Ashley Wagner withdrew from Juniors | Golden Skate

Ashley Wagner withdrew from Juniors

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I for one applaud her decision. Ashley is now a senior competitor, solidly in the mix for major senior championships. There is little incentive for her to go backward and go play with the little girls.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Hmmm.....didn't Ashley also skip 4CC?
So while Rachael and Mirai will have skated at the Olympics and then Worlds Ashley sat home.

It seems to me Ashley's biggest weakness is not being a strong enough competitor at times. How sitting home and passing up major Intl events like 4CC and Jr Worlds will make her a better and more competitive skater sort of slips by me.

Christina Gao is getting better and may come away with a medal at Jr Worlds. US Skating will certainly take note of that - and that an equally disappointed Caroline Zhang still went to 4CC and medaled.

Maybe I am wrong but I feel a bit of a "Princess " complex coming from Ashley. I think she risks falling behind too many USA skaters by skipping events.
 
Last edited:

SerpentineSteps

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Hmmm.....didn't Ashley also skip 4CC?
So while Rachael and Mirai will have skated at the Olympics and then Worlds Ashley sat home.

It seems to me Ashley's biggest weakness is not being a strong enough competitor at times. How sitting home and passing up major Intl events like 4CC and Jr Worlds will make her a better and more competitive skater sort of slips by me.

Christina Gao is getting better and may come away with a medal at Jr Worlds. US Skating will certainly take note of that - and that an equally disappointed Caroline Zhang still went to 4CC and medaled.

Maybe I am wrong but I feel a bit if a "Princess " complex coming from Ashley. I think she risks falling behind too many USA skaters by skipping events.

While I agree with you that it was unwise of her to turn down 4CC (though, granted, she turned it down before the Olympic/World/4CC/JWorld teams were announced), I completely disagree that her decision to skip Junior Worlds is a result of an so-called "princess" complex.

For one, she skated at Worlds TWO YEARS AGO. If she wants to opt out of training a 3'30" program to focus on training her 4'00" program as an alternate for Worlds, then more power to her.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
While I agree with you that it was unwise of her to turn down 4CC (though, granted, she turned it down before the Olympic/World/4CC/JWorld teams were announced), I completely disagree that her decision to skip Junior Worlds is a result of an so-called "princess" complex.

For one, she skated at Worlds TWO YEARS AGO. If she wants to opt out of training a 3'30" program to focus on training her 4'00" program as an alternate for Worlds, then more power to her.

I respect that this is Ashley's decision but it seems strange that she did not make herself available for 4CC.
She can skip Jr Worlds and her place will be filled by another skater who like Ashley is age eligible and not a member of the US Senior team.

Her replacement may benefit greatly from this chance as performance experience is so valuable and can't be equaled training at home.
 

DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
She is getting a bit long in the tooth for juniors. Hell, she's getting a bit long in the tooth for seniors. US ladies has a long history of also-rans who got close but never close enough like Jenny Kirk, Emily Hughes, Katy Taylor, Ann Patrice McDonough, and so on. They try and try but couldn't quite top any major podium, and then just wash out. Ashley herself hasn't won a competition since 2007. Maybe it's time for Ashley "Always a Bridesmaid" Wagner to move on.
 

FSOWebmaster

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 8, 2005
Figure Skaters Online posted a complete story with quotes from Ashley Wagner last week: http://figureskatersonline.com/news/2010/03/01/ashley-wagner-content-with-seasons-end/ She is missing the event because she thought it would be better to have an actual junior at the event, since she was not having an easy time adjusting her free skate back to the shorter format.

On a different note, Wagner actually did not make herself available for Four Continents because, as she said, she did not feel that she could be at her peak two consecutive weekends, and thus, did not feel she could adequately represent herself and her country in Korea. (As we saw, it was difficult for some of the skaters to match the level they were at at Four Continents, although a couple also did well.) She did not make herself unavailable because she thought she was going to make the Olympic and/or World team.
 

