Will Mirai Appeal Decision for Olympic Team? | Page 35 | Golden Skate

Will Mirai Appeal Decision for Olympic Team?

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
She seems to lack that intrinsic motivation that is necessary to succeed at anything.

I hope that you are not suggesting that Mirai has not been able "to succeed at anything."
Although we might wish for more consistency in her results, she has had a very high level of success in her chosen field ... far higher than what many of us have accomplished in our own chosen fields, I daresay. A resume including a national championship, fourth place at the Olympics, and a slew of other national and international medals is successful by any normal standards.
 

leafygreens

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
It ain`t over until it is over. Injuries, winning an olympic medal etc could mean Mirai is going to world`s still or even the Olympics.

NOT HAPPENING. So the alternates have been named. Big deal. The USFSA has shown willful ignorance of fairness. If any of the 3 girls got injured, the USFSA would find a way to send the 2nd alternate over their "body of work" intead of Mirai. It would not surprise me if there was another back room meeting after 4CCs that jiggered the list of alternates. What the USFSA cannot afford to do is send Mirai to Olys or Worlds as an alternate. Knowing Mirai's history of performing awesomely under high-stakes events, Mirai would re-inforce the bad decision USFSA made to not name her and that would make them look bad.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
As Mirai is #1 alternate to Worlds, USFS will want to monitor her training during the period from Olympics to Worlds. If Mirai still has no coach, or if she goes back to Japan to train with Mura's father and monitoring isn't possible, USFS might reassign the first alternate.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
You've definitely lost it...Mirai and high pressure/expectations are typically a recipe for disaster (see 2010 Worlds, see 2011 Nationals, see 2012 Nationals...) if she ends up going to Worlds for whatever reason, there will be a crapton of pressure on the other two skaters to hold three spots due to her inability to skate well under pressure unless she really, really, really wants something...
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
I don't think it's fair to say Mirai's 4CC result confirms USFSA's decision. Had Nagasu been named to the Olympic team, nobody knows how she would have performed there. She might have done well. It's two entirely different situations.

That said, she did not help herself with a poor showing. But, she has handled the entire affair with class, and you have to give her that.
 

leafygreens

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
As Mirai is #1 alternate to Worlds, USFS will want to monitor her training during the period from Olympics to Worlds. If Mirai still has no coach, or if she goes back to Japan to train with Mura's father and monitoring isn't possible, USFS might reassign the first alternate.

Exactly. They will come up with a reason why "she's not ready" even if the reason has to be fabricated or makes no sense (like not having a coach when MK won Oly bronze with no coach.) If she is ready, they will find some "training funds" to slip Mirai (a payoff for silence) and Mirai will have a sudden "illness or injury" to keep her from competing.
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Exactly. They will come up with a reason why "she's not ready" even if the reason has to be fabricated or makes no sense (like not having a coach when MK won Oly bronze with no coach.) If she is ready, they will find some "training funds" to slip Mirai (a payoff for silence) and Mirai will have a sudden "illness or injury" to keep her from competing.

Not being able to monitor her training is a reasonable concern knowing Mirai's history and her recent 4CC results. You seem to have a lot invested in this. I am curious as to know why. Is it just her or is there something more?
 

Selene

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
The technical specialist at US Nationals was very lenient. For instance, every triple jump in Mirai’s short program could easily have been called as underrotated, but the technical specialist gave her full credit for all of the jumps. She didn’t get the benefit of having a similarly lenient caller at 4CC.

That’s the problem with sending Mirai to important international events. She’s always going to be at the mercy of the technical specialist, because her jumps are only borderline rotated at best. This is a sensitive subject, but I don’t think her frame is conducive to rotating triple jumps. Just look at the American girls who have beaten her recently. She doesn’t have the stick thin frame that allows skaters like Gracie and Polina to rotate so quickly in the air. And she doesn’t have massive power and spring on her jumps like Courtney Hicks. Since she isn’t a quick rotator or a power jumper, she will always struggle to rotate her jumps.
 

leafygreens

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Mirai at this stage of her career could skate "awesome" for her and still finish out the top 10. Her max scoring potential these days is like 180 points.

And anyway your claim is not well founded in anything. The biggest skate of her life, the LP of the 2010 Worlds, she proceded to flub almost every jump and plunged from 1st to 7th overall in what was one of the worst skated ladies events ever. Her biggest ones in the years to come like the 2011 and 2013 Nationals LPs, she again bombed.

