Celebrate! Wagner's Silver Ends Drought

This has been a sweet three days for US figure skating fans. Even more so for Ashley Wagner fans; we always believed!

I'm thrilled for her. I can't get over every moment of her brilliant skate, every moment as she realized she'd performed up to her ability, and every moment of the roof-raising ovation. She really earned this World Silver Medal, and she appreciates it.

Ashley performed that program with emotion and musicality, portraying a vulnerable, gutsy character to perfection. She also worked for two years to change her jumps, improve them and add new, difficult combinations. She's competing in a field of girls who are nearly all six, seven or eight years younger than she is, with all the physical advantages that bestows. She earned this silver, and she did it by being a woman and knowing her strengths, cherishing them and hanging onto them. But also by addressing where she was weak and needed work.

She's such an inspiration to all, and especially to anyone who's ever been told they're too old, too washed up, too inconsistent, too late, too whatever.

Ashley Wagner rocks, big time!

"The fact I won a silver medal because of something I did and not because of something everyone else didn't do is so sweet," Wagner said at the press conference following the Ladies free skates. And: "I knew there had been a bunch of phenomenal skates before me."
Read more: http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2016...er-seizes-moment-after-gold-falters-in-boston

Do you have any Ashley quotes, stories or miscellany from before, during, after these championships? I'll start.

1. Some time ago I googled "Ashley Wagner quotes" and this one leapt out at me: "I'm not a crier." I loved this acknowledgement --or warning -- that she might not be everyone's cup of tea, or what you might expect. Since then, I've seen her tear up at the end of her FS at the 2015 Grand Prix Final, and at the end of her 2016 World Championships FS. Quite something, since I knew what she meant... I'm not a crier either.

2. I tried to read Raf's lips in K&C while they were waiting for her FS scores 3 days ago. Couldn't quite figure it out, but I could see his nervous impatience. I finally found a video that let me hear what he said. It's just before the scores came up, but he couldn't stand the wait. "Come on!" he barked. "Give us something!" A few seconds later, he started pumping his legs with joy.

She should be proud that her silver medal was won in a well-skated event. Her LP was phenomenal and it must have been amazing to feel the love from the audience, especially toward the end of the performance.

Posted her response after her silver medal win already at the fan thread, but can do here again.

This is my favorite performance of all time, this program speaks to me on so many levels, it´s very true to my heart and to be able to skate like this in front of an audience that is so supportive, I can´t even say the words.

...

I knew based on the cheers by the crowd that I heard backstage, that everyone had been skating lights out and I had a tough job in front of me.

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She replied to the question if she had any regrets of winning "only silver" as she was so close to the first place with,

"I wasn´t so close to the first place, she had 10 points on me. They pay you the big bucks to say that!?"

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As a gay man, I will forever be thankful that she was one of the ONLY US Olympic athletes to speak out against the homophobic laws in Russia before and at the Olympics. She wins gold from me for that.

I'll give her a platinum medal for the sonogram comment. You tell 'em Ashley!

Ashley deserves this as much as anyone I have been so delighted for her! I hope she will come back even stronger next season and keep proving the doubters and nay-sayers wrong!

I also really love this because on some level (and I don't mean to denigrate her at all by saying this but I think it's true) her being able to do this really DOES show that people have no business insisting over and over that skaters have to just give up and retire, will never win a big medal, and so on. If she can do this, imagine what a lot of other people who are currently being written off might be capable of.

Yay Ashley!

Ashley should be more than proud of her silver. She has had some real down times in her career, some real blows, like not being part of the 2010 Olympic team. She works her butt off and it paid off. She cemented herself as a force on the world stage. Anyone who is criticizing her is just being jealous, silly or die hard Gracie fans.
She draws you into her skating because she just lays it all out there on the ice, you skate with her almost. She is just very real and genuine. She has her own skating style, a mix of flirty sultryness combined with a fierceness and strength.
She is not a skating princess nor does she want to be..
I look forward to seeing her next season, she is off and running now, lets see how high she can go! Congratulations Ashley!!!!!:agree:

I am a huge Gracie fan and a huge Ashley fan! I wanted both of them on the podium but I am so happy Wagner made silver! I actually was all in rooting for her last year but this year I was trying not to get my hopes up. She has worked so hard to correct her technique on jumps and it has paid off. Raf was the perfect coach for her, I really hope this gives her the confidence to slay next year.

KatGrace1925 said:

Raf was the perfect coach for her, I really hope this gives her the confidence to slay next year.

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It was great to see how excited Rafael was too. I never imagined him to be the type to jump up and pump his fists

drivingmissdaisy said:

It was great to see how excited Rafael was too. I never imagined him to be the type to jump up and pump his fists

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My mom watched nationals with me and she thought he looked scary after Ashley's long. It was nice to see his reaction at the boards to her success! TSL's interview with him was awesome this year to.

Alex D said:

She replied to the question if she had any regrets of winning "only silver" as she was so close to the first place with,

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"I wasn´t so close to the first place, she had 10 points on me. They pay you the big bucks to say that!?"

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You gotta love this girl! I'm wondering about the journalist who asked that. I'll try to exercise my angel thinking ... maybe he/she didn't intend to minimize Ashley's accomplishment, but wanted to give her a chance to give such a great quote. Maybe he trusted her to say the truth, with such humor.

