Gracie Gold Announces Withdrawal from US Nationals | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Gracie Gold Announces Withdrawal from US Nationals

oly2018

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
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.

IDK, this whole situation makes me side-eye USFS and Gracie's current team. Why did they allow her to use her one allowed ISU comeback when she wasn't ready? Regardless of what has been happening in practice, Rostelecom should have been a wake up call and they probably knew quickly that Nationals wasn't plausible. The dramatics on Vincent's instagram leading up to Gracie's withdrawal are ridiculous imo. If he wanted to post vids of the jumps, fine, but Gracie is an adult. She can post them on her own social media if she feels ready for it. I don't believe that she didn't go to his page to see what people were saying. It seems like he was trying to play PR agent and I just don't think sponsorships are realistic right now. They are hard to come by in an Olympic year and ever harder in years when skating doesn't matter to the general public. Right now, who other than Nathan, D/W and the Shibs have consistent sponsorships from the larger companies in the US? I can't think of any.

I know this is ranty, but I just hope going forward, decisions are more calculated because this could have been a very damaging experience and if Beijing is the goal, slow and steady is what matters.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
I could not agree more with @Ancientpeas; the definition of success cannot simply be a shiny gold medal. The skating world would be very boring if it were. Good luck to Gracie with whatever her goals are:hap85:

And a word about Vincent Restencourt and social media, based on my experience as a Jason fan. I looove when Vincent is coaching a skater I care about, like the year and a half he was at 7k. Why? Cause Coach Vincent posts videos:agree: Do I think skaters know this? Of course. Do I think skaters are out there collaborating with Vincent to get particular posts out there? absolutely not. :laugh:

And of course they’re going to show successful attempts, and trust that the coach doesn’t make them look bad. I’ve seen that from Tom Z. and other coaches as well, and props to them.:thumbsup: They’re doing what every coach should do. As a fan, I don’t feel I’m “entitled” to a “real” report on practices. I’m entitled to a skater’s best effort at comps. Period.

(Although IIRC Jason did post a montage of falls at one point on his social media, to the effect of it happens to all of us, get up and try again. I liked that message :) )
 
Last edited:

andromache

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
IDK, this whole situation makes me side-eye USFS and Gracie's current team. Why did they allow her to use her one allowed ISU comeback when she wasn't ready? Regardless of what has been happening in practice, Rostelecom should have been a wake up call and they probably knew quickly that Nationals wasn't plausible. The dramatics on Vincent's instagram leading up to Gracie's withdrawal are ridiculous imo. If he wanted to post vids of the jumps, fine, but Gracie is an adult. She can post them on her own social media if she feels ready for it. I don't believe that she didn't go to his page to see what people were saying. It seems like he was trying to play PR agent and I just don't think sponsorships are realistic right now. They are hard to come by in an Olympic year and ever harder in years when skating doesn't matter to the general public. Right now, who other than Nathan, D/W and the Shibs have consistent sponsorships from the larger companies in the US? I can't think of any.

I know this is ranty, but I just hope going forward, decisions are more calculated because this could have been a very damaging experience and if Beijing is the goal, slow and steady is what matters.

While I am also side-eyeing USFS and Gracie's current team, I do think that the BENEFIT to a coach posting videos on Instagram is that the coach can report the positive feedback/messages to the skater and filter out the negative. If a skater is posting on/checking their own Instagram, they can see all the negativity.

I do think Gracie has enough self-control not to visit the page to see for herself if she knows it would hurt her mental health.

I don't think sponsorships are the goal right now (though who knows - they could have been earlier in the season when they didn't realize quite how long it would take to get back into form.)
 
Last edited:

chasseneige

Rinkside
Joined
May 17, 2018
Honestly I don’t see anything wrong with skaters using upcoming Olympics as motivation to keep on maintaining/upgrading technique and artistry. Whether or not Gracie’s chances at making the Olympic team are realistic isn’t really the point. Even having goals that seem incredulous can help a skater get out of a mental rut and get back to business. Some skaters like Ashley and Mirai have seemed to move on to other things outside of skating and that’s perfectly fine! They were able to find fulfillment in their skating careers and are now taking breaks from their rigid training schedules. But Gracie believes her career hasn’t ended just yet and therefore has decided to start training again. And I completely support her!

The chances that we’ll see skaters like Gracie and Evgenia (who definitely wants to go to Beijing) at the next Olympics are unlikely. But figure skating is so unpredictable and anything can happen. So I just hope that all my favorite skaters can find their own personal fulfillment throughout the rest of their competitive careers.
 

concorde

Medalist
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
I wonder when she had to commit to use the comeback. My guess is she just way underestimated how long it would take her to get competition ready.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Blowing smoke

That smoke must have blown far because I got that info too plus I had someone who said she really wasn't landing triples which made her appearance in Russia and Nats kind of surprising.

