Mark Mitchell: "Why would they come back to the rink?"

[rfisher]

I know skaters have always tried to peak later in the season, but it still isn’t an excuse to be complacent. Peaking means you pull out your biggest jumps at Nationals and Worlds. That’s what Mirai did. It’s (presumably) what Nathan did. (I didn’t follow the GP, but I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t been doing 5 quads in his LP all season.)

It doesn’t mean you’re ok with 8th place at an earlier competition, or a competition that “doesn’t matter.”

Do you seriously think Ross wasn't doing his best at every competition? I do follow the GP and Nathan did much more there than here. This was a very watered down program for him Partly because he was sick.

 

[UGG]

Where is this myth that Nagasu has a bad BOW coming from?

She's the reigning 4CC bronze medalist from a 4CC that was fully attended by Canada and Japan. She finished 2nd at her senior B over Chen and IIRC Bell. She had one bad GP in Russia. She finished 4th in a stacked field at NHK and has the second-best SB score of the Americans this season.

I think what the poster meant was her BOW was not strong enough to select her for the Olympics had she come in 4th over Bradie, Karen, and Ashley- which I agree with. They are all pretty even, IMO.

 

[Anita18]

Do you seriously think Ross wasn't doing his best at every competition?

Should have been more detailed, but was on my phone.

I'm sure Ross himself was doing his very best at every competition he went to. I think every skater does, when they're out on the ice. BUT if his coach was training him with the idea that the early competitions don't really matter, that's a disservice to Ross, and any other athlete they're coaching. Only looking toward Nationals is not how it works anymore.

I don't know any elite skaters personally, but I work with someone who runs marathons and is pretty serious about it. On any given day, he can run a marathon distance no problem, but his training plan changes depending on the goal he has for the next race. He plans months in advance.

If a skater is being trained lightly for the GP with the idea that the GP doesn't matter, they can't do that anymore if their placements are poor. They have to be trained with the idea that they must be more on their game at every competition. That's more the coach's responsibility.

I haven't seen what Ross has had to say about the selection. (Has he said anything publicly?) He looked to be in good spirits at the exhibition and looked grateful for the support he's getting. All the athletes involved have been class acts about it, from what I've seen.

 

[Spun Silver]

I know skaters have always tried to peak later in the season, but it still isn’t an excuse to be complacent. Peaking means you pull out your biggest jumps at Nationals and Worlds. That’s what Mirai did. It’s (presumably) what Nathan did. (I didn’t follow the GP, but I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t been doing 5 quads in his LP all season.)

It doesn’t mean you’re ok with 8th place at an earlier competition, or a competition that “doesn’t matter.”

Mirai has been doing the 3A in both programs since the start of the season and most of them have been rotated and ratified, just not well landed. She didn't just pull it out for Nats. But I have no idea what Tom Z's training plans are.

 

[Seerek]

I don't know any elite skaters personally, but I work with someone who runs marathons and is pretty serious about it. On any given day, he can run a marathon distance no problem, but his training plan changes depending on the goal he has for the next race. He plans months in advance.

What's interesting about the marathon example above is that Olympic qualification differs greatly between country to country.

A very competitive country like USA will have an official marathon Olympic Trials (which take place a full 5-6 months before the Olympics).

Compare that to Canada, where there are no actual Olympic Trials for marathon, instead taking the fastest 2 runners finishing below a specified time standard in a specified qualifying period, usually starting 12 months before the start of the Olympics (i.e. that qualifying time could be achieved at any certified marathon during the qualifying period).

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It is indeed sad but kinda a no brainer for me regarding his main point here..

I'd say "Listen up kids. To make the Olympic Team will take more than just a bunch of forgettable performances and a silver Medal at The Nationals. If you truly want to make the Olympic Team you will need to demonstrate consistency and go out there and medal and win in international competitions. Show the Committee you are capable of more than one good performance every 2-3 years."

This really isn't difficult for me to grasp. And I'm not trying to be snotty or mean... Just reality.. Actually I would EXPECT my coach to tell me this.

Added later: I mean I can tell you right off the top of my mind where Jason and Adam placed in their competitions this year. For Miner I think he may have had Finlandia or another B... placing like 7th or 8th in the SP.. Then I believe he had one assigned GP that came from the host country as a TBD.. and I remember after the SP he wasnt even in the last group to skate the free..... so.... I mean.... theres all that.

