Flatt hurt for Worlds but skates anyways !

[ProgramerUSFS]

I don't know about you guys, but I am shell shocked to hear that Flatt went thru with skating hurt for the US team. I would think that at a world competition one would think about what it means for your team, not what it means to the coach or yourself. I blame more the coach, as he should have known beter. You don't take a kid and have them skate hurt! Have a little class, as Michelle withdrew from the Olympics when she was hurt. She didn't want to, but she did it for her countries best interest.

I am sure the excuses will come, but the fact remains, that she or her coach didn't inform US figure skating that she was hurt. And the US has been a partner helping to pay for her trips and support her for many years, but Tom and Flatt didn't think the US should be briefed at least.

[ioana]

Ryan Bradley skated with a broken bone at last year's Worlds, Joshua Farris also finished his LP at Sr Nationals on a broken ankle...all Tom Z students. I never was a big fan of Rachael Flatt, but I'm sorry this is how her last Worlds outing would end.

[Ziggy]

If she was injured, she should have been replaced with Mirai Nagasu.

US might earned 3 Ladies spots for next season then.

[IceAlisa]

If she was injured, she should have been replaced with Mirai Nagasu.

US might earned 3 Ladies spots for next season then.

Exactly. I am still not understanding why she didn't WD.

[Loves_Shizuka]

Well I can see the direction this thread will take...

[Finnice]

Well I can see the direction this thread will take...

Stay away!

[Loves_Shizuka]

Stay away!

I will stay away in terms of active posting. No doubt it'll be a humdinger to read though.

[Ziggy]

Well I can see the direction this thread will take...

[RD]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought this. It seemed suspicious to me that the injury was just diagnosed last Friday, which means it must have been bothering her well before the actual competition. If it happened DURING Worlds, not much you can do about that except try to go through it like she did. But from what I'm reading that's not the case.

And Nagasu would not have given us any better shot at the 3 spots anyway, before people start to jump on me for that. But I think it's best, no matter how tough it is, to step aside if you're injured. And like the OP, I don't necessarily blame Flatt HERSELF for this- her team should have stepped in and not allowed her to go if she was injured enough to the point that it would significantly affect her performance.

Oh well...

[Aussie Willy]

I agree

[Ziggy]

The principle is not about the 3 spots obviously.

If you're injured, step aside and let your healthy teammate replace you.

Not to mention that if I was a coach, I wouldn't let my skaters compete injured because their health is more important than short term results.

[aliona22]

If USFS didn't get Mirai a "just in case" visa it's unlikely she could have procured one in time.

[Jenna]

I'm sorry. I'm a little angry that Rachael skated at Worlds when she knew that she had an injury. I do not know whether it was her decision, Tom Z's, or her parents'..whatever. All I know is that it was a bad decision! She should have given someone else the chance to compete..whether it be Nagasu, Zawadzki, Gao..whoever was ready and willing to compete! She was clearly NOT in fighting form today. She didn't even attempt a 3Lz..

Her scores were a gift in any case, and I will admit that. She certainly didn't outskate Helgesson or Meite (even though she had several errors). I like Rachael a lot and I admire her competitive fire and spirit and I admire her not withdrawing from the comp. But not only did she pretty much ruin the chances for 3 spots, she was in danger! She could have seriously hurt herself out there today. Again, I do not think it was her choice in the first place though..

[Ziggy]

Must be the first time we agree on something, hehe.

[Jenna]

Must be the first time we agree on something, hehe.

I believe it is!

[rfisher]

Ummm...timing is a real consideration here. It's not as if Mirai could have obtained a visa and jumped on a plane from California to Russia overnight. If this happened Friday, there was no way she could have replaced Rachel. If Rachel withdrew, we'd have had only one skater. Unless there's a physician's report that states otherwise,meaning this occurred over a week ago, Rachel was pretty gutsy to skate and try to get that 3rd spot. She knew exactly what was at stake.

[ProgramerUSFS]

I am sure the competitor in her wanted to skate, but the real issue is with the coach who must have known and pushed for this. If I was at USFSA I would push for a fine of the coach and a return of the monies paid this year. These coaches have to protect our kids, not use them for their own gain.

[Jenna]

Rachael was gutsy and I deeply admire that. But honestly, if she was injured she didn't have to be a trooper and force herself to go. If she alerted USFS in a timely manner, who knows what they could have pulled out of their ass to get another skater there? By the time she was in Moscow, it was too late It seems like the injury was aggravated after the SP. Practice reports from before the FS indicated that she was not doing well..obviously by that time it is too late.

I know she was just trying to do the "right" thing, but it ended up hurting her in the end. She looked to be in pain, exhausted, upset, and embarrassed and I truly feel bad for her. As I said before, I do NOT think it's a coincidence that another one of Tom Z's students, Joshua Farris, went through a very similar experience this year at US Nationals...

[rfisher]

And you know he pushed her? You know it was his decision? You know the extent of the injury?

[rfisher]

Rachael was gutsy and I deeply admire that. But honestly, if she was injured she didn't have to be a trooper and force herself to go. If she alerted USFS in a timely manner, who knows what they could have pulled out of their ass to get another skater there? It seems like the injury was aggravated after the SP. Practice reports from before the FS indicated that she was not doing well..obviously by that time it is too late.

I know she was just trying to do the "right" thing, but it ended up hurting her in the end. She looked to be in pain, exhausted, upset, and embarrassed and I truly feel bad for her.

If the injury was indeed aggravated after the SP, there is nothing the USFSA could have done to get another skater there. I think it likely she thought she could manage just like Michelle thought she could do it in Torino. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. Only the person on the ice knows.