Well, this article surprises me because, as I've said in several threads, I had guessed Kimmie's problems were primarily physical, due to growth/body changes.
Also, I remember how calm and nonplussed she seemed in interview after her nationals short program this year. She talked about having been in the position of having made a mistake/fallen before, and knowing how to handle that for the long program. That comment doesn't really jibe to me with her now saying the issue all along was that she felt a lot of pressure to always be perfect every time she stepped on the ice.
And, unfortunately, she's had many performances the last two years which were far from perfect. It would be so nice if she'd already allowed herself to accept that perfection isn't possible, but I can see where she could have gotten in a downward spiral psychologically as she kept having subpar performances.
But I will always wonder, as with many issues with athletes, how much of the full story we're getting ...
Regardless, I've been a Kimmie fan since before she won Worlds and I would love to see her come back strong. It's been done before, and recently, too, if you think of Arakawa, Ando, and others.
Whatever her issues, I hope she finds what she needs from the Callaghan team. I also respect her for almost always having a positive "game face" on as far as her public statements go -- I'm sure she knows full well what she's up against, but I think it's always important to have an assertive mental attitude.
