2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating

[NAOTMAA]

My personal conflict over Gracie's Rostelecom participation is more about her WD before the long then her complete unpreparedness. I understand mentally it probably was for the best but it still left a real bad taste. I wouldn't feel as conflicted if she had skated both segments with all the determination she had even if she fell on everything.

Not completely the same but I totally admire Irina Slutskaya at worlds 2004, going in completely out of the game, but still gritting her teeth and fighting. She really went for it and tried her best from start to finish and after coming back from a major illness it was total personal triumph and inspiration :clapper: I wish Gracie could have done the same but I understand

 

[oatmella]

Karen withdrew quite late from Rostelecom and wasn’t replaced. From what we saw at Taliinn, I think she would likely have known she wouldn’t be ready for that competition.
Only 9 ladies ended up skating both SP sand FS there - other skaters could have had the opportunity to compete there.

 

[frida80]

Darn it, i started this argument again!

 

[eaglehelang]

Is this in figure skating? Because otherwise that’s a whole another discussion.

I mean Kurt Browning never even medaled in the Olympics and he’s a freaking icon not just in skating but in Canada in general. Not having the OGM did not hinder his legacy at all.

If they are representing my country yes, in ALL sports. Results speak. Winning an OGM sets the athlete for life. OG silver & bronze, World titles, ok.
Kurt Browning is from North America &from a skating country. With due respect to his work & charisma, if Kurt Browning represented my country, his 'position' as a 4X World Champion will be lower than the 3X OG silver (or WC champ + 1X OG silver)

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I am one of Gracie's biggest fans but, I agree with this comment. I would have been perfectly fine with Gracie saying....."I'm not quite ready to come back at this time and I'd like to wish my replacement the best of luck." You don't suddenly NOT have your jumps unless you're injured. I understand the comeback rule but, it should be used wisely. I almost feel like a skater using this rule should be evaluated before getting a GP that a more deserving skater should have gotten. As a US skater, I wouldn't mind her being given a spot at Nationals but internationally, is where I have a problem.

I'm starting to lean this direction, too. I understood the need to go there, get the first program in a long time out of the way, and get a bye to Nationals. As time has passed, I think those are not valid enough reasons. In addition to someone else not getting the spot, Gracie's SP score (37.51) was almost 10 points lower than the next lowest SP (46.99) of the entire GP series this season. She isn't ready for a big event yet. It's crazy to me that her team thinks that someone who can't do a 2A two months before Nationals deserves a bye to that event. It's nothing personal against Gracie, but there is a certain level that is expected at these big competitions and her form isn't there yet.

 

[oatmella]

I don’t know about Gracie’s team - hope those rumors the TSL guys mentioned are not true. It turns out she didn’t even need to go to Rostelecom Cup to get the bye to Nationals - but no idea how far before the event she was informed of this.

Gracie getting a bye to Nationals doesn’t bother me though - as I think this is the only year it will be happening without her needing to be qualified for the event.

 

[MarinHondas]

I'd say the scores were rather inflated. It isn't usual to see 40% of the ladies in an non-championship international event getting scores over 100.

Maybe.... but I think judges like Ting in general. I mean her JGP short was the only 70+ one ever from a non-Eteri junior. She hits lots of bullets in her jumps when she lands them, has good skating skills, lines, musicality. The only thing to pick on is inconsistency and if we are getting extra picky, knee bend.

 

[mrrice]

Now that the Tallinn Event is over. Are our ladies done competing until Nationals? None are them are in the final, right?

 

[frida80]

Now that the Tallinn Event is over. Are our ladies done competing until Nationals? None are them are in the final, right?

Bradie, Mariah and Meagan are on the schedule for Golden Spin. Sometimes top skaters drop out to focus on nationals. We will see.

 

[mrrice]

Bradie, Mariah and Meagan are on the schedule for Golden Spin. Sometimes top skaters drop out to focus on nationals. We will see.

Thank you Frida.....You always come through....

 

[Seren]

Gracie DID steal a spot! There is a large difference between simply having a “bad skate” and being completely unprepared to compete at anything resembling a GP level. I applaud her decision to seek a spot under the “comeback” rule, but am appalled that she didn’t WD in time for a sub to replace her. She absolutely had to have known that she wasn’t close to ready.

No. You can dislike the rules all you want, take that up with the ISU. She did not 'steal' anything.

Whether or not she should have withdrawn is an entirely different question.

 

[Ducky]

If I may ask, where did you read it? I wouldn't have guessed nearly that high, but if it's true, I'm glad. Ashley's earned her own way in many ways: financially independent from her parents at age 18; never was "gifted" anything by US fed. She had to earn everything she ever got.

But my "grain of salt" skepticism kicks in a little too. That could be a fiction created by ... whomever.

