I feel a bit sorry for Ashley Wagner...

[ice coverage]

... Even if athletes know "the rules" that technically, the USFSA can basically do whatever they want, that does not help them plan their season. In an Olympic season, should they be trying to peak near the Grand Prix or near Nationals, if they want to be on the team? That's a huge decision, but the USFSA's random decisionmaking gives athletes no guidance whatsoever.

Found another pertinent tweet from the Sunday of the Olympic press conferences:

@LynnRutherford

@DEE2E IMO correct decision was made - the procedures were vetted by USFS athlete committee & USOC, and posted to public. No mystery at all
https://twitter.com/LynnRutherford/status/422430798604558337 (Jan 12)​

 

[NYscorp6]

Carla Fassi on FB went after me when I said that it was not new information that the Nationals results do not automatically create the olympic or world teams. She told me that it has ALWAYS BEEN and should ALWAYS BE. :disapp: Apparently because I am not an elite level skater my "opinion" was considered invalid. Okie dokie. This was all in responses to my part of a discussion on facebook with skaters and skating fans on FB. I get in the heat of the moment tempers were high (I know I was more than annoyed with it all).

Perhaps a silly question: who is Carla Fassi?
I thought I heard Christa Fassi (who I am fond of) was supposedly helping Mirai, although I don't recall where that came from.

 

[pangtongfan]

Interesting, considering you gave a supposedly infallible prediction just a few months ago that she would win an Olympic (obviously not including the team event) or World medal this year.

and before this year everyone concluded Kostner was a mortal lock for the Olympic podium and would be challenging Yu Na for the gold. What is your point (or do you ever have one other than your obsession with me and your Chan delusions).

Anyway Wagner might surprise but the next generation have risen faster than anyone imagined this year, as Kostner and her fast fallen status, even more than Wagner, shows.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

Anyway Wagner might surprise but the next generation have risen faster than anyone imagined this year, as Kostner and her fast fallen status, even more than Wagner, shows.

I also thought Ashley was a strong bronze candidate, and it's still possible. However, Adelina and Julia have been very strong leading up to Sochi and I think it will be hard for Ashley to top them if everyone skates well. Adelina is getting almost Caro-level PCS and Julia has a BV and spin GOE that will give her an edge over Ashley.

 

[KKonas]

Re social media:

For the record, @USFigureSkating tweeted at least one "red flag" (so to speak) on Saturday BEFORE the Ladies' FS.

Remember, this is not an Olympic trials. The Olympic team will be chosen and announced in two press conferences tomorrow. #Boston2014
2:02 PM - 11 Jan 2014
https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/422126423944736769​

(Am left to wonder why KKonas and Mathman previously had said that the selection criteria were not in the media guide. Could it be that USFS issued more than one version of the media guide?)​

[/INDENT][/INDENT]

This statement of the "Selection Criteria for the Olympic Winter Games" is offered to journalists at the event (Nationals) either by printing out the criteria or sending an email directing them to the pertinent statement. It never was in the Media Guide booklet of which I have copies at least most of the last 15 years. Many sportswriters only come to figure skating events in the pre-Olympic year and have virtually no real knowledge of the sport.

 

[Tonichelle]

Carla Fassi on FB went after me when I said that it was not new information that the Nationals results do not automatically create the olympic or world teams. She told me that it has ALWAYS BEEN and should ALWAYS BE. :disapp: Apparently because I am not an elite level skater my "opinion" was considered invalid. Okie dokie. This was all in responses to my part of a discussion on facebook with skaters and skating fans on FB. I get in the heat of the moment tempers were high (I know I was more than annoyed with it all).

Perhaps a silly question: who is Carla Fassi?
I thought I heard Christa Fassi (who I am fond of) was supposedly helping Mirai, although I don't recall where that came from.

ha ha, I have no idea why I typed Carla... oy

 

[ice coverage]

Re social media:

For the record, @USFigureSkating tweeted at least one "red flag" (so to speak) on Saturday BEFORE the Ladies' FS.

