Rachael Flatt is now going to train with lesser-known coaches in California. Let's hope they overhaul everything and are brutally honest with her about her skating, her style and her technique. She is 'planning' new combos, but also is telling us that she is behind in her training. For the record, I'm also planning those exact combos in my adult skating program. I'm just a tad behind in my training. Personally, I can't wait to hear about which courses she is going to take at Stanford. Rachael's long program music choice for the year is Stravinsky's The Firebird and I can't get the visions of Caydee Denney's white trash hair adornments out of my head. The two are soul sisters. Kudos to Lori Nichol for waiting an entire skating season before recycling music she just gave to Evan Lysacek. Want to know what it's like to sell out? Ask Lori Nichol.
Rebecca Bross will see her doctor today. As of now, the diagnosis is a dislocated kneecap. Would you trust the USAG doctors?
Team USA is sending Mirai Nagasu, Joelle Forte, Marley and Brubaker, Stephen Carriere and Denney and Coughlin to the Nebelhorn Trophy. They could all use the experience, though I question the continued investment in Joelle. She is a feel-good story and I admire her, but I just think other skaters may need this assignment more.
Denney and Coughlin have mighty plans for a team that was merely thrown together on a whim.
Anna Trebunskaya taught a master class to Krylova's army of ice dancers.
DSC Updates.
Gymn.ca interviewed the wonderful Yvonne Tousek.
An Interview with Oksana Baiul.
Daisuke Takahashi is looking to add a little French flamboyance to his in-your-face skating.
Kemp and King are moving to train alongside Evora and Ladwig. They aim for second-to-last place at their Grand Prix events this season. Felicia Zhang and Nate Bartholomay and Christine Mozer and Danny O'Shea will also train in the group. Kudos to Felicia for continuing with pairs and to Christine for exploring that pairs-curious aspect of her personality.
Kiri Baga performed at the Minnesota State Games. It has become self-evident that she needs to move away from home and find Russians to starve her, whip her into shape and overhaul her technique if she ever hopes to have a prayer of making a return on her parents' investment in her skating career.
Evora and Ladwig debut their new short program in their old off-the-rack costumes.
I took hell for not posting this lovely during my hiatus. Kudos for showing the white skates. It looks like Mao will also skip the Grand Prix this season.:
After all her triple-triple nonsense in every press conference I have so much trouble taking any program content assertion from Rachel seriously. Oh, and if what I think is going to happen is going to happen, she'll be at Redwood City FAR more than San Jose this year. Girl just doesn't have two hours a day to commute. So, congrats to Charlie Tickner on his new star pupil.
ReplyDeleteOh Joelle, such a fervent [Azerbaijani] patriot...
It looks like Mao will also skip the Grand Prix this season.
ReplyDeleteIs this a joke, or have you read something that I have not?
The Denney/Coughlin article presents yet another timeline for how this all happened. In this version, Denney arrives on the scene after his weekend of thinking. Methinks they aren't telling the truth.
ReplyDeleteAnd enough hyping, Delilah. You'd think she had just engineered the second coming of Gordeeva and Grinkov.
It'll be interesting to see what Rachael will look like under the guidance of someone other than Tom Z-bag. I agree with the overhaul...scrap everything and start over.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Forte. IDK why the USFSA is keeping her around when there are a number of skaters who could use the experience.
Fingers crossed Mirai has two better skates than she had at Glacier Falls.
Rachael is skating to the FIREBIRD??? Lori is getting worse and worse by the minuite. Rachael has not the speed, the fire, or the sprightly, bird -like quality that music requires. Why does Lori set up her skaters to be hot messes?
ReplyDeleteThe Denney/Coughlin version of events is nonsense. This pairing was in the works long before Worlds, perhaps immediately following Nationals. Barrett had intentions of retiring all along and Y/C had a notoriously contentious relationship despite outside appearances. Neither team was ever going continue for the 2011-2012 season despite the obvious success they were having.
ReplyDeleteWhile a bit slow moving, I enjoyed Evora/Ladwig's SP. Nice to see them hitting their elements this early in the season. I fear this is their last chance for the title as Denney/Coughlin are most certainly on the rise.
Any move away from Tom Z is a good thing, but Lori needs to be put out to pasture and only be allowed to choreograph Mao's exhibitions. D/C are delusional. Mao hasn't said anything about skipping the GP.
