In my opinion i think she should practice her wild leg tap on her flips and flutz cause now her flip is getting better but her lutz is in an inside edge and a little wild tap still!
ya, i know what its like to be in an inefficient ice rink. We have one that isnt big enough, cant stay open during the summer, has tons of bumps, and has so much fog that you cant see sometimes!!!
I hope this is not me being too harsh but I am not a fan of Caroline, Mirai, or Rachel's programs here. Alissa with mistakes still has much stronger choreography in my opinion. I can see why now some say Alissa and Sasha for 2010. Then again even Ashley Wagner has a stronger presence. It's harder to tell with NBC's video cutting all the various angles and height of the camera but with in-stand video it's easier to see strengths and weaknesses more clearly.
Alissa and Sasha both have the exact same problem: all the talent in the world and the horrible curse of not being able to skate 2 clean programs back to back. Sasha is as good as on the Olympic team in my opinion; no matter how bad she flubs up. But Alissa, after her ridiculously embarassing showing last year at worlds, I seriously doubt if you'll see her on the team especially seeing as how if they'd sent Caroline, we'd probably have 3 spots at the Olympics instead of only 2...
Hopefully we'll have 3 spots at the Olympics, but punishing a girl for a shaky program and not sending her to get a second chance is not very nice at all. I am a figure skater myself and I can only imagine how embarrassed and disappointed I would be if a screw-up like that punished me so.
No, we only have 2 spots; Rachael finished 5th and Alissa was 11th. She shouldn't be punished for her mistakes but that WAS her second chance. The judges made a mistake sending her to worlds last year because at that time Zhang was finishing top 5 at all of her competitions; if you took Zhang's score from jr. worlds and compared it to senior worlds, she would have come in 5th which means Rachael would have been 6th and we'd have 3 spots. Zhang was the smarter choice but the judges sent Alissa.
@herm712 With that technique, I don't see how Zhang was possibly a smarter choice. Maybe the judges let Zhang get away with high scores despite poor execution at junior worlds, but she wasn't going to get away with it at senior worlds. Her scores this season have proved that. The judges are definitely letting Caroline know that she either does something to improve, or out.
I have never thought of her as an overly slow skater because she is generally skating to the speed of her music. That said, I do think she should pick faster music for her sp and lps. Her exhibition speed has not bothered me and those have been brighter songs that don't drag much.
I see more of a dancer in Caroline which is what drew me to her in the first place. It's in her port de bras and the intention of each movement. Not as much in this performance, but it's only the first time out.
Why is she being groomed to become the next Sasha Cohen? Zhang's got the flexibility, but nowhere near the balletic skills.
Learn from Michelle Kwan and Chen Lu, Caroline, who similarly exhibited technical prowess and distinct style: their unorthodox programs to classical music did not mean they pretended to be ballerinas on ice (which Cohen is capable of), resorting to arms flailing nonsense. Kwan and Lu were modern dance pioneers - innovative, coupled with grace and power. Presence helps too.
What I'm sensing here is the lack of passion and lack of understanding of the music not only form Caroline, but also from Mirai, Rachael and even Ashley. It's sad, but they do not show any joy whatsoever. :(
i have to agree with you, they focus on the technical aspects they loose the audience because of their lack of artistry, port de bras throughout skating isnt enough. Facial expression,body movement and audience connection is what skaters like cohen and czisny own, they just need consistent jumps :) i wish them the best this season :)
you have to remember this is all of their first times debuting these programs and programs always tend to feel a bit flat when they are first delivered. not to mention, this isn't a competition that actually counts toward anything. it's just a test run for what they've been working on all summer. expect a lot more from all three of them when they skate their GP assignments, when something is acutally on the line. if they skate like they skated her at their GP events, then it's time to worry!
Yes you are right, I have watched Alissa's and Sasha's programs and the difference in interpretation is HUGE. I like baby ballerinas but I'd rather like even more some one who actually understands music. I'm hoping Mirai will creak this mold of jumping beans and baby ballerinas.
definitely, I think Mirai is the one to watch this season. she has the technical firepower and all of the speed in the world. under frank carroll, i think she has all of the tools to have a breakout year on the senior level...
i see what your saying put when i saw alissa czisny in skate detroit it was an amazing preformance!!!! It was really exciting, but caroline is young and doesnt express like some of the older skaters
Once a ballet routine :O and still the same blue dress than other years. I think Caroline has great skating skills, but unfortunately she did not put in value because she always chooses slow music which accentuates her slow speed skating.And it's really a shame but this program makes me much thought Sasha Cohen in 2005.
