Ashley Wagner Cheer Thread #3: The Subject of Tonight's Lecture...

Marco said:
I think she was aiming to make the Olympics and then Dancing with the Stars. Now that she doesn't have both, it's almost like she doesn't have enough draw to tour internationally. She isn't big in Europe or Japan / Korea. I also can't see her coach or do choreography.

It's either compete or move on from skating altogether.
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Oh disagree. I think she has been the face of US Ladies for a long, long time.
Having said that....I hate to see her compete. She has been at 3/4 speed (in training) for the last 2 seasons. Let's say she could win Nats....which she might be able to do. I don't see much hope for her to shine internationally. All the US Ladies, IMO are buried internationally.

I have always loved Ashley. But I would hate to see her go out in decline.
 
AxelAnnie said:
Oh disagree. I think she has been the face of US Ladies for a long, long time.
Having said that....I hate to see her compete. She has been at 3/4 speed (in training) for the last 2 seasons. Let's say she could win Nats....which she might be able to do. I don't see much hope for her to shine internationally. All the US Ladies, IMO are buried internationally.

I have always loved Ashley. But I would hate to see her go out in decline.
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She has been the face of US ladies for a long, long time. But there's not much opportunity for that in NA. The SOI tour used to be much longer, no? Too bad Canada's and Japan's own ladies are so awesome that their tours can't include her.

But yes, I suspect she would be on decline if she continued to compete. I hope she got some goooood closure from skating at the same San Jose rink last night.
 
DimaToe said:
The thing with Wagner is that she wasn’t what USFS wanted, she was what they had to settle for, there are countless examples of Wagner delivering when it really mattered but that wasn’t relevant, she gave enough of a doubt to the TPTB that she became disposable after her 2017 GP season.
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Had she cleanly completed all the triples....(I don't need to finish the sentence).
 
Who is Ashley's new boyfriend? Is he an athlete too?

Ashley is a survivor. She's always seemed to thrive under adversity. I wish her much happiness and Godspeed on her journey. Never say never re DWTS. Hopefully Ashley will have an opportunity to take part as a contestant on a longer DWTS season.
 
aftershocks said:
Who is Ashley's new boyfriend? Is he an athlete too?

Ashley is a survivor. She's always seemed to thrive under adversity. I wish her much happiness and Godspeed on her journey. Never say never re DWTS. Hopefully Ashley will have an opportunity to take part as a contestant on a longer DWTS season.
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Yes. Jimmy was an alternate for the US bobsled team. They both traveled to Korea as alternates.

I think DWTS is not in the cards. She’s not a household name. She’s well known in the skating community but you need to be more mainstream for that show. I think she will find her path. She’s a determined lady. No question she will find something that will make her happy and hopefully bring her the personal fulfillment she’s looking for. I’d love to see her back another year but only if she can truly be competitive.
 
I’m so confused. Last winter it seemed I saw Ashley everywhere. Prinetime tv commercials, life size ads in the supermarket etc. You know who I never see or mentioned anywhere but on FSU and even then not so much: Meryl. She’s a friggin ogm and a DWTS winner and if the general public knows her they’re keeping it pretty quiet. And really, Evan is in the same place. Call me Rip because I napped thru the part where being on DWTS was a measure of success in figure skating :P
 
berthesghost said:
Call me Rip because I napped thru the part where being on DWTS was a measure of success in figure skating :p
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:rofl: I'm pretty sure no-one ever said DWTS was a measure of success in figure skating, just that Ashley might not be enough of a household name to get an invitation. I wouldn't have a clue as i'm not in the US, but Strictly Come Dancing (the UK version of DWTS) has been running for so long that any big names they might have had, have been on. The really big celebs don't do those shows, so it's usually soap "stars", morning TV or news presenters, a couple of token athletes and at least one pensioner who stays in for longer than they should from sympathy votes. Most them I have to google to find out who they are :lol:
 
has Ashley said she wants to be on this show? I keep reading people here talk about it but nothing directly from Ashley
 
aml78 said:
She’s not a household name.
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Neither is Mirai Nagasu a household name. Mirai spoke out about her desire to be on the show, and she lucked out when someone else did not end up making the final cut. I have a suspicion that Adam may also have put in a word for Mirai. She never had a chance though to make the final three with the producers' obvious agenda, despite her blazing talent on the dance floor.

