Mirai Uses Olympic Disappointment for Motivation | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Mirai Uses Olympic Disappointment for Motivation

JayW

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
The issue at Nationals came about because the tech panel was extremely lenient. Had they not been so lenient, Mirai's under-rotations would have done the job, she and Wagner would have finished in a different order, and there wouldn't have been any fuss.

Sharp!
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
I think that Mirai has had a ton of difficulties in the past couple of years, and Maybe being ohsoclose to making the Olympic made her realize that does really want this, but she knows she got a mess of a training situation to clean up. I don't think anyone should begrudge her the chance to continue.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
I don't get why people think Mirai should give up now. I mean if Ashley, Gracie and Polina are as awesome as we know they can be, then having an extra contender shouldn't be a problem.

I dont think any of us said she should give us. Not projecting her to succeed is different than saying she shouldnt try.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
I think that Mirai has had a ton of difficulties in the past couple of years, and Maybe being ohsoclose to making the Olympic made her realize that does really want this, but she knows she got a mess of a training situation to clean up. I don't think anyone should begrudge her the chance to continue.

Not at all. But this seeming reluctance to commit to a coach directly contradicts her supposed "motivation". And it sure doesn't look good.
 

UnsaneLily87

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
I don't get why people think Mirai should give up now. I mean if Ashley, Gracie and Polina are as awesome as we know they can be, then having an extra contender shouldn't be a problem.

oh, I think she should keep trying, by all means. I enjoy her skating. I just don't predict she will succeed as far as medals and world teams are concerned. Nothing more than fan analysis.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
The issue at Nationals came about because the tech panel was extremely lenient. Had they not been so lenient, Mirai's under-rotations would have done the job, she and Wagner would have finished in a different order, and there wouldn't have been any fuss.

Hmm...I don't know about that. Remember 2013 when Wagner fell twice and won? A brouhaha erupted on social media with people saying Wagner didn't deserve it and Gold was robbed. So...in this case, people would STILL be saying Nagasu was robbed and Wagner would have been massacred on social media anyway. The only way out of it was for Wagner to do better and she couldn't.
_______________

Best of luck to Nagasu. If Wagner places out of the top 3 again I don't see USFS going out of their way again to put her on the team, especially if it's once again at Nagasu's expense. Not like Wagner is a sure bet for a world medal, anyway - this is someone who got 7th! And with no meltdowns to boot. Besides, I think Gold and Edmunds would have done it (kept the 3 spots, albeit just barely) without Wagner.
 

b-man

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Not at all. But this seeming reluctance to commit to a coach directly contradicts her supposed "motivation". And it sure doesn't look good.

Since Gold didn't switch to FC until 3 months before Nationals in an Olympic year, and given that Nagasu had her best Nationals since 2011 while"coachless", I don't see any urgency in Nagasu choosing a primary coach when the season has only been over for 2 weeks. She will be on SOI for the next month which would take her away from a permanent coach anyway. Having the opportunity to train, in the last 4 moneths, with Mura in Japan, with Razzano in Arizona, with Tom K. in Colorado Springs, with Rippon for choreograph, may have been as much or more beneficial than working with a singular primary coach.l
 

IcyEdges

Match Penalty
Joined
Sep 10, 2013
Mirai probably can't afford a more established choreographer, or a well-established coach, for that matter. She has also, unfortunately, established a reputation as a not particularly compliant student, so some coaches might not be so anxious to take her on.

Mirai can and has worked with and can hire a more established choreographer. There are many established choreographers that would love to work with her and also have. As far as coaches, Mirai is a very kind young woman who does listen to coaches and works with them. The Carroll issue was that he moved to Lake Arrowhead to coach and it would have been a 2 hour one way drive for Mirai daily. That wasn't going to work out.

Mirai was NOT shafted. Her 4CC performance in no way measured up to what the US ladies team did at Sochi and Saitama.

Mirai was very ill with a cold/the flu during 4cc's. That is why she skated so badly.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
I don't think anyone is saying she should give up. But she needs to want it a little more! I also don't feel she was shafted at Nationals. AND I also don't think it has set a precedent that medal winners will be passed over. On point - do you go with a two-time national champion and top 10 medalist at Worlds or do you go with the person that can't seem to string 2 clean programs together in any competition. Mirai didn't have the cred to surpass Ashley in body of work.

I also think that if a skater is talented - the financial support is there so that isn't so much of an excuse any more. Many senior level skaters were not born into money! I think what I'm saying (and I think everyone else is) is that she needs to COMMIT to putting in the work and surround herself with a team that can guide her and keep her focused and stop coming up with excuses. I realize she - or her family - didn't want to move to Lake Arrowhead but when you look at most senior level skaters with medal possibilities - they've ALL moved! And they moved at different ages - some young, some already established. I don't think at this point in her career Mirai has many options other than to get serious about this.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Mirai won the US Championship before she was even on the senior level. She hadn't competed on the Grand Prix that year, either. She was too young to go to Worlds that year. And Polina was not unknown. She had competed on the Junior Grand Prix as I recall.

Mirai had won the US Junior championship the year before that, went to JW and finished second behind Caroline Zhang. Then she went to the JGP and won the JGPF before winning the US Championship. She couldn't compete at Worlds because she was too young, so she went to JW again and finished third behind Rachael Flatt and Caroline Zhang.

Polina finishing top 10 at Olympics and Worlds at age 15 after having just 3 junior competitions is in no way comparable to Mirai winning US Nationals after 3 Junior competitions. It's a lot harder to place well at an international competition, particularly at a high-stakes competition like Olympics and Worlds, than at Nationals.

