Wednesday, August 24, 2011
This and That
Jeremy Abbott debuted his new swing short program at An Evening on Ice. Being out of the show circuit looks to be the best thing to have happened to Jeremy's skating in a while. He says his boot issues are resolved and his quad toe is 'consistent.' The judges will either love the program or send him to get a new one ASAP.
Rebecca Bross will have knee surgery Thursday, August 25, and is expected to resume training in eight weeks. It could very well take longer, as Bross previously injured the same knee years back and had surgery on it. Bross dislocated her knee cap, but tests have shown that she didn't tear any ligaments. Most curious has been the revelation that she now has an agent, which is a curious decision for someone who lacks star power. Her career may be on the down swing and it isn't like she has the aesthetically pleasing body to be put in print ads.
Evan Lysacek posted videos of himself training a quad toe and a triple axel+half loop+triple flip. Evan did grow as a skater on tour, becoming healthier and somewhat more powerful. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the mix this year. While he isn't a quad king, his work ethic and mental game produce consistency and results. I don't like much of his arm flailing, but I do respect his drive and competitive abilities.
Every senior who competed at US Nationals is invited to the first World Selection Camp. Break them all!
Shawn Johnson is hoping to add a back full+back handspring on beam and plans on doing floor at camp. Things could get interesting very quickly once the girls start dropping like it's hot.
Tanith Belbin, Kim Navarro and David Pelletier join the cast of Battle of the Blades this season. It promises to be one memorable year. Sadly, we will all miss Katia.
Kate McSwain is a budding choreographer, but it would take a miracle to keep my acid reflux in check while watching Rachael Flatt attempt to be sexy.
Audrey Hepburn on ice. She is as lovely and one-dimensonal as ever.
MLT generates her own buzz that she's been asked about being National Team Coordinator. It is interesting to hear MLT mention that fewer numbers are done at the ranch, which is true in most cases. The girls do seven beam routines a day in training camps before meets. The CGA girls do far more than that in all of the training videos we've seen over the years.
Several of gymnastics' black sheep were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame last weekend:
Elise Ray
Kristen Maloney
Chelle Stack (kudos for mentioning her own form on beam and delivering a wonderful speech)
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Considering I immediately thought 'blown out knee' when I saw Bross crying, it worked out really great for her that all it is is a kneecap injury. That's usually not really a bad injury/surgery, it's just horrible timing with Worlds. But this will give her good rest for 2012.
ReplyDeleteNot surprised she's not doing NCAA. I couldn't imagine her all school spirited and smiling away over watered down sets. Her personality type, like Nastia and Memmel who are both really serious and focused on the floor, is a lot more suited for elite.
Kristen Maloney was a black sheep??? Do tell - she always seemed somewhat boring.
ReplyDeleteWatched 20 seconds of Flatt's "Fallin" and had to go find Michelle Kwan's Ex to the song to get the image out of my brain...
ReplyDeleteEvan is an excellent competitor, and he does train hard. Unfortunately, he has no personal honor or character. He lies about his twitter being hacked when a DM goes awry. Other skaters fess up and apologize-not Evan. He is phony as a 3 dollar bill. He's only back because the acting career wouldn't work with his fake voice.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping he places behind Dornbush, Carriere, Abbott, Rippon and Mroz at Nationals.
ew Mroz? Let's hope that ship has sailed.
ReplyDeleteUSA-gymnastics has a shitty HOF if those 3 are in it. That is embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteBetter question re Bross having an agent...what was her agent thinking in signing her?? IDK. I am sure some would say she's a "diamond in the rough" but that's a stretch. She doesn't have a winning personality. Hope she doesn't become another Jana Bieger, have a good moment, than crash out, missing out on a good education, and continued athletic opportunities via NCAA.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if USA-gymnastics has old videos of Hall of fame speeches on their site?
ReplyDelete"He lies about his twitter being hacked when a DM goes awry."
ReplyDeleteSorry, but what is a "DM"??
Chelle Stack was my favorite U.S. gymnast back in her day. I loved her 'F*&K You' FX performances at the Pan Am Games held in Cuba. I loved that she won the gold in spite of the outrageously biased judging not to mention the hostile Cuban crowd. Congrats to her, Elise, and Kristen. I knew about Chelle but I never knew Elise and Kristen were bad girls too lol.
ReplyDeleteChelle was my favorite too -- she was just a darling. I don't think of her as a "bad girl" though. She just had an independent, feisty personality and therefore knocked heads with Bela. Plus, when she hit puberty at around 16 or 17 Bela couldn't handle that at all. She never complained or made excuses though and never sought to bring attention to herself. I thought she was an outstanding gymnast.
