Debate: Third U.S. woman for the Olympics?

[Kylen15]

I'm going to toss out a few different comments here, and hopefully start the discussion.

There seems to be a common agreement that Sasha Cohen and Michele Kwan are locks. I can't say I'd argument, though I am concerned about Kwan's injury issues.

So, first of all, who gets the third spot for the U.S. ladies, assuming those two go? Beatrisa Liang? Alissa Csizny? Emily Hughes? Kimmie Meissner?

And what happens if Kwan DOESN'T go?

[Aimless]

Based on her success so far in Grand Prix competitions, I'd say Csizny. She'd have to do well in the GP final and maybe medal at Nationals to lock it up. Can Meissner compete at the Olys? I thought she was too young.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Based on her success so far in Grand Prix competitions, I'd say Csizny. She'd have to do well in the GP final and maybe medal at Nationals to lock it up. Can Meissner compete at the Olys? I thought she was too young.Has it ever happened that USFS did NOT send the top 3 finishers (if 3 were allowed) at nationals to the Olympics (assuming the skater meets the age requirement)?

I had always hoped the USFS would follow other countries' criteria by looking at the season as a whole. and heck, China or Japan (I think that's what I heard Peter Carruthers state) looks at the past four years!

In 1998, Bobek came in 3rd at Nats, then fell apart in Nagano, placing 17th.

Meissner was too young to compete at 2005 Worlds (that's why 4th-place nationals finisher Jenny Kirk went), not having been 15 by the previous July 1, 2004, cut-off. But she turned 15 in Oct. 2004, so she is eligible for Worlds/Olympics.

[loveskating]

In 1998, Bobek came in 3rd at Nats, then fell apart in Nagano, placing 17th.

And right behind her was T. Kwiatkowski, who had failed to quailfy at one Worlds and was not as good. This was not like the current situation where Sasha, Kwan, Miessner, Cizney, Laing and others are competent skaters and some with really great level 3 and 4 elements.

I don't think it can be predicted at this point.

[NoVa Sk8r]

And right behind her was T. Kwiatkowski, who had failed to quailfy at one Worlds and was not as good. This was not like the current situation where Sasha, Kwan, Miessner, Csizny, Liang and others are competent skaters and some with really great level 3 and 4 elements.

I don't think it can be predicted at this point.How true. ...
Let's see how Kimmie fares in France this week.

[Terri C]

Has it ever happened that USFS did NOT send the top 3 finishers at nationals to the Olympics (assuming the skater meets the age requirement)?

Yes it did in 1994.. The Whack Heard Around the World in Detroit!!

[Kylen15]

Oh, cmon, Bebe's had one international event so far and she looked pretty crummy. She didn't land a bunch of jumps, and she looked sluggish.

To make a comment on Kwiatkowski, she had also done well at worlds in 1996, even getting screwed by the judges. She didn't make the team in 1997, but she certainly showed at worlds in 1998 that she would have been ready to step up into Bobek's spot at the Olympics.

[loveskating]

Kwiatkowsky did not get out of the qualifying at one Worlds...she was wildly inconsistent, and her technique was lacking in several areas IMHO.

However, at the Worlds after 1998 Olympics, she did skate well, insuring 3 spots for US skaters.

Its purely speculative to claim that she would have done better than Nicole at the Olympics...probably, she would have, but no one could know that.

In any case, Nicole won Nationals Bronze in 1998 fair and square, and no one can predict the future. Its not like Nicole vs. Kwiatkowski was like Nicole vs. Tara, where Tara had a huge and repeatedly demonstrated technical level of skating above Bobek's.

When Nicole, who was the Worlds bronze medalist that year, could not skate her LP due to injury at US Nationals in 1996, the USFSA would not give her a bye.

[Kylen15]

I'm not saying Kwiatkowski WOULD have done better than Bobek. What I was saying was that labeling her as the skater who didn't out of qualifying in 1993 was like saying the next best skater at nationals was performing like ... ::thinks, then ducks flying objects:: Katy Taylor did in the long program at nationals last year.

Bobek was both injured and sick, apparently, and the U.S. made the decision to let her skate anyhow. In retrospect, I *do* question that decision, because I think Kwiatkowski had the potential (note the word choice here!) to have done better.

And yes, Bobek did earn the third spot at nationals, fair and square. When I saw her skate, I knew the competition for third was over. But my comment is that perhaps her skating in Nagano should have been reevaluated.

[TheCandyManCan]

I think that the 3rd spot is going to go to Bobi-Jane Craytelie. She has been skating to well and working harder than everyone in the country.
Go "Barebones"!

[dewey]

I love MK but I don't see her going to Torino. Unless it's to go head to head with Irina Slutskaya one last time. I think Irina's going to win the gold. But who knows? I never would have predicted Sarah Hughes' big win at Salt Lake.

[stardust skies]

I love MK but I don't see her going to Torino. Unless it's to go head to head with Irina Slutskaya one last time. I think Irina's going to win the gold. But who knows? I never would have predicted Sarah Hughes' big win at Salt Lake.


You don't see her going? What do you see her doing instead, saying "Screw Nationals, I'm going on vacation in the Keys..see y'all in 3 months."? She just stayed four more years for this, she's going.

[quarkiki2]

I agree that Sasha and Michelle are pretty much locks -- provided they are healthy enough to skare at Nationals. Sasha is very capable of level four everything and there's no reason that Michelle isn't capable of level four spirals and footwork. And if spins are being judged on number and variety of positions to hit a level four and not necessarily execution, she could slop together a bunch of well-centered, shoddy positions to get the points -- regardless of how slow they are.

The rest of the field is so darn talented -- and so darn untested. Czisny has the goods, but isn't necessarily known for consistency -- same with Liang. Meissner's talents seem a little more nebulous to me -- she's got a big ol' jump, but still looks like a lightweight on the ice. Hughes seems more consistent, but less less "it" factor than Czisny or Meissner.

If I had to bet, I'd bet on Czisny. If I had to pick two, I'd go with Meissner for the other spot.

[Kylen15]

Boys, Quarkiki, you just hit the nail on the head. Untested, indeed!

Here's my thing: Csizny hasn't been known for her consistency, but she seemed to put four programs together in two weeks. Does that mean that she got her act together, or got lucky two weeks in a row?

Bebe looked sluggish at Skate America, Emily Hughes hasn't managed to put together a performance yet, and Meissner just hasn't competed on the international scene yet (we'll see this weekend).

I will say one thing: with this crop, I wouldn't have seen Jenny Kirk fitting into the picture.