Trewyn

Medalist
Joined
Dec 10, 2008
She is getting a bit long in the tooth for juniors. Hell, she's getting a bit long in the tooth for seniors. US ladies has a long history of also-rans who got close but never close enough like Jenny Kirk, Emily Hughes, Katy Taylor, Ann Patrice McDonough, and so on. They try and try but couldn't quite top any major podium, and then just wash out. Ashley herself hasn't won a competition since 2007. Maybe it's time for Ashley "Always a Bridesmaid" Wagner to move on.

Wow, that's extremely harsh. I don't know if you noticed but Ashley was by far the best American Lady on the GP circuit this season; Rachael had one shining moment at the SA freeskate and Mirai got dinged by a TON of downgrades. Ashley qualified for the GPF and placed a very respectable 4th there. She just seems to have issues with Nationals. Also; any other Olympics her 3rd place would have qualified her for the Olympics; and look what Sarah Hughes, also a 3rd place finisher at Nats before the Olympics got? Yes Ashley has to be careful to not become the 'Emily Hughes' of her generation. After the Olympics and after seeing how well Rachael and Mirai skated; yes; Ashley had better bring her A-game next season or she's going to be a bridesmaid again. But to say she should move on now? That is crazy. She has all the goods to become the best US Lady.

About her withdrawal from Jr Worlds; believe me no one was more sad to hear about that than I; but now I totally respect her decision. About four continents; just think about what the USFSA expected? Do Nats get on a long flight to Korea probably the evening of the exhibition, deal with major jet lag and do your SP a couple days later? Nats was just scheduled way way way wrong for 4CC to be a serious competition for the athletes. I have great respect for Adam Rippon for pulling it off the way he did.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Not sure why she was selected for JW in the first place, quite frankly. But I can't help but wonder what took her this long.

I suspect this is the end of her season, as I don't see either of Flatt or Nagasu pulling out (although I agree it's good to be ready just in case).

P.S. I thought Wagner did quite well at Nationals, actually. It's just too bad there were only two spots and two other skaters had two perfect routines. In any other year she'd have been an Olympian, too. But if I were her I'd be a little concerned. Nagasu is a rising star; Flatt is ever so consistent and dependable. I'd say Wagner's the best of the rest, but has struggled with inconsistency issues. She must learn to stop digging herself a hole after the SP. Nationals proved that even a perfect FS wasn't good enough (although it did move her up a spot to 3rd). Give this Christina Gao another year and she might also be a formidable challenger to Wagner.
 
Last edited:

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
Not sure why she was selected for JW in the first place, quite frankly. But I can't help but wonder what took her this long.

I suspect this is the end of her season, as I don't see either of Flatt or Nagasu pulling out (although I agree it's good to be ready just in case).

P.S. I thought Wagner did quite well at Nationals, actually. It's just too bad there were only two spots and two other skaters had two perfect routines. In any other year she'd have been an Olympian, too. But if I were her I'd be a little concerned. Nagasu is a rising star; Flatt is ever so consistent and dependable. I'd say Wagner's the best of the rest, but has struggled with inconsistency issues. She must learn to stop digging herself a hole after the SP. Nationals proved that even a perfect FS wasn't good enough (although it did move her up a spot to 3rd). Give this Christina Gao another year and she might also be a formidable challenger to Wagner.

I agree. I'm afraid Wagner could become the Alissa Czisny of the next four years - good at some competitions, but inconsistent and not always dependable. Alissa was lucky to have won that national title and I feel bad for her, coming so close to making the Olympic team twice, but just seeing how she competed at worlds it is maybe a good thing she didn't make the Olympic team. I wonder if Ashley suffers from nerves too, although sometimes I think it is more a function of her "wanting it too much" than nerves. Anyways, Rachael is great now but when she goes to college I think Ashley could replace her as the next-best American lady. Gao once she grows up a little more should also be a force to be reckoned with. I don't know about Baga and Zawadski, but right now I don't think they have as much potential to go places as Gao. So often it seems like the winner of the Junior title doesn't live up to her glory when competing in seniors.
 
Top