US Figure Skating Championships 2012

So, they are starting in six days!! I'm so excited!! For anybody that is going, PLEASE take pictures. Any thoughts?

I, personally, hope that Mirai and Ashley make worlds. I think it's best that Alissa not go to either 4CC or worlds - she has some serious jump technique issues to work on, and her injury did not help her.

Davis/White, unless they make some huge mistake, are going to win, and the Shibutanis will probably come in second. I'm interested to see Hubbell/Donahue and see if they can beat Chock/Bates.

American pairs is just a splatfest, although it will be interesting to see how Marley/Brubacker have grown. I hope Evora/Ladwig win this one. I'm not a fan of Coughlin/Denney. They are technically good but have no emotion whatsoever. Also, I don't like that Sappenfield is trying to make Caydee into mini-Caitlin Yankowskas. For crying out loud, they are different people and Caydee is just eighteen...

As for men... considering what happened last year, anything could happen. I hope Jeremy wins it and that Dornbush comes in second. I like his style. If Mroz brings his A-game Jeremy had better watch out, but he so far has been pretty inconsistent for the last couple seasons. I hope Armin does well... not just because he is a Mao fan, but that IS a factor...

I'm excited as well! I want Mirai to win, I don't really care who comes in 2nd. My guess is, that US federation wants Alissa on the team, since she's very much loved by the intl. judges and will do everything (pcs overscore) to ensure she makes it.

Davis/White are going to win, unless they fall like 3 times or something...

I am not into american pairs, but I'd relly like for Coughlin/Denney to change coaches. Like you said, she's no Caitlin.

God I hope Mroz won't win this. I don't like him, and his coach even less. In hope Jeremy has a fantastic nationals, great 4CC and an amazing worlds! His program is gorgeous, he just needs to pull it together.

Hi everyone! I want Mirai to win , too.

All prayers to Mirai, then!! I hope she fixes her training situation, though. I think she and Frank Carroll just don't mesh well together. She and Arutunian seem to be doing great. I think she should seriously consider moving into an apartment in Lake Arrowhead so that she gets some rest and so that she doesn't have to drive everywhere like she is now.

I hope that Alissa doesn't get PCS-overscored. However, if she gets a skate similar to that in the DSC video, there is no way her PCS could get that high without there being a huge judging controversy or unless both Mirai and Ashley fail miserably. Or, if by some miracle Rachael is somewhat good and is therefore overscored on PCS like she always is at US Nationals (and I'm hoping not, because I think Rachael should really focus on school right now instead of killing her life to do both).

Although I'm not an Ashley fan, you can't deny that she looks really good out there now that she has FINALLY gotten away from Priscilla and joined Nicks. That was a good move. And having a choreography coach must help as well.

I wonder if Christina Gao will do better than she did during the Grand Prix. I really like her style - she just hasn't been this consistent this season.

I always had a soft spot for Mirai, but she's getting only worse every year. I still have a hope, but I don't think it's fair to blame only Mirai or only Frank. I guess there's something more then that. I'm not very excited about Ashley, she's good but I noticed,especially this year, that she slides kind of strange, she mostly walking not skating. So over then Mirai I haven't got anyone to cheer for . Gosh, I miss Sasha so badly.

Dang! :/
We seem back at the one championship which is the most painful to watch...
I really want Mirai to step in the footsteps of the same legends who skated on the very same ice - but she hasn't been at the top of her form. I wish she'd just set everything aside and skate with all her heart...

Alissa might not reach the podium without her jumps but who knows what could happen at Nationals! She reminds me of Mao last season when we thought she lost her jumps...
I also think Ashley could win it if she remains focused!

I'm not completely sold on Ashley as a potential national champion yet. Even with relatively clean performances at the GP events, her scores still weren't particularly impressive, but since this is nationals we're talking about, she should score a little better there. I still feel that an okay skate from Mirai or Alissa will still beat her out though.

I am concerned about the fact that neither Mirai nor Alissa is planning a 3-3, because it puts more pressure on them to nail everything else, but I'm still rooting for these two.

After reading this http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/7459310/rachael-flatt-donning-new-look-nationals I'm curious to see how Rachael skates...

