What is the deal with Alissa?

[Iceman]

She noted, "I finally realized that my results in skating didn't define who I am as a person."[20

No, of course not, but they do define who she is as a skater, don't they?


Alissa does eat ice cream. Chocolate is her fav. Wouldn't think that counts as one of the healthiest foods.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

[Triple Butz]

Alissa is never going to be a consistent skater, but I don't get all the doom and gloom and suggestions that she's injured or has an improper diet are a little inappropriate coming from people who don't know her and are drawing conclusions from what they've read on the internet.

The fact is, we are sending the best possible team to worlds. Ashley can pretty much be counted on for solid skating, but there is no other senior in the US who can consistently deliver. Agnes had one GREAT sp this season, and all other performances have been seriously lacking. Caroline has been wonderful in her last two outings, but she had a disastrous FS at Skate America and didn't even win her sectionals. Mirai, as we all know, has been just as up and down as Alissa. Rachael is a shadow of her former self. Gracie is still a junior and chose not to compete as a senior, so Alissa is our best bet.

Alissa has medaled at every major event this season save the GPF, which only she qualified for in the US. She's certainly not a lock, but if she delivers, we all know she will be in the medal hunt. If she bombs, at least she is getting decent PCS and her spins are always point-getters. Can't say the same for most of the other ladies. Nothing to do now but think positively!

[victoriaheidi]

I will say that I agree with everyone who says that she needs to start taking more responsibility for what happens on the ice. As someone else said, she can't control her placement, but she can--to an extent--control her numbers, and she can most certainly mentally work to control her performances. What happens on the ice isn't the responsibility of her coaches, her choreographer, her competitors or Phil Hersh. Her 2:50 and 4:00 are HERS and what happens during that time is her responsibility.

I also feel like Alissa needs to start making us believe that she's a champ. Ashley got some flack for saying things like "it's my Nationals to lose," but I respected her desire to aspire to something. Alissa's very cagey and coy about this stuff, but I feel like she has the goods. Maybe if she went around and told reporters, "this is my Worlds to lose," she'd begin to believe it and she'd be confident enough to make it happen. She needs to act like a grown woman and a champion and not like a giggly teenager. Is she adorable? Yes. Can I take her seriously? Not as easily as I can take Ashley seriously.

[pinky166]

She noted, "I finally realized that my results in skating didn't define who I am as a person."[20

No, of course not, but they do define who she is as a skater, don't they?


Alissa does eat ice cream. Chocolate is her fav. Wouldn't think that counts as one of the healthiest foods.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

Vegan icecream probably. It's soy-based or tofu-based and it's actually pretty healthy. She was a vegetarian before but now she is a vegan, I've read it in a few articles, so she obviously takes it seriously.

[Frau Muller]

But there's no specific Czisny thread so I don't see the harm in this one. ...!

'Nice try' by the USFS Paid Forum Police to force closure of a thread.

BRAVO to Phil Hersh for telling it like it is. I respect that man. A lot. USFS cannot pay him off.

As for Alissa...now we understand why she selected a funeral dirge as music for her LP. C'est tout.

[AndyWarhol]

Vegan icecream probably. It's soy-based or tofu-based and it's actually pretty healthy. She was a vegetarian before but now she is a vegan, I've read it in a few articles, so she obviously takes it seriously.

I assume her boots are made out of synthetic leather?

[allezfred]

'Nice try' by the USFS Paid Forum Police to force closure of a thread.

Would you like to clarify what you mean by this?

BRAVO to Phil Hersh for telling it like it is. I respect that man. A lot. USFS cannot pay him off.

Figures that you'd be Hersh's number one fan.

[Lanie]

So FSU is part of some eville USFSA konspiracy now?

[Skittl1321]

I assume her boots are made out of synthetic leather?

Difference between a vegan diet and a vegan lifestyle.

[kwanatic]

Wow...Challenge Cup was a disaster for Alissa and a super confidence booster for Carolina.

Carolina was wonderful and if she skates like that at worlds I'm pretty sure she'll win...of course, she'll have to do a bit better than a 3t-2t in the SP. Her programs are wonderful, she's skating with confidence...it's been a good year for her.

Alissa OTOH appears to be coming apart at the seams. Those were two disastrous programs for her. Is she still injured? Or is this all mental again? I don't want to start digging her grave now, but if she skates like that at worlds the US is in a lot of trouble. I do think Alissa's one of the two who best stands a chance at worlds but not skating like that. I hope that was a one-time deal and now that that's out of her system we won't see that at worlds.

[Yazmeen]

I'm hoping that hitting bottom like this at Challenge Cup might be a slap in the face for Alissa and that Jason/Yuka will use this to motivate her. Frankly, I hope she's pissed off at her performance and herself and can use that as a reason to rise up.

Last year, Alissa told Phil Hersh she was giving it one more year. I think this will be it for her with Worlds; I'm hoping she has enough moxie to get herself together and not go out on her butt, so to speak.

