Coaching change for Kimmie

[Joesitz (RIP)]

^ good post! All athletes go into slumps. A-Rod of the Yankees sought the help of a hitting expert when he went Zero for the Playoffs in 2006.

The question here is not Kimmie. It's whether Callagan is the right choice.

Joe

 

[Tinymavy15]

I think she should go to college and have a life. Callaghan was not able to fix Jennie's problems and I would be surprised if he was able to fix Kimmie's. Tara was not having problems when she went to him. She was on an upward path even then. So we are talking apples and oranges here. I don't believe she can remain competitive at the World level. At the most, she should give it one more year and if it doesn't make a difference, go back to school.

I would not think if kimmie if she just gave up like that. Unless she is bad pain all the time she diffenitly should come back and make a fresh start for the 08-09 season. Everybody has a off year.

 

[Linny]

Girls versus Ladies

This makes a strong case for enforcing the age limit in effect at Worlds in the National competitions. It's simply not a level playing field when ladies are competing against girls. If the lady finishes out like Kristy, great, but if she doesn't - but overcomes the physical changes and triumphs in the sport - well, that's the lady I'd like to see. Let these kids do a little living and then show me some passion on the ice!

As far as Callaghan not fixing Jennie Kirk - well, I think Jennie was with Callaghan when she had that awesome free skate in Reading Pennsylvania a few years ago and was totally ripped off by the judges. That one performance may have affected her confidence and her joy in the sport a whole lot more than coaching did... and thus, her failure to reach that performance level again. It's gotta be tough to skate better than anyone else and still not get the gold.

Linny

 

[capcomop]

mandypants, thanks for the info about the injury you witnessed. It's always good when someone can offer some insight into a situation without intruding on a skater's privacy.

Perhaps she has been reaggravating an injury. Look at Sidney Crosby - he can't play for a couple of months due to a bad ankle sprain. Even a "simple" sprain makes you lose strength in that area.

I suspect her problems have been a combination of growth, injuries and confidence issues.

As someone who has spent the last fifteen years with various ankle "sprains" that all resulted in requiring ankle reconstruction surgery this past Dec. I can tell you that sprains results in more than just loss of strength. We have some receptors in our ankles that help our bodies know where we are in space. Those get all fouled up when you sprain your ankle. You can literally lose your sense of balance almost like an ear infection! Not great for a figure skater.
I think it is a combination of injuries and growth that have seeped into her head and sapped her confidence. It seems that when I hear of skaters who can do jumps in practice but not in the comp (barring an Elvis Strojko Olympic injury thing) it is a confidence/mental thing more than physical.
For me, moving away from friends/family and home wouldn't help my confidence unless I were moving into a place that was even more warm and comforting then my home.
I wish her lots of luck figuring out and dealing with all the baggage that comes with being 18, having lots of expectations and doing it all in the spotlight!

 

[Yellow Cat]

I would not think if kimmie if she just gave up like that. Unless she is bad pain all the time she diffenitly should come back and make a fresh start for the 08-09 season. Everybody has a off year.

Kimmie "SHOULDn't" do anything unless it's what *she* wants to do. She doesn't owe any of us anything.

 

[cassieandcheetah]

Kimmie "SHOULDn't" do anything unless it's what *she* wants to do. She doesn't owe any of us anything.

The problem with Kimmie was, for someone that could reel off two triple-triples, she was sooo frustratingly underrated and overlooked by people. Remember how she was barely noted for her effort at the 2006 Nationals even though she landed both her 3-3's and only fell on her 2-axel seconds before the end of her program? All eyes were on Sasha instead who landed no 3-3 and stepped out of like two jumps or something....I think the problem is that, kimmie failed to become a top-notch skater in the eyes of many because her lack of artistry held her back, and because she doesn't have as much charisma as some of the other skaters. Remember we talked about how her "beauty" is often overlooked? She's a pretty girl, but in many ways, other than for her jumps, she was considered by many to be average and not quite the brightest "star" in the sport....

 

[kyla2]

Kimmie

Kimmie doesn't owe us anyhting but she does owe herself the truth. If she can't turn it around and be competitive with the top tier of athletes within a year, it's time for her to consider moving on-FOR HER OWN SAKE. It is very sad to see skaters hang in there, hoping to remain on top and not being able to do so, for whatever reason. Be it a chronically sprained ankle or an inability to compete mentally, the most important thing is to recognize that fact and move on to the rest of your life. No one wants to be remembered for their decline, instead of their achievements. I think everyone can understand her wanting to give it one more year and one more coaching change, but I hope if it doesn't work out as she hopes, that she can go to college and have a wonderful life. She has nothing to be ashamed of and she has won plenty of medals that most skaters will never have. As for Jennie, she was never able to overcome her jumping problems and lack of mental toughness, even with Richard Callaghan.

