State of American Ladies: 2013-14 Season

[FlattFan]

I said it was like a Surya Bonaly program, but without the Surya flair. A massive fail. Who choreographed this catastrophe?
Just pick Rach for SP, Scheherazade for the LP, or Carmen or Phantom or whatever generic programs that aren't poo poo offensive.

 

[GGoldberg]

The way skaters are simply repeating music and choosing war horse after war horse, it almost seems like it doesn't matter any more. I wouldn't see it as all that complicated for them to rumage through programs with music that she is comfortable with from the past, and slap together another Short program where she can simply comfortably nail all her jumps and mask her need for further artistic development.

 

[kwanatic]

I finally got around to watching all of the ladies.

Courtney wasn't terrible, I must say. She has reined in some of her all-over-the-place style and that makes her skating a lot less jarring to watch. She had yet another strong FS. I wonder if the USFSA is kicking themselves for not giving her a GP this season?

I'll be blunt: Gracie's programs are garbage. Yes, the SP is as bad as everyone said it is and the fact that she calls her FS a portrayal of a "power witch" is laughable. IDK what they were trying to accomplish but this pair of programs is a big ol' FAIL. It is possible to salvage some of the FS (though I hate the music, choreography and dress...all of it is wrong for Gracie's style) but that SP needs to be scrapped completely. She should go back to last season's SP if they can't get something else before GP time. This current one is terrible. And those PCS...*sigh* SMH. No clue which programs they were watching but other than SS, all of Gracie's PCS should have be in line with Courtney. Other than Gracie's speed she is not better than anyone else in any area: not CH, not IN, no PE, not even TR...this is especially true when her jumps are MIA.

I really enjoyed both of Samantha's programs. I enjoyed her SP and that Carmen was probably the best Carmen FS I've seen in years. I absolutely loved it! Kudos to whoever choreographed that.

Agnes is disappointing as usual...I really liked Amelie's FS but too bad about the jumps.

Overall, a disappointing competition. Good job to Courtney and Samantha for their FS. Back to the drawing board for Gracie.

 

[Selene]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-spt-0916-skate-20130916,0,4380303.column

Phil Hersh wrote a new article about Gracie's coaching situation, and it seems even more like a hot mess. She sees herself traveling back and forth between Canton and Los Angeles, and she doesn't know where her base will be. So, it doesn't sound as if she has any intention of changing those two horrible programs if she is sticking with the coaches who choreographed them.

Frank does not seem that excited about taking her on; it's almost as if the USFSA is pressuring him to do it. He said that she needs to be settled somewhere where she has one voice, and that it didn't necessarily have to be with him.

Her season is setting out to be a disaster with this coaching uncertainty. I can't believe she thinks Frank is going to agree to this situation of her having a whole other coaching team in Canton, and also being forced to work with her sister as well. She sounds like someone whose ego has become too big for her own good.

 

[aftertherain]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-spt-0916-skate-20130916,0,4380303.column

Phil Hersh wrote a new article about Gracie's coaching situation, and it seems even more like a hot mess. She sees herself traveling back and forth between Canton and Los Angeles, and she doesn't know where her base will be. So, it doesn't sound like she has any intention of changing those two horrible programs if she is sticking with the coaches who choreographed them.

Frank does not seem that excited about taking her on; it's almost as if the USFSA is pressuring him to do it. This is what he said about her:



Her season is setting out to be a disaster with this coaching uncertainty. I can't believe she thinks Frank is going to agree to this situation of her having a whole other coaching team in Canton, and also being forced to work with her sister as well. She sounds like someone whose ego has become to big for her own good.

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Shifting herself between LA and her old training place doesn't seem smart. These are not two cities in Southern California. These are two cities in different states.

On opposite sides of the country.

 

[MoonlightSkater]

I've actually thought for years that the preludes Gracie is skating to could make good music for someone. The problem is not the preludes themselves, but the specific recordings and the cut of the music. The cut is especially bad, and the choreography is very hit or miss. There are some good moments in the choreography, but then there's that spot where she stops skating to hop around. I think it's rather a mixed bag, and the music needs (desperately) to be re-cut, but some of it might be salvaged.

 

[demitasse]

Frank does not seem that excited about taking her on; it's almost as if the USFSA is pressuring him to do it. He said that she needs to be settled somewhere where she has one voice, and that it didn't necessarily have to be with him.

Her season is setting out to be a disaster with this coaching uncertainty. I can't believe she thinks Frank is going to agree to this situation of her having a whole other coaching team in Canton, and also being forced to work with her sister as well. She sounds like someone whose ego has become too big for her own good.

