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Rachael Flatt news

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
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Feb 27, 2012
Young skaters would do better to forego those early morning training sessions. The Hughes consulted a sleep specialist, who has been on tv recently, and told them Sarah should forego her early morning sessions . IMO many skaters are not training smart and are making things much more difficult for themselves than is necessary.

And because it works around the school day if they attend regular school.

One of the many examples that support Olympia's point:

When Virtue/Moir as young kids were ready for more than what their hometown coach (Scott's aunt) could offer, the first big step was daily sessions with a more advanced coach -- requiring a looooong round-trip commute before starting their regular school days.
In the wee hours of every morning, the two families would take turns at carpool duty -- driving on the order of 90 minutes each way -- so that V/M could skate in Kitchener before heading to their classrooms in London and Ilderton.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Maybe things have changed, or Harvard doesn't follow the grade giving procedures you suggest for top schools, but when JFK's academic record was made public there were c's given.

I think they still give "gentlemen's C's" to "legacy students."
 

Poodlepal

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Grade inflation is rampant everywhere, going down to the high school level. I'm a high school teacher, believe me, I hear about it all the time (but God forbid we don't inflate the grades ourselves--I could tell you some stories about that!)

But, getting back on topic.
1. Yes, I was right. The sports envoy is a special job for famous people. I'm sure you need to be of good character--I doubt they're going to send A-Rod or Incognito overseas any time soon--but it does not seem to be like a "regular" ambassador job. I'd be interested in what they actually do. Do they actually teach their sport? Or are they more in the field of giving speeches, etc? Either way, Rachael is a good choice. She speaks well and has a very outgoing personality. Congratulations for her.

2. Sarah, Rachael and Debi were marketed as smart girls who were skating only as a sideline for their future brilliance. Debi actually succeeded at something unrelated to skating. She can replace hips!

Sarah, on the other hand, does not seem to work, even as an announcer or a skater on tour. Good for her if she doesn't have to. But it's in contrast to how she was portrayed while she was skating, as a brainiac who would go on to serious study and a serious career. She may still, or if she doesn't, that's OK. I don't mean to judge her harshly.

The remark about Sasha was very interesting. She was portrayed as a temperamental glamour girl. If she really gets a job in finance--a glamourous, but deadly serious field--that would also be in contrast to how she was portrayed by the media. It makes me wonder how accurate these images--the "good girl," the "smart girl," etc. are

Fortunately, Ashley and Gracie will not have this problem, as they have no personality given to them at all by the press. All I know is that Ashley's father was in the pentagon on 9/11.
 

Poodlepal

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
I think they still give "gentlemen's C's" to "legacy students."

Do you mean JFK or JFK junior? Because one would be almost 100 years old, and one would be about 50. Either way, they would have been in college before the rampant grade inflation began.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Maybe things have changed, or Harvard doesn't follow the grade giving procedures you suggest for top schools, but when JFK's academic record was made public there were c's given. ...

Do you mean JFK or JFK junior? Because one would be almost 100 years old, and one would be about 50. Either way, they would have been in college before the rampant grade inflation began.

JFK, the future president, attended Harvard.

His son attended Brown.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Feb 27, 2012
... What I find upsetting is that (it seems like) the "sports envoy" is some sort of a fluff job for famous people. I thought Michelle had really earned the position through her studies in international relations, not her skating background. Correct me if I'm wrong.

1. Yes, I was right. The sports envoy is a special job for famous people. I'm sure you need to be of good character--I doubt they're going to send A-Rod or Incognito overseas any time soon--but it does not seem to be like a "regular" ambassador job. I'd be interested in what they actually do. Do they actually teach their sport? Or are they more in the field of giving speeches, etc? Either way, Rachael is a good choice. She speaks well and has a very outgoing personality. Congratulations for her.

Agree that the sports envoy is a "special" job. And agree that Flatt is a good choice. :)

But I disagree that it is a "fluff" job, as your original post speculated. And as I noted before, you were wrong that Kwan's skating background was not key to her being chosen for her envoy position.
(One thing I forgot to add above is that Sec. Rice, a former competitive figure skater, is the one who originally brought Kwan into the State Department.)

A "fluff" job to me is the kind of thing that a former reality show contestant (with no meaningful accomplishment to her/his name) is given on the basis of her/his sheer notoriety. :bang:
The sports envoys do not deserve to be lumped into that category.

As an aside: after Sochi, Lysacek will visit St. Petersburg in his continuing role as an envoy.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Sarah, on the other hand, does not seem to work, even as an announcer or a skater on tour. Good for her if she doesn't have to. But it's in contrast to how she was portrayed while she was skating, as a brainiac who would go on to serious study and a serious career. She may still, or if she doesn't, that's OK. I don't mean to judge her harshly.

Re Sarah Hughes, you will be pleased to know some examples of her productivity:
- During the Sochi figure skating, she will have a daily show on NBCOlympics.com. (For details, see the US commentators thread.) She works on a regular basis for IceNetwork covering competitions such as Skate America, U.S. Sectionals, and U.S. Nationals (also the Salt Lake City Senior B, IIRC). She recently skated in the Disson show re American Legends. She promotes figure skating and the USOC at local events throughout the U.S. She contributes to the USOC website. Etc., etc., etc.
- Mark Messier and Hughes have been hands-on leaders of a ginormous project to build a ginormous skating complex in the Bronx -- multiple rinks with multiple purposes: everything from recreational figure skating and hockey for members of the local community ... to world-class shows and competitions. (For details, see the GS thread with a title something like: "Where are they now?" Sorry that I do not remember the exact thread title.)
 