If DWTS is something Ashley actually wants, then she could surely campaign for it down the road. Remember that Ashley is well known from her appearance at the 2014 Olympics, her outspokenness, and her high profile as a U.S. champion. She's appeared on the Today Show and other network sports and talk shows numerous times, not to mention all the television commercials, and the amazing feature in ESPN's Body Issue. :respec:
 
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UGG said:
has Ashley said she wants to be on this show? I keep reading people here talk about it but nothing directly from Ashley
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Who knows? But she would be wonderful in it....with her dramatic flair.
 
Generally, figure skaters get on in the post-Olympic season (2014, 2018). Having just had 3 figure skaters on in the spring, the casting director is likely to turn in other directions. Her shot to be on DWTS was to be in PyeongChang as Adam''s best friend and who perhaps got in the top 6.

Ashley has some challenges given the current market. In a skating heyday like the 90's, she could have filled the Roz Sumners role - good-not-great tech skater who always comes with great show programs. That's not a seat-filler, unfortunately. Those jobs just do not exist anymore.

She's not a choreographer, and coaching doesn't seem her thing either, what with her own training ups and downs. She doesn't have a college degree for another career. If she'd done better this past year, she might have eked into commentating occasionally, but Tara and Tanith have those roles tied up. I'm sure that she can get some modest sponsorships if she wants to continue eligible skating, how much US Figure Skating wants to welcome her back after the 3 chosen ones at PyeongChang didn't deliver much is a question.

It's tough when the road ends and the next thing hasn't appeared. I wish her the best in this liminal time.
 
Ashley didn't say anything definitive, but obviously she's realized for some time that she's reached a crossroads. She mentions that "life is pointing down so many lanes, and each choice is equally terrifying..." One commenter mentions that this happens in life generally, not just for athletes. But of course, as Ashley mentions, the conundrum especially for figure skating athletes should be discussed more. There's essentially scant opportunities to continue growing within the sport for veteran skaters once eligible competition is over. And that's really a sad set of circumstances for skaters who truly do have more to give on the ice in a professional vein (that simply doesn't exist to any viable degree).

I've loved watching many of the programs from amazing veterans at the U.S. Open Pro comp in recent years. Fabulous skating from Ryan Jahnke, Derrick Delmore, Jonathan Cassar, and Rohene Ward, to name a few. And Midori Ito skating in the adult competitive ranks a few years back was wonderful to see.

Kristi Yamaguchi, Roz Sumners, Denise Biellmann, Punsalan/Swallow, Scott Williams, and even Kurt Browning (again to name a few) really grew and delivered as professionals. There's no opportunities these days for continued growth as a professional competitor and I think it hurts the sport as a whole, not just those individual skaters who find themselves reaching a crossroads.
 
When Ashley hangs up her competitive skates for good, I will be sad. While not the most naturally talented skater, she worked hard to be the best she could be and brought a performance quality that IMHO is unmatched among the current US ladies and many on the international scene. It is too bad that she never nailed it during an Olympic year Nationals.
 
With the change in the ISU regarding scoring of under rotation of jumps (1/4 turn wiggle room gone), I think Ashley is making a really wise decision to pursue other directions. I wish her the best in her upcoming journey.
 
Well she is 26 so I am not surprised. Have there been any other ladies skater competing at this age? She has had a wonderful career she should be proud of. In 2010 no one would have guessed she would be the most successful US Lady in the next 8 years. 3 US titles, Olympic Bronze, world Silver, 3 GPF medals (1 silver 2 bronze) and lots of success in the GP. Not to mention between 2013-2017 she was a factor in ensuring the US ladies had 3 spots the following year. No one else has a comparable resume in the US at this time. Closest is probably Gracie. I will miss her, she is a true inspiration. I wish she could gone to the olympics this year. I’m 200% sure there would have been no complaint about shower temperature.
 
I look at it like this. We all will become older with every passing day. It's happened with all skaters throughout the years. They have their success, and as time progresses, each have to make decisions whether it's going PRO, joining SOI, becoming a coach or even a commentator.

So many of our favorite skaters have come and gone, but we remember them and watch videos of all their old programs. In a way, when we watch all those videos, our favorite skaters come back to life even if it's just for a short time. I feel blessed and honored to have been able to share some of my old VHS videos of the skaters, and I also am grateful to the ones here at FSU that have shared more recent skating. So with me, it's older skaters and sharing videos while with the younger generations, it's of the more recent skaters.

