Gracie taking some time off to seek professional help

[maureenfarone]

I wish Gracie the best.

 

[skatfan]

I wish her the best. It's obviously a really difficult time for her.

 

[rfisher]

And Dave is still at it - here's a quote from TSL on Facebook:

"Athletes can't say they are withdrawing from everything due to sponsors. This means she is out for the year."

OK, I realize the chances of her doing the GP in her current state are pretty small, but I wish that little piece of crap would shut the hell up. He doesn't really know what's going on but he still has to be the one who tells everyone what he doesn't know. TSL has been a worthless ego trip gossip site since Jenny departed.

One way to shut him up is to ignore him. Don't give him the satisfaction of quoting him. He reads FSU and probably has to have a private moment every time someone quotes something he said.

 

[DimaToe]

I love this sport but IMO it has been poisonous towards G.Gold for a while. I'm not saying skating is to blame for all of her issues but it certainly hasn't helped. I'm glad she's going to take some time to figure herself out. I'd be glad to see her come back but even if she hasn't she's an Olympian, a 2 time U.S. champion and was no lower than 6th at worlds. That's a very respectable career and one that she should be very proud of regardless of the ridiculous expectations that have been put upon her for a while. Gracie the skater is irrelevant for me at this point, but I wish nothing but the best for Gracie the person.

 

[AxelAnnie]

"Athletes can't say they are withdrawing from everything due to sponsors. This means she is out for the year."

Does anyone know if what he says is accurate. I would not be surprised if it was true. Contracts have all kinds of performances clauses. That is why there is a contract. It outlines that X will pay Y for doing A, B, C.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Best wishes and virtual hugs to her.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I just Googled Gracie, and found this article. It says she is taking time off 5 months before the Olympics, not that she is taking 5 months off. That makes sense.

Also says it does not specify what kind of help but that she has been dealing with a couple of issues. Gracie is quoted in the article as saying:

"My passion for skating and training remains strong. However, after recent struggles on and off the ice, I realize I need to seek some professional help and will be taking some time off while preparing for my Grand Prix assignments," Gold, 22, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, September 1. "This time will help me become a stronger person, which I believe will be reflected in my skating performances as well."

And this in People Magazine: Giving some credence to what Dave said.

The 22-year-old will no longer compete in the Japan Open in October as scheduled, while the Grand Prix events she referenced in her statement are both slated for November. Her decision comes after she’s already begun promoting the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

 

[Sylvia]

Only one public statement by Gracie has been issued today and it's the same one being used in all the articles.

I'm confused. "Professional help" is a code word for what exactly?

It's code for "it's none of our business" until or unless she chooses to elaborate at a future date.

 

[misskarne]

I'm not a Gracie fan but my heart has ached for her in the last year, seeing the way she has been treated by so-called "fans", her so-called "coach" (never forget that Frank Carroll's reaction to his student's emotional issues was to behave in a childish way and throw her jacket in the bin), and so many others. The signs were all there that she was crying out for help.

It takes a strong person to admit openly that they are seeking professional help and I hope her candour will allow other young athletes to feel more comfortable with admitting they need help. I wish her all the best, and I hope that whatever else happens, she can be happy.

I would add that I hope it means people also leave her alone and try to stay out of her personal life, but I can see already that that would be too much wishful thinking.

 

[overedge]

Giving some credence to what Dave said.

Um, it wasn't exactly a secret that she was already involved in promoting the Olympics. USFS Skating magazine had a big article on NBC creating its promos - an article in which Gracie was prominently featured. What you quoted doesn't prove that Dave knows anything more than anybody else knows.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

And Dave is still at it - here's a quote from TSL on Facebook:

"Athletes can't say they are withdrawing from everything due to sponsors. This means she is out for the year."

OK, I realize the chances of her doing the GP in her current state are pretty small, but I wish that little piece of crap would shut the hell up. He doesn't really know what's going on but he still has to be the one who tells everyone what he doesn't know. TSL has been a worthless ego trip gossip site since Jenny departed.

Why is he doing this?

Why does he have a horse in this race?

Also what skater would ever want to give him an interview again?

 

[overedge]

Does anyone know if what he says is accurate. I would not be surprised if it was true. Contracts have all kinds of performances clauses. That is why there is a contract. It outlines that X will pay Y for doing A, B, C.

Contracts also have non-performance clauses, and clauses to allow the sponsor or promoter to change or end the contract if circumstances change (e.g. "morals" clauses to amend the contract, if the performer does something that would negatively affect the image of the sponsor). The sponsor or promoter may also have insurance to offset any financial losses if the performer can't fulfill the terms of the contract.

 

[Willin]

Good for Gracie! It's great that she's getting the help she needs, and I hope that she will come back stronger than ever in whatever she wants to do (skating or otherwise).

