Mirai was 4th and highest placement for us at the Olympics in a PACKED field in a final that wasn't a splatfest, so I have a hard time stomaching people calling her overhyped. As far as I'm concerned, she lived up to every bit of hype.
Yes, having issues and now getting over them (good for her), but no different than Wagner's long string of dubious-terrible performances prior to last year...
Unfortunately, Gracie's name makes it impossible for her to avoid being [over]hyped. That part is in brackets, because she's more than capable of living up to it. The ball's in her court.
Our interpretation of these situations and events is always relative to our perceptions. In the instances of Mirai and Caroline I'm referring to the way they were "over-hyped" as talented juniors, at a time when USFS seemed to be worried about finding the next Michelle Kwan in a hurry. Certainly, both Mirai and Caroline had/ have tremendous talent and deserved to receive attention, but not the huge amount of fawning, in-your-face attention pressed upon them prior to debuting in seniors. I think more "attention" should have been paid at that time to Caroline's serious technical issues on her jumps and her obvious lack of speed which apparently no one seemed to fully recognize as a problem that could hamper her career. No one seemed to be adequately addressing her weaknesses before she hit the big time senior circuit as a shining star and then dimmed too quickly.
Mirai of course has had significant success on the World stage, but it has been very uneven largely due to her unique needs not being fully met. Mirai has always had a quirky personality and she might have been better off staying with her original coach who she has apparently returned to in her comeback bid this season. Being so extremely talented at the age of 14 did not mean the weight of the national championships should have been visited upon Mirai at such a young age. It seemed to have placed a huge burden on her shoulders from which she seemingly has never fully recovered. Sure, the timing for both Mirai and Caroline was the luck of the draw. Such cases are individual, but maturity and grounding and having the chance to work on one's weaknesses should happen IMO before the heavy expectations begin to overwhelm. Under Frank it seems that Mirai was unhappy dealing with the constant pressure and focus on winning. Mirai is not like Michelle. She's like herself and she needed the chance to develop at her own pace. As it is the trajectory for both Caroline and Mirai has been upside down and backwards.
TPTB, some of us fans, and most definitely the media like to have our cake and eat it too, and then sometimes regurgitate it, nitpick it apart and wonder why it seemed like it would taste so good in the first place, especially with all the different flavors and varieties to choose from that arrive every so often fresh and hot right out of the oven.
Maybe it's another another apt cliche, "out of the frying pan and into the fire," that best expresses what the glare of the spotlight can be like at times, especially for young talented athletes who have yet to mature. It's definitely a roller coaster ride in a heat wave. That's why I admire Ashley for going through the maturing process while being the "almost girl," but not allowing that to flatten her. She decided to take stock of herself and seize control of what she desired to make happen, especially after TPTB had left her on the serving table to be thrown out in the trash or fed to the birds. Ashley fiercely shook off the stale crumbs and took command of her career. She went through the crucible of training under John Nicks and came out honed like a diamond. It takes hard work, sacrifice and having the right team around you. Even then so much can happen just as your dreams are on the rise and beginning to take shape.
In the case of Gracie, she's young too, but at least a couple of years older than Mirai and Caroline were when the buzz and attention hit them. Gracie is lucky to be a bit more coolly mature and poised, and fortunate to have a sister who also skates and who she's close to and who offers her advice and helps keep her grounded (not unlike Michelle had in Karen). Gracie also seems to have laid back parents and a capable, experienced coaching team, not to mention her extraordinary jumps, golden name, and statuesque beauty. All she truly lacks right now is maturity, competitive experience, consistency and above average presentation skills. But after last night, Gracie's surely on her way. Still she needs to be careful to not grow a big head, and to try and avoid getting burned by the heat. The pressure cooker gets turned up so high by the media, but then they blame the object of their gluttonous desire for not tasting flavorful enough and falling apart sometimes.
Some in the media were showing signs of considering whether or not to relegate Gracie to the compost heap before she gloriously sprang up once again to prove she might be able to more consistently "fulfill" expectations. Gracie withstood the pressure last night. And maybe that signals she's pretty well ready, got her armor on and is game enough to stave off and endure the high intensity heat of the more relentless flames heading her way. She may even be able to shine more brightly in their reflection.
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