U.S. Ladies [#21]: Wrapped Up with a Neat Little BOW

[GullyGirl84]

Mirai gave an interview two days ago with Nick McCarvel after the short program where she started crying and said that she felt like she disappointed her country, so I don't think that she didn't take the individual event seriously. She also was hugging Gabby Daleman when Gabby was crying backstage last night and telling her that she won a gold medal. So I'm chalking this up to exhaustion as a Mirai fan, but maybe her publicist should have reeled her in a little last night given the media response this morning.

 

[haribobo]

Not Mirai's most PC interview but the utter douchebags who wrote these articles give her zero credit for what she did. To read them, you would think the US skaters had the medals in their grasp and squandered their chances by eating crap all week, getting no sleep, partying all night, and having terrible attitudes. I'm sure Mirai knows what headspace she needs to get into to compete, so if pretending it was a DWTS audition is what works for her, fine. None of them skated as well as at Nationals but neither were they that bad. And hearing "the Americans failed" has to be grating. I don't think "Gabby failed too" is the most effective response but I don't blame her for not knowing how to answer a question like that. No matter what, these reporters were looking to write a scathing story about skating due to our relatively low finishes. Mirai gave them just enough creative material to create a narrative around us not taking this seriously.

 

[Carolla5501]

And if Ashley was there she would be 8th, 9th or 10th


This is just where we are right now. I wasn't expecting much and I am not disappointed. Just because NBC decided to hype some skaters doesn't change the basic facts that we didn't really have a contender for a medal!


If anyone thinks having another skater was going to be any better, Fantasyland is over in China not Korea!


I haven't bothered to read the media circus... it's the same "circus" that created all that drama over Nancy and Mickey Mouse. Just noise IMHO.

 

[Wyliefan]

Ugh, poor Mirai. I don't want this for her. I hate it when the media builds 'em up and tears 'em down. I hated it with Ashley; I hated it all the way back with Nancy Kerrigan. Just back off, people!

 

[seabm7]

If Nagasu had interest in only the team event she should’ve withdrawn from the individual event.

That is not allowed, unless you have a legitimate injury.

 

[mag]

And if Ashley was there she would be 8th, 9th or 10th


This is just where we are right now. I wasn't expecting much and I am not disappointed. Just because NBC decided to hype some skaters doesn't change the basic facts that we didn't really have a contender for a medal!


If anyone thinks having another skater was going to be any better, Fantasyland is over in China not Korea!


I haven't bothered to read the media circus... it's the same "circus" that created all that drama over Nancy and Mickey Mouse. Just noise IMHO.

If Ashley was there, would the US have won the team medal? I feel fairly confident they would have had her skate one portion and I do not think she is capable of putting up the scores the other two do in the team event.

As for Mirai (and Gabby’) those two hit home runs in the team event and secured medals for their teams. I cannot imagine the mental exhaustion that must have followed! I am disappointed for both because I know they really wanted to skate better, but they get a complete pass from me. Nothing to be ashamed of. Go home proud.

 

[NAOTMAA]

I guess there is a sale on kool-aid.

um she would bested them (USA gals) all. OH well, onward and upward.

She may have done best of the US girls but her point total would likely have made very little difference in the standings. She probably would have finished around 7th if she repeated her nationals performance. Although if it was anything like her GP performances then 8th or lower.

In the end 7th, 8th or 9th makes very little difference which is why sending the nationals podium was the right way to go. Worlds is a much different matter though and if this is anything to go by then the US is close to losing a spot for next years worlds

 

[ssminnow]

You mean, like Canada?

Is Canada dominating?

 

[UGG]

Nagasu went on: “We went to the Team USA House on the lunar holiday and it took four hours just to get to the mountain. I also haven’t taken a warm shower. There are a lot of people on Team USA and somehow I keep trying to take a shower when all the hot water is gone. Also I’ve woken up so early.”

What???

 

[Frida80]

She’s mentally exhausted. After that SP she was devastated, so she tried a different mind set for the FS. The nerves, adrenaline, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion got to her at that worst moment. She’s trying to be positive at the worst moment.

