A Bittersweet Symphony
2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships - "Ladies" Events
Figure skating is as unpredictable as the surface upon which it is skated.
In skating, there are 14 year old phenoms and 18-year-old veterans. Four years separate those two titles and the Winter Olympics. Timing and peaking is everything. There have been lots of prepubescent princesses, as Dick Button called them, to pass through the elite ranks of figure skating. Only an excruciating few make it through those four years to become veterans, Olympians and World Champions. An even smaller, select few continue to to compete at the highest ranks in their twenties. Most former 13-year-old champions will fail to the burden of expectations, devastated by the "puberty monster" as it is known in figure skating. Injuries. Burn-out. Eating disorders. A plethora of problems can take their toll on a talented figure skater. They are no fragile ice princesses.
Michelle Kwan and Caroline Zhang Discuss Their Coaching Relationship
Rachael Flatt's (silver medalists) long program
(will put up more videos as they come)
Tonight was a struggle for 18-year-old defending U.S. Champion Kimmie Meissner. If you watched the last 30 minutes of the event, you would've noticed that the Kiddie Korps consisting of Mirai Nagasu, 14 (1st), Rachael Flatt, 15 (2nd), Ashley Wagner, 16 (3rd) and Caroline Zhang, 14 (4th) all gave incredible - no, make that outstanding - long programs. Perhaps some of the best in U.S. skating history.
SoCal native and Michelle Kwan protege Caroline Zhang started off the trend by landing 7 triples, including a triple lutz/triple toe combination, as well as breathtaking spins and spirals. However, a lackluster short program possibly cost Zhang a medal. As The 2007 Junior World Champion and two-time Grand Prix medalist, she was a favorite going into the competition.
Rachael Flatt, who placed fifth at the senior level at Nationals, also landed 7 triples, and like Zhang, a triple lutz - triple toe combination. Rachael, an exquisite technician and spinner who competed on the junior international circuit this season, took over Zhang's lead. A defining moment of the championships was the image of 4-11 Flatt, seconds after her phenomenal performance, pumping her hands up in the air as her wide, braces-covered grin beamed across the country. Ashley Wagner, 16, the 2007 U.S. and Junior World bronze medalist, skated a wonderful program which included a triple lutz - triple loop, the hardest combination a woman can do. She had a minor wobble midway, which may have cost her first place in the freeskate.
Mirai Nagasu, who had a gigantic lead in the short program, stumbled on a double axel but recovered in order to do a triple lutz-triple toe as well as five other beautifully executed triples. Her music was to the ballet, "Copellia" in which she performed as a doll come to life. At 14, she still has a lot to learn, but she has set the foundations for an incredible career at the senior level.
As with all the success that came to the "airborne adolescents" as Dick Button called the quadruplet of Nagasu, Flatt, Wagner and Zhang, the sometimes cruel nature of figure skating was made evident when 2006 Olympian and World Champion Kimmie Meissner fell three times in her long program to the music of Puccini's "Nessum Dorma", at 18 and skating with the body of a woman, it became evident that figure skating, like gymnastics, has become a sport for little girls. As Kimmie skated off the ice to the support of the crowd, a forced smile and a slight laugh, made it perfectly clear that it was a warning to the girls ahead of her: Sure you can jump up a storm now inside of your little girls bodies, but will you be me in four years? In two? In one?
19-year-old Bebe Liang and 20-year-old Alissa Czisny who were fourth and third last year, dropped in the standings and barely made the top 10.
The truth is, as the sport has been hinting at for the last 12 years, "ladies figure skating" is a misnomer. Ukrainian Oksana Baiul was 16 when she took gold at the 1993 World Championships, and gold again at the 1994 Winter Olympics. That same year, now nine-time U.S. Champ Michelle Kwan was 13 when she won the silver medal at the 1994 U.S. Championships. Since then, the baby ballerinas have overrun a sport once reserved for women who often reached their peak at age 19. With Kwan's emergence in the mid 90s, she proved that the small body of a prepubescent girl was best suited for the rigorous technicalities of a sport which requires skaters to twist their bodies into unnatural positions and jar spines with crushing falls.
