2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating

Bluediamonds09 said:

Probably Bradie will remain ahead of Mariah in every competition next season. Thoughts?

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Kind of a bold statement given that the start of the season is months away. What is your basis for this prediction?

TontoK said:

Kind of a bold statement given that the start of the season is months away. What is your basis for this prediction?

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1. Bradie is being backed by the USFSA. 2. Mariah continues to struggle with 3-3s and was very lucky she didn’t get called at 2019 Worlds. 3. Bradie receives 74+ for her tech and 68+ for her pcs (where she’ll probably stay), whereas Mariah struggles technically and the judges don’t go with her components-wise.

Bluediamonds09 said:

Probably Bradie will remain ahead of Mariah in every competition next season. Thoughts?

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I think this will be the case also. Mariah is far more entertaining to watch IMO, but Bradie is just so solid with the jumps and is good enough at everything else to stay ahead. If Bradie keeps her jumps and avoids injury, she will be tough for anyone in the US to beat.

About Bradie and Mariah, will they be competing directly against each other in any event before U.S. nationals?

I think the ball is in Mariah's court. She has to go squeaky clean and I mean squeaky. If she does, she has the potential for one of those performances that just builds and builds from beginning to end, sweeping all before it.

But a little bobble here and there and Bradie has the inside track, even if both skaters make comparable mistakes.

(My opinion.)

I think it will depend on actual performances in actual competitions, and that there's no point in making blanket statements comparing athletes. Bradie had more technical difficulty this season and more solid free skates. Mariah had several strong and beautiful SPs, but she needs more solidity and probably more difficulty in her FPs. As both athletes split results at Worlds, I don't see any reason to assume that one or the other will be constantly stronger every time out throughout a season; but one never knows.

Bluediamonds09 said:

1. Bradie is being backed by the USFSA. 2. Mariah continues to struggle with 3-3s and was very lucky she didn’t get called at 2019 Worlds. 3. Bradie receives 74+ for her tech and 68+ for her pcs (where she’ll probably stay), whereas Mariah struggles technically and the judges don’t go with her components-wise.

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A whole lot can change in a year.

The glancing attention I paid to women's skating this year seemed to reveal that Mariah was developing nicely with Raf as the season progressed. It was like the technique was starting to come together.

Roughly a year ago, some were arguing that Vincent shouldn't have been on the Olympic team. Now he's a world medalist.

We're not talking about a situation in which Mariah has never delivered the technical goods. She has... or depending on your viewpoint of rotation, she is certainly capable.

Of the two, my preference is Bradie, but I certainly think Mariah can beat her.

Bluediamonds09 said:

Probably Bradie will remain ahead of Mariah in every competition next season. Thoughts?

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Bradie looks like she is ready to challenge for a medal at the world level maybe even gold. Not sure about Mariah. Her fs at the WTT was executed so well and she is decent pc wise. Alyssa is not eligible, Karen has her own challenges and going to school which may require adapting unless she is lucky like Nathan Chen who took to school so easily with skating. Gracie could challenge but we have no idea what shape she is in mentally or physically. Bradie has worked hard. She reminds me a bit of Polina E. for some reason. She is not a natural comparatively to others but she has it all to do well and maybe even win gold. I compare her somewhat to Kaetlyn Osmond though Kaetlyn had some of that Canadian spunk or je ne sais quoi which has been seen in Liz Manley, Josee Chouinard and Joannie Rochette along with Osmond. Though each of those skaters probably had more fire or something special. Bradie is perhaps the new Kimmie Meisner.

Bluediamonds09 said:

1. Bradie is being backed by the USFSA. 2. Mariah continues to struggle with 3-3s and was very lucky she didn’t get called at 2019 Worlds. 3. Bradie receives 74+ for her tech and 68+ for her pcs (where she’ll probably stay), whereas Mariah struggles technically and the judges don’t go with her components-wise.

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Mariah could be upping her tech though? Also if Mariah consistently deliver i can see her PCS rising to 68+ since she already scored 66-67 occasionally. Bradie need to be consistent to get that 68+ unless she's competing in Skate America. Her SP was really well planned and choreographed, no wonder it got good PCS. But if her SP disappointing next season i can see her PCS going down a little bit especially if she messed up her jumps