The thing to remember about Ashley is that she has had a rough short program for three straight years at nationals. But she is known for putting out great freeskates at nationals, so the short program will be her biggest hurdle. If she can skate a clean short then I think she will do very well.

I'm so excited for nationals! But NOT exited that I will have to be missing them! . I will working out of town that weekend . Maybe I will be able to watch some of it in the hotel, but I'll definitely be missing most of it. Between me being busier than ever lately, and us not getting dvr or universal sports any more, I'm so out of the loop on figure skating right now! Skating to me is like what football is to guys. I love it! So I'm really bummed about this. I haven't even been on this forum in over a month I think. I didn't even know Mirai left Frank! When did that happen?!

The US team really is in a mess right now. I'll look at it as "rebuilding". I'm sure some new star will emerge before too long, but right now it's weak in all fields. And it's sad cause some of the skaters like Mirai, Alissa, and Jeremy seem to have all the potential and talent they need, but it's not coming together for them. Not consistently enough anyway. It's pretty hard to predict who will win this time around, but I'm hoping for Mirai.

Since it looks like this one's going to be pretty hard to call, I think my podium hopes may be just as likely as my podium predictions. So I'm gonna go with that:

1. Mirai
2. Alissa
3. Ashley



1.

hmmmm...US nationals is gonna be so unpredictable this year...especially where the ladies are concerned...there is no clear favorite....I think this year is sort of an ideal scenario for Ashley Wagner.....Alyssa is having problems, Rachael is a mess (even though i like her), and Mirai is sort of a question mark. if there was a time for Ashley to make a statement its now...she has two strong programs but she needs a clean short because that is always her undoing.......For the US to have a shot at keeping their two spots at worlds or potentially gaining three Ashley needs to go to worlds she has scored well this season internationally and im gonna go out on a limb and say maybe Mirai as well because she has a tendency to skate well after nationals....i also think that there may be the off chance that Agnes may do well.....we shall have to see


As for the men, I think Jeremy will probably win. He has two absurdly good Programs that score well when skated well...although i do think it will be a scenario where he skates a clean sp and has a sizable lead, but he might lose the LP....similar to the way his competitions have been going .....The rest of the men are just as unpredictable as the women.....though i think that 2nd spot will be between Adam Rippon, Ross Miner and Richard Dornbush...i really like them all....but i think it may come down to who is clean...which i think this season has been Miner, however i do say that Rippon has the edge components wise...but if Clean i think Dornbush could take it..

Ice dance will be fairly the same as last year D/W will win, S/S will be second and the only real part of the competition will be to see who gets that third spot.....it could be Chock and Bates or Hubbell and Donahue....who knows?....i just want to see how far Samuelson and Gilles have improved

In Pairs, the winner is gonna be either Evora and Ladwig or Denney and Coughlin....i hope its Evora and Ladwig....they have the superior programs and if they are clean then they can win...but thats a big IF...they have sbs jump issues, but apparently they have been working with Christy Krall on their technique so hopefully it will pay off, if not D/C are gonna slide in with their big tricks and take it....

Does anyone know when the competitions will start? I want to watch because like KariDebate said, it's quite unpredictable. It'll be a roller coaster ride. Lol!

Mao_Asada_sunrise, here is a link that shows all the times for when each event at US nationals will start.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120104&content_id=26261454&vkey=ice_news

My favorite of the US ladies is Mirai - she is wonderful and one of the best in the world when she's on. I have been defending her inconsistency for the last couple of years but even I'm getting less hopeful as time goes on. Unfortunately, she's not like Mao, who battles and fights her way back whenever she's counted out. But I'm hoping Mirai proves me wrong here at Nationals and then Worlds.

For some reason, I'm not a fan of Ashley - I think it was the nasty look on her face at 2010 Nationals when Mirai threw down her amazing free skate that makes it hard for me to root for her. However, I have to admire her drive and determination to improve, and I think she has gotten so much better, not only technically but also artistically. I like her Black Swan program a lot and honestly, I think she has a great chance at Nats. Granted, she hasn't been getting great international scores, but the US Nats judges don't seem to care that much about that - see Rachael Flatt's sky-high PCS and GOEs at US Nationals compared to her international scores. So I wouldn't be surprised if Ashley won.

