Gracie Gold: 2017 Stars on Ice Interview
- Thread starter Jennifer Lyon
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I just don't get it after last season's disaster you would think she would be doing everything she can to get back into shape but she seems clueless. Is anyone working with her to get fit? The only one i see that could get her back to competitive shape is her old coach Alex but she chose Marina instead and i don't know if Marina is even working with her. Time is passing fast and it's now almost June and she's woefully out of shape. Gracie used to be disciplined and a hard worker but after Worlds in 2016 she has just lost her drive.
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I'm just curious, has she landed anything as hard or harder than a 2A at any of these shows?
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:disapp:
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I go back and forth on my feelings about Gracie, and these two posts sum them up well. I'm hoping things are going better for her than it appears.
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And those two posts sum up my thoughts as well. She's my favorite and I think she has some time to get it together but I am thinking more cautiously this season. I think Marina's team could be good for her but I was hoping that she would be spending some time with Alex as indicated by earlier reports. What we've seen so far worries me.
Yes, that's true and a factor the athletes must consider. That said, just curious, how much do you think the skaters are getting paid for the US tour per show? And with 7 shows how that trade-off works versus training and preparing and being position to win competition prize money and/or sponsorships?
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I have no idea what their pay rate is. I'd imagine it's a per show fee and that they likely get some kind of per diem as well.
My sister toured with small sized production that went all over the US and to Japan and Korea as well. She got paid about $170 per show (averaging 5-7 shows a week) and $65 a day (per diem).
Being that Stars on Ice is a bigger production I would think the skaters are probably making several hundred per show...it could be into the thousands, though I don't feel as though the popularity of skating in the US is big enough to support that kind of pay rate for everyone. Then again I wouldn't be surprised if there's a higher pay rate for some of the more popular/successful skaters per show. Maybe Skater A makes $500 per show and the more successful Skater B get $800 per show.
In Japan I'm almost positive the numbers are better. There's such a huge market for it over there. The bigger stars (Hanyu, Asada, Uno, Miyahara) probably make several thousand per show b/c they are so in demand.
I do not know if she said it, but everyone always says very sure that this is her last season. That's why I find her behavior so strange, if it's her last season, why not sacrifice and give it all this year? No breaks, no irregular diet, it's only 1 year.
I really hope that if she bombs an early Senior B and/or her 1st GP, that she withdraws so that another skater could get a chance at her second GP spot.
Depending on when some one withdraws from a GP assignment, there is no guarantee that the host country will replace them. Remember the host country is paying for the skater's expenses to/from the event.
The timeline for when a host country has to replace is specified in the rules. I think it is something like a month out, the skater has to be replaced but 2 weeks out it is at the host country's discretion.
The timeline for when a host country has to replace is specified in the rules. I think it is something like a month out, the skater has to be replaced but 2 weeks out it is at the host country's discretion.
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Yes, especially the bolded part.
I can tell you're a huge fan, and I admire your support and dedication for her. Part of me was actually sad to see her get two GP assignments this year. This is because, as mrrice posted in another thread, maybe it would be better for her to just focus in on Nationals and being in the absolute best shape she can be. Last year, there seemed to be two main schools of thought about her - stop competing for a while and recover mentally and physically, regroup, refocus, etc. OR keep competing and work out the demons. I was in the second group and was glad to see her to go Golden Spin, etc., but I later felt I was quite wrong about that as things continued to get worse for her. But now...I don't know. I can understand wanting to be on the GP for many reasons - to stay in the judge's eyes, to keep those competition muscles flexed, to possibly win some medals, and obviously many more reasons. But if she's not significantly improved mentally and skating wise from where she was a Nationals last season, I'm just not sure it's a good idea to rush things.
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Yes, especially the bolded part.
Part of me was actually sad to see her get two GP assignments this year. This is because, as mrrice posted in another thread, maybe it would be better for her to just focus in on Nationals and being in the absolute best shape she can be. Last year, there seemed to be two main schools of thought about her - stop competing for a while and recover mentally and physically, regroup, refocus, etc. OR keep competing and work out the demons. I was in the second group and was glad to see her to go Golden Spin, etc., but I later felt I was quite wrong about that as things continued to get worse for her. But now...I don't know. I can understand wanting to be on the GP for many reasons - to stay in the judge's eyes, to keep those competition muscles flexed, to possibly win some medals, and obviously many more reasons. But if she's not significantly improved mentally and skating wise from where she was a Nationals last season, I'm just not sure it's a good idea to rush things.
There are so many factors in place with Gracie. Say she gets in shape and is ready by grand prix season, then the benefits of what could happen if she does well there are massive, momentum would be on her side heading into the olympics. The flip side is if she bombs there then it could mentally wear her down more and lead her to bomb at nationals as well. I think her team see's the possible rewards greater than the risks, and Marina apparently excels at mental preperation. I think we'll be more clued into what is happening when she announces her programs for the season, and as a few more months pass.
For the record I was on team keep going and keep skating as well, but thay did proove to be more disastrous for her.
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The belief that people have comes from something she said in her TSL interview. They asked if she'd continue after 2018 Olympics, and her answer seemed to indicate in the negative, although she didn't come right out and say that. IIRC she also mentioned she didn't see herself continuing past age 22 (which she turns this Aug. or Sept.)
But that interview was a few years ago, and her thinking may have changed. Or not.
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It's really about whether or not Gracie learns to love skating again. Which she hasn't had since all the 2014 Sochi hype, it seems to me. Maybe all this "playing fast and loose" is her learning to love skating again. It might not be good for keeping her in shape or competition results, but maybe it's good for her brain. Like, she's always been a super tightly-wound perfectionist putting all the pressure in the world on herself, and now she's not. Good for Gracie the human, bad for Gracie the athlete.
I wonder what her dynamic with Marina is. Seems like Marina would never tolerate laziness.
I wonder what her dynamic with Marina is. Seems like Marina would never tolerate laziness.
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This may have been a bit of a media/publicity. The ship is sinking and she is fighitng to stay afloat. I wonder if financially she has been affected by her fall from skating grace so to speak? I mean doesn't she get less funding being sixth in the US? Endorsements will drop too. I wonder depending when she signed on if her skating show fee dropped. I wonder if skating with Nathan and Patrick will help? It is hard to believe Zueva worked with G and G many moons ago.
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Skating with Nathan isn't helping her much since Nathan has gone back to California and last he said has no plans to return to Canton and Marina.
Marina is quite strict and very mother like to her students if she feels they need it.
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We do not know the day to day of what Gracie is doing, none of us are there.
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