You know there is so much more to life than skating. My biggest complaint about this sport is the way it can suck the life blood out of every other aspect of a teenager's life. The don't know what to do when the end of their competitve career comes. It's so important to be well rounded and for kids to see what the rest of a normal life is like for when that day comes. The end of a competitive career is NOT the end of their lives.

 

[R.D.]

I think the same argument can be made for virtually all sports, though. Once you get to the top level, the dedication it takes to stay up there can be virtually a full-time job, taking up most or all resources of one's life.

 

[Tonichelle]

going with RD - skating is not the only sport that had dedicated teens who seem to sacrifice the normal teenage life for that of an athlete

football stars, swimmers, gymnasts, basketball players, baseball

in the end it's really the person who 'sacrifices' that is the only one who should be able to determine if it was all worth it.

 

[kyla2]

I Disagree

You have scholarships for all the sports mentioned above in colleges across the country-not so for figure skating. So the difference is that those kids have the college experience and financial support WHILE they are competing. That's a huge difference on so many levels. Team sports are also different. You aren't out there all alone, practicing and competing. I think you are much more isolated as a singles skater. Skaters sacrifice so much and so do their families. Scholarships make a major difference to athletes and their families. Skaters have never had that luxury. If they came from a well off family, they were lucky.

 

[Tonichelle]

I'm sorry, but the stress and pressure is very much teh same for the athletes who want to excell. No matter what the sport.

Not everyone gets a sports scholarship just because they're on a team. It's a huge responsibility put upon the child. Not only do they have to do well in the classroom and keep up their GPA, they also have to perform out on the field.

Skaters at the elite level make money, no - they aren't in a classroom 24/7, but they're not completely isolated either. But I guess you could consider THAT their scholarship of sorts.


Some athletes move to a different area of their city so that they can get into a school with a better team to better their chances of getting a scout to notice them. How is that *normal*.

If you want to succeed and press on to the next level (collegiate and then pros) you make the same sacrifices whether wearing sequins or a helmet.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Kyla- Jennie was up against Kwan and Cohen. Her jumps were not big (just like Tara) but real. A beautiful 3Tx3T. Her mother died, and she was in Detroit, alone until her sister came. I think she was just exhausted by the time she went to Frank. She is not, imo, a good comparison for Kimmie.

I definitely believe, a skater 'moves on' when he/she is ready. Fans are not in the skaters' boots.

Joe

 

[cassieandcheetah]

Kyla- Jennie was up against Kwan and Cohen. Her jumps were not big (just like Tara) but real. A beautiful 3Tx3T. Her mother died, and she was in Detroit, alone until her sister came. I think she was just exhausted by the time she went to Frank. She is not, imo, a good comparison for Kimmie.

I definitely believe, a skater 'moves on' when he/she is ready. Fans are not in the skaters' boots.

Joe

IMO, I think Jenny was a better skater than Kimmie. The demise and underrating of Jennifer Kirk still is mindboggling to me. Other than that her jumps weren't too high (the same problem Tara had), she had the same goods that Tara had.....

 

[kyla2]

Imo

There is a huge difference between the lives of elite skaters and college athletes. Yes, skaters can make money-as long as they keep on winning. They also have the joy of paying for lessons, skating costumes, ice time,and equipment. A college athlete has all their major costs paid for. A sholarship is there to enable athletes to get an education- a major plus for any kid. Skaters are not getting money to help them get an education. They typically, although not always, put that on hold, or skip it entirely (big mstake). So the life of a skater is very difficult in many respects and not normal in any way. Also, when you are part of a team there is a built in support system not found when you are a singles skater.

My point is this, when someone like Kimmie has reached a certain level (World Champion for goodness sakes) and then starts to decline, she should think about the rest of her life and its possibilities. Is it her decision to make? Absoulutely, but since this is an ice skaing forum I am throwing my two cents worth in.

Joe, Jennie had lovely jumps, and yes, her mother's death was a tragedy which I am sure had a tremendous impact on her. But I think she had consistency problems (related to what I am not sure-mental toughness, physical stamina) that prevented her from reaching the next level. She WISELY decided to get on with her life. A very tough decision but a smart one and I admire her for it.

