Should Flatt have skated at the World Championships on an injury? | Page 6 | Golden Skate

Should Flatt have skated at the World Championships on an injury?

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Tell that to Carolina, openly and demonstrably omitted the lutz. Good grief. Leave the thinking part to Rachael and her team. Who are you to think for them? They know what's best for them.

They sure do. And one can argue that that's exactly the center of all this mess. Is what's best for THEM the same thing as what's best for the TEAM?
 

FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
They sure do. And one can argue that that's exactly the center of all this mess. Is what's best for THEM the same thing as what's best for the TEAM?

Best for THEM is the same as best for the TEAM. Rachael thinks she's better, even when injured. Nothing's wrong with that. She's entitled to thinking that.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2006
I'm sorry but now we're entering the realm of the delusional.

Sure, Rachael may think injured Rachael is better than healthy Mirai, Mao, Yu Na and Miki. Fabulous. She has a super-healthy ego and I'm sure that's part of her success.

HOWEVER, I think most people would have disputed that opinion even before this Worlds. (Even healthy Rachael has a tough time against Mirai, it's not an "I can beat her with one leg tied behind my back" rivalry.) But they didn't get a chance to weigh in.

To me this is a clear case of where what was best for Rachael was not best for Team USA.
 

bekalc

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Tell that to Carolina, openly and demonstrably omitted the lutz. Good grief. Leave the thinking part to Rachael and her team. Who are you to think for them? They know what's best for them.

Rachael is not the skater Kostner is. Kostner has other qualities, (skating skills, grace, lovely lines) that hold her up in good stead. Rachael doesn't. Rachael can't beat a cleanish Kostner with a 3lutz, rather than with a 3lutz. Rachael's biggest strength is consistent jumps, when she doesn't have consistent jumps, she has nothing else to fall back on. Skaters like Kostner do.

Plus, no offense but Italy doesn't have 2 other girls at anywhere near Kostner's level. They have Kostner and Valentina. And Kostner wasn't taking a spot away from Valentina.

Best for THEM is the same as best for the TEAM. Rachael thinks she's better, even when injured. Nothing's wrong with that. She's entitled to thinking that.

That's a bit ridiculous considering a healthier Rachael barely beat a subpar Mirai. And the fact that Mirai soundly beat Rachael the last 3 times they competed in international competition. RAchael may think she's better even with one leg tied behind her back. But she knows FULL well the judges don't think so. Now if Rachael is at her normal level then find, send her to worlds because heck, she did earn the spot. But she was no where near at her normal level, and she knew it.
 
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FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Rachael is not the skater Kostner is. Kostner has other qualities, (skating skills, grace, lovely lines) that hold her up in good stead. Rachael doesn't. Rachael can't beat a cleanish Kostner with a 3lutz, rather than with a 3lutz. Rachael's biggest strength is consistent jumps, when she doesn't have consistent jumps, she has nothing else to fall back on. Skaters like Kostner do.
So? Then why should anyone skate anymore? If you have no strength, you shouldn't skate?

Plus, no offense but Italy doesn't have 2 other girls at anywhere near Kostner's level. They have Kostner and Valentina. And Kostner wasn't taking a spot away from Valentina.
She did at last year Olympics.

That's a bit ridiculous considering a healthier Rachael barely beat a subpar Mirai.
When was that? Barely or soundly? Is your memory failing?

And the fact that Mirai soundly beat Rachael the last 3 times they competed in international competition. RAchael may think she's better even with one leg tied behind her back. But she knows FULL well the judges don't think so. Now if Rachael is at her normal level then find, send her to worlds because heck, she did earn the spot. But she was no where near at her normal level, and she knew it.
She knew it, and so? She earned it, she can throw it away if she wanted to. If the other girls wanted it, they should have done something about it 4 months ago.
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Best for THEM is the same as best for the TEAM. Rachael thinks she's better, even when injured. Nothing's wrong with that. She's entitled to thinking that.

She's better than Mirai's worst for sure, and Rachael had very good reason to believe Mirai could likely bring her bad alter ego to Worlds if she was called in as an alternate. No one ever really knows which Mirai will show up. She shot herself in the foot at Nationals then made the podium at 4CC standing next to Miki and Mao. Talk about unpredictable.
 

ImaginaryPogue

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
I will just say that because of the Ferris example (Joshua Ferris has since left Tom Z to train with Christy Krall), I am a bit leary of the coach's judgment.

That said, I'm I don't think the skater's first priority should be that their actions affect other skaters (unless we're talking about physical harm or something). It was her spot. She skated.
 

