2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating

[Ded Moroz]

Сотня
:cool14:

 

[Tavi...]

It's a safe bet that very few thought Bradie could beat Medvedeva at ACI - going into the competition.

It's also a safe bet that most impartial observers thought the results of that competition were fair - at least in terms of placement.

Perhaps you could check back in with us after you've watched the competition performances on video.

I believe Narcissa was at ACI.

 

[andromache]

I hate the narrative that USFS "pushed" Bradie to the top.

Any federation is going to try and push their best skater, whoever that is. (There are occasional exceptions to this where it's like "what the heck is this federation doing pushing X skater over Y skater, but that's a different issue.)

Bradie proved herself as the best US lady last season. USFS decided to "push" her. Deservedly so. It would've been dumb to push anyone else.

USFS probably would've loved to push Ashley and her World silver, Karen who had placed 4th at Worlds the year before, Mirai with her 3A and great story - but none of them had the results or performances that Bradie did.

 

[TontoK]

I believe Narcissa was at ACI.

The whole conversation seems odd, then.

First, the insinuation that Bradie was somehow improperly promoted in her international competitions, of which, I think she's had three since winning USNats.

Then he inability to back that up with any concrete examples.

The statement that the poster doesn't really know, since he/she rarely watches the ladies events.

And the raised eyebrows at Bradie's win at ACI - which I grant was pleasantly surprising, but not undeserved.

Now, your revelation that the poster was actually at the event...

 

[evasorange]

Now that the crap show that was us nationals has faded, and the Olympics are over, everyone should go back and watch the last group of the ladies free skate again. Us fed did push Karen. That’s how she got to the Olympics. And they did push Bradie as well..not even on Ashley’s worse day and Bradie’s best day does she deserve higher pcs. Have you guys ever seen Bradie skate in person? I’ve seen her twice and No offense to her but I think it’s fair to say she benefits from there being no strong top us lady at the moment. She is really bland and if she was from a small fed country wouldn’t get near the podium, 7 triples or not. She would get hammered by pcs and ur calls. I’m not saying she’s not a hard worker or anything but big feds are always pushing someone and right now Bradie is really the only viable choice for them to push. Would that Mariah bell would get it all together If Karen ends up skating this season it will be really interesting to see how the fed pushes her considering her really lackluster Olympics showing and withdraw from worlds.

 

[kwanatic]

I hate the narrative that USFS "pushed" Bradie to the top.

Any federation is going to try and push their best skater, whoever that is. (There are occasional exceptions to this where it's like "what the heck is this federation doing pushing X skater over Y skater, but that's a different issue.)

Bradie proved herself as the best US lady last season. USFS decided to "push" her. Deservedly so. It would've been dumb to push anyone else.

USFS probably would've loved to push Ashley and her World silver, Karen who had placed 4th at Worlds the year before, Mirai with her 3A and great story - but none of them had the results or performances that Bradie did.

I do think Mirai deserved to win at nationals over Bradie. That's just my opinion. I feel like the judges were (understandably) excited about Bradie and boosted her significantly in the PCS department which helped her edge out Mirai who had a technical performance that was pretty much equal to/better than Bradie's when you factor in the points she got from the 3As. Bradie was technically strong but on the weaker side presentation wise. By no means is Mirai an authority on presentation but I do feel as though, given the performances she gave, she should have gotten the edge on Bradie at nationals. But of course the USFS wanted Bradie at the front leading the US women into Pyeongchang--which again is understandable--so she was boosted to the top.

As of today, Bradie is by far the best thing the US has going for it in the women's field. Mirai and Ashley are gone (either temporarily or for good); Karen, who was never reliable to begin with, is recovering from an injury so I'm expecting far less from her this season; Mariah is good when she's on but she's very inconsistent...and the rest of the field is full of either newbies or unreliable/unproven skaters.

The US needs Bradie right now and I'm happy she's going for it. I love that you can actually see the work she's putting in to improving her skating. Everything from her programs and packaging to her technical content has been elevated for this season. That's progress and it's very admirable IMO, especially considering the tendency the American women have to stagnate once they find something that works. I still don't find her particularly interesting, engaging or exciting to watch, but she's trying and I respect that. She reminds me a bit of Rachael Flatt in that regard. Rachael really was a strong skater for a good while but she lacked appeal/sparkle/star power/etc. I don't feel Bradie has that intangible quality that draws people to her, but she's giving it her all. Again, #respect. She is pushing herself and I hope the trend will continue as younger skaters continue to trickle into the senior pool of US women.

 

[concorde]

I went back and pulled up Bradie's record.

She competed at every Nationals since 2010 where she skated as a Juv. While she did have 2 serious injuries along her journey, she was able to pull things together enough to make Nationals even during those seasons -that tells you the type of grit the girl has.

