2003 US Ladies World team - Respect and Pride!

[spiralsrfun]

Now that Nationals is over and our attention starts to drift towards Washington DC in two months, I wanted to open a discussion about how WONDERFUL our world team is this year. :)

Sure the USA has usually had good & strong ladies teams to represent us in the past, but to me this year's team is sort of special in many ways.

Michelle - Who would have thought that she would come back this season with such a renewed energy and spark. She has a new team working with her, and she is changing the way she trains off the ice now. We know she's training a new 3/3 but she won't add it to her LP till she feels it's ready...as always she trains and competes smart. She has given skating fans and the sport so much...and she isn't done yet. She handles losses as well as she handles winning and that's to be admired. Her short and long this season are very strong, exciting and really showcase her strengths well. When Michelle's in her "zone" she's pure magic and her competitive nature and experience continue to serve her well!

Sarah - I didn't know what to expect from Sarah this season, and after the few competitions she entered prior to Nationals, I had my reservations about her skating and willingness to seriously compete this season. Well, I was wrong...in a very big way, and I'm GLAD I was wrong. Sarah showed so much class, heart and inner strength last week, one couldn't help but be impressed. Her attitude about Nationals was spot-on and realistic but to me what was even more impressive was how she dug down deep to find that competitive "tiger" she still has. I have no doubts about Sarah any more. She wears her Olympic Gold VERY well and I expect we'll see her fully trained by Worlds.

Sasha - While Michelle and Sarah may be cooler competitors, Sasha is arguably the most naturally talented US ladies figure skater....ever. I became a fan of her last season and this season she continues to amaze me with her "raw" excitement and "edgy" quality....I love it. Her positions and unique style are very refreshing and fun to watch. The most impressive thing to me about Sasha this season is how she has progressed and matured both as a person and a skater as the season has evolved. She's much more realistic and has more humility than she has shown in the past. It's a shame that she can't control her "nerve" demons in the big competitions yet...but this will change, and when it does, she'll be a tour de force...lol. Sasha knows what to do and how to do it...and Tatiana will help bring it out for her.


We all can debate the qualities each of these ladies has and try to rate them...but that isn't the point of this thread. The point of this thread was for me to try to put into words the appreciation and pride I have with our "big three." I have no doubt that if on fire they can finish 1,2,3 at Worlds. I also have no doubt that we'll continue to see the three of them compete over the next few years...and that's exciting, as they'll no doubt juggle titles, etc.

I for one will be cheering all three of them on at Worlds to sweep the podium, no matter what order. This is an exciting time for US ladies skating, and I'm glad to be watching it unfold! :lol:

[duane]

NO, NO, NO spiralsfun!!

michelle is over-the-hill, and extremely boring!! she needs to retire to give the young guns a chance.

sarah is a slouch, with awful posture, and always cheats her jumps. so disappointing for an olympic champion.

and sasha is extremely overrated, with sorry edges and no true emotion on the ice. on top of that, she has a nasty attitude.

the only way this team will sweep Worlds is if after the competition, they volunteer to sweep out all the debris left by the fans!

[Meredith]

LOL, duane.

[Nickel]

You are too funny, duane! :lol: :lol: :lol: :twisted:

[bunghodog]

that is too funny, but you did hit it on the nail, that is what some fans say.

[spiralsrfun]

Yes...that is what some fans say...but that's what I wanted to avoid in this thread.
(whether or not the intention was humorous ;))

Oh well....lol.

[Blue Ridge]

If they skate the best, may they sweep the podium. But personally I don't choose my favorites based on what country they come from. Not to say I don't love all three U.S. ladies for their skating however!

[spiralsrfun]

I don't choose my favorites by country either, never have.

I am just proud and excited about the current US ladies world team, that's all...lol.

[CarolA0923]

If only our Men's, Pair's and Dance teams stood a shot at the podium! Our women are excellent and even if they don't sweep I don't think they will embarrass us. There are excellent ladies from lots of other places and the pressure on the US team will be even greater than usual since it is at home.

However, I think that if we see the podium in the other areas it may be a miracle! After the display of men's and pairs at Nationals, I don't think it will be our year. The real reason I find that distrubing is that if they don't do well, we can't send as many participants the next year and that deprives new skaters who may rise to the top next year the chance to go. Can you imagine the outcry if we had only had one or two ladies spots this year???????

[loveskating]

I respect them all...I don't know about pride, because as far as I'm concerned, I have nothing to do with their achievements...perhaps their associates, family, direct supporters, those who give money to the USFSA for the skaters could own some pride?

As for national pride, I never root based on nationality in international competitions, only based on the skating or piano playing or say, at Canne, only on the best films, because, IMHO, if you are going to have an international competition, it has to be fair, otherwise, it contributes to the destruction of world peace instead of building peace and the rule of law. At COI, where there are international skaters, I always cheer based on how the skating affects me, not based on nationality at all.

OTOH, I always love it when Americans win fair and square...but my "pride index" for my country is on a much higher scale than skating...nor does winning or losing a skating competiiton have much effect on any nation. My pride is about, above all, human rights.

As always, I hope everyone skates their best.

[spiralsrfun]

OTOH, I always love it when Americans win fair and square...but my "pride index" for my country is on a much higher scale than skating...nor does winning or losing a skating competiiton have much effect on any nation. My pride is about, above all, human rights.
That's very noble of you loveskating. Good for you! :)

[Excidra]

US is sending strong ladies team to worlds, no doubt about that. But I don't think I agree with ladies sweep of the medals, when was the last time USA ladies swept the podium, probably 10 years ago and I don't see that happening now. Because there are strong girls around the world. Japan is sending a strong ladies team, the best they've ever sent. I expect atleast one of them to be on the podium.
Then there is Russia, the other powerhouse in ladies. With Elena landing 3lutz/3toe right and left and consistenly landing her solo jumps, she is going to be a big threat. Then there is the experienced Slutskaya, she is at her best when the competition is up the roof. I expect her to be well prepared for worlds and maybe defend her title. Vika, is hot and cold, but I have a feeling she is going to be strong at worlds.

So we have about 6 girls who can win the world title(including the Americans/Russians). It's going to be really hard to any country to sweep the ladies podium at worlds, but I have been proven wrong before.

[pittypat]

Originally posted by spiralsrfun
I don't choose my favorites by country either, never have.

I am just proud and excited about the current US ladies world team, that's all...lol.


Exactly! And I do wish all athletes well at Worlds but I really am proud of the U.S., Ladies team this year and would be sooooooo happy if they swept the podium. :D

[Artemis]

I'm of two minds about a sweep. On the one hand, I love all 3 skaters(Michelle, Sasha, Sarah), and think they're all deserving of medals. And, if they skate clean, these 3 are all better, for the most part, than other potential medalists this year.

However, I don't think it's very good for the sport as a whole when there's a sweep.