Gracie taking some time off to seek professional help

[vesperholly]

they [US] should have been more focusing on individual elements to minimize deductions and negative GOE and adopt a Eteri style maximize to the code coaching method and encouraging speed and power over anything else.

I think the writing was on the wall when Laura Lepisto won a world medal by maxing her points with "easy" 3-3 and L4 spirals. If you only care about medals, code-whoring a la Romanian gymnasts is the way to go. I do think USFS is getting it right now by allowing younger skaters to try harder jumps and giving bonuses for those jumps. Russian ladies were in a way sorrier state after Slutskaya retired and look at how they've rebounded now.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Not making the podium in Boston would have been devastating.

The 2016 World Championship was in the US, and everything was slotting into place for her to win.

Gold gave the lead-up everything she could, with a total commitment to training, as well as owning two routines to inspire her.

Not that I would ever be in her shoes, but knowing I had to deliver on an entire year’s preparation at a certain moment, would be tremendously stressful.

Moving forward however, it sounds like Gracie is doing what is right for her, which is the most important thing at this stage.

 

[coppertop1]

Once the hype starts it never goes away. I do think there is a difference between saying "This girl has talent, look out, she could be World Champion" and hyping them up like they did with Gracie.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Once the hype starts it never goes away. I do think there is a difference between saying "This girl has talent, look out, she could be World Champion" and hyping them up like they did with Gracie.

Gracie, her handlers and family all took part in and enjoyed the benefits of that hype. Do not forget that. Forget "hype" Gracie had the potential to be one of the best. She did not have (it appears) the mental mind set. Tara, though much younger, took it all in stride, and enjoyed every minute (or so it seemed). She had a goal, put in the work, and had the mental toughness to pull it off.

I hope that Gracie finds peace and strength. Gracie has an entire life in front of her. She may never have the mental toughness to compete....and that is totally ok. As someone said "It is skating, it is not life".

 

[demetriosj]

Gracie, her handlers and family all took part in and enjoyed the benefits of that hype.

^THIS

 

[ZilphaK]

Tara, though much younger, took it all in stride, and enjoyed every minute (or so it seemed).

I'd only add that "back in the day," hype was different, especially for kids. I think social media amplifies the good and the bad feedback. And while it may be easy to say, "Stay away from social media," as a parent of "regular" kids and as someone who is accused of being "Amish" by her children (none of them is allowed to have smart phones until high school and I keep a tight leash before then), it still has a way of sneaking in a causing head-game problems. And each kid is such an experiment; you never know what or how much they can handle or how strong they are until they are in the fire, and then it can be tough to back out. It's just been recently that our national ice skaters have had more openness with the media and moved away from canned toward candid in their media interactions. This is kind of an experiment, and unfortunately, it hasn't been easy for these kids as test subjects.

 

[VGThuy]

I think skaters today have to deal with more direct interaction thanks to social media and news spreads really fast these days and more people can participate and add fuel to the fire. But at the same time, I remember Tara and Michelle and Nicole having to deal with a lot more actual media with some adult journalists being nasty and hard on them in a national publication.

 

[aftershocks]

It can be and is different for everyone in terms of personality, cultural era they grow up in, aspects of talent they possess and guidance they receive in how to access and fulfill their potential. Coaching team, mentors, family support, skating politics at the time, and the individual skater's personality are all aspects that play a part in how their particular story unfolds.

It's difficult to make one-on-one skater career comparisons. Tara and Michelle, and so many others had uniquely individual and unexpected trajectories (as has Gracie, as has Mirai, as has Ashley W, as has Polina, et al). It is what it is. What matters for all of us is how we respond to what happens to us. It's continually difficult for me to fully fathom and accept that life just ain't fair. It's what we make of it that matters. I can idealistically project and I have previously and selfishly expressed what I desire(d) for Gracie and for U.S. Ladies figure skating. Shame on me. What counts is what Gracie, and what each individual figure skater wants for themselves. As fans we can only try to focus on supporting them and cheering for them without banking on or taking for granted excessive and overwhelming expectations. Again the profound cliche: It's about living in the moment and about enjoying the journey rather than obsessing over and placing too much emphasis on the destination. Easier said than done, I know.

 

[jenniferlyon]

I think skaters today have to deal with more direct interaction thanks to social media and news spreads really fast these days and more people can participate and add fuel to the fire. But at the same time, I remember Tara and Michelle and Nicole having to deal with a lot more actual media with some adult journalists being nasty and hard on them in a national publication.

Yeah, back then skaters were on TV constantly. The tabloids-- and tabloid TV shows like Inside Edition-- covered them extensively. Although social media as we know it today didn't exist then, the Internet did. In a way, skating gossip spread more quickly back then because all the fans hung out on the same three or four forums, whereas today there are so many Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages that it's impossible to keep up with everybody and everything.

