It should be noted that during this time period, there was A LOT going on with Gracie’s family (most notably her father’s legal issues) that could have led her to keep her own struggles hidden so as to not add to the stress. And through part of this she also was “befriended” by Taylor Swift’s squad of celebs & supermodels; also a lot of pressure to maintain a certain persona/look for them. So, though the skating world has certainly played a large role in Gracie’s struggles, it very likely can’t be the only villain.
2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating
- Thread starter MarinHondas
- Start date
It should be noted that during this time period, there was A LOT going on with Gracie’s family (most notably her father’s legal issues) that could have led her to keep her own struggles hidden so as to not add to the stress. And through part of this she also was “befriended” by Taylor Swift’s squad of celebs & supermodels; also a lot of pressure to maintain a certain persona/look for them. So, though the skating world has certainly played a large role in Gracie’s struggles, it very likely can’t be the only villain.
/facepalm/ Oh, god... As if skating world pressures weren't enough.
A book. Or a major motion picture. With Gracie playing a character loosely based on herself. I'd watch it.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
Yes ... and my point is that a person keeping struggles well-hidden from family perhaps also would be keeping them well-hidden from others in her daily life.
(Other than the laxative use, I do not think we know what Gracie was readily sharing.)
Agree with your conclusion.
(As to Gracie's friendship with Taylor Swift, I will just say that I do not have quite the same thoughts as you.)
ETA:
At this point, I do want to be as supportive of Gracie as I can.
Bur I am struck by her wording of, "There was the side that the world wanted to see."
That side also was a side (perhaps not the only side) that Gracie herself *wanted* the world to see. She presented herself to the world as "a girl who had it all" -- talent, drive, popularity, etc.
Bur I am struck by her wording of, "There was the side that the world wanted to see."
That side also was a side (perhaps not the only side) that Gracie herself *wanted* the world to see. She presented herself to the world as "a girl who had it all" -- talent, drive, popularity, etc.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
U.S. skaters did compete in junior ladies at Golden Spin:
Starr Andrews placed second.
In her international debut, Elsa Cheng placed fourth.
Thank you. :agree:
I am not pointing fingers of blame at *anyone,* but will just say that I find it odd that in speculations on GS as to who "should-have"/"could-have"/did notice and/or act upon signals of Gracie's struggles, her own family rarely gets mentioned. (Although mentions of coaches and USFS officials are numerous.)
AFAIK, in California, Gracie lived with her mother and sister. Until Carly's retirement in summer 2016, the twins also were training mates.
It is VERY easy for girls/young women (not just Olympic figure skating athletes, but any girl) to hide not eating/overexercising/laxative use/whatever from families, especially these days with most people not eating dinner together as a family. There’s hiding food to discard later, pushing it around your plate, sneaking it to the dog, flushing it and if it’s absolutely necessary to ingest something expelling it as soon as possible. Layers and layers of clothes can disguise weight loss for a very long time. Once you’re on your own forget it. These horrible “pro ana” websites/spaces allow them to share info readily and with speed that was impossible before the Internet.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
Who would want the world to see them in a negative light? Most people are going to present themselves as well as they can for as long as they can. When you’re one of the top figure skaters in the world, that’s going to be a lot longer than that nice bookish girl at the local high school. What makes me love her even more, if that were remotely possible, is her candor and willingness to speak publicly about it. Most people wouldn’t do that.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
I knew that Adam often went days eating nothing but a slice of bread and all the apples he could find at his gym, but I didn't know he was allergic to apples too. Poor Adam.
https://www.insider.com/adam-rippon-money-lessons-stole-apples-2018-3
Yes, and then if one expresses concern, over what looks like extreme thinness, one is accused of body-shaming. Like on this board.
It's serious stuff. I just met a girl (a teen, very short and small framed) who looks very thin, but who actually gained dozens of pounds after a life-saving intervention and a disordered eating camp. It's hard to imagine she was much thinner than she is now.
People can die like that.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
But that's the thing: Gracie and other skaters who have shown candor about difficulties generally *do* get a lot of support from "the world," IMO. [And I think it is great for them to receive support, of course.
]As of a few years ago, Gracie wanted the world to see her as "a girl who had it all."
She aided and abetted that perception.
I do not like that the wording of her introductory comments makes it sound (IMO) as if "the world" previously was not interested in her reality. I do not think that is true. If Gracie had shared more of her reality as it was unfolding before, during, and after the 2014 Olympics, I think she would have received a lot of support from fans back then.
(I am not criticizing her for not sharing more of her reality back then -- whether to share or not to share was her choice to make.)
As I said before, I do want to be as supportive as possible of Gracie, so I will try to leave it there.
Aided and abetted? She was a child. She still may be.
In a way, many of these skaters (with some notable exceptions, thanks to parents probably) remain mentally as children rather than adults. I've just read an interview by Eteri, where she says that even Voronov (at 30) was still like a child in many ways, not prepared for the adult world. I believe her.
The top elite athletes are so very well developed in some ways, but can really lag in others, and show some spectacular naivete.
This is why I wondered who was near Gracie. This is also why I'm not sure I wholeheartedly support her motivation to come back to skating. (If she still doesn't see anything but skating in her life, that's not healthy, long-term.)
