Day of Reckoning

Kimmie Is Not About Excuses

All kimmie has to do is to skate two clean and elegant programs at the World Championship in March, then the rest will take care of itself. Kimmie is not the first athlete in the history of the sport who has suffered a setback. Ando did after an explosion to the elite scene in 2004, Arakawa saw her stock in the sport fall at the 2004 world Championship in which she found herself in ninth place.

Just like those skaters previously mentioned, Kimmie will have her day of reckoning as well. Miki Ando had won The Junior Title in 2004, and went on to a fourth place finish at that year’s senior global competition. After that, she had suffered a couple of difficult seasons. Her skating was revamped after switching to a new coach (Morozov) in order to win the World championship in 2007. Arakawa who did very badly at Worlds the year prior to the winter Olympic Games in Torino, walked away with the prize after she had delivered a clean elegant free skate.

Kimmie did not fair quite well at the Grand Prix Final. I have firm beliefs that with the new coach, Meissner will surprise her naysayers and pull another upset as she did in 2006. Let’s not forget this young lady has a triple Axel in her arsenals. She has been working extremely hard. She may blow away the competition by landing a triple Axel or two. Unless Ando feels compelled put in the quad. She has not been successful with it lately. Kimmie has been known to use her mistakes as tools to better herself. She is quite a determine young lady. Quad or not, Kimmie will deliver.

A couple of “disaster” performances might have been what Kimmie needed to get her to revamp her triple Axel, especially if she wants to be on that podium in Vancouver comes 2010. Since figure skating has become a “jumping” contest, ever since the new judging system, Kimmie might as well join the “jumping beams” and leave the artistic part of her skating for exhibitions. Obviously “jumping” trumps art in skating. Everything is calculated. Every skater skates to the same “form” it is no longer a free skate.

If you thought the US Championships Men’s event was sizzling, the world Championship will be the most jaw-clinching, couch-gripping, breath-holding event in the sport in history. Apparently, those who are in disagreement with the age limit imposed by the ISU, and felt that the top three American “women” should have gone to World. They will have their eyes on Kimmie as they anticipate every jump, hold their breath for every landing and clinch their jaw ‘till their teeth grind as they await the final standings.

Kimmie was having a bad day. Mirai Nagasu who was supposedly the favorite to win the Junior World Title, did not deliver as promised. After a beautiful short program, she falters in her free. She was having a bad day. And yet she was full of excuses. Kimmie on the other hand, while she was nursing a sprained ankle during her competitions, has never brought it up.

This young lady is not about excuses. She took matters into her own hands. She took full responsibility, and acknowledged that she can’t continue to go in that direction. She changed coach. Still, I have yet to hear her make excuses.

Kimmie, your stocks may be at a low in the sport at this time, all of that will change when you pull off two clean and elegant programs come March.

“Yeah you’re hot”