Top 6 Senior Ladies Predictions
1. Bradie TENNELL - Not only did Bradie increase her technical components this past season, she drastically improved her artistry, lines, and delivery. Bradie showcased her determination and sheer resilience by coping with each loss and gaining in leaps and bounds with each victory. Bradie will be hungry to attack the upcoming season and should she find great consistency, stride, and work on the under-rotations, Bradie will be one of the biggest threats at Nationals. Internationally, Bradie has the goods to make it to the Grand Prix Final given her World Team Trophy score of 150 for the free and over 225 total.
2. Ting CUI - Ting has ALL the potential and goods to become not just the number one American lady, but one of the leading ladies internationally. Her jumps are gorgeous and she is a naturally balletic skater with exquisite lines and delivery. Additionally, the judges love to score her well when she delivers. However, Ting’s biggest hurdle will be consistency and focus. With a HOPEFUL 4T, 3Lz-3T, and 3F-Eu-3S, Ting will have one of the most technically demanding programs if it all comes together. Ting is definitely one to watch.
3. Mariah BELL - Bell understands the artistic and performance aspect of skating and weaves them in alongside the jumps and spins in an immaculate manner. However, now that Bell has come to find consistency, her next challenge will be to incorporate a clean 3-3 in both the Short and Free. Her 3F is gorgeous and I don’t know why her team isn’t adding a 3F-3T instead of a 3Lz-3T. A well executed 3F-3T is much more worthwhile than an under-rotated 3Lz-3T in the current grade of execution system. Thus, unless Ting or Bradie make glaring errors, I don’t see Bell surpassing either one.
4. Hanna HARRELL - A great jumper with amazing spring, height, and distance, but one who needs to develop artistically. Hanna is an amazing athlete who could one day even become National Champion, but she needs to polish her skating skills and work on her stamina. Currently, Hanna’s working on the 3A and 4T and should both come to fruition, she will be a force to reckon with. As of right now, we do not know if she’s continuing as a Junior (probably the wisest decision) or moving up to Seniors internationally.
5. Starr Andrews - Starr... is a great and genuine performer who’s capable of those absolutely heart stopping and standing ovation inducing performances. However, her team needs to reevaluate what it is that she wants and how she can achieve it. Consistency, a decent 3Lz, harder combos, and more work on the 3A will certainly improve her standing and could propel her into the Top 6 next season at Nationals.
6. Megan WESSENBERG - One of the fastest and most powerful skaters, Megan needs a 3-3 and consistency to truly find herself among the top ladies. Megan has the goods to deliver well both domestically and internationally, but to pass the 180 or even 185 mark, she will need to work on landing those jumps when they count.

Top 3 Junior Ladies Predictions
1. Alysa LIU
2. Calista CHOI
3. Emilia MURDOCK

Dark Horses:
1. Gabriella IZZO
2. Amber GLENN
3. Kate WANG
4. Audrey SHIN
5. Sarah JUNG
6. Akari NAKAHARA

skatenewbie said:

Mariah could be upping her tech though? Also if Mariah consistently deliver i can see her PCS rising to 68+ since she already scored 66-67 occasionally. Bradie need to be consistent to get that 68+ unless she's competing in Skate America. Her SP was really well planned and choreographed, no wonder it got good PCS. But if her SP disappointing next season i can see her PCS going down a little bit especially if she messed up her jumps

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Of course, anything could happen. However, Mariah overtaking Bradie requires both that (a) Mariah gets stronger jumps, and (b) Bradie's jumps get less reliable. As long as Bradie is consistent, the USFSA will continue to back her.

Juniors from recent Summer comps:

Mia Kalin (11) - 3Lz-3T, 2A, and 3Lo
https://youtu.be/FpfIyclLs3E

Lindsay Thorngren (13) - Under-rotation on the 3Lz-3Lo (?), but overall a good skate
https://youtu.be/NsV1AFVOK-4

New video on the Olympic channel about Gracie and mental health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8e-Z3E8BXU

Do Ting Cui or Gracie Gold have a chance to go to Japan Open? Thoughts?

Bluediamonds09 said:

Do Ting Cui or Gracie Gold have a chance to go to Japan Open? Thoughts?

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Gracie is a no. She may not even compete this season. As for Ting, it depends on the agency representing her. I think it will be Bradie and either Mariah or Gabby.

Bits from the PSA conference:

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ETA (on May 23):

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ETA (on May 31):

I don't know if this was ever posted, but here are the viewerships for the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships:
• Women's Free Skate - 3.06 million
Down 32% from last year's 4.48 million (this was during the Olympics), BUT up by 9% from the last non-Olympic year in 2017 (2.81 million)
• Men's Free Skate - 1.78 million
Up 112% from last year. The men's skates have been consistently increasing over the years. Might go up to 2 million in 2020.


Source 1: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2019/01/pro-bowl-ratings-warriors-celtics-pga-tour/
Source 2: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2019/01/pbc-ratings-fox-x-games-senior-bowl/

While those numbers aren't good, they aren't as tragic as I would've imagined. With some decent promotion, I think FS could certainly grow a lot more, too bad it seems like everyone involved in USFS seems incompetent or doesn't care...

Surprisingly, viewerships in total for Nationals have consistently been increasing and memberships for USFSA have been growing for the first time since like 2006. Hopefully this trend can keep going.

natsulian said:

Surprisingly, viewerships in total for Nationals have consistently been increasing and memberships for USFSA have been growing for the first time since like 2006. Hopefully this trend can keep going.

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At a time when it seems like everything is pointing to a decline in US figure skating, this is certainly good news to hear.

natsulian said:

I don't know if this was ever posted, but here are the viewerships for the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships:
• Women's Free Skate - 3.06 million
Down 32% from last year's 4.48 million (this was during the Olympics), BUT up by 9% from the last non-Olympic year in 2017 (2.81 million)
• Men's Free Skate - 1.78 million
Up 112% from last year. The men's skates have been consistently increasing over the years. Might go up to 2 million in 2020.

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So strange that men's skating gets less viewership than ladies', while being vastly superior in all respects.

I wonder, what's the rational of that missing one third of the ladies' spectators, (over 1 mil!), that chose not to watch men? "They don't wear short skirts, and don't have boobs, so we're not interested"? "They don't look like us, or like our figure-skating daughters, so who cares?"

I'm genuinely curious.