2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

[Shandy]

Reading Ashley's explanation, one has to speculate whether she would have completed the skate had her bandage not shifted in her boot. Maybe she felt confident she could continue with the bandage in place, but when it slipped, that tipped the balance.

 

[sheetz]

These skaters have no backup and who knows if they have some sort of contractual pressure from a sponsor.

Ashley is sponsored by Bridgestone and even stars in their commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPeymuUDv38

 

[mrrice]

Ashley is sponsored by Bridgestone and even stars in their commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPeymuUDv38

That was great......Those eyes, that smile, she is awesome!!! I really hope she gets better and skates to her full potential at Nationals.

 

[Bluediamonds09]

I also don’t understand why Team Karen is still not addressing her UR problem. Apparently she’s just tweaking choreography. If Karen were fully rotating her jumps especially the lutz-toe, she’d get huge scores. At this point I don’t want Karen on the Team.

 

[Moxiejan]

Per a TSL guest (Michael Solonoski, was his name, I think), yes. Some sort of open wound, like an open blister, gets infected from the icky bacteria in your skate.

I thought I'd read it was an internal infection, as one would get from a "pressure" or "crush" injury. These can be very dangerous (especially the threat of sepsis), because in initial stages they are more hidden and don't get the immediate treatment that an open wound would.

 

[MRani]

I thought I'd read it was an internal infection, as one would get from a "pressure" or "crush" injury. These can be very dangerous (especially the threat of sepsis), because in initial stages they are more hidden and don't get the immediate treatment that an open wound would.

In her Instagram post, Ashley said it was an infection inside her foot, not on her foot. That wording makes me believe you are correct about the nature of her injury. Instead of a superficial infected blister, the wording implies that it’s an internal infection of the soft tissue inside her foot and/or ankle. These infections can be quite serious and often require hospital admission with IV antibiotic treatment, although in other cases rest and oral antibiotic therapy can be sufficient.

 

[concorde]

The interviews Karen gives all tend to sound like this - she's overall pretty pleased with how she skated at Skate America slink, she's working to "polish" her programs and maybe tweak some choreography (what about the URs??), and nothing about how her goal is to repeat as National Champion or make the Olympic team. I love Karen's skating, but she never seems too hungry for competitive results or to discuss the specifics of what she needs to improve. I know different skaters tend to publicly discuss their careers in different ways, but I would think, at bare minimum, Karen would talk about wanting to go to the Olympics. Have I just been spoiled by years of Gracie, Ashley, Mirai, and Polina, all of whom have always been very candid about their goals and what they need to focus on to achieve them?

We saw Karen in person about an hour after the competition ended. From her body language it was clear she was not happy with her performance.

 

[Shandy]

In her Instagram post, Ashley said it was an infection inside her foot, not on her foot. That wording makes me believe you are correct about the nature of her injury. Instead of a superficial infected blister, the wording implies that it’s an internal infection of the soft tissue inside her foot and/or ankle. These infections can be quite serious and often require hospital admission with IV antibiotic treatment, although in other cases rest and oral antibiotic therapy can be sufficient.

Right, and that corroborates the idea that she needed to have it diagnosed. It's not exactly difficult to diagnose a surface infection. An internal infection sounds very serious, and I hope her medical team are able to help her clear it up soon. :sad21:

 

[twirlingblades]

I'm not assuming anything. I saw Ashley not complete her program with my own eyes. I have seen Raf's facial expressions for more than a decade. This was my impression and I certainly don't expect other's to agree with me. If you're not worried for Ashely that's fine. I am. She's been our Champion and a roll model for several of my students. Without Ashley and Gracie, the Olympics won't be the same and since we know that Gracie is out, our hopes lie with Ashley.

I don't think Raf is even trying to hide the fact that he is done with everyone except Nathan at this point. His facial expressions towards ashley and snapping at her after the short says it all.

 

[MRani]

I don't think Raf is even trying to hide the fact that he is done with everyone except Nathan at this point. His facial expressions towards ashley and snapping at her after the short says it all.

He seems to be very supportive of Adam, so I disagree that he’s done with everyone except Nathan. And we’ve observed before that Ashley seems to prefer the tough love approach rather than being coddled in times of adversity.

 

[flipsydoodle]

You didn't. Ms. flipsydoodle tried to put false words into Ashley's mouth. In case anyone isn't aware, Ashley did NOT give "a statement saying Skate America was low on her priority list and suggesting it wasn't an important competition in the scheme of things," as Ms. F. claimed.

