About Gracie Gold - Phil Hersh

[missing]

I can't spell or pronounce the names of any of the Russian "wonder babies." At this point, I can't tell them apart. All I know is when I see one, I'm not overwhelmed.

None of that means they're not indivudually and as a unit great, or that they won't have outstanding careers, or that I won't develop nicknames for them, once I can tell them apart.

Gracie Gold is a very promising junior skater who had a fantastic junior season. She also has the best name of any upandcoming athlete in the sport. It's short, easy to spell, easy to remember, and very catchy.

Gracie Gold's name isn't going to guarantee her a successful skating career. But if she does have a successful skating career, her name is going to guarantee her a lot of publicity and attention.

Names make a difference, almost as much as nationality or physical appearance.

[demetriosj]

I love how people forget about Hicks for example.

Yes and this is exactly who Mr. Hersh was vehemently promoting last year at this time...

He is so fickle and fair-weather it turns the stomach.......

[fenway2]

I don't know if Hersh is that fickle. He has his favorites for sure. In Alissa's tumultuous ten years as a senior skater he has defended and promoted her relentlessly - never once telling her to quit school and focus on skating even when she zambonied all over the place. Meanwhile, he's done nothing but criticize Caroline Zhang for years and when she had her nice comeback last month, he barely acknowledged it. Seems to me, like Christine Brennan, he has trouble remaining objective, That said, I do recall his saying Mirai would win gold in 2012.

[Yazmeen]

I think Hersh was fond of Alissa because she'd always make time to talk to him and it seems like they go along very well.

[demetriosj]

[QUOTE=fenway2;3468855] In Alissa's tumultuous ten years as a senior skater he has defended and promoted her relentlessly - never once telling her to quit school and focus on skating even when she zambonied all over the place. Meanwhile, he's done nothing but criticize Caroline Zhang for years and when she had her nice comeback last month, he barely acknowledged it. Seems to me, like Christine Brennan, he has trouble remaining objective,QUOTE]

However, don't think Alissa ever really went "to school", skating is all she knows. Home-schooling and on-line courses, IIRC.

Agree that Christine Brennan is not objective at all...

[PDilemma]

However, don't think Alissa ever really went "to school", skating is all she knows. Home-schooling and on-line courses, IIRC.

She did a combination of on campus and online courses for college.

[IceAlisa]

I think Hersh was fond of Alissa because she'd always make time to talk to him and it seems like they go along very well.

She is also not very hard on the eyes.

[berthesghost]

Gracie Gold is a very promising junior skater who had a fantastic junior season. She also has the best name of any upandcoming athlete in the sport. It's short, easy to spell, easy to remember, and very catchy.

Gracie Gold's name isn't going to guarantee her a successful skating career. But if she does have a successful skating career, her name is going to guarantee her a lot of publicity and attention.

Names make a difference, almost as much as nationality or physical appearance.

is her name actually Gracie, or will she be replacing Kimmie as the new whipping post for pissy fans?

[fenway2]

She is also not very hard on the eyes.

Word. He claimed Emily Hughes went out of her way to talk to him and ask about his daughter. It didn't stop him from writing a column calling for her to attend Harvard full time. Alissa has always gotten a free pass when she bombs and I suspect it's because she's so pretty. I also suspect he'd be a lot harder on Mirai by now were it not for his silly prediction that she'd win in 2012.

[love_skate2011]

Meissner didn't had much other than her jumps and her 3A attemps

Gracie has finer lines and her technique is probably one of the best
in the current us ladies field including all the seniors, her superior jumps you can see even before she sets in the air she will go high.
Agnes, didn't had this much nor any of the
the so called comparable to Gold.I don't know why some are hesitant
but she proved her worth in JGP and at nationals

Gracie is the future of us ladies skating, she is the real deal
imo I don't think there will be anyone that has come close to her atm
and she needs all the support she can get.

[sk9tingfan]

Yes and this is exactly who Mr. Hersh was vehemently promoting last year at this time...

He is so fickle and fair-weather it turns the stomach.......

I think that some of Phil's not talking about Courtney Hicks is that she may not be doing very well. Flying out of Minneapolis into San Jose, Hannah Miller and her Mom were on my flight. After discussing her daughter, I asked Hannah's mother how Courtney was doing. Her response was, "Not well". Her tone stopped me from asking additional questions. It appears that Courtney needs some figurative and literal space to rest and heal.

[Lara]

(((Courtney))) I hope she can come back from this. What rotten luck.

[Jammers]

I thought i read somewhere that Courtney was back on the ice.

[DORISPULASKI]

I just saw Gracie Gold juggling while being interviewed during the US Nationals gala. She's really good

[demetriosj]

I just saw Gracie Gold juggling while being interviewed during the US Nationals gala. She's really good

perhaps she can juggle while competing for extra points!

[victoriaheidi]

I think that some of Phil's not talking about Courtney Hicks is that she may not be doing very well. Flying out of Minneapolis into San Jose, Hannah Miller and her Mom were on my flight. After discussing her daughter, I asked Hannah's mother how Courtney was doing. Her response was, "Not well". Her tone stopped me from asking additional questions. It appears that Courtney needs some figurative and literal space to rest and heal.

[MacMadame]

Well of course they do but I was a little huh? at Agnes doesn't have much besides jumps but Gracie does.

In your opinion. I like Agnes. She moves well on the ice, is faster than Gracie and has a lot of spunk that comes out in her skating.

I like Gracie too. If I had to bet money on which juniors could successfully make the jump to seniors, I'd bet on her over the other junior ladies I saw at Nationals this year.

But I'm not going to start predicting she's the second coming of Ladies skating based on one good Nationals and one good season. I'm going to take a wait & see attitude.

And I think it's very wrong to discount all the other talent we have and act like only Gracie is going to come through for us and the rest of our Ladies skaters are utter crap. We've got Agnes and Ashley as well who are good competitors and have solid technical abilities and I'm not counting out Alyssa, Caroline or Mirai yet either.

[RD]

Well, after watching both Zawadzki and Gold at the gala- I prefer the former, think she has more fire & spunk in her skating.

[demetriosj]

And I think it's very wrong to discount all the other talent we have and act like only Gracie is going to come through for us and the rest of our Ladies skaters are utter crap.

Totally agree.

Some of the comments by members of her "team" border on trashtalk. It comes across as arrogant, braggadocious, and taunting. It's ok to be proud of your skater, of course, but not at the expense of putting down everyone else.

Yes, winning Junior was a major accomplishment, but let's try a little humility.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't USFS also sending 2 other ladies to compete at Junior World's? What are they? "chopped liver"?!

[RD]

Well, maybe it will fire everyone else up.

We could definitely use a little push, that's for sure.