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
I stand by "aided and abetted," although I also understand what you are saying about "still may be" a child.
Before 2014 OWG, Gracie was not too much of a child to willingly appear on the Tonight Show all glammed up or on the cover of Sports Illustrated, for example.
I say "willingly," because my opinion (just my opinion) is that if she had it to do over again, I think she still would have accepted those opportunities at that age.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2009
Sponsors don't want to be seen as being pro-anorexia, pro-bulimia, pro-laxatives. If 2014 Gracie were honest with her eating disorder and the USFSA, Frank Carroll, coaching team, nutritionist, drug testing officials were honest about their non-nonchalance and indifference, then you can bet that CoverGirl, Visa, United, etc. would run for the hills. Especially during an Olympic year and a media firestorm about Russian doping, it would've been a nightmare.
Fan support is nice and all, but money is important. Gracie's family probably wouldn't let her subsist on gym apples, but finances is hard in this sport.
Fan support is nice and all, but money is important. Gracie's family probably wouldn't let her subsist on gym apples, but finances is hard in this sport.
Accepting those opportunities has little to do with lack of introspection or incapacity to put boundaries to external pressures. Her phrasing of "the world wanted" (as if Gracie obediently followed the world's desires) sounds childlike.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2014
It sounds like she is still working through these struggles and trying to make peace with them. Unlike the NY Times piece, I wasn't sure what her goal was with this feature. To hold people in USFSA accountable for not intervening sooner? To show that she's moved on? At least for me, the message got lost and it's clear that there are some important elements to the story that are missing.
I thought the point was acceptance (for herself primarily, making peace with it), as well as setting up a comeback story.
It's pretty smart, even if she retires after Nationals. Set up a story, come and do it, then move on and use publicity.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
I don’t think that’s her intention. Guess we will see.
What's your read on it?
I don't think it's far fetched to say this video is part of a bigger set-up for sponsorships. She hasn't posted any other articles or interviews she has done on social media, but this one was featured on her instagram. We saw sneak peaks of promos she is doing with the company Julep, who used to sponsor her.
As far as bad actors, I think we have learned just in the past few months that the skating world is full of bad actors, including the skaters themselves. I don't think any group of people can be entirely blamed. Even things that seem innocent, can cause harm. For example, I was really put off by her costume designer posting on instagram about Gracie's rapid weight loss between regionals and sectionals. Maybe Brad meant no harm, but that is totally inappropriate and kind of alarming. Obviously, these are all just my opinions. I don't know her or anyone on her team and I can only comment from the outside looking in.
At the end of the day, I just hope this comeback is managed in a way that isn't destructive. If Gracie genuinely wants to come back, I hope she does, but I hope it isn't at the expense of having a full and healthy life after skating.
As far as bad actors, I think we have learned just in the past few months that the skating world is full of bad actors, including the skaters themselves. I don't think any group of people can be entirely blamed. Even things that seem innocent, can cause harm. For example, I was really put off by her costume designer posting on instagram about Gracie's rapid weight loss between regionals and sectionals. Maybe Brad meant no harm, but that is totally inappropriate and kind of alarming. Obviously, these are all just my opinions. I don't know her or anyone on her team and I can only comment from the outside looking in.
At the end of the day, I just hope this comeback is managed in a way that isn't destructive. If Gracie genuinely wants to come back, I hope she does, but I hope it isn't at the expense of having a full and healthy life after skating.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2016
I very much agree.
I'd love to see her continue to skate, but only if it's something that brings her happiness and can be done in a healthy way. Whenever she chooses to leave skating, I hope she feels she can make peace with her career and move into whatever her next phase of life will be.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2016
Gracie herself said she is sharing her story in hopes it helps others. Shedding a light on something other girls could be struggling with in the skating community might give them the strength to open up to those around them. I don't know why anyone wants to read anything differently into this. It is a good thing for stories like hers to come to light because it really can help young struggling athletes to see someone as prolific as her has struggled as well. I don't think she has some odd motive or thing she's trying to accomplish, she's just sharing her story as she wants to. It shows she has come to terms with a lot of what happened.
She's also shown maturity in how she presents it and how she doesn't blame people. Because it seems like she was questioned about things at that time and she admitted she wasn't forthcoming. People struggling from mental illness or addictions often do shrug aside help when help is offered. It doesn't mean no one noticed or no tried to check in on what was going on. She likely presented herself on the outside much differently from what was going on inside. She's not telling her story to blame anyone, she's telling it because it happened and she has stated before she hopes that it can help with the stigma of mental health issues in sports.
She's also shown maturity in how she presents it and how she doesn't blame people. Because it seems like she was questioned about things at that time and she admitted she wasn't forthcoming. People struggling from mental illness or addictions often do shrug aside help when help is offered. It doesn't mean no one noticed or no tried to check in on what was going on. She likely presented herself on the outside much differently from what was going on inside. She's not telling her story to blame anyone, she's telling it because it happened and she has stated before she hopes that it can help with the stigma of mental health issues in sports.
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2014
Exactly - she acknowledges that it was also her actions, not just those around her.