 

[NAOTMAA]

I don't know much about past Olympic villages but from what I have read they are far from paradise. But they suck it up because it's a once in a lifetime experience. The lack of hot water doesn't surprise me. The four hours up the mountain though.......

 

[coppertop1]

If Nagasu had interest in only the team event she should’ve withdrawn from the individual event.

Can you do that? Plushenko was told he had to change compete in both

Is Canada dominating?

Not really dominating like Russia or Japan, but we have had good results over the past several years with Joannie Rochette, then Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman. We've definitely improved in Ladies Figure Skating.

 

[toddlj]

I sure hope Ashley is still training. I have a bad feeling one of these three ladies will WD from worlds. I think it would be foolish, though. It should be a depleted field, better training conditions, and (slightly) less pressure, and therefore a very good chance for a better result than what happened last night.

 

[NAOTMAA]

It's pretty clear Mirai totally spent all her mental energy on the team event and by the time it came to the individual she was dead. She had not enough time to recover.

We talk about how the team event could help a skater get the jitters out of the way before the individual but with Mirai we saw the down side of it.

 

[mag]

She’s mentally exhausted.

This. My dd has said a number of times that she has no idea what her coach says to her in the kiss and cry. Her brain is fried even after something small like sectionals (small compared to the Olympics )

I really don’t think we can even imagine the emotional roller coaster these women have been on. They skated early in the team event and then had to stay in fighting form for two full weeks. Yes, that is what they signed up for, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

 

[UGG]

She’s mentally exhausted. After that SP she was devastated, so she tried a different mind set for the FS. The nerves, adrenaline, sleep deprivation, and exhaustion got to her at that worst moment. She’s trying to be positive at the worst moment.

Doesn’t everyone else at the Olympics deal with those issues as well? Can you imagine if Michelle Kwan said she lost to Sarah Hughes because she was tired and had cold showers, and then point out Sasha Cohen also fell?

 

[Maximillian]

I have a different theory regarding US ladies: The US hasn’t gotten noticeably worse. Rather the rest of the World has caught up and in several cases, has passed by the US.

Going way back, we have had stars like Hamill, Yamaguchi and Kwan, but if you look at US ladies who were not huge stars but were the US no. 1 in their respective olympic cycles, they were just as wobbly as the current batch - Rosalynn Summers, Elaine Zayak, Tiffany Chin, Debi Thomas, Jill Trenary, Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Nicole Bobek, Sasha Cohen, and then everyone after 2008. They were skittish competitors, but the competition was a lot less fierce. Then Mao and Yu Na arrived on the Senior scene (two big stars), so it's revealing how US ladies still achieved podium finishes until 2007 despite a shaky performance here and there, because they only had to contend with only one foreign star who was more talented than they (only very occasionally two) at any given time before Mao and Yu Na (Ex - Witt, Ito, Baiul - that last one is questionable )

I also don’t think the USFSA ever fully and completely recovered from the elimination of 6.0 and emphasizes safe programs to an extent. It can work rarely (Lysacek - 2010) but that doesn’t really win under IJS anymore. Our most high profile coach Frank Carroll was big on not allowing his students to place a jump in a program unless it had a 90 percent success rate. Trapped in 6.0 mentality

Parental interference is discussed. That could be a factor too: They pay big money and want a say even if their opinion is not grounded in reality. *Cough* Nathan Chen *Cough*

This! It's interesting because I was thinking about Weir's comment about the Russian ladies depth and realized that really was never the case with the US ladies through the years, outside of perhaps the '99-02 quad and the rise of the 'baby ballerina'. Historically we've had one, possibly two challengers for the podium at Worlds/Olympics but there's usually been a drop off after that and places 5 and downward at Nats. have never been particularly strong.

