New Gracie Gold Interview About 2016 World Championships and Mental Health

[carriecmu0503]

Figure Skating Olympian Gracie Gold Opens up About the Pressure She Faced at the 2016 World Championship

"I was supposed to win that world championship" says Gold. She tells PEOPLE about how her fall from grace affected her mental health

www.yahoo.com

 

[tony]

I wonder if Gracie went into that Worlds really thinking it was her gold medal to lose or if she started to feel that way after she won the short program. I'm not so sure I would've said she was the favorite either way with Medvedeva there, but I'm just trying to understand if maybe the pressure came from her team/the USFS before the week started. Either way, I remember the interview she gave to an international press member (maybe Finland or something) after the LP that really should've been the first sign that something was very wrong.

Anyways, she had a strong LP at Nationals in 2020 and a great SP this season. She looked more relaxed than she ever has in the short and if she wants to continue on her own terms, all the power to her.

 

[Vash01]

Figure Skating Olympian Gracie Gold Opens up About the Pressure She Faced at the 2016 World Championship

"I was supposed to win that world championship" says Gold. She tells PEOPLE about how her fall from grace affected her mental health

www.yahoo.com

I only saw the first 2-3 lines. Couldn't see the article.

I think there was a lot of pressure On Gracie to win, probably because she was on home ice, even though Medvedeva had a lot of momentum. Med was not a world champion yet. So I would say she was a co-favorite.

Did Gracie put the pressure on herself or did the people around her did? She skated a great SP, but as we all know it doesn't automatically translate into a win. Frank knew that, but someone must have convinced Gracie that she would win.I doubt that one event caused her mental collapse though.

It is possibLe that she had heard since she was a child that she was going to be a world champion some day. I don't recall her having a poor performance until the 2016 worlds LP. It is hard to know what happened, when or why, but it was shocking to see it happen.

I admire her persistence to come out of it. I cannot help wondering what if she didn't have those issues, she could have had a very successful skating career. It is hard to say if she would have won the title some day but she could have won a few world medals.

I think she has the TE bronze from the 2014 Olympics.

 

[carriecmu0503]

I only saw the first 2-3 lines. Couldn't see the article.

You have to press play on the video.

 

[Vash01]

You have to press play on the video.

It took a lot of effort to get to the video. It didn't really tell much, other than that she started having suicidal thoughts in September 2017. The worlds were in March 2016. So she must have been in a downward spiral for a long time. The video mentioned a few other athletes, including Simone Biles' admission of depression.

It is good that she came out of it.

 

[MacMadame]

t is possibLe that she had heard since she was a child that she was going to be a world champion some day. I don't recall her having a poor performance until the 2016 worlds LP. It is hard to know what happened, when or why, but it was shocking to see it happen.

She's always been inconsistent. In 09-10, she made it to Nationals in Novice and came in 4th. The next year (her last as a Novice), she performed so badly that she didn't even qualify for Nationals.

Then the next year, she came back as a Junior, made it to Nationals, and won. She had a great season overall. I think this set her up as some sort of unbeatable skater even though people who had been following her for a few years knew she had a reputation for being inconsistent and nervy.

The next season she was all over the place. In her first GP, she came in 7th. At the next one, she won. At nationals, she was something like ninth after the SP but came back and won the FS to end up 2nd overall. That was the season she started working with a sports psychologist and the next season it seemed like that work was paying off as it was a more successful season for her.

But then it all fell apart after she came in 4th at Worlds.

I haven't watched the interview yet so I won't comment on "I was supposed to win" until I do. But I have thoughts!

 

[Seerek]

Although she had an excellent long program to win her second national title, I don't recall Gold's Four Contintents the following month to have been that great.

 

[overedge]

Did Gracie put the pressure on herself or did the people around her did? She skated a great SP, but as we all know it doesn't automatically translate into a win. Frank knew that, but someone must have convinced Gracie that she would win.I doubt that one event caused her mental collapse though.

She was being pushed by USFS as the great hope for US women's skating, and she has said that she was a perfectionist who was very hard on herself. I'm sure she was putting a lot of pressure on herself, but IMO there was as much, if not more, external pressure as well.

 

[wickedwitch]

She was being pushed by USFS as the great hope for US women's skating, and she has said that she was a perfectionist who was very hard on herself. I'm sure she was putting a lot of pressure on herself, but IMO there was as much, if not more, external pressure as well.

