The latest on Gracie Gold

I've said many times this season that Gracie needs to take some serious time off skating. Go register for a semester or two at a local college, meet new people and expand her horizon outside the skating bubble. It'll be good for her mentally and emotionally. After some time, consider if she even wants to come back to competitive skating. Does she miss it? Does she even like it anymore? If not, move on. The fact that a skater as talented as Gracie does not have a single international championship medal is painful but life is about more than just figure skating and she should not live life trying to please the people around her, especially since it's causing her so much desolation.

I had such warm and fuzzy feelings watching Caroline Zhangs's mix zone interview. After going through so many setbacks in her career, she's now in an amazing place in her life. Even though it’s difficult financially, she continues to skate because she truly loves it ; coaching, competing. She has realistic goals and takes everything day by day, with her fiancé’s support. Maybe Gracie should have a long chat with Caroline and get a new perspective.

Gold needs to do this, Gold should do that.

Whatever - easy for us to sit here and MMQB the situation - but now I'll let her and her team (or whatever's left of it) work it out. Above all I hope she can find happiness, whatever that means for her. It can seem elusive at times for a lot of us...

shiroKJ said:

I've said many times this season that Gracie needs to take some serious time off skating. Go register for a semester or two at a local college, meet new people and expand her horizon outside the skating bubble. It'll be good for her mentally and emotionally. After some time, consider if she even wants to come back to competitive skating. Does she miss it? Does she even like it anymore? If not, move on. The fact that a skater as talented as Gracie does not have a single international championship medal is painful but life is about more than just figure skating and she should not live life trying to please the people around her, especially since it's causing her so much desolation.

I had such warm and fuzzy feelings watching Caroline Zhangs's mix zone interview. After going through so many setbacks in her career, she's now in an amazing place in her life. Even though it’s difficult financially, she continues to skate because she truly loves it ; coaching, competing. She has realistic goals and takes everything day by day, with her fiancé’s support. Maybe Gracie should have a long chat with Caroline and get a new perspective.

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I also really liked/respected Caroline's mix zone interview. Her schedule is obviously crazy since she has to spend a TON of time coaching just to fund her skating, but she does keep doing it because she genuinely loves it, and I bet before this competition without any realistic hope of getting to another major international competition again (though clearly based on what happened that might be a realistic goal after all). I feel happy when people are skating after some reflection because they actually like it and want to do it even if it's hard, not just because it's all they know or they are good at it.

Sugarpova said:

yep
I dont see why someone would make it black & white, villain/victim situation? they both can be wrong & just unfit to work together.


re: throwing a jacket is soo bizarre! I always thought americans are super patriotic & never even consider doing such a thing...:think:


well unless you're Nikolai Morozov :taunt:

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Americans are not super patriotic. Half of American citizens don't even bother voting.

I think we need to leave the doom and gloom out of this discussion and leave this in Gracie's hands. Think about this......You're a coach and Gracie Freakin' Gold calls you and asks for help....Here's my reaction...YEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!:agree2::dance:

I'd say yes so fast the room would spin. Someone smart will call Gracie, or she will call them and I truly think she'll be back. If not, I think she'll retire. I can't see her continuing if she can't recapture her passion for the sport again. When you're a Champion, finishing 6th is not something you can deal with. Maybe I was a baby but, the last audition I didn't get was for "Sister Act 2" My agent told me they thought I was too old and rather than re-style my hair, or start wearing makeup which several men did, I decided I'd start teaching and that was that. It might be scary in the beginning but, in my case, it was the best decision I ever made.

With Mariah's exit, my first call would be to Kori. She needs a top lady back in her stable of skaters and there's no one who can pep you up like Jason, always happy, Brown. Rohene is so talent that he can make block of wood look pretty. If they would take on Gracie, I think that would be a great environment for her.

Just a small sample of the many comments from this thread…. and in response to these I felt the thread should be stopped.