My hopes are:
1. Mirai
2. Alissa
3. Ashley

If I had to predict the podium based on the interviews and clips released so far, I'd say it'll be:
1. Ashley (super confident, training seems to be going well, she apparently has a 3-3)
2. Alissa (she will get huge PCS)
3. Mirai

skating_fanatic wrote:

Mao_Asada_sunrise, here is a link that shows all the times for when each event at US nationals will start.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120104&content_id=26261454&vkey=ice_news

Thank you so much skating_fanatic! I thought it would be this weekend, but I guess not.

i hope Mirai can do something about her practice conflicts so she could gear up for the nationals and put up her A-game. i really want her to win.

and those costumes on Mirai are simply not doing justice for her body or her program. i hope she changed it.

Like many here, I would like for Mirai to win, but my problem with her mindset going into nationals is that from what I can remember of her Icenetwork interview, she said something to the effect that Caro K. has done well this season by leaving out the harder jumps in order to focus on expression and musicality and that she planned on doing the same in order to win nationals.
That just doesn't sit well with me for some reason. While I was never a particularly big fan of Yuna Kim, I always appreciated the fact that when she was on top, it at least forced everyone else to work on both jumps and musicality.

Now that Carolina is on top, I don't like that others are using it as an excuse to be less ambitious.

While I don't particularly like Ashley either (she does tend to come off as childishly overcompetitive at times), I do admire her drive and focus this year.
Whoever wins, I'm bound to feel bad for someone when it's all over.

My reason for wanting Alissa for silver is that I don't want her to fall back into her old pattern of good year/bad year, with this being the bad year after last year's good year. So far this year is mixed for her, with her making the GPF but performing poorly there after an injury...

ElleluvsL wrote:

Like many here, I would like for Mirai to win, but my problem with her mindset going into nationals is that from what I can remember of her Icenetwork interview, she said something to the effect that Caro K. has done well this season by leaving out the harder jumps in order to focus on expression and musicality and that she planned on doing the same in order to win nationals.
That just doesn't sit well with me for some reason. While I was never a particularly big fan of Yuna Kim, I always appreciated the fact that when she was on top, it at least forced everyone else to work on both jumps and musicality.

Now that Carolina is on top, I don't like that others are using it as an excuse to be less ambitious.

Agree. Mirai is forgetting that Caro has almost always scored well, she doesn't ur her jumps, she has very good and interesting programs, she gets huge pcs score (although I don't understand why ), she doesn't have much competition in her country... I love Mirai, but her long program this year is blah, she looks extremely bored on the ice, she often gets ur on her jumps and makes mistakes on her spins, which are one of the best in the business. She needs to start to believe in herself and get that spark back she once had.

I wish she would start working on her 3-3 and bring it to competition, which with Frank being her head coach isn't going to happen. He is known to be on the conservative side.

Instead of Caro, Mirai should look up to Mao imo. She is slowly but surely coming back, she has improved a lot in skating skills, expression and is working to bring her 3A and 3-3 back. Now to me, that's an inspiration.

I wish Mirai would sort out her coaching situation, get in shape and leave Lori!

zarinaballerina wrote:

ElleluvsL wrote:

Like many here, I would like for Mirai to win, but my problem with her mindset going into nationals is that from what I can remember of her Icenetwork interview, she said something to the effect that Caro K. has done well this season by leaving out the harder jumps in order to focus on expression and musicality and that she planned on doing the same in order to win nationals.
That just doesn't sit well with me for some reason. While I was never a particularly big fan of Yuna Kim, I always appreciated the fact that when she was on top, it at least forced everyone else to work on both jumps and musicality.

Now that Carolina is on top, I don't like that others are using it as an excuse to be less ambitious.

Agree. Mirai is forgetting that Caro has almost always scored well, she doesn't ur her jumps, she has very good and interesting programs, she gets huge pcs score (although I don't understand why ), she doesn't have much competition in her country... I love Mirai, but her long program this year is blah, she looks extremely bored on the ice, she often gets ur on her jumps and makes mistakes on her spins, which are one of the best in the business. She needs to start to believe in herself and get that spark back she once had.

I wish she would start working on her 3-3 and bring it to competition, which with Frank being her head coach isn't going to happen. He is known to be on the conservative side.

