John Coughlin Out Due to Hip Surgery

[caseyedwards]

sad news for them for this season. Don't know who will be champs. Maybe it could be S/K? That would be interesting. C/S is also a possibility. They are a rising pair! Y/R are also out right?

[Sylvia]

Excluding Denney/Coughlin, there are 11 Senior pairs scheduled to compete at Nationals (including Y/R) -- see: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/show...=1#post3758214

[Lara]

Yikes. Best wishes to John in his recovery. And I hope C&S can continue their positive trajectory since it looks like it'll be up to them to keep two spots for Sochi - that's a lot of pressure for a first ever Worlds.

[caseyedwards]

great opportunity for y/r as well. He has had an injury but she is so good!

[Catherine M]

I'll be very surprised if John is able to skate at worlds. And it will be Better for his long term health to err on the side of caution and not rush back.

[kwanfan1818]

A premature return could kill their chances for Sochi, and it's not like any other US team will take over their reputation as top US team if they don't compete at this year's championships without skating a blinder at Worlds.

She could take a lot of dance classes between now and when he's ready to return to the ice.

[stjeaskategym]

Really?

He'd be fine by Worlds. Hmm... Cziny had the same type of surgery in June 2012 and she's still not competing.

Chances of them being "healthy and ready" with surgery NOW seem slim. Risks of racing him back seem high IMHO

John also doesn't need to show up at a competition with a full array of triple jumps, some of which are harder on the hip than others. Even mentally having to do all the different jumps on a repaired hip might be difficult to overcome quickly. One tough fall on a jump and who knows how it's going to feel. Not that pairs isn't as grueling as singles (in some ways it's more so), but it's still different...There isn't as much of a constant fear of falling on a hip for a male pair guy. Has it been announced what has slowed Czisny's return? For all we know, she may have been completely recovered a while ago, but is having trouble getting back into form jumping-wise. She wasn't a terribly consistent jumper to begin with, and she used to have plenty of hard crashes in competition, never mind practice. I imagine a recovery from a hip problem may be tougher for her than someone who is more comfortable jumping.

As Sylvia mentioned, the severity of an injury can affect the timetable for return, so until we know more information, who knows for sure. But if people can make full recoveries from this in as little as two months, I figure John might have a shot at it considering he's a young, strong male athlete presumably receiving top care. The fact that USFS made no mention of a possible date for return doesn't sound so promising though.

I believe any top skater or team that misses Nationals due to injury or illness can submit a petition to be considered for World (or Olympic) team selection during Nationals.

Thanks for the info.

[Zemgirl]

John also doesn't need to show up at a competition with a full array of triple jumps, some of which are harder on the hip than others. Even mentally having to do all the different jumps on a repaired hip might be difficult to overcome quickly. One tough fall on a jump and who knows how it's going to feel. Not that pairs isn't as grueling as singles (in some ways it's more so), but it's still different...There isn't as much of a constant fear of falling on a hip for a male pair guy. Has it been announced what has slowed Czisny's return? For all we know, she may have been completely recovered a while ago, but is having trouble getting back into form jumping-wise. She wasn't a terribly consistent jumper to begin with.

Czisny had her surgery in early June; when this article was published about two months later, she was still off the ice. This is not a minor procedure, and as others have noted, there's no need for John to take any risks and attempt to try to expedite the rehab and recovery times considering the state of the US pairs field - especially with the Olympics in sight. Pushing himself to skate at Worlds and possibly jeopardizing his health in the long-term would be really stupid.

[olympic]

It sounds like D/C are out for the season, then. Very sad!

I think the US team will most likely be C/S and S/K because S/K are nearly 20 pts. ahead of D/S, Z/B, D/L and V/B while only being together since April '12. I really like S/K and having a realistic shot at the worlds team is such a huge opportunity, but I wouldn't be surprised if they get hammered in PCS at Worlds.

[peibeck]

Just saw this new. What horrible news. Hoping John will be able to make a full recovery.

