Jeremy Abbott ‘kind of on the fence’ about retiring

[Kitt]

Jeremy should coach and choreograph. He has the best edges and maybe he could pass along that knowledge to the younger generation.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Jeremy should follow his heart and do what Jeremy wants. It's his life and his path. He obviously loves skating and is very talented. As far as competitions go, either he has found or will find his mental strength or he won't and the results will tell the story. Whatever spot he wants, he has to earn it so there is nothing unfair about it.

I feel the same way about anybody else, including Fumie.

Jeremy should coach and choreograph. He has the best edges and maybe he could pass along that knowledge to the younger generation.

He should be a very good choreographer. As for coaching, he would be great if he can show he has finally figured out the mental part of competition, which means another season on the circuit with great results. Otherwise, he would be a great part of a coaching team but wouldn't be an all round coach.

 

[Olympia]

It's understandable that he's reluctant to leave skating. Dorothy Hamill (not that Jeremy's skills are equivalent to hers) said recently that she realized after the Olympics that she would probably never again find something to do at which she was one of the world's best. Even though Jeremy isn't really one of the world's best, he still excels in this in a way that will not come soon to him in any other pursuit. (Unless, as some of you have pointed out, he gives choreography a try.) The kind of sunup-to-sundown total devotion that skating takes these days is not easily given up or replaced by anything else. There has to be a certain fear and possibly even a feeling of bereavement involved.

But I hope Jeremy doesn't delude himself into thinking that at this stage, he can improve his skating relative to his rivals who are out there now. Well, we'll see how this turns out.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

I hope that he will just leave very quietly and without fan fare.

Personally, I dislike his off-ice personality, his lack of nerve and confidence in competition, and his competitive programs are all sentimental nonsense (looking like you are going to cry and having angsty looks is not artistry) while flopping all over the ice trying to compete with the good jumpers.

Just please go quietly. Do. Not. Pass. Go. Do. Not. Collect. $200.00.

Agree^
I wonder if he does decide to stay in will he recycle that same sappy LP where he looks off into the distance, I don't think I can stomach it anymore.
Seeing him in Sochi was awkward, it was like it was too big for him. I think he is comfortable at Nationals with his die hard fans but in the big events he looks like a hometown little league champion playing in the big leagues.
I think maybe some in Team Jeremy are not honest with him and it is not doing him any favors. Yes, he helped get 3 spots but he also fell in the SP, let's not forget that.
I used to be a fan of Jeremy, when he and Adam won 1, 2 at Nationals and then went to worlds I was thrilled to death. But then I started picking up on an arrogance in Jeremy and his now infamous comments in Sochi just cemented it for me.His not wanting to leave competitive skating is more of his delusional thinking ( that gets reassured by Yuka and Jason I am sure) He's been sheltered in the confines of the skating world too long and needs to step away and do some growing up.


ETA: “Olympic bronze medalist, four-time national champion” preceded his name." Ahem, doesn't seem to mention that the bronze was from a team event that his teammates helped secure.

 

[Alba]

But then I started picking up on an arrogance in Jeremy and his now infamous comments in Sochi just cemented it for me.

What comments, I know nothing. Please tell.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

What comments, I know nothing. Please tell.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/14/olympics-jeremy-abbott-choking-skating/

“I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big ‘F-you’ to anyone who’s ever said that to me, because they’ve never stood in my shoes and they’ve never had to do what I do,” said Abbott, 28, who is expected to retire after this season. “Nobody has to stand center ice in front of a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they’ve been doing it for 20-some years.

“If you think that’s not hard, then you’re a damn idiot. Some people can handle it better than others, but everyone has that mental struggle. Everyone goes through the same doubt. I’m not alone. Everyone has their highs and their lows, and they just come at different moments. You know, some people have their moment at the Olympics and some people have theirs at the national championships.