You evidently didn't see/hear/read the statement. It's important to get facts right.

Wrong gender, by the way. It's important not to make assumptions about skating fans and pretty much anything else in life.

 

[Puchi]

"Skaters should listen to their bodies" they say. Is a nice sound bite. Makes people sound mature and objective. And then finally a skater listens to her body. Big backlash happens. The more I know about people...

 

[chuckm]

Since last season, my hopes for Ashley have gradually died and now they are done. The reality is Ashley peaked at 2016 Worlds and she's been on a gradual slide ever since then. Losing Gracie too has been a double whammy, and Polina's slow recovery from injury another downer. Karen's dismal performances in the GP don't inspire confidence, and the same is true for Mirai and Mariah.

It's no wonder Bradie is being seen as the savior of US skating. I feel sorry for the poor girl---from this point on, she'll be the new Gracie, with all the pressure that comes with the hoopla.

 

[mrrice]

He seems to be very supportive of Adam, so I disagree that he’s done with everyone except Nathan. And we’ve observed before that Ashley seems to prefer the tough love approach rather than being coddled in times of adversity.

Ashley is a military brat who has basically taken care of herself and her skating for a decade. She's no shrinking violet and that's one of the things I admire so much about her. She's now in her mid 20's and she knows the score as well as anybody. She'll be back!!!

 

[flipsydoodle]

"Skaters should listen to their bodies" they say. Is a nice sound bite. Makes people sound mature and objective. And then finally a skater listens to her body. Big backlash happens. The more I know about people...

There would have been a lot less backlash if she withdrew a week or two before the event, when she was off-ice for an injury, so that a replacement could be named. What happened was extremely selfish. Another skater would have very much welcomed the opportunity. And to have A disparage Skate America as being inconsequential in the larger scheme of things was downright disrespectful to the rest of the field.

I hope A gets fined for showing up to a competition injured and not yielding her spot to someone else. Just like Rachel Flatt got fined.

Maturity is knowing how your body works and speaking up for it BEFORE you impact a whole lot of other people. Not to mention disparage a major competition as being low on your priority list. Waiting 'til you're at the competition—in mid-program, no less—to figure out that you don't want to skate right then (a fact that you might have anticipated long in advance) is just plain boorish.

 

[beki]

I don't think so. She was one of the faces of the event and ticket buyers came to see her. She tried to uphold that commitment.

It's no crime that Ashley peaked mid-cycle and is fighting to hang on. It seems like Duhamel/Radford and Javier Fernandez may be in the same boat. It's so arbitrary how that works. Age and luck.

 

[BackSpiral]

I was feeling desperate during Bradies’s skate especially her FS, that step sequence scream “below average connection to music”. I am not saying Nagasu is an excellent performer or so, but her programs still look more mature in my eyes and I saw her live so I know what I am talking about. I hope Nagasu will be sent to Olympic.

I prefer Bradie presentation wise to Mirai. I think Mirai will make the team but her programs are empty. I don't really find Bradie's Cinderella "juvenile" and I see a connection to her music and program.

 

[MRani]

Ashley is a military brat who has basically taken care of herself and her skating for a decade. She's no shrinking violet and that's one of the things I admire so much about her. She's now in her mid 20's and she knows the score as well as anybody. She'll be back!!!

I agree mrrice. I hope she takes care of her health and has 2 great programs at Nationals. Olympics or no Olympics, I want her career to come to a close on her own terms and on a positive note (not implying that her career is absolutely ending at Nationals, just that it’s very likely winding down now and when the end comes, I want her to be happy with it).

 

[RobinA]

No athlete likes to admit defeat...withdrawals are not easy, just look at my icon and think of how hard it was for Tai & Randy to withdraw without even trying.

Oh gosh, you had to remind me. That was back before every skater injury was met with speculation that they are faking it. I can only imagine...

 

[RobinA]

This is sport. When Yulia did the same at Rostelecom I was equally critical of her, despite the fact I am huge fan of her. Once you started you must finish. Imagine ballet or theatre - people come to watch and you just quit because you feel pain?
And you are saying it's too much for skaters to do five minutes every several weeks? How does it compare to tennis where you have to play many excruciating hours every other day, or football, soccer, skiing, tracks, all sports, every day, DESPITE THE PAIN? And you cannot perform five minutes once per a couple of weeks here? Just because it hurts?

The Rostelecom example is interesting. So now that we know a bit more about that, you still take this position? Yikes.