This whole set-up was never a problem historically because there was never that much depth internationally, we produced one, maybe two ladies in contention for the podium and they usually made it because there were usually only one or two international threats, in the early '70s it was Schuba and Magnusson, followed by Errath and DeLeeuw (who was American) and then Poetzch, in the '80s you had Witt, and...that was pretty much it until Manley had the skate of a lifetime in Calgary and then Ito came along and then Baiul (Bonaly was always going to suffer in comparison to U.S. ladies because of her poor skating skills), then Lu and Slutskaya and for a brief moment Butyrskaya. It wasn't until Japan really started producing a slew of strong ladies at the beginning of the oughts that the shift began to occur, then came Yuna and Kostner and then the Russian wonder ladies.

I also agree about the coaching situation, I think it's telling that the go-to coach for U.S ladies is still Carroll, because he's the one who can 'refine them', but the reality is, his 'refining' techniques are very much of the 6.0 system, exhibit: Gracie Gold. This is in contrast to the Russians who have Tutberidze as their go-to coach for ladies, as it were and you get skaters with programs that are designed for IJS.

But as I said earlier this season, losing Gracie (and Polina) created too large a void for U.S. ladies to make up, primarily because Gracie was top 3 on PCS and that could carry her into the top 5-6 even with a flawed performance. Looking at Tennell's PCS, it's pretty clear that only Nagasu had a chance for top 6 here and that was only if she landed the 3A in both programs, her PCS just don't stand up. With regards to Chen, I don't even know what to say, she finished 4th in the World last year, but she hasn't really done anything this season that would suggest she would come close to that finish again.

I'll be intersted to see what happens at Worlds, and if they all show up. I suspect that Nagasu is hurting (judging by the tape on the leg and the back) which is no surprise for someone who's been training the 3A all season. Tennell's PCS don't seem to indicate that she is capable of making the top 5 (unless a lot of other ladies skip) and Chen is a huge question mark. I would assume Wagner is done and done, who would be next Andrews or Wang?

Anyway, sorry for the long post, just needed the catharsis after a tense couple of weeks.

 

[Maximillian]

Is Canada dominating?

You said, 'countries' in your post, which suggests plural, and considering Canada had two women on the podium at last years Worlds and a lady on the podium at this years Olympics, I would assume that was the country you meant outiside of Russia, since Japan hasn't had a lady on the World podium since 2015.

 

[mag]

I am so tired of fans and the press talking about pops like the skater just didn’t even try. Most pops are a result of trying too hard. Wanting it too bad. Rushing the take off. I would love for the US media and fans who are complaining to watch the entire FS event on the CBC feed. Listen to Kurt and Carol, notice the complete lack of snark, the intelligent analysis, and most importantly the complete respect they have for these athletes. Kurt lives every moment with each skater. He has been there when it is good and when it is very bad and he shows empathy, something that really seems to be, for the most part, lost in the American dialogue. These athletes work for their entire life to date to get to these games. They spend every waking moment cold, tired, hungry, and in pain. Think about that for a minute before you say they don’t want it badly enough, or that they didn’t fight.

 

[wickedwitch]

I wonder if Mirai was trying to be irreverent like Adam, but it just came off poorly. The comment about Daleman was both unnecessary and thoughtless.

 

[CassAgain]

Oh my days, did Mirai lose her mind? What the heck? What an utter lack of graciousness.

And no excuses. We all watched Janny Med last night be impeccably classy in the face of disappointment.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

I am so tired of fans and the press talking about pops like the skater just didn’t even try. Most pops are a result of trying too hard. Wanting it too bad. Rushing the take off. I would love for the US media and fans who are complaining to watch the entire FS event on the CBC feed. Listen to Kurt and Carol, notice the complete lack of snark, the intelligent analysis, and most importantly the complete respect they have for these athletes. Kurt lives every moment with each skater. He has been there when it is good and when it is very bad and he shows empathy, something that really seems to be, for the most part, lost in the American dialogue. These athletes work for their entire life to date to get to these games. They spend every waking moment cold, tired, hungry, and in pain. Think about that for a minute before you say they don’t want it badly enough, or that they didn’t fight.

