Mirai Nagasu's future prospects | Page 7 | Golden Skate

Mirai Nagasu's future prospects

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Partial caption for a video posted on Tom Z's Facebook page on Jun 14:
... Mirai Nagasu does the back drop. She is hard at work at the CSWA and nearly ready to conquer the triple axel ....
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=586432568122135 (21-second core strength video)​

I wonder whether TZ is foreshadowing an announcement that Nagasu has chosen him as her permanent coach.
Although I suppose it is possible that the video was recorded back before Worlds when she was training at CSWA on a temporary basis, but even if so, seems odd that TZ would include her in his current teaching footage unless they plan to work together going forward.

BTW, in the video, Nagasu looks happy and relaxed as she demonstrates her impressive core strength.
 

MK's Winter

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Joined
Feb 9, 2009
Partial caption for a video posted on Tom Z's Facebook page on Jun 14: ... Mirai Nagasu does the back drop. She is hard at work at the CSWA and nearly ready to conquer the triple axel .... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=586432568122135 (21-second core strength video) I wonder whether TZ is foreshadowing an announcement that Nagasu has chosen him as her permanent coach. Although I suppose it is possible that the video was recorded back when she was training at CSWA before Worlds on a temporary basis, seems odd that TZ would include her in his current teaching footage unless they plan to work together going forward. BTW, in the video, Nagasu looks happy and relaxed as she demonstrates her impressive core strength.

Thanks for this update! I've been wondering when we would see something.
 

tulosai

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Dec 21, 2011
Yeah, I am pretty sure it is Tom Z. Honestly, she seems happy training with him and he seems to believe in her. I could be all doom and gloom about the whole thing but I'll try to be positive based on those two facts for now.
 

desertskates

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Nov 19, 2013
I've not a fan of a lot of Tom Z's past actions. But only Mirai knows what is best for Mirai. She's a grown up lady with plenty of life experience. Looking forward to seeing the results of a stable coaching situation!
 

MK's Winter

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Feb 9, 2009
Yeah, I am pretty sure it is Tom Z. Honestly, she seems happy training with him and he seems to believe in her. I could be all doom and gloom about the whole thing but I'll try to be positive based on those two facts for now.

That's how I am looking at it. She has the artistic goods but needs to work on the technical. Mirai needs someone to be positive and believe in her, especially after this season. I am hoping he learned how far is too far with the Farris/Flatt situations.
 

snowflake

I enjoy what I like
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Nov 10, 2008
I've not a fan of a lot of Tom Z's past actions. But only Mirai knows what is best for Mirai. She's a grown up lady with plenty of life experience. Looking forward to seeing the results of a stable coaching situation!

I can't say if she has a lot of life experience, but she seems pretty sheltered and vulnerable to me.

Mirai is so good when she skates relaxed, but it's like she lacks fighting spirit in competitions. I don't know if that's something you can learn fro a good coach or just have. It would be great if she could come back strong and be among the best american ladies. Fight Mirai :thumbsup:
 

UnsaneLily87

On the Ice
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Mar 8, 2006
That's how I am looking at it. She has the artistic goods but needs to work on the technical. Mirai needs someone to be positive and believe in her, especially after this season. I am hoping he learned how far is too far with the Farris/Flatt situations.

I don't understand why Mirai is training a triple axel. She should be working on her rotations of other jumps.
 

Icey

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Nov 28, 2012
I've not a fan of a lot of Tom Z's past actions. But only Mirai knows what is best for Mirai. She's a grown up lady with plenty of life experience. Looking forward to seeing the results of a stable coaching situation!


You really believe that "only Mirai knows what is best for Mirai"?:confused:

That being asked, I have the feeling she is going to have a really great year and climb back to the top. She seems recharged.
 

MK's Winter

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Feb 9, 2009
I don't understand why Mirai is training a triple axel. She should be working on her rotations of other jumps.

I think it's smart. She has a great 2A, in height and distance. She could triple that. A friend of mine saw her live at Nationals. In practices all of her jumps were actually rotated. She needs to work past whatever mental/confidence issue she has.
 

tulosai

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Dec 21, 2011
You really believe that "only Mirai knows what is best for Mirai"?:confused:

That being asked, I have the feeling she is going to have a really great year and climb back to the top. She seems recharged.

Who would know better? I think many of us (in fact, almost all of us on occasion) tend to infantilize female skaters. I try hard not to do this myself but wouldn't be surprised if someone pointed out I sometimes do. For instance, multiple posters seem to believe that twenty eight year old Meryl Davis is too inexperienced and naive to decide who she wants to date. This is a college educated, world traveled, multi lingual 28 year old who is in a sorority for god's sake. It's not like she's lived under a box for 28 years because she is a skater.

