ISU statement on Mariah Bell and Eun soo Lim

[snoopy]

What is the ATS? I’m sorry for asking

It is Lim's PR/talent agency that first put out the story that Bell intentionally attacked Lim.

 

[becca]

The fact that it couldn't be resolved directly between the two skaters who train at the same rink speaks volumes about the relationship between them. Note that in one of the press releases it is mentioned that Lim's team felt the need to report this as potentially intentional "based on past events".

The coach told the Russian press that he was not aware of any previous incident between the two. Does Lim speak English? It’s hard to know how much of a relationship the two can have. But once again before creating an international incident the coach should first be made aware there is an issue.

 

[SmallFairy]

Next the skaters will Have to wear a neon construction vest

We wear one in our run throughs at practice. It's pink.

 

[AnnM]

Next the skaters will Have to wear a neon construction vest

Some of the rinks I've skated at actually do this during freestyle sessions.

 

[matvey]

Sorry, but there should be punishment for Lim and the Korean Fed here. They've put out a libelous narrative which has been proven to be wrong, and a skater's reputation has been tarnished to the point that she's received death threats.

If Korean fans can't learn to behave themselves then maybe Korean skaters shouldn't be competing on the world stage.

 

[Karen-W]

Well, this has made it onto Fox News' afternoon broadcast. Shepherd Smith is having a terrible time pronouncing Eunsoo Lim's name. The teleprompter was not his friend, lol. And I'm not sure he could really believe he was reporting this "salacious" story, lol. The report was very fair to both skaters and included the ISU statement.

 

[snoopy]

Sorry, but there should be punishment for Lim and the Korean Fed here. They've put out a libelous narrative which has been proven to be wrong, and a skater's reputation has been tarnished to the point that she's received death threats.

If Korean fans can't learn to behave themselves then maybe Korean skaters shouldn't be competing on the world stage.

It wasn't the Korean Fed, it was the talent agency that put out the narrative. The Fed itself seems to have acted fairly reasonably. It wouldn't hurt for Korean fans to check themselves, however.

 

[Plisskin]

....that's it? This looks like any other accident I've seen in FS. Certainly not malicious. Mariah (and the crowd I hear) didn't even notice and kept right on skating. Still waiting for more info but it's looking like Mariah really should prepare to seek legal ramifications for defamation of character from Eunsoo's agency.

 

[CaliSteve]

I don't think it'll just end with one talk either after Mariah finishes the competition and truly sees how far ATS's narrative against her has gotten. My husband just shared a NYPost article about it full of comparisons to Tonya Harding and not hesitating to use ATS's inflammatory language against Bell.

That Wapo article was tabloid style journalism at its worst. Along the lines of the National Inquirer.

 

[MsZem]

That Wapo article was tabloid style journalism at its worst. Along the lines of the National Inquirer.

You do realize that the New York Post and the Washington Post are not the same?

Here's an article from the latter.

 

[lurkz2]

Cross-posting

I know many here don't care for "The Skating Lesson" but they just posted a grainy video and Mariah really was doing her run through with music

https://t.co/QSamD3ff9z

 

[chameleonster]

From the beginning I've been intensely skeptical of the idea that Mariah intentionally attacked Eunsoo. Not because its "out of character" or because "she just wouldn't"-- I don't know her, and having a sweet face means nothing. It's just that it seemed like a really difficult and extremely dangerous move to try, especially given that it was a public practice with cameras all around. Honestly, even when looking at the footage I had to watch a second time because it happened so fast and they weren't even that close to each other. There was no audience gasp, no drama, nothing to indicate that something Big had happened.

Which is a separate question from if Mariah is a bully at the practice rink, and I think it's unfortunate that these two allegations have been linked. Given how much of a regular accident this video looks like, it's a little concerning that Eunsoo/her agency immediately thought it must have been intentional. That's not what most people would think when a skater in the middle of their run grazes them while preparing for a jump. I think it's too hasty to dismiss the idea that there has been escalating bullying and intimidation behind the scenes.

Separate practice sessions does seem like something that other skaters at least would hear about, but it should also be verifiable if Mariah has received a warning from the rink management.