Ashley said something at the post-LP press conference along the lines of "you can stop asking about that medal drought." My guess is there was a bunch of direct pressure from the media plus even more indirect pressure from USFSA, especially with the Worlds in the US.

 

[overedge]

Ashley said something at the post-LP press conference along the lines of "you can stop asking about that medal drought." My guess is there was a bunch of direct pressure from the media plus even more indirect pressure from USFSA, especially with the Worlds in the US.

Like this from Phil Hersh in 2015, after Skate America:

Gracie Gold, the 2014 U.S. champion, was thisclose to the free skate of her career, which is a good thing, but she went all Gracie with a brain cramp in the short program, which is not - and it cost her the Skate America title won by Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva. If Gold's head stays in the game, she will end the 10-season world medal drought for U.S. women next spring.

She was being hyped as far back as 2012: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2012/10/24/gracie-gold-skate-canada-debut/1654479/

That's a lot of years to have those kinds of expectations riding on your shoulders. Especially when people are making comments about your "head staying in the game" every time you're less than perfect.

 

[sk8nlizard]

I only saw the first 2-3 lines. Couldn't see the article.

I think there was a lot of pressure On Gracie to win, probably because she was on home ice, even though Medvedeva had a lot of momentum. Med was not a world champion yet. So I would say she was a co-favorite.

Did Gracie put the pressure on herself or did the people around her did? She skated a great SP, but as we all know it doesn't automatically translate into a win. Frank knew that, but someone must have convinced Gracie that she would win.I doubt that one event caused her mental collapse though.

It is possibLe that she had heard since she was a child that she was going to be a world champion some day. I don't recall her having a poor performance until the 2016 worlds LP. It is hard to know what happened, when or why, but it was shocking to see it happen.

I admire her persistence to come out of it. I cannot help wondering what if she didn't have those issues, she could have had a very successful skating career. It is hard to say if she would have won the title some day but she could have won a few world medals.

I think she has the TE bronze from the 2014 Olympics.

I think it was probably a combo of both internal and external pressure for Gracie. Many had been watching her for a few years before she became a Senior and she was one of the few US Skaters in the recent past who was able to compete technically with the Russians.

I do agree that if she hadn’t had to step away from the sport, and continued to be able to compete at the level she was in Worlds 2016 (which is a big ask) she absolutely could have won more medals. However, she has also had a fairly successful skating career as is, 4th at worlds, an Olympic team medal and some GP medals is more than most skaters, just look at the results of our current women (and this is taking nothing away from them).

Before seeing her at Nationals, i figured this was her last year and was very impressed with her Comeback. I believe she has made it farther than just about any of us figured she could. However, after seeing her at Nationals and how solid her jumps were (especially in practice) I hope she stays around another year or so, if that’s what she wants to do. She really seems like she’s on an upswing. Either way, her perseverance is amazing and she has done a lot for the sport and mental health. She got the loudest applause by far in The Ladies event and is still a big draw for many casual fans at skating events.

 

[MacMadame]

So I've watched it. I was hoping for more context to the "I was supposed to win" but didn't get it. I don't remember her being the favorite to win so I wonder how much was coming from her team and how much from her. But without context, it's hard to tell.

 

[aussieSKATES]

We were in the press stand at the 2016 World Championships in Boston, with a direct view of Gold and the other skaters ready to take to the ice for their six minute free skate warm-up. From where we were sitting, Gracie's body language and her interactions with Frank Carroll, indicated that she appeared very tense and nervous. Not at all like her demeanor prior to the short program, where she looked ready to attack.

We can't even begin to imagine the pressure placed on her, as well as the expectations she put on herself at that event.

 

[LoopCombo]

Like this from Phil Hersh in 2015, after Skate America:



She was being hyped as far back as 2012: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2012/10/24/gracie-gold-skate-canada-debut/1654479/

That's a lot of years to have those kinds of expectations riding on your shoulders. Especially when people are making comments about your "head staying in the game" every time you're less than perfect.

That’s really rude, what Phil Hersh wrote. It’s gross when journalists feel like they have to get personal when athletes don’t deliver.

 

[Trillian]

She's always been inconsistent. In 09-10, she made it to Nationals in Novice and came in 4th. The next year (her last as a Novice), she performed so badly that she didn't even qualify for Nationals.

The year Gracie was 4th in novice was the first time I saw her skate, and I don’t remember exactly what she did. I do vividly remember thinking if there was one future star in that event, it would probably be her - but only if she got her competitive nerves under control. So, I agree - I think her issues with competing were unfortunately very apparent all along, and she just never fully conquered them.