And Back in 2008, Mirai was competing against a particularly depleted field, which makes it an even more dubious comparison---only the bronze medalist of the top 3 ladies was old enough to go to Worlds; the 5th and 7th place ladies went. As a result, US ladies were down to 2 entries for Worlds and remained so until Gold and Wagner earned 3 spots back at Worlds 2013.
 

Harness

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Mirai skated well at COR and Nationals, attaining high levels and minimal underrotations. She was the only bronze medal winner left off both the Olympic and World team even though the ladies had 3 spots. Who amonst us would not have been devastated? These events lead to higher placements for the "body of work" cited for chosing the team, so she was unnecessarily placed at a disadvantage going forward. And everybody who knows anything about this sport is aware that scores are inflated at international championship events. (Carolina Kostner won World bronze with 3 clean triples, and she isn't the only one in the last few years.)

I was proud the American team won Bronze, and I felt all our ladies performed well at Olympics and Worlds, giving it their all. Anyway, SOI is underway and I suppose the cast is one big happy family now. I was wondering though, aside from Meryl and Charlie, has any of the cast members won an individual World medal? The only one I can think of is Mirai's SP medal in 2010.

I know the Shibs have won a World bronze, but they are not on the SOI tour in the U.S.
 
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jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
I don't get why people think Mirai should give up now. I mean if Ashley, Gracie and Polina are as awesome as we know they can be, then having an extra contender shouldn't be a problem.

It's because haters gotta hate.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
To be honest in 2008 there wasn't much depth in the Ladies event at all. The top 4 finishers were all 16 or younger. The veterans were not very good Meissner was in freefall and Hughes was hurt which left someone like Bebe Liang who was the highest finisher of the older girls.

Everyone thought Caroline Zhang was the next big thing and would win Nationals. Also Rachael Flatt was an up and comer--and at her best at that time, it turns out. Mirai was hardly even on anyone's radar. To win Nationals at age 14, before she was even on the senior level internationally, was a huge accomplishment.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
She's been counted out before and then went on to surprise people. Not ready to count her out yet.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Mirai skated well at COR and Nationals, attaining high levels and minimal underrotations. She was the only bronze medal winner left off both the Olympic and World team even though the ladies had 3 spots. Who amonst us would not have been devastated? These events lead to higher placements for the "body of work" cited for chosing the team, so she was unnecessarily placed at a disadvantage going forward. And everybody who knows anything about this sport is aware that scores are inflated at international championship events. (Carolina Kostner won World bronze with 3 clean triples, and she isn't the only one in the last few years.)

I was proud the American team won Bronze, and I felt all our ladies performed well at Olympics and Worlds, giving it their all. Anyway, SOI is underway and I suppose the cast is one big happy family now. I was wondering though, aside from Meryl and Charlie, has any of the cast members won an individual World medal? The only one I can think of is Mirai's SP medal in 2010.

I know the Shibs have won a World bronze, but they are not on the SOI tour in the U.S.

Ashley won a small medal in the FS in 2012, I believe.
 

b-man

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
The Carroll issue was that he moved to Lake Arrowhead to coach and it would have been a 2 hour one way drive for Mirai daily. That wasn't going to work out.[/B]

People continue to criticize Mirai for not staying with a permanent coach. After Lake Arrowhead, Caroll moved to Palm Springs, much farther from Mirai's residence. After an unsuccessful 2012 Nationals, FC told Mirai, if he was to continue coaching her, she would need to relocate from LA to Palm Springs. She could not stay in LA. It appears FC left Mirai more than Mirai leaving FC. How ironic that 2 years later, FC is coaching her competitor, Gold, not in Lake Arrowhead, not in Palm Springs, but in Mirai's hometown in LA.
 

neraiselle

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
People continue to criticize Mirai for not staying with a permanent coach. After Lake Arrowhead, Caroll moved to Palm Springs, much farther from Mirai's residence. After an unsuccessful 2012 Nationals, FC told Mirai, if he was to continue coaching her, she would need to relocate from LA to Palm Springs. She could not stay in LA. It appears FC left Mirai more than Mirai leaving FC. How ironic that 2 years later, FC is coaching her competitor, Gold, not in Lake Arrowhead, not in Palm Springs, but in Mirai's hometown in LA.

So is life, I guess. If only we can predict what's going to happen in the future...
I hope she finds a nice coach that she can stick to so that she can focus better and get better results next season.
 

fleeting

Queen Anissina
Medalist
Joined
Feb 19, 2014
Thoughts on Tom Z saying he could see a 3A in her future?
https://twitter.com/CoachTomZ/status/446496582410588162

He also said she was a joy to work with. Perhaps she just hasn't found a coach she clicks with? Maybe she should stay with Tom.

I'm not ready to count Mirai out just yet. Polina's still got puberty to face and Mirai just had her best nationals in years. She's a surprising skater in terms of consistency, but Caro was that way for years. Of course, Caro came from a much shallower talent pool, but still. Mirai might surprise us all yet again.
 

icellist

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
During the time when her parents didn't want her to move, Mirai was coaching at Pasadena and Burbank as well as bussing tables at her parents' restaurant. That shows to me that she's responsible and respects her parents' wishes.
 

UnsaneLily87

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Thoughts on Tom Z saying he could see a 3A in her future?
https://twitter.com/CoachTomZ/status/446496582410588162

He also said she was a joy to work with. Perhaps she just hasn't found a coach she clicks with? Maybe she should stay with Tom.

I'm not ready to count Mirai out just yet. Polina's still got puberty to face and Mirai just had her best nationals in years. She's a surprising skater in terms of consistency, but Caro was that way for years. Of course, Caro came from a much shallower talent pool, but still. Mirai might surprise us all yet again.

I feel like she should be focused on her rotation issues, not learning a new jump :think:
 
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