Gracie Gold: 2017 Stars on Ice Interview

KatGrace1925 said:

We do not know the day to day of what Gracie is doing, none of us are there.

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True. I want to make it clear that I'm concerned because I truly care about how Gracie is feeling both physically and emotionally. I didn't see any of the shows she's been in but from the reports we've all seen, I have been worried. IMO, as long as she still has the desire to compete, I think she'll be fine.

mrrice said:

True. I want to make it clear that I'm concerned because I truly care about how Gracie is feeling both physically and emotionally. I didn't see any of the shows she's been in but from the reports we've all seen, I have been worried. IMO, as long as she still has the desire to compete, I think she'll be fine.

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I get it, I think at this point most all we can do is hope that Marina's team has a plan and that she's mentally gotten better. There is a ton of pressure on her and her family life has been in a bit of difficult time as well. I have been very much a part of this discussion as well but I think at a certain point it's disrespectful to her to say she's unmotivated or doesn't want to skate anymore unless she says those things herself.

I don't see Gold getting back to her top form in time. It's too difficult.

KatGrace1925 said:

We do not know the day to day of what Gracie is doing, none of us are there.

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Except for those of us at her rink and several others in the area on the regular.

chapis said:

Well, Alex and Maia are training like crazy people, day and night, just 2 days ago they were in the rink at 3am, alone, maybe Gracie could join to those nocturnal sessions or she should ask them how they get so motivated.

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Maia and Alex, alone with their music and the quiet swish of blades on ice at 3 a.m. That captures my imagination.:luv17:

Gracie's a morning skater. She said that SOI turned her internal clock upside down. If she could think of 3 a.m. as a very early morning, maybe. But it sounds like Alex and Maia find the aloneness helpful. If they've been doing that for awhile, it could shed light on how A/M have found such strength and power in their own vision these past couple of years.

Ic3Rabbit said:

Marina is quite strict and very mother like to her students if she feels they need it.

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True. It will be interesting to watch how it goes with Gracie. Whether it will be a long-term show, or strictly a whip-into-shape-for-the-Olympics-show with Gracie will also be interesting. Two quotes from Marina on her website:

"Every individual has a special talent. My goal is to find that talent and nurture it in order to help each person reach their full potential.”

And: "Together, we aim to embody the ideal that every student in our group is integral to the success of the other."

Marina's famous for making the competition among her dancers work. But for Gracie, I like the other implications of this statement.

http://internationalskatingacademy.com/about/philosophy/

The most worrisome factor is how much Gracie has changed physically, after the nationals. Then there is a question of whether it is a change due to "puberty" (at the age of 21?) and/or she is basically being herself-the leaner Gracie I've been seeing was a result of strict dietary control and now she just wants to do whatever she feels happy.

hippomoomin said:

The most worrisome factor is how much Gracie has changed physically, after the nationals. Then there is a question of whether it is a change due to "puberty" (at the age of 21?) and/or she is basically being herself-the leaner Gracie I've been seeing was a result of strict dietary control and now she just wants to do whatever she feels happy.

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Comments like this are off no matter your intentions, she may well be out of shape but making assumptions about it is wrong. I'm sorry but this just seems way out of line to me.

hippomoomin said:

The most worrisome factor is how much Gracie has changed physically, after the nationals. Then there is a question of whether it is a change due to "puberty" (at the age of 21?) and/or she is basically being herself-the leaner Gracie I've been seeing was a result of strict dietary control and now she just wants to do whatever she feels happy.

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It is not just puberty that affects the bodies of female athletes and it is not just an issue for skaters. In any sport, look at photos of athletes at 15-16 and then at 21 and older. You will see increases in muscular development (and, yes, more weight overall) that tend to help in some sports (tennis, golf) and hurt in others (skating, gymnastics).

Yes, many females continue to compete successfully well into the 20s and beyond. But the best ones don't do it by trying to perpetually look as they did at 16. They have to continually adjust training to a continually evolving body.

I think many (and possibly Gracie) get on a roller coaster of "more lean" and "less lean" & never address dealing with a fully adult body that will never respond the way it did when they were younger.