(Interestingly, I just Wiki’d and realized I underestimated the rest of that field. Aside from champ Leah Keiser, who had at least one great year on the JGP, there were no less than three future Olympians - Ashley Cain, Polina Edmunds, and Nicole Rajicova - plus Courtney Hicks and Jessica Calalang. So it probably also says something about Gracie that she was the only one I remembered from a field that was pretty stacked with talent.)

It hasn’t always been easy to watch her compete over the last couple of years, but in some ways she’s had a greater impact recently than she did at her competitive peak. I’m so glad she had that moment at nationals this year, for her own satisfaction. Whether or not she keeps going, I think the sport is lucky to have her.

 

[Lacey]

I saw Gracie at this year's US Nationals. There are two words: simply fabulous! Her jumps, especially in the short, were huge, they were correctly edged and landed, she had a very lovely presentable short. Her long was obviously not as strong. This is just my very random opinion, so please don't jump all over me, but I was so mystified as to why her long was not as good as the short, so perhaps I am grabbing at straws, maybe she was not trained for the length of the long. I think she has matured over the past few years, her skating has done nothing but improve, and her basics are great, they were always were. She has improved greatly each year back. But Frank Carroll was there at this year's Nationals, he was in the house and I heard at some of the USFS events, and I wonder if they interacted or if she saw him and she was just distracted.

I hope Gracie will continue. But only if it's ok with her. She has more than made up for her previous downfall and could just as easily be happy with what she has done. She should be so proud of herself. And the crowd did love her, indeed gave her the best ovation of the women's competition.

 

[AnnM]

But Frank Carroll was there at this year's Nationals, he was in the house and I heard at some of the USFS events, and I wonder if they interacted or if she saw him and she was just distracted.

Frank was sitting across the aisle from me during Gracie's FP. He applauded for her when she was introduced during the warmup and at the conclusion of her program and watched her skate quite intently.

 

[coppertop1]

Like this from Phil Hersh in 2015, after Skate America:



She was being hyped as far back as 2012: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2012/10/24/gracie-gold-skate-canada-debut/1654479/

That's a lot of years to have those kinds of expectations riding on your shoulders. Especially when people are making comments about your "head staying in the game" every time you're less than perfect.

And now they're doing it to Alysa Liu. They never learn.

 

[Mayra]

And now they're doing it to Alysa Liu. They never learn.

You mean Alysa the "Simone Biles of Figure Skating"

Alysa Liu reacts to being called the 'Simone Biles of figure skating'

The 16-year-old figure skater is carrying U.S. Olympic hopes, but says she doesn't worry about living up to expectations.

www.today.com

Alysa Liu, the youngest figure skater in U.S. history to land a triple axel in international competition, has been hailed as the "Simone Biles of figure skating." But hey, no pressure.

I'm all for hyping up athletes. Going to the Olympics is a huge accomplishment, but this is next level. Thankfully, Alysa seemed to take it all in stride.

 

[Maximillian]

You mean Alysa the "Simone Biles of Figure Skating"

Alysa Liu reacts to being called the 'Simone Biles of figure skating'

The 16-year-old figure skater is carrying U.S. Olympic hopes, but says she doesn't worry about living up to expectations.

www.today.com

I'm all for hyping up athletes. Going to the Olympics is a huge accomplishment, but this is next level. Thankfully, Alysa seemed to take it all in stride.

Hahaha! This is hilarious, if only because skating DOES have a 'Simone Biles', but her name is Kamila Valieva, not Alysa Liu.

 

[Coco]

I was thinking about this...Simone can do several skills no other woman can do. And she won worlds or Olympics for 4 straight years, took a year off, then won 2 more years in a row.

So Tara and Johnny can call her the greatest ever, but they are referring to her air position, landing position and skating skills all taken together with her degree of difficulty, not her achievements.

The sports aren't totally comparable, but she doesn't have skills that no one has done before and hasn't won worlds or Olympics yet. She has her well deserved world records, but I hope commentators chill it with the greatest ever.

 

[Vagabond]

I'm all for hyping up athletes. Going to the Olympics is a huge accomplishment, but this is next level. Thankfully, Alysa seemed to take it all in stride.

With the help of a therapist.

 

[MacMadame]

With the help of a therapist.

Must be a good one since it seems to be working.