 

[Mayra]

I've cheered for her since she skated onto the ice in the JGP, and I'll continue to cheer for her as she seeks growth and betterment off the ice. I hope she takes all the time she needs to get where she needs to be as a person, skating be damned.

Gracie

 

[jenniferlyon]

I don't know much about Gold's situation and the article didn't really change that, but speaking more generally, I really wish there was a way to bring the skating world into (at least what I think should be) the 21st century.

I know each skater's situation is complicated, but there seem to be way too many coaches who are creating toxic environments--for reasons related to mental health in some cases, sexual boundaries in some cases, eating issues in some cases, etc.--particularly for female skaters.

Frank Carroll may not be one of those coaches, but I do hope the increasing publicity of stories like this can encourage changes in skating that are conducive to skaters being healthier and happier.

Whether Frank Carroll is one of those coaches or not, he doesn't seem to shy away from journalists when they come looking for the inside scoop on one of his former students. Does anyone else remember how he used to talk about Christopher Bowman back in the day?

 

[jenniferlyon]

I'm confused. "Professional help" is a code word for what exactly?

It can mean anything from "Gracie is seeing a counselor" to "Gracie has checked into a residential facility." Whatever it means, I hope the help is able to help her.

 

[greenapple]

One way to shut him up is to ignore him. Don't give him the satisfaction of quoting him. He reads FSU and probably has to have a private moment every time someone quotes something he said.

For sure. He craves attention. One positive outcome of his latest attacks on Gracie is that it is unlikely he will be getting many skater interviews going forward.

 

[skateboy]

Why is he doing this?

Why does he have a horse in this race?

Dave's horse in the race is Ashley Wagner, always has been. He was the one who came up with the "Diva Wagner" nickname (which I can't stand).

 

[4rkidz]

I think this is good news for Gold, she is taking control of her life. Obviously she has been in conflict internally which has now resulted in this intervention. I truly hope she focuses on herself an getting healthy, not just physically but emotionally & psychologically. I disagree with those that said she didn't reach her potential. She was always as good as she could be at that point in her life, typically top 5 in the world in a primarily subjective sport. I do think its time to provide more emotional and psychological support for our young athletes an not just physical because all are connected.

 

[Zazy]

For sure. He craves attention. One positive outcome of his latest attacks on Gracie is that it is unlikely he will be getting many skater interviews going forward.

I don't understand why he ever got any interviews in the first place. Dave has always been like this. He'll be nice to the skater's face during the interview and then turn around and gossip, mock or attack them.

Jenny may have given TSL some credibility but it was always mainly a platform for his brand.

 

[bardtoob]

Whether Frank Carroll is one of those coaches or not, he doesn't seem to shy away from journalists when they come looking for the inside scoop on one of his former students. Does anyone else remember how he used to talk about Christopher Bowman back in the day?

Such a sad story. If anything, that relationship really caused Frank to become more closed off than he would have otherwise. It seems like Fratianne, Chin, and others who grew up along side Bowman under Frank's instruction are very personally friendly with Frank, but even Michelle, Timothy, and Evan always seemed much more restricted to a clearly defined coach-pupil relationship.

Frustrated at not being able to help Bowman, Carroll decided to cut off all contact with the skater. "I felt that I needed to use a tough love approach, that if I didn't help him, didn't enable him, that it was a statement that you have to stop doing drugs if you want me in your life," says Carroll.

Despite the rebuffs, Bowman continued to email his coach, imploring him at one point just about six months ago, "Come on, Frank, give in." And then the news of his death broke.

Carroll thinks about the times he tolerated Bowman's erratic behavior, visiting the then teen-age athlete at the treatment center, bringing him clothes, and the years of struggle after. Says Carroll: "It's such a helpless feeling, when everything you think you've done has done nothing in the long run."

http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1703048,00.html

Maybe this prompted Frank to respond to Gracie's situation the way he did. Frank was not going to let himself get entrenched in Gracie's emotional problems after they did not improve over that 9 months between 2016 Worlds and 2017 Nationals.

 

[Willin]

I've heard that Frank is one of those coaches that will try literally everything and call literally everyone he knows to help you if you're having a problem with your skating, but that he can get very angry if what he's trying isn't working or doesn't end up working.
Like many perfectionists, I wonder how much of any salty statements he makes are due to any anger at the skater and how much are due to anger at himself for not finding the right solution for the skater - particularly in the case of Gracie.