What I think is undeniable is that this situation has been poorly handled, regardless of the exact facts of the situation. Whether multiple skaters are covering up for Mariah because they personally like her, or if Raf has no control or monitoring of his skaters, or if Eunsoo's agency are insane "all publicity is good publicity" people, or some other thing, or some mixture of the above, there has been a massive failure to react appropriately. And I cannot imagine how stressful this is to deal with when the competition isn't even over yet.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Thanks to the posters who sent feedback to the WP. I still have a problem with the WP article even after our FSU posters here sent them the follow-ups that most likely contributed to the removal of the twitter fan comments with no factual accuracy.

They refer to the ATS person as an "official". In most instances, this person would be a "representative" or "officer of the company" not an official. I hope the writer has irresponsibly done this due to a poor choice of words and not an unprofessionally deliberate attempt to mislead and make this person sound like an official who would have any authority under the ISU or the skating federations.

 

[arakwafan2006]

The skaters are suffering. Eun Soo herself didn’t , from what i read contribute to this. She doesn’t need a drop of controversy to be relevant. Her skating is glorious in every way.

I don’t know Mariah but yesterday , i saw a young lady who conquered her nerves and was so proud. Learning more and more. To have this cruel ass narrative propagated has to be so scary. Her instagram is ruined. When you google her, this comes up. People have been cruel to her. This isn’t fair to her , at all. I hope good things come from it.

This goes to show, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ! Someone put batteries in this and now it won’t turn the hell off

 

[JamieElena]

You do realize that the New York Post and the Washington Post are not the same?

Here's an article from the latter.

Yes, I'm fairly certain @CaliSteve knows the difference. The WaPo article has, thankfully, been updated from it's original NYPost-esque version of the events.

 

[JamieElena]

Based on the media reports, I thought there was a violent assault involving kicking and stabbing. The video does not support that. Further, if it was deliberate, the force required by Bell, would've thrown her visibly off balance, because PHYSICS. Don't see that at all in the video.

 

[tony]

Bell and Lim once again skate back-to-back later tonight. They may as well just take their bows together, holding hands, in the skater introduction. That'll squash any rumor.

And then hug when Bell is getting off the ice and Lim on the ice, just for good measure.

 

[Flora]

My guess is things have taken place at the home rink and this "incident" was the last straw for Lim. I didn't see anything intentional in the video but if Lim or her people already felt there were problems before and it had been building up, then I could see how they would perceive what happened to be cause for issue.

 

[Finnice]

Bell and Lim once again skate back-to-back later tonight. They may as well just take their bows together, holding hands, in the skater introduction. That'll squash any rumor.

And then hug when Bell is getting off the ice and Lim on the ice, just for good measure.

Oh Tony, I wish that would happen.

 

[CaliSteve]

You do realize that the New York Post and the Washington Post are not the same?

Here's an article from the latter.

WaPo = Washington Post

I know the difference, but reading the article in its original form you would think it was from a tabloid.

 

[CaliSteve]

My guess is things have taken place at the home rink and this "incident" was the last straw for Lim. I didn't see anything intentional in the video but if Lim or her people already felt there were problems before and it had been building up, then I could see how they would perceive what happened to be cause for issue.

Its unexceptionable to plant a narrative describing as an assault, attack, stabling, etc. Stirring up shit that resulted in social media attacks on Mariah and Adam. This is typical of the ATB playbook. Look at the drama they created with the Brian - Yuna split.

 

[Finsta]

My guess is things have taken place at the home rink and this "incident" was the last straw for Lim. I didn't see anything intentional in the video but if Lim or her people already felt there were problems before and it had been building up, then I could see how they would perceive what happened to be cause for issue.

Except that the actual coach says nothing had happened. So it’s all lies. Maybe Lim is the one with the issues. If her accusations aren’t bullying and harassment then I don’t know what is

 

[snoopyskater]

To quote the old Wendy's commercial, "Where's the beef?" I watched the entire video waiting for the big beat down, only to reach the end wondering where it was. Even on the second viewing, I only realized where it was because I had seen pictures of the injured girl by the board. Definitely not what I was expecting.