I know she has a lot of vocal fans but I wish Gracie could TRULY step away and ask herself some questions and answer truthfully - forget about expectations, forget about she seemed the it girl, she seemed to have it all the grace, the power, the judges, the money, the beauty, the musicality and popularity, forget about what has happened. 1. Does she want to skate? If so at what level? 2. Who is Gracie Gold? Does she really need competitive skating? Objectively look at how she is skating? Is the physical issues real or mental? Money may be tighter I don't know without the endorsement, USFA funding and her family/dad employment situation. Is this worth it? Is it realistic? Why does she really want this comeback or does she? What are her real goals? Is a medal really the end all be all.
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
IDK, this whole situation makes me side-eye USFS and Gracie's current team. Why did they allow her to use her one allowed ISU comeback when she wasn't ready? Regardless of what has been happening in practice, Rostelecom should have been a wake up call and they probably knew quickly that Nationals wasn't plausible. The dramatics on Vincent's instagram leading up to Gracie's withdrawal are ridiculous imo. If he wanted to post vids of the jumps, fine, but Gracie is an adult. She can post them on her own social media if she feels ready for it. I don't believe that she didn't go to his page to see what people were saying. It seems like he was trying to play PR agent and I just don't think sponsorships are realistic right now. They are hard to come by in an Olympic year and ever harder in years when skating doesn't matter to the general public. Right now, who other than Nathan, D/W and the Shibs have consistent sponsorships from the larger companies in the US? I can't think of any.

I know this is ranty, but I just hope going forward, decisions are more calculated because this could have been a very damaging experience and if Beijing is the goal, slow and steady is what matters.

Could she have actually used it next year? I can't remember all the parameters of the comeback.
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
That smoke must have blown far because I got that info too plus I had someone who said she really wasn't landing triples which made her appearance in Russia and Nats kind of surprising.

I know she has a lot of vocal fans but I wish Gracie could TRULY step away and ask herself some questions and answer truthfully - forget about expectations, forget about she seemed the it girl, she seemed to have it all the grace, the power, the judges, the money, the beauty, the musicality and popularity, forget about what has happened. 1. Does she want to skate? If so at what level? 2. Who is Gracie Gold? Does she really need competitive skating? Objectively look at how she is skating? Is the physical issues real or mental? Money may be tighter I don't know without the endorsement, USFA funding and her family/dad employment situation. Is this worth it? Is it realistic? Why does she really want this comeback or does she? What are her real goals? Is a medal really the end all be all.

I was under the impression she had asked herself those questions. But I'm not her and can't pretend to read her mind. As far as how she is skating, obviously she' s not going to be skating at top form right now.
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
Gracie only needs to look to the careers of Rudy Galindo, Tracy Wainman and Cynthia Phaneuf as inspiration for a comeback. (all three made it worlds again after they had been written off by a lot of folks)

:agree:


Also Michal Březina!
:agree: :luv17:

I would add Kaetlyn Osmond & "my" Todd (especially after his challenges from 1992-1994)! :hap10: Oh, & how about Paul Wylie? What a way to finish his Olympic eligible career in 1992, & then have such a successful pro career! :gclap:
 

Casual

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Not really a surprise, but it's great that she's thinking about the long term and staying positive. While I'd like to see her compete at the top levels again, I'd like it more if she is happy doing what she loves whether or not that involves skating.

Good for her. It's smart to focus on the process and the long term.

Slow but steady wins the race.
 

sworddance21

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 18, 2014
:agree:


:agree: :luv17:

I would add Kaetlyn Osmond & "my" Todd (especially after his challenges from 1992-1994)! :hap10: Oh, & how about Paul Wylie? What a way to finish his Olympic eligible career in 1992, & then have such a successful pro career! :gclap:

And how about Marai and Adam...:)
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
Honestly I don’t see anything wrong with skaters using upcoming Olympics as motivation to keep on maintaining/upgrading technique and artistry. Whether or not Gracie’s chances at making the Olympic team are realistic isn’t really the point. Even having goals that seem incredulous can help a skater get out of a mental rut and get back to business. Some skaters like Ashley and Mirai have seemed to move on to other things outside of skating and that’s perfectly fine! They were able to find fulfillment in their skating careers and are now taking breaks from their rigid training schedules. But Gracie believes her career hasn’t ended just yet and therefore has decided to start training again. And I completely support her!

The chances that we’ll see skaters like Gracie and Evgenia (who definitely wants to go to Beijing) at the next Olympics are unlikely. But figure skating is so unpredictable and anything can happen. So I just hope that all my favorite skaters can find their own personal fulfillment throughout the rest of their competitive careers.