As for TSL, I always thought they got the interviews because of Jenny's connections/influence? Or perhaps Dave is less abrasive in person as opposed to online? Either way, after the twitter rants and FB stuff this summer, I'm a lot less keen on TSL than I previously was. Last season was bad, but I don't think I'll watch it this season.
(TBH once the current crop of skaters retire all I want is an Adam & Ashley skating vlog along the lines of TSL's format and a Gracie tell-all book)

 

[msmandaskates]

Gracie's style has never been my cup of tea, but it's been heartbreaking to see her struggles. It truly takes strength to admit when you need help, and to acknowledge it with such grace under pressure. Wishing her all the best and that she finds the answers she's seeking!

 

[caseyedwards]

Well I can't wait to see great Gracie again whenever!

 

[Yazmeen]

I just went off on Dave on Facebook because he of course had to post an article about Gracie's dad and insist this was part of her problem.

I'm a physician and medical educator. I rely on evidence for my work. And while he may be right, he has no evidence to prove any of what he's blathering about. And this isn't about Gracie, it's about him being the center of attention. I hope skaters tell him to F off when he asks for interviews in the future.

I'm not a Gracie fan, and I've watched maybe 2 TSL interviews in my lifetime, but he's pissing me off. I hope USFS yanks his credentials or he gets his nasty little ass kicked out of the skating world otherwise. No skater deserves this crap from a skanky little celebrity wannabe.

 

[genevieve]

Why is he doing this?

Why does he have a horse in this race?

Because getting dirt and slagging off anyone he can, while pretending to be a fan of the sport, has always been his MO.

I don't know why skaters ever did interviews with him, but since they did, I bet they'll continue to.

As posted above, the best way to shut him down is to not give him clicks and likes.

 

[DreamSkates]

I just went off on Dave on Facebook because he of course had to post an article about Gracie's dad and insist this was part of her problem.

I'm a physician and medical educator. I rely on evidence for my work. And while he may be right, he has no evidence to prove any of what he's blathering about. And this isn't about Gracie, it's about him being the center of attention. I hope skaters tell him to F off when he asks for interviews in the future.

I'm not a Gracie fan, and I've watched maybe 2 TSL interviews in my lifetime, but he's pissing me off. I hope USFS yanks his credentials or he gets his nasty little ass kicked out of the skating world otherwise. No skater deserves this crap from a skanky little celebrity wannabe.

I don't follow Dave on facebook or TSL but those who do and see this kind of misinformation and criticism can write to USFS and see what can be done. This is very hurtful to the US's best skaters, whatever their current standings or struggles.

 

[Willin]

To be fair, I'm sure TSL brought some fans into the sport or serves to engage a ton of fans who are not engaged in USFSA's more bland brand of marketing. BUT, looking at the FB comments on these posts, they just eat up what he says with no skepticism and do not call him out on things he's saying that are inappropriate. Or, he just deletes everything that disagrees with him because he doesn't like people disagreeing with him.

I do think that some of the things he says are valid, but he says things in such a way that they are insensitive or brings sore topics up when it's inappropriate to do so. For instance, the situation with Gracie's father probably didn't help her situation, but bringing it up to all your 1000s of FB followers that would have otherwise never known about it so that you can try to make your opinion look more legit is unnecessary and inappropriate.

 

[aftershocks]

I just wish she had gotten this help earlier.

Well true, but it's also a tough reality that none of us have a great deal of control over timing of much of anything in our lives. I wish I'd have made a different decision on many things, and done some things sooner, and other things not at all. It is what it is. There surely are any number of reasons for how the timing transpired for Gracie to this point. It's hard to acknowledge problems when everyone around you has expectations and you want to keep going and not disappoint anyone, least of all yourself.

We could all pick out moments when we thought Gracie should have gotten help or realized things weren't working. We all have challenges to face, and clocks don't turn back in real time.

Good luck to Gracie. I love her smile and her kitty video. We should all hug kitties more, if there are some handy who'll allow it.

 

[Karpenko]

I don't know much about Gold's situation and the article didn't really change that, but speaking more generally, I really wish there was a way to bring the skating world into (at least what I think should be) the 21st century.

I know each skater's situation is complicated, but there seem to be way too many coaches who are creating toxic environments--for reasons related to mental health in some cases, sexual boundaries in some cases, eating issues in some cases, etc.--particularly for female skaters.

Frank Carroll may not be one of those coaches, but I do hope the increasing publicity of stories like this can encourage changes in skating that are conducive to skaters being healthier and happier.

And the day I think Dave Lease deserves credit for anything is the day Alena Leonova wins an Olympic gold medal.

Don't you kind of contribute the same thing with your pseudo-identity sometimes? I doubt someone like Elena Ilynkh would know you're "joking" when you're blatantly calling her a fatass as Ivana Komova in interviews? maybe she'd think your kind of contributing to the same thing you're condemning? except the difference is you're "just kidding" and have a fake identity to hide behind.

This just keeps getting more and IMO.