And the way the program is choreographed, making this program very boring. She should have chosen a more vibrant music as her short program "Spanish gypsy" for example. In my opinion Mirai skate with more maturity. I do not think Caroline should be part of Team USA.
However, Mirai should make the team, she deserves it.
i saw, Mirai, and Flatt skate...caroline did deserve 3rd place... and she was lucky she got that...she won 3rd by a little...I really hope she is just out of shape because of her injury...and i wonder why she went back to her old coach..?
i really do like this girl..she is my favoirte ameican skater. But, please, someone tell he to skate with more speed and power...So, coach, do your job and get some speed in her...a physical trainer would be good... maybe she is not giving her best here? maybe she is holding back for now.?
I like Caroline. I know she has been coming off of an injury, so I am really hoping she will improve. She is a beautiful skater, and I would love to see her at the Olympics.
yes she has that bad kick before the toe jumps but she's injured. she got a torn something on her knee. and u know wats bad? she didn't take a break from it. i tried telling her many times but her mom said no. its just going to get worse her injury i mean. so technically this perf wasnt really her fault. during practice u culd really c the frustration in her face.
I would have liked to see her pick something faster with a bit more attitude, like a tango or something. Her style is very balletic and it's beautiful, but this music emphasizes how slowly she skates. If she doesn't pick up her speed, she's going to be left in the dust this season, both speed-wise and competition-wise...
I agree Emma. This Nutcracker program will invariably draw comparisons to Sasha Cohen's from 2005. And while Caroline has wonderful flexibiity and hits some nice positions, she doesn't have the same balletic style and carriage that Sasha does. As lovely as the non-jump elements are at the end of the program, the overall construction is poor. Four jumping passes back-to-back is choreographically blunting.
I doubt if it will draw more than a "Hmm, Sasha skated to this music once" thought from people. Sasha definitely wasn't the first to skate to this music and her interpretation of it wasn't so great that you could consider it a signature piece of hers. Now if Caroline was skating to Romeo & Juliet or Dark Eyes, that would be an issue because those are Sasha's signature pieces, but the Nutcracker? Hardly Sasha's calling card...
I agree.. I would say its no one's calling card really.. Though Zhen and Zhao really made something of this music. I wish Caroline would do something more dramatic.
In my opinion i think she should practice her wild leg tap on her flips and flutz cause now her flip is getting better but her lutz is in an inside edge and a little wild tap still!
sk8rluv247 2 months ago
i dont like her arms into the takeoff of her jumps...
xSUNSHiNEE21 2 years ago
I sometimes get her confused with Mirai lol. I LANDED MY AXEL ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!
hollyesque 2 years ago
Comment removed
Sktrdudeman793 2 years ago
I am so snoozing on this song! speed please
arjhai53 2 years ago 2
I've heard this song somewhere...God this is killing me.
hollyesque 2 years ago
for all u ppl saying that shes skating slow:
1) its her knee injury
2) the ice is really small. i skated in culver city many times. its like the smallest rink out there.
3) the ice is horrible. hell they even have bumps. u culd really feel the up and down feeling of the ice.
phusk8r 2 years ago
ya, i know what its like to be in an inefficient ice rink. We have one that isnt big enough, cant stay open during the summer, has tons of bumps, and has so much fog that you cant see sometimes!!!
MrAmazingness1234567 2 years ago
Comment removed
hollyesque 2 years ago
I hope this is not me being too harsh but I am not a fan of Caroline, Mirai, or Rachel's programs here. Alissa with mistakes still has much stronger choreography in my opinion. I can see why now some say Alissa and Sasha for 2010. Then again even Ashley Wagner has a stronger presence. It's harder to tell with NBC's video cutting all the various angles and height of the camera but with in-stand video it's easier to see strengths and weaknesses more clearly.
Nshsk8r 2 years ago
I agree with you on Mirai, Rachel programs. Alissa and Sasha are great but they will need to skate faster and land more triple/triple jumps.