 

[Carolla5501]

He said he would quit. I'm encouraging him to stick with that. When you cannot act professionally in your chosen field, it is time to look for another one.

OTOH, he doesn't know I exist and wouldn't care what I think if he did so I'm not really going to worry about what he does.

Did he throw stuff and stomp his feet too??

So because one thing doesn't go his way he's going to throw the rest of his skaters under the bus?

What a professional reaction.

If you are lurking here Mark, grow up and get a grip. Everyone has disappointments, you of ALL people should have known this. If you really think that abandoning your entire crew of skaters (and you have been collecting them in great numbers) is the way to go they probably are better off with a coach who can show them how to deal with disappointment like adults.

 

[HeManSkaterDad]

I can see arguments both for Miner and for Rippon, and I even have a little sympathy for the selection committee, who were given no real guidance by the alleged criteria. I do not put much credence in the 'the criteria where out there' argument. Yes, an initial set of criteria was published in July 2016, amended in September of 2017 and again on December 21, 2017, so the criteria was hardly set in stone.

However, the term 'criteria' is at best generous. It states:

"U.S. Figure Skating’s IC Discipline Groups will take into consideration the performances and results from the events outlined below to determine athletes/teams who will have the most performance impact at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The IC Discipline Groups will take into consideration placement and performance (to include performance data derived from the athlete’s detailed result sheets from the competitions listed below along with season’s best scores, season’s trending scores, median and mean data on each athlete/team) from the current 2017-18 season to assess continued growth, consistency and reliability of the athletes/teams being considered (see Attachment D) and the competitive field at the following events listed in a priority order and weighted by tiers"

But then adds:

"In addition, consideration of other athletes/teams will be given due to extenuating circumstances as approved by the IC Discipline Groups."

That is it, there is nothing discussing actual weighting, measurements or values. There is not one objective measurement mentioned. Using the above criteria, the committees (one for each discipline) ranks the skaters and votes on the list. There is no manner in which anyone could practically, strategically train and plan for it. Further, since the athletes have to rely on USFS to assign them to an international, they cannot even control if/how much criteria data is being considered.

USFS should just maker it simple and honest, and use this criteria "After Nationals, we are going to select the skaters we think will do best at the internationals based on everything we know about them."

 

[Vash01]

I understand Mark's frustration. It's like lightning striking three times. I had forgotten the Katrina story ( I can't remember the 2008 nationals at all).

I think if he is really unhappy at this point perhaps he needs to find something else in life. If these are just passing emotions, he can still coach, but emphasize the importance of doing well at every competition like it is the nationals. May be he does that. I doubt that he tells his students to hold back, but may be he can prepare them to understand that there are things they Can control, and things they cannot control? This needs to be told without bitterness though, or it won't have the positive impact.

Frank Carroll's students used to peak at nationals and then worlds. It worked. So may be that was the approach of many coaches. Things are different now. It helps to adjust to changing times. May be I sound too preachy?

 

[jiejie]

That is it, there is nothing discussing actual weighting, measurements or values. There is not one objective measurement mentioned.

I don't think the actual committee discussion was as touchy-feely as you seem to describe. We know for certain that the selection committee looked at how the men were actually scoring in international competition--that much was clearly stated by USFS at the announcement. Not just final placements per competition. To a selection committee trying to formulate a team where the very best from other countries will all be present, it can carry more weight to be able to consistently score above 260 in intl competition after competition--even if not medalling--vs a skater who tends to be scored in the 220-230 range by intl judges. Ross simply has not been able to break into the 250-260+ range and that was unlikely to change in the next five weeks.

 

[Clutz]

Oh my God...do you all realize or care that you are talking about other humans? Ross, Mark, Ashley...all real people with real emotions. Some of you are frankly some cruel, sickheaded puppies.

What seems to be at issue here is that it was clear going into Nationals that only five men were under consideration: Nathan, Vincent, Max (and honestly, was he REALLY in the mix or was it mostly NBC making a story?), Adam, and Jason. I agree with Mark's statement that it was a waste of time to have the other 20 some odd men compete if, as we saw exactly with Ross, had no chance of being placed on the Olympic or World team no matter what they did. This was/is the National Championships which is ONE competition after which three people earn medals. If newbies or veterans have no chance to translate those finishes into world team berths, then I agree with Mark that they should be told that ahead of time. And let us forget all this nonsense about "true professional" or "true passion for your sport"...people who say that crap are people who have never been athletes or accomplished anything. True athletes want to win and succeed. If they are clearly not going to be allowed to succeed then there is no actual athletic endeavor to be had.

