Expected retirements? | Golden Skate

Expected retirements?

skateluvr

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Oct 23, 2011
I think Mirai and Caroline may quit, as poor Jeremy. He's so done. Any other final skates we may have seen?
 

evangeline

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Nov 7, 2007
I don't think Mirai will quit, she'll probably stick it out for one more season at least as she's said that she wants to make the Olympic team.

I believe Alissa has also said she intends to come back next season after her injury heals.
 
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pangtongfan

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Jun 16, 2010
Zhang seems determined. She will plug on for one more year atleast.

Mirai I think will stick it out for atleast 1 more year, and might continue longer depending on alot of factors.

Czisny I think will give one last try to the Olympics then retire, unless she does well enough she feels it is beneficial to come back 1 or 2 more years to try for a World medal/title vs a weakened field.

Abbott is not retiring yet. He is definitely going to try for Sochi. I dont think he will make it, but he will try.

Honestly very few would ever quit a year before the Olympics. I cant think of many who will. Johnny I think will quit, and Evan might well not show up and officialy retire.

As for internationals I think LaCoste might quit, but then again with likely atleast 2 Canadian spots to Sochi, it is too big a chance to pass up. She still has a chance to be 2nd at the Canadians with one of her better skates after all. I think Ando will officialy retire sometime before Sochi. I think Makarova will retire sometime before Sochi, and possibly Leonova as well. Plushenko might retire before Sochi if he senses it is too much to put his body through at this point (aka comes to his senses).
 

Jammers

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Nov 4, 2010
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I don't see Makarova or Leonova retiring before Sochi. Why retire when the Olympics are only one year away?
 

tulosai

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Dec 21, 2011
I said this in another thread but I don't see why Mirai or Caroline would quit and don't believe either would this year regardless- more likely next year if it's coming. Really though, despite how the sport seems to be trying to spit people out, they could both easily have another 4 year cycle in them if they avoid injury. As I've said elsewhere, neither one is 20 yet.
 

sky_fly20

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Nov 20, 2011
Miki is not retiring, she is planning on returning next season with Mororzov again as her coach
 

drivingmissdaisy

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Feb 17, 2010
The only potential retiree among those mentioned IMO is Caroline. Being realistic, she has absolutely no shot of making the Sochi team so there's no point in staying one more year. If she enjoys skating then perhaps she may stay beyond 2014 but it depends on what motivates her. As for the others, I agree with PF that with Sochi around the corner they would like to try and get on the Olympic team.
 

blue_idealist

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Feb 25, 2006
I think all the ones that are currently competing (except maybe Plushenko, for physical reasons) will stick around for one more year. Lacoste, as per her twitter, isn't giving up. The ones like Rachael Flatt, Johnny, and Evan, who aren't currently competing are ones we may see go.
 

lavender

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Jul 26, 2003
When Buttle won worlds but quit before the Olympics it really didn't make sense to me so I wouldn't be surprise if one or two of these overlooked athletes quit.
 

noskates

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Jun 11, 2012
This is just my opinion, but Jeff KNEW he had skated the skate of his life at Worlds that year and wanted to go out a winner. I don't think he would have won had he stayed for the Olympics. I have no clue who is going to retire. I know who I wish I didn't have to watch again. I know who I wish would just hang up their skates and stop punishing their bodies. Figure Skating is like any sport - when you train most of your life for something, do well but not maybe what your dream was, unless there is a definitive sport-ending injury - they never know when to quit. I really hate to see skaters (football players, baseball players, tennis players etc. etc. etc,) humiliate themselves and have their last memory of their sport be negative!
 

lavender

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Jul 26, 2003
This is just my opinion, but Jeff KNEW he had skated the skate of his life at Worlds that year and wanted to go out a winner. I don't think he would have won had he stayed for the Olympics. I have no clue who is going to retire. I know who I wish I didn't have to watch again. I know who I wish would just hang up their skates and stop punishing their bodies. Figure Skating is like any sport - when you train most of your life for something, do well but not maybe what your dream was, unless there is a definitive sport-ending injury - they never know when to quit. I really hate to see skaters (football players, baseball players, tennis players etc. etc. etc,) humiliate themselves and have their last memory of their sport be negative!

I agree that that's what he felt. However he's a better skater than Evan so if he would have done the same layout, no quad and no mistakes it could have happened since the quad didn't seem to be a big deal then. Plus Mirai, Caroline and Jeremy to a certain degree know that they aren't winning the Olympics either but they still would like to go.
 

blue_idealist

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Feb 25, 2006
When Buttle won worlds but quit before the Olympics it really didn't make sense to me so I wouldn't be surprise if one or two of these overlooked athletes quit.

That was two years before the Olympics though, not one. I think most of the skaters will think they might as well stick around with the Olympics being in ONE year.
 

Skater Boy

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Feb 24, 2012
I think the one most likely to retire would be Zhang because she really would have it toughest to make the US Oly team. The others well there is what is said and there is what is deep down which no one likes to talk about because it is so dark.