Remember, this is not an Olympic trials. The Olympic team will be chosen and announced in two press conferences tomorrow. #Boston2014
2:02 PM - 11 Jan 2014
https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/422126423944736769​

(Am left to wonder why KKonas and Mathman previously had said that the selection criteria were not in the media guide. Could it be that USFS issued more than one version of the media guide?)​

[/INDENT][/INDENT]

This statement of the "Selection Criteria for the Olympic Winter Games" is offered to journalists at the event (Nationals) either by printing out the criteria or sending an email directing them to the pertinent statement. It never was in the Media Guide booklet of which I have copies at least most of the last 15 years. Many sportswriters only come to figure skating events in the pre-Olympic year and have virtually no real knowledge of the sport.

Thx, KKonas. Hope you understand that I was/am not suggesting that you did/do not know what you are talking about. Always appreciate your professional perspective whenever you post.

No biggie, but it was Amy Rosewater's tweet below (which I also had included above) that referred to "USFS media guide" and that led to my idle speculation about the possibility of more than one version. Who knows, maybe her unofficial Twitter shorthand for the printout of the criteria was "media guide"???

@amyrosewater

USFS media guide lists 8 events to evaluate skaters to make Oly team in Sochi. Previous Olympics not on list. JGPF ranks last #Boston2014
https://twitter.com/amyrosewater/status/422374248963796992 (Jan 12)​

 

[leafygreens]

Found another pertinent tweet from the Sunday of the Olympic press conferences:

@LynnRutherford

@DEE2E IMO correct decision was made - the procedures were vetted by USFS athlete committee & USOC, and posted to public. No mystery at all
https://twitter.com/LynnRutherford/status/422430798604558337 (Jan 12)​

What exactly does "posted to public" mean? Did the average media personnel know where to find these procedures?

 

[leafygreens]

Re social media:

For the record, @USFigureSkating tweeted at least one "red flag" (so to speak) on Saturday BEFORE the Ladies' FS.

Remember, this is not an Olympic trials. The Olympic team will be chosen and announced in two press conferences tomorrow. #Boston2014
2:02 PM - 11 Jan 2014
https://twitter.com/USFigureSkating/status/422126423944736769​

What's suspicious about this tweet is that it was posted (hurriedly?) the day of the free skate, with Ashley in 4th after SP. "Attention everyone, be prepared that we're going to choose Ashley. If it's not clear why - refer to our "public" document found on page 3454, section v3, number A. 86."

 

[ice coverage]

What exactly does "posted to public" mean? Did the average media personnel know where to find these procedures?

I don't know what exact meaning Rutherford had in mind.

What I myself know to be true:
The link was on a public page of the USFS website -- visible to any fan, any member of the media, any person on the planet.
No password was needed to view the document.
No membership in USFS was required to view the document.

I viewed and downloaded the document MONTHS before Boston Nats.

 

[leafygreens]

And whose fault is that? You can't expect casual fans/Olympic fans to know or read the criteria ahead of time. Only diehard fans care about that stuff.

USFS' chance to lay out and carefully explain the criteria was during the press conference announcing the Olympic team. They had an opportunity to lay out their decision making process when asked the question and what did they do? Referred to Wagner's "body of work". Oh yeah, "body of work" eh? And exactly what is that supposed to mean? Without EXPLICIT criteria laid out, people are going to make assumptions. It's just the way it is. Unfair to Nagasu, but also unfair to Wagner to put her on the defensive like this. The controversy was just USFS' lack of clear explanation blowing up in their face, that's all. Now, some would have had pitchforks out anyway, but without anything to go on, folks' speculations spread like wildfire and eventually some begin to believe it.

You hit the nail on the head with this explanation.

^You'd think, though, that at least a handful of the reputable news sources (NYT, WSJ) would have bothered to back their smack and check on the criteria, which were and still are posted on the USFSA's website.

How would the average media personnel know where to find the criteria? The criteria is not even linked in their press release announcing the Olympic team. It's hard enough for a die hard skating fan to find anything on their website. At this point in time (when the USFSA is under the most scrutiny) they should have a big ol' neon link to it on their home page, but there's nothing. To expect anyone to know it is there and where to find it is disingenuous.

 

[ice coverage]

How would the average media personnel know where to find the criteria? The criteria is not even linked in their press release announcing the Olympic team. It's hard enough for a die hard skating fan to find anything on their website. At this point in time (when the USFSA is under the most scrutiny) they should have a big ol' neon link to it on their home page, but there's nothing. To expect anyone to know it is there and where to find it is disingenuous.

Can you give me one example of a member of the skating media who has complained that s/he did not have access to the criteria before Boston Nats?