I'd say it's not likely they will be at Worlds, but I guess they could request a bye just in case. The other alternate team will surely be training to compete at 4CC anyway, and then D/C could probably assess whether they would be likely to compete in London by the time 4CC ends.

[Sylvia]

Upbeat quotes from John Coughlin post-surgery - this new article confirms they are out of Nationals: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

I'd say it's not likely they will be at Worlds, but I guess they could request a bye just in case.

Yes, I think this could happen.

[hippychick]

i still have hope that D/S could improve and finish in the top two. If they went to Four Continents and met the minimum world for the s/p would they be able to make a world team? I also heard of a possible Senior B somewhere in February.

[semogal]

I would hope that he rests his hip and allows it to fully recover. The goal is a healthy 2013-14 season not rushing back to competition this season and risking career ending damage.

[leapfrogonice]

This has HUGE implications for whether the US can earn two spots for the Olympics. While this makes for one of those "out of the blue" opportunities for the younger teams to grab a US title, the pressure will definitely be on for one of them to nab a top 10 finish at worlds. Can count on the top 10 including 3 Russians, probably 2, maybe 3 Canadians, 1 Chinese, 1 German team, then the last 3 spots I would think are up for grabs depending on how the event goes. Having the Japanese and young Chinese team out helps, but the Italians could be tough.

John stayed in competitive skating it seems to have a shot at the Olympics. Hope he does not risk injury by re-entering too early because of pressure to try to get that top 10 slot which a healthy D/C would have very likely earned.

Most importantly, hoping for a successful recovery from his injury and surgery.

[icellist]

Reagan is injured too right? Rockne take Caitlin!!!

[UMBS Go Blue]

Caitlin (5'3") might be too tall for Rockne (5'9"). How about Rockne and Caydee Denney (5'0")?

[SamuraiK]

This has HUGE implications for whether the US can earn two spots for the Olympics. While this makes for one of those "out of the blue" opportunities for the younger teams to grab a US title, the pressure will definitely be on for one of them to nab a top 10 finish at worlds. Can count on the top 10 including 3 Russians, probably 2, maybe 3 Canadians, 1 Chinese, 1 German team, then the last 3 spots I would think are up for grabs depending on how the event goes. Having the Japanese and young Chinese team out helps, but the Italians could be tough.

John stayed in competitive skating it seems to have a shot at the Olympics. Hope he does not risk injury by re-entering too early because of pressure to try to get that top 10 slot which a healthy D/C would have very likely earned.

Most importantly, hoping for a successful recovery from his injury and surgery.

With 2 teams competing they could place as low as 13th and 14th and still keep the two spots (13+14=27), so I wouldnt worry about that.

[SidelineSkater]

[QUOTE Can count on the top 10 including 3 Russians, probably 2, maybe 3 Canadians, 1 Chinese, 1 German team, then the last 3 spots I would think are up for grabs depending on how the event goes. Having the Japanese and young Chinese team out helps, but the Italians could be tough.
[/QUOTE]

3 Russians, only 2 Canadians qualify (right?), 2 Chinese, 1 German, 1 Italian...then after that the top level pairs really drops off. I agree with above poster...13/14th place is reasonable *if*...big if...our two teams (whoever they may be) skate relatively clean.

[Rochelle]

Upbeat quotes from John Coughlin post-surgery - this new article confirms they are out of Nationals: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

The article opens with:
""I'm doing well: as well as can be expected," the 27-year-old skater said. "I was on the stationary bike not two hours after completing the procedure and I went on it again this morning. Now, I'm on the way to the OTC (Olympic Training Center) for my first PT session there and to get the PT schedule set for the week."

Is this common so soon after such a surgery?

Best wishes on his recovery...

[leapfrogonice]

Well huge relief. I didn't realize the total placements from the top 2 could be as low as 13+14 = 27. I somehow thought a team had to place in the top 10 in order for there to be 2 places. And for instance, total of top 2 teams needed to equal 13 in order for 3.

Phew.