Psyching out competitors?

soogar · Oct 19, 2005

realistic51 said:
Could you please tell me where this doctor is because mine won't do that. I mean, seriously. I've never had a doctor who would excuse me from work and/or school if he thought there was a chance I could do just fine or was not contagious. I've had sciatica nerve problems and back problems for years. I am very rarely given a note from my doctor saying I can't work. However, he will give instructions to my employer on what I can/cannot do for however long it takes the problem to work itself out. And if I'm sick, I'd best be running a fever.

So, I'd really like to know where the doctors are who will give out notes based on a person experiencing pain. And I get stressed out at work, so I really need to see this doctor.

I think they're both injured. How severely-who knows? I choose to believe their doctors and them. Psyching out their competitors by being injured is a whole new ballgame for me. Wow, I'll have to try that when I'm playing tennis sometime. Limp around the court, psyche 'em out, then serve aces at 'em. Woohoo!

Have you ever heard of an expert witness? You can pay a doctor to testify to almost anything in court if there is the smallest shred of evidence to support it. Sasha is probably covered with bruises from all the falls she's taken over the years. Is it that much of a stretch to say she's injured from that? Why don't she take the route Emily took and skate an "easy" program at SA just to participate if she's not fully conditioned? Interesting how last year she participated in the last Cheesefest with a pulled groin and now she withdraws with an "injury" that will heal in a week.

soogar · Oct 19, 2005

pollyls said:
I don't agree. Placement depends so much upon getting your program in front of judges' eyes, especially in an Olympic year, that I don't think even the front-runners would give up a chance to do that.

Sasha has competed numerous times under COP. She knows that her skills are favored under COP. Plus last year it didn't matter that she debuted her programs at Worlds. She was still able to pull the high scores.

millie · Oct 19, 2005

soogar said:
Have you ever heard of an expert witness? You can pay a doctor to testify to almost anything in court if there is the smallest shred of evidence to support it. Sasha is probably covered with bruises from all the falls she's taken over the years. Is it that much of a stretch to say she's injured from that? Why don't she take the route Emily took and skate an "easy" program at SA just to participate if she's not fully conditioned? Interesting how last year she participated in the last Cheesefest with a pulled groin and now she withdraws with an "injury" that will heal in a week.

Soogar, you analysis can go another way with regard to Michelle. Why can't Michelle take the same route Emily took and skate an "easy program at SA? As you put it Sasha is "injured" and Michelle is also "injured".

soogar · Oct 19, 2005

millie said:
Soogar, you analysis can go another way with regard to Michelle. Why can't Michelle take the same route Emily took and skate an "easy program at SA? As you put it Sasha is "injured" and Michelle is also "injured".

Well I expressed similar disbelief with Michelle's injury on another thrread. No point in revisiting that here since I've already made my point.

R.D. · Oct 19, 2005

soogar said:
Sasha has competed numerous times under COP. She knows that her skills are favored under COP. Plus last year it didn't matter that she debuted her programs at Worlds. She was still able to pull the high scores.

Her real debut was at Nationals, but that wasn't scored under the Cop.

Piel · Oct 19, 2005

Soogar we get it that you think they are not being truthful. Just what is it in these girl's characters that causes you to believe they are lieing? Are you afraid that by being injured they are receiving an advantage that your favorite isn't? Maybe when one of them wins the OGM you can get Sp$$dy to put an * by their name with "faked an injury to get extra time off during the season". Would THAT make you happy?

R.D. · Oct 19, 2005

Interesting how last year she participated in the last Cheesefest with a pulled groin and now she withdraws with an "injury" that will heal in a week.

Hmm. I forgot about this. Do you think it might have to do with the TYPE of injury? Or did she simply compete in the spring event, knowing that the off-season was just around the corner? There are much higher stakes this time around. I think Cohen is just playing it safe (and Kwan too), not wanting it to get any worse. I don't blame them.

Piel · Oct 19, 2005

Competing injured at a CF after the competetive season is over is a a lot less risky than competing injured in the GP at the beginning of the season....especially an Olympic season.

R.D. · Oct 19, 2005

That sounds more like it to me. Cohen is just doing a Kwan right now, that's all (and I don't mean this in negative terms!)

soogar · Oct 19, 2005

Piel said:
Soogar we get it that you think they are not being truthful. Just what is it in these girl's characters that causes you to believe they are lieing? Are you afraid that by being injured they are receiving an advantage that your favorite isn't? Maybe when one of them wins the OGM you can get Sp$$dy to put an * by their name with "faked an injury to get extra time off during the season". Would THAT make you happy?

I really don't care one way or the other whether they are lying or not (though karma might come back and bite them in their a$$es). I do feel for ticket buyers (and I am glad I didn't fork out dough for SA tickets) who were expecting to see Sasha and Michelle and now won't get to see them.

I am concerned about the lack of support for the GP events. They are losing a lot of money on these things and the skaters who are hurt (when eventually they will cut/reduce these events) are the lower ranked skaters that don't have the touring opportunities that Sasha and Michelle have. Does that mean that Sasha and Michelle have to do GP events? No it doesn't. However I wish top level skaters would feel a sense of responsibility to further their sport (much like ladies' tennis in the 70s and 80s) by participating in events to promote audience viewership.

It's very sad that SA (and other GP events) has gone from an event that an amateur skater would kill to get an invitation to participate in to an obligatory event that everyone wants to get out of. It's ironic that when the ISU decides to award prize money for their events that no top skater wants to do them, and in the past when everyone was an amateur, participation in these events was a privilege.

R.D. · Oct 19, 2005

Everyone? Which other skater besides Kwan wanted to get out of SA?

Piel · Oct 19, 2005

New skating term "Kwan out"-to withdraw right before a competition because of injury.

