2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

andromache · Dec 5, 2017

R.D. said:
I’ll just say this: Wagner sure knows how to keep things.......interesting , get people talking, that’s for sure.

Great for drama and forum fodder, but maybe not so great for her focus?

I hope she doesn't actually spend time thinking about it and it's just a ploy to stay relevant in what is probably her last season. If people are talking about Ashley and following her social media, it's good for the sponsorships, and takes far less effort than making a talk show appearance or shooting an ad.

I feel very badly for the US and Canadian skaters who make their living off of skating and are struggling to cash in while they still can.

mrrice · Dec 5, 2017

evasorange said:
Ashley just posted on insta the beginning of la la lp...and it Looks beautiful It doesn't need to be perfect at nationals, just strong enough for a top 3 finish...I can't wait to see the whole thing!

Is she jumping? Her LP doesn't need to be perfect but, she does have to land some jumps. Preferably 6 of them..

quadrupleaxel15 · Dec 5, 2017

mrrice said:
Is she jumping? Her LP doesn't need to be perfect but, she does have to land some jumps. Preferably 6 of them..

Not in the short clip. You can see where it's choreographed though.

Moxiejan · Dec 5, 2017

flipsydoodle said:
If Ashley doesn't perform well at Nationals, how could she possibly expect a spot? Out of shape, unpracticed, and no memorable performance for a long while?

Other than Bradie, what other USA lady did better in the fall season than Ashley? Which other two would you put on the team ahead of her?

After all, the "out of shape, unpracticed" Ashley did beat Karen at Skate Canada. And, despite injury, beat her again in the SP at SA.
So that leaves Mirai, Mariah, Courtney, Polina, Amber ... which TWO do you put on the team ahead of her? Which of these has had a program recently that was more "memorable" than Ashley's MR at Skate Canada?

pearly · Dec 5, 2017

Johnny Weir actually apologised for his comments re Ashley's WD from SA on the latest Ice Talk. A lot of good insight:
http://web.icenetwork.com/fans/icetalk

flipsydoodle · Dec 5, 2017

evasorange said:
Ashley just posted on insta the beginning of la la lp...and it Looks beautiful It doesn't need to be perfect at nationals, just strong enough for a top 3 finish...I can't wait to see the whole thing!

"Strong enough for a top 3 finish?" Why is it okay to just make the podium and not aim for a fabulous display of talent, artistry, and technical dazzle? What a snub to fans who've paid a high price for tickets and given support through thick and thin: they're being asked to settle for "quickly put together by the skin of her teeth so she can go to the Olympics" instead of "first-rate representative of the US who is gunning to win."

Jammers · Dec 5, 2017

flipsydoodle said:
"Strong enough for a top 3 finish?" Why is it okay to just make the podium and not aim for a fabulous display of talent, artistry, and technical dazzle? What a snub to fans who've paid a high price for tickets and given support through thick and thin: they're being asked to settle for "quickly put together by the skin of her teeth so she can go to the Olympics" instead of "first-rate representative of the US who is gunning to win."

That's exactly what Gracie did in 2014 when she debuted a new SP at Nationals also in an Olympic year. Despite a so so season entering Nationals Gracie went to Nationals not to just make the team which everyone said she was guaranteed to make no matter where she finished but to win and she dominated from start to finish skating her new SP clean. I really thought that Gracie was going to dominate US Ladies for the next few years with her win in 2014 but it wasn't to be.

mrrice · Dec 5, 2017

Moxiejan said:
Other than Bradie, what other USA lady did better in the fall season than Ashley? Which other two would you put on the team ahead of her?

After all, the "out of shape, unpracticed" Ashley did beat Karen at Skate Canada. And, despite injury, beat her again in the SP at SA.
So that leaves Mirai, Mariah, Courtney, Polina, Amber ... which TWO do you put on the team ahead of her? Which of these has had a program recently that was more "memorable" than Ashley's MR at Skate Canada?

If Ashley can't land her jumps.....I'd put Mirai, Starr, Angela, and possibly even Mariah Bell if her re-worked programs turn out ok.

andromache · Dec 5, 2017

flipsydoodle said:
"Strong enough for a top 3 finish?" Why is it okay to just make the podium and not aim for a fabulous display of talent, artistry, and technical dazzle? What a snub to fans who've paid a high price for tickets and given support through thick and thin: they're being asked to settle for "quickly put together by the skin of her teeth so she can go to the Olympics" instead of "first-rate representative of the US who is gunning to win."

Have you ever made a post that isn't somehow trashing the character of the US ladies?