Again, some fans DID see the link well before Boston Nats. If fans could see it, media could and should have been able to see it. End of story.

 

[Mrs. P]

FWIW, there were discussions regarding the selection process back in November per these threads:

http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...cess-for-Olympic-spots-in-U-S-A-work-in-Japan

And http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...e-Olympic-Team&p=789229&viewfull=1#post789229

 

[Tonichelle]

It's a lazy journalist who cannot find the information about the selection process. It wasn't a trade secret.

 

[lines]

I just did a quick search on google using these phrase 'usfsa.org olympics team criteria'. The one to the usfsa.org with the olympics team criteria is result #7. This document is dated July 31, 2013. Page 11 documents the events that will be considered in choosing the team members. It does not list entire body of work as a criteria, but instead certain events (aka 2013 Grand Prix Series Events) . It took me about 2 minutes to find .

 

[ForeverFish]

How would the average media personnel know where to find the criteria? The criteria is not even linked in their press release announcing the Olympic team. It's hard enough for a die hard skating fan to find anything on their website. At this point in time (when the USFSA is under the most scrutiny) they should have a big ol' neon link to it on their home page, but there's nothing. To expect anyone to know it is there and where to find it is disingenuous.

Apart from the fact that the criteria ARE on the USFSA's website, were posted/mentioned everywhere on social media, and are popular searches on Google, it's the media personnel's JOB to do their research thoroughly.

ETA: On the very first Google search page of "usfsa olympics team criteria," this link can be found: https://www.usfigureskating.org/content/OlympicSelection.pdf. All events are listed in priority order on page 3.

 

[Tonichelle]

Apart from the fact that the criteria ARE on the USFSA's website, were posted/mentioned everywhere on social media, and are popular searches on Google, it's the media personnel's JOB to do their research thoroughly.

 

[caseyl23]

The USFSA stated back in JULY what the Olympic selection criteria were, so I'm not sure why everyone is crying bloody murder now -- to me, it smacks of a conspiracy-eager but uninformed public. I'll say it before and I'll say it again: Ashley shouldered the hopes of the US ladies for the better part of three seasons, continuously worked to improve both of her marks, considered it a "debt repaid" when she helped earn 3 ladies' spots for the Olympics, and showed that you don't have to be the most inherently talented skater to be successful. I feel incredibly sorry that she'll probably have to deal with the ridiculous accusations of corruption and racism for the rest of her competitive career, especially since even her own federation has pretty much thrown her to the wolves.

All I can say is that she's handling this with far more class than the fanatics and the Olympic selection committee -- and that she's very, very lovely in her own right.

Not conspiracy eager – conspiracy weary, or maybe controversy weary. Keep in mind, over the past 20 years, the casual or semi-casual skating public has watched Nancy/Tonya at Nationals, Nancy/Oksana at the '94 Olympics, heard about "block judging" in ice dance in 1998, toe tapping in pairs in 1999, pairs in 2002, which at one point even involved the Russian mafia, Evan/Evgeni in 2010 and just last year, Patrick/Denis (just to name a few instances).

Now, the once every four years fans tune into Nationals, watch the competition expecting the top three to go to the Olympics because that's always what's happened, and the TV broadcasters haven't told them, "That might not be what happens this year." Those fans watch the competition, see their top three determined, and then the next day, they hear USFSA say, "Nope, you were wrong – Skater D is going ahead of Skater C – we decided we might do this last summer, when you weren't paying attention."

We die-hard fans might know about the new criteria, but those once every four years fans aren't going to say, "Oh, okay." They're going to shake their heads, sigh and say, "Not again!" We might have a good read on what's happening, but those fans don't. They see USFSA doing something they haven't done before, and they put it together with the history of what they've seen before, and to them, it's just another reason not to take this sport seriously. Again, not conspiracy eager – just tired of seeing what they've come to expect from figure skating and maybe even angry to see it being done in their own country by their own people to their own skaters – not by those Russians, Chinese and other foreign judges.

 

[Tonichelle]

Now, the once every four years fans tune into Nationals, watch the competition expecting the top three to go to the Olympics because that's always what's happened, and the TV broadcasters haven't told them, "That might not be what happens this year."

But that's not true - Scott Hamilton said it several times after both the SP and LP.

 

[skateluvr]

Maybe not several, but indeed he did say it. So did Sandra.