“I’m proud to be standing here. I’m a four-time national champion, I’m a two-time Olympian, and no one can take that away from me. Whatever people have to say about me, that’s their own problem. I’m frickin’ proud of what I’ve done, and I’m not going to apologize for anything.”

 

[Alba]

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/14/olympics-jeremy-abbott-choking-skating/

“I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big ‘F-you’ to anyone who’s ever said that to me, because they’ve never stood in my shoes and they’ve never had to do what I do,” said Abbott, 28, who is expected to retire after this season. “Nobody has to stand center ice in front of a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they’ve been doing it for 20-some years.

“If you think that’s not hard, then you’re a damn idiot. Some people can handle it better than others, but everyone has that mental struggle. Everyone goes through the same doubt. I’m not alone. Everyone has their highs and their lows, and they just come at different moments. You know, some people have their moment at the Olympics and some people have theirs at the national championships.

“I’m proud to be standing here. I’m a four-time national champion, I’m a two-time Olympian, and no one can take that away from me. Whatever people have to say about me, that’s their own problem. I’m frickin’ proud of what I’ve done, and I’m not going to apologize for anything.”

WAW! He really was angry.

A comment below: Well said! But in the Olympics you choke!

Thanks Kwan.

 

[gmyers]

America needs him. It's a happy occasion. Good for Abbott! Doing what's best for him and amaerica.

 

[IcyEdges]

Jeremy should follow his heart and do what Jeremy wants. It's his life and his path. He obviously loves skating and is very talented. As far as competitions go, either he has found or will find his mental strength or he won't and the results will tell the story. Whatever spot he wants, he has to earn it so there is nothing unfair about it.






He should be a very good choreographer. As for coaching, he would be great if he can show he has finally figured out the mental part of competition, which means another season on the circuit with great results. Otherwise, he would be a great part of a coaching team but wouldn't be an all round coach.

:agree:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/14/olympics-jeremy-abbott-choking-skating/

“I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big ‘F-you’ to anyone who’s ever said that to me, because they’ve never stood in my shoes and they’ve never had to do what I do,” said Abbott, 28, who is expected to retire after this season. “Nobody has to stand center ice in front of a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they’ve been doing it for 20-some years.

“If you think that’s not hard, then you’re a damn idiot. Some people can handle it better than others, but everyone has that mental struggle. Everyone goes through the same doubt. I’m not alone. Everyone has their highs and their lows, and they just come at different moments. You know, some people have their moment at the Olympics and some people have theirs at the national championships.

“I’m proud to be standing here. I’m a four-time national champion, I’m a two-time Olympian, and no one can take that away from me. Whatever people have to say about me, that’s their own problem. I’m frickin’ proud of what I’ve done, and I’m not going to apologize for anything.”

WAW! He really was angry.

A comment below: Well said! But in the Olympics you choke!

Thanks Kwan.

As for the last two posters I have quoted. Have you been in his shoes? Have you seen the crap that he gets thrown at him more than any other skater? Obviously not, because here are you and many others in this thread throwing just as much crap at him. He spoke out, but only after he asked permission and got it from the official in charge of USOC(?) publicity(as I recall.) It's a sad right now that someone with immense talent like Jeremy is out there doing pretty remarkable things at his age, yet skaters like Hanyu, Chan, and many others can't stand up half the time but are handed gold medals for it at international events, including the Olympics. The only ones that impressed me at the last two Worlds and Olympics was Denis Ten and Javier Fernandez. At least at the Olympics Abbott had the guts to stand up after a terrible fall and continue and amazingly at that. Many others would have gone over to the officials and pulled themselves from the competition. He is heads above others as far as creativity and artistry are concerned. I am so tired of seeing the same old boring junk programs that end up being splat fests because no one is creative anymore they just jump and flail.

