I was listening to Scott Hamilton's Episode 11 on IN:
http://web.icenetwork.com/video/v1225269283
After the fun interview with Tanith & Charlie, Scott answers viewer questions, and then he offers his 'Final Spin.' Scroll to 21:32 for Scott's comments. What do others think Scott was saying exactly in discussing 'the journey'? My take is that in regard to Nathan, Scott is observing that the sky is the limit, and that Nathan is a fierce competitor who never lets up when he achieves success. It's always pedal to the medal for Nathan. IOW, Nathan's journey is not about stopping at random destinations, or doubting his GPS and his mapped-out plans. Per Scott: "It's how you plan your days and how you arrive at the promised land... Nathan has won at every level, and he's done so because every level was not a destination..."
In referencing Mirai Nagasu, in this context, Scott apparently is saying that her success has been up and down, but that her talent should be nurtured "and not just fall in love with the next big, beautiful thing." I think these are worthwhile points Scott is making. Although, I think there are too many factors involved to definitively characterize individual skaters' trajectories. Perhaps if Mirai had been with coaches who understood her personality earlier on, and could have provided the nurturing she needed, maybe her trajectory and overall journey would have been different. OTOH, it's not even certain that had Mirai moved to Tom Z immediately after 2010 Olympics that she would not have had her ups and downs. But it's possible he could have guided her at that point to greater success. However, Tom did still have Rachael Flatt at the time, so taking on Mirai at that point was not something anyone would have likely considered. Perhaps the timing worked out the way it did for a reason.
A lot of getting over hurdles for most skaters is about self-belief, gaining and learning from competitive experiences, and developing self confidence. I'm not certain who Scott was referencing re skaters 'extending their journey past where they can really be competitive.' Hmmm.
Oh well, in any case, Scott is always positive, and he ended on the note that he cheers for these skaters too.
over 3 spots at the Olympics is meh. The past few seasons we have had 3 spots for Worlds and we still have the same inconsistent skaters yo yo'ing with their results on the world stage. Maybe with 2 spots, we will finally see skaters raise the bar and take American skating up another notch. JMO
Triumph for the top two, heartbreak for whoever is 3rd. That makes for great drama which is what this sport is all about anyway 