[Mayra]

Hersh seems to be questioning the USFS strategy of sending Alissa and Jeremy across the Atlantic two weeks before Worlds, but while I'm sure the USFS gave them the opportunity, the decision to go was ultimately in the hands of their coaches.

If Alissa was still injured and decided to compete at Challenge Cup, then you have to wonder what her team was thinking in competing at all. If she wasn't injured but was having rough practices and they wanted to get the kinks worked out, then maybe this was a trial run? Some would argue that she might have been better off staying home and continuing to practice but again that was a coaching decision.

It seems to me that Hersh is pointing the finger at the wrong people.

Re: the 4CC's assignments
The decision to send Zhang and Zawadzki to 4CC's was one of the smartest they've done for the ladies program in a really long time. The last quad they placed all their eggs in the basket of Flatt, Czisny and Nagasu and it went nowhere. It was time that they started thinking about the development of other skaters and put it into action. Enough with the coddling and handling with kid gloves for a so-so job well done. This is sport, and if you aren't willing to step up to the challenge, then someone else will do it for you. JMO

[Sylvia]

Would you like to clarify what you mean by this?

I assume Frau Muller thinks I am a member of the "USFS Paid Forum Police" (she's implied this before) and my goal is try to get certain threads closed that I believe are negative to US skaters. Like anyone can tell the mods here what to do!

When a new thread is started and there is already discussion on the same topic going on elsewhere, I normally will point out where it is to the thread starter so they can go read the posts there. I'll take FM's jab as a compliment and am waiting for my check from USFS.

[Rafter]

I'm hoping that hitting bottom like this at Challenge Cup might be a slap in the face for Alissa and that Jason/Yuka will use this to motivate her. Frankly, I hope she's pissed off at her performance and herself and can use that as a reason to rise up.

Last year, Alissa told Phil Hersh she was giving it one more year. I think this will be it for her with Worlds; I'm hoping she has enough moxie to get herself together and not go out on her butt, so to speak.

I suspect if Alissa bombs at worlds that she'll be forced into retirement by the USFSA. I don't ever see them sending her to worlds again if she messes up badly at worlds.

Is she injured?

[leafygreens]

OMG - the talk about Alissa's weight is ridiculous. Has nobody ever noticed how she looked as a young teenager? She was frightfully thin. It's her natural body type and how she has always looked. She is not thinner, she's the same. If she gained 10 lbs., people would just be ragging on her like they do Sasha and Mirai. It's no-win.

Vegetarian/Vegan diets do not make an athlete "weak". She is weak because of her brain matter. There are multiple Olympic level athletes who follow a vegetarian/vegan diet and do very well. Eating vegan is the best way to prevent heart problems, inflammation and a host of other health problems. As far as being "weak", there is as much or more protein in beans and dark vegetables as is in meat. Obviously neither meat diet or veg diet is the magic bullet for having a stellar skating career, but it's not going to hurt Alissa. She is a senior athlete and knows what she is doing; probably has a host of nutritionists to keep an eye on her as well.

If someone is too thin, it's really a matter of how little they are eating, not what they are eating. It's possible to be an unhealthy vegan by living off processed fake meats, and even Oreos are vegan. I've seen overweight vegans. If anyone is too thin it's Meryl; I don't know if she is veg but she clearly does not eat much, no matter what it is. Regardless, Meryl clearly has mental fortitude to withstand tough competition whereas Alissa doesn't. None of this is diet.

I realize it's frustrating for fans to not know why Alissa is bombing again, but before blaming it on a vegan diet, please be informed.

[RD]

I also feel like Alissa needs to start making us believe that she's a champ. Ashley got some flack for saying things like "it's my Nationals to lose," but I respected her desire to aspire to something. Alissa's very cagey and coy about this stuff, but I feel like she has the goods. Maybe if she went around and told reporters, "this is my Worlds to lose," she'd begin to believe it and she'd be confident enough to make it happen. She needs to act like a grown woman and a champion and not like a giggly teenager. Is she adorable? Yes. Can I take her seriously? Not as easily as I can take Ashley seriously.

No, I don't think that's the answer. Thing about talking confidence is, you are raising expectations and putting additional pressure on yourself. When you start talking, soon you have to start walking as well or it can backfire massively. As we saw with Wagner, it worked out quite well for her.

Czisny needs to believe in herself and believe that she CAN do this, and that she WILL do this. She DID say things like she was a "new skater"- I'm sure she wanted to convince fans that she no longer the Jekyll/Hyde of skating. But only the big comps count. She fell apart here, and if it wasn't due to injury, better here than at worlds. What is she made of? If she does not have injury to blame a poor performance on, maybe that will push her a bit. Dig deep and make it happen in 2 weeks! Prove us all wrong.

[demetriosj]

I'm hoping that hitting bottom like this at Challenge Cup might be a slap in the face for Alissa and that Jason/Yuka will use this to motivate her. Frankly, I hope she's pissed off at her performance and herself and can use that as a reason to rise up.