 

[coppertop1]

Yep. I was referring to that article comparing Alyssa to Simone. It's insane. I really feel bad for all these young skaters expected to be great and slammed the moment they falter. I hate it.

 

[carriecmu0503]

Yep. I was referring to that article comparing Alyssa to Simone. It's insane. I really feel bad for all these young skaters expected to be great and slammed the moment they falter. I hate it.

It's happening to the women who competed at the Olympics for gymnastics in 2021 for Team USA. People are ripping on them for what they are putting out in collegiate gymnastics, not understanding that elite and college gymnastics are TOTALLY different sports. It's really sad.

 

[coppertop1]

It's happening to the women who competed at the Olympics for gymnastics in 2021 for Team USA. People are ripping on them for what they are putting out in collegiate gymnastics, not understanding that elite and college gymnastics are TOTALLY different sports. It's really sad.

That's awful. It's no wonder so many athletes struggle with their mental health. The pressure to be perfect is toxic.

 

[Polaris]

I wonder if Gracie went into that Worlds really thinking it was her gold medal to lose or if she started to feel that way after she won the short program. I'm not so sure I would've said she was the favorite either way with Medvedeva there, but I'm just trying to understand if maybe the pressure came from her team/the USFS before the week started. Either way, I remember the interview she gave to an international press member (maybe Finland or something) after the LP that really should've been the first sign that something was very wrong.

Anyways, she had a strong LP at Nationals in 2020 and a great SP this season. She looked more relaxed than she ever has in the short and if she wants to continue on her own terms, all the power to her.

Given the comments she's made about Worlds 2016 since, she's really convinced that she was supposed to win the gold there, which surprises me since from an outsider's view, Medvedeva was the favorite. I'm convinced the US was ready to pull a Sochi to gift Gold the gold if she stayed on her feet.

 

[carriecmu0503]

Given the comments she's made about Worlds 2016 since, she's really convinced that she was supposed to win the gold there, which surprises me since from an outsider's view, Medvedeva was the favorite. I'm convinced the US was ready to pull a Sochi to gift Gold the gold if she stayed on her feet.

I think Medvedeva and Gold were pretty evenly matched technically at the time. Gold was the more seasoned competitor. I would not have been at all surprised if Gold had won if she had skated a long program like the one she skated at Nationals a month prior. Unlike the Sochi result, I don't think that at all would have been a controversial outcome.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I think Medvedeva and Gold were pretty evenly matched technically at the time. Gold was the more seasoned competitor. I would not have been at all surprised if Gold had won if she had skated a long program like the one she skated at Nationals a month prior. Unlike the Sochi result, I don't think that at all would have been a controversial outcome.

That Gold is convinced she lost because of whatever speaks volumes about her current mental state. If one wants to make a difference with people you have to drop your own $hit, and focus on the people you want to reach. I agree the two were well matched (which is what it is all about. And, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.......just because.
That is what happens in any judged sport. In riding, you could have ridden fab, and the judge picks another horse (which she just happened to have sold to the rider who won. You just gotta love life. And I have won classes where I made an error that the judge just didn't see. That too is life.

 

[bardtoob]

Given the comments she's made about Worlds 2016 since, she's really convinced that she was supposed to win the gold there, which surprises me since from an outsider's view, Medvedeva was the favorite. I'm convinced the US was ready to pull a Sochi to gift Gold the gold if she stayed on her feet.

I don't think the US had the clout with this panel to pull anything.

Ladies - Short Program

Panel of Judges

Function Name Nation Referee Ms. Gale TANGER ISU Technical Controller Ms. Diana BARBACCI LEVY ISU Technical Specialist Ms. Pirjo UIMONEN ISU Assistant Technical Specialist Mr. Evgeny MARTYNOV ISU Judge No.1 Mr. Igor PROKOP ISU Judge No.2 Ms. Na Young AHN ISU Judge No.3 Ms. Eva SZILAGYI ISU Judge No.4 Ms. Jana BAUDYSOVA ISU Judge No.5 Ms. Nicole VAN GERWEN-MAAS ISU Judge No.6 Ms. Jean SENFT ISU Judge No.7 Ms. Prisca BINZ-MOSER ISU Judge No.8 Mr. Paolo PIZZOCARI ISU Judge No.9 Ms. Leena KURRI ISU Data Operator Mr. David SANTEE ISU Replay Operator Mr. Soltan KOKOEV ISU