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

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Jayar said:
Who cares if they aren't around that long? They are winning. And they are winning more medals that the long-term Americans. Figure skating is not a marathon these days-- it seems to be more of a sprint.
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Regardless of "country", i'd like to see a trend changing to doing athletics until college age (18-20), and then transferring to normal life. Maybe it should be "winning all you can while very young" and moving on to college and profession, rather than "bang your head and butt on ice till your mid 20's or 30's in hope winning something"..... Skaters like Sarah Hughes, Debbie Thomas are the right role models for me. They won their medals, went to University, and became professionals. I loved it when Debbie Thomas, after she finished her FS at the Olympics, said in k-n-k "Ok, now back to Medical School"!!! :respec:
 
Elisheba said:
Tenley Albright might be a better role model than Debi Thomas, considering... :shuffle:
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It's so sad. I remember a tv interview with Dr. Albright when she was discussing Debi (in the lead up to the '88 Olympics I think) and she said 'I've had many wonderful talks with Debi'. I assume about their sport and their shared interest in the medical profession. :(
 
Tinami Amori said:
Regardless of "country", i'd like to see a trend changing to doing athletics until college age (18-20), and then transferring to normal life. Maybe it should be "winning all you can while very young" and moving on to college and profession, rather than "bang your head and butt on ice till your mid 20's or 30's in hope winning something"..... Skaters like Sarah Hughes, Debbie Thomas are the right role models for me. They won their medals, went to University, and became professionals. I loved it when Debbie Thomas, after she finished her FS at the Olympics, said in k-n-k "Ok, now back to Medical School"!!! :respec:
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Um, @TinamiAmori, if you don't know already, Debi may have gone to med school but in a nutshell, she didn't succeed as an orthopedic surgeon and got fired from fellowships and practices because she wouldn't listen to her superiors and insisted on doing everything her way. She was divorced twice and lost custody of her son to her second husband, is basically in financial ruin, and is barely scraping by while attempting to sell gold in what has been shown to be a questionable multi-level marketing scheme. She was previously diagnosed as bipolar (or at least having a mood disorder) but refuses to take medication; she now slams and hates pretty much the entire medical profession. And if you listen to her these day, she definitely comes off as residing in her own personal "la-la land" and has fairly obvious mental health issues. A role model? Maybe once, sadly and definitely not one now. Her "all or nothing" personality (her words, not mine) has definitely hurt her in a lot of ways.
 
Yesterday I posted this local Chicago area Bradie Tennell article (March 12) in her fan thread - re-posting here in GSD: http://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...errell-back-elgin-st-0314-20180312-story.html
"That was the longest time I'd ever been away from home," she said. "It was different than anything I'd ever experienced."
Once back in Carpentersville, she "took a day or two off to sleep" but has since returned to her regular training schedule at the Buffalo Grove-based Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion, Tennell said .
That's because she leaves in a few days for the 2018 World Figure Skating Championships, which will be held March 21-25 in Milan, Italy.
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Tennell was able to take some time off Saturday to participate in East Dundee's annual Thom McNamee Memorial St. Patrick's Day Parade. She rode on a vintage fire engine, sponsored by Minute Men Services, with several Carpentersville officials as well as her mom, Jean, and one of her brothers, Shane.
She was excited to participate.
"I've never been part of a parade before," she said.
When the figure skater arrived for Saturday's parade lineup at Carpentersville Fire Station 91, she donned her Team USA coat, gloves, hat and scarf but realized she forgot to bring her medal.
"It actually makes me nervous to wear it because the medal is heavy and the ribbon is really thin," she said.
Tennell said she didn't mind getting back into the intense rigor of training so soon after returning home from the Olympics. She gets up every morning at 4 a.m. in order to be at Twin Rinks by 6 a.m. After she trains for a few hours, she does an off-ice workout later in the day.
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Photo of Bradie waving from the vintage fire engine: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgPRngPngNY/
 
Jayar said:
Who cares if they aren't around that long? They are winning. And they are winning more medals that the long-term Americans. Figure skating is not a marathon these days-- it seems to be more of a sprint. No matter what, if American ladies want to catch up, they've got a lot of work to do.
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I actually agree with this. I think that's one thing that I've noticed ever since the Russians began dominating the field. The name of the game is "get it while the gettin' is good" i.e. win while you can.