As for the "Criteria", there really was none. Criteria would have been quantifiable...the list the athletes were given was nothing more than a PR stunt. Criteria would have had points, comparative results, minimum scores...something other than "ah you finished here and HA, we did not give you two grand prix assignments so too bad old man." How could Ross qualify for the GPF with one event? What makes it all the more irritating was how the same dialogue that was used to justify leaving Ross off the team was the same dialogue used to put Karen Chen on the team.

I hope Mark Mitchell does not stop coaching...I hope the top level coaches start protesting and boycotting.

 

[just tuned in]

If he doesn't love it anymore, he should quit.

And if he wants to quit coaching because he is pissed at the usfsa, perhaps this is an indication that he should not have taken up coaching.

 

[BlueRidge]

Oh my God...do you all realize or care that you are talking about other humans? Ross, Mark, Ashley...all real people with real emotions. Some of you are frankly some cruel, sickheaded puppies.

Actually all the people involved in the process from Samuel Auxier on down are real people with real emotions. They all deserve respect and the benefit of the doubt. They are trying their best to implement a difficult process that results in disappointments for skaters who have also tried their best.

 

[starrynight]

I just feel bad that all everyone has done is stomp on Ross' achievements at Nationals from the second after he did those skates because it upset the apple cart. I just feel so disappointed and uninspired after this. I also feel incredulous that skating fans as a whole don't seem to have any problem with vague backroom procedures for choosing teams. But I suppose if people stay fans of figure skating in the longterm, you would need to not care about this sort of thing.

I watched the press conference about the announcement of the teams and the introduction given explaining who was chosen was pretty vague. I agree there needs to be quantifiable criteria developed if this is the route that USFSA wants to go down in the future. Something with percentages and actual numbers and then apply it consistently across the board.

Does something like this mean that for example, if a new pairs team was to form in the USA and they needed time to adjust and gel and then had a stellar showing at Nationals (a la Volosozhar/Trankov in their first season) that they could not be selected to worlds because they didn't have the body of work?

 

[Carolla5501]

I wanted Ross to go. I’m disappointed but I also saw the writing on the wall. It’s been pretty clear you had to have a good season not just a good Nationals

 

[Carolla5501]

I just feel bad that all everyone has done is stomp on Ross' achievements at Nationals from the second after he did those skates because it upset the apple cart. I just feel so disappointed and uninspired after this. I also feel incredulous that skating fans as a whole don't seem to have any problem with vague backroom procedures for choosing teams. But I suppose if people stay fans of figure skating in the longterm, you would need to not care about this sort of thing.

I watched the press conference about the announcement of the teams and the introduction given explaining who was chosen was pretty vague. I agree there needs to be quantifiable criteria developed if this is the route that USFSA wants to go down in the future. Something with percentages and actual numbers and then apply it consistently across the board.

Does something like this mean that for example, if a new pairs team was to form in the USA and they needed time to adjust and gel and then had a stellar showing at Nationals (a la Volosozhar/Trankov in their first season) that they could not be selected to worlds because they didn't have the body of work?

Considering that our pair teams it wouldn’t take much to have a good body of work.

 

[BittyBug]

@starrynight, I don't think anyone is "stomping on Ross' achievements at Nationals." He had the skate of the night, maybe even the competition. No one can take that away from him, nor do I think anyone is trying to do so.

As far as the criteria is concerned, I agree that more definition and detail would reduce the fear that the decision is arbitrary. But I think that's more of a perception than reality. 11 of 12 people on that committee came to the same conclusion - I don't think there would be that type of consensus if the criteria were really as vague a some people think they are.

 

[Rock2]

I think Mark Mitchell should quit coaching as he is not conducting himself like a professional. When the coach is putting himself ahead of his students and making it about himself like this, it is time for him to do something else.

In what way is he putting himself ahead? He is rightfully pointing out he has been involved in this sort of situation 3 times including twice as a coach. If training for Nationals (if your goal is to make the Olympics) is pointless, it would be great if athletes would have more transparency to this so they can quit the sport and save some money or train just for the experience of going and getting a placement.

To avoid these controversies in the future, and more importantly to be fair to the athletes, if they are factoring in performances from other events they need to have much firmer rules about what weight is given to different events and apply it evenly across all disciplines. Japan does this and consequently every skater goes into Nationals where they have to finish in relation to others to make the team because the selection process is much more transparent.

