- Joined
- Dec 12, 2013
Mirai was just 19 at the time she was traveling to Palm Springs with Frank, and her parents didn't want her to live away from home with strangers or by herself in an apartment. She was able to stay in Japan this fall because she has many relatives there.
That's just silly. Thousands of teenagers move out of the house at age 17 or 18 - yes, many to go to college, which is arguably a protected environment in some respects, but so would have been Mirai staying with a host family in Palm Springs, which I believe is what Frank said he desired for her. Not to mention many thousands of older teenagers move out of the house completely to get jobs, have their own apartments, pursue dreams in Hollywood, etc. And when you look at elite young figure skaters, I'm sure proportionally many more of them move out on their own or relocate, even across the world, to pursue their dreams.
Now, perhaps some of Mirai and her family's objections were cultural. Or maybe not, maybe her parents are just uber protective. But in a way, it seem symptomatic of why she hasn't been able to succeed at the highest levels, despite so much clear potential.
Anyway, I enjoy Mirai and I'm glad she had a good personal performance at Nationals. What's done is done, the decisions of 2010 or 2011 cannot be taken back now. I wish her the best at 4CC, would love to see her on the podium there.