Julia dominated the junior level but had a relatively short senior career (3 years): 6 GP medals (2 gold), GPF silver, Euro gold, Oly team gold, world silver. She struggled beyond 2014 but it doesn't matter. She got her medals.

If Evgenia never wins another title in her life, she's already set. She dominated this past quad and will be remembered for it. If Alina wins worlds next week and retires, she would retire as an undefeated GPF/National/European/Olympic/World champion. She'll have literally won everything there is to win.

I was used to the longevity of Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya, Carolina Kostner, Mao Asada, etc. but that's not what is important anymore. It's about winning the titles while you can. If you don't win more than one or two, it doesn't matter...you still won.

I honestly think it's going to take US skating several more years to catch up to Russia and Japan.
 
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Yazmeen said:
Um, @TinamiAmori, if you don't know already, Debi may have gone to med school but in a nutshell, she didn't succeed as an orthopedic surgeon and got fired from fellowships and practices because she wouldn't listen to her superiors and insisted on doing everything her way.
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My comment was about the right attitude towards education and life's future after winning her OLYMPIC MEDAL (and not getting jerky and anxious about oh, i have to have Gold like a bad gambler who thinks the next bet will win) https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20151106__1107debi2.jpg?w=620
 
So looking at things realistically, because of the the shallow pool of competitive talent the U.S. has, Wagner has a good shot to stay relevant at least nationally, while many U.S. women leave her in the dust talent wise (Chen, Nagasu, even Tennell) I think it would benefit everyone involved in the USFSA if Wagner competed at least part of the 2018-19 season. Yes I know the argument of “she wouldn’t do any better than the other U.S. ladies” will come up but Wagner has that grit, fire and je ne sais quois that many of our current ladies desperately lack. To be honest she might have to be U.S. skating’s version of Catalina Ponor.
 
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Interview with Mirai (that I also posted in her fan thread) on People.com

(If you don't want any videos to pop up on your screen and just want to read the text, try this link instead: https://spielng.com/2018/03/15/mira...-and-wanting-to-do-better-after-the-olympics/)

There's stuff about her heading to Worlds and about Oscars & DWTS but they also asked about her future plans:
Discussion of a post-skating future (Nagasu has already said this was her only Olympics) inevitably leads back to skating itself.

Maybe, she says, she’ll become an interviewer like sportscaster Andrea Joyce. Or maybe even a comedian: “Sometimes I think I’m a Kardashian and that’s why all of my dogs’ names start with Ls and then I realize I’m not,” she quips. Or maybe, like the legendary Midori Ito, she will take a break from skating and then return to the world championship after a years-long hiatus.

But that all comes later.

“I would love the opportunity to share more of my personality and less of my skating with the world,” Nagasu says, “but for now, more skating.”
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kwanatic said:
If Evgenia never wins another title in her life, she's already set. She dominated this past quad and will be remembered for it.
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:lol: this actually proves your point. Now a days, a decent two year run is what passes for “dominated the quad”. SMH
 
berthesghost said:
:lol: this actually proves your point. Now a days, a decent two year run is what passes for “dominated the quad”. SMH
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Decent? :lol: She was pretty much undefeated. In 3 seasons skating, she lost 1 competition. Lets face it, if not for age limits, she would have/ could have landed on the podium at worlds the year she won her Jr. World title. While injured this season she managed to win or place second in every competition she entered. Decent :rofl:.

For every Kwan, Slutskaya and Kostner, you have a Bauil, Lipinski and Hughes. The only difference is, the talented girls of this era are held back by age limits and they are all from one country, Russia.

Also affecting the ability of these girls to stay at the top longer, is the sheer level of competitiveness they face at home. The risk for injury and burn out is ten fold for these girls who keep pushing the boundary of their sport day in and day out. There is always someone younger faster and hungrier who wants what you have. You can literally see the competitive fire in every girl who steps on the ice(minus a few).

