- Joined
- Dec 11, 2011
Mirai will be 24 years and 10 months in 2018. She would have no chance.
That's crazy! I have to strongly agree with Blades of Passion on this.
A couple months from turning 25, in ladies amateur singles skating that is definitely old, and for someone who had great success in their mid teens it is really old. How many have success at that age. Even Kwan was considerably past her prime by then. Butyrskaya, Kostner, Arakawa and Slutskaya are the only exceptions in modern times, and Butyrskaya and Arakawa were only good at that age and beyond since they were mediocre international level skaters until atleast 22.
Even if one accepts the rest of what you say, that is too many exceptions to count as exceptional. Moreover, one could hardly deny that Nagasu (and Czisny), have, more or less, to this point been mediocre international level skaters, in terms of their placements.
Nagasu is too young, in my opinion, for it to be appropriate for anyone to speculate on what potential her amateur career has left.
In Czisny's case, it is, I think, extremely arrogant and demonstrates a lack of awareness of the limits of one's own knowledge for internet commenters to say what she "should" do, as though they know better than she (and her coaches) what her potential is; it implies that she is a fool. This is my general response to anyone who says "skater so-and-so needs to retire!".
I would never send anyone less than the best available to an Olympics or worlds.
What I wish is that we could take "what we believe" out of the equation altogether. That is why I have never complained about the rule, let the skaters earn their spots at nationals. That takes "belief" off the table. No need to manipulate anything.
"What we believe" is wholly relevant to who is "the best." "The best" is not, pace most commenters, an objective fact. It all depends on what is being measured. Best what? Best jumper at their best? Most consistent jumper? Most "artistic" (insofar as figure skaters can be described as artists)? Best at getting good scores from US judges? Best at getting good scores from international judges? And so on.
Mind you, I don't think judgments of "the best" are subjective. They are objective, in my view. But one needs to specify the criteria according to which such judgments are being made. And which criteria are most important may be subjective. They are, at least, highly debatable, and consensus seems unlikely.
And, last, not in response to anyone specifically: GO, ALISSA! (I really liked your last post, os168.)