Instead of Caro, Mirai should look up to Mao imo. She is slowly but surely coming back, she has improved a lot in skating skills, expression and is working to bring her 3A and 3-3 back. Now to me, that's an inspiration.

I wish Mirai would sort out her coaching situation, get in shape and leave Lori!

As far as expression and musicality, I've seen Mirai when she's on, and these things and her overall artistry are great. Then other times she doesn't do well in these areas. So she has it in her, and I really think she needs to concentrate more on her consistency and technical issues of her skating. As with most things seem to be with Mirai, I think it's more of a mental thing she has to get figured out. Mao went through this same thing as far as artistry goes - well according to some people anyway. I always thought she had great artistry. But yes, at times it was better than others, and she had room for improvement. Mirai and Mao have kind of a similar beauty to their skating. Two of the most beautiful skaters out there IMO. Just because they don't always have the most faky expressions on their faces that so many people seem to go for doesn't mean they aren't doing well the artistry area. That's just how I feel about it, but I know the judges have a very different opinion.

the problem is that if she fails her technical content she will automatically feail on the other aspect of her skating as well, and therefor should rather focus on getting her jumps and spins ready! cause in the end that is the safest thing to rely on! cause some one like her if she fail her technical content the other score will also be low, no matter how much she tries to hide the mistakes!

Well, apparently Ashley had two clean run-throughs. We'll see - she seems pretty confident.

ballerinamao wrote:

the problem is that if she fails her technical content she will automatically feail on the other aspect of her skating as well, and therefor should rather focus on getting her jumps and spins ready! cause in the end that is the safest thing to rely on! cause some one like her if she fail her technical content the other score will also be low, no matter how much she tries to hide the mistakes!

i agree. for me, it is hard to give you high PCS if your program has a shaky technical content. she has to focus more on her jumps, spins and other elements. and if she perfects her program's technical content, the artistry will follow through.

Mirai does tend to fall apart when her jumps do. I wish she would just keep her artistry even when her jumps go awry, although it must be difficult.

As a sidenote, my favorite junior dance pair won the gold!! Go Aldridge/Eaton! They will be big in the next couple years, I hope.

Start orders are up:

1 Yasmin Siraj, SC Of Boston
2 Mirai Nagasu, Pasadena FSC
3 Haley Dunne, WA FSC
4 Morgan Bell, Rocky Mountain FSC
5 Alissa Czisny, Detroit SC
6 McKinzie Daniels, Broadmoor SC
7 Nina Jiang, TX Gulf Coast FSC
8 Joelle Forte, SC of NY
9 Angela Wang, Salt Lake Figure Skating
10 Aimee Buchanan, Colonial FSC
11 Agnes Zawadzki, Broadmoor SC
12 Vanessa Lam, All Year FSC
13 Caroline Zhang, All Year FSC
14 Ashley Wagner, SC of Wilmington
15 Rachael Flatt, Broadmoor SC
16 Sophia Adams, All Year FSC
17 Kiri Baga, FSC of Bloomington
18 Christina Gao, Northern KY SC
19 Leah Keiser, All Year FSC

Mirai and Alissa are both skating so early in the competition. I don't know if that's good or bad for them.

Jtsmith1 wrote:

Start orders are up:

1 Yasmin Siraj, SC Of Boston
2 Mirai Nagasu, Pasadena FSC
3 Haley Dunne, WA FSC
4 Morgan Bell, Rocky Mountain FSC
5 Alissa Czisny, Detroit SC
6 McKinzie Daniels, Broadmoor SC
7 Nina Jiang, TX Gulf Coast FSC
8 Joelle Forte, SC of NY
9 Angela Wang, Salt Lake Figure Skating
10 Aimee Buchanan, Colonial FSC
11 Agnes Zawadzki, Broadmoor SC
12 Vanessa Lam, All Year FSC
13 Caroline Zhang, All Year FSC
14 Ashley Wagner, SC of Wilmington
15 Rachael Flatt, Broadmoor SC
16 Sophia Adams, All Year FSC
17 Kiri Baga, FSC of Bloomington
18 Christina Gao, Northern KY SC
19 Leah Keiser, All Year FSC

Mirai and Alissa are both skating so early in the competition. I don't know if that's good or bad for them.

Odd because Christina Gao is second to the last.