So whatever Ashley wishes to do is fine with me. She's given a lot of excitement to her fans, and she's given a lot of historical moments with her skating.

Good luck in whatever you wish to achieve, Ashley! Clippy and I have been blessed to see your wonderful skating!
 
UGG said:
Well she is 26 so I am not surprised. Have there been any other ladies skater competing at this age?
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You mean US ladies? I can't really think of any. And internationally only Caro and Akiko Suzuki, who I think was 27 or 28 when she won her National title. Plus a couple of lesser known skaters from smaller ISU countries. Oh, and Leonova is 27 now and also an Olympian with a world silver, but Ashley definitely doesn't want to end up having the kind of competitive career Leonova has had in her later years, and with 2 spots for Worlds this year... Yeah.

Plus, it sounded like Ashley got some kind of closure skating LLL in San Jose during SOI (see @Sylvia's post #604 for links) which is good.
UGG said:
She has had a wonderful career she should be proud of. In 2010 no one would have guessed she would be the most successful US Lady in the next 8 years. 3 US titles, Olympic Bronze, world Silver, 3 GPF medals (1 silver 2 bronze) and lots of success in the GP. Not to mention between 2013-2017 she was a factor in ensuring the US ladies had 3 spots the following year. No one else has a comparable resume in the US at this time. Closest is probably Gracie. I will miss her, she is a true inspiration. I wish she could gone to the olympics this year.
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ITA and :wuzrobbed but life goes on. And if Ashley decides to pursue the sports journalism route she mentioned earlier (was it maybe in this interview?) I'm sure she'll be great at it!
 
UGG said:
Well she is 26 so I am not surprised. Have there been any other ladies skater competing at this age?
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She often referenced Kostner as someone who inspired her as a mature and beautiful skater who peaked late. Then there were also Suzuki, Butyrskaya and even Liashenko blossoming in their last Olympic quad heading into 30 years of age [Ashley would be in the same age range as them heading into Beijing as she was to continue].
 
nimi said:
You mean US ladies? I can't really think of any. And internationally only Caro and Akiko Suzuki, who I think was 27 or 28 when she won her National title. Plus a couple of lesser known skaters from smaller ISU countries. Oh, and Leonova is 27 now and also an Olympian with a world silver, but Ashley definitely doesn't want to end up having the kind of competitive career Leonova has had in her later years, and with 2 spots for Worlds this year... Yeah.

Plus, it sounded like Ashley got some kind of closure skating LLL in San Jose during SOI (see @Sylvia's post #604 for links) which is good.
ITA and :wuzrobbed but life goes on. And if Ashley decides to pursue the sports journalism route she mentioned earlier (was it maybe in this interview?) I'm sure she'll be great at it!
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Would Wagner consider a college degree in journalism? At some point, I think she had started college classes when she first moved to the west coast, but curtailed those efforts pretty quickly.
 
Marco said:
She often referenced Kostner as someone who inspired her as a mature and beautiful skater who peaked late. Then there were also Suzuki, Butyrskaya and even Liashenko blossoming in their last Olympic quad heading into 30 years of age [Ashley would be in the same age range as them heading into Beijing as she was to continue].
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I think Laetitia Hubert was 27 when she landed a triple lutz-triple toe in the second half of her long program at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
 
Clay said:
I think Laetitia Hubert was 27 when she landed a triple lutz-triple toe in the second half of her long program at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
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That's admirable, but I wonder if that triple/triple would hold up to the calling today. Certainly Sarah Hughe's jumps would not at the same competition. Given that the 1/4 leeway is going away in the upcoming season, I think many skaters are going to find under rotations called. Ashley's jump technique has always given her troubles even after years with Raf.
 
I think that's a misinterpretation. The quarter rotation leeway is not going away completely. It's just being reduced to anything less than a quarter. So if you get your triple jump 2.76 rotations around, you're fine.

In the past, you could be 2.75 rotations around.
 
skatfan said:
That's admirable, but I wonder if that triple/triple would hold up to the calling today.
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The quality of the video is pretty bad but the camera angle is perfect to show she gets a clean outside edge and the rotations are completed on both jumps, but she had a double three on the end because over over-rotation. But the rotations were there: https://youtu.be/BvPb5Wigmy8?t=145
 
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