While Bradie may not have been the highest placer until recently, I am sure she had the USFS attention. She received a JGP slot in 2014 and another in 2015. She went to Junior Worlds in both 2016 and 2017.

My point Bradie did have a good track record going into last season. To say otherwise is incorrect. The issue is we as fans did not recognize it because she was more of a middle placer (at Nationals) rather than a top placer.

I think Bradie is an excellent role model for young skaters. She proves that hard work and preaervance does pay off.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

:scard7:

 

[chopinskate]

I hate the narrative that USFS "pushed" Bradie to the top.

Any federation is going to try and push their best skater, whoever that is.

Bradie proved herself as the best US lady last season. USFS decided to "push" her.

---

Bradie deserved to win nationals. But let's not pretend that her PCS and some of the GOEs, and calls on her jumps were somehow one hundred per cent fine along with that; it seemed more like an attempt to give her a "perfect US champ" appearance for the international judges. She blew it by simply not performing too well at the Olympics and worlds (and the others were far better anyway).

 

[Bluediamonds09]

With regionals going on now, I’m remembering certain skaters that may make it to sectionals then nationals. Remember Leah Keiser? Emily Chan? Maxine Bautista? Are they competing this weekend?

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

^Haha..I forgot that regionals are going on now. Having that and Skate America going down at the same time seems like terrible planning. Like ...aren’t you maybe removing a key demographic that might otherwise attend Skate America. You know...competitive skaters and their families. What about all the judges at various events that may have attended but are now skcattered about the country? Seems like something the marketing department at USFSA would want to avoid

 

[frida80]

Thank godness SA practice starts today so we can move on from these speculations about fed promotions. Honestly as someone that loves both Mirai and Bradie, I was happy with their placement and would've been happy with the reverse as well. But they both got a ticket to Pyeonchang and both got to be in the team event. Mirai got her moment in the sun following her FS in the team event. It's not that bad for either lady.

Honestly it's this year that really matters. We only have two slots at Worlds and need a strong second to get the third back. Right now I think it will be Mariah, if she can get consistent. I know she's been inconsistent in the past but I hope she's gotten past her confidence issues.

 

[MarinHondas]

With regionals going on now, I’m remembering certain skaters that may make it to sectionals then nationals. Remember Leah Keiser? Emily Chan? Maxine Bautista? Are they competing this weekend?

Maxine already competed at UGL. Placed second.

 

[MarinHondas]

---

Bradie deserved to win nationals. But let's not pretend that her PCS and some of the GOEs, and calls on her jumps were somehow one hundred per cent fine along with that; it seemed more like an attempt to give her a "perfect US champ" appearance for the international judges. She blew it by simply not performing too well at the Olympics and worlds (and the others were far better anyway).

I would disagree that Bradie didn't perform well at worlds. She skated a clean short and just about clean long (one UR but landed everything nicely). At worlds, she was fourth in the free skate and sixth overall, nothing to scoff at considering how new she was/is. At the Olympics, she skated cleanly in the team event, where we wanted her to the most. Her Olympic solo performances were her only performances last year that didn't live up to the hype in my opinion.

 

[andromache]

---

Bradie deserved to win nationals. But let's not pretend that her PCS and some of the GOEs, and calls on her jumps were somehow one hundred per cent fine along with that; it seemed more like an attempt to give her a "perfect US champ" appearance for the international judges. She blew it by simply not performing too well at the Olympics and worlds (and the others were far better anyway).

She got the boosting/inflation that any US #1 gets. It's not right, but it is what it is. But she was not unfairly pushed over more deserving ladies to be that #1. She became the US #1 by being far more technically consistent than anyone else, period, and that even includes her mistakes at the Olympics and Worlds.

(Karen arguably received unfair inflation over Ashley but I'm not going to re-litigate that.)

I just think that Bradie gets a lot of unfair and unnecessary hate for rising to the top when she really earned it by being a gritty competitor with a consistent 3-3. And she's clearly not resting on her laurels - she's improved a ton since last season presentation-wise and is working on a 3Lz-3Lo, which seems to be semi-reliably rotated. She's also upped her StSq3 to a StSq4.

 

[gkelly]

^Haha..I forgot that regionals are going on now. Having that and Skate America going down at the same time seems like terrible planning. Like ...aren’t you maybe removing a key demographic that might otherwise attend Skate America. You know...competitive skaters and their families. What about all the judges at various events that may have attended but are now skcattered about the country? Seems like something the marketing department at USFSA would want to avoid

Regionals have been held in October since mid-20th century, far longer than Skate America has been in existence. They're part of a domestic qualifying structure that's much bigger and more complex than the Grand Prix series, affecting thousands of skaters and hundreds of officials, so if anything it would be easier to schedule Skate America around the qualifying season than vice and versa.