 

[ZilphaK]

I don't think it's just the media coverage. That's always been around, probably most focused at its worst on figure skating during the Tonya/Nancy thang. What's devastating now is not just the media coverage, but the direct line of cruelty that social media can have. When Ashley was sent to the Olympics over Mirai, social media was brutal. I read threats. I read crazy talk from people who weren't interested in skating, but who suddenly had strong, ugly opinions and who became a mob. The crap that flies by on the ISU chat is awful in ways that tabloid media never gets close to. Maybe back in the day, people thought horrible things, but they weren't able to post those horrible things directly in the comment section of an news article posted on a website, so that even reputable news becomes a cesspool the more you scroll down into the comments.

And I don't think that because kids these days are "digital natives" that they are any better able to handle this kind of attention/bullying en masse than any of us were as young people. Again, even with my "regular" non-famous kids, I have to remind them that all it takes is them doing something stupid, someone with a camera, and a slow news day and a youthful faux pas can go worldwide viral and bring the mob to their door.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Yep, your analysis is on point, sadly. There's an overlap in all of this that we are seeing in our politics, in lack of civility in general, in faux news. On the one hand, in the global universe, there's greater accessibility, but there's also a huge problem in having to filter out all the detritus, falsehoods and negativity.

 

[triple_toe]

To anyone saying things like "it's just sport" etc... don't forget that for an athlete like Gracie, figure skating is her life. She started at age 8 or so, but most skaters start much younger, at 4, 3, or even 2 years of age. Then they sleep, breath, and eat figure skating. They don't go to regular high school (if they do, it's usually for the benefit of fluff pieces a la Sarah Hughes). They don't go out late with their friends. They train all day and focus their existence on the sport. They drop everything move all over the world for better training. Their daily lives are filled with a mixture of training, physical therapy, and resting, all so they can achieve maximum performance.

It's not so easy to separate life and sport when an athlete is fundamentally who you are, not just a description of what you do. The psychology is Olympic level athletes is different; their entire meaning system is founded at the altar of the Olympic rings. There is no alternative, there is no "life" outside of sport when you have lived in that bubble all of your life. Why the psychological weight of "failing" as an athlete is so heavy is that the sport/life divide is simply not applicable, and has not been since you were a very young child. In the words of Martha Graham, a dancer dies twice and the first death is the more painful.

 

[jenniferlyon]

To anyone saying things like "it's just sport" etc... don't forget that for an athlete like Gracie, figure skating is her life. She started at age 8 or so, but most skaters start much younger, at 4, 3, or even 2 years of age. Then they sleep, breath, and eat figure skating. They don't go to regular high school (if they do, it's usually for the benefit of fluff pieces a la Sarah Hughes). They don't go out late with their friends. They train all day and focus their existence on the sport. They drop everything move all over the world for better training. Their daily lives are filled with a mixture of training, physical therapy, and resting, all so they can achieve maximum performance.

It's not so easy to separate life and sport when an athlete is fundamentally who you are, not just a description of what you do. The psychology is Olympic level athletes is different; their entire meaning system is founded at the altar of the Olympic rings. There is no alternative, there is no "life" outside of sport when you have lived in that bubble all of your life. Why the psychological weight of "failing" as an athlete is so heavy is that the sport/life divide is simply not applicable, and has not been since you were a very young child. In the words of Martha Graham, a dancer dies twice and the first death is the more painful.

And for skaters who come from poor families or who come from countries that offer few opportunities for upward mobility, skating is their only ticket out of poverty.

 

[aftershocks]

In the words of Martha Graham, a dancer dies twice and the first death is the more painful.

So very true and deeply meaningful for all dancers and athletes. The quote reminds me of Paul Taylor (who danced for a time with Graham, and was a guest artist for Balanchine). Taylor is a genius dancer/choreographer who started his own small troupe in the 1950s, while he continued to dance with other companies. He's a prolific, influential and innovative choreographer. Perhaps his best works as a choreographer began to flow from his creative mind once he was forced to stop dancing himself due to injury and age. But as he describes in his autobiography, having to first admit, then accept that he needed to stop, and then to finally end his professional dancing career was pure torture.

Amazingly and fatefully Paul Taylor at 87 years young, is practically the last of the greatest living legend modern dance choreographers. To date he has created a body of 144 dances, the majority of them masterworks. Many are danced by companies all over the world.

 

[ChiquitaBanana]

I am so impressed with the quality of the last comments I have read! Hats off to Jozet, afterschocks and triple_toe! May you become my web friends?

 

[AxelAnnie]

To anyone saying things like "it's just sport" etc... don't forget that for an athlete like Gracie, figure skating is her life. She started at age 8 or so, but most skaters start much younger, at 4, 3, or even 2 years of age. Then they sleep, breath, and eat figure skating. They don't go to regular high school (if they do, it's usually for the benefit of fluff pieces a la Sarah Hughes). They don't go out late with their friends. They train all day and focus their existence on the sport. They drop everything move all over the world for better training. Their daily lives are filled with a mixture of training, physical therapy, and resting, all so they can achieve maximum performance.

It's not so easy to separate life and sport when an athlete is fundamentally who you are, not just a description of what you do. The psychology is Olympic level athletes is different; their entire meaning system is founded at the altar of the Olympic rings. There is no alternative, there is no "life" outside of sport when you have lived in that bubble all of your life. Why the psychological weight of "failing" as an athlete is so heavy is that the sport/life divide is simply not applicable, and has not been since you were a very young child. In the words of Martha Graham, a dancer dies twice and the first death is the more painful.