People, as much as we love skating, there is more to life. In some ways, I think skaters are not especially prepared to think about life after skating, Michelle Kwan and Tenley Albright being wonderful exceptions.

 

[NorthernLite]

My point is this, when someone like Kimmie has reached a certain level (World Champion for goodness sakes) and then starts to decline, she should think about the rest of her life and its possibilities. Is it her decision to make? Absoulutely, but since this is an ice skaing forum I am throwing my two cents worth in.

First of all, it hasn't been established that her skating is in permanent decline.

Second, please see my reference above to the fact she is still taking college classes, so she's thought about the future a lot more than many other skaters.


Third, and this is not directed at this particular poster but in general -- I've always wondered why people who don't like a skater spend so much time posting about them. I've seen that so often in threads across the Net about skaters I like, from Sarah H. to Sal/Pel and now with Kimmie.

I could talk all day long about why I dislike Dom/Shab, Kevin VanDP or various other female skaters. But personally I prefer to focus on discussing the folks I like.
Shrug again.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

People, as much as we love skating, there is more to life. In some ways, I think skaters are not especially prepared to think about life after skating, Michelle Kwan and Tenley Albright being wonderful exceptions.

While I don't agree with all of Kyla's post, I will say that I totally agree with the above... we've seen so many skaters just kinda hanging around waiting for that time for it to all come together and it never does and in a sport that is known for eating young kids (and their parents' money...) alive and spitting them out without any sense of direction or future prospects - I shudder at what the future holds for them... for the lucky few, turing pro is a very cool way to continue to skate while paying the bills - but what about all of the "actresses" and "coaches" floating around? I applaud any one who has a focus on college as a back up plan...

As for Kimmie - its too soon to say if its over or to even assume that she couldn't come back stronger... look at Irina (pre 2000 season...not after her illness) & DivaKwara... not exactly bad company to find yourself in... hard work has a way of paying you back when you have the talent to match your will...

 

[Hikaru]

I do think Kimmie's issue is more mental than physical. I thinkshe is going thorugh a period very much like Miki, when everyone was looking at her as the next big thing. She didn't skate good at the GPF and I think she still had that in her mind, not to mention that Zhang scored higher at that event, and she also was competing in the senior level. With all the talk about Zhang, the pressure of knowing that she was in the eye, people's expectations, no wonder Kimmie cracked. It is not easy to keep a cool mind every time, and this was her turn. I hope she can re-group and skate good. But IMO, she still doesn't have the same presentation level as say Mao, Yu-Na, (even Miki when she is on) so the question is, if she holds hersefl together, can she come at the top of the other skaters? Even though I am not a big Kimmie fan, it was really sad to see what happened at Nationals, so I hope she can improve for her next competition

 

[PolymerBob]

People, as much as we love skating, there is more to life. In some ways, I think skaters are not especially prepared to think about life after skating, Michelle Kwan and Tenley Albright being wonderful exceptions.

Debbie Thomas went to medical school, as did Eric Hyden (if you want to count speed skating). It's too early to call Michelle a wonderful exception just yet. She is in college, but I can't see she has a definite "occupation" as of yet. Alissa Czisny has a full academic scholorship, but was a little uncertain last year when asked what she wanted to do after her skating career.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56a1qlnwTLE

As for the show skaters, I worry about them too. I don't imagine there's much of a retirement plan. It's not like they can skate until they're 65. Kimmie gave an interview once where she said she knew there must be a life after skating, even if she does the show circuit.

On another note, Kimmie's inconsistency reminds me of another skater. Check out her competitive record and you will see placements all over the place. Gold at worlds one year, 9th place the next. She should have quit many years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizuka_Arakawa

 

[kyla2]

Last Post On This Subject

Let me reassure everyone, I don't dislike Kimmie or frankly any skater for that matter (maybe one exception and she has been retired for a very long time). I was heart broken for her at Nationals just like everyone else. If she can turn it around this year, I promise you I will be thrilled. If she can't, I just want her to have a happy rest of her life. It all remains to be seen. As for Michelle Kwan, she has definitely made some great choices post skating. She isn't pursuing an acting career that will never materialize (thank GOD). For those who are pursuing an education while skating, they have my complete admiration.

 

[emma]

On another note, Kimmie's inconsistency reminds me of another skater. Check out her competitive record and you will see placements all over the place. Gold at worlds one year, 9th place the next. She should have quit many years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizuka_Arakawa

Great point!!! Go KIMMIE!!!!!!!