Gracie Gold withdraws from U.S. Nationals

[kwanfan1818]

In the best possible interpretation, he was telling her she was an asshole for not appreciating what she had instead of letting a boy put it down and believing him to the point where she needed to seek help and gave up her career. If she just believed *him* instead, this would all be over tomorrow.

 

[misskarne]

That's what I thought too. Although I didn't check his profile. But I really thought he was trying to give her a compliment, in a very fecked up way. lol But he might have been a real jerk instead. Trying to disguise an insult with a "compliment", idk.

When you say "it was just a poorly worded compliment", not only are you defending him, you're normalising his behaviour. And that's unacceptable.

 

[Amantide]

When you say "it was just a poorly worded compliment", not only are you defending him, you're normalising his behaviour. And that's unacceptable.

Get off your high horse. I am not defending him. That's just silly. I don't know the guy and I don't care about him.
Accusing me for smth I am not doing, THAT IS unacceptable! But read what you like, if that makes you feel better.

 

[AxelAnnie]

So when you were whining about everyone attacking Trump for his tweets and you defended him, that was the same standard?

Also did you even read the tweet that you quoted. Do you see the quotation marks? That's these things " " (since you often are unable to comprehend the most basic of things) she was quoting what he said back to him.

I will repeat: Yes, she was responding to what the guy said, and that is what she quoted in her tweet.

Your point is?
I hold all people to the same standard about tweets.................not all tweets are bad. Some are great. But responding to a bully at his own level will get you nowhere. Just because there is a brawl going on, doesn't mean you have to jump in. It IS after all a swamp down there.

Ignore, Ignore, Ignore. Social Media is "hit and run". It is not like a meaningful conversation and an exchange of diverse ideas is going to occur!

 

[analia]

This is illogical. You can't not care about other people's opinion of you and tell them they are wrong at the same time.

 

[ilovepaydays]

Most people think that it's rude for someone to give unsolicited comments about their body and/or life. It really doesn't matter if the person thinks they are doing it as a compliment. I'm including "life" here because the "Which boy f**ked you up?" was as much, if not more inappropriate than the comments about her body.

 

[Jammers]

I'm actually glad to see some fire from Gracie for not taking shit from some troll. For too long she was criticized for not being real and saying the same old things and smiling all the time but it looks like she's done with being nice when it's not called for.

 

[skatingguy]

IMO, her response lacked dignity. She stooped right down to this jerk's level....Just like Mr. Trump does....and is rightfully criticized for. I am so surprised that she is not "banned" (for lack of a better work) from Social Media as part of her recovery.

She was paraphrasing the comments that were tweeted at her, so I can see why she used those words. The big difference with Mr Trump is that he is the President of the United States and his position should require a higher level of dignity.

 

[AxelAnnie]

She was paraphrasing the comments that were tweeted at her, so I can see why she used those words. The big difference with Mr Trump is that he is the President of the United States and his position should require a higher level of dignity.

Too true.

 

[jenniferlyon]

I also think it's amazing that she tweeted an incredibly strong response without stooping to any kind of troll level too. She has my utmost respect and I hope she continues to get better.

My first thought when I read Gracie's response is she's getting better.

 

[jenniferlyon]

A random man offers a woman an unsolicited opinion on her body. He proclaims that a woman's self-worth must depend on what men think of her. She uses his own words to stand up against that dangerous, damaging, unwanted intrusion. Then others chime in to say hush, be quiet, be polite, be dignified. Be ladylike.

I'm with Gracie - **** that shit.

THIS^^^^!!! I guess it bothers some people to see Gracie behaving in a manner unbecoming to her former ice princess image. But I applaud her.

BTW, that troll sounds like someone who would have been on r.s.s.i.f. back in the day. I doubt it's one of those trolls, but they are part of the same hive mind.

 

[Inessence]

My wish is for Gracie to receive all the help she needs and to come back stronger than ever.

 

[pinky166]

I've re-read the "rude poster's" tweet.. it sounds nasty, so are the rest of his tweets on other issues. But..... i think in a clumsy way "he" was trying to tell her that "her body is fine. many girls would die to have the same"...

He also describes himself as "Professinal, Lawyer, LGBTQ advocate, Future US Senator, Future SecState, and leader. "...

Even if it was an underhanded compliment it was still rude and uncalled for. He was basically trivializing the issues she’s dealing with, implying she’s too attractive and/or healthy looking to have an eating disorder and writing off her anxiety and depression as insignificant and caused by a boy. His comment was gross and she responded appropriately. Also anyone educated on the subject knows eating disorders are about so much more than weight & body image.

