What helped Bradie ascend so quickly was the vacuum at the top: Gracie's descent into depression, Ashley's downward trend after 2016W, Karen's endless boot problems. Bradie's only serious rival in 2017-2018 was 24 yo Mirai Nagasu, determined to get to the Olympics on the strength of her 3a. 26 yo Ashley Wagner had withdrawn from SA with a foot injury, then went into 2018 Nationals with a new untested FS. Karen Chen had had a grim GP season where she kept changing programs to try to turn it around, without success.
2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating
- Thread starter Spirals for Miles
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2016
Hannah Miller is competing at regionals this weekend. I always liked her skating, good basic skating skills and great performance quality but a chronic under-rotater. She did her short program, was planning a 3-3, only managed a 3-2 and UR'd the rest of her jumps.( http://www.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2019/27728/CAT007SEG012.html) Does she have any Intl. assignments this year? I am guessing not. Maybe she will get a late challenger. I do want to see her programs. Good luck in the long.
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- Nov 20, 2015
I follow her on ig and really enjoy watching her. She’s one I just keeping hoping will take it up a notch because there’s a lot to like about her.
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- Apr 2, 2016
I actually think Bradie did quite well for her first worlds, which was right after her first Olympics.
The skaters who beat her aren't anyone to scoff at: Osmond (Oly bronze medalist and 2x world medalist (including the recent title)), Wakaba (2x japanese silver medalist), Satoko (4th at Oly and 2x world medalist), Kostner (5x world medalist (1 world title) and oly bronze medalist), and Zagitova (Oly champion). It's not like Bradie was embarrassed or anything.
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- Mar 3, 2014
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Wasn't 2017-2018 Bradie's first year as a senior, so she would not have gotten any senior GP assignments before that?
The interesting point to me is that she "only" finished seventh at junior worlds the year before. Goes to show that tearing up juniors doesn't mean you'll tear up seniors, and not tearing up juniors doesn't mean you'll boff as a senior.....
This is SO depressing---the URs, I mean. Every year I hope Hannah will learn to fully rotate her jumps, but it just doesn't happen.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
TBH that is more a factor of how dire the US ladies' situation was, the USFS was willing to push anyone and everyone.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
She wasn't originally slated for SA either, and only got that assignment because of her performance in the summer competitions. It really was a meteoric rise but, as chuckm pointed out, it was the unusually weak field in the US that helped it happen.
Bradie skated as a senior in 2016-17, winning bronze at Tallinn Trophy (a Challenger event) and finishing 9th at senior Nationals before that 7th-place JW finish. She'd had two junior seasons badly disrupted by injury before that, which I imagine prevented her from being considered for early-season Challengers or the Skate America host spot in 2016.
But I completely agree with your larger point that junior success (or lack thereof) doesn't necessarily translate into senior success (or ditto), let alone instant success. I suspect our expectations have been turned upside down by the extraordinary achievements of the Russian women in the past four years or so; others who follow ladies' skating more closely than I do will no doubt correct me, but I don't remember such a regular pattern of international junior success followed immediately by international senior success among American women.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
Bradie earned it. The USFSA could have easily pushed Ashley, not over Bradie but perhaps over Karen.
Don't forget that Polina Edmonds getting sidelined by injury also helped Bradie. Polina was slated to go to Worlds and was a close second to Gracie Gold at Nationals in 2016. She, even more than Karen Chen, would have been pushed by the USFS in international competition.
Bradie benefitted from the implosion at the top, but she also did the work to be able to take advantage of it. There were other skaters, such as Mariah Bell, who were seen as more likely champions. Bradie did it the hard way, by repeatedly performing a hard program.
Bradie benefitted from the implosion at the top, but she also did the work to be able to take advantage of it. There were other skaters, such as Mariah Bell, who were seen as more likely champions. Bradie did it the hard way, by repeatedly performing a hard program.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
Ya she earned being pushed by the USFSA. Because there was no one else who could even land 7 triples.
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Exactly. All any skater can do is take ownership of their own training and performance. Bradie did that. She didn't politic and she wasn't "pushed by USFSA" into the top spot. She earned it fair and square.
If another skater can dethrone Bradie, good for her, and I'll celebrate the victory. Until then, it is a disservice to Bradie to downplay her success as somehow undeserved because others were physically unprepared or just plain head-cases.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2015
She actually did have a senior b the previous year. It wasn’t her first year as a senior. She’s battled back issues.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
Debatable. Mirai had a very good case for winning Nationals in 2018. She didn't have perfect triple axels but she rotated them. And whether ofc even if she "earned" the top lady spot, most of the pushing is done internationally, which has shown in her international results.
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I reject your premise that Mirai had a case for winning USNats. But skipping over that...
Who exactly did Bradie defeat in international competitions that you believe she shouldn't have?
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- Apr 2, 2016
Besides Gracie (who was never consistent, despite being the most physically talented), I think Polina is the biggest loss in terms of international potential for the US, but people forget about her because she only skated two full years at senior (Sochi and the year after, where she won 4CC). The injuries are a shame.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2014
I dunno. I don't really watch ladies' skating.
But if Bradie was from, say, South Korea, I doubt she would have beaten Evgenia Medvedeva at ACI. She would have been buried with the UR calls. Though for the record I think she deserved it.
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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.
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2012
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.
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.