My point is, you cannot beat gravity. Skaters with that much body change within a very short period of time lose her jumps. I've been rooted for Gracie for her talent, but at this moment, unless she goes back to shape, Olympic team is off the table.

KatGrace1925 said:

Comments like this are off no matter your intentions, she may well be out of shape but making assumptions about it is wrong. I'm sorry but this just seems way out of line to me.

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Below, I copied and pasted a post I did in the "state of US ladies" thread, which is possibly better placed here anyway. And I just want to add one thing. Everyone talks about Gracie losing her jumps, but what about everything else? I know how important jumps are, but is that the only thing she needs to work on. Are her spins and footwork still getting level 4's? Because honestly, from a technical perspective only, just needing to recapture her jumping ability is a different thing than needing to work on everything.

Re-post:
To be candid, I have suffered from depression myself --which seems to be the case for Gracie too. One thing that is stressed is taking on projects that you can succeed at to build confidence and cultivate positivity. The first attempt I made at this backfired because major mistakes were made. Even though others would have said it was a success, all I could see were the mistakes, so I saw it as a failure. That did absolutely nothing for my confidence. So, for Gracie to try challenging herself and falling every time might just tank her confidence even more. If she plans to go out and do 1A's and 2T's and she does them cleanly, it is easier to chalk it up as a success in her mind. When you add in the fans wanting to meet her and other skaters who might compliment things she is doing at a higher level (like spins and footwork). Then you are building confidence and pulling her out of the depression.

Plus, she might be practicing the triples even though she isn't performing them. Just because we don't see something as an audience member/video watcher doesn't mean it isn't being worked on. She does still have 6 months before her first GP assignment. I've seen people lose over 50 pounds and get themselves in the great shape (for a non-athlete) in that amount of time. So, I think it is possible for Gracie to make a huge comeback in that amount of time. The key word being "possible". It is obviously going to take a lot of work.

bevybean said:

She does still have 6 months before her first GP assignment. I've seen people lose over 50 pounds and get themselves in the great shape (for a non-athlete) in that amount of time. So, I think it is possible for Gracie to make a huge comeback in that amount of time. The key word being "possible". It is obviously going to take a lot of work.

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She has 5 months. It is June 1 today. Her first assignment is Cup of China beginning November 3. I would guess (given her season last year, especially) that she will be assigned a "warm up" B comp before that which means she has less time than that to get in competitive shape.

I would think it would serve someone who desires to make the Olympic team to not get out of shape in the off season regardless of their mental state. It seems like getting out of competitive shape just creates an additional hole to dig yourself out of and her performance issues are quite enough to try to deal with all on their own.

louisa05 said:

I would think it would serve someone who desires to make the Olympic team to not get out of shape in the off season regardless of their mental state. It seems like getting out of competitive shape just creates an additional hole to dig yourself out of and her performance issues are quite enough to try to deal with all on their own.

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Very true. I think I'm really just holding onto hope for her in the off-season. There are definitely other US Ladies that I'd be happy to see get the chance to go to the Olympics, but I hate to see Gracie go out on a bad note.

In the past few days, I've become aware of a serious legal situation involving the medical license of Gracie's father that dates back a year and is ongoing. (A regional Illinois newspaper just had a story, but it has not been widely reported.)

Obviously, Gracie has been dealing with issues in her life and with her family that go far beyond her skating. I'm not providing an "excuse" for her; just a context. Really, I don't know what to think as to whether it's a help or hindrance to her to attempt to take on an Olympic season.

Gracie is not a child and has likely enough in funding and endorsements in the last several years to support her skating. While it is clearly an issue for the family, no one has died or is dying and she has not been living with her father in the middle of this, either.

The actual suspension of his license and resulting financial stress did not come until Gracie's season was over this year. I doubt that the previous probation affected her too greatly as he was still working (according to the article I found) and it is even possible that she and her sister did not know the details.

louisa05 said:

Gracie is not a child and has likely enough in funding and endorsements in the last several years to support her skating. While it is clearly an issue for the family, no one has died or is dying and she has not been living with her father in the middle of this, either.