The most thrilling silver medal since Paul Wylie in 1992. I couldn't be happier for Ashley. She has truly stunned me and inspired me with her sheer grit, hard work and belief in herself. And I've come to really enjoy her style of skating. Especially, I love that she has a style of her own, which is sadly rare among the lady skaters. Oh, and I don't know her but I think she comes across as a wonderful person. She is bold and cerrtainly not shy but I get the feeling that she is also kind-hearted and principled.

I'm happy for her that she turned out to be the one break the medal drought, as she dreamed of, and as she knew she had it in her to do.

KwanIsALegend said:

Ashley should be more than proud of her silver. She has had some real down times in her career, some real blows, like not being part of the 2010 Olympic team. She works her butt off and it paid off. She cemented herself as a force on the world stage. Anyone who is criticizing her is just being jealous, silly or die hard Gracie fans.
She draws you into her skating because she just lays it all out there on the ice, you skate with her almost. She is just very real and genuine. She has her own skating style, a mix of flirty sultryness combined with a fierceness and strength.
She is not a skating princess nor she doesn't want to be..
I look forward to seeing her next season, she is off and running now, lets see how high she can go! Congratulations Ashley!!!!!:agree:

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:agree: Beautifully said!

KatGrace1925 said:

I am a huge Gracie fan and a huge Ashley fan! I wanted both of them on the podium but I am so happy Wagner made silver! I actually was all in rooting for her last year but this year I was trying not to get my hopes up. She has worked so hard to correct her technique on jumps and it has paid off. Raf was the perfect coach for her, I really hope this gives her the confidence to slay next year.

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Yes indeed, the medal has to boost her confidence. But she cleared the real hurdle before she won it, by switching her aim from thinking about what placement, or what color medal. Instead, she concentrated on performing her best, and let the results fall where they may. So she has that confirmation from the inside out.

she thought he looked scary after Ashley's long

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I agree with your Mom! He acts pretty scary too. I've watched him closely over the past season, and I think that's his protective shell. I feel he's very invested with Ashley emotionally. Maybe with Adam too, maybe with more.

I think I've watched Ashley's worlds FP about fifteen times since Saturday, I tear up with joy every time when she hits her final pose.

She's the epitome of perseverance. :yes:

Layfan said:

The most thrilling silver medal since Paul Wylie in 1992. I couldn't be happier for Ashley. She has truly stunned me and inspired me with her sheer grit, hard work and belief in herself. And I've come to really enjoy her style of skating. Especially, I love that she has a style of her own, which is sadly rare among the lady skaters. Oh, and I don't know her but I think she comes across as a wonderful person. She is bold and cerrtainly not shy but I get the feeling that she is also kind-hearted and principled.

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You're very insightful and I agree with you one hundred percent! :agree:

It's true what you said about the lady skaters looking so much alike in style. I was yawning for awhile.:yawn: Well, when you have so many elements you have to do, and only so much time in a program, it's not easy to add personality and character. Ashley adds a ton of personality, whether she's skating light and flirty to Hip Hip Chin Chin or a range of emotions with Satine.

KatGrace1925 said:

Raf was the perfect coach for her, I really hope this gives her the confidence to slay next year.

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While I think what Raf has done for her has been huge and she wouldn't be here without him to have helped her on the technical side, I think John Nicks deserves some credit for this too, even though it's been a few years since he was her coach. Just as Raf helped her break out technically, in mo opinion it was Nicks who first helped her break out artistically and to emote in the way that we now take it for granted that she emotes. She's been really smart in her coaching decisions.

So proud of Ashley. Was there at Worlds in Boston and it was electrifying. Props too to Shae-Lynn Bourne. That short program will go down in history as one of the classics. It was powerful from the start! Since being home from Worlds, I've watched that program daily on YouTube with the British Eurosport analysts because they are so complimentary of the program, the choreography, and Ashley's execution. I think her program components should have been closer to 10, so I think she was underscored there. It really is the best in terms of transitions, amazing skating skills, interpretation, choreography, and execution. It'll be hard to top for me, but I'm looking forward to her next programs and I hope Shae-Lynn is at hand. She really designed a program with dance-like edging, flow, and power and it spotlighted (and possibly improved) Ashley's skating skills in the step sequence and transitions. It's right up there with Lyra Angelica in terms of a signature piece that fans will remember her by. But, so too is her long...Ashley as Satine. Looking forward to what's next.

SarahSynchro said:

I think I've watched Ashley's worlds FP about fifteen times since Saturday, I tear up with joy every time when she hits her final pose.

She's the epitome of perseverance. :yes:

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Me, too :yes:

tulosai said:

While I think what Raf has done for her has been huge and she wouldn't be here without him to have helped her on the technical side, I think John Nicks deserves some credit for this too, even though it's been a few years since he was her coach. Just as Raf helped her break out technically, in mo opinion it was Nicks who first helped her break out artistically and to emote in the way that we now take it for granted that she emotes. She's been really smart in her coaching decisions.

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She's also given John Nicks credit for showing her how to reach out to the audience and try to give them something. I think that's part of why she never gives up on a program. She wants to give something to the audience, make them happy they came to see her skate.

Well, that and sheer hard-headedness.

sc8 said:

So proud of Ashley. Was there at Worlds in Boston and it was electrifying. Props too to Shae-Lynn Bourne.

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I've said it a million times already and I'll say it again: Shae is a choreographic goddess. I think she's the best in the field; the cream of the choreographic crop. I can't wait to see what she puts together for Ashley's programs next season!