The only reason I feel that he should retire versus remaining competitive is if his body is telling him otherwise. Skating in pain is not something anyone needs to be doing. That said-
I agree with a previous poster who said it's Jeremy's decision to do what he wants to. Like it or not, it's not up to all of you. I'm sickened when I come into these threads and wonder many times why I continue to when 90% of it is posters with negative Nancy syndrome. :disapp: :scowl:

 

[centerpt1]

I think he'll retire because he skates in pain.

That said-

He had several personal bests this season

He'll be seeded on the GP- if he does well, his PCS will improve

Top 3 at Worlds? Probably not, unless he gets another Quad in his long. (but none of the other US men are top 3 material either)

It depends on his goals....

(this year he was probably thinking of nothing but Socchi, so another year would give him time to plan)

***

And he was answering a rude question from a reporter while in pain, having skated his LP when even his coach didn't expect him to be able to do it due to his injuries. Good for him for saying what he wanted to after years of attacks. (and he did ask permission) Read the whole thing in context....

IF we had multiple US men on the way up with quads and skating skills....I might feel differently. But the US is just not there yet.


Plus- I'd love to see him skate a competitive program to lyrics

 

[BlackPack]

It's understandable that he's reluctant to leave skating. Dorothy Hamill (not that Jeremy's skills are equivalent to hers) said recently that she realized after the Olympics that she would probably never again find something to do at which she was one of the world's best. Even though Jeremy isn't really one of the world's best, he still excels in this in a way that will not come soon to him in any other pursuit. (Unless, as some of you have pointed out, he gives choreography a try.) The kind of sunup-to-sundown total devotion that skating takes these days is not easily given up or replaced by anything else. There has to be a certain fear and possibly even a feeling of bereavement involved.

But I hope Jeremy doesn't delude himself into thinking that at this stage, he can improve his skating relative to his rivals who are out there now. Well, we'll see how this turns out.

I do believe that it is possible to develop a new career and do it well.

While he does have great style, I re-watched many of his programs and decided he didn't have enough content and substance. I realized I loved the music of Lilies of the Valley and Muse more than I loved his skating...

Yes, "Fumie Delusional Syndrome" needs to be copyrighted...

 

[BlackPack]

Agree^
I wonder if he does decide to stay in will he recycle that same sappy LP where he looks off into the distance, I don't think I can stomach it anymore.

 

[UnsaneLily87]

I do believe that it is possible to develop a new career and do it well.

While he does have great style, I re-watched many of his programs and decided he didn't have enough content and substance. I realized I loved the music of Lilies of the Valley and Muse more than I loved his skating...

Yes, "Fumie Delusional Syndrome" needs to be copyrighted...

Sure--Debi Thomas, Michelle Kwan, and Sasha Cohen are just a few off the top of my head, but I know there are more. Is Paul Wylie a lawyer? I feel like he is. The discipline that comes from elite level skating can be applied to many careers. It's just having the interest/courage to go after it.

 

[IcyEdges]

I think he'll retire because he skates in pain.

That said-

He had several personal bests this season

He'll be seeded on the GP- if he does well, his PCS will improve

Top 3 at Worlds? Probably not, unless he gets another Quad in his long. (but none of the other US men are top 3 material either)

It depends on his goals....

(this year he was probably thinking of nothing but Socchi, so another year would give him time to plan)

***

And he was answering a rude question from a reporter while in pain, having skated his LP when even his coach didn't expect him to be able to do it due to his injuries. Good for him for saying what he wanted to after years of attacks. (and he did ask permission) Read the whole thing in context....

IF we had multiple US men on the way up with quads and skating skills....I might feel differently. But the US is just not there yet.


Plus- I'd love to see him skate a competitive program to lyrics

:agree: Very well said!

 

[IcyEdges]

Sure--Debi Thomas, Michelle Kwan, and Sasha Cohen are just a few off the top of my head, but I know there are more. Is Paul Wylie a lawyer? I feel like he is. The discipline that comes from elite level skating can be applied to many careers. It's just having the interest/courage to go after it.

