Ashley Wagner's interview series and new blog

skylark · Dec 13, 2018

lesnar001 said:
I think her long and successful skating career took a fantastic work ethic and a lot of guts.
She was never anyone's "chosen one", but she certainly never gave up on her belief in herself.

And her Silver Medal at 2016 Worlds is my favorite moment for her.
The long drought ended because of her.

Very well said. :gclap::agree:

lichi · Dec 13, 2018

doublequad said:
please kick TSL to the curb thanks please thanks

They have some real nice interviews with skaters though. The James/Cipres and Aljona interviews were gold. :biggrin:

WeakAnkles · Dec 13, 2018

Actually TSL does a very good analysis with why the Tango Romantica is proving to be such a difficult pattern and wrecking havoc on levels during their recent show on the GPF. I thought it well worth watching.

Snark and all (and some of us love the snark.).

skateluvr · Dec 13, 2018

skylark said:
I watched the whole interview. I tried just listening for a bit, but found that it was really interesting to watch the interplay between Ashley and Meryl.

#1. Ashley is NOT trying to compete with Dave Lease and Jonathan. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression because of what skateluvr said. That is obviously not what she intends. In this series, she's not commentating current skating or current skaters. Her commentary with Jackie Wong and Nick Zaccardi for IceTalk2 is a completely different endeavor, as is the commentary with the Olympic channel.

#2. Just as I'd expect from Ashley, the concept for this video is unconventional: Delicious Ambiguity. She wants to explore how it is that skaters make the transition from extreme focus and discipline, to other goals or aspects of life, including the possibility of not knowing right away what may be next on one's path. Very scary. Meryl's answers are great; she also talks about being open so people other than skaters can find something to take away, for situations in their own lives.

#3. She asks some fun questions at the end. One example: What's your party trick? Meryl's answer is hilarious.[/QUOTE

I was being fascetious about angling for job but I. Have no doubt Ashley and Adam would love it.

skateluvr · Dec 13, 2018

lesnar001 said:
Geez - I'd hate to think of what you would have said about Tara if you were a "hater".
A person can't really help their voice.
BTW Michelle started out in Seniors as a "prepubescent girl" too.

But you think someone who is a snarky, insulting rumor-monger is "sweet".

I think Ashley needs a little time to gain a following on Youtube for her venture.

I plan to view it as I am a huge fan of Meryl Davis.

Jonathan isn’t snarky - they share opinions and imo he is a sweet person. And I said all good about Tara and people can help their voice! Singers and broadcasters have coaches. You do not know that? Maybe it is youtube quality but it drives me up the wall. I absolutely don’t hate her nor do I think Michelle was robbed. They changed the age limit to discourage little girls who. Could do the tech stuff with tiny girl bodies because of Tara. I wish senior meant 17 or 18. Then we would have more longevity. The sport went the way of gymnastics for ladies and Tara was the template. Michelle was also young phenom but she was already more mature than Tara in Nagano. I just pointed out. Why I prefer the B Esp guys or Canadians. Tara is annoying. I’Mhardly the first to say that on this board. &#55357;&#56857;

skylark · Dec 14, 2018

skateluvr said:
I was being fascetious about angling for job but I. Have no doubt Ashley and Adam would love it.

Oh! Well, humor is sometimes hard to catch in posts. My apologies for the misinterpretation.

Lester · Dec 14, 2018

lesnar001 said:
Why do people think she is trying to replace that other guy.

But if she did, I wouldn't bet against her.

I think her long and successful skating career took a fantastic work ethic and a lot of guts.
She was never anyone's "chosen one", but she certainly never gave up on her belief in herself.

And her Silver Medal at 2016 Worlds is my favorite moment for her.
The long drought ended because of her.

Maybe I worded this wrong. I wasn't intending to cast doubt about Ashley's qualities, just to point out that an endeavor similar to TSL is just a huge amount of work and it is rare that a person has Dave's level of drive and organisation. Especially to do all those interviews and recaps and explain the +5 point system (although I find the +5 videos to be pointless snooze

DD and I don't watch them). I mean people hate on TSL but these guys put in the work. They don't just come on skype to mimic activity for an hour and a half.

skatingfan4ever · Dec 14, 2018

Can Patrick Chan be interviewed by Ashley, please? :pray:

I think that would be FABULOUS!!!

This series looks amazing.

BeTheLivingProof · Dec 14, 2018

Lester said:
Dave may rub some people the wrong way but he is very organised and professional, plus he has been doing this a very long time. I seriously doubt Ashley has the work ethic or guts needed to overtake him.

Of course she is more famous.

I don’t have many thoughts on TSL, but you don’t think that a World/Olympic medalist has a strong work ethic?

tothepointe · Dec 14, 2018

Some of the best business / career advice was "there is room for you" and definately in the blogging/youtube realm there is. It's not like skating where the is one top spot and not much else. It'll also take her time to figure out editing, recording, lighting etc.

Also this project doesn't have to become a dynasty that lasts a decade

soogar · Dec 14, 2018

brightphoton said:
Looking at Dave Lease's old website, Aunt Joyce's Ice Cream Stand, mmm, I'm going to have to say ... no.

After Dave decided to stop the Aunt Joyce blog, he started TSL's blog and wrote lots and lots, then then he got tired of it and stopped.
Then Dave Lease started again with Jenny Kirk, and then he/Jenny got tired of it and stopped it again.
Then Jenny Kirk went to law school, and then she left law school.
Then Dave started TSL again.
and that's when I stopped paying attention to TSL

anyway, don't pretend that Dave has some legendary work ethic.