 

[giselle23]

The over-the-top media reaction to this shows their sexist view of women. They might as well subtitle their headlines "Catfight!" I don't remember any mainstream coverage at all of the incident between Hanyu and Denis Ten at 2016 Worlds. I can't remember the specifics but I know some Hanyu representatives complained about Denis in practice. That didn't fit the narrative of two pretty princesses drawing out their claws at each other. It could be Tonya and Nancy all over again! It looked to me like Mariah didn't even realize that she had hit Eunsoo as she skated past--and that Eunsoo wasn't looking out for Mariah (her back was turned as she stood by the boards).

 

[AxelAnnie]

The over-the-top media reaction to this shows their sexist view of women. They might as well subtitle their headlines "Catfight!" I don't remember any mainstream coverage at all of the incident between Hanyu and Denis Ten at 2016 Worlds. I can't remember the specifics but I know some Hanyu representatives complained about Denis in practice. That didn't fit the narrative of two pretty princesses drawing out their claws at each other. It could be Tonya and Nancy all over again! It looked to me like Mariah didn't even realize that she had hit Eunsoo as she skated past--and that Eunsoo wasn't looking out for Mariah (her back was turned as she stood by the boards).

Sexist view? That is where you went with this?

One quick search and I found: Yuzuru Hanyu: Denis Ten Intentionally Caused Practice Kerfuffle.

Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu reportedly said Olympic bronze medalist Denis Ten intentionally got in his way, which led to Hanyu falling during a World Championships practice session Wednesday, hours before the short program in Boston.

 

[CaliSteve]

The over-the-top media reaction to this shows their sexist view of women. They might as well subtitle their headlines "Catfight!" I don't remember any mainstream coverage at all of the incident between Hanyu and Denis Ten at 2016 Worlds. I can't remember the specifics but I know some Hanyu representatives complained about Denis in practice. That didn't fit the narrative of two pretty princesses drawing out their claws at each other. It could be Tonya and Nancy all over again! It looked to me like Mariah didn't even realize that she had hit Eunsoo as she skated past--and that Eunsoo wasn't looking out for Mariah (her back was turned as she stood by the boards).

You made a valid point. However, Ensoo's management company fueled the fire with their narrative. They strategically timed the release of it into the media. Now its being covered in mainstream media.

 

[overedge]

The fact that it couldn't be resolved directly between the two skaters who train at the same rink speaks volumes about the relationship between them. Note that in one of the press releases it is mentioned that Lim's team felt the need to report this as potentially intentional "based on past events".

It speaks volumes about how Lim's PR firm chooses to view things, not about what actually might or might not have happened at the home rink.

 

[overedge]

Sexist view? That is where you went with this?

One quick search and I found: Yuzuru Hanyu: Denis Ten Intentionally Caused Practice Kerfuffle.

There is nothing in that story about Tonya and Nancy. The point @giselle23 was making is that whenever two female skaters are in some kind of physical conflict, it immediately gets portrayed as Tonya Vs Nancy: The Sequel, whereas when two male skaters collide, it's business as usual.

 

[overedge]

Thanks to the posters who sent feedback to the WP. I still have a problem with the WP article even after our FSU posters here sent them the follow-ups that most likely contributed to the removal of the twitter fan comments with no factual accuracy.

No kidding. If Bell had actually "kicked and stabbed" Lim with her skate blades, there would have been blood all over the place and a lot of yelling. That no one reported anything like that AFAIK should show how ridiculous these claims are.

 

[VGThuy]

Some of the comments under the TSL video by those who still hold Mariah solely guilty of the incident shows how once someone makes up their mind, they just won't let go of it despite the evidence being in front of them. Many of these people obviously never witnessed a practice session or a warm-up where skaters who have the right-of-way DO get that close to other skaters in their pattern/track. It's just the way it is. If Mariah somehow intentionally attacked Lim, then she should be signed up for some secret agent squad because it looked exactly like how her choreography has been looking all season AND at Worlds and she just kept going naturally. Not many can do an intentional hit-and-run that smoothly.