That is one thing I loved about Wagner. She wanted it and she wasn't afraid to say it and work for it. None of this :wuzrobbedI was away from mom, home, my boots suck pray for me blah blah nonsense. She moved across country, got a job to sustain herself and worked her butt off to get where she wanted to go. Say what you will about her skating style or skills, but she was one determined skater and that is something US ladies skating lacks. There is no fire IMO.
 
morqet said:
(so I assume Ashley is definitively done)
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I watched an ad last night with "Olympic figure skater Ashley Wagner" in it. I'd guess she'll wait until she gets what can out of her connection with Sochi and move on.

I want to see ads with "Olympic figure skater Aimee Buchanan." :sneaky:
 
morqet said:
http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat03108711.htm

Karen out of Worlds, Mariah replacing her (so I assume Ashley is definitively done)
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Well at least now Avanta can't make an angry post about behavior unbecoming a world championship competitor.


...too soon?

This is too bad for Karen really, but not a huge surprise if she's having issues still. Good luck to Mariah. I know she has some good skates in her!
 
It's a bit strange to look back and realize that Nationals may have been Ashley's last competition. That's just not what I was expecting or thinking about at that time. I'm sure it wasn't what Ashley was expecting, either. If it was her last competition, I'm glad I got a chance to see the La La Land program live in San Jose. I found it moving and lovely, it's a performance I will remember.

Ashley and Gracie have been the subjects of such heavy & constant criticism on this board. Although neither ever reached the pinnacle of a World or Olympic title, they kept U.S. ladies skating afloat and relevant for the past 8 years, which is something I'm grateful for. The future of U.S. ladies without them does not look very bright right now. :(
 
Rukia said:
Well at least now Avanta can't make an angry post about behavior unbecoming a world championship competitor.


...too soon?

This is too bad for Karen really, but not a huge surprise if she's having issues still. Good luck to Mariah. I know she has some good skates in her!
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Too soon if she’s yet to give a reason. Unless she tweets “had to wd from worlds due to boot issues” then it’s :argue::watch:
 
giselle23 said:
I'm disappointed that Ashley declined. I suppose she hadn't been training. I can't help but feel sad if this is the end for Ashley. I still do not understand why the US judges lowballed her on PCS. She was the number 1 US ladies skater for the past 5 years and they basically showed her the door.
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She hadn't been training; she indicated as much on her Instagram recently, when she did that post about just now getting back on the ice. It's a shame. Her decision, of course, but I would have loved to see her do one more Worlds, especially with the La La Land program. But maybe she just didn't have it in her.
 
morqet said:
http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat03108711.htm

Karen out of Worlds, Mariah replacing her (so I assume Ashley is definitively done)
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I didn't expect her to pull out but maybe she'll take this extra off season time to find some damn skates that work! I can't take a 3rd season of "my boots, my boots...":violin: I love her skating to death but TBH the boot excuse is played out at this point.

I'm not shocked to see Ashley decline. I honestly feel she's done with competitive skating. The federation basically wrote her off last year when she placed behind Karen at nationals and again this year with her placing 4th. Besides, her skating hasn't been strong since the 2016 season. I think she'd be a great correspondent and spokesperson for a number of things. I'd be surprised to see her competing next season.

As for Mariah, I hope she's been training.

I sure hope Bradie, Mirai and Mariah can pull out their best next week. Even with the field slightly thinner this year, it may still end up being a tall order to get 3 spots for next year.
 
Yeah I bet Mariah's known. She trains with Ashley, so she knows when Ashley's training and when she's not. Ashley also said that she'd been helping Rafael coach, so I bet she had time to tell Mariah personally way ahead of time. Maybe she's even helping coach Mariah or helping her build confidence for Worlds.

Ashley's smart - she knows where she stands with USFSA. I would bet that Ashley knows it's better to give the chance to someone like Mariah who's not only been training but has motivation to continue into future years than herself.
 
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kwanatic said:
I didn't expect her to pull out but maybe she'll take this extra off season time to find some damn skates that work! I can't take a 3rd season of "my boots, my boots...":violin: I love her skating to death but TBH the boot excuse is played out at this point.

I'm not shocked to see Ashley decline. I honestly feel she's done with competitive skating. The federation basically wrote her off last year when she placed behind Karen at nationals and again this year with her placing 4th. Besides, her skating hasn't been strong since the 2016 season. I think she'd be a great correspondent and spokesperson for a number of things. I'd be surprised to see her competing next season.

