Gracie Gold Announces Withdrawal from US Nationals | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Gracie Gold Announces Withdrawal from US Nationals

sailormoon

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Country
Japan
At the 2018 Rostelecom Cup, when she withdrew from the free skate, it seemed that she was not physically ready for competitive skating. I think she needs to do a lot of physical exercises to strengthen her body after a long hiatus. Daisuke Takahashi was almost ready to take on the world at the Japanese nationals and Gracie has a chance to get through the tough times, too.
 

princessalica

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
So I was looking at a gracie fan account and they said that they knew from Gracies teammates almost a month ago that Gracie would not be competing at nationals. I understand why she isn’t, but why wait so long to announce it? Or is the account just blowing smoke to make them seem more in the know than they really are.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
So I was looking at a gracie fan account and they said that they knew from Gracies teammates almost a month ago that Gracie would not be competing at nationals. I understand why she isn’t, but why wait so long to announce it? Or is the account just blowing smoke to make them seem more in the know than they really are.

Interesting. They may just be blowing smoke. AFAIK, no other elite skater trains at Aston these days, so it would be “whisper down the lane”. And I doubt Gracie was confiding in random individuals at this rink, but that’s just me :shrug:
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Glad to hear that Gracie intends to stay competitive and that disparagining comments and her Rostelecom SP didn't get to her. I trust she gets the best advice for her from her coaching team. Good luck to her next season! Looking forward to her return.
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
I'm glad that Gracie is looking toward the future. We will miss you @ Nationals, but take the time you need to get back on track! :ghug:
 

andromache

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
This is the right choice.

I'm just so sad for her. It's probably taking much longer to get back into competitive shape than she had realized. On top of that, I imagine that Gracie's version of "competitive shape" when she was at her peak probably involved some form of disordered eating/restricting/etc., so trying to balance training and finding her form while also maintaining a healthy lifestyle is tough. At the end of the day, I just want her to be happy. And once she is past this stage in her life, I hope she is comfortable sharing her difficult experiences - I imagine her perspective will be invaluable to many young athletes in the future.
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
Good luck, Gracie!

Rusty skills are not lost skills. Good to hear that she's staying positive.
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
She sounds very determined - and I'm glad she's doing what feels best for her.

Good luck, Gracie - and looking forward to your coming back strong next season.:)
 

ancientpeas

The Notorious SEW
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Gracie only needs to look to the careers of Rudy Galindo, Tracy Wainman and Cynthia Pheunf as inspiration for a comeback. (all three made it worlds again after they had been written off by a lot of folks)
 

evasorange

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 22, 2015
So I was looking at a gracie fan account and they said that they knew from Gracies teammates almost a month ago that Gracie would not be competing at nationals. I understand why she isn’t, but why wait so long to announce it? Or is the account just blowing smoke to make them seem more in the know than they really are.

They were probably just making an educated guess...after Russia it was obvious she didn’t have the stamina or strength to do a successful long program. And I don’t think it’s possible to get to that form in just two months. She had nothing to gain from competing at nationals except for unnecessary stress. I’m glad her team is being more realistic now
 

Carolla5501

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 31, 2014
So I was looking at a gracie fan account and they said that they knew from Gracies teammates almost a month ago that Gracie would not be competing at nationals. I understand why she isn’t, but why wait so long to announce it? Or is the account just blowing smoke to make them seem more in the know than they really are.


Blowing smoke
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
Gracie only needs to look to the careers of Rudy Galindo, Tracy Wainman and Cynthia Pheunf as inspiration for a comeback. (all three made it worlds again after they had been written off by a lot of folks)

Also Michal Březina!
 

princessalica

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 20, 2015
She seems determined and knows what she's doing.

And I'd rather see her come to Nationals and be on the podium (where I think she belongs) than even just making it to the top ten (which if she skated as she did in Russia she wouldn't, she'd probably be last). But it is the things that we have to wait for that are the most worth it, so I want her to just keep trusting the process and keep improving and learning more about herself every day.
 

figurefan0726

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 21, 2016
It’s a good idea. She can train now to get better and compete in some summer competitions and challengers to get the skate America host spot and the world ranking points.
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
No shocker here but still stings a little to actually read it :sad21:
 

tothepointe

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 4, 2018
So I was looking at a gracie fan account and they said that they knew from Gracies teammates almost a month ago that Gracie would not be competing at nationals. I understand why she isn’t, but why wait so long to announce it? Or is the account just blowing smoke to make them seem more in the know than they really are.

It might have to do with sponsorship obligations. It was probably a similar situation last year. Your more valueable to an advertiser if your still an actively competiting skater.

Publicity wise it's good timing. She'll get a nice media writeup about her withdrawl and along with her carefully curated progress videos she'll get a bump of goodwill for her comeback for next season which really is only later this year.

To the poster who is going to miss seeing her at Nationals she'll HAVE to do some sort of summer competion and/or regionals and sectionals so there will be more opportunities to see/meet her.
 

b-man

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
If I calculated correctly, she will be 26 when Beijing Olympics are held. That will be a long road to travel.
 

Gullygirl84

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
It might have to do with sponsorship obligations. It was probably a similar situation last year. Your more valueable to an advertiser if your still an actively competiting skater.

Publicity wise it's good timing. She'll get a nice media writeup about her withdrawl and along with her carefully curated progress videos she'll get a bump of goodwill for her comeback for next season which really is only later this year.

To the poster who is going to miss seeing her at Nationals she'll HAVE to do some sort of summer competion and/or regionals and sectionals so there will be more opportunities to see/meet her.

Does Gracie have any current sponsorships? I remember last year when she wasn't competing, she had a bunch (RedBull, Smuckers, etc.) posted on her profile for Twitter and Instagram, but I don't believe they're there anymore.
 

ancientpeas

The Notorious SEW
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
I think it depends why she wants to go to 2022 doesn't it?
It seems unlikely to me with the Japanese and Russian young skaters that she will be in the hunt for the gold but maybe her goal is to get there and to compete and maybe even help the U.S. in the team event. Not all victories result in a shiny gold medal. Sometimes your biggest competitor is yourself and the personal goals you set.

You only need to look at Adam Rippon to realize that one does not have to win to become a star at the Olympics. (Also see the Jamaican bobsleigh team, Eddie the Eagle, The Nigerian bobsleighers and the cross country skiiers from Algeria and other African nations.) I think we have to widen our perspective on what success is.
 
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