I only saw Ross in 2011. It was his Casablanca LP and he performed it so well. Other than his final nationals, he was never truly in the hunt.As for Mirai and Adam, US Nats is not an Olympic trials. It is US Nats.
Ross Miner was never going to the Olympics, no matter what he did at Nats, based on his highly inconsistent senior career. Adam was the natural selection based on his Nats results and his season.
The bigger surprise was Jason Brown's meltdown. Jason had finished higher than Adam in their few head to head competitions prior to that point. All Jason had to do was podium, or even finish fourth, and he would have been selected for the US team. But he didn't. Although I would have loved to see him selected, I certainly couldn't argue with the choice.
And it actually turned out wonderfully for both skaters. Adam has since gone on to a more broad based career that takes advantage of his natural wit and his advocacy. Jason skated for four more years (had he made the 2018 Olys, I doubt he would have), found a new passion for skating and gifted us with some incredible programs.
Win/Win.
As for Mirai and Adam, US Nats is not an Olympic trials. It is US Nats.
Ross Miner was never going to the Olympics, no matter what he did at Nats, based on his highly inconsistent senior career. Adam was the natural selection based on his Nats results and his season.
The bigger surprise was Jason Brown's meltdown. Jason had finished higher than Adam in their few head to head competitions prior to that point. All Jason had to do was podium, or even finish fourth, and he would have been selected for the US team. But he didn't. Although I would have loved to see him selected, I certainly couldn't argue with the choice.
And it actually turned out wonderfully for both skaters. Adam has since gone on to a more broad based career that takes advantage of his natural wit and his advocacy. Jason skated for four more years (had he made the 2018 Olys, I doubt he would have), found a new passion for skating and gifted us with some incredible programs.
Win/Win.
Me too! I was trying to not expect too much, especially when pandemic happened just after she gained some momentum and was supposed to compete at Worlds (finishing 2nd at 2019 Japan Nationals). But then she landed her 3A in a GP series. But then Rika Kihira wasn't able to return from injury. But then.... let's just say I cried boatloads when she finished her FS at 2021 Japan Nationals. There was one chance and she made it count.
The moment Rika was confirmed to not compete at 2021 Japan Nationals, I knew Hamada was going to have one Japanese girl at the Olympics and it's going to be Mana (I noticed it since Mana was the substitute for all of Rika's GP withdrawals). It would be embarrassing if Hamada went to the Olympics without any Japanese skater (she was Young's and Vincent's coach).
The USFSA snuck up on us over the years. They gradually and subtly changed the criteria for selection to the Olympic team over about a decade and did so withoiut much publicity. Fans had gotten used to the "first three at Nationals go, period" formula, so when the USFSA decided that npoe, thet's not the way it is anymore, many were unprepared for the change. The fact is that the system under which Mirai and Ashley were evaluated in 2014 absolutley required that Ashley get the nod -- she had checked the required boxes (in terms of international ressults, etc.) and Mirai had not.
Perhaps but I recall just recently for Beijing a long thread about Ilia not being selected... I would expect the unawareness would wear off at some point if that was the main factor