.

You can hope all you want, but if she does have a serious injury, all the "slaps in the face" in the world aren't going to change her jumping ability that quickly................

[B.Cooper]

Hersh seems to be questioning the USFS strategy of sending Alissa and Jeremy across the Atlantic two weeks before Worlds, but while I'm sure the USFS gave them the opportunity, the decision to go was ultimately in the hands of their coaches.

If Alissa was still injured and decided to compete at Challenge Cup, then you have to wonder what her team was thinking in competing at all. If she wasn't injured but was having rough practices and they wanted to get the kinks worked out, then maybe this was a trial run? Some would argue that she might have been better off staying home and continuing to practice but again that was a coaching decision.

It seems to me that Hersh is pointing the finger at the wrong people.

Re: the 4CC's assignments
The decision to send Zhang and Zawadzki to 4CC's was one of the smartest they've done for the ladies program in a really long time. The last quad they placed all their eggs in the basket of Flatt, Czisny and Nagasu and it went nowhere. It was time that they started thinking about the development of other skaters and put it into action. Enough with the coddling and handling with kid gloves for a so-so job well done. This is sport, and if you aren't willing to step up to the challenge, then someone else will do it for you. JMO

I think the only way to really assess this situation is to wait and see how Jeremy and Alissa compete at Worlds. They had both said in interviews that they were using The Hague as a chance to compete some new elements in their programs...the quad for Jeremy and for Alissa, the 2A-3T. Unfortunately, for Alissa, it looks as if the emphasis on the combo rattled her so much, she was unable to really do much else. Jeremy has to get the quad into his SP and LP consistently if he is to compete with Patrick Chan moving forward. And, as we all know, it takes time to work these more difficult jumping passes into programs. Gotta start somewhere. I suspect that Jason and Yuka will pull the 2A-3T from Alissa's LP for Worlds....just appears to be to risky for her as her jumps are her weakness. Jeremy, from practice reports, had been landing the quad pretty consistently. They may leave it in.

Re: 4CC strategy: Great to have hindsight, but it was a good chance to see if Agnes and Caroline could build upon what they did at Nationals....and good to see that Caroline could capitalize on her revamped training methods and she just looks happier than she has in years. Not sure what to think about Agnes....LP is her weakness. Can't really compare the field with 2011 4CC event as different field of skaters, although Nagasu and Flatt both skated well there...Alissa had her problems, and if IIRC, she did say in an interview following her LP at 4CC that she felt she did not have enough time to prepare/train properly between US Natls and 4CC (which was in Taiwan last yr). So, I really have to question why Alissa would do either 4CC (in any season) or The Hague for that matter.

[RD]

I think the only way to really assess this situation is to wait and see how Jeremy and Alissa compete at Worlds. They had both said in interviews that they were using The Hague as a chance to compete some new elements in their programs...

I agree...yes, Intl Cup may have been a disaster but thankfully it is not Worlds.

[PashaFan]

OMG - the talk about Alissa's weight is ridiculous. Has nobody ever noticed how she looked as a young teenager? She was frightfully thin. It's her natural body type and how she has always looked. She is not thinner, she's the same. If she gained 10 lbs., people would just be ragging on her like they do Sasha and Mirai. It's no-win.

Vegetarian/Vegan diets do not make an athlete "weak". She is weak because of her brain matter. There are multiple Olympic level athletes who follow a vegetarian/vegan diet and do very well. Eating vegan is the best way to prevent heart problems, inflammation and a host of other health problems. As far as being "weak", there is as much or more protein in beans and dark vegetables as is in meat. Obviously neither meat diet or veg diet is the magic bullet for having a stellar skating career, but it's not going to hurt Alissa. She is a senior athlete and knows what she is doing; probably has a host of nutritionists to keep an eye on her as well.

If someone is too thin, it's really a matter of how little they are eating, not what they are eating. It's possible to be an unhealthy vegan by living off processed fake meats, and even Oreos are vegan. I've seen overweight vegans. If anyone is too thin it's Meryl; I don't know if she is veg but she clearly does not eat much, no matter what it is. Regardless, Meryl clearly has mental fortitude to withstand tough competition whereas Alissa doesn't. None of this is diet.

I realize it's frustrating for fans to not know why Alissa is bombing again, but before blaming it on a vegan diet, please be informed.

I agree.
I'm a vegan & have a healthy diet but I'm naturally very thin & could not put on weight if I ate day & night.
I feel with Alissa it's more a confidence problem than a body problem.
She is a beautiful girl with a lot of talent but just deals with the pressure a little harder than others.
I would rather watch her graceful skating than Wagners. Who I feel is still a little robotic.
Ksenia Makarova gets trashed just like Alissa (By some) on these boards-And for what?. I just don't get the hate directed to the girl.
These girls work hard. Let's support them & send them positive energy no matter where their skating takes them