Sasha's going to school, as many others have such as Rachel Flatt. Wylie isn't a lawyer, he never got his law degree. He got a Business degree and last I heard he was skating director at a rink in NC and runs a sports related travel agency.

 

[karne]

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/14/olympics-jeremy-abbott-choking-skating/

“I just want to put my middle finger in the air and say a big ‘F-you’ to anyone who’s ever said that to me, because they’ve never stood in my shoes and they’ve never had to do what I do,” said Abbott, 28, who is expected to retire after this season. “Nobody has to stand center ice in front of a million people and put an entire career on the line for eight minutes of their life when they’ve been doing it for 20-some years.

“If you think that’s not hard, then you’re a damn idiot. Some people can handle it better than others, but everyone has that mental struggle. Everyone goes through the same doubt. I’m not alone. Everyone has their highs and their lows, and they just come at different moments. You know, some people have their moment at the Olympics and some people have theirs at the national championships.

“I’m proud to be standing here. I’m a four-time national champion, I’m a two-time Olympian, and no one can take that away from me. Whatever people have to say about me, that’s their own problem. I’m frickin’ proud of what I’ve done, and I’m not going to apologize for anything.”

That annoyed me, but it didn't make me angry. What made me white-hot FURIOUS was this:

"It's a positive step. It's just a warm-up!" - Jeremy after not even bothering to fight for his team event SP.

*

Anyway, I think he would be foolish to continue, for no other reason than his body is telling him to stop. The injuries have been mounting over the last few years and it's not like he has a young malleable body that will just bounce back - he's 28 (29?) and it's time. I don't want to see any more Plushys. I don't want to see skaters whose bodies are hanging on by a thread.

 

[KwanIsALegend]

:agree:

As for the last two posters I have quoted. Have you been in his shoes? Have you seen the crap that he gets thrown at him more than any other skater? Obviously not, because here are you and many others in this thread throwing just as much crap at him. He spoke out, but only after he asked permission and got it from the official in charge of USOC(?) publicity(as I recall.) It's a sad right now that someone with immense talent like Jeremy is out there doing pretty remarkable things at his age, yet skaters like Hanyu, Chan, and many others can't stand up half the time but are handed gold medals for it at international events, including the Olympics. The only ones that impressed me at the last two Worlds and Olympics was Denis Ten and Javier Fernandez. At least at the Olympics Abbott had the guts to stand up after a terrible fall and continue and amazingly at that. Many others would have gone over to the officials and pulled themselves from the competition. He is heads above others as far as creativity and artistry are concerned. I am so tired of seeing the same old boring junk programs that end up being splat fests because no one is creative anymore they just jump and flail.

The only reason I feel that he should retire versus remaining competitive is if his body is telling him otherwise. Skating in pain is not something anyone needs to be doing. That said-
I agree with a previous poster who said it's Jeremy's decision to do what he wants to. Like it or not, it's not up to all of you. I'm sickened when I come into these threads and wonder many times why I continue to when 90% of it is posters with negative Nancy syndrome. :disapp: :scowl:

You are completely entitled to your opinion as I am with mine. We are all never going to all love the same skaters, it is impossible. It will never happen. But really if we did this forum would be rather dull. As I said I was a huge fan of Abbott at one time.
I find his that his comments make him sound like a petulant child, of course I have never stood center ice in front of millions, that is not the point. He is an elite skater who has been around for a long time, he is a world class athlete, he is going to be talked about. Go to any sports bar anywhere and tell those watching the games that they are not allowed to comment on the players because they've never played the game..let me know what kind of response you get.

It is clear you are fond of Jeremy, that is great, enjoy it but that doesn't mean that I have to be fond of him as well.