If the US women's field remains as weak as it is now, I wouldn't count it out, assuming we can somehow get 3 spots.
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
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)

So, if I can dip into another sport for an inspirational story...I was fortunate enough to attend the 2016 Men's Olympic Gymnastics Trials..and I was fortunate enough to sit next to an athlete's mother. The athlete's name was Chris Brooks. He was THIRTY years old. He had been written off by a lot of people..although amongst fellow gymnasts he was greatly admired for his work ethic. It hadn't always been that way. He was always talented but in his earlier years he had not trained as hard as he probably should have. Before Chris' father died Chris made him a promise he would make the Olympic team. He was named an alternate for London. He kept a picture of himself in the stands cheering on the US team as a motivator...never again. Well, 30 year old Chris Brooks would not be denied. He went out and threw down 12 clean rounds at the Olympic Trials. No one else did that. He came in 2nd at the trials. Now, in gymnastics they do not even have to take the winner of the trials unless they meet certain conditions that have never been met, but Sam Miikulak was a lock for the team. There were 5 spaces up for grabs. I was on the edge of my seat..they had to take him. Finally they announced the team (alphabetically)...CHRIS BROOKS! Although unknown to most people, he is extremely popular in the gymnastics community for his work ethic, which is like none other. I thought the roof was going to come off the building. I kept my promise too. You see, I promised his mother I would cheer him on all the way to Rio. And so I did.

Anyhow, Chris Brooks received the honor of being named team captain. The US pretty narrowly missed a team bronze. Chris did well enough to make the all around, but did not medal. It's still such an inspirational story to me. I'm sure he would have loved to win a medal, as who would not? But thousands of athletes go to the Olympics and few medal. By the way, he has the biggest smile! I am going to watch some men's gymnastics in Norman, he's a coach at the University of Oklahoma now!

My point to this very long post...as others have said..you can have a great Olympic experience and not win a medal. Thanks for your tolerance if you got this far!
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
If the US women's field remains as weak as it is now, I wouldn't count it out, assuming we can somehow get 3 spots.

Assuming the team would be Bradie and Mariah, there probably is a chance we could do it this year. The Canadian ladies are much weaker without Kaetlyn, the Russians aren't looking that unbeatable, and Caro could miss out on Worlds. A scenario with Bradie finishing 5th and Mariah 8th actually looks possible.
 

moonvine

All Hail Queen Gracie
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Country
United-States
Assuming the team would be Bradie and Mariah, there probably is a chance we could do it this year. The Canadian ladies are much weaker without Kaetlyn, the Russians aren't looking that unbeatable, and Caro could miss out on Worlds. A scenario with Bradie finishing 5th and Mariah 8th actually looks possible.

A chance, perhaps, but I sure wouldn't put money on it.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
Assuming the team would be Bradie and Mariah, there probably is a chance we could do it this year. The Canadian ladies are much weaker without Kaetlyn, the Russians aren't looking that unbeatable, and Caro could miss out on Worlds. A scenario with Bradie finishing 5th and Mariah 8th actually looks possible.

That's true but it will only be slightly easier. Kaetlyn, Gabby and Carolina are out but Japan has their 3rd spot back and all 3 women are capable of top 5 placements. For the past two years only 2 of the 3 Russians have placed top 10. This year that may change if Alina, Liza T and Sofia (most likely) are there. You've also got Eunsoo Lim who should make the top 10 for Korea.

So that's 3 Japanese, 3 Russians and 1 Korean. Bradie or Mariah will have to be good enough to get by at least 3 skaters in that top 7 to place 5th. It's a tall order but it's doable if they can deliver. Unfortunately, they will likely have to rely on a few slip ups from those 7 in order to have a chance. I don't quite know where the US women would fall in an "all skate clean" scenario.

One or both might be able to beat Sofia (her top score is about 204+ this year)...but I don't see a clean Bradie or Mariah beating a clean Eunsoo or the other Russians or any of the Japanese.
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
That's true but it will only be slightly easier. Kaetlyn, Gabby and Carolina are out but Japan has their 3rd spot back and all 3 women are capable of top 5 placements. For the past two years only 2 of the 3 Russians have placed top 10. This year that may change if Alina, Liza T and Sofia (most likely) are there. You've also got Eunsoo Lim who should make the top 10 for Korea.

So that's 3 Japanese, 3 Russians and 1 Korean. Bradie or Mariah will have to be good enough to get by at least 3 skaters in that top 7 to place 5th. It's a tall order but it's doable if they can deliver. Unfortunately, they will likely have to rely on a few slip ups from those 7 in order to have a chance. I don't quite know where the US women would fall in an "all skate clean" scenario.
.

When has this ever happened?
 
Top