I understand the individual points you are making. But I looked back at my original post, and I said it was cruel for Phil Hersh and Frank Carroll to be doing this. Really, Frank Carroll bragging about Mirai's triple axels and triple lutz/triple loop and how she smoked Rachael/Alissa at 4CCs, this is necessary? There's no way to prove Mirai's readiness, so we have no way of knowing if Carroll is just hyping Mirai up. I think it is unnecessary piling on Rachael for a situation that can't be changed. I think it's inappropriate for Carroll to be saying that.
By the way Frank, had Mirai only rotated her double axel last year before falling in the LP at Worlds, we would have gotten 3 spots thanks to Mirai and Rachael last year, and Mirai would have been able to go this year.
Actually, now that I think about it...didn't Mirai also skate at Worlds last year with an injury? It was only diagnosed afterwards as a stress fracture, but I believe she felt the pain already by Worlds. Did anyone blame Mirai for not realizing the injury earlier and alerting Ashley Wagner? Did anyone flog Mirai the way Phil and Frank Carroll is now for skating injured?
Hmm. I think Mirai's injury came much later. She seemed perfectly fit and trained for worlds and it was just nerves that got to her in the LP. I could be wrong.
In any case, yeah, I can't help but take Carroll's boasting about Mirai's jumps with a grain of salt. It's an easy thing to say when there's no way for anyone to disprove it. Rachael controversy aside, I certainly hope it's true that Mirai is landing 3-3s. But we'll see next year. And while I wish it didn't come at Rachael's expense, it's nice to see Frank going out to bat for and hyping up his skater again rather than publicly raking HER through the mud, too.
Sports can be mean and tough and dirty and figure skating is hardly an exception. I hope Rachael and Mirai can concentrate on their skating this summer and that this doesn't become a distraction.