2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating
- Thread starter R.D.
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2012
I was not aware that she had so many concussions. It sounds terrible, especially those concussions had such a great impact on her memory, probably on memorizing other daily stuff as well. Is there any treatment for her condition? Is the compromised ability to memorize psychological, or physical, that shows abnormality in a brain scan?
- Joined
- May 20, 2015
What will be interesting is who gets assigned to Golden Spin in early December. I wonder how USFS would determine who would go - they should know who is going to the JGPF and GPF by then. And everyone who needs international scores to get assigned to Olympics/4CCs/Worlds would already have them, right? Does anyone else need a Senior International B?
I was waiting to hear this. Sometimes it takes one competition to jumpstart a skater. I was worried that she wouldn’t get fired up until it was too late.
Yes, I think Ashley was lucky to get her bronze. I was expecting fourth until Anna’s meltdown. But I suspected it’s because she didn’t realize she wasn’t quite in form yet. Her SP lacked the fire I expected from her. And I think the tech controller was a little rough on her. But it got the message across. Or ally if a skater experiences a bad comp like this, the next time they work hard to improve their results. I expect to see a very fired up Ashley at SA.
Last year they sent Gracie, Karen, and Amber. Ashley was on the list initially, but she withdrew a few days before to focus on nationals. I suspect that Mirai and Karen will be going this year. Maybe Amber again, or Bradie. Skaters can put on request for a Challenger.
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
Wagner has typically shown good self-awareness of what she needs to work on, or at least enough to SAY the right things to the press whenever they stick a mic in her face. I don't doubt that she genuinely wants high results, but sometimes I wonder if she allows her mind to race ahead of her body at times. I get the impression that occasionally she thinks she is stronger or better prepared than she really is, and this has been a pattern with her for some time now. But these are all mind tricks.
It is true that all skaters will say the right thing in front of the press. It’s also possible that she’s over confident. Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing the difference. Unlike a lot of skaters, Ashley doesn’t post a lot of practice videos or report on her training. Her next comp is SA where she has a huge advantage and wil, get a nice score unless she bombs. It will be at the GPF when we see if she can compete.
I think one problem is that she spends a lot of time at home training and competes very little. So she bases her confidence on how she skates in at-home training. When the pressure is on and nerves are in the equation it's very different. Every skater, every competitive athlete needs to practice COMPETING. The only way you get better at competing is to do it more.
She had the chance to go to to Golden Spin last season (in place of the GP Final which she did not qualify for) and pulled out saying that she felt it would be more valuable to train at home. Was it the right decision? Hard to say.
She had a weak showing at Finlandia. She’s optimistic that she can improve other the season. A few days ago she posted another video of her 3Lz.
I just checked and it appears her next event is GP France in Mid-November. I hope she can get herself back up to speed, but I'm not sure if I have high confidence in her being able to do so in time to seriously challenge for the Olympic Team. Still, she seems to have a lot of grit and will do what she can to fight her way back. Shouldn't count her out TBH.
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2017
But if USFS really does consider the "body of work" then she doesn't have nearly as high a chance as other US ladies.
Polina likely would need a medal at her GP, a high finish/score at a late Senior B & a Top 3 at Nationals. Really, the same at this point as Mirai and Mariah, whose 1st GPs didn't help them. Add Courtney to this same group; her 4th at SC (in a tough field & very close to 3rd) was strong enough to essentially count as a GP medal. Also Bradie & Amber.
On Karen and Ashley: They were 1-2 at 2017 Nationals and both in Top 7 at Worlds. But with Ashley's much stronger performance at SC and Karen's early-season struggles, I'd say Ashley is almost in "lock" position. Karen is still ahead of everyone else, but the margin is definitely closer than it was a couple weeks ago.
I think a lot of USFS eyes will be on Courtney at her upcoming Senior B in Poland. If she again skates strongly, she will be "in the conversation" (as Ryan B. would say) for the No. 3 spot, leading the Mirai, Mariah, Bradie & Amber group.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV. But I get the feeling there's no real cure or treatment for it. Lots of American football players have had their lives severely affected by concussions, and they have access to much better healthcare than Ashley. I guess they can do brain exercises, like reading or crossword puzzles, and not shake their heads too much, but who knows how much it helps
I don't think there's a way to diagnose CTE yet, except by examining the brain after death.
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2016
OT, but I wouldn't be surprised if they send the Parsons. Maybe Hawayek/Baker too if they can. They seem to be trying to get those lower dance teams out a lot. M/C will have three CS and a GP, P/B will have had two CS and 2 GP.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2014
I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV. But I get the feeling there's no real cure or treatment for it. Lots of American football players have had their lives severely affected by concussions, and they have access to much better healthcare than Ashley. I guess they can do brain exercises, like reading or crossword puzzles, and not shake their heads too much, but who knows how much it helps
I don't think there's a way to diagnose CTE yet, except by examining the brain after death.
Brightphoton is correct that as of now CTE is only diagnosed through post-mortum testing. However there are researchers looking at early diagnosis in living people by looking for concentrations of tau proteins. I would not be surprised to see diagnosis be possible in living people within the next 5 years.
Immediately following a concussion the LAST thing someone should do is brain exercises like reading or puzzles. Cognitive rest speeds recovery from concussions and initially someone should avoid anything that involves concentration or memory- after recovery is different but unfortunately many of the effects can be permanent. Some research says gentle exercise can help in reducing symptoms sooner. As many here have pointed out- repeated concussions are the most dangerous.
I have had one serious concussion and it was terrifying. I was walking on a slushy street with ice under the slush and fell straight backwards hitting my head on the pavement. For three weeks I couldn't look at a computer, read, or be in a room with flourescent lights (the reason being fluorescent lights are constantly flickering). The first week my vision was fuzzy like I was about to get a migraine. This happened 2 weeks before I graduated from physical therapy school. While my symptoms complete went away and I have had no lasting effects I can't imagine the difficulty athletes like Ashley or Joshua Farris have.
But back on topic, I'm not sure how self aware Ashley is. I think her infrequent competition schedule doesn't help her. She gets to bigger competitions and gets dinged with underrotations and loses levels. We know she is capable of rotating her triples and hitting levels, she just can't seem to put it all together with consistency. I say this with a complete grain of salt- I have no idea what her training schedule is like and it's pretty clear she is working really hard. I want her to be successful- but it's going to be an uphill battle.
Courtney surprised me last weekend- unfortunately I cannot stand her LP music. She is definitely in the mix where she wasn't before. USFSis going to send the team they think has the highest probability of success, at this point it's really hard to say who that is.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
Me too. She has my favorite SP, and least favorite LP, among the American women. I'd love to see her bring back last season's LP.
I think if Ashley is the top U.S. lady in GP points, she will NOT be sent. Instead, the next 3 will be sent as Round 1 of a skate-off for Olympic spots, with Round 2 being Nationals. Of course, Ashley still needs to make the Top 5 at Nationals.
Research indicates that , in general, memory doesn't start declining until around 35. I don't know why a skater would lose that ability any faster than the general population.
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2014
Ashley usually lists active pursuits as her leisure activities. But fairly recently, when asked what she does in the evenings, she said, "I'm all about reading." It's not the image she projects, but she said recently that while she can be an extrovert in the moment, she's actually an introvert. Those two answers gave me pause for thought. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she reads for pleasure, but also intentionally to improve cognitive function, or not to lose what she has.
ETA: I love this quote from Ashley: “My short-term memory is not that incredible; talking to me is a little bit like talking to Dory from “Finding Nemo” [laughing]