She should be sorry for being a petulant and spoiled brat
No. If you are a snowflake then don't even bother to come to an Olympic level sport
She got what she deserved
When you want cotton candies and snowflakes, this is what you get. A very entitled spoiled brat who thinks she deserves the World spot and she's the best.
She's done for good
I am not tolerating snowflakes in sport. Especially in Olympic sports. In fact, I am not tolerating snowflakes anywhere...
No need to join her pity party. This girl stinks of arrogance and entitlement. She felt entitled for a spot in the national team despite her miserable showings

continued in next post...

- - - Updated - - -

I asked that a thread be removed because I felt it was hurtful and wrong for people to be posting inappropriate comments about Gracie, and as a result I received a warning. I came to this forum because I thought it was a place for people who loved skating. And there are so many posters who fit that. But if you dare to stand up against people tearing apart a young athlete you want to support, then that is not okay.

I am sorry for feeling like I needed to defend Gracie against so much negativity and I might not have done it in the best way, but shame on gs for allowing this to be a place where hate speech and bullying against young athletes is okay but standing up against that is threatened. I was trying to defend a gifted young athlete. But what gs is allowing isn’t something I want to be a part of.

Gracie is a champion. In a rough season she kept going and held her head up. She showed amazing strength under the pressure of immense public scrutiny and pressure. You are amazing Gracie!

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of."
Jackie DeShannon



(I am aware because of this post I will be removed, but that is actually for the best so I can get back to work ☺ And mods please don’t use the excuse that is was because I was “bickering” because that is widespread all over these threads and what I said was nothing in comparison. I can best share elsewhere what this site is supporting and the experience of these forums.)

louisa05 said:

She also didn't help her cause. As a comparison, when Max finished his bad skate, he forced a smile. When they first showed him on the video screen in the kiss and cry, he mouthed "I'm sorry" to the crowd and then got applause as I think most people didn't want him to apologize. Gracie didn't even try to smile when she bowed.

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Not true. I have two photos of her grinning as she bowed and another photo of her smiling as she carried a stuffed Hello Kitty (that a fan had thrown) off the ice with her.

She should be sorry for being a petulant and spoiled brat

This comment is the one that I find the most hurtful and untrue. There's a BIG difference between a spoiled brat and a star who feels their career may be slipping away from them. I was in my late 20's in 1993 when Sister Act 2 came out. It was seriously the first time I felt old and that was very frightening. My body could still do all the moves, and in my head I still felt young. It was like a slap in the face when my agent told me what the casting director said about me being too old for the part. I definitely cried and was in a fog for a very long time. The difference of course, is that there was no reporter in my apartment or I would have looked like spoiled brat myself.

mrrice said:

She should be sorry for being a petulant and spoiled brat

This comment is the one that I find the most hurtful and untrue. There's a BIG difference between a spoiled brat and a star who feels their career may be slipping away from them. I was in my late 20's in 1993 when Sister Act 2 came out. It was seriously the first time I felt old and that was very frightening. My body could still do all the moves, and in my head I still felt young. It was like a slap in the face when my agent told me what the casting director said about me being too old for the part. I definitely cried and was in a fog for a very long time. The difference of course, is that there was no reporter in my apartment or I would have looked like spoiled brat myself.

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What a lot of people don't understand is that skating is a very expensive job that requires you to give not just a lot of your time to, but a lot of you emotions and self due to its performance aspect. Nobody here would be okay if they felt like the one job they feel good in or have assigned their worth to is slipping away. And people underestimate just how exhausting the emotional demands of a performance are, never the mind having to face reporters after. But I wouldn't expect rational compassion on the internet.

mrrice said:

She should be sorry for being a petulant and spoiled brat

This comment is the one that I find the most hurtful and untrue. There's a BIG difference between a spoiled brat and a star who feels their career may be slipping away from them. I was in my late 20's in 1993 when Sister Act 2 came out. It was seriously the first time I felt old and that was very frightening. My body could still do all the moves, and in my head I still felt young. It was like a slap in the face when my agent told me what the casting director said about me being too old for the part. I definitely cried and was in a fog for a very long time. The difference of course, is that there was no reporter in my apartment or I would have looked like spoiled brat myself.

