The irrepressible, exasperating Mirai Nagasu, part II

[modern_muslimah]

I know the other thread on Mirai was closed a long time ago but considering how poorly Mirai did tonight, I thought that maybe another thread might be good as well. I know a lot of people are probably disappointed that she didn't do her best and there will be much discussion about her result at Nationals but I also hope that we can give her some words of encouragement too. I hope that'll help give her at least a little bit of confidence.

[iarispiralllyof]

MICHELLE WOULD'VE GIVEN YOU THE TROPHY!! WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!!! HOW COULD YOU!?! /tyra

in all honesty though she's still my favorite CURRENT american ladies skater. the ice is slippery. she still has time before sochi so I hope she steps it up

[berthesghost]

As Evy so famously quipped about Paul: it's nothing a good lobotomy wouldn't cure!
She needs to leave all the emo teen bs behind.

[skfan]

you're not seriously thinking of sending our potentially colorful and contentious words to mirai, are you? 0_o

but, just to play along... how about some words from musicals?

i will wait for you. so keep fording every stream, 'til you find your dream.

seriously, the moment when the light comes on (and stays on) for mirai is worth waiting for. i hope she doesn't stop looking for the answers, doesn't hesitate to change what's not working.

[judgejudy27]

This is the wrong time to be falling backwards. People like Wagner, Czisny, Agnes are making their mark, and Gracie Gold will almost certainly do Senior next year. The PCS in the SP already indicate her respect level with U.S judges has fallen somewhat. She had better get it together now, it is really now or never time for her.

[centerstage01]

I feel like when she goes out to skate, whether she realizes she's doing it or not, she has this expression on her face like she doesn't know what she's doing, she doesn't belong out there, and she's counting the seconds until it's all over.

She didn't have this expression several years ago. What brought this on?? It's not like everyone around her is telling her her skating sucks and she's got crap technique and her win four years ago was a fluke. I don't know anyone that would even hint at such a thing. And yet, she seems to have it in her head that she's not good enough and we shouldn't expect anything from her because she's going to let us down. Self-fulfilling prophecy as it were.

I hope she does see a therapist and I also hope she and her family would figure out a way for her to train without the 4 hour car ride. That can't be helping anything either.

[berthesghost]

Actually, it seems just the opposite. just when she does really well and everyone is noticing her, she decides to fall apart and disprove everyone's compliments.
2008 surprise win gets her praise.
2009 she implodes.
2010 4th at olys gets her praise.
2010 worlds she implodes.
2011 she just misses world team but after medaling at 4cc people start saying she should have been sent to worlds.
2012 she implodes.

[Bournekraatzfan]

I was heartbroken for Mirai tonight. She is a superb skater and I just hope she is able to feel more confident out on the ice. I still love her and will continue to follow her skating.

[aftershocks]

As mentioned on the broadcast, something and/ or everything seems to distract Mirai. So its probably not one thing but many things that have combined to keep her unfocused. For this season, in particular, it seems to me that Frank's approach for Mirai was all wrong. I don't think either of the music selections, particularly the fp music are right for Mirai's personality. Possibly it might have helped had she been more inspired by her music and happy skating to it. Mirai is not MK, and unfortunately Frank seemed to have been trying to take that route with Mirai this season. In addition, what was it that Frank said about Mirai feeling better with her ballet teacher at the boards instead of Frank???

It's been mentioned before, but perhaps Mirai's personality is not melding with Frank's approach to coaching -- which is not a put-down of Frank. Maybe or maybe not, finding a coach who might be able to figure out the best way to get Mirai to learn how to focus could help her, if indeed, Mirai truly still has the heart for skating. But also, maybe it is hard for Mirai, and/or her family to even think about leaving a legendary coach such as Frank. Still, the approach was all wrong this season, and this year I am not unhappy that Mirai did not make the team. I do hope she digs deep to re-find the fire and the desire, and the best way to regroup. With her talent, Mirai could be a 3-time National champion by now.

[Mirai4life]

Mirai will always be my #1 skater. <3 I love everything about her.
I'll cry is she struggles and cheer when she succeeds. :p

[agalisgv]

I don't get the sense Mirai is all that into skating nowadays. I thought it was telling in that one phone interview she did that the topic she had the most to say about was the tv show Chopped on the Food Network. She is reminding me of Tim Goebel when he started to decline, and he came up with all these excuses for not training properly, etc. But in the end, he just wasn't that into it anymore.

Mirai has been phoning it in for awhile now--she's not very fit anymore, she's not focused when she skates, she doesn't "push" when she competes, and when she does interviews she is more focused on engaging in leisure activities than practicing/competing.

Maybe she just needs to take some time off and figure out her priorities. I think it's kinda pointless for her to barely tread water as she's currently doing.

[reese]

I seriously wonder if she'll continue with the sport. She doesn't seem to love it.

I adore Mirai and would hate to lose her enormous talent, but I just hope she finds something that makes her happy. She's an adult now and needs to make her own path.

[bardtoob]

I don't know what was wrong ... There was no reason for what happened

[iarispiralllyof]

yes I think it may be that she's not as in love with the sport anymore.

she was always this extremely bubbly, upbeat girl and I don't really see that anymore..

her circumstances aren't ideal..isn't she commuting every day to train, and how is her mom's illness? honestly even if she has already peaked, to place 4th at an olympics is very respectable. at one point she had one of the most gorgeous spin combinations in the sport...

