Czisny preparing for one last run at Olympic glory | Page 17 | Golden Skate

Czisny preparing for one last run at Olympic glory

Arianne

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 26, 2004
I think that no matter the outcome, Alissa can be proud that she gave it her all. She won't have to live with the what ifs.
 

daphna

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 6, 2004
This thread makes me wanna go and watch the 2012 horros show - pure fan, watching her skate on her *** and crying the way she did. She should watch it herself and re-consider her unrealistic ambitions.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Do you know that she has unrealistic ambitions?

I wouldn't even trust interviews, where she's likely to emphasize her best hopes that she knows would be a longshot.

But how do you know she isn't perfectly aware of what she's physically capable of right now and realistically hoping to put out the best performance she can within those capabilities at sectionals, and hoping that will be enough to qualify her for Nationals where she will be able to put out even better performance she can be proud of before retiring (or before healing further and continuing to compete with modest expectations of results)?
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Well obviously none of us really knows what goes through her mind or any other skater's mind......but, I think we can all make a pretty good guess as to whether her expectations are realistic or not whatever they are if she's going to compete based on her history. She was never a great competitor although she was beautiful to watch when she was "on!" But how many times have we seen her blow it? 2012 Nats was painful to watch. So I guess the question is - what has happened since then to think she'll be back on the podium? What in her mind could lead her to believe this year will be different or better or successful or self-satisfying?
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
What makes you believe that Alissa believes she will be on the national podium this year?

You can make up all sorts of motivations for her in your mind, but why pass judgment on her for something that exists only in your mind, with no evidence that it exists in hers?
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
First of all I am not passing judgement on her. Next of all - you have no idea what's in MY mind! And thirdly, do you honestly think that a skater is going to try to overcome injury and compete again if they don't want to be on the podium? "Oh I think I'll just spend all this money on a coach and a choreographer and a dress and put myself through physical rigor JUST to compete!" Blechhh. If a skater isn't aiming toward the podium then they're just taking up space! Even the newest and littlest and least accomplished skaters all wish to be on the podium or they probably wouldn't be skating.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Noskates does make sense. Even though people may give the Miss America answer or the answer or response expected we all know that people want to win. Deep down you may not believe you have a chance but you are hopig to get to the Olympics even if you are unknown and don't have the big jumps.
 

emma

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Noskates.....yes, I do think some people pay for a coach, choreographer, costumes, flights, and so forth "just" to compete. The thing about "just" is that it may mean different things for different people; and it may mean different things for a single person depending on where they are in their career. If a skater wants to compete and qualifies to do so, they earned their spot. I don't see this is taking up space. And, I think we get to see a lot of really amazing skates from people who aren't necessarily gunning for the podium, but who do have goals and things to prove to themselves and perhaps others.

Separately, I do wish Alissa had not been injured twice; I think she was really conquering her competitive demons and now it does feel sad to me, as a fan, that she might not realize some of the dreams she once had such as the Olympics. However, that story has not yet been written...and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
This thread makes me wanna go and watch the 2012 horros show - pure fan, watching her skate on her *** and crying the way she did. She should watch it herself and re-consider her unrealistic ambitions.

You're a piece of work, aren't you. :rolleye: Clearly, you have nothing better to do than be a bitter jerk, and rag on a skater who has been quite successful and is simply trying her best to achieve a goal, even with the odds against her. Shame on you.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
After watching the Grand Prix competitions, I think Alyssa ought to just hang them up!!! I think there are at least, AT LEAST, 4 or 5 ladies ahead of her already just in Nats.

We say this every year but these up and comers usually wilt under the pressure at Nationals. If Alissa has multiple falls then she is unlikely to medal but even 4 or 5 triples in the LP could secure a podium spot.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
The 3rd spot is still wide open. Nobody really distinguished themselves. I am most disappointed in Gao. I thought this was the year she was going to finally do it, but she looks awful so far. Zawadzki is more a mess than ever. Hicks gets low PCS so unless she skates perfectly wont score well. Nagasu is << on her jumps like crazy. Cesario or Wang could do it, especialy Cesario.

Czisny still has a fighting shot if she can pull something out of the hat at Nationals, if only by virtue of nobody after the 2 locks for the team are doing well now. I cant see anyway Flatt comes close as she isn't a favorite of the USFSA, but Czisny always was and probably still is, so if everyone bombs at Nationals and she pulls off a surprise performance (as she has often done) you never know.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
There is nothing to suggest Czisny can pull off 3rd, other than her success in the past and higher PCS than some of those fighting for bronze. But unfortunately for her, figure skating is a sport. Cesario/Zawadski/Gao/Wang/Nagasu are all skaters who even with their inconsistencies are still jumping far better than Alissa at this point. One hopes for a comeback, but it's not looking pretty.
 

gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
do you honestly think that a skater is going to try to overcome injury and compete again if they don't want to be on the podium?

Yes.