Ciro65Sr 2 years ago
lets hope cohen and czisny do their best, they are just exquisite :)
memuysexyfosho 2 years ago 2
Alissa and Sasha both have the exact same problem: all the talent in the world and the horrible curse of not being able to skate 2 clean programs back to back. Sasha is as good as on the Olympic team in my opinion; no matter how bad she flubs up. But Alissa, after her ridiculously embarassing showing last year at worlds, I seriously doubt if you'll see her on the team especially seeing as how if they'd sent Caroline, we'd probably have 3 spots at the Olympics instead of only 2...
herm712 2 years ago
Hopefully we'll have 3 spots at the Olympics, but punishing a girl for a shaky program and not sending her to get a second chance is not very nice at all. I am a figure skater myself and I can only imagine how embarrassed and disappointed I would be if a screw-up like that punished me so.
hollyesque 2 years ago
No, we only have 2 spots; Rachael finished 5th and Alissa was 11th. She shouldn't be punished for her mistakes but that WAS her second chance. The judges made a mistake sending her to worlds last year because at that time Zhang was finishing top 5 at all of her competitions; if you took Zhang's score from jr. worlds and compared it to senior worlds, she would have come in 5th which means Rachael would have been 6th and we'd have 3 spots. Zhang was the smarter choice but the judges sent Alissa.
herm712 2 years ago
@herm712 With that technique, I don't see how Zhang was possibly a smarter choice. Maybe the judges let Zhang get away with high scores despite poor execution at junior worlds, but she wasn't going to get away with it at senior worlds. Her scores this season have proved that. The judges are definitely letting Caroline know that she either does something to improve, or out.
CrimsonVibrato 1 year ago
Beautiful, as usual, but really slow. Hope she makes the team!
LumiereHikari 2 years ago 2
she has a blue dress every year xD
Sumeow 2 years ago
Yes, it is getting boooring..
espinaca79 2 years ago
I have never thought of her as an overly slow skater because she is generally skating to the speed of her music. That said, I do think she should pick faster music for her sp and lps. Her exhibition speed has not bothered me and those have been brighter songs that don't drag much.
I see more of a dancer in Caroline which is what drew me to her in the first place. It's in her port de bras and the intention of each movement. Not as much in this performance, but it's only the first time out.
flyfog1362 2 years ago
Why is she being groomed to become the next Sasha Cohen? Zhang's got the flexibility, but nowhere near the balletic skills.
Learn from Michelle Kwan and Chen Lu, Caroline, who similarly exhibited technical prowess and distinct style: their unorthodox programs to classical music did not mean they pretended to be ballerinas on ice (which Cohen is capable of), resorting to arms flailing nonsense. Kwan and Lu were modern dance pioneers - innovative, coupled with grace and power. Presence helps too.
generationsackcloth 2 years ago 2
What I'm sensing here is the lack of passion and lack of understanding of the music not only form Caroline, but also from Mirai, Rachael and even Ashley. It's sad, but they do not show any joy whatsoever. :(
espinaca79 2 years ago
i have to agree with you, they focus on the technical aspects they loose the audience because of their lack of artistry, port de bras throughout skating isnt enough. Facial expression,body movement and audience connection is what skaters like cohen and czisny own, they just need consistent jumps :) i wish them the best this season :)
memuysexyfosho 2 years ago 3
Thank you. I was wondering, could Kimmie be the black horse this season?
espinaca79 2 years ago
if she can make a comeback
MrAmazingness1234567 2 years ago
you have to remember this is all of their first times debuting these programs and programs always tend to feel a bit flat when they are first delivered. not to mention, this isn't a competition that actually counts toward anything. it's just a test run for what they've been working on all summer. expect a lot more from all three of them when they skate their GP assignments, when something is acutally on the line. if they skate like they skated her at their GP events, then it's time to worry!
herm712 2 years ago
Yes you are right, I have watched Alissa's and Sasha's programs and the difference in interpretation is HUGE. I like baby ballerinas but I'd rather like even more some one who actually understands music. I'm hoping Mirai will creak this mold of jumping beans and baby ballerinas.
espinaca79 2 years ago
definitely, I think Mirai is the one to watch this season. she has the technical firepower and all of the speed in the world. under frank carroll, i think she has all of the tools to have a breakout year on the senior level...
herm712 2 years ago 2
Um, you mean the mold that Mao and Yu-na already broke? lol.
ilikeatingcats 2 years ago
i see what your saying put when i saw alissa czisny in skate detroit it was an amazing preformance!!!! It was really exciting, but caroline is young and doesnt express like some of the older skaters
MrAmazingness1234567 2 years ago
she looked like she was going to do a sal but just brushed it off... but i dont know.. thats what i though on 2:30 ish.
xxxlilgansta100 2 years ago
Once a ballet routine :O and still the same blue dress than other years. I think Caroline has great skating skills, but unfortunately she did not put in value because she always chooses slow music which accentuates her slow speed skating.And it's really a shame but this program makes me much thought Sasha Cohen in 2005.
coolboogie22 2 years ago
And the way the program is choreographed, making this program very boring. She should have chosen a more vibrant music as her short program "Spanish gypsy" for example. In my opinion Mirai skate with more maturity. I do not think Caroline should be part of Team USA.
