What to expect from Caroline?

[gio]

Caroline & her sister:
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/3646/outbi2.jpg

I suppose anyone would look tall and big next to Caroline, but I wouldn't worry too much about Caroline's physique for skating if she grew to be her sister's size.

Her sister is a graduate student at MIT and so is probably in her mid-20's.

Her sister has heels! Didn't you notice! The heels she wears are from 10 to 15 cm high (2-3 inches?? right?). So they are probably almost the same height.

 

[oleada]

1 inch = 2.54 centimeters, so 2 inches would be around 5 cm.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I know what to expect from Carolina. I'm still expecting.

I know what to expect from Caroline. I'm hoping.

I know what to expect from Yu Na. I think she's got it.

Joe

 

[feraina]

I can't wait for the new season to start, and see how all these amazing girls/ladies do!
:agree:

 

[jennylovskt]

From USFS site athlete's bio, we can see that Caroline really just started to make impressive achievement since 2006. She is so young and she has plenty time to learn and grow. I hope she will surprise us but I wouldn't give her any pressure on anything. Kimmie got 2006 World champion without pressure. She couldn't repeat it with pressure the following year. They are all excellent skaters at the practice. Let's see who is mentally tougher?

 

[R.D.]

^ Agreed, it's all about who can perform the best under pressure...i.e. who is the best COMPETITOR. However, Meissner did not do horribly at worlds...I actually thought she gave a strong effort. She just wasn't good enough to give the Asians a run for their money...simple concept, really. This is, for example, unlike Cohen who stumbled her way down to 3rd in 2006 and 2nd in 2004.

It's too early to be putting ANY pressure on Caroline. Right now, she shouldn't know what that word even means. Her job this season is to make a good impression in her senior debut and to get top 10 placement at senior US Nats. Then next year we can worry about pressure, etc.

 

[feraina]

However, Meissner did not do horribly at worlds...I actually thought she gave a strong effort. She just wasn't good enough to give the Asians a run for their money...simple concept, really. This is, for example, unlike Cohen who stumbled her way down to 3rd in 2006 and 2nd in 2004.

Interesting point. I think this is why not more people are excited about Kimmie. 4th place is a valiant effort from her, but would have been a total disappointment from Michelle or Sasha.

 

[sorcerer]

...American girls swept the podium.”
...“Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner”

Mirai is both American and Japanese at a time. She has two nationalities since she was born in USA and her parents are Japanese. She has to choose which nationality she'd have at age 18. This will happen after the VC Olympics, and will probably depend mainly on her parents' will to go back to their homeland in future.

I may not have the right to guess, but I imagine Mirai thinks of herself as an American (even me sorcerer is mentally half Canadian ); but who knows, she might skate for Japan in the long future. Rena did the reverse of this.

 

[R.D.]

Interesting point. I think this is why not more people are excited about Kimmie. 4th place is a valiant effort from her, but would have been a total disappointment from Michelle or Sasha.

There's something in this statement. I think the only medal the Americans won at last year's worlds was in ice dance (B&A getting 3rd). The few sportswriters who actually cared about this event called it a major disappointment or "dismal" performance. We (as a nation) like to win, and anything less is a letdown.

Not to mention, the experience of MK/SC compared to KM is like eating at a fancy, lavish restaurant vs. eating at Denny's. You get the nice treatment at one location, and average treatment at the other.

 

[blue dog]

Has anyone else noticed how many Asians (I'm Asian American myself, I don't see what's wrong to say "Asian" in this context) there are in figure skating? Both at the elite levels, and at the many local ice rinks I've been to. Partly maybe it has to do with culture (e.g. hard-working) and family wealth (Chinese & Japanese Americans have incomes higher than national average, and skating is one very expensive sport!), but I think part of it is also physique/body-type. I know quite a few girls who after puberty grew too tall/big to skate competitively, but this happens relatively infrequently with Asian girls. Puberty seems to treat them more gently than others, with the growth spurt spread out over the years and eventually they stay pretty petite as adults. Just from my personal exposures to teenage Asian girls, I don't see either Caroline or Mirai hitting too huge a puberty monster in the near future. I predict them following the steps of Michelle, Yu-na, and Mao in their physical development, and not really encounter ingserious difficulties until their 20's. Personally, my weight has not fluctuated far from what I was at 14.