[Sasha'sSpins]

I was heartbroken for Mirai tonight. She is a superb skater and I just hope she is able to feel more confident out on the ice. I still love her and will continue to follow her skating.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Mirai has TONS of talent. She's got to find some way to harness it, she can do it but she's got to sit down and really think this through. If she still wants this-and I believe she does-she's going to have to change her coaching situation NOW. It can't wait. Two years will go by like nothing. She also has to start going for those 3/3s she says she's been training in competition. Everyone has imploded at one time or another. Unfortunately it happened to Mirai at the worst possible moment. She's the only one that can turn this around and it's got to come from within. No one can want it for her-she's got to want it for herself. Her training partner Evan did everything in his power to win that Olympic gold. Apart from Frank he worked with skaters like Lucinda Ruh on spins, etc. Mirai needs to work on those jumps, etc. but she needs to find her mojo first. I won't give up on Mirai-she's just too good.

[love_skate2011]

I too think its time for Mirai to move on from Frank C.
and find some sort of new motivation that she has been missing for so many seasons now.

[iarispiralllyof]

But Mirai always says he's the best coach ever and she wants to stay with him forever..

Is it Frank that's the problem?

[Sasha'sSpins]

I too think its time for Mirai to move on from Frank C.
and find some sort of new motivation that she has been missing for so many seasons now.

I think she needs to change it up. Frank is an awesome coach but if it's not working it's not working.

As mentioned on the broadcast, something and/ or everything seems to distract Mirai. So its probably not one thing but many things that have combined to keep her unfocused. For this season, in particular, it seems to me that Frank's approach for Mirai was all wrong. I don't think either of the music selections, particularly the fp music are right for Mirai's personality. Possibly it might have helped had she been more inspired by her music and happy skating to it. Mirai is not MK, and unfortunately Frank seemed to have been trying to take that route with Mirai this season. In addition, what was it that Frank said about Mirai feeling better with her ballet teacher at the boards instead of Frank???

It's been mentioned before, but perhaps Mirai's personality is not melding with Frank's approach to coaching -- which is not a put-down of Frank. Maybe or maybe not, finding a coach who might be able to figure out the best way to get Mirai to learn how to focus could help her, if indeed, Mirai truly still has the heart for skating. But also, maybe it is hard for Mirai, and/or her family to even think about leaving a legendary coach such as Frank. Still, the approach was all wrong this season, and this year I am not unhappy that Mirai did not make the team. I do hope she digs deep to re-find the fire and the desire, and the best way to regroup. With her talent, Mirai could be a 3-time National champion by now.

And a World medallist.

Mirai is only 18 years old. Skaters like Alissa and Carolina Kostner seemed to find their mojo after 20. Carolina Zhang and Ashley too are proof that even if it's not happening year in, year out one shouldn't give up on the dream. Mirai may still find what it is that she needs to get her over that hump. I don't believe she's done yet, nor should she be done yet. She's in a slump but she can get past it with lots and lots of hard work, and perseverance.

[bek]

I think she needs to change it up. Frank is an awesome coach but if it's not working it's not working.



And a World medallist.

Mirai is only 18 years old. Skaters like Alissa and Carolina Kostner seemed to find their mojo after 20. Carolina Zhang and Ashley too are proof that even if it's not happening year in, year out one shouldn't give up on the dream. Mirai may still find what it is that she needs to get her over that hump. I don't believe she's done yet, nor should she be done yet. She's in a slump but she can get past it with lots and lots of hard work, and perseverance.

Nobody doubts that Mirai is more than talented enough to be a major champion in this sport. I think what people question is if Mirai wants it bad enough to put in the hard work necessary.... For me Frank's words last year about Nagasu having motivation issues because of her "great Olympic season" were really telling IMO.

Mirai finished fourth at the Olympics; and while it was a great showing. One would think that showing would also make her a bit angry/hungry. I.e I was that close; I'm going to work that much harder so that I win that World title next year. Instead the next year; we have her coach saying she was hard to motivate. If just missing an Olympic medal doesn't motivate you, what will? I hoped last year was a wakeup call but well it wasn't.

I think that's the issue people have with Mirai. I don't think people had similar motivation questions about the other girls you mentioned. I don't recall ever seeing Kostner or Alissa even at their most disasterous skates; phoning in performances.

And as for Mirai's just in a slump. It seems to me most of Mirai's senior career has been a slump. She's been eligible for four world teams, and has only made one. And that was after winning the National title as an age ineligible skater.

[modern_muslimah]

I don't get the sense that motivation was the issue for Mirai this season. Frank hasn't indicated that this is the case this season. Additionally, Mirai looked fit and practice reports indicated that she was fit and focused during practice. Additionally, Mirai did summer competitions to get her programs out early. So I don't motivation is the issue.

Mirai doesn't look happy when she's skating in competition and lately, she looks scared as hell. I really think she needs a coaching change and/or a sports psychology. She has known issues with her confidence and staying the moment in competition, especially after she makes a mistake. Instead of moving on, it seems she stays stuck on the mistake and it just snowballs, causing more mistakes.

She's going to have to make a major change and also take more ownership of her skating as well. I really think that would help a lot in giving her more confidence. Maybe Mirai needs to pick her music, her programs, her choreographer. She needs to be more introspective and figure out who she is as a skater. She's 18 now, so she and only she needs to owns her skating.

If Spartacus doesn't inspire her, don't skate to it! If something upbeat inspires her, then skate to it! I don't think her coaches, choreographer or parents can do this for her.