 

[Mrs. P]

[As for the last two posters I have quoted. Have you been in his shoes? Have you seen the crap that he gets thrown at him more than any other skater? Obviously not, because here are you and many others in this thread throwing just as much crap at him. He spoke out, but only after he asked permission and got it from the official in charge of USOC(?) publicity(as I recall.) It's a sad right now that someone with immense talent like Jeremy is out there doing pretty remarkable things at his age, yet skaters like Hanyu, Chan, and many others can't stand up half the time but are handed gold medals for it at international events, including the Olympics. The only ones that impressed me at the last two Worlds and Olympics was Denis Ten and Javier Fernandez. At least at the Olympics Abbott had the guts to stand up after a terrible fall and continue and amazingly at that. Many others would have gone over to the officials and pulled themselves from the competition. He is heads above others as far as creativity and artistry are concerned. I am so tired of seeing the same old boring junk programs that end up being splat fests because no one is creative anymore they just jump and flail.

The only reason I feel that he should retire versus remaining competitive is if his body is telling him otherwise. Skating in pain is not something anyone needs to be doing. That said-
I agree with a previous poster who said it's Jeremy's decision to do what he wants to. Like it or not, it's not up to all of you. I'm sickened when I come into these threads and wonder many times why I continue to when 90% of it is posters with negative Nancy syndrome. :disapp: :scowl:

Yes, Hanyu struggled to the OGM, but let's consider what he DID do (he made errors in the 3F, 4S):

4T (2.14)
3A-3Tx (2.43)
3A+2Tx (0.29
3Lo (.3)
3Z-1Lo (-.3)
3Z (1.2)

He still did a quad, and six clean triples.

And Chan (errors on 3A + second 4T):
4T-3T (3.00)
3Z-1L-2S (.5)
3Z (1.2)
3Lo x (0)
3F-2Tx (.6)

Chan did a quad and five clean triples.


Jeremy's FS at Worlds:
4T (0.71)
3A-2T (-0.29)
3F (.9)
2A (.64)
3Ax (.29
3Z-3T<-2T< (-.)
2A-2T

Even in Jeremy's relative clean program, he had a quad and four (five if you include the 3T<) triples.

Again Yuzuru and Patrick were hot messes in Sochi, but the fact he still managed to pull out more triples than Jeremy did in a relatively clean program is pretty telling.

Also, it's not true that Yuzuru and Chan are not standing up half the time, at least this season. Chan has been quite consistent on his quads this season as has Yuzuru on his 4T (not so much on the 4S, obviously). Sochi was actually the messiest I've seen those two this season. Let's not forget at their absolute best this season, Chan and Yuzuru scored 190+ in the FS, 25 points more than Jeremy.

 

[IcyEdges]

You are completely entitled to your opinion as I am with mine. We are all never going to all love the same skaters, it is impossible. It will never happen. But really if we did this forum would be rather dull. As I said I was a huge fan of Abbott at one time.
I find his that his comments make him sounds like a petulant child, of course I have never stood center ice in front of millions, that is not the point. He is an elite skater who has been around for a long time, he is a world class athlete, he is going to be talked about. Go to any sports bar anywhere and tell those watching the games that they are not allowed to comment on the players because they've never played the game..let me know what kind of response you get.

It is clear you are fond of Jeremy, that is great, enjoy it but that doesn't mean that I have to be fond of him as well.

I think you missed my point. I was not saying that everyone has to be a fan of his. I just wish everyone would knock the negativity off especially with a few skaters who seem to always get the short end of things around here. I am also not stating as to whether I am a fan of Abbotts or not. I do know good technique and artistry when I see it.
I am a fan of other sports and know better than to make statements as everyone needs to not express their opinions. That would be irrational and impossible.

I know something you and I can agree on. Kwan. Have not seen a lady come close to her style and technique and probably never will. Definitely forever in a class of her own.

 

[Ryan O]

If he thinks the usfsa will send him to another Worlds, he is even more delusional than I thought.

Well, if he qualifies (particularly if he wins Nationals) he will be sent. With the inconsistency of some of the other US men, it's a possibility. While I think it's time for him to retire, he DID just beat Max Aaron at Worlds.