Sasha'sSpins

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Young skaters would do better to forego those early morning training sessions. The Hughes consulted a sleep specialist, who has been on tv recently, and told them Sarah should forego her early morning sessions . IMO many skaters are not training smart and are making things much more difficult for themselves than is necessary.

You must understand that top skaters need some or all of the ice to themselves at times to really practice runthroughs of their programs - it's not always possible later in the day when public sessions are often going on. This happened to Ashley Wagner. I just finished reading an article where her coach Rafael mentions that Ashley had to skate around people while trying to practice her programs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/sports/wp/2014/01/31/im-in-this-to-be-remembered/

Entering last month’s U.S. championships in Boston, Arutyunyan knew she hadn’t had a chance to properly prepare. The rink in Artesia had been too crowded with recreational skaters and lessons over the Christmas break. And Wagner, a left-hander who skates and jumps the opposite direction from right-handed skaters, spent too much of her run-throughs dodging others.

“It’s like a Ferrari on the road with trucks. Doesn’t work,” the coach said.


And I thought Ashley was a young woman of some means now that she has major sponsors - but even she has trouble getting free ice. Some elite skaters have no choice but to get up very early in order to have the ice to themselves or almost to themselves.

I'll say this for her--she exited the skating world with class and on her own terms. With two killer costumes to boot.

So, style and class. Not a bad combo.

Agreed. I was never a Rachael fan but I respected her work ethic and admired her consistency when she was the top of her game - and I've really loved her costumes the last couple of seasons.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I didn't know Ashley had those problems. And isn't it interesting that she never used it as an excuse. I'm kind of surprised that an elite skater though has so much trouble finding free ice. I could understand it a little with Rachel because she had to work it around classes and her other activities.

I'm glad someone mentioned Rachel's dresses at Nats. They were really, really beautiful. I wonder who made them.
 

MFarone

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Julie McDonough (mother of Ann-Patrice McDonough) made Rachael's costumes. I believe she has been making Rachael's costumes for years. I also thought that her dresses at Nationals were beautiful and elegant.

I think Rachael will do a wonderful job as an envoy. She seems to love people, be a good example, and generous with her time. I also agree that to me a "fluff" job is something that a person gets solely on their name and generally doesn't involve any type of work at all unless the work is to make trouble so they get more media attention.
 

jenaj

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Julie McDonough (mother of Ann-Patrice McDonough) made Rachael's costumes. I believe she has been making Rachael's costumes for years. I also thought that her dresses at Nationals were beautiful and elegant.

I think Rachael will do a wonderful job as an envoy. She seems to love people, be a good example, and generous with her time. I also agree that to me a "fluff" job is something that a person gets solely on their name and generally doesn't involve any type of work at all unless the work is to make trouble so they get more media attention.

That is very interesting about Julie McDonough. I knew her name as the designer of Rachael's dresses this year but didn't know she was AP's mom. They would never send someone unqualified to be an envoy. The idea is to build relations with other countries. The envoy has to have people skills, speaking ability and intelligence. I agree that Rachael will do a wonderful job.
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
I don't think anyone gets C's at Ivy League colleges. B is the new C.

Dang. My nephew should have gone to one. At his non-Ivy, small public college, his first semester GPA is 1.5 and landed him on probation. Not everyone inflates grades.
 

emma

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 28, 2004
Julie McDonough (mother of Ann-Patrice McDonough) made Rachael's costumes. I believe she has been making Rachael's costumes for years. I also thought that her dresses at Nationals were beautiful and elegant.

I think Rachael will do a wonderful job as an envoy. She seems to love people, be a good example, and generous with her time. I also agree that to me a "fluff" job is something that a person gets solely on their name and generally doesn't involve any type of work at all unless the work is to make trouble so they get more media attention.

I loved Rachel's dresses this year - liked her programs too, just wish she could have really, really nailed them to go out on that super high note. But, I enjoyed her performances! I loved her Firebird dress too! Wishing her the very best with school, envoy duties, and life in general!
 

Ginask8s

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 27, 2008
I don't think anyone gets C's at Ivy League colleges. B is the new C.

My daughter is at Princeton and A's are RARE I think a B is a normal A at a non Ivy And they do give out minuses to let you know your not quite good enough!
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
No skates says - "I'm kind of surprised that an elite skater though has so much trouble finding free ice."

Think about it. Ice rinks have extremely high bills so they need LOTS of paying customers to stay in business (electricity can run $50,000+ for a month over the summer in warm clients). My rink will allow me to rent it for my daughter (provided they have on open session) at the cost of ~$250 per hour but I really don't have the money to do that. So the "affordable" choice is to get up early to be in the only person on the ice at 5am session (at least that is when our rink opens).
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Top-ranked colleges and universities can't afford to give gratuitous grades because they'll lose their ranking. Now - at some of your football power schools I might question the grades of some of the athletes......but, a lot of that is myth. I did some tutoring when I was in college (100 years ago ;)) with the athletic department and, at least at my university, the athletes were expected to get a C average and stay off probation.

Not sure how we got on this topic but Stanford is extremely difficult and Rachel has been working very hard.
 

jenaj

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My daughter is at Princeton and A's are RARE I think a B is a normal A at a non Ivy And they do give out minuses to let you know your not quite good enough!

Princeton is an exception because they have actively pursued "grade deflation." But they are thinking of pulling back because it is hurting their "yield"--the number of students who accept their offers of admission. http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/11/22/as-yale-talks-grade-deflation-princeton-pulls-back/
 
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