The actual suspension of his license and resulting financial stress did not come until Gracie's season was over this year. I doubt that the previous probation affected her too greatly as he was still working (according to the article I found) and it is even possible that she and her sister did not know the details.

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Not true. The investigations & hearings & activities that led to the suspension (with additional penalties now possible) have been going on for at least a full year (the suspension in early February was preceded by probation in 6/2016); the fallout includes loss of a position as a top-level hospital executive. The review that led to the 2/2017 suspension stemmed from an event in 12/2016 and was pending during 2017 Nationals.

I can't imagine how this wouldn't be affecting her, as well as her sister and mother. How could ANY daughter not be affected?

louisa05 said:

Gracie is not a child and has likely enough in funding and endorsements in the last several years to support her skating. While it is clearly an issue for the family, no one has died or is dying and she has not been living with her father in the middle of this, either.

The actual suspension of his license and resulting financial stress did not come until Gracie's season was over this year. I doubt that the previous probation affected her too greatly as he was still working (according to the article I found) and it is even possible that she and her sister did not know the details.

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It doesn't matter if she is "not a child," I am a few years older than her and if my dad lost had his medical liscence suspended then it would directly effect me mentally even if it doesn't impact me financially. I also talked to my dad about his case, getting a medical liscence suspended like his is a big deal.

Per your statments she has enough endorsments to be fine, yet the past few months people have been criticzing her for shows and endorsments saying that she should stop them since her parents can afford to fund her. Why are people so awful to Gracie and other skaters who are successful? It's actually sad to me to read so many comments about this.

Her Dad's issue may have affected her we cannot just blame everything her Dad's problem. Mao lost her Mom in 2011, Liza T. lost her Dad in 2011. Both managed to rise (again) and shine after a much bigger family tragedy. Life is tough. A strong athlete has to be physically and mentally tougher.

Moxiejan said:

... I can't imagine how this wouldn't be affecting her, as well as her sister and mother. How could ANY daughter not be affected?

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Completely agree.

With the understanding that it is impossible for us to know when Gracie first became aware of any signs of trouble, I will add:

Big hugs to Gracie .

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hippomoomin said:

... Life is tough. A strong athlete has to be physically and mentally tougher.

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Yes -- and you could have taken the words right out of Gracie's mouth. (Extremely similar words, that is.)

I have linked to her Get Up video before. Here it is again:

hippomoomin said:

Her Dad's issue may have affected her we cannot just blame everything her Dad's problem. Mao lost her Mom in 2011, Liza T. lost her Dad in 2011. Both managed to rise (again) and shine after a much bigger family tragedy. Life is tough. A strong athlete has to be physically and mentally tougher.

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No one has blamed "everything" on this situation. I very specifically said I was not providing an "excuse," but a context.

Yes, the loss of a parent through death is one of life's major negative events. So is dealing with ongoing feelings of shock/betrayal/grief/worry when the person who you respected and counted on for your entire life suddenly is not at all who he used to be.

Moxiejan said:

No one has blamed "everything" on this situation. I very specifically said I was not providing an "excuse," but a context.

Yes, the loss of a parent through death is one of life's major negative events. So is dealing with ongoing feelings of shock/betrayal/grief/worry when the person who you respected and counted on for your entire life suddenly is not at all who he used to be.

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But we don't know that that is the case. We don't know what may or may not have been going on with her father prior to this. The family has effectively lived apart for a long time--since September, 2013. We don't in fact know what her relationship with her father is like at all. We don't know if her parents are open with her about their financial details. We don't know if she was even told that his change in employment was due to any outside issue. A lot of people keep a lot of details from their kids, even young adults.

My dad was abruptly fired from a high profile job at the end of my senior year of high school and then also lost our home. I managed to take my exams and do just fine the very week it all happened. I even managed to take the AP English test and get the highest possible score while not knowing where I'd be living by the end of the weekend.

I just don't think that this is an excuse. At all.