Another U.S. Lady... Another Renaissance?

If I’m going to mention the nice article on Kimmie Meissner, it’s only fair that I mention a nice article on current U.S. Bronze Medalist Ashley Wagner too… even if the article is from last weekend. (Sorry about that—I had three deadlines this week and am playing catch-up everywhere else!)

But considering the fact it promotes the Stars, Stripes and Skates event going on this weekend in Danbury, CT, I guess there still a sort of timely quality to it. Plus, like the Meissner piece, it’s primarily about her coaching switch—in this case, to Johnny Weir’s former coach Priscilla Hill.

Wagner’s coach switch seems a little less expected, though. As the article points out, she made the podium at Senior Nationals on her first try. However…

But after the high of making the World Team, Wagner quickly came back down to earth with a disappointing placement at the Four Continents Championships. Suddenly, Wagner was not receiving full credit for her jumps, often being penalized for using the the wrong take-off edge on her Lutz jump.

"I was sixteen years old and at the World Championships," gushed Wagner. "It was such an incredible feeling, and I was honored to represent my country. I wasn't happy with my placement, but that was only because I knew I had the potential to place better than I did."

…And thus the change. Will the Wagner/Hill combination prove to be a good one? Did we get to see enough of the "old" Wagner to be able to appreciate the diference? In any case, we’ll get our first official peek at Cup of China, about 6 weeks from now.

Incidentally… as the groundwork for this season continues to be laid (via Junior Grand Prix events and smaller senior internationals like this weekend’s Nebelhorn Trophy), I’ve been mulling ways to get more familiar with the skaters involved and actually write about them from time to time. I think I’ve got an idea I’m ready to go with. Barring any ice-breaking news (aka news about skating or skaters), I’ll try to get that started next week.

Until then, here’s Wagner's Grand Prix debut from last year’s Skate Canada as the Clip of the Day.