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So what did you do to your agent? It's a serious question. Did you throw the script at him and tell him to throw it out in front of casting director. Did you tell casting director you deserve the spot because you're the best (let's assume you weren't able to do half the moves, would you still tell them you deserve it)
I don't think you would do such a thing. Gracie did such a thing. That's why she's a spoiled brat.

islandiceskater said:

What a lot of people don't understand is that skating is a very expensive job that requires you to give not just a lot of your time to, but a lot of you emotions and self due to its performance aspect. Nobody here would be okay if they felt like the one job they feel good in or have assigned their worth to is slipping away. And people underestimate just how exhausting the emotional demands of a performance are, never the mind having to face reporters after. But I wouldn't expect rational compassion on the internet.

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This could not be more true. Like skating, dancing at an elite level is expensive. Especially when you are to, but don't the job. When you audition for location jobs, you audition and get "Called back" for second one. You are often flown out by the company however, they are not round trip tickets. I was flown to Chicago for Ferris Beuller's Day Off and by the time we got on set, the jobs had all been filled by a troupe of local dancers called "The South Shore Drill Team" We were all furious!!

They put us in a hotel for a night and then flew us home the next day. It was a huge waist of time but since we were never hired, all we got a was a free flight and the hotel. It was a logistic nightmare as we were told, even if you're don't make the cast, you will be there for 6 days on the companies dime. Here's the scene. When you see the group of "Mostly" black dancers doing horrible choreography on the steps, that's the scene I'm talking about. Twist And Shout, Ferris Bueller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqQFTq2FIdY

islandiceskater said:

What a lot of people don't understand is that skating is a very expensive job that requires you to give not just a lot of your time to, but a lot of you emotions and self due to its performance aspect. Nobody here would be okay if they felt like the one job they feel good in or have assigned their worth to is slipping away. And people underestimate just how exhausting the emotional demands of a performance are, never the mind having to face reporters after.

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So is life itself. Everyday is bringing everything you listed here to everybody. Every emotion, every disappointment, every failed hope, every pressure and expectation. And you know what? You like or not - you must still deliver. No matter how broken and weak you feel you must keep going. Gracie is not the only one who copes with all this. We all do. If you don't have a thick skin, if you don't develop your inner strength, then you die. That's the nature's laws.

FlattFan said:

So what did you do to your agent? It's a serious question. Did you throw the script at him and tell him to throw it out in front of casting director. Did you tell casting director you deserve the spot because you're the best (let's assume you weren't able to do half the moves, would you still tell them you deserve it)
I don't think you would do such a thing. Gracie did such a thing. That's why she's a spoiled brat.

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As a performer and an athlete, or as an artist, or heck, in any old job interview, it's your job to sell yourself. It's your job to convince the committee or the casting director or the hiring manager that you deserve the part or the spot or the job, even if you really messed up whatever it was they were testing you on. If you show them that you don't believe in yourself, then they will never, ever pick you. If you at least fake-believe in yourself, that's a little better.

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news...ews---12/078b5fe2-b508-49e9-932b-505ccea588a7

The Cleveland Browns lost every game but one this year. They were abysmal. They were a joke. And in these interviews, they are staying positive, talking about what a great team they are. Because that's their job.

Manitou said:

So is life itself. Everyday is bringing everything you listed here to everybody. Every emotion, every disappointment, every failed hope, every pressure and expectation. And you know what? You like or not - you must still deliver. No matter how broken and weak you feel you must keep going. Gracie is not the only one who copes with all this. We all do. If you don't have a thick skin, if you don't develop your inner strength, then you die. That's the nature's laws.

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Uh yeah. Gracie isn't dead. She hasn't even quit the sport. What exactly do "nature's laws" have to do with Gracie?

Everyone has spoken their piece about Gracie Gold at this point. We await a new thread with new news.