Ross Miner Out Of Olympic Team (OFFICIAL)

[LilJen]

I don't know. Ross and Vincent were so close point-wise. I wouldn't want to be on the committee. My gut instinct is that Ross would blunder as usual at the Olys, but who knows?

 

[caseyedwards]

I don't know. Ross and Vincent were so close point-wise. I wouldn't want to be on the committee. My gut instinct is that Ross would blunder as usual at the Olys, but who knows?

Rippon blundered as usual in Olympic Year nationals!! He gets rewarded for his blunders! It’s not like he can handle worlds pressure either and he’s quadless.

 

[Jarrett]

What is this about from you Jarrett? What's your real beef? What are you really upset about? I was not even addressing you. Lots of negative accusations coming from you, which are uncalled for.

You could just answer the question about what was your own intent of your great Lanie have you ever skated in the last group of Nationals retort. Even if you aren't addressing me I'm still going to call out asshats if I see them.

Also you may be getting part of my exhaustion of people complaining about everything all the time. I have seen so many people post about "facts" when the only fact is that their supposed fact is just an opinion and usually no more worthy than anyone else on the internet. But then it continues into insults of others and summary statements that just again just state opinions but states facts facts facts facts four more times as if they say fact another time it will this time be a fact and everyone will become a believer.

 

[bardtoob]

The problem with making a choice between Ross and Adam is that the USFSA is really not "building for the future" with either of them and neither has a realistic medal shot. Basically, both are just in the running for being given an experience and the title "Olympian".

 

[LilJen]

Rippon blundered as usual in Olympic Year nationals!! He gets rewarded for his blunders! It’s not like he can handle worlds pressure either and he’s quadless.

Rippon, though, has been incredibly consistent over the past couple of years, to the point that this performance seems like a fluke. Whereas Ross's performance here seems like a fluke. with his inconsistency over the past few years. Sigh.

 

[aftershocks]

You could just answer the question about what was your own intent of your great Lanie have you ever skated in the last group of Nationals retort. Even if you aren't addressing me I'm still going to call out asshats if I see them.

Really. Then you might as well call out yourself and a few other people while you're at it.

 

[caseyedwards]

Rippon, though, has been incredibly consistent over the past couple of years, to the point that this performance seems like a fluke. Whereas Ross's performance here seems like a fluke. with his inconsistency over the past few years. Sigh.

He’s been consistent at not winning gp events and not medaling at worlds and is just not that high a level of talent to really select over Miner! He’s just a journeyman as well.

 

[Lanie]

I agree with the point made that Adam was in a watered down field in his GP events and at GPF he didn't do so hot. Yes, could he score higher than Ross? But did he deliver when it was time to deliver? No. It wasn't even close. And I really enjoy Adam's skating. He was so lackluster, not just the jumps, but everything else didn't have the usual...spark.

I could see some merit of Vincent not going in favor of Adam, but I think Ross earned it by his skate tonight which is so difficult for anyone. Nationals is hard as hell.

 

[morqet]

I really hope this isn't true; Ross deserves something for his skating this week, but he's also very inconsistent; tactically it would make more sense to send him to the Olympics were world spots aren't on the line, than risk a potential meltdown at Worlds and going down to two spots. If they skip over him completely it's a disgusting decision, because he delivered when others falters and that should be rewarded.

 

[bardtoob]

He’s been consistent at not winning gp events and not medaling at worlds and is just not that high a level of talent to really select over Miner! He’s just a journeyman as well.

I agree!

 

[Jarrett]

Really. Then you might as well call out yourself and a few other people while you're at it.

Did I say I don't?

 

[Lanie]

It's rough. I don't envy the selection committee. Somebody's gonna be hurting right now because they know. But I'd go with the podium. Adam's LP is a thing of beauty mostly, but tonight it was not. I was gunning for him to do really well here.

 

[aftershocks]

... neither is a realistic medalist

I don't think 'realistic medalist' is a criteria the committee is looking at? For that matter, at this point I doubt Vincent has a 'realistic' opportunity of getting on the podium at either Olympics or Worlds, with the current 'big gun' depth. Vincent will need to clean up his URs, gain more maturity and power, and build his PCS. He is still a bit juniorish IMO, but he's also fun to watch and very talented.