Or maybe a written blog is just redundant. He already puts out good content in his video blog and he has viewership and interest. Without Jenny, he gets interesting guests. I also think he is a great interviewer. He's obviously put years into blogging and has finally found the right vehicle. So he definitely has work ethic and the guy has a job as well (and just got an MBA).

soogar · Dec 14, 2018

BeTheLivingProof said:
I don’t have many thoughts on TSL, but you don’t think that a World/Olympic medalist has a strong work ethic?

Well she has work ethic in one area, but whether this pursuit will sustain her interest for her to continue is different. As another posted, Dave had years of blogging experience and stuck with it as he changed gears and figured out what to pursue. I think Ashley has something to offer but is she going to spend years building an audience? It takes a long time to develop an audience and she has to commit to putting out content.

It's the same with Liza's blog. It's a diversion now and a way for her to market herself. She's doing a good job promoting herself on Twitter. Her video blog is another undertaking.

Johnny and Tara had a podcast and I haven't seen new episodes in a while.

brightphoton · Dec 15, 2018

Dave's TSL also went missing in action for months and months at a time too. he resurrected it from the ashes twice

more importantly, why are you such a downer? :palmf:

criticizing Ashley and Elizeveta for not having a comprehensive multi-decade media empire within the first month of starting their Youtube channel, geez

skylark · Dec 15, 2018

I thought I would highlight one of the 15 or 20 blog entries, for those who may be as interested in reading as in viewing. This is a quote from an entry Ashley has called "My 5 Tips for Becoming a Self-Starter."

After my competitive career slowed down, and I wasn’t training every single day, I had the opportunity to get to know myself and what I was really like beyond the confines of my regimen and schedule. Spoiler alert: I discovered that I am lazy AF. Of course, coming off of more than two decades of rigorous work with little to no vacation time might explain a lot about the lack of motivation that I was feeling. Either way, the world kept spinning and I found myself in a position where I had to move forward, with no idea how to do that. I had to learn how to become a self-starter at the age of 27. Let me tell you, having to move forward with no idea how to do that is TERRIFYING. So, long story short, thank god you are here.
https://www.theashwagner.com/blog/2018/11/8/my-5-tips-for-becoming-a-self-starter

Enjoy! The woman can write, and she hopes others may benefit from her struggles.

friedbanana · Dec 15, 2018

Meryl is a literal Disney princess - love her!!

Looking forward to Ashley's future videos.

ice coverage · Dec 15, 2018

soogar said:
… I think Ashley has something to offer but is she going to spend years building an audience? It takes a long time to develop an audience and she has to commit to putting out content. ...

For years, Ashley already has been building an audience and has been putting out content.

For example (and I'm sure others will remember stuff that I have forgotten):

Back when Ashley was competing, she was an active vlogger for a couple of years (starting in 2007). Thousands of views per vlog. As many as 11K.
She also vlogged for Universal Sports.
(Plus she made videos for her work with Classroom Champions.)

When she was competing, she contributed blogs to the likes of espnW and SI.com. (Example: http://www.espn.com/blog/espnw/category/_/name/ashley-wagner)
IIRC, she blogged for sponsor Puritan's Pride.

She has been prolific on social media to the point that I am unable to keep up. Her plentiful posts on Instagram story often are a form of reportage on on-ice and off-ice events in which she is participating.

For me, it has long been obvious that Ashley has both a talent and a passion for connecting with and communicating with an online audience. Her ample previous experiences of that nature will serve her well as she grows her new website encompassing blogs and videos. Go, Ashley. :yay:

champs · Dec 17, 2018

ice coverage said:
For years, Ashley already has been building an audience and has been putting out content.

For example (and I'm sure others will remember stuff that I have forgotten):

Back when Ashley was competing, she was an active vlogger for a couple of years (starting in 2009).

(in bold corrected by me)

I still remember my excitement when Ashley said she had fixed her flutz, anyone remembers?

R.D. · Dec 20, 2018

Interesting turn of events. I think generally speaking, Wagner has the capacity to bring something to the increasingly crowded table of skating podcasts/interviews. It’ll be up to her to put in the effort and carve her niche though. Too often these types of projects are started and then abandoned/forgotten about.

Unfortunately I couldn’t make it past the 3-minute mark on her Davis interview as I think she really needs to minimize the rambling and stick to the topic at hand...as well as develop a more “broadcast-friendly” voice. But with some practice, she should get the hang of it. There’s not a whole lot of in-depth discussions on the “what next?” angle for these skaters.

lesnar001 said:
And her Silver Medal at 2016 Worlds is my favorite moment for her.
The long drought ended because of her.

Not to rehash this but the reality is...it was either her Silver or Gracie Gold holding on for Bronze. The drought was actually broken before Wagner even stepped onto the ice.

Of course, due to the end result, Wagner (justifiably) gets all the credit.

ssffww · Dec 20, 2018

lesnar001 said:
Geez - I'd hate to think of what you would have said about Tara if you were a "hater".
A person can't really help their voice.

As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for years, you certainly can change your voice. Tara could benefit greatly from voice lessons (and I'm not talking singing lessons). It is not at all uncommon for announcers to learn to modulate their voices.

Ashley Wagner's interview series and new blog

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