That's not the issue here. It's her reaction to the pop "I am happy because I went for it in my head".

 

[mag]

That's not the issue here. It's her reaction to the pop "I am happy because I went for it in my head".

Which could be interpreted a number of different ways. My point is that unless you have been in her shoes, you really have no idea what she has been through in the past two weeks let alone the past four years. She did her job here and she did it well. I do not understand why people feel the need to dissect every word and then cast them in the worst possible light.

 

[Frida80]

Doesn’t everyone else at the Olympics deal with those issues as well? Can you imagine if Michelle Kwan said she lost to Sarah Hughes because she was tired and had cold showers, and then point out Sasha Cohen also fell?

Michelle had many victories by that point as well as tons of media attention beforehand, so no. Mirai just made history week ago. She’s been interviewed incessantly and hyped to the high heaven. Two days ago was devastating. Tom and Adam probably rationalized everything so she could get through this FS. Her head is still buzzing with exhaustion and adrenaline. It was just a brain fart moment.

 

[Frida80]

Which could be interpreted a number of different ways. My point is that unless you have been in her shoes, you really have no idea what she has been through in the past two weeks let alone the past four years. She did her job here and she did it well. I do not understand why people feel the need to dissect every word and then cast them in the worst possible light.

I don’t know either?! If you read her tweets and Ok her other actions you can see she’s just making the best of the situation. She’s devastated that she didn’t skate well.

 

[Yazmeen]

I think we've known for years that Mirai tends to be irreverent, and she an also be more than a bit of a flake at times, honestly. I think she was exhausted, and she just said what ever came into her head. She walked it back later, realizing it didn't come off too well. And the Canadian hockey player also apologized for taking off her silver medal. They are both great athletes, sometimes the emotions get you after an exhausting time. Let it go, let's move on.

Wouldn't it be nice if sports reporters would concentrate on the sports instead of everything that comes out of an athlete's mouth after an exhausting (and especially disappointing) day.

 

[Wyliefan]

This is what bugs me about the press. They encourage people like Mirai and Adam to say cute and goofy things, to be media darlings, to be bold and unfiltered. Then when they do, they act all shocked. I'm not saying Mirai should have said all those things. I'm saying she's been encouraged all along to say things like that, and then when she takes it a bit too far -- no doubt with exhaustion and emotion playing a major role -- suddenly they're all "HOW COULD SHE?"

 

[Aerobicidal]

FSU circa three weeks ago:
Nagasu is the most inspiring skater of all time.
She is a role model for all people at all times.
She is a virtual lock for the individual bronze.
Her skating and personality are equally unimpeachable.
Anyone who dares criticize her must be banned from everything.

FSU circa now:
Nagasu is a disgrace.
These clearly unbiased articles about her prove that she is a disgusting person.
She is delusional and let down her nation.
There are no excuses for anyone defending her.
She makes Anastasia Gimazetdinova look like the most artistic skater of all time.

FSU: Where no glass is ever half full.

 

[UGG]

This is what bugs me about the press. They encourage people like Mirai and Adam to say cute and goofy things, to be media darlings, to be bold and unfiltered. Then when they do, they act all shocked. I'm not saying Mirai should have said all those things. I'm saying she's been encouraged all along to say things like that, and then when she takes it a bit too far -- no doubt with exhaustion and emotion playing a major role -- suddenly they're all "HOW COULD SHE?"

I really don’t think anyone was encouraging her to bring up another skater’s poor performance when asked about her own poor skate. That was just really..immature.

 

[elka_sk8]

Doesn’t everyone else at the Olympics deal with those issues as well? Can you imagine if Michelle Kwan said she lost to Sarah Hughes because she was tired and had cold showers, and then point out Sasha Cohen also fell?

I agree that Mirai did not come across very well, but I’m willing to cut her some slack here. I do think the team event changes the typical preparation for the individual conpetition in ways that some of the skaters weren’t prepared for, particularly when they have a knock-out performance in the team event. We saw it 4 years ago with Lipnitskaya as well.