However, Mirai should make the team, she deserves it.
coolboogie22 2 years ago 2
i dont get it she says that she is changing to charlene but her old coach is at the boards i am confused!
Asadamaosan 2 years ago
she changed back to her old coach
Sumeow 2 years ago
why did she?
xxxlilgansta100 2 years ago
GREAT spiral sequence!
noneya85 2 years ago
She actually was not jumping for an entire month prior to this competition due to injury.
sk8indel13 2 years ago
These were the scores:
Rachael Flatt: 179.67
Mirai Nagasu: 161.81
Caroline Zhang: 152.34
Kristene Gong: 131.18
and, ops.: Caroline zhang beat Kristiene by less then a point in the SP...my mistake. Sorry.
yorishiku2525 2 years ago
i saw, Mirai, and Flatt skate...caroline did deserve 3rd place... and she was lucky she got that...she won 3rd by a little...I really hope she is just out of shape because of her injury...and i wonder why she went back to her old coach..?
yorishiku2525 2 years ago
ok this gives me hope lol....her speed here was much better than in the sp...yes it was still slow...but im happy to see she can go faster.
AmberNicole024 2 years ago
i was there. i was surprised that she didn't do her salchow.
EscoIceSk8 2 years ago
She's done that kind of stuff a lot in the past specially on the axel and her salchow (now that's she's included it.)
smartskater1 2 years ago
omg I like you Caroline so much... but its time for you to stop using vallet music.... and who edited the music....omg it's kinda boring :(
borntowitness 2 years ago 5
i really do like this girl..she is my favoirte ameican skater. But, please, someone tell he to skate with more speed and power...So, coach, do your job and get some speed in her...a physical trainer would be good... maybe she is not giving her best here? maybe she is holding back for now.?
yorishiku2525 2 years ago 6
I like Caroline. I know she has been coming off of an injury, so I am really hoping she will improve. She is a beautiful skater, and I would love to see her at the Olympics.
mkandyunafan4 2 years ago
Is it just me or is Nichol adding a lot more transitioning elements and choreography? Or has Caroline actually stuck to it this time around?
smartskater1 2 years ago
no speed, mull kick before the jump, Geez bad.
ynkisno1 2 years ago 3
yes she has that bad kick before the toe jumps but she's injured. she got a torn something on her knee. and u know wats bad? she didn't take a break from it. i tried telling her many times but her mom said no. its just going to get worse her injury i mean. so technically this perf wasnt really her fault. during practice u culd really c the frustration in her face.
phusk8r 2 years ago
Her team will have to fix the music volume, especially in the middle section, it's too low.
simplyymyself 2 years ago 2
I would have liked to see her pick something faster with a bit more attitude, like a tango or something. Her style is very balletic and it's beautiful, but this music emphasizes how slowly she skates. If she doesn't pick up her speed, she's going to be left in the dust this season, both speed-wise and competition-wise...
herm712 2 years ago 7
Whhhy does it have to be this music?
EmmaTav 2 years ago 2
I agree Emma. This Nutcracker program will invariably draw comparisons to Sasha Cohen's from 2005. And while Caroline has wonderful flexibiity and hits some nice positions, she doesn't have the same balletic style and carriage that Sasha does. As lovely as the non-jump elements are at the end of the program, the overall construction is poor. Four jumping passes back-to-back is choreographically blunting.
lawr17 2 years ago 11
I doubt if it will draw more than a "Hmm, Sasha skated to this music once" thought from people. Sasha definitely wasn't the first to skate to this music and her interpretation of it wasn't so great that you could consider it a signature piece of hers. Now if Caroline was skating to Romeo & Juliet or Dark Eyes, that would be an issue because those are Sasha's signature pieces, but the Nutcracker? Hardly Sasha's calling card...
herm712 2 years ago 2
I agree.. I would say its no one's calling card really.. Though Zhen and Zhao really made something of this music. I wish Caroline would do something more dramatic.
JeremiVW 2 years ago