ReplyDeleteThere has been speculation that Mao may skip the GP since she didn't go to the national team training camp due to exhaustion. The skating examiner also discussed this. It may be good for Mao to rest, recharge and take her time nailing her technique before she has to be rushed back to competition
ReplyDeleteit take half an hour to 40 min to go from stanford to the sjice with no traffic!!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand Denney/Coughlin and Dalilah not wanting to admit that this new partnership was in the works before Yankowskas/Coughlin even went to Worlds (which was a sadly avoidable occurrence), but could they please stop talking about this false timeline of events? It's not believable at all, and this is the third or forth time they have told the media a version of their concocted story. Enough with the hype and just skate. Their results already speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to the comment right above me, I have a hard time believing Yankowskas/Coughlin wouldn't have continued another season after the progress they had made both skating wise and results wise. And I have a feeling Barrett wouldn't have retired had he and Denney done better at Nationals and didn't get his leg sliced open before 4 Continents. Oh, US pairs.
At least Kiri Baga is competing. I feel like she's been injured forever.
DENNEY WANTS TO BE TOP 3, OR "AT LEAST TOP 4" AT WORLDS THIS YEAR. CAN WE PLEASE ALL TAKE THIS MOMENT TO LOL? Our US pairs always set themselves up for disappointment, because they don't try to skate their personal best, they are always chasing results that are usually way too high. Then when they don't get the results, they get discouraged fast. These skaters need to be setting better goals that are not so results-oriented. If this pair can get top 3 in the world, then pair skating is in a sad state right now. I realize Pang/Tong may be rusty for Worlds, and the two Russian teams that were 4th and 5th last year are not the most consistent things ever... But gosh, if there is nobody else but Denney/Coughlin to get bronze or 4th place, how unfortunate for pair skating. Don't get me wrong, D/C are good as an American team, but world bronze medal contenders? And to flat our ANNOUNCE that that's the placement you expect to get? I don't know, I laughed out loud.
ReplyDeleteAnd actually, everyone raves over that USAG doctor, Larry Nassar. So hopefully he got a good idea of what Rebecca's injury actually was.
If Mao is indeed taking time off, I say bravo. That girl seriously needs a break. The keep to staying in competitive shape is pacing yourself. Yu-Na and Miki know that...Mao needs to take some time to rest and work on her skating without the pressure of competition.
ReplyDeleteI fully expect Rachael Flatt to skate to Scheherazade next season just because Denney used to. Are they twins?!
ReplyDelete"it take half an hour to 40 min to go from stanford to the sjice with no traffic!!"
ReplyDeleteIt's still workable. With a commute like that, Rachael really only needs about a 5 hour window to commit to skating... She can spend most of the rest of the day on school. It's not really that much different from a football player or some other student-athlete at Stanford. She likes being insanely busy and balancing skating with hard classes, so I doubt she'll care about the commute.
I really can't see Rachael doing Firebird, either.
ReplyDeleteBut what Rachael really needs is fashion, hair and diet advice. Her look on the ice is terrible.
I can see Rachael move like this in the Firebird....if I squint hard enough and from a distance of 1 km
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf4VjsZtqts
Mao needs to go back to tights-over-boots
ReplyDeleteNow that you've brought up Rachael Flatt AJ would you pretty please give us your thoughts on her Worlds/fine fiasco for not divulging she had an injury? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this! That being said-thanks for the videos and update on Rebecca Bross! :)
ReplyDeleteI CAN'T WAIT to see Rachael in 'Firebird' costume. Snark Heaven!
Mozer is still doing pairs? I heard she fractured her face and had to take a few months off. Way to come back.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't commented on the men at Nationals (and team selection).
ReplyDeleteP.s. What is with all the damned skating?
"Now that you've brought up Rachael Flatt, AJ, would you pretty please give us your thoughts on her Worlds/fine fiasco for not divulging she had an injury? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this!"
ReplyDeleteSeconded. You were in rare form in your first paragraph. More, please!
On a semi-related note, could we declare a moratorium on Firebird for, like, five seasons? It's becoming ridiculously overused. You'd think that it was the only good piece of music out there...
Wow, all the recent news about Mao, Yu-na, Rachael and Johnny makes me feel like we will not see any of the current elite skaters at Sochi. I hope I'm wrong about this, but I feel like Mirai might burn out completely by then as well. But I might be wrong hopefully seeing as Frank said Evan was done and he's returning the competition this season even after his Oly gold. So there is hope
ReplyDeleteWhat is with all the skating? I am an adult skater and skating is my first love in terms of sports. Period. Quit your bitching.
ReplyDeleteI think US Men's gymnastics is disgusting, unfortunate and one big chuck fest. I prefer to pretend they don't exist.
ReplyDeleteRachael has 'a good strong base'. I disagree. I don't think she has good basics at all but this may just be the change she needs. I don't see her as a "Firebird" by any stretch but it can't be any worse than her Big Bird yellow dress SP East of Eden.
ReplyDeleteI don't like gymnastics at all - men's or women's - but Danell Leyva is HAWT. Dad's pretty creepy, though.
ReplyDelete@Brian And he's Danell's step-dad no less if I heard the commentary right. His behavior is too annoyingly Karolyi/Nunnoesque for my taste as well as rather creepy.
ReplyDelete