Gracie Gold Joins Ice Den Figure Skating Coaching Staff (threads merged)

Thanks to @clairecloutier for posting this Kansas City Star article in the U.S. Ladies thread -- Gracie recently joined John Coughlin in his hometown for a 2-day seminar for young skaters: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/joco-913/article205671409.html
Gold — who grew up in Springfield, Mo., where she began her figure-skating training — recognizes the inspiring role she plays for many up-and-coming skaters, especially those from the Midwest.
“I started skating in a small rink in Springfield,” Gold said. “When I started, I wasn’t the most talented skater. There was nothing really remarkable about me, but I worked really hard and made my dream come true. I learned that anything is possible.”
Gold is passionate about teaching and coaching. While she inspires her students, she also makes sure they understand the realities of being a fully committed skating competitor.
“I understand the training woes,” Gold said. “It changes the structure of your life at a young age. You practice long hours and long days in a cold rink doing the same thing over and over until you get it right. It can be tiring. There are negatives and positives to all sports.”
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:respec:
 
Laura4 said:
Best of luck to Gracie. Did Naomi Lang divorce the guy who proposed to her on ice (sorry, his name escapes me)? I just noticed she is now going by the name Naomi Lang Strong on social media.
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I think you mean John Baldwin and Rena Inouye, who had the on-ice proposal.

Naomi Lang was Peter Tchernyshev's partner, they dated at one time, but married other people.
 
aliceanne said:
I think you mean John Baldwin and Rena Inouye, who had the on-ice proposal.

Naomi Lang was Peter Tchernyshev's partner, they dated at one time, but married other people.
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We attended a Disson show called "Fashion on Ice" (circa December 2006) in Trenton, NJ. Naomi & Peter participated in it. At the end of the show a Mr. Fitzgerald (can't remember his first name for sure, he may have been another ice dancer, coach, or somehow otherwise involved with figure skating) proposed to Naomi. She accepted, and it was indeed a "Kleenex" moment (it was shown during the TV broadcast of the show, and Kleenex was one of the sponsors). So, yes, there was that proposal on ice, as well as John & Rena's.
 
Good for Gracie.

I was pretty doubtful about her returning to competition. I felt it was a little unlikely as I never got the sense Gracie actually enjoyed competing; OTOH, you can tell she really enjoys skating whenever you watch her exhibition numbers. I think coaching would be a strong move for her. She's one of the most gifted technicians the US has ever had and though she didn't achieve everything she was capable of, she had a very good career and gained invaluable experience that she can use to help teach others. I don't doubt people would travel to take lessons from her which means that particular rink may see an influx of skaters in the coming months.

More importantly, Gracie can help guide skaters in the right direction when it comes to health and nutrition. As a skater who has battled/is battling an eating disorder, hopefully she'll be able to see the signs that others might miss and be able to coach skaters through it and help them go about it the right way.

Very happy for her:)
 
kwanatic said:
She's one of the most gifted technicians the US has ever had
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Being able to do and being able to teach are two completely different skills. That's why not all elite skaters are super-successful coaches.

Gracie's technical gifts were in large part from Alex Ouriashev's excellent technical coaching. I do hope that she was able to absorb his coaching in addition to performing it. I agree that because of her struggles, she will likely be an excellent ally for young girls.
 
A Gracie fan account posted a pic of her with Adam, Douglas Razzano and somebody who looks familiar but whom I don't recognize (ETA: it's Bianca Butler -- thank you @Lanie!). I think the source is Adam's IG stories -- apparently he visited Scottsdale yesterday(?)

https://twitter.com/graciegold195/status/975960888317562880

Confession: When I first saw this I was like "Who's that brunette?" for a sec :lol:
 
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Vash01 said:
From what I heard, sunshine uplifts the spirits. That could help depression too, in a small way. We hardly ever have cloudy, rainy days. Summers are harsh but she can go to a cooler place during that time.
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You are right about the sunshine.

A lot of people get depressed during the winter here on the west coast because there are so many dreary, overcast day. One year it rained for 28 days non-stop in January, stopped for one day, then resumed again. Some people prefer cold and snow. Personally I don't mind the rain, although I complain about it plenty, especially when I've got to get the dog out to the park. I do like being having my windows and doors open pretty much all the time.

I think I might have a hard time living in Phoenix, Arizona. One would need to be indoors a lot in air con during the hot months (much as one needs to be indoors a lot in places that have frigid winters). I was there in May one year to catch a flight at about 6 a.m. and even that early in the morning it was too hot to be comfortable outside.

Though there is a reason that so many Canadian snowbirds head to Arizona in the winter. Good to have the best of both worlds!
 
nimi said:
...... https://twitter.com/graciegold195/status/975960888317562880
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Every time I see pictures of skaters like this I think "what are those kids doin' in a bar with all that booze!' ... .and then I remember oh yeah, they are adults! :rofl: Ya figure the first time we see these skaters, they ARE kids, and we watch them grow up into adulthood on the ice, but I still always retain those images of them as 14-15-16 year old kids in my head, even though they are mid-20's ... and pushing 30 now. :rofl:
 
BaileyCatts said:
Every time I see pictures of skaters like this I think "what are those kids doin' in a bar with all that booze!' ... .and then I remember oh yeah, they are adults! :rofl:
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LOL indeed

Related: Today, I spent some quality time trekking on the winding paths of Youtube and found my way to this Champs Camp team building exercise from 2012. Yeah the video quality isn't the greatest but still, it took embarrassingly long for me to figure out that the two little blonde twinsies are in fact Gracie and Ashley. Oops! :p
 
BaileyCatts said:
Every time I see pictures of skaters like this I think "what are those kids doin' in a bar with all that booze!' ... .and then I remember oh yeah, they are adults! :rofl: Ya figure the first time we see these skaters, they ARE kids, and we watch them grow up into adulthood on the ice, but I still always retain those images of them as 14-15-16 year old kids in my head, even though they are mid-20's ... and pushing 30 now. :rofl:
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That’s funny 😄

I didn’t even notice the bar in the background at first, as I just figured they were at a restaurant having dinner.
 
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