DeleteRun a search on YouTube for "Chelle Stack Profile" 1988. It is a brief profile NBC did on her at the 1988 Olympics. Shows her shopping at the mall with her friend, eating pizza, discussing Bela as a coach, Bela discusses her. She is very articulate for a 15 year old and incredibility honest and gutsy in what she says about Bela. And just a darling. About 4'8 and 75 lbs. She also had a normal voice, not like that odd squeaky voice so many of the other elite gymnasts had before they hit puberty (example Shannon Miller in 1992). BTW, Chelle got married recently to a great guy and is helping raise his beautiful daughter. Chelle is still beautiful too, a gymnastics judge, and is very happy. Good for you Chelle!
DeletePS: I also loved her Pan Am Games performance in 1991. It was really the highlight of her career in my view when she lead her team as a mature 18-year-old woman, not a little girl.
I wish Rebecca a full recovery from her knee surgery. I hope they don't push her to return too soon. They're really going to have to pace her now.
ReplyDelete@AmieLou I managed to watch Rachael's 'performance' 5 seconds longer than you. I could not watch anymore or I would yak up the Zero candy bar I ate a half an hour ago. I still feel queasy but I think I stopped watching in the nick of time.
Elise and Kristen were not 'bad girls.' They are from the black sheep quad that had no guidance and needed a coordinator because they were a disaster on their own. Revisionist history now has them being Olympic bronze medalists, but their fourth place was seen as a big failure of a four-year effort at the time.
ReplyDeleteDM on Twitter is a private Direct Message
ReplyDeletefrom the account holder to a follower
I'm going to reserve judgment on Jeremy's short program until the Grand Prix starts. It's not my favorite type of music or choreography, but he had some nice moments. I want to see how it plays on a larger surface. Some of his movements looks a bit restrained, when, really, he needs to be almost over-the-top.
ReplyDeleteWhy God, WHY?! WTF is Rachael doing?! Someone please get in touch with her and give her this message: "YOU. ARE. NOT. SEXY. Not even a little bit...so stop putting out these programs. People with weak stomachs can't take it anymore!"
ReplyDeleteShe's so damn clueless. I hoped that this move to Cali and new coaches would help her out but she's still sporting the frumpy PTA mom hairdo and wearing her primary colored, unflatteringly designed dresses...somebody please give this girl a clue b/c she is seriously lost.
Call Rupaul or the Jays from America's Next Top Model or someone who can show this chick how to package herself...it's a bit depressing...and nauseating...
Rachael is a hot mess. now even her jumps have deserted her. When will she realize that she just can't pull of sexy.
ReplyDeleteJeremey looks great. I hate hearing Sing Sing Sing every 9th program, but Jeremey actually does the music justice and the choreography is pretty good.
Evan looks great, he never really got out of shape and that new axel-flip combo is very smart considering his strength with the flip. I really hope he does decide to come back and is able to land a few quads.
Evan's flip combo *is* very smart in that it will likely disguise some of his less-than-clean landings on axels. I wonder how much USFSA paid him to come back and get us back our 3 spots. God knows our boys can't do it on their own.
ReplyDeleteFYI we won 3 world team medals and 2 olympic ones WITHOUT a coordinator.
ReplyDeleteI managed to make it through Rachael Flatt's program. Had to pause it a few times when the urge to gag got too strong, but I made it through. And I realized that there might actually be a strategy for having her skate "sexy" programs. It helps disguise her complete lack of speed. She doesn't have the artistic ability to do anything else to cover up her painfully slow skating...or the athletic ability to actually improve. Any choreographer working with Rachael has extremely limited options and it seems like they've decided that horribly awkward sexiness is the best they can do. That being said, someone needs to give this girl a makeover STAT. Good lord, just a spray tan and longer hair would do wonders for the albino soccer mom.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait until she realizes that her best skating days are far behind her and never coming back, and hangs up her skates for good ...and the good of all humanity.
I am sick of people acting like the 2000 quad were anything but a bunch of spoiled , fat, overrated brats. They weren't great gymnasts. THAT is why they did not win medals. Elise was the best gymnast they had and all her events were pretty unwatchable including her UB.
ReplyDeleteKelli Hill made these girls think they deserved more then they got. Her whining at worlds in 1999 made all of those gymnasts think they were being short changed. They weren't.
Considering that Tom Z had Ryan Bradley doing a celebrated (by some) swing music SP last year and the year before that Rachel did a swing LP, I wonder if former Tom Z skater Jeremy is sending some kind of message, like: "THIS is how its done'.
ReplyDeleteI hope when she starts competing that program Alissa wears a dress that connects better with the soulful earthiness of the music.
I have a fantasy of Rachel Flatt someday coming out in cargo pants and a black t-shirt, with short spiky hair and skating to punk or hip hop, but I realize this is a pipe dream. Its just that I DO think she has 'something' to offer but everything about the way she has been presenting herself is like the opposite of what she should be doing considering her looks and her abilities.
I *love* Elise Ray's beam and floor routines. Really, you thought she was unwatchable? She danced the hell out of her floor set. Beautiful hands and toe point.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that was a reply to Anon 7:18.
Delete