Similarly, Mirai is over 20. While I can see the argument that she is a bit sheltered more than I can see the argument for Meryl, it's not like this is a 12 or even a 16 year old with no life experience. Mirai has experienced financial struggles and the need to work nearly full time while skating and going to school. Mirai has dealt with her mother having Cancer. Mirai is also a world traveled Olympian who has travelled alone without her family for months at a time doing shows. There is every indication she has friends her own age who she talks to. It's not like because she skates and has lived with her parents until now she is so developmentally delayed that she can't possibly pick her own coach. In the current economy, I know people who are TWENTY EIGHT who still live with their families. These people by and large have jobs, sex lives, and independent and mature natures.

We need to be careful about not giving skaters enough credit. I feel this is especially true because no one is ever like Charlie White, I am so concerned about him with that happy go lucky nature, he is just begging to be taken advantage of (even though frankly on its face I think this is a more true statement than anything said about Meryl).
 

Icey

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Nov 28, 2012
Life experience is necessary for wisdom and maturity, but it is certainly not sufficient. And it is certainly not a parameter of being a certain age. For most, the act of really finally growing up occurs typically in mid-life, but even then many choose not to do the difficult work required. Maybe Mirai is one of the fortunate ones who does know what is best for her, but there might be some others who are able to get that right too. What I took issue with is thinking that "ONLY Mirai knows what is best for her." There is a wsidon in knowing whose counsel to heed. Hopefully, there are those around her who can counsel her with wisdom that is not self-serving. Even when the best decisions are made,however, life has a way of not cooperating.
 

noskates

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Jun 11, 2012
I would have to agree with ICEY that to suggest only Mirai knows what is best for her hasn't really panned out for her, has it!!! This will be a seminal year for Mirai. She'll either make something great of it or fade back into the "also rans!" I would love to see her continue on an upward path. I guess I'm just a bit skeptical. In any case, whoever she ends up with in a coaching relationship certainly has a challenge.
 

drivingmissdaisy

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Feb 17, 2010
I think where Tom Z can help Mirai is from the political aspect of skating. I have to credit him with getting Rachel and Agnes far better marks in national events than they deserved for a long period. If he can help Mirai get the same inflation at Nationals she will be in good shape.
 

Alba

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Feb 26, 2014
I knew which violin teacher was the best for me when I was 11 years old and I was right.
People who start doing what they do since when they are little, a very young age, knows these thing.
Having said that I don't know what Shibs are doing. :biggrin: (off topic. sorry :slink:)
 

UnsaneLily87

On the Ice
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Mar 8, 2006
Obviously Mirai only knows what is best for Mirai, but as fans, we can certainly opine. Football fans talk about lineups and plays, and criticize coaches and players. It's part of being a sports fan.

I think there's an attitude of too much niceness in skating fandom. Is that because many skating fans are women? I don't know. That'd be my theory. But as long as we aren't making ad hominem attacks, we can absolutely criticize strategy and performance. It's what sports fan do.
 

tulosai

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Dec 21, 2011
I knew which violin teacher was the best for me when I was 11 years old and I was right.
People who start doing what they do since when they are little, a very young age, knows these thing.
Having said that I don't know what Shibs are doing. :biggrin: (off topic. sorry :slink:)

I still also don't understand who anyone thinks might know better. While I hope Mirai has gotten some input from others she trusts, I certainly don't think any of us are actually in any position to know better than her what she should do, and if anyone is suggesting that we do, I think that is just... grossly unrealistic.

we can absolutely criticize strategy and performance. It's what sports fan do.

Now THIS i most certainly DO agree with, but that is a different thing than claiming Mirai doesn't know best for Mirai. Even if Mirai's choices don't or haven't recently translated into good comeptitive results

-there is no guarantee something else would have been better, or indeed that it would not have been much worse
-there is no way for anyone but Mirai to accurately account for the things that Mirai finds important that are not just results, or for anyone but Mirai to know how important these other things and results are to her weighted against one another
 

Alba

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Feb 26, 2014
Obviously Mirai only knows what is best for Mirai, but as fans, we can certainly opine. Football fans talk about lineups and plays, and criticize coaches and players. It's part of being a sports fan.

I think there's an attitude of too much niceness in skating fandom. Is that because many skating fans are women? I don't know. That'd be my theory. But as long as we aren't making ad hominem attacks, we can absolutely criticize strategy and performance. It's what sports fan do.

Absolutely agree with you on that. I just wanted to point out that being young doesn't mean you don't know to choose the best coach for you.
Of course people do make mistakes as well.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Even if Mirai's choices don't or haven't recently translated into good comeptitive results

-there is no guarantee something else would have been better, or indeed that it would not have been much worse
-there is no way for anyone but Mirai to accurately account for the things that Mirai finds important that are not just results, or for anyone but Mirai to know how important these other things and results are to her weighted against one another

These are good points. The fact is many skaters' peak period is very short (1 or 2 years). Due to injuries and/or growth, Olympic champions like Baiul, Lipinski, and Hughes likely wouldn't not have been competitive 2 or 3 years after their victories. The fact is there might not be much Mirai could have done to have better results. While some criticize her decisions, if she did something different her results might have gotten worse, not better.
 
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