Kwanford Wife

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Before I comment on the subject at hand, I want to say that I think that Frank Carroll is being a bully.

And I find it ironic that just three months ago Carroll was going on about how Mirai was not doing her job and being a slacker and whatever. Sorry, I don't buy it that she's suddenly cured herself of all her issues and magically doing 3X3 and Triple Axels.



As for Rachel, could have Team Flatt (particularity Tom Z) done things differently? Should she have withdraw? But that is an issue between them and the federation. If the USFSA has an issue with it -- which isn't clear -- then they will be the ones that Tom Z and co. will have to respond to. Not Phil Hersh. Not Frank Carroll. Not Mirai. Not Golden Skate posters.

.

I know we are all supposed to worship at the feet of Frank, but when is he NOT being a bully? I am never surprised when he has some pearl of wisdom post event.

So in addition to being a sport, and sometimes an art, skating at this level is also a business.

I'm not sure how contracts between skaters and coaches are written - a flat fee for a season, an monthly rate while skaters are competitive, a training rate plus a per competition rate - really I have no idea. What Tom Z would have lost financially if Rachael had pulled out Worlds? Not that would be his over arching concern - he would have been there anyway with Ryan. But I do wonder about all the competing priorities when making a decision to send an injured athlete to a competition.

This is exactly my arguement. At the end of the day, Coaches Are The Help! Coaches get paid to get their athletes in the best position to be successful. How in the HELL can skating on a fractured leg be in keeping with that baseline? I understand that Rachael wanted to skate. I understand that her dreams were on the line and this was possibly her last shot. But give me a break. Its totally and utterly irresponsible to allow a skater to compete with a fractured leg. If I were Rachael's mom, I'd ask for a refund. Granted, if I were Rachael's mom, she'd never be with Tom Z in the first place.

How quickly we forget Ice Princesses where he constantly critized, harassed, and belittled that one chick for having the audacity to complain of a serious back injury. I bet he didn't stop cashing her daddy's checks thought, did he?


Tell that to Carolina, openly and demonstrably omitted the lutz. Good grief. Leave the thinking part to Rachael and her team. Who are you to think for them? They know what's best for them.


"She wanted to compete!" "Who are you to think for them?" Please. A responsible adult, that's who. A grown up who has enough common sense to know that figure skating on a fractured leg is lunancy. They should let me think for them because obviously, they can't think for themselves.

Have some respect for the kid paying the bills.
 
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bibi24

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Evan Lysacek also competed on a fractured leg which prevented him from doing his most difficult element.
 

bekalc

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Evan Lysacek also competed on a fractured leg which prevented him from doing his most difficult element.

Evan's most difficult element quad, was not consistent, and he could still win without one. I doubt the fracture was the only reason the quad went.

She's better than Mirai's worst for sure, and Rachael had very good reason to believe Mirai could likely bring her bad alter ego to Worlds if she was called in as an alternate. No one ever really knows which Mirai will show up. She shot herself in the foot at Nationals then made the podium at 4CC standing next to Miki and Mao. Talk about unpredictable.

If Mirai didn't show up ready to skate well than guess who people would be blaming- Mirai and not Rachael. It would be on Nagasu. But the fact is that at the last few major championships Mirai's been too Mirai's done better than what Rachael did. Mirai's free skate at 2010 Worlds would have been more than enough to place the needed 8th.
 

Kwanford Wife

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Actually, MiRai might've done better with little to no notice provided she'd been training. Less pressure and less preparation to ponder all the angst might've given her an edge - esp at a sup-par worlds where the big dawgs all struggled. She might've strolled in, had fun and pulled a fast one on the entire field. You just never know...

Oh well. Put 2011 in the history books and hope that 2012 holds better fortunes for all the skaters.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
I have not read this thread through, so maybe this has been mentioned earlier: Didn´t Flatt also earlier skate in some competition injured this season without allowing a substitute to participate?
 

demarinis5

Gold for the Winter Prince!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
I have not read this thread through, so maybe this has been mentioned earlier: Didn´t Flatt also earlier skate in some competition injured this season without allowing a substitute to participate?

Yes. Rachael I believe was injured at the GPF.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Here is my take.

Rachael could have withdrawn.

She didn't.

Now can we get on with our lives?
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
As I mentioned before and on another forum, this really all falls on the coach. I assume Flatt had the typical athlete mentality and wanted to be the hero who grit her teeth and got the job done. Unfortunately for her, AND for US skating, her plan backfired. But it was up to the coach to size up the situation and ultimately have the final say as to whether she should have competed or not.
 
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