting bandwagon. Her extensions and positions are extraordinary. When she finished her FS at Nationals, the crowd went from being mesmerized into going nuts in spontaneous ovation. She does the difficult Rippon jumps with ease, and she, like Alysa, is still improving. Yes, she made two unnecessary jump errors in the short, but our two world team members also made unnecessary jump errors.

As far as Amber goes, when she came up in '15, she clearly had a lot of talent. She couldn't however, skate a clean short and a clean long. She reminded me a little of Osmond who also couldn't skate two clean programs when she came up. Osmond increased her fitness and put many of her weaknesses behind her. Four years later, the Amber of 2019 is much like the Amber of 2015, and her problems half way through the long were not a surprise. If she could increase her fitness, it could work wonders for her. However going against the top 5 finishers in Detroit is a lot of competition if Amber ever wants to podium.

 

[oatmella]

Vera Wang loves Ting! https://www.instagram.com/p/BtFMeP7nlHv/

Wonder if she will be designing costumes for her in the future?

 

[moonvine]

Oh, I don't know. I don't think that Nathan was hurt by being promoted as an Olympic contender. True, he didn't win the gold medal, but he won the long program and he won the World Championship. National federations are naturally going to promote their rising stars.

Well, for once I have to disagree. I think it was pressure that got to him that made him flub the short so badly that he couldn’t make up enough points to podium even with that phenomenal long. And if no one else, Tara had awarded that dang OGM to him already. All this “no one’s beaten him ALL season” - I almost wish someone HAD beaten him. Of course she didn’t mention he had been skating against a watered down men’s field with Hanyu’s injury. She was seriously creeping me out with her Nathan obsession for awhile.

 

[oatmella]

I think there were multiple factors that contributed to Nathan’s SP performances at the Olympics.

I would not blame Tara.

Moving on - if Alysa continues her success leading to 2022 - there will be inevitably a lot of hype, media attention, pressure, etc. We can only hope it will be managed well. Also her dad is from a China, she speaks Chinese ... which adds to her compelling narrative.

 

[b-man]

Boots and blades deal are very common so I wasn't even thinking of those. I mean something like Nike.

Understood. I saw her large poster on Wednesday next to Hanyu, and I found it surprising for Alysa to be in those circles before stepping on senior ice. Clearly Edea has more foresight than I. Or maybe 13 yo girls are a key target demo.

 

[frida80]

Vera Wang loves Ting! https://www.instagram.com/p/BtFMeP7nlHv/

Wonder if she will be designing costumes for her in the future?

Let’s hope not.

 

[Hyena]

Oh god, no!

Why why why why?!

It’s like the hype machine on steroids! USFS and Team USA are a bunch of morons! She didn’t just win a game show or make a viral video, she’s an athlete! Stop this! It’s not her responsibility to revive interest in US skaters!

Who wants to donate their miles so she can head out of the country for a while?

Some media stops for Alysa aren't entirely unheard of, from what I can remember. Don't national champs in one or more discipline usually go on the Today Show after Nationals? I remember Gracie going on late night shows before the Olympics. It's a lot, but in a month tops it will die down and she'll just get back to work. The fact that she's not age eligible for seniors yet may even help - there's only so much pressure you'll get in the US when you're on the JGP.

To be totally frank, I see way more concerning stuff happening from "fans" than I do from USFS. There's a decent amount of "Alysa is the next and only hope of US Figure Skating!" but there's even more desire just to drag her down. I'm worried what will happen on here as soon as she loses a competition. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Understood. I saw her large poster on Wednesday next to Hanyu, and I found it surprising for Alysa to be in those circles before stepping on senior ice. Clearly Edea has more foresight than I. Or maybe 13 yo girls are a key target demo.

This is correct!! During any given freestyle session in nearly every rink I’ve been to this is like gospel truth.

 

[GGFan]

Some media stops for Alysa aren't entirely unheard of, from what I can remember. Don't national champs in one or more discipline usually go on the Today Show after Nationals? I remember Gracie going on late night shows before the Olympics. It's a lot, but in a month tops it will die down and she'll just get back to work. The fact that she's not age eligible for seniors yet may even help - there's only so much pressure you'll get in the US when you're on the JGP.

To be totally frank, I see way more concerning stuff happening from "fans" than I do from USFS. There's a decent amount of "Alysa is the next and only hope of US Figure Skating!" but there's even more desire just to drag her down. I'm worried what will happen on here as soon as she loses a competition. I hope I'm wrong.

Agreed. Looking back I was never worried about Michelle or other youngsters who showed promise. The world we grew up in allowed the hype to happen but the skater to remain in their bubble. With social media fans feel like they are a part of the athletes' lives and feel entitled to say whatever they want. I hope she has great parents and people around her. She will need it.