We all know Ashley has worked on this routine over the summer - it isn't being thrown together out of nowhere.

Skaters don't owe fans anything.

R.D. · Dec 5, 2017

At a competition I don’t feel Wagner, or any other skater, owes the audience anything. They are there to do a job and the crowd is more or less “along for the ride”.

Now, in a show, as a PERFORMER - say for SOI, it’s different since the audience is specifically paying for your entertainment ability.

composer · Dec 5, 2017

I wonder what kind of meltdown the forum would have if US nationals results end up being (1) Courtney (2) Bradie (3) Mirai (4) Ashley

Although much as I love drama (shhh) I'd love the Cinderella story of Mirai winning Nationals a second time 10 years after her first.

matcha · Dec 5, 2017

composer said:
I wonder what kind of meltdown the forum would have if US nationals results end up being (1) Courtney (2) Bradie (3) Mirai (4) Ashley

Although much as I love drama (shhh) I'd love the Cinderella story of Mirai winning Nationals a second time 10 years after her first.

I live for drama but Courtney in first is just fan fiction.

drivingmissdaisy · Dec 5, 2017

composer said:
I wonder what kind of meltdown the forum would have if US nationals results end up being (1) Courtney (2) Bradie (3) Mirai (4) Ashley

Although much as I love drama (shhh) I'd love the Cinderella story of Mirai winning Nationals a second time 10 years after her first.

No one would meltdown. If Ashley isn't on the podium, she wouldn't deserve to be because the USFSA really wants to see her on it and will mark her programs accordingly. While I would love to see Courtney winning, it won't happen. She doesn't make the kind of mistakes that get overlooked at Nationals and never gets a PCS boost there (like her more artistic countrywomen).

R.D. · Dec 5, 2017

No, Hicks does HERSELF in at Nationals. If she doesn’t have her jumps......unfortunately there’s not much elsewhere.

If she can deliver, I’m confident her scores will follow suit. But she never does...

ask · Dec 5, 2017

Hicks during her Jr. Years was so strong if I recall correctly. She had John Nicks at the rink side, she had good spring in her jumps, no edge issues, can do 3x3. Then I don't know what happened.
She sometimes showed glimses of good quality but so inconsistent to the point of frustration.

I wouldn't mind her winning it all but she will fall apart at the Olympics for sure.

macy · Dec 5, 2017

did ashley perform LLL at champs camp, or did she do moulin rouge?

MRani · Dec 5, 2017

macy said:
did ashley perform LLL at champs camp, or did she do moulin rouge?

She did MR. She offered to show them LLL too but they declined to see it and seemed to be satisfied with MR.

evasorange · Dec 5, 2017

flipsydoodle said:
"Strong enough for a top 3 finish?" Why is it okay to just make the podium and not aim for a fabulous display of talent, artistry, and technical dazzle? What a snub to fans who've paid a high price for tickets and given support through thick and thin: they're being asked to settle for "quickly put together by the skin of her teeth so she can go to the Olympics" instead of "first-rate representative of the US who is gunning to win."

Well, I don't think of any of us expect a program being performed for the first time to be at 100 percent, hence why I said the phrase strong enough. She needs to be in the top three to get on the Olympic team. Thats not settling, that's just the reality of the situation. And just because a program isn't performed to its absolute potential doesn't mean that the audiences won't be dazzled. I remember at worlds in Boston some of the audience stood up for Gracie even though she had one of the weakest lp performances of the night. Most figure skating audiences and fans are very forgiving I think, we all understand that there really are no guarantees in this sport when it comes to how someone will perform in any given competition.

flipsydoodle · Dec 5, 2017

andromache said:
Skaters don't owe fans anything.

Of course, they do. For starters, via USFSA support, ticket sales, applause. For 24/7 relevant, USA team members are selected to represent the US: they don't have competitive "careers" without a quid pro quo between getting support and performing.

flipsydoodle · Dec 5, 2017

R.D. said:
At a competition I don’t feel Wagner, or any other skater, owes the audience anything. They are there to do a job and the crowd is more or less “along for the ride”.

Now, in a show, as a PERFORMER - say for SOI, it’s different since the audience is specifically paying for your entertainment ability.

The audience is an integral part of a competitive performance.

2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

andromache

mrrice

quadrupleaxel15

Moxiejan

pearly

flipsydoodle

Jammers

mrrice

andromache

R.D.

composer

matcha

drivingmissdaisy

R.D.

ask

Match Penalty

macy

MRani

evasorange

flipsydoodle

flipsydoodle

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