If that's true with JSF then I would like to see this. I'm ok with the spirit of BOW but geez, if finishing second at National trials, 20 pts ahead of 6th place finisher doesn't move you ahead in the Olympic pecking order then wtf.

I feel bad for Mark, but um, using competitive track record (I swear if I see “BOW” again...) means that you show up and do your best to place at every competition you go to. That’s true sportsmanship, not banking on a single competition to make up for years of meh.

I'm trying to see your point but it's just not entirely practical. Athletes get only a few weeks off a year and when they show up to SLC or Autumn Classic or even first GP their programs are hardly trained. They are just getting out there to feel competitive ice again and get judges reactions to programs. The entire year is a process to be ready for nationals and worlds; to construct your training to hit podiums throughout the year is a tough ask.

Also, not everyone gets the same opportunities early in the season or prior seasons.

Nationals is the ONE competition where everyone shows up ready to peak. You can't get more apples to apples than that. Plus you're a month away from the Olympics so there's that. Do you want to reward the skaters who were good in October or the ones who look the most ready as the games are imminent?
Do you want to reward good skating over a 12 month period or doing it when it counts and under the most pressure?

Here's what it comes down to for me: Effectively, because of this big ol spreadsheet USFSA seems to have, the men's event came down to which two of Jason, Vincent and Adam were going to Korea with Nathan. Everyone else had already pretty much been eliminated from consideration. Had USFSA been transparent about that before the event, what do you think the reaction among fans athletes and coaches would have been?

When I look at it that way, too little weight on Nationals, although I give some credence to BOW philosophy. Doesn't smell right.

 

[Areski]

Oh my God...do you all realize or care that you are talking about other humans? Ross, Mark, Ashley...all real people with real emotions. Some of you are frankly some cruel, sickheaded puppies.

What seems to be at issue here is that it was clear going into Nationals that only five men were under consideration: Nathan, Vincent, Max (and honestly, was he REALLY in the mix or was it mostly NBC making a story?), Adam, and Jason. I agree with Mark's statement that it was a waste of time to have the other 20 some odd men compete if, as we saw exactly with Ross, had no chance of being placed on the Olympic or World team no matter what they did. This was/is the National Championships which is ONE competition after which three people earn medals. If newbies or veterans have no chance to translate those finishes into world team berths, then I agree with Mark that they should be told that ahead of time. And let us forget all this nonsense about "true professional" or "true passion for your sport"...people who say that crap are people who have never been athletes or accomplished anything. True athletes want to win and succeed. If they are clearly not going to be allowed to succeed then there is no actual athletic endeavor to be had.

As for the "Criteria", there really was none. Criteria would have been quantifiable...the list the athletes were given was nothing more than a PR stunt. Criteria would have had points, comparative results, minimum scores...something other than "ah you finished here and HA, we did not give you two grand prix assignments so too bad old man." How could Ross qualify for the GPF with one event? What makes it all the more irritating was how the same dialogue that was used to justify leaving Ross off the team was the same dialogue used to put Karen Chen on the team.

I hope Mark Mitchell does not stop coaching...I hope the top level coaches start protesting and boycotting.

All your points appeal to me and are eloquently pronounced. We need to come together for that. It's too arbitrary - that's for certain.

 

[Bellanca]

As a coach, Mark Mitchell is allowed to be mad. As a senior competitor’s coach with over 10 years of experience, he's allowed to question things. At the end of the day, Ross laid out his best, and he's going home proud!

Sound familiar? The other side of the coin.

 

[wickedwitch]

In what way is he putting himself ahead? He is rightfully pointing out he has been involved in this sort of situation 3 times including twice as a coach.

IMO, complaining publicly is not in Ross' best interest. It won't change any of the assignments. And it may just encourage Ross to become bitter. From personal experience, you don't want to be bitter about the crap life throws at you.

 

[starrynight]

If that's true with JSF then I would like to see this. I'm ok with the spirit of BOW but geez, if finishing second at National trials, 20 pts ahead of 6th place finisher doesn't move you ahead in the Olympic pecking order then wtf.

Nationals is the ONE competition where everyone shows up ready to peak. You can't get more apples to apples than that..

I think that Ross being named second alternate behind the 6th place finisher shows that Nationals was basically a big exhibition event.