 

[bardtoob]

I don't think 'realistic medalist' is a criteria the committee is looking at? For that matter, at this point I doubt Vincent has a 'realistic' opportunity of getting on the podium at either Olympics or Worlds, with the current 'big gun' depth. Vincent will need to clean up his URs, gain more experience and build his PCS.

Well, here is the rest of my quote.

The problem with making a choice between Ross and Adam is that the USFSA is really not "building for the future" with either of them and neither has a realistic medal shot. Basically, both are just in the running for being given an experience and the title "Olympian".

I will now say that by choosing Vincent, the selection committee can say "they are building for the future". They can not say this by selecting either Adam, age 28, or Ross, age 26.

 

[Deleted member 19433]

I agree with the point made that Adam was in a watered down field in his GP events and at GPF he didn't do so hot. Yes, could he score higher than Ross? But did he deliver when it was time to deliver? No. It wasn't even close. And I really enjoy Adam's skating. He was so lackluster, not just the jumps, but everything else didn't have the usual...spark.

Adam was only 6 points behind Ross at Nationals. That actually is fairly close, especially combined with the fact that he qualified to the Grand Prix Final (another tier 1 event). OTOH, he beat Ross by 47 points head-to-head at Skate America (a Tier 2 event). Also by 16 points at the Challenger event where they met head to head (Tier 3). If tier 1 events were to be given so much more weight as to outweigh that point discrepancy, what would be the point of having a second tier at all?

 

[aftershocks]

I will now say that by choosing Vincent, the selection committee can say "they are building for the future". They can not say this by selecting either Adam or Ross.

Yes, no matter what is said, no matter the decision or how they say they arrived at it, there will be a lot of painful feelings and emotions for the skaters, their families, and obviously for fans. The sport really needs to evolve and to provide more competitive opportunities for skaters.

Was 'building for the future' one of the criteria though? In any case, things can change on a dime in figure skating. Building for the future doesn't necessarily even mean that both Nathan and Vincent are going to stay involved for the next eight years. There will always be young talented skaters coming up in the ranks with limited opportunities to break through. And the fact that there's not a viable professional tour (which is TPTB fault) hampers the sport's growth as well.

 

[Lanie]

I agree with you there @aftershocks . It's a shame there is no real pro circuit or anything for these wonderful athletes.

Adam or Ross will need a big hug tomorrow. Or both of them really.

 

[bardtoob]

Yes, no matter what is said, no matter the decision, there will be a lot of painful feelings and emotions for the skaters, their families, and obviously for fans. The sport really needs to evolve and provide more competitive opportunities for skaters.

That was not my point.

My point is that it is a hard choice because the selection committee can not say they are building for the future by selecting either Adam, age 28, or Ross, age 26. The selection committee is really only choosing who gets the title "Olympian" and the chance to walk in the opening ceremony, skate at the Olympics, live in the Olympic Village, etc.

 

[caseyedwards]

Well, here is the rest of my quote.



I will now say that by choosing Vincent, the selection committee can say "they are building for the future". They can not say this by selecting either Adam, age 28, or Ross, age 26.

They don’t know the future! Jason Brown in 4 years never learned a quad and regressed on his triple axel! Zhou could regress too! But he earned a spot and so did brown in 2014 and rippon didn’t! He never has in Olympic years. He’s always a bomb flop! At least Miner wasn’t a horrible bomb flop like rippon at These nationals. And rippons totally quadless too a total throwback.

 

[Lanie]

Ross isn't quadless. He landed one beauty of a quad Sal last night. And doesn't he do a toe as well? I'm tired

 

[Jarrett]

Ross isn't quadless. He landed one beauty of a quad Sal last night. And doesn't he do a toe as well? I'm tired

He made the salchow look so easy no one around me believe me when I said it was a quad.

 

[caseyedwards]

Ross isn't quadless. He landed one beauty of a quad Sal last night. And doesn't he do a toe as well? I'm tired

I meant rippon is quadless!

 

[bardtoob]

They don’t know the future! Jason Brown in 4 years never learned a quad and regressed on his triple axel! Zhou could regress too! But he earned a spot and so did brown in 2014 and rippon didn’t! He never has in Olympic years. He’s always a bomb flop! At least Miner wasn’t a horrible bomb flop like rippon at These nationals. And he’s totally quadless too a total throwback.