Your pety sarcasm over the "body of work" reference falls flat. Wagner has been by far the best U.S skater over the last 3 years and has posted rules that are even light years above Gracie Gold, let alone Mirai. Do you honestly dispute that? That is a straight up question so dont dare avoid answering it. This would not be true of Gao, Cesario, or whomever else you are referring to, so would never be used.

7th place is "one of the worst skated ladies events ever"? Hm. Ashley was 4th at Worlds at her peak. She is nowhere near her peak right now.

3 years ago doesn't matter, according to selection criteria.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
The technical specialist at US Nationals was very lenient. For instance, every triple jump in Mirai’s short program could easily have been called as underrotated, but the technical specialist gave her full credit for all of the jumps. She didn’t get the benefit of having a similarly lenient caller at 4CC.

Indeed. Even Ashley's 2A in the SP was likely << but got full credit.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Still, Wagner's comment about not delivering when it counts (also, her last-minute FS scrambling) has to be slightly concerning - she's almost like the anti-Nagasu if you will in terms of her career. Sub-par under pressure but ok otherwise. The pressure will be THAT much greater at Olys. As her spot on the team is now finalized and we're only 11 days out, there's no turning back. If she fails she'll never hear the end of it. I wish her luck cause she'll need it...
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
she's almost like the anti-Nagasu if you will in terms of her career. Sub-par under pressure but ok otherwise.

How is this the opposite of Mirai? Does Mirai all of a sudden thrive under pressure because she won a bronze medal at Nationals?
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Note I said ALMOST...

Anyway, Nagasu has done well at pre-Oly Nationals/Olys.

Meanwhile, this is the 2nd time Wagner couldn't deal with the pressure of trials, and she did even worse in '14 than she did 4 years ago. But this time, the committee put her on the team anyway due to her "body of work", a luxury she didn't have in '10. So let's see if Wagner can skate well at the biggest pressure cooker of them all. Based on her competitive history I'm not getting hopes up ...
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
7th place is "one of the worst skated ladies events ever"? Hm. Ashley was 4th at Worlds at her peak. She is nowhere near her peak right now.

3 years ago doesn't matter, according to selection criteria.

I think the reference is a seventh place finish in a weak field because everyone skated so poorly - Cynthia Phaneuf almost won a bronze and arguably should have.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
7th place is "one of the worst skated ladies events ever"? Hm. Ashley was 4th at Worlds at her peak. She is nowhere near her peak right now.

3 years ago doesn't matter, according to selection criteria.

What aside from Nationals indicates she is off the form from two years ago? Her win at Bompard? Finishing 2nd to Asada at SA? Making the GP Final which she didn't even do the season she came in 4th at Worlds?
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Gosh 49 pages and counting! I thought this is already soooo over!?

Well... USFSA did want controversy to bring attention back to the sport! Congratulations! Let's see if this will affect Ashley's mark at the Olympics.
 

Gigi13

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
Gosh 49 pages and counting! I thought this is already soooo over!?

Well... USFSA did want controversy to bring attention back to the sport! Congratulations! Let's see if this will affect Ashley's mark at the Olympics.

This. 49 pages my god :eek: last time I visited this thread it was like 20 pages lol well the USFSA did a good job I can't wait to see Ashley in Sochi.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
I am not sure this is what USFSA really wanted. It may actually scare off viewers when really much ado about NOTHING. I hope we can just enjoy the skating now and people would gevt over with everythign.
 

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Country
Australia
Gosh 49 pages and counting! I thought this is already soooo over!?

The worst part is that it's nothing actually decent; just 49 pages of the same Mirai fans whinging over and over and over again on the same tired arguments without ever wanting to accept that their skater has a MAJOR technique flaw and is extremely inconsistent, unlike the skater who replaced her on the team.

*Disclaimer before the Mirai fans start attacking me: I couldn't give a flying toss about the US ladies. (Except Angela Wang. Who this time round was not in the race.)
 

leafygreens

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
The worst part is that it's nothing actually decent; just 49 pages of the same Mirai fans whinging over and over and over again on the same tired arguments without ever wanting to accept that their skater has a MAJOR technique flaw and is extremely inconsistent, unlike the skater who replaced her on the team.

Isn't falling a major technique flaw?
 
Top