Who will be the next sweet heart of American figure skating? | Page 6 | Golden Skate

Who will be the next sweet heart of American figure skating?

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Oh, sorry -- I thought you meant "grace" in the sense of inner beauty, full of the milk of human kindness, especially favored by Providence, that sort of thing. If you meant graceful as opposed to merely athletic skating -- well, I still think I have to disagree.

"For a few years now" our national champioons have included Alissa (graceful as all get-out but can't jump), a young Mirai (more graceful now than then, to be sure), and Miss Grace-on-Ice herself, Sasha.

As for Rachael, i don't think it's fair constantly to rag on the girl just because no one more artistic has come along to beat her. We should instead blame all those graceful girls waiting in the wings who just aren't getting their America's Sweetheart act together and who keep finishing off the podium.

:rock:
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Oh, sorry -- I thought you meant "grace" in the sense of inner beauty, full of the milk of human kindness, especially favored by Providence, that sort of thing. If you meant graceful as opposed to merely athletic skating -- well, I still think I have to disagree.

As for Rachael, i don't think it's fair constantly to rag on the girl just because no one more artistic has come along to beat her. We should instead blame all those graceful girls waiting in the wings who just aren't getting their America's Sweetheart act together and who keep finishing off the podium.

There are many ways to interpret what I wrote. Your definition is far from complete.......

Why is it "ragging" on a skater to say their skating is athletic and not graceful?

BTW you just said it yourself. :cool:

I also mentioned "fire." I can't recall a USA Lady champion who finished so far off an Olympic podium and yet said they were very satisfied and happy with the way they skated. My recollection of Janet, Linda, Roz, Debbi, Nancy, Michelle and Sasha was that they were disappointed not to have done better. They all were on the podium too, and not in 9th place.

So yes, "grace and fire" has alway been a requirement of America's Lady Skating stars. Like I said, it has been a while since we had a skater with both qualities on the ice.
 

PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Skating is out of the public eye which is why NBC chose to broadcast other sports during the Olympics and cut skating back.

But did NBC cut back on skating because it is out of the public eye? .....................

................. or is skating out of the public eye because NBC cut back?
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
But did NBC cut back on skating because it is out of the public eye? .....................

................. or is skating out of the public eye because NBC cut back?

Vicious cycle. TV networks pull out of televising a sport because of low ratings (or high costs, or both). Those low ratings could be for a variety of reasons but for your sake let's just assume that it's because interest has declined. Which leads to less of it on TV, perhaps none of it, which allows interest to fade even more. They go hand in hand
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I also mentioned "fire." I can't recall a USA Lady champion who finished so far off an Olympic podium and yet said they were very satisfied and happy with the way they skated. My recollection of Janet, Linda, Roz, Debbi, Nancy, Michelle and Sasha was that they were disappointed not to have done better. They all were on the podium too, and not in 9th place.

How times change, no? :eek:
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
They all were on the podium too, and not in 9th place.

Again, I think your criticism is misplaced. You should be disappointed with all those other American girls out there who are full of fire and grace, and who would never be satisfied with ninth place. They need to get it together, beat Rachael at Nationals, go to worlds, skate athletically and gracefully, win a medal, and become America's new sweetheart.

How is Rachael to blame that they do not?
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Honestly, I don't think there's much more Rachel can do. She is mid top-10 material AT BEST

But besides Nagasu, I can't see any other American lady who can be counted on for top 10 Worlds placement. No one.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
In case you have been in a coma - Mirai did beat Rachael in Vancouver and again at Worlds. She has skated with SOI and is now USA's best known competitive Lady skater.

For what it's worth, I'd be surprised if most people who watched the ladies' skating event could even recall her name.

People remembered Cohen in 2006 because a) she actually won a medal and 2) she attended events afterward and kept her name fresh. OTOH, Nagasu did NOT win a medal, and got overshadowed (rightfully) by men's OGM winner Lysacek. the only thing noteworthy thing she's done since is do SOI, which isn't mainstream enough to keep you recognized.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Again, I think your criticism is misplaced. You should be disappointed with all those other American girls out there who are full of fire and grace, and who would never be satisfied with ninth place. They need to get it together, beat Rachael at Nationals, go to worlds, skate athletically and gracefully, win a medal, and become America's new sweetheart.

How is Rachael to blame that they do not?

I am not blaming Rachael - just making some observations.
Those "other girls" you refer to are not the US Champion. Duh :sheesh:


I hope Rachael has a good year and gets better scores from the Intl judges this season.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Mirai is the best-known competitive lady skater in the U.S. She put herself on the map internationally with two eye-popping performances at the Olympics. She has a bright future. Everyone wishes her well and expects great things of her. She has all the ingredients of an extraordinary champion. We are all rooting for her next year. Everyone who contributed to this thread picked Mirai as having the best shot at grabbing the title of "America's Sweetheart," if anyone can.