And then of course there are also sectionals in November to consider.

Most skaters who compete at regionals are investing a lot of money and training time into their own competitive careers, and for most of them regionals is the peak of their season. (Those who are likely to move on to sectionals and maybe Nationals are generally even more invested in their own skating.) Traveling to the other end of a large region is a big deal for many participants. Traveling across or halfway across the US for a few hours of watching elite skating would not be in their budget (of time as well as money).

They might buy tickets to Skate America when it's being held close to their homes, or in rarer cases someplace they want to travel to for other reasons as well (tourism, visiting relatives).

Same for officials, who may or may not have more discretionary income but also tend to have day jobs they take off time from to travel to both nonqualifying and qualifying events all year round. Some don't feel the need to pay to watch elite skating at all. Those who do can plan which events to attend based around the events they're assigned to each year. Or say they're not available to officiate in a week that conflicts with an elite event they really want to attend as spectators.

So it would make sense to avoid direct conflicts between Skate America and a regional competition being held in the same immediate part of the country on the same weekend. But beyond that, the people who are busy with regionals in a different part of the country would not be likely to buy tickets and travel long distances even if the dates do not conflict.

 

[el henry]

I am so tired of the Bradie is “pushed” narrative.:disapp:

Yes, I have seen Bradie skate in person, twice, although once was a show.

I don’t follow the ladies so much, so I need to go outside for a comparison ... is she a performer like Jason Brown? No. Is she a total stiff getting by on jumps? No. Is she putting everything out there that she has.? Yes. Has she appeared to improve by leaps and bounds, last year and this? Yes.

I actually enjoy watching Bradie skate, and I can’t say that about every lady. And I *do* say that as a Jason fan, so I know my performers.

 

[kwanatic]

I am so tired of the Bradie is “pushed” narrative.:disapp:

Even if Bradie was pushed in the beginning (which I do think she was at nationals), the point is she's taken that push and used it as momentum to grow and get better. She was the top finisher in Pyeongchang and at worlds ahead of the other American women. Additionally she's using that momentum as she moves into this season.

I'm definitely cheering Bradie on. I like her grit and her fire, which are two things American women tend to lack at times. She hungry and it shows. The content she's going for this season isn't a "let's aim for top 5" kind of deal. She's aiming for the top and I love that about her.

Fingers crossed she blows everyone away this weekend!

 

[SnowWhite]

Bradie totally earned her national title. She does not have rotation issues, and she is the most consistent last season. You can always explain someone's achievement with something because this or that happened to other top contenders, but we have to realize that all achievements take place in their circumstances.
On the other hand, she achieved what she did after missing two seasons due to injury. That's pretty remarkable. And the most important thing is, she is now the top US lady.

Not really, but UR calls aren't uncommon for her, so it's reasonable for people to mention it. When she's perfect she doesn't, but she'll get a couple in the FS is she's off at all. And the rule is stricter this year, so we'll see.

This season
- Autumn Classic 4 (SP: 3F<, FS: 3Lz+3Lo<, 3Lz+3T<+2T, 3F<+2T)
- Japan Open 3 (FS: 3Lz+3Lo<, 3Lz<, 3F<+2T)

Last season
- Worlds 2 (FS: 3F<, 2A+3T<)
- Olympics 2 (FS: 2A+3T<, 3Lz<)
- Skate America 0
- Lombardia 0

 

[narcissa]

---

Bradie deserved to win nationals. But let's not pretend that her PCS and some of the GOEs, and calls on her jumps were somehow one hundred per cent fine along with that; it seemed more like an attempt to give her a "perfect US champ" appearance for the international judges. She blew it by simply not performing too well at the Olympics and worlds (and the others were far better anyway).

I'm a bit at the way people bristle when skaters are mentioned to be "pushed." It's just refusing to admit one's privilege? And skaters skating for the US have privilege, plain and simple.

Having a strong federation pushing you does not mean you don't deserve your results. It doesn't mean you're the wrong person to be pushed, either. Those things are orthogonal. My postulate is that if Bradie Tennell was not backed by the USFSA, she would not have won ACI. She beat a decent-but-not-perfect Evgenia Medvedeva, who is one of the most pushed skaters in the world.

But it was clear at 2018 Nationals that the USFSA had intent on pushing Bradie, giving her the highest TES and PCS(!) in the free skate that night and a huge margin win. And yes, I was there in person, and no, she did not have the best skating skills, performance, interpretation, or transitions that night. But then again, PCS is such a mess that you could argue that she deserves whatever scores because other people get scored unfairly too.