Don't Expect U.S. Figure Skaters to Perform Well at 2010 Olympics
Unlike previous most recent Winter Olympics, the US will only field three skaters or teams in two events-men's singles and ice dance, thanks to the respective gold and silver medal finishes of Evan Lysacek and Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto at the recent 2009 World Championships in Los Angeles. Olympic berths are predicated on the previous season's placement at the World Championships. Thanks to Lysacek's gold medal finish and the overall standings of US ice dancers at worlds, both disciplines will field three entrants.
Particularly disappointing is the women's singles event, long considered the Cadillac draw of the Winter Olympics. Since the retirement of Michelle Kwan, the US has not been able to field a consistent cadre of female athletes. Instead, what has passed for top-level athletes have been a revolving door of generally unremarkable skaters such as Kimmie Meissner, Alissa Czisny and Emily Hughes, who have the ability to do the jumps and spins, but are lacking consistency and artistic flair.
Also disappointing in 2009 is the performance of United States Pairs Champions Keana McLaughin and Rockne Brubaker. Considered to be the best American hope for a pairs medal since Jenni Meno and Todd Sand won a silver in 1998, the pair finished a disappointing 11th, following a season plagued by injury and illness.
What is plaguing United States figure skating is two-fold. One is the emergence of top programs and consistent skaters in China, Korea, and Japan. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is the absence of go-to coaching here in the United States. During figure skating's heyday in the 1990s, there were a number of prominent coaches on the scene, whether it was Christy Kjarsgaard-Ness, Carol Heiss-Jenkins, Kathy Casey, or Mary and Evy Scotvold, as well as Frank Carroll.
Of these, only Carroll has consistently continued to produce outstanding skaters, most notably quad king Timothy Goebel and now Lysacek. Only Colorado Springs-based Tom Zakrajasek, who has consistently fielded emerging male skaters such as Jeremy Abbott and Brandon Mroz, and now Rachel Flatt in the women's field, has filled the void. For the United States to remain competitive on the world figure skating stage, its top coaching system needs a considerable boost.
Published by Arlene Miles
I have 30 years experience in public relations/advertising and newspaper feature articles. My work has been published in Parents, Parenting, Boys Life, and the Chicago Tribune, among others. I specialize in... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentSherry, I think you are correct in that the future looks a little brighter, with the excepton of the pairs competition. Note the date that I wrote the article here, which was last April. Take a look at this article which talks about Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu: http://womens-skating.suite101.com/article.cfm/american-women-skaters-may-surprise-in-vancouver
I think they'll do better than you've assumed here. Belbin/Asosto are pretty awesome right now, but you've already sort of noted that. :) I also think that if Abbott can carry the momentum from his US Nationals win into the Games, he'll have a darn good shot at making the podium. I'm not overwhelmingly impressed with the pairs going - I think Inoue/Baldwin should've gotten one last shot - or the women, but everything goes in cycles and surprises happen at every single Olympic Games. I mean, I never expected Sarah Hughes to take the gold in SLC, but it happened anyway. :)
The kindest thing I can say about YOUR comments Ms. Jewell is that they are completely INANE. Your comment likening my treatment of the state of US Figure Skating to Hitler's treatment of the Jews is beyond absurd and the subsequent comment about Michelle Kwan indicates you have no idea how to interpret what you read. The whole point of my commentary is to indicate that there is something absurdly wrong with US Figure Skating at the moment, and it needs to be corrected. You don't need to agree with that. Several people who have posted haven't. But some have.
There are three components that make up a champion athlete: talent, psyche, and proper coaching. Talent must be there in the right amount, psychological makeup, the drive to succeed and brush off failures also must be there, but what shapes the former two is the last element, and that is coaching. Without proper coaching, even the most talented athletes will fail. Coaches are not everything, as witnessed by skaters and other ath
But Michelle is old and we should be looking and supporting young people.
Miss Miles, I wish I did not to address you by name but for a sports writer I find it totally absurd to have such an article written for parents and all to read when Americans are trying so hard to promote these young men and women to be the best in their sport. Your cruelty to the effort of these young people are equal to the works of Hitler and his adversity towards Jews. Yes, if you are an American you sure are not patriotic and to think you are talking about young men and women, regardless of their color, to be such blatantly obnoxious about their future is ridiculous, annoying and downright ludicrous. Your idiot comments should stay where they belong, in your heart. And to our young men and women keep trying, don't give up, prove to people like Ms. Miles that you are American and can overcome any negativity and can rise above all odds. Good luck in 2010.
The author of this article must not have been paying much attention to the World Championships held recently in LA. There Evan Lysacek from the US won the men's championship with an outstanding performance that was both athletically technical and beautiful to watch. It had the crowd on their feet and cheering ten seconds before his performance was over. Also, the ice dance team, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, who won silver in 2006, won a silver medal at this World Championsips, although most believed they should have won gold with their impassioned interpretation of Tosca. Baloney, I say. Skating just does not exist of the ladies' competition. The men are the best in the US and Evan Lysacek is sitting on top of the world as the leader going into the Olympics and he will not be mopping up the ice. Nor will the other entrants from the US. Our pair teams and ladies just need a few more years to develop. In case you really haven't been paying attention, they US has a lot of talent
As strange as this sounds, I strongly feel this is the way it SHOULD be. I know many have lamented the rise of stronger technical requirements in place of artistry, but people need to understand that if it wants to continue as a legitimate Olympic SPORT, the scoring HAS to be less subjective to personal artistic preferences. There's a reason ballet dancing is not an Olympic sport, for example. Michelle Kwan often turned in lackluster technical performances, but still walked away with medals. That's fine for an artistic competition, but on an athletic scale, that is unfair. Athletics are about bodily precision in extremely physically taxing situations, not about who can look the prettiest while spinning in circles. That may sound boring but it's just the way it is. Yes, figure skating can and does exist on an artistic level, but leave it for exhibitions. For worldwide athletic competitions, this focus on physical skill over artistry really is more appropriate.
What is the skating future for Sasha Cohen? I believe she is the most artistic and graceful skater the US has had.
I really believe that noone has matched Michelle Kwan's artistry since she came on the scene. Dorothy Hammil of the past is the only one. The jumps have ruined many skaters. Yu-Na Kim is lucky to have Brian Orser as coach; his artistry is also unmatched among men unless you compare the other Brian. Kim will be a great skater; she has it all. I would love to see Michelle skate again. She is so musical and that is one secret of her performance in artistry. So many of the skaters of today focus on the jumps too much...and I blame the agenda of the judges for that.And as the body ages, the spins in the air don't always come...and the injuries do. Michelle has endured her hip injury and who knows if she can ever compete again. I think she can skate a beautiful program without jumping so many 3/3's.....Hammil has had some beautiful performances with only doubles....it's sad to not see her skate anymore. I understand she has arthritis and that is one physical infirmity that I understand.
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My bad, Laura. That was supposed to read Worlds, not Olympics.