USFS Announces Worlds team

[Colonel Green]

Not sure what to say when you think the World Championships isn't relevant. A very strange kind of reality-bending trying to happen here.

I didn’t say the World Championships aren’t relevant. I don’t think his having a bad free skate in Milan can be attributed to whether or not he went to Pyeongchang. He came out of the Olympics rising high, did really well in the short program at Worlds, and then had a bad day. Lots of people did on that particular day.

He was already going to become a contender in the future. Going to the Olympics did nothing to help with that.

Going to the Olympics is extremely valuable experience (that’s the whole point of getting people high-level experience), and will be especially valuable for the next Olympics that he’s already done it once before (and done well there).

 

[Blades of Passion]

I don’t think his having a bad free skate in Milan can be attributed to whether or not he went to Pyeongchang.

Well I do (or at least, it's certainly a possibility). He was under pressure to live up to his Olympic performance and couldn't do it. Most skaters who've been to Olympics agree about how difficult it is to follow up the Olympics, because everything else feels lesser, the motivation and emotion to give it your all isn't the same.

And as for his development, I think failing to win any international medal that season can be said to have hurt his confidence, whereas if he had been a 4CC + World medalist, no reason to be doubtful going forward.