I am only saying that "they can say it" because Vincent is 17 while Adam is 28 and Ross is 26. That does not mean they are right. Goodness knows that skating federations are often wrong when choosing "the one"!

I still think the Olympic team should be Nathan, Ross, and Adam. Ross did beat Vincent at 2018 Nationals. Did Adam beat Vincent everywhere else?

 

[aftershocks]

There are other things US fed and the ISU need to be doing to effectively build the sport's future. Making painful partly politics-based decisions about who goes to the Olympics does not necessarily equate to 'building the sport's future.'

Ross' quad looked so easy and it seemed to be all the way around even watching online. But the tech panel automatically marked it for review as if they couldn't believe it, simply because Ross hasn't been consistently landing quads (he's landed the quad salchow once before in competition AFAIK, and he probably lands it a lot in training practices). At the same time, skaters who are known for landing quads more consistently may sometimes get a pass on having their landings closely reviewed.

 

[worldsnice12]

I really hope this isn't true; Ross deserves something for his skating this week, but he's also very inconsistent; tactically it would make more sense to send him to the Olympics were world spots aren't on the line, than risk a potential meltdown at Worlds and going down to two spots. If they skip over him completely it's a disgusting decision, because he delivered when others falters and that should be rewarded.

I agree on this ^^^
Nationals placements should still count for something and it does not mean that the skater cannot perform well at the next major event..

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

This weekend has proven what a crap shoot skating can be at times. One simply cannot predict performances based on 'body of work' and 'previous competitive experience' until the athletes have actually skated.

Like Dick Button used to say when he commentated, Nationals is the hardest event of the season for so many reasons.

Nothing against Adam and Jason, but it reminds me of when Liam Firus 'stepped down' so that Nam Nguyen could help Team Canada get three spots for 2017.

Yes, at that point, Nam was fifth in the world and the Canadian Champion in 2015. But he was 4th at Canadians in 2016 to Liam's 2nd.

The punchline was that Nam bombed in Boston and didn't even make the free skate.

 

[bardtoob]

There are other things US fed and the ISU need to be doing to effectively build the sport's future. Making painful partly politics-based decisions about who goes to the Olympics does not necessarily equate to 'building the sport's future.'

Ross' quad looked so easy and it seemed to be all the way around even watching online. But the tech panel automatically marked it for review as if they couldn't believe it, simply because Ross hasn't been consistently landing quads (he's landed the quad salchow once before in competition AFAIK, and he probably lands it a lot in training practices). At the same time, skaters who are known for landing quads more consistently may sometimes get a pass on having their landings closely reviewed.

Good point.

Maybe we should be asking why is Vincent not being scrutinized in comparison with Adam since "building for the future" is just speculation.

 

[aftershocks]

Yes, at that point, Nam was fifth in the world and the Canadian Champion in 2015. But he was 4th at Canadians in 2016 to Liam's 2nd.

Right, and that kind of decision-making can end up hurting both skaters' confidence and career trajectories. Figure skating is often a very cruel and unforgiving sport.

 

[Lilia A]

Well, I suppose I understand their reasons for leaving Miner off the team, but I'll say it anyway: it sucks. TBH, neither Miner nor Rippon nor Zhou are legitimate contenders to win an individual medal, and when it comes to the Olympics medals are what count. 4th place = no medal, 8th place = no medal, 24th place = no medal. To the skater it matters, to USOC it doesn't because they can't add your top ten finish to the medal count.
Worlds, otoh, is a different story. I'd completely agree if we were talking about worlds.

Again, I understand the rationale behind this, but then what's the point for dark horses and underdogs to even try to make the team if hitting when it counts is useless? They might as well hold nationals at the end of the season when all is said and done. That way no one can ever say that giving their all at nationals led them to nowhere (or to 4CC).
Unpopular opinion, perhaps, but it's almost 5:30am and if I don't put it out here I'll never sleep. Have a good day/night everyone.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Right, and that kind of decision-making can end up hurting both skaters' confidence and career trajectories. Figure skating is often a very cruel and unforgiving sport.

To have on one's resume that you were an Olympian, reads much better than a Four Continentsian, I guess.