Flatt out with injury

[R.D.]

JUST IN

Rachel Flatt is now out for the season with a lower leg/ankle injury

http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=48610&type=media

[Tonichelle]

Not surprising. still, it sucks.

[emma]

I'm sorry to hear this. I hope Rachel fully recovers and really, really enjoys her academic year. I will miss her at nationals!

[drivingmissdaisy]

Good decision to focus on rehabilitating her injury. If she can regain her peak form I think she'd still be among the top 5 in the country.

[pangtongfan]

This is basically a retirement announcement. I would be quite surprised if we saw her ever again. She isnt going to get any international assignments next year, and would have to qualify at Nationals which would be no easy feat for her these days. Maybe she wants to try and skate one last time at Nationals and wave goodbye, but to not qualify for Nationals and retire at a Sectional level competition would be a bit embarassing so it is quite likely she wont even be willing to put the work to go through that. Then again Trenary a former World Champion retired right after a Sectional level event for Nationals (which she won IIRC but still didnt skate that well to give her confidence in an Olympic team berth at the upcoming Nationals).

[golden411]

BTW, correct spelling of her name is Rachael -- with two As.
https://twitter.com/RachaelFlatt/sta...91259442413569

ETA:

And of course, I wish her only the best!

[pangtongfan]

Good decision to focus on rehabilitating her injury. If she can regain her peak form I think she'd still be among the top 5 in the country.

I agree if she regained her 2008-2011 form when she was consistently the 1st or 2nd American in the weakest ever U.S ladies field, she could eventually work her way up to being say 4-6 in the country again. However she peaked when skating was her full time commitment, not when it was something that was a part time hobby she tried to fit as a fully commited college student. She would have to probably have to become a part time student to ever show close to that same commitment again, and there is no way she would or should be willing to do that just to maybe become top 5 in the country, and probably still not go to another Worlds. It would be silly.

[drivingmissdaisy]

I agree if she regained her 2008-2011 form when she was consistently the 1st or 2nd American in the weakest ever U.S ladies field, she could eventually work her way up to being say 4-6 in the country again. However she peaked when skating was her full time commitment, not when it was something that was a part time hobby she tried to fit as a fully commited college student. She would have to probably have to become a part time student to ever show close to that same commitment again, and there is no way she would or should be willing to do that just to maybe become top 5 in the country, and probably still not go to another Worlds. It would be silly.

I agree. It's sad to see how so many aspects of her skating have declined in the last few years that I think we've seen the last of her at a competitive level. She doesn't seem able to balance school and skating well enough to remain at her best.