These are all possible realistic candidates to retire but won't in the lure of Oly glory medal or otherwise and in their mind and many others maybe they will have the great skate but they are also vulnerable to fiascos not just bad skates but disasters with the exception of Plushy and it is body that is the problem

Alissa Czisny - as rosy as one puts it coming back from injury at her age and with her recent disasters and inconsistency she is a candidate to retire. Shje won't probably because of pride and oly hope. She also in many people's mind has the potential to medal but at the same time she has had some disasterous skates worthy of not making it out of regionals. Arguably she could pull a Liz Manley but manley arguably showed a little more promise at world's and never crashed as badly.

Mirai Nagasu - many thought she was the next great one, the next Kwan - all around. But technically she has had problems and artistically she has n ot really grown from 2010. She has been inconsistent and the fire is sometimes lacking but she is younger than Czisny and has the potential which we have never seen other than oly 2010. With three lady spots to Oly like open she will skate on. But like Czisny her hope is waning - she has had her chances and not gone through the window of opportunity and there are new girls including Gracie Gold about to zoom past her.

Rachel Flatt - well she is no longer the rock of the team; her jumps are waning, artistically pleasant at best but no growth and busy with school One might think she either gives school a break, heals from injury and gives 110 with a third spot or retire. She probably will stick on for one more year.

Brian Joubert despite two Oly disasters he is kind of like the grandfather now who you can't get rid of. Glimmers of hope hovering around the podiumat Euros there really is only room for one charismatic Frenchman and Amodio seems to be the guy. Without his quad consistency he has lost his uniquness for a personality skater besides you still have Plushy (forget Amodio). And overall he is now two steps behind Fernandez, Takahashi, Hanyu and Chan. He is now challenged for being the pretty boy too with Fernandez and the Asian favour for Dai. He will continue on because he realistically will make world's but his best before date is long gone - but he hasn't gone totally sour - yet.

Alena Leonova will continue on. She needs to regroup or go out as the world silver medalllist who fell into oblivion. She needs some help with her programs but she sells them And she needs to get the bigger jumps - not sure why the ladies are wimping out. Flips and lutzer were de riguer before.

Ksenia Markova seems to be lost among the Russian baby ballerinas She has had messy, weak choreographed programs and her jumps aren't so hot. She will skate on but it seems almost helpless or a lost cause now with at least three top Russian young ladies to get by.

Amelie Lacoste will go on for sure if Osmond earns two spots for Canada this is a no brainer. The question is will Rochette return - i doubt it but her recent competition in Japan suggests despite watered down jumps she should be able to beat Lacoste.

Plushenko - he is still a threat at Euros and maybe at worlds and olympics His body is the problem and he needs to compete wisely. Whether he skates on depends on his body. Its 50 50 but at least he is out there which is more than you can say about Evan and Johnny (somehow many of us suspected or questioned the true sincerity of their return and sure enough injuries and such and they haven't completed one competition between the two of them - at least with Plushy you saw legit attempts and heck an unexpected Euro title last year by Plush inbetween sugeries.

Evan lysacek - I question his sincerity or rather the legitimacy of his return. It smells funny and if it is legit and only Evan truly knows the fact he didn't skate last year and the injuries this year and coincidentally he would have been ready had nationals been 3 weeks later - is anyone buying this. Still he might pull a Sasha Cohen and make a decent fight at nationals next year especially if there are three men spots for Oly glory. But I also think Evan is one of those skaters are pushing their luck - he might be a lucky boy though who knows.

Kavaguti and Smirnov - despite bad results I think they will give it one more year. I hope they transform themselves and get the tricks in. I have no idea why people have soured on them so badly.

Weaver and Poje and P and B - they will come back; they will try for world's this year but this is unlikely or they may not do as well as hoped. They will come back in lure of Oly gold and W and P are still young.

Suguri - no comment; she really isn't on the int' scene with the quality of Japanese ladies

Miki Ando - like Evan I question how motivated she is really to return legitimately We'll see and going back to Morosov is really odd considering their realtioship issues

I think Kozuka and Oda and all the Japanese men on the bubble will return in the lure and hope of Oly glory. Hanyu and takahashi are sure bets and I think the others will follow

As for Buttle yes he did skate the lights out in 2008 and may have worried if he could do it again but he certainly could compete with Evan. 2008 worlds versus evan's gold at Oly 2010 and Buttle would have won hands down. He matches Evan technically if not a bit higher GOE wise then he kills him in pcs. He is far more honest than Evan, Alyssa, Mirai, Johnny, Rachel et al about his Oly chances. Yes they could win or earn medals but it would be a bit of a fluke imho.
 

pangtongfan

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Jun 16, 2010
I don't see Makarova or Leonova retiring before Sochi. Why retire when the Olympics are only one year away?

Leonova might stay as she has a very small shot at making the Olympic team, but what is the point of Makaraova staying. She has NO, and I literally mean absolutely, positively, 110% NO chance to make the Olympic team for Russia next year.
 

lavender

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Jul 26, 2003
Wow I thought Mororzov turned Miki down but maybe he changed his mind after Leonova's season.
 

drivingmissdaisy

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Feb 17, 2010
Zhang seems determined. She will plug on for one more year atleast.

Zhang desperately needs a new coach if she continues. Her team did a great job helping her get more consistent, but she has not made any notable improvements since Nationals last year. I think she's learned all she can from the Oppegards and now she should find a coach who can help her improve her stroking, speed, and choreography.
 
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