Kwan, however, created a monster in her own image; Tara Lipinski, like Kwan, was just 13 when she won her first medal at the U.S. Championships in 1996. Shortly after Lipinski made her debut at the Worlds that year, the ISU banned skaters 15 or younger from competing at Worlds unless they medaled at Junior Worlds the same year. That loop hole is now erased. Lipinski, even tinier than Kwan - standing at 4'10 to Kwan's 5'1" in 1998 - and much thinner - 77 pounds to Kwan's 99 pounds - ushered in the era of the triple-triples jumps. No longer was skating based on the ethereal grace of movement, but had rather transformed into gymnastics on ice. Skaters competed to see who could rotate the most, spin the fastest and jump the highest. Lipinski won the U.S. Nationals at the age of 14 in 1997 after Kwan, 16, fell time and time again in her program, most likely due to the changes of adolescence, much like Kimmie Meissner did tonight. Kwan went on to win eight more U.S. Championships in her career. It also shows that Kimmie may very well be able to make a rebound after her devastating loss this weekend in St. Paul.
The question remains: what do we do with underage figure skaters (by underage, I mean under 15)? The International Skating Union doesn't quite no either. Zhang skated in the senior Grand Prix, with the likes of Meissner, Yu-Na Kim of Korea and Mao Asada of Japan - arguably the top two skaters in the world. Yet at the World Championships in March, neither Flatt or Nagasu will be able to compete. Mao Asada was a 15-year-old jumper who beat Irina Slutskaya (the 2004 World Champ and 2006 Olympic silver medalist) at the 2005 Grand Prix Final, but was barred from the Olympics, an event which featured many of the same skater whom she had beaten that year. The core difference between the events? Well, nothing, except the prestige. The ISU claims they are trying to protect underage skaters. There isn't much protection if they are doing the exact same moves, jumps and spins, and are competing in all the exact same events (albeit Worlds) as age-eligible skaters.
So, tonight, as we smiled and clapped for the four young women - a trio of whom may be representing the country at the Olympics in two years - we must remember that the burden of expectations we put on these young girls is excruciating. Algebra tests, first dates and braces are hard enough to deal with in high school. Imagine the pressure of being a world class athlete.
Figure skating is as unpredictable as the surface upon which it is skated.
In skating, there are 14 year old phenoms and 18-year-old veterans. Four years separate those two titles and the Winter Olympics. Timing and peaking is everything. There have been lots of prepubescent princesses, as Dick Button called them, to pass through the elite ranks of figure skating. Only an excruciating few make it through those four years to become veterans, Olympians and World Champions. An even smaller, select few continue to to compete at the highest ranks in their twenties. Most former 13-year-old champions will fail to the burden of expectations, devastated by the "puberty monster" as it is known in figure skating. Injuries. Burn-out. Eating disorders. A plethora of problems can take their toll on a talented figure skater. They are no fragile ice princesses.
Michelle Kwan and Caroline Zhang Discuss Their Coaching Relationship
Rachael Flatt's (silver medalists) long program
(will put up more videos as they come)
Tonight was a struggle for 18-year-old defending U.S. Champion Kimmie Meissner. If you watched the last 30 minutes of the event, you would've noticed that the Kiddie Korps consisting of Mirai Nagasu, 14 (1st), Rachael Flatt, 15 (2nd), Ashley Wagner, 16 (3rd) and Caroline Zhang, 14 (4th) all gave incredible - no, make that outstanding - long programs. Perhaps some of the best in U.S. skating history.
SoCal native and Michelle Kwan protege Caroline Zhang started off the trend by landing 7 triples, including a triple lutz/triple toe combination, as well as breathtaking spins and spirals. However, a lackluster short program possibly cost Zhang a medal. As The 2007 Junior World Champion and two-time Grand Prix medalist, she was a favorite going into the competition.
Rachael Flatt, who placed fifth at the senior level at Nationals, also landed 7 triples, and like Zhang, a triple lutz - triple toe combination. Rachael, an exquisite technician and spinner who competed on the junior international circuit this season, took over Zhang's lead. A defining moment of the championships was the image of 4-11 Flatt, seconds after her phenomenal performance, pumping her hands up in the air as her wide, braces-covered grin beamed across the country. Ashley Wagner, 16, the 2007 U.S. and Junior World bronze medalist, skated a wonderful program which included a triple lutz - triple loop, the hardest combination a woman can do. She had a minor wobble midway, which may have cost her first place in the freeskate.