 

[missing]

Gracie tweeted the following this evening:

Gracie Gold‏Verified account @GraceEGold 5h5 hours ago

PSA: Whoever continues to hack my email(s) pls stop. My mental health has been questionable this year, at best, and I would really appreciate some peace. Thanks.

 

[WanderlustTO]

Just saw this thread now - this is a good move by Gracie and it took a lot of strength on her part to acknowledge the personal issues she needs to focus on release herself from skating competition during a year when it might have been tempting to double down.

When I was about her age (a little younger), I had a really severe panic disorder (and I was a college student, not a world class athlete)...anxiety/panic problems are really difficult, not just because of the immediate impact, but because of the anticipatory impact as well. When I was in college, I needed a lot of support to get through it (which i did)...but i can't even imagine how it would be if i was a high performance athlete dealing with the pressure and lifestyle Gracie has.

Gracie is so young (although she might not think so) and has a really wonderful life waiting for her - right now, I'm sure things are very difficult for her and she has stuff she'll need to work through - but i think that in some ways that staying away from this season and everything it would have brought will make it a bit easier to transition into a happier, healthier life.

 

[MsZem]

Gracie tweeted the following this evening:

Gracie Gold‏Verified account @GraceEGold 5h5 hours ago

PSA: Whoever continues to hack my email(s) pls stop. My mental health has been questionable this year, at best, and I would really appreciate some peace. Thanks.

I don't think Gracie tweeted that. Her account seemed to have been hacked earlier this month, and the person who did it changed the pic and the bio. Both are still there.

Going after someone who already has enough to deal with is awful.

 

[bardtoob]

{{Hugs}} to Gracie. I don't know all the answer, but I hope she figures it out. It is so hard now that the media is random people in addition to professionals.

 

[Carolla5501]

I don't that tweet yesterday was her either.....

 

[VGThuy]

Yeah, based on the wording, I don't think she tweeted that either.

 

[Erin]

The earlier tweet from the hacker ("Grace, you can't win") has been deleted and she has been responding to people about changing her passwords and also deleted "whenis2017over.com" off her profile when someone suggested that it might be the cause of the problems (which I doubt it was). With the previous hacked post, her sister showed up and told the hacker to get off Gracie's twitter but there isn't any response like that now. I assumed the latest post was legit. But either way, I feel for her. It's the last thing she needs now.

 

[Vash01]

Poor Gracie. She will be missed at the US nationals.

 

[Firedancer]

Poor Gracie! As if she needed to deal with this on top of everything else she has gone through this year.

 

[overedge]

Maybe Gracie, or her team, should shut down her social media accounts and just issue press releases when she has something to say. It sounds like the accounts are causing her more grief than she needs right now.

 

[russell30]

I totally agree! I feel Social Media is ruining people's lives - it may have its good aspects but it also creates hatred and bullying to vulnerable people.

 

[Seerek]

More than 30 years ago, broadcaster Johnny Esaw had addressed Charlene Wong trying to overcome the "dreaded anorexia" at the 1986 Canadian Championships. The appropriateness of addressing Charlene's issues during the competitive broadcast is debatable (eating disorders just starting to be understood around that time). One wonders back then how Skate Canada as an organization supported Charlene in her recovery.

It's sad to know that history continues repeating itself 3 decades later, particularly at the elite level.

 

[overedge]

Debbi Wilkes in her book Ice Time talked about how, when she was a TV commentator, she said on air something to the effect of how Lisa Sargeant needed to get her anorexia under control. And she got lambasted by both Skate Canada and the network - not for her saying that Sargeant needed help, but for revealing that Sargeant had an eating disorder. So the answer to @Seerek 's question about SC'S support for Wong (around the same time) is probably "not much".

There may be greater awareness now about eating disorders and their impact, but there are still elite level coaches telling skaters that they look "fat" when they aren't. Even with that increased awareness some things have not changed at all.

 

[Dr.Siouxs]

Despite performing less than her potential, the fact that Gracie remained in the top 6 at Worlds/Olympics for an entire quad is a great accomplishment in itself. I hope her competitive record looks better to her in retrospect...

 

[DreamSkates]

You might try this, as it also hosted Rachael Flatt's official website before she retired. http://figureskatersonline.com/graciegold/

Thanks for posting this link. I sent her a positive message. I hope others will as well.

 

[DreamSkates]

It's always sad when someone can't live up to the potential or the potential becomes too much. If she's able to come back to skating I hope she does it on her terms, and if not that she finds happiness and fulfillment in whatever she decides to do with her life.

Let's give her credit for the times/programs she DID live up to her potential.

 

[Teamgracie]

Absolutely! Such a champion. I miss Gracie so much, she is a beautiful skater.

I’ll be watching pairs and ice dancing, relaxed. Best of luck to all the ladies, I hope they all skate well and can feel good about their performances.