The camera cutting to Max after Jason's scores came up in 2014 and watching those big dark eyes just...shatter. And then he pinned a smile on his face and gave Jason a thumbs-up even though he was breaking apart inside.
But worse was this year. There was not even a pinned-on-smile this year. Only sheer devastation as he desperately tried not to fall to pieces on national TV. And then one of the sweetest, nicest, most sportsmanlike, talented young men to have skated for the US left the sport without an Olympic ring, and now everyone's forgetting him.
Actually, that might be the worst. People rushing to forget him. USFS tweeting a montage and all kinds of stuff for Rippon's retirement, but Max - Max who saved their blushes at Worlds because their one of those "only worthwhile skater" kids couldn't do the job - Max just got a tweet. No montages, no widespread media coverage, nada.
Herma Szabo losing the '27 Worlds in a controversial judging by Norwegian judges to Henie. She retired after that.
Evgenia at the Olympics. It was so evident that that girl gave every single fibre of her being and her soul to that performance. Her reaction in the Kiss and Cry saying that she gave it everything was the most heartbreaking. I can't even think about watching that again because my heart breaks even when I think about it.
To me it has to be seeing Evgenia cry after the scores were shown at the Olympics. I was happy for Alina but my heart literally broke for Zhenya...
Herma Szabo losing the '27 Worlds in a controversial judging by Norwegian judges to Henie. She retired after that.
Herma Szabo losing the '27 Worlds in a controversial judging by Norwegian judges to Henie. She retired after that.