It is sport. Nothing more. It is not a cure for cancer a new life for those caught in the hurricanes nor peace in the middle East..let us not be confused. In the scheme of things it is trivial.

Don't get me wrong I love skating. But I am not confused about its importance.

Gracie is blessed to have what she has...to worry about how long she is off the ice rather than worrying about where her family will get their next meal.

 

[triple_toe]

It is sport. Nothing more. It is not a cure for cancer a new life for those caught in the hurricanes nor peace in the middle East..let us not be confused. In the scheme of things it is trivial.

Don't get me wrong I love skating. But I am not confused about its importance.

Gracie is blessed to have what she has...to worry about how long she is off the ice rather than worrying about where her family will get their next meal.

In the grand scheme of things, sure. And for you as a spectator, skating certainly may be trivial, but for people in it, it's a life defining passion.

When you dedicate your entire life to something-- from a very, very young age-- and that shatters at your feet, I think of that as anything but trivial. I think of that as profoundly tragic. Just because it doesn't have global consequences or historic resonance, that doesn't mean it isn't supremely meaningful. An individual's pain is still pain. When everything you know and love, what constitutes your identity, your path in life, your entire social structure... when that's suddenly gone, that's devastating. I myself have gone through that and seen countless others do the same. To call it heartbreaking is an understatement. I don't know if Gracie is quitting or taking a break or whatever, but I have nothing but compassion for her.

 

[AxelAnnie]

In the grand scheme of things, sure. And for you as a spectator, skating certainly may be trivial, but for people in it, it's a life defining passion.

When you dedicate your entire life to something-- from a very, very young age-- and that shatters at your feet, I think of that as anything but trivial. I think of that as profoundly tragic. Just because it doesn't have global consequences or historic resonance, that doesn't mean it isn't supremely meaningful. An individual's pain is still pain. When everything you know and love, what constitutes your identity, your path in life, your entire social structure... when that's suddenly gone, that's devastating. I myself have gone through that and seen countless others do the same. To call it heartbreaking is an understatement. I don't know if Gracie is quitting or taking a break or whatever, but I have nothing but compassion for her.

It was Irina Slutskaya who said that. She should know.

 

[triple_toe]

It was Irina Slutskaya who said that. She should know.

Ok? Is that supposed to change my opinion or force me to reevaluate my entire life experience? I'm simply sharing my view and why the idea of "it's just sport" might not be the right fit. Irina does not speak for me, nor many other high level figure skaters I've known. If that is her view, she's entitled to hold it. I'm simply trying to emphasize how deep a wound this can be.

ETA: @AxelAnnie I'm glad that you love figure skating. I wish I could honestly say the same. I really don't know. It's a part of me forever and will always hold sway over my being. But it also gave me the greatest heartbreak I have ever known. I will never love anything as much as I loved skating, and because of that (barring the death of my immediate family) I will never be as hurt by anything as I was by skating. The truth is, none of us are doing anything all that meaningful on a cosmic level. That shouldn't be a reason to dismiss what happens on the individual, human level.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I am sorry for your pain.

I use figure skating in my riding!

I only mention Irinas comment because it is a perspective of a very decorated skater who faced enormous challenges.

 

[bardtoob]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...er-adam-rippon-support-gracie-gold/702663001/

New article about Wagner and Rippon showing support for Gracie.

 

[Japanfan]

In the grand scheme of things, sure. And for you as a spectator, skating certainly may be trivial, but for people in it, it's a life defining passion.

When you dedicate your entire life to something-- from a very, very young age-- and that shatters at your feet, I think of that as anything but trivial. I think of that as profoundly tragic.

While that is true, I agree with Axel Annie that: "It is sport. Nothing more. It is not a cure for cancer a new life for those caught in the hurricanes nor peace in the middle East..let us not be confused. In the scheme of things it is trivial. Don't get me wrong I love skating. But I am not confused about its importance."

Many of the things that people care about are trivial in the grand scheme of things. But life-defining passions can be destroyed to circumstances, and often are.

People then move on.

Also, being able to devote one's entire life to something is a privilege, not an entitlement. The many people in the world who have to struggle just to meet their daily needs are not able to devote their life to activities of passion.

 

[arakwafan2006]

I remember times in my career when I would work so hard to win a business deal, the client would be giving me buying signs, and in the final hour, they would decline or we would find some reason why all time was wasted... Thousands of dollars in lost revenue and not knowing where my next opportunity would come from. It always happened at the worst time when everything was on the line. I got better at it but while that was going on, I was failing at meal prep, barely keeping up with my family and social obligations, putting off things like an oil change for another week and not getting enough sleep.

I cannot imagine Gold's life. Sometimes, i can barely hold on to it all and nobody cares. To fail in front of others, to have your family crumbling, to know time was running out, to know that EVERYone is watching, To stomach the reality that you will possibly never be as good as you were, to be beautifil but feel so bad, to experience extreme emptional pain, to have your career washed away... Lord, be with her.