Mirai Nagasu, who had a gigantic lead in the short program, stumbled on a double axel but recovered in order to do a triple lutz-triple toe as well as five other beautifully executed triples. Her music was to the ballet, "Copellia" in which she performed as a doll come to life. At 14, she still has a lot to learn, but she has set the foundations for an incredible career at the senior level.
As with all the success that came to the "airborne adolescents" as Dick Button called the quadruplet of Nagasu, Flatt, Wagner and Zhang, the sometimes cruel nature of figure skating was made evident when 2006 Olympian and World Champion Kimmie Meissner fell three times in her long program to the music of Puccini's "Nessum Dorma", at 18 and skating with the body of a woman, it became evident that figure skating, like gymnastics, has become a sport for little girls. As Kimmie skated off the ice to the support of the crowd, a forced smile and a slight laugh, made it perfectly clear that it was a warning to the girls ahead of her: Sure you can jump up a storm now inside of your little girls bodies, but will you be me in four years? In two? In one?
19-year-old Bebe Liang and 20-year-old Alissa Czisny who were fourth and third last year, dropped in the standings and barely made the top 10.
The truth is, as the sport has been hinting at for the last 12 years, "ladies figure skating" is a misnomer. Ukrainian Oksana Baiul was 16 when she took gold at the 1993 World Championships, and gold again at the 1994 Winter Olympics. That same year, now nine-time U.S. Champ Michelle Kwan was 13 when she won the silver medal at the 1994 U.S. Championships. Since then, the baby ballerinas have overrun a sport once reserved for women who often reached their peak at age 19. With Kwan's emergence in the mid 90s, she proved that the small body of a prepubescent girl was best suited for the rigorous technicalities of a sport which requires skaters to twist their bodies into unnatural positions and jar spines with crushing falls.
Kwan, however, created a monster in her own image; Tara Lipinski, like Kwan, was just 13 when she won her first medal at the U.S. Championships in 1996. Shortly after Lipinski made her debut at the Worlds that year, the ISU banned skaters 15 or younger from competing at Worlds unless they medaled at Junior Worlds the same year. That loop hole is now erased. Lipinski, even tinier than Kwan - standing at 4'10 to Kwan's 5'1" in 1998 - and much thinner - 77 pounds to Kwan's 99 pounds - ushered in the era of the triple-triples jumps. No longer was skating based on the ethereal grace of movement, but had rather transformed into gymnastics on ice. Skaters competed to see who could rotate the most, spin the fastest and jump the highest. Lipinski won the U.S. Nationals at the age of 14 in 1997 after Kwan, 16, fell time and time again in her program, most likely due to the changes of adolescence, much like Kimmie Meissner did tonight. Kwan went on to win eight more U.S. Championships in her career. It also shows that Kimmie may very well be able to make a rebound after her devastating loss this weekend in St. Paul.
The question remains: what do we do with underage figure skaters (by underage, I mean under 15)? The International Skating Union doesn't quite no either. Zhang skated in the senior Grand Prix, with the likes of Meissner, Yu-Na Kim of Korea and Mao Asada of Japan - arguably the top two skaters in the world. Yet at the World Championships in March, neither Flatt or Nagasu will be able to compete. Mao Asada was a 15-year-old jumper who beat Irina Slutskaya (the 2004 World Champ and 2006 Olympic silver medalist) at the 2005 Grand Prix Final, but was barred from the Olympics, an event which featured many of the same skater whom she had beaten that year. The core difference between the events? Well, nothing, except the prestige. The ISU claims they are trying to protect underage skaters. There isn't much protection if they are doing the exact same moves, jumps and spins, and are competing in all the exact same events (albeit Worlds) as age-eligible skaters.
So, tonight, as we smiled and clapped for the four young women - a trio of whom may be representing the country at the Olympics in two years - we must remember that the burden of expectations we put on these young girls is excruciating. Algebra tests, first dates and braces are hard enough to deal with in high school. Imagine the pressure of being a world class athlete.
posted by Bethanie at 8:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home