Video: Gracie Gold Practice F.S. S.A. 2016 | Golden Skate

Video: Gracie Gold Practice F.S. S.A. 2016

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Well, after getting a look at her program, all I can say is........maybe. Even cleanly skated, I don't see her beating Ashley but, she could certainly make the podium if she skates well. As much as I love Gracie ( And I do ) she's beginning to remind me of Sasha. I just pray every time she sets up for a jump and I hate that feeling. BTW, what is that music ? I swear someone has used it before.
 

TGee

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 17, 2016
Thanks for this!

Don't worry about the less than ideal moments. You got most of it, and close enough to really get a feel for her performance.

Honest reaction...At first was really taken with the flow, and what someone else called maturity or comfort..

......but as it when on, I really noticed how many cross cuts she was doing. They really add up. I suspect that this will not get her the skating skills or transitions scores that she is seeking this weekend.
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However, those things can be worked in as the year evolves if she has access to her choreographer every month or so. Other skaters have said that they felt they needed more in their programs after their Challenger events and went back to work with their choreographers before GP season. Since Gracie has made it clear her first target is really US nationals, then Worlds, and she's "doing the process" at GP, I think that we an expect that the evolution of her program will be on a later track.

I'm not too fussed about the fall on a jump. It happens. What counts is a clean program in competition. I'm more concerned that, given that this was a run through, that she took a bit long to get up and get back on the music. She was treating it like training and not a simulation....
 

Sochi_2014

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Gracie looks great in terms of artistry! She still looks out of shape though, looking pretty winded after the fall on the 3sal before the step sequence. This will improve as the season goes on.
 

aa456

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 12, 2012
Well, after getting a look at her program, all I can say is........maybe. Even cleanly skated, I don't see her beating Ashley but, she could certainly make the podium if she skates well. As much as I love Gracie ( And I do ) she's beginning to remind me of Sasha. I just pray every time she sets up for a jump and I hate that feeling. BTW, what is that music ? I swear someone has used it before.

Daphnis et Chloe by Ravel. It was used by Sarah Hughes in her 2002 FS.
 

keasus

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Jump problems aside, Sarah was a rock mentally and that's something Gracie could learn from Sarah.

I totally agree with you Mr. Rice. I noticed it at the US Nationals in Philadelphia in 1998, which I was lucky enough to attend. I am just disappointed that she didn't clean up her technique. Her coach at the time, Robin Wagner, did her no favors by finding clever ways to disguise her weaknesses instead of correcting them while she was still a junior.
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
I totally agree with you Mr. Rice. I noticed it at the US Nationals in Philadelphia in 1998, which I was lucky enough to attend. I am just disappointed that she didn't clean up her technique. Her coach at the time, Robin Wagner, did her no favors by finding clever ways to disguise her weaknesses instead of correcting them while she was still a junior.

I've seen Sarah perform twice. Once in 1999 and again in 2001 both times at Worlds. Like Michelle Kwan, Sarah was basically invisible to me as my focus was on Maria Butyrskaya. I will say this much for Sarah, she was a beautiful spinner. IMO, the best spinner in 2001 as Lucinda was not there in 2001. Sarah is one of those skaters that appears very tall due to her long legs and arms. However, when I saw her up close in 2001, she was just as tiny as the rest of the girls.

You know who was tall for a skater....Jennifer Robinson from Canada. Stunning in person.....:love:
 

Khoai

Match Penalty
Joined
Apr 3, 2015
Her body is so stiff. She does not seem to enjoy skating to the music much. I guess she is still struggling with her mentality.
 

keasus

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
I've seen Sarah perform twice. Once in 1999 and again in 2001 both times at Worlds. Like Michelle Kwan, Sarah was basically invisible to me as my focus was on Maria Butyrskaya. I will say this much for Sarah, she was a beautiful spinner. IMO, the best spinner in 2001 as Lucinda was not there in 2001. Sarah is one of those skaters that appears very tall due to her long legs and arms. However, when I saw her up close in 2001, she was just as tiny as the rest of the girls.

You know who was tall for a skater....Jennifer Robinson from Canada. Stunning in person.....:love:

As a life-long taller-than-all-the -other-female-skaters at her rink, I have a soft spot for tall skaters. Maybe that is why I am so partial to Polina Edmonds. One day, tall female skaters will rule the rink!:yahoo:
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
As a life-long taller-than-all-the -other-female-skaters at her rink, I have a soft spot for tall skaters. Maybe that is why I am so partial to Polina Edmonds. One day, tall female skaters will rule the rink!:yahoo:

Polina is a BIG star out here in Ca. I live in central Ca. but, in San Jose and the Bay Area. Polina is extremely popular. In fact, Rudy and Brian Boitano are as popular today as they ever were. I can't think of his name right now but, he's the guy from Canada who just moved here. I think he's Polina's boyfriend, or something. The guy who asked her to prom. Nam Nguyen, that's his name.
 
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drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
That was tough to watch. I wonder if it was wise to send her to the SA when she isn't in top form. If she has a weak GP season, her PCS could drop like a rock.
 

keasus

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
I am glad to hear that Polina is popular in CA, Mr. Rice. I am really disappointed that she is injured and won't begin her season for a few weeks. I always thought she has all the makings of a champion, especially the competitive mindset and a diva-like bearing that with the right choreography, music, and packaging could be very successful. I just hope her team lets her show off her maturity. No more frills and little girl curls for Ms. Polina!
 

PullingForSasha

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Country
United-States
Thank you for your comments everybody. I have so much I want to say about the last four days!!
I am concerned about her. She and Mao, who I adore both had that look...... tenseness, and a bit foreboding instead of the Joy that should go with it like Ashley has. As we know with Sasha at the ‘06 games, before the short she looked on target and READY. Before her long, she had a look that worried the hell out of me, before she took the ice, before her F.S. I could never figure out how she changed so much between the two! I think, right now, like Sasha, Gracie is deep inside her own head. We saw Frank Carroll give her those platitudes to repeat before she went on. I think that is a Band-Aid to a much worse cut. It was like when Sasha started taking those deep breaths before, “To get the fresh air in, and the old air out.” :( :(
 

PullingForSasha

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Country
United-States
Really enjoyed this. She seemed so natural... Love that you got a good view of the jump combination and the Beillman at the end .. so close! :love:
Thank you! I don't know how the pros like NBC do it. They are always in the center, taking up most of the frame. Then I thought maybe there is some computer control involved? The ones at that venue are 3.5 feet long!
 

PullingForSasha

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Country
United-States
Jump problems aside, Sarah was a rock mentally and that's something Gracie could learn from Sarah.
She could learn it from Ashley also! Ash sounds like a machine when she talks about her goals. LOL I kind of think, it's the kind of thing that you can't learn. In the interview they asked Ashley what is next, and the first thing she said was, "Back to work....."
 
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