R.D. · Oct 19, 2005

The USFS should have put that as their headline: "Cohen to 'Kwan out' of Skate America" :laugh:

And I'm sure they wouldn't hear the end of it, either.

very appropriate IMO...Kwan's done that twice (3 times?) now...

soogar · Oct 19, 2005

Red Dog said:
Everyone? Which other skater besides Kwan wanted to get out of SA?

Not SA in particular, but I was referring to Plush (as well as Kwan) in avoiding the GP.

Piel · Oct 19, 2005

If Soogar is right MK has gone from Kwan, artist to Kwon artist.

Soogar, Kwan has been giving to the sport of FS since she was 13 yeras old and has participated in more events thatn any of the other eligible skaters. Sasha seems to be well on her way to following in MK's footsteps. Anyone who follows sport of any kind knows that line ups change because of injury all of the time. MAYBE Sp$$dy needs to look at why the marquee stars don't want to participate in his marqee events? I wonder when the last time was that he actually asked any of them their opinion? i am as disappointed as anyone not to get to see Kwan skate but if the girl is hurt she's hurt.

mzheng · Oct 19, 2005

Soogar, why don't you go try a few laps on ice when the pain prevent you walk properly? You do feel the impulsive to lable Sasha lying of injury because you previousely accused the same thing to Michelle? Don't! Knowing your posting history, we'll cut you a lot slack.

I was debating myself if I shall post in responding some poster suggested earlier in this thread that may be US skaters should learn something about their trainning habbit from Rusians. Call it a speculating from a Rusian coach, one reason of Michelle's injury is caused by she is not able to follow the trainning schedule (because the conflict of rink time arrangement) that widely adopted in Rusia (I'm not sure if it is widely adoptted here in US as well). One reason of Sasha's injury is caused by her following the Olympic season trainning method that some top Rusian skaters had adopted previously Olympics season, her injury was kind of 'predicted' by the same source 'soon or late' well before the seaon even began. My understand is there is this one reason, this one reason alone should not cause the injury it is combined with other factors that the injury is triggered. But without this one reason, the injury might not be triggered in neither cases....

so what you say shall US skaters considering change trainning habbit to Rusians? And someone before already mentioned Yagudin, Plushine, what about Abt, how about 1992 OGM (sorry his name escaped me at this moment)? How about tell this to Johnny? He is pro Rusian, I believe. He'll follow Rusian trainning habbit to tee, so he'll never injury again. :biggrin:

Ladskater · Oct 19, 2005

yoy_mama said:
It could be just me but It seems like both Michelle and Sasha are trying to pshyc out everyone before the Olympics
It could be just me, and probably is just me.. but It just seems odd to me Michelle and Sasha are hurt is kinda weird
Im not sayin the arent hurt.. but u know what I am saying??

Cynthia P (sp) of Canada has withdrawn due to injury. I don't think she is trying to psych anyone out. An interesting thought indeed. I doubt Sasha and Michelle are using injury as some sort of strategy. It's just a coincidence.

soogar · Oct 19, 2005

Piel said:
If Soogar is right MK has gone from Kwan, artist to Kwon artist.

Soogar, Kwan has been giving to the sport of FS since she was 13 yeras old and has participated in more events thatn any of the other eligible skaters. Sasha seems to be well on her way to following in MK's footsteps. Anyone who follows sport of any kind knows that line ups change because of injury all of the time. MAYBE Sp$$dy needs to look at why the marquee stars don't want to participate in his marqee events? I wonder when the last time was that he actually asked any of them their opinion? i am as disappointed as anyone not to get to see Kwan skate but if the girl is hurt she's hurt.

Exactly what has Michelle given to this sport? Her years of participation were the result of the ISU decision to allow skaters to receive payment for their efforts. Michelle wouldn't even have remained in this sport after 1998 if she had to participate under the strict amateur mandates of the past. However due to ISU generosity,she is able to earn money from touring and participate in big events. I notice that when she was younger she was certainly jumping at every chance to participate in the GP and other Open events to line her pockets with cash. Now that she's made her money, she doesn't feel the need to skate in the "little" events anymore (and it looks like Sasha is going in that direction as well). She certainly has a free choice to do what she wants, however she took advantage of the perks when the ISU was flush with money and bails out when the events aren't so lucrative. How about giving something back now that the ISU is struggling? There are a lot of other skaters who would have stayed in this sport as long as Kwan (and won more titles) had money been awarded. I can totally imagine Carol Heiss hanging in there for another Olympics for a 2nd gold medal (to add to her silver medal) and a few more world titles.

Before you imply that Speedy is in it only for the money (and to rape skating for speed skating and all that other BS), Speedy and his organization utilized that lucrative television contract to award prize money at junior events (to help skaters defray costs) and GP events.

mzheng · Oct 19, 2005

soogar said:
Before you imply that Speedy is in it only for the money (and to rape skating for speed skating and all that other BS), Speedy and his organization utilized that lucrative television contract to award prize money at junior events (to help skaters defray costs) and GP events.

And for years, speedy has been using the TV contract money from figure skating to fund ISU Speed Skating programs. That's why some in figure skating wanted their own governer body.

Mathman · Oct 19, 2005

soogar said:
Exactly what has Michelle given to this sport?

What Babe Ruth gave to baseball, what Michelle Jordan gave to basketball, what Lance Armstrong gave to cycling. Its heart and soul.

MM

Psyching out competitors?

soogar

soogar

millie

soogar

R.D.

Piel

On Edge

R.D.

Piel

On Edge

R.D.

soogar

R.D.

Piel

On Edge

R.D.

soogar

Piel

On Edge

mzheng

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

soogar

mzheng

Mathman

Similar threads

Connect with us