I'm not very good, but a lot of us started when we saw Asian-American skaters doing well internationally...like Kristi, Michelle, and Kyoko.

Of course, for me, the real kicker was Midori Ito in 1989 doing the triple axel. She had such joy in her skating.

 

[Mathman]

Not to mention, the experience of MK/SC compared to KM is like eating at a fancy, lavish restaurant vs. eating at Denny's.

But can you get 2 buttlemilk pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon and 2 sausage patties, all for $2.99, at your fancy restaurant?

OT -- Blue Dog, I love your new custon title.

 

[R.D.]

But can you get 2 buttlemilk pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon and 2 sausage patties, all for $2.99, at your fancy restaurant?

Yeah, I suppose you can't get the 3-3's or a 3A from either MK or SC. But the flair (the atmosphere) the two create can overcome that for most people.

 

[Fossi]

^ Agreed, it's all about who can perform the best under pressure...i.e. who is the best COMPETITOR. However, Meissner did not do horribly at worlds...I actually thought she gave a strong effort. She just wasn't good enough to give the Asians a run for their money...simple concept, really. This is, for example, unlike Cohen who stumbled her way down to 3rd in 2006 and 2nd in 2004.

It's too early to be putting ANY pressure on Caroline. Right now, she shouldn't know what that word even means. Her job this season is to make a good impression in her senior debut and to get top 10 placement at senior US Nats. Then next year we can worry about pressure, etc.

Re: Cohen in '06. She was simply outskated. She performed her usual performance, however IMO the judges were done holding her up for a subpar performance, and she was outskated by 3 other skaters. Ms. Cohen was lucky to have been on the podium at Worlds, and in the opinion of many she should've been off the Olympic podium. I think the judges spoke at Worlds. Sasha needs to start delivering, or she won't be given the benefit of the doubt any longer.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

^ Agreed, it's all about who can perform the best under pressure

Not sure who is under pressure. Caroline has nothing to lose; Kimmie has already lost what she had. So these two gals go in as challengers. Maybe Miki who has to uphold the view that she is now the "best in the world at this point in time" would give her pressure. I dunno.

Granted , Challengers feel pressure to win but Defenders feel more pressure to keep them from winning.

My question will always be who can controll pressure best if pressure exists as it did in the battle of the Brians and Carmens.

Joe

 

[R.D.]

While Caroline is just starting out, Meissner still has to prove that her worlds gold in '06 was not a fluke. She needs to get her jumps back as well. Ando also needs to prove the same thing, as she has had erratic performances throughout her career. Does she have any staying power, or will Yu-na and Mao take over?

 

[Mathman]

Still, Kimmie has something that Mao Asada doesn't have. Kimmie has something that Yu-na Kim doesn't have. Kimmie has something that Carolina Kostner doesn't have. Kimmie has something that Sasha Cohen doesn't have.

As for pressure, you know the old saying: no pressure, no diamond.

 

[R.D.]

Same with Ando.

Ando needs to show she has staying power, while Meissner needs to show that she has power at all.

 

[Mathman]

IMHO neither Ando nor Meissner has anything to prove at all.

 

[Tinymavy15]

in the opinion of many she should've been off the Olympic podium.

anybody who thinks that obviously did not see her performance after the first triple flip. jumps are not the only thing in skating. yes important, but not the only thing.

 

[R.D.]

IMHO neither Ando nor Meissner has anything to prove at all.

But if they should fade away into oblivion without much else, many folks will write off their WC wins as flukes.