Personal net worth is kind of a fantasy number anyway as it takes into account things like endorsement deals that haven't come to fruition or stock options that haven't been cashed (and which if you were to sell might decrease the option and thus your net worth) in addition to actual assets like property. But for the last four years she's had a lot of major endorsement deals and ad campaigns so that number isn't too surprising. FWIW I found the $4 million number quoted here.

 

[Shani]

For those 3 ladies that's okay. I am a little sad Karen Chen didn't stay the course this time as dropping from those Grand prix events and withdrawing from this one half way through gives her no bonus points with US Figure Skating and sadly no chance at Worlds even if they were to send her. Gracie is different and we will see how she is if she competes at Nationals.

 

[Moxiejan]

No. You can dislike the rules all you want, take that up with the ISU. She did not 'steal' anything. Whether or not she should have withdrawn is an entirely different question.

As I stated, the “steal” wasn’t when she used the rules to get the spot; she obviously was eligible for it. It was when she didn’t WD before the event.

 

[mrrice]

As I stated, the “steal” wasn’t when she used the rules to get the spot; she obviously was eligible for it. It was when she didn’t WD before the event.

This is exactly right.....Look, I'm all for following rules but.....Gracie and her team had to have known that she was not prepared for this event. IMO, she should have withdrawn and given her spot to a prepared skater. It doesn't benefit Gracie in any way to go out and perform the way she did. IMO, the committee should make ANY skater using the comeback rule perform a test skate to evaluate their readiness. I love her but she didn't perform well in any facet when it comes to skating at an international level. That's the last I'm going to say about this.

 

[LiamForeman]

Gracie DID steal a spot! There is a large difference between simply having a “bad skate” and being completely unprepared to compete at anything resembling a GP level. I applaud her decision to seek a spot under the “comeback” rule, but am appalled that she didn’t WD in time for a sub to replace her. She absolutely had to have known that she wasn’t close to ready.

THIS. I was shocked to see her new form to be honest. I was even more shocked that her competitive skating abilities were not even in sight. I don't know who is to blame. Her coaches? I understand her "process" to come back to skating, and that she is doing this for Gracie and no one else. I was extremely annoyed that she (whether pushed by her coaches or some other force) would take a spot which another American or other, go and bomb the SP, and then w/d due to her mental health. Who the heck is her therapist? And really, I know she is recovering from serious health issues, but she was extremely selfish to go and bomb and then w/d. I want to see her back and skating with joy. I don't care if she falls on everything, but I feel she either manipulated the 'system' or her coaches or whoever did. To have her get a GP and do what she did is atrocious. (I'm not a hater, I want her success and happiness more than anyone, but this was irresponsible.)

 

[SnowWhite]

Personal net worth is kind of a fantasy number anyway as it takes into account things like endorsement deals that haven't come to fruition or stock options that haven't been cashed (and which if you were to sell might decrease the option and thus your net worth) in addition to actual assets like property. But for the last four years she's had a lot of major endorsement deals and ad campaigns so that number isn't too surprising. FWIW I found the $4 million number quoted here.

Don't think I'd trust that source a whole lot, since they have her country listed as Germany and all.

 

[NanaPat]

Personal net worth is kind of a fantasy number anyway as it takes into account things like endorsement deals that haven't come to fruition or stock options that haven't been cashed (and which if you were to sell might decrease the option and thus your net worth) in addition to actual assets like property. But for the last four years she's had a lot of major endorsement deals and ad campaigns so that number isn't too surprising. FWIW I found the $4 million number quoted here.

That article lists Ashley as Ashley Wagner Germany . so I have doubts about the depth of their research.

I think the authors of this article didn't just make stuff up. They say that "The earning details were taken from trusted sources such as (The Sun, The Richest, TSM Play, The Celebrities Net Worth, & Forbes Magazine)." And those "trusted sources" pretty much just make stuff up.

Also, they are using two different terms: "career earnings" and "net worth" for the same numbers. Unless you don't pay taxes or spend any money, your net worth is usually less than your career earnings.

 

[NAOTMAA]

All this talk about "being prepared and ready" first with Gracie and now with Karen I really wonder where the coaches and officials are and what they're thinking. I mean I thought when you send an athlete to a competition you send the ones who are ready to go out there and perform for whatever the duration/requirements of the competition may be. You don't send them so they can personally test things out for themselves. That's not what competition is about. I know things happen and sometimes you have to withdraw midway but those people don't go only fourty, fifty, sixty, seventy whatever percent ready to start with, they go fully committed. I understand a country with not many options but surely the US, despite how mixed things appear, is not one of those.

 

[moonvine]

I'm inclined to leave the "American lady of the last decade" title vacant. Nobody has ever stepped up to fill the shoes of Michelle Kwan, and figure skating fandom in America has suffered greatly as a result.

I wish the media and everyone else would quit looking for the "next Michelle Kwan" and just look for the next American lady star skater.