I'm sorry to see Conrad moving on. I'm sure he'll be fine and successful on his new life path.

But I also feel that he had a lot of untapped potential as a skater. He had improved a great deal under Ravi Walia. He was almost there, and then one mistake when he gets the 2023 Worlds opportunity and he doesn't make the cut. He skated very well, too, with a quad. But one mistake cost him.

Conrad had the ability to score in mid-to-high 80s in the sp, so that was a difficult result to swallow when the opportunities are so few and far between. Luck is such a huge factor.
So many skaters have to reassess when they don't see enough forward progress or votes of confidence from judges and their federation. Kristina Bland & Matthew Sperry are another example. They were a very good ice dance team, but were kept in the middle of the pack every year in juniors, despite having a top coach in Shpilband. When goals are not reached, other options and interests beckon because the sport is too expensive an investment. There's no chance to fully develop when expectations are high, roadblocks are higher, and the chances to make progress and succeed at the top are few. It is especially hard when promising skaters are not treated with sufficient nurturing and patience.
The ISU doesn't seem to care, not with the limited fields and brutal cuts they make at Worlds. There needs to be other ways explored to increase competitive opportunities and to provide beneficial pathways to success for skaters.