Nothing will change if people don't stand up to things like this and demand more transparency. Miner's coach should absolutely speak out. Otherwise no one should expect there to be any depth in US skating if everyone knows that there are no chances except for the top few.

 

[gkelly]

I see nothing in the Brennan article to indicate that Mitchell has expressed a positive intention to quit coaching. Is there a source for that elsewhere?

She notes his anger and quotes him venting by asking rhetorically "Why are we even doing this?" but neither the direct quotes nor her summary state that he doesn't intend to do it any longer.

I agree with Mark's statement that it was a waste of time to have the other 20 some odd men compete if, as we saw exactly with Ross, had no chance of being placed on the Olympic or World team no matter what they did.

It's a waste of time only if the only reason they competed this season was do their best to make the Olympic team.

For Miner, and also Hochstein, Brown, and Aaron, maybe that was their only goal for competing this season. I don't know their intentions.

But for the rest of the men's field, they would likely feel they got just as much out of competing at 2018 Nationals as they did in 2017 or 2016 or will in 2019. Other international assignments are also on the line, as well

For those who intend to retire and chose to stay in for the Olympic season to round out the quadrennium, knowing they competed in a (partial, and ever less so) unofficial Olympic trials may make Olympic-year Nationals feel more special to participate in even if they know their chances of actually making the Olympic team was slim at best.

But yes, for someone who thought he had a good chance to qualify just be skating well at Nationals, it would be very frustrating to realize that chance was not very good after all.

 

[Erin]

As a coach, Mark Mitchell is allowed to be mad. As a senior competitor’s coach with over 10 years of experience, he's allowed to question things. At the end of the day, Ross laid out his best, and he's going home proud!

Sound familiar? The other side of the coin.

Actually you left out the other part of the quote where Mark says he 100% supports the men on the team. So I'd say it sounds a bit different.

 

[Bellanca]

IMO, complaining publicly is not in Ross' best interest. It won't change any of the assignments. And it may just encourage Ross to become bitter. From personal experience, you don't want to be bitter about the crap life throws at you.

Oh, come on! If Ross had been named over Adam, there would have been plenty of b*tching. Plenty! To think otherwise? Foolish.

 

[Bellanca]

Actually you left out the other part of the quote where Mark says he 100% supports the men on the team. So I'd say it sounds a bit different.

Of course he does, that is Mark Mitchell, a class act... which means the 100% quote is not something that would need to be repeated over and over. Also, I am not "quoting" Mark Mitchell.

 

[BlueRidge]

People who are concerned for Ross can stop ignoring the fact that he just put in a great performance to win Silver at the US National Championships. That is a great accomplishment in and of itself, and he has the medal to show for it for the rest of his life.

Nationals is a major competition. The assignments matter but they are not the reason for the competition and medaling at this competition is a great accomplishment. I feel like people are really dissing Ross's accomplishment when they say there was no point in his even participating because of the decisions made about assignments.

 

[Tavi]

I can see arguments both for Miner and for Rippon, and I even have a little sympathy for the selection committee, who were given no real guidance by the alleged criteria. I do not put much credence in the 'the criteria where out there' argument. Yes, an initial set of criteria was published in July 2016, amended in September of 2017 and again on December 21, 2017, so the criteria was hardly set in stone.

However, the term 'criteria' is at best generous. It states:

"U.S. Figure Skating’s IC Discipline Groups will take into consideration the performances and results from the events outlined below to determine athletes/teams who will have the most performance impact at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The IC Discipline Groups will take into consideration placement and performance (to include performance data derived from the athlete’s detailed result sheets from the competitions listed below along with season’s best scores, season’s trending scores, median and mean data on each athlete/team) from the current 2017-18 season to assess continued growth, consistency and reliability of the athletes/teams being considered (see Attachment D) and the competitive field at the following events listed in a priority order and weighted by tiers"

But then adds:

"In addition, consideration of other athletes/teams will be given due to extenuating circumstances as approved by the IC Discipline Groups."

That is it, there is nothing discussing actual weighting, measurements or values. There is not one objective measurement mentioned. Using the above criteria, the committees (one for each discipline) ranks the skaters and votes on the list. There is no manner in which anyone could practically, strategically train and plan for it. Further, since the athletes have to rely on USFS to assign them to an international, they cannot even control if/how much criteria data is being considered.

USFS should just maker it simple and honest, and use this criteria "After Nationals, we are going to select the skaters we think will do best at the internationals based on everything we know about them."