As for Mariah, I hope she's been training.

I sure hope Bradie, Mirai and Mariah can pull out their best next week. Even with the field slightly thinner this year, it may still end up being a tall order to get 3 spots for next year.
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I think it'll be tough. Bradie is the only US lady even in the top 24 SB right now. Including only the people on the list for Worlds, the SB list goes like this:

1. Alina Zagitova
2. Kaetlyn Osmond
3. Satoko Miyahara
4. Wakaba Higuchi
5. Maria Sotskova
6. Carolina Kostner
7. Bradie Tennell
8. Elizabet Tursynbaeva
9. Stanislava Konstantinova
10. Dabin Choi
11. Gabrielle Daleman
12. Mirai Nagasu
13. Mariah Bell

Obviously that doesn't tell us everything. Wakaba and Stasya got their SBs from CS events that seemed to have somewhat inflated scores. For Stasya, she got ~190 at one of her other senior events, which is in line with ~186 in juniors without the choreo element. That would move her in between Mirai and Mariah. As for Wakaba, all of her scores this season have been above 200, with her lowest just below Bradie's best. Also Elizabet has been injured and hasn't skated as well recently. But even if Wakaba was behind Bradie, one of Mirai and Mariah would need to beat all of Elizabet, Stasya, Dabin and Gabby to get 3 spots.

Looking at scores/placements from the Olympics, here's what we have:

1. Alina
2. Evgenia
3. Kaetlyn
4. Satoko
5. Carolina
6. Kaori
7. Dabin
8. Maria
9. Bradie
10. Mirai
11. Karen

If you just removed the two above the US girls who aren't going to Worlds, that would give them 7+8 = 15 (2 spots). It's pretty unlikely that Wakaba would lose to two US girls, so her behind Bradie would give 7+9 = 16. Then there's also Stasya, Gabby and Elizabet who are capable of beating one or all of the US ladies. So they'd need some help. Bradie would need to get 6th at least, which would likely mean beating Wakaba, Dabin and Maria at a minimum. Then having none of those girls beat the 2nd US lady either.

3 spots is going to take really strong skates from two US ladies and mistakes from a few others.
 
AxelAnnie said:
Whoa! Didn't see that coming.

I hope no one is going to hold their breath waiting for those three spots. I don't remember the US ever fielding a team that was so weak, inconsistent, and/or un-tested.
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What about 2008, the year Mirai won Nationals and was too young to go to Worlds? As I recall, it was Kimmie Meissner (who had finished off the podium at Nationals), 16 year old Ashley Wagner and Bebe Liang. Mirai and Bradie have the ability to score higher than they did at the Olympics individual event. Both did well in the team event. I think they can move up over Dabin Choi if they skate well. Higuchi is hardly a lock to score above them. She didn't do well at World's last year and Mirai beat her at 4CCs that year. Sotskova bombed at Worlds last year and had a bad short program at the Olympics. It won't be easy, but three spots are not out of reach.
 
It will be what it will be. We all know Mirai can score higher.

giselle23 said:
I think they can move up over Dabin Choi if they skate well.
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We should also all know by now that Dabin is the one likely to skate well. She struggled with an injury early this season, but she is rock material.
 
I am glad Ashley declined. She was held down at nationals to send Karen Chen who did absoloutly nothing except complain along with her teammate about how hard it is to be at the Olympics. Her excuse was “it was my first time here” uh well usually most people don’t go back a second time so I don’t even understand that comment. It was Mirai’s second time and there was no hot water for her. I bet Ashley would have happily jumped naked in a pond of ice every day with no complaints to skate at those games. Not sending her in favor of Karen was ridiculous
 
Dobre said:
It will be what it will be. We all know Mirai can score higher.



We should also all know by now that Dabin is the one likely to skate well. She struggled with an injury early this season, but she is rock material.
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Davin benefited from some calls at the Olympics and bei the home town girl. A good tech controller will call her jumps at Worlds.

Plus being under so much pressure to skate well at the Olympics is harsh. It's very likely she's mentally exhausted by Worlds.
 
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