How does any of that justify saying uncharitable things about Rachael Flatt?
 

UM84

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
I am not blaming Rachael - just making some observations.
Those "other girls" you refer to are not the US Champion. Duh :sheesh:


I hope Rachael has a good year and gets better scores from the Intl judges this season.

I don't think she will get higher international scores because the international competition is SO much better then her or anything we have right now. Nagasu is the only one I could see getting a little bump in international scores.
 

princess9

On the Ice
Joined
May 1, 2010
Maybe we need Johnny to consult with the top 3 ladies who are very good and consistent. Self promotion seems essential unless you are from a country with one good figureskater. Just a thought. Think Witt!:biggrin:
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Mirai is the best-known competitive lady skater in the U.S. She put herself on the map internationally with two eye-popping performances at the Olympics. She has a bright future. Everyone wishes her well and expects great things of her. She has all the ingredients of an extraordinary champion. We are all rooting for her next year. Everyone who contributed to this thread picked Mirai as having the best shot at grabbing the title of "America's Sweetheart," if anyone can.

How does any of that justify saying uncharitable things about Rachael Flatt?

How is calling Rachael a reliable jumper and athletic skater uncharitable?

I hope she improves her artistry, learns to skate a little faster and who knows what the possibilites are?
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
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Jun 27, 2003
For what it's worth, I'd be surprised if most people who watched the ladies' skating event could even recall her name.

People remembered Cohen in 2006 because a) she actually won a medal and 2) she attended events afterward and kept her name fresh. OTOH, Nagasu did NOT win a medal, and got overshadowed (rightfully) by men's OGM winner Lysacek. the only thing noteworthy thing she's done since is do SOI, which isn't mainstream enough to keep you recognized.

Flatt also skated with SOI, so I think the girls are still tied in this little game you guys are playing :laugh:
 

PolymerBob

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Everyone who contributed to this thread picked Mirai as having the best shot at grabbing the title of "America's Sweetheart," if anyone can.

Not quite everyone. :biggrin: I think we have no idea who the break-out lady will be. She will emerge, on her own, whenever she is ready.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
Without reading any of these 5 pages, the first name that came to my mind was Mirai Nagasu. She has the persona, the fire, and the skill. Whether she will continue on her Olympic success or dwell on her Worlds setback (I was going to say failure but you know how it is) remains to be seen.

Can't see anyone else on the radar just yet.

Neither can I, because Nagasu is so full of charm, she has star quality. I have no doubts that she will be climbing up in coming season.
 

janetfan

Match Penalty
Joined
May 15, 2009
Flatt also skated with SOI, so I think the girls are still tied in this little game you guys are playing :laugh:

Mirai did the whole tour and is a full SOI cast member. Rachael did what - a few guest appearances? :sheesh:

I am sure Mirai would have liked to take the Spring off but skating with SOI will help pay for her training next season. She has mentioned how it has been a struggle for her family keeping up with her training expenses.
Mirai's story - being the daughter of immigrants who came to USA looking for better opportunities is a very American story and one the public can embrace.

If the moderator's here wish to favor Rachael so be it. I don't think their comments change the broader feeling of most skating fans who appear to see Mirai as being the more exciting skater and having more star quality. :
 
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Sylvia

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 25, 2003
PHP:
Sorry to be nitpicky ;) but Mirai didn't do the full SOI tour -- she was full-time through April and had a couple of the California stops in May. And Rachael was 7th at the Olympics, not 9th.

I don't believe in publically anointing anyone the "next big star" because skating is tough enough without the added pressure of fans' expectations. So I'll just state the obvious :) -- everyone has to keep working on improving their weaknesses and continue showing off their strengths.
 
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Joined
Jun 21, 2003
If the moderator's here wish to favor Rachael so be it.

What imaginary thread are you reading? No one -- moderator or otherwise -- has favored Rachael over Mirai in this discussion. As for me, I gave my opinion of Mirai's talent and potential in post 113 above.

Who is the front-runner for America's sweetheart? I just did a quick count through this thread, and so far the vote is

Mirai -- 21 votes (including R.D., who -- like Mikey on the commercial -- doesn't like anyone. :laugh: )

Adam Rippon -- 5 votes.

Evan Lysacek -- 2 votes.

One vote each for Agnes Zawadki, Christina Gao, Nathan Chen, Katarina Kudgeyku, Keegan Messing, Gracie Gold, Carolyn Zhang (2 votes, counting -- by implication -- Polymer Bob's :) ), Kimmie Meissner, and Ashley Wagner. There were two posts saying it could be anyone, we'll have to wait and see.

0 votes for anyone else.

As for Rachael, I believe that she, like other aspirants to skating fame and glory, is doing the best she can with the talent that the Good Lord in his wisdom has given her, and we should applaud and encourage her for that. :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
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