U.S. figure skating at a low point

[Sugar]

U.S. figure skating at a low point
There's little optimism for 2014 Olympics (aside from dance) as national championships begin in Omaha.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympi...wed+Stories%29

[michiruwater]

Hasn't Hersh already written this article several times?

[AndyWarhol]

what happened to his love for Gold.. surely she alone can get the 3rd spot back..

[caseyedwards]

Lol at the use of the word stumblebums.

The pairs stuff is the Same in every article.

There could have been more enthusiasm for Wagner!

[misskarne]

rood.

[RobinA]

Unfortunately, it's true. The US needs specifically to figure out the Pairs problem, which has been going on for some time now. The rest of it could just be a natural lull.

[Garden Kitty]

U.S. men have generally been such stumblebums internationally since Lysacek won worlds in 2009 that there has been undue enthusiasm over one good recent performance by Ross Miner — in the long program at the Grand Prix event in Japan.

Apparently the Olympics aren't an international event in his book.

[aliceanne]

Maybe Phil needs to lace up and show everyone how it's done.

[leafygreens]

Unfortunately, it's true. The US needs specifically to figure out the Pairs problem, which has been going on for some time now. The rest of it could just be a natural lull.

Figure out the pairs problem - Scout them out in preschool, put them in a state-sponsored sports school, don't let them leave, let them fall in love during puberty and guaranteed they will stay together.

Mirai Nagasu, 19, who has shown little evidence of being able to regain the skills that got her fourth in the 2010 OIympics.

Poor Mirai...

[Cyn]

Awww...poor Phil is even more full of doom and gloom (as well as being full of shit) now that his perennial darling, Alissa Czisny, is out of Nationals after dislocating her hip.

[rainbowkisses]

[reese]

I feel like Phil has a template for these posts that he has been using for the last 7 years. At this point these articles must take him 5 minutes of work.

[ioana]

It's nice to see skating still gets some major coverage, but does it have it to be all 'woe is us?'

And, this was good

It's not all doom and gloom. Barring injury, Meryl Davis and Charlie White will be deserving winners of a fifth straight ice dance title and the only certain U.S. medal at worlds, where they have gone silver-gold-silver the past three years.

So, why are we titling the article 'US figure skating at a low point,' because that just shows how even-keeled and balanced the good and bad points are?

[DarrellH]

Having a World Champion is a low point?

[aftershocks]

Maybe Phil needs to lace up and show everyone how it's done.

I feel like Phil has a template for these posts that he has been using for the last 7 years. At this point these articles must take him 5 minutes of work.

I don't know how to spell it, but my gut reaction to Phil's "doom and gloom" assessment would be the sound that Dan Hollander recently made in reaction to Dave & Jenny naming a certain skater he seemed blase about: "Annnh!"

Or better yet:

I guess Phil is suffering from withdrawal symptoms or a huge hangover after attending Kween's wedding, and therefore cannot summon up any enthusiasm nor even fake having enough creative imagination to plumb the depths of the very real, substantial and exciting storylines that actually exist in Omaha at the U.S. National Championships this week. For Phil it seems that only medals, preferably gold or silver at Worlds and Olympics are the only things that matter in figure skating.

Even among the pairs, despite the astonishing break-ups and the unfortunate injury to Coughlin, if Phil wasn't so lazy and apparently inept, he could write an entire article about the talented teams who will be vying for medals and a top position to debut on the Worlds stage.

I mean really, where does Phil think Champions come from? Does he think they just magically appear out of nowhere and grab gold medals like "automatons"? There is so much to write about even re the novice and junior events that have been taking place over the past few days. It seems as if Phil would like the skaters to make his job easy for him by winning all the time and every time. Got news for you Phil, winning is NOT everything that figure skating is about. Just ask Michelle Kwan.

A Big Thumbs Down to you @olyphil

[falling_dance]

Miner, 22 on Thursday, thinks he should already have been taken more seriously for finishing third at the past two nationals, no matter that he was 11th in his lone world appearance (2011).

11th doesn't sound like a bad debut for a (then) quadless 20-year-old man at an ISU championship that had to be postponed for a month due to an unforeseen disaster, and it's not as if he scored way outside the top ten in overall points, either. Of course, if it's nonsense to be "taken more seriously" if one isn't a World title contender this season, then I suppose those points are irrelevant.

[aftershocks]

^^ Yeah, thanks falling_dance! Phil should spend time brushing-up on the past few seasons in figure skating, get an eye examination, and then take his "undue enthusiasm" to the wilds of Canada and learn how to write about winter sports like curling. Might be an excellent sabbatical for him and good motivation for learning how to appreciate subtleties, and how to expend the necessary effort to write more effectively, informatively and less insultingly about everyone and everything.

[centerpt1]

Here's hoping Mirai goes to Worlds and medals-just so he'd have to write about that.

[demetriosj]

Still waiting for Hersh's perennial article about the new junior ladies champ in which he declares the new junior ladies champ the next great thing to happen to US ladies figure skating, just as he has in the past few years with Courtney Hicks and Gracie G. Think he has a template for that one for sure! (I do like Polina Edmunds and think she has a great future.)

Maybe we won't see the new junior ladies champ article this year?, or have I missed something? since he seems to have his current fave in Seniors this year?

[overedge]

Interesting to see Phil drooling over White/Davis' international results, when a few years ago he said words to the effect that he didn't consider ice dance a sport.