In my opinion it is not disrespectful to want a gold medal (olympic or national) of any team. But I don´t know, maybe someone told him something.
Madison Hubbell & Zachary Donohue
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In my opinion it is not disrespectful to want a gold medal (olympic or national) of any team. But I don´t know, maybe someone told him something.
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- Jan 12, 2004
I don't think anyone objects to an athlete saying he wants to win. Saying he would not accept a bronze medal is another matter. When speaking of US Nationals, this is probably the quote that raised eyebrows: "We're not interested in coming in third," Donohue said Tuesday during a breakout session at the 2017 Team USA Media Summit in Park City, Utah. "I actually won't accept another bronze medal. I actually won't go up on the podium to get bronze."
I suspect Zach meant he and Madison are determined to improve their placement at Nationals and he will be disappointed in himself if they don't. However, the quote sounds as if he has already decided that he and Madison deserve at least silver and he would protest anything less. That's not a reasonable position to take when the competition hasn't even happened yet.
In a print article, we don't have the complete context of a person's statement, nor can we hear his tone of voice or see his facial expression. It's easy for words to get misconstrued. That doesn't change the fact that Zach showed poor judgment in blurting out something that could be misinterpreted. He made the right choice to pry his foot out of his mouth and issue a clarification.
Madi and Zach might do well to fire the life coach and hire a public relations adviser instead.
I suspect Zach meant he and Madison are determined to improve their placement at Nationals and he will be disappointed in himself if they don't. However, the quote sounds as if he has already decided that he and Madison deserve at least silver and he would protest anything less. That's not a reasonable position to take when the competition hasn't even happened yet.
In a print article, we don't have the complete context of a person's statement, nor can we hear his tone of voice or see his facial expression. It's easy for words to get misconstrued. That doesn't change the fact that Zach showed poor judgment in blurting out something that could be misinterpreted. He made the right choice to pry his foot out of his mouth and issue a clarification.
Madi and Zach might do well to fire the life coach and hire a public relations adviser instead.
They have one, David Baden. He manages other teams as well (e.g. W/P, P/C). I suppose it must've either been him, or the USFSA, who suggested that the comments would be better put into context. I also don't find anything wrong with his comments in the first place, but seems like someone didn't find it appropriate for their PR image.
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- Mar 3, 2012
The interviewee is responsible for what he says, but the interviewer is also responsible for conveying what's said accurately, in content and tone.
In this case, I don't find the write up offensive from any angle. For reference, here Icenetwork offers a clue of Zach's tone in their own tweet clarification:
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- Oct 24, 2014
For him to say
is rather premature even presumptuous. It's putting the cart before the horse since the competition is months away. Many things can happen.... The Shibs have yet to compete and C/B haven't shown us their program and these two are very formidable opponents.
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- Mar 3, 2012
How can it be premature to state what he wants. He isn't making a prediction of the outcome of the competition, he's stating his goal heading into it.
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- Jul 3, 2017
I've seen a few videos of him talking, and he IS presumptuous.
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- Feb 24, 2014
US figure skating is so weighted toward PC pageant answers. This tempest in a teapot doesn't faze me. The American ice dancing landscape is complicated; basically, all three top teams are bunched near the same level, and it's pretty arbitrary that H/D have always been #3. They were about to upend that ranking in Helsinki, before Zach made his catastrophic mistake. I wondered how they would come back from that. If he has to come out aggressive to move past that failure, then so be it. It's encouraging to hear such amazing training reports.
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- Oct 26, 2016
Totally agree with you! I hope they achieve what they are seeking this season. They worked hard for it and they have the talent. As for being aggressive or presumptuous, they are putting their private lives on hold to achieve their goal, I can understand the sentiment and focus Zach is showing.
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- Oct 24, 2014
It is premature to make that decision not to accept a bronze. His words _ " I actually won't go up on the podium to get bronze" says it all _ it is not just a statement of their goal, it presumes a possible outcome. In other words_ predicting a win since he is not going up just to get a bronze. I like Zach but to presume a win this early is presumptuous. So many things can happen _ botching a twizzle ... a fall .... They may have defeated H/B in their first competition this season but they have yet to face the formidable Shibutanis and Chock/Bates. It is best to wait ... to do really well in Grand Prix competitions before making such announcement.
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- Jan 28, 2013
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Good. I'd like it better if he ripped his shirt and beat his bare chest with his fist.
Enough with the fainting couches. I actually LIKE that he's coming out strong and determined.
It's a very clear signal of their confidence and ambition.
I like the Shibs and C/B very well, but it's not Zach Donohue's job to make sure their feelings aren't bruised.
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- Oct 24, 2014
Zach is simply applying intimidation tactics to subliminally weaken their opponents' confidence. Their mentor is trying to shore him up mentally to help him have that mental edge needed to win. I guess, it's normal for an athlete at his competitive level to have that perspective or mindset during Olympic season/year.
Actually that's not what I'm seeing in his social media
. I realise all the skaters work very hard. So I'm surprised with the image he is portraying on social media, especially instagram. Yes, there are some posts from his work, but overall someone who doesn't realise how hard skaters must work, may come to conclusion that their lives are mostly fun.- Joined
- Jul 3, 2017
Nope, he is just being rude. But C/B and S/S will be motivated, even more.
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- May 20, 2015
I hope Zach wasn't serious about "not going up on the podium" - I understand that finishing third again may be tiring, but there is the whole making the Olympic Team thing. I would think that would be a bigger deal than another 3rd place finish.
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- Jan 28, 2013
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I've given this some thought, and I've decided to agree with you.
He should immediately issue a clarification and make it plainly known that he is delighted to be in position to wait his turn, and he prays that USFSA won't mistake his unwise athletic and competitive impulses as an unwillingness to abide by the wishes of the powers that be.
He should follow up with messages of apology to both Shibs and C/B for daring, even for an instant, to suppose that he might unseat them at the top of the pecking order.
But seriously, I like all three teams. If either of the Shibs or C/B are so emotionally fragile that they can't weather the storm of a competitor saying he intends to beat them, then they don't deserve to win.
I don't think he's being rude. And I also hope that other teams are motivated to do their best work.
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- Nov 30, 2016
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On a different topic, I watched a short Instagram Live Zach did yesterday, which prominently featured his two adorable dogs, and Gabriella Papadakis kept commenting and suggesting interesting things when he asked what he should do this weekend as a joke. I believe one comment was just "DRUGGGGSSSS". It was cute.
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- Mar 3, 2012
I know that for some fans, English is their second language and certain subtleties in language can be tricky to register. When Zach says he won't go up to the podium for bronze, he's using a figure of speech: a word or phrase used in a non-literal sense for rhetorical or vivid effect. He is not actually threatening to boycott the medal ceremony.
His comments reference the mental training approach mentioned in the interview: "You're training to win, so start saying it." What he is doing is manifesting verbally the visualization process that athletes apply in their training. You visualize yourself crossing the line first, doing the perfect balance beam routine, etc. You don't train visualizing yourself coming in third, 23rd or last. Performing better than 3rd is his personal goal, what he is demanding from himself,. He isn't putting anybody else down.
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