Obviously skaters who are competitive want to achieve the best results they're capable of. Many do quit as soon as they realize that their results are never going to be any better than their best so far (which may be well in the past by the time they reach that realization) or will never be on a major podium.

But others enjoy the process of training, setting ambitious but attainable goals, and doing their best to achieve those goals even if said goals do not include major medals.

Often there may be both aspirational goals -- if everything goes just right, I could achieve this, so I'm going to aim for it -- as well as probable goals -- if I do my best, I am likely to achieve this.

Skaters learn early on that they can't control how well the other competitors skate or who that panel of judges will reward. So it's good to have goals that don't relate to final competition results as well as those that do. And to aim for the best possible result but go in willing to accept lesser rewards.

Which goals they choose to share with the press and public (for those at a high enough level to be of interest) may depend on how they want to be perceived. Sometimes they'll overemphasize ambition and other times underemphasize it.

Skaters at the elite levels are more likely to have competitive personalities than those at lower levels -- although I don't know that Czisny is one of the most driven.

Skaters who have been on top have more to lose by competing and failing to reach the top.
But they also have more to gain from competing even if they know the top is unlikely.

If they want to compete internationally in future seasons, going through the national qualifying process is a necessary step to get those assignments and potentially to get funding for next year's training. For those with near-top-level ability, even if the Olympic team seems like a long shot, getting close enough to the top for a trip to Worlds or Four Continents this year could be another incentive.

Skaters who want to make the Olympic team, or the world team for the first time, may know they have little chance to win an Olympic or world medal, at least not this year, but just qualifying to compete at that level is a significant achievement in itself.

Skaters who have never been to Nationals -- or one step down, never been to sectionals -- but who have the opportunity to get there this year, even if they don't expect to win, can look at just qualifying for that next step as a significant accomplishment on its own terms. And it can also help to have that competitive experience on their resume if they want to go on to become a coach or judge or technical specialist.

Some skaters love to perform for audiences, and competing at Nationals gives them a large crowd and a chance to be shown on TV to much larger numbers.

If they're looking for a post-competitive career as a performer, keeping their name in public consciousness is better PR than just fading away.

Skaters who had a bad experience at their last competition may want to finish their careers with a good competition so they can retire with good memories.

Those are all reasonable goals and are not mutually exclusive.

Skaters who know in their hearts they're not going to win Nationals this year likely have other goals in mind. If they're working toward those goals, they're not just taking up space.

And yes, there are some skaters who truly believe they have the ability to accomplish results that everyone else around them can see is obviously out of reach. And there are some skaters who don't really want to compete any more but have spent so much of their lives focused on training for competition that they don't know what else to do with themselves.

Unless you know the person personally, you don't really know whether their goals are reasonable or not.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Sometimes skaters aren't just about the placement. I think Alissa obviously wants to be on the podium as her main goal, but her realistic goals are probably something more along the lines of skating well and performing for the fans.

As mentioned, some skaters also want to end their career on a high note, even if their chances to medal/win are slim.
 

sarahspins

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 30, 2011
As mentioned, some skaters also want to end their career on a high note, even if their chances to medal/win are slim.

I agree, and actually trying to do it has to be better than just quitting and always wondering "what if I had tried for 2014" - at least if she tries, she'll know rather than having to live with the regret of never knowing for sure if it was possible or not.
 

LiamForeman

William/Uilyam
Medalist
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
I agree, and actually trying to do it has to be better than just quitting and always wondering "what if I had tried for 2014" - at least if she tries, she'll know rather than having to live with the regret of never knowing for sure if it was possible or not.

Yep. She completely let 2006 and 2010 slip through her fingers. Try once more, she's not even competitive, but miracles can happen,, right?
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Yep. She completely let 2006 and 2010 slip through her fingers. Try once more, she's not even competitive, but miracles can happen,, right?

Certainly. I'm doubtful that she'll even skate but for Alissa there are three land mines in the SP (the jumping passes). If she gets past those she will be in a good position for the LP, where she'll have to land 4 or 5 strong jumps to make the team. If she's clean(ish) her PCS will be in the low 30s/ low 60s, which will give her a 15-20 point cushion over people like Courtney.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
And her season has ended: http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=49713&type=media

Two-time U.S. champion Alissa Czisny has withdrawn from the 2014 Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships. She will not compete for the remainder of the season.
The following can be attributed to Alissa Czisny:

"It's a tough decision for me not to compete at sectionals this week. I've given my very best to make a full recovery and a successful comeback to competition, but I'm simply not yet completely prepared to be competitive. I've made great progress, and all the elements are returning, but it's been slow and I cannot rush the process without risking further injury.

"I'm so thankful for everyone who has supported me on this journey, and especially to those people who have been there every step of the way. It breaks my heart that I will not be competing this season. As for the future, I'm still uncertain what that holds for me. Skating has been a passion for me, and I definitely want to continue skating through performing in shows."
 
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