Isn’t that pretty much what they said? What’s written here, nonspecific as it is, makes clear that USFS’s goal is “to determine athletes/teams who will have the most performance impact at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.” It’s not too difficult to figure out that they’re not looking to award someone for one beautiful performance, but to field a competitive team that can contend for a team medal, among other things, and that they want to see results over time. The document listing the tiers showing where individual events fall is pretty clear, even without percentages. They’re telling you that everything you do counts. That alone should suggest that the importance of Nationals is reduced, even if you don’t know by how much.

What’s telling for me is in that regard is that however unclear the criteria were, coaches of most of the top competitors figured out that a high finish at Nationals was no longer, by itself, enough to guarantee a spot on the Olympic Team, and adjusted their skaters’ strategies / training plans accordingly. To the extent someone did not, I’m not sure USFS should be blamed.

 

[Vash01]

Oh my God...do you all realize or care that you are talking about other humans? Ross, Mark, Ashley...all real people with real emotions. Some of you are frankly some cruel, sickheaded puppies.

What seems to be at issue here is that it was clear going into Nationals that only five men were under consideration: Nathan, Vincent, Max (and honestly, was he REALLY in the mix or was it mostly NBC making a story?), Adam, and Jason. I agree with Mark's statement that it was a waste of time to have the other 20 some odd men compete if, as we saw exactly with Ross, had no chance of being placed on the Olympic or World team no matter what they did. This was/is the National Championships which is ONE competition after which three people earn medals. If newbies or veterans have no chance to translate those finishes into world team berths, then I agree with Mark that they should be told that ahead of time. And let us forget all this nonsense about "true professional" or "true passion for your sport"...people who say that crap are people who have never been athletes or accomplished anything. True athletes want to win and succeed. If they are clearly not going to be allowed to succeed then there is no actual athletic endeavor to be had.

As for the "Criteria", there really was none. Criteria would have been quantifiable...the list the athletes were given was nothing more than a PR stunt. Criteria would have had points, comparative results, minimum scores...something other than "ah you finished here and HA, we did not give you two grand prix assignments so too bad old man." How could Ross qualify for the GPF with one event? What makes it all the more irritating was how the same dialogue that was used to justify leaving Ross off the team was the same dialogue used to put Karen Chen on the team.

I hope Mark Mitchell does not stop coaching...I hope the top level coaches start protesting and boycotting.

I don't think any of us is without sympathy toward those who were severely disappointed by not making the Olympic team.

This is a sport. There are winners and losers, though in my mind anyone who competes is a winner.

People compete for different reasons. Not everyone competes to win or to make the Olympic team, though most top skaters do. Some others compete to gain experience, to improve their skating (you improve a lot when you compete, even if you don't perform well), to get more exposure, to learn from those who are better.

So I don't agree that 20 or so skaters should not take part in a competition at all.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Considering that our pair teams it wouldn’t take much to have a good body of work.

LOLLL True!!!!!

Anywhoooo look at the criteria they used to deny Ashley... "Karen placed 4th at LAST YEARS worlds." I dont remember the last time Ross went to worlds and when he did did he finish like 16th?

I think everyone is VERY pleased for Miner's accomplishment at Nats. Thats awesome. But when it comes time to field a team for The Olys I can certainly understand why they would deny any skater in this exact situation a place on the team.

Is it fair? I guess so.... USFSA doesn't say we send the medalists to the Olympics.

Should Mitchell's students NOT HAVE COME TO NATIONALS? LOL, no.. whats wrong first of all with winning a Nationals medal. I say its true at the beginning of the year they must know who has a high probability (Jason, Nathan, Vincent and Adam). But if you want on that team when your not being looked at in September do something about it...like Bradie did.. kinda like Mirai did with 3 axels..... If you weren't hearing buzz about your name well get your tooshie to GPF, get your tooshie the Gold at Finlandia, get your tooshie a medal at SkAm......

People bring up gymnastics too.. and when they field the TEAM.. a committee gets together and figures out the best athletes for the Team! Not who rocked on floor exercise but tanked on all the other stuff. Or someone who came in 2nd at Nationals but didn't perform well at the competitions leading up to it.

In the end USFSA wants you to bring home a medal for the country. And they select the athletes whom they think have the highest chances of bringing home the country a medal.

There are indeed some things I think that are shady at this years Nats (S-K&K +GOE on quad twist, Karen's and Bradie's high PCS) but this aint one of them.