I generally avoid ~Shadowy (skating) Feds~ conspiracy theories but this situation is so perplexing to me that I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't a genuine possibility? Neither student nor teacher seems particularly enthusiastic about the other (one imagines that if Gracie really, really wanted Frank as her coach she would, well, have him as her coach by now instead of remaining in this bizarrely nebulous coaching situation).

 

[mskater93]

I expect she's being cautious in her approach to changing (a week long tryout and not really saying where she'll land) to ensure she's not changing just to get away from a situation that's not working and Frank hasn't been real excited about anything at all since Kwan left.

 

[Mathman]

^ He wasn't excited about Lysacek? Well, people do mellow with age. :yes:

 

[NYscorp6]

^ He wasn't excited about Lysacek? Well, people do mellow with age. :yes:

Perhaps, seems to me Frank is only concerned with Frank.

 

[mskater93]

^ He wasn't excited about Lysacek? Well, people do mellow with age. :yes:

Not when he first moved out there, no, not really.

 

[Icey]

If the USFSA is involved in this, it is regrettable. They should not be advising skaters to leave a coach, especially one who has had the success Alex has had with her. If she was stressed out before, she certainly must really be stressed out now. Frank is no miracle worker and he certainly is not going to be able to achieve much between now and the Olympics. Frank has coached 21 skaters during his career and only 3 of those have won gold medals at worlds (3) or the Olympics (1). So Alex yelled at her. That is a problem that could have been easily solved. Her parents could have told him he had to stop that if she couldn't. She might not get yelling from Frank, but she will get the cold shoulder if she doesn't achieve.

 

[mskater93]

^^^^
What if Alex HAD been advised to act differently from Gracie and her family but the situation didn't change? You make it sound so simple...

 

[ucrgirl]

Probably one of the reasons Frank initially said "no" is that he already had Lysechek and D. Ten. My guess is that he had his hands full and had to be convinced to take on 2 more skaters.

 

[mskater93]

Now it appears Lysacek is probably out of the picture.

 

[Icey]

^^^^
What if Alex HAD been advised to act differently from Gracie and her family but the situation didn't change? You make it sound so simple...

Well, if it didn't change, then fire him on the first incidence of bad behavior. May not be simple, but is what she is going through now simple. I don't think so And it's all out there for the whole skating world to see, including judges.

 

[aftertherain]

Well, if it didn't change, then fire him on the first incidence of bad behavior. May not be simple, but is what she is going through now simple. I don't think so And it's all out there for the whole skating world to see, including judges.

Well, we'll see if Frank is beside her at Skate Canada.

 

[ice coverage]

Well, if it didn't change, then fire him on the first incidence of bad behavior. May not be simple, but is what she is going through now simple. I don't think so And it's all out there for the whole skating world to see, including judges.

It is within the realm of possibility that the sequence of steps that you propose in fact already took place before Gold's departure from Alex O was announced to the public.
We have absolutely no way of knowing what already had and had not transpired.

 

[Mrs. P]

Well, if it didn't change, then fire him on the first incidence of bad behavior. May not be simple, but is what she is going through now simple. I don't think so And it's all out there for the whole skating world to see, including judges.

Well, the whole situation wouldn't have been out in the open if a certain catty duo *ahem TSL ahem* tweeted about several weeks ago and then carelessly tweeted all this "Hope Frank Carroll fixes this for Gracie" teaser tweets during SLC Senior B.

I don't think either choice is simple, but what can you do? You figure out which one will have the best short- and long-term prospects. Also "firing" someone isn't as simple as you think either -- chances are there were bills to settle. One only has to look at the Canton situation from last season to see that at play. Igor is a richer man because the Canton folks fired him without going through the proper protocol.

You have to be careful and make sure you have just cause before firing someone.

It is within the realm of possibility that the sequence of steps that you propose in fact already took place before Gold's departure from Alex O was announced to the public.
We have absolutely no way of knowing what already had and had not transpired.

Exactly.

 

[mskater93]

Actually, coaching situation changes are much simpler than "firing" (and in some states, firing is fairly simple since it's "at will employment"). You inform the coach you wish to discontinue working with them as of X date and that you will now be working with coach Y (if you already know) or that you will be searching for a new coach. Then you make sure your bills are settled. Then you are done. Then you have a trial with your preferred new coach(es) then you decide. Period. Very simple in theory. Of course, there's the usual emotion and angst which surrounds these kinds of things, but still, not the same as firing. The new coach(es) will contact the previous coach to ensure the student has informed him/her and that they are current on bills. This is how the PSA by-laws are written.

TSL put everything out in public to no fault of Gracie, Alex, or Frank (as far as we know) before this was a done deal and aired the "process laundry" which was inappropriate in some respects.