What's up with Morgan Matthews?

[chuckm]

Has anyone considered the possibility that it is Gislason who is refusing to skate for the US, hence the request from Skate Canada for the USFS to release Morgan?

Then why would Leif come to Delaware to audition with Morgan if he had no intention of skating for the US? It's odd for the auditioner to put conditions on a partnership. Morgan is the one with world-class status, not Leif. Morgan had to agree to skate for Canada as well, or there wouldn't have been a request to release her.

I just wonder if the partnership will survive, faced with the fact that if the USFS doesn't release Morgan, they might not be able to skate internationally until 2008-2009 at the earliest, and maybe even not until the Olympic season.

 

[julietvalcouer]

Possibly they want to skate for Canada because the depth of field in the US IS really good right now, and Canada's, not so much. They have V/M, obviously, and D/L will likely retire, but the US has a huge number of teams coming up the pipeline.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Has the USFS tried to pry away O'Mearer from Arizona?

Joe

 

[layman]

It seems to me that Morgan Matthews is caught up in a dispute between the USFS and Skate Canada.

Did relations sour over this one issue (Morgan Matthews switching to Canada) or were relations already bad between the two federations? I fully expect Skate Canada to retaliate by not releasing the next Canadian skater who wants to skate for the US (no more Tanith Belbins in the future).

Other federations might retaliate as well. The Russian federation might cut off the supply of Russian male ice dancers to skate with US females. The Japanese federation may no longer allow Japanese females to pair with US men. I can see this going on and on in a tit for tat situation.

It's sad that an ugly fight between skating federations ends up ruining the careers and lives of individual skaters (who should be free to represent whatever country they want).

 

[dwiggin3]

I had a thought last night while I was trying to hang hinges...this of course, requires me to play the devil's advocate.....No mudslinging!

Maybe is simply economics.

We all know that USFSA business. By the time a skater gets to the level that Ms. Matthews has, a great deal of time and more importantly, money has been invested in her. She has shown promise so why would, from a business standpoint, would USFSA want to allow her to take her talent - much it developed with their money ect, to Canada? If she wished to retire, that would be another story.

Granted, these kinds of exchanges are made all the time but I'm not sure that USFSA could have foreseen that the strength of dance would improve so much so fast that Ms. Matthews at this stage in her career, would not be one of the "top" ladies (by some accounts she may even be considered expendable give all the rising talent). Perhaps Ms. Matthews expected to be farther ahead than she is and feels that skating for Canada where there is less comp. will allow her to progress. In her minds eye, staying with the US might be a bigger gamble then moving over to represent Canada. USFSA on the other hand, from an economic standpoint, has every right to want to reap the benefits of its financial investments.

However, there is also something to be said for letting Ms. Matthews go if she is so unhappy with the US....whatever achievements she had and may still earn while representing the US could be far less than what she could had she been allowed to represent Canada.

Just my few cents worth.

 

[Mathman]

Maybe is simply economics.

We all know that USFSA business. By the time a skater gets to the level that Ms. Matthews has, a great deal of time and more importantly, money has been invested in her. She has shown promise so why would, from a business standpoint, would USFSA want to allow her to take her talent - much it developed with their money ect, to Canada?

OK, I'll bite, LOL.

This is the argument that the former Soviet Union employed to justify the Iron Curtain. The Soviet Government invested a lot of money in the education and training of its scientists, doctors, engineers and poets. If these ingrates then chose to leave, giving another country the benefits of their talents, that's stealing from the Soviet people and they deserve to be shot at the borders.

In the U.S. we have the Fourteenth Ammendment. It may be true that society has an economic stake in the matter, but tough nookies. The rights of the individual to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness utterly trumps this consideration.

When you have to build a wall to keep your people from leaving, something is wrong with the picture. Morgan can move to the South Pole and skate with the penguins if she wants to, and the USFSA can stick it in its ear.

 

[dwiggin3]

Good point mathman! like I said, I was playing devils advocate!

I'm sure she'd have no problem finding ice time at the south pole

 

[SeaniBu]

Morgan can move to the South Pole and skate with the penguins if she wants to, and the USFSA can stick it in its ear.

Oh my gosh, I would be in heaven watching that!

 

[Fred Goss]

I keep having difficulty with the idea that USFS has "invested"
funds in Morgan Mathews career.

If a skater achieves certain things USFS sends them to events
with prize money and results there and at Nationals can lead
to support from the Assn funding...

But the process is open to anyone who is able to achieve those
things, she wasn't "given" anything...she has earned whatever
she received and doesnt, in my view, "owe" USFS anything.

 

[SeaniBu]

...she has earned whatever
she received and doesnt, in my view, "owe" USFS anything.

:agree: ITA, it is not as though the USA has set her up to represent the USA in the Olympics or something, and then she runs around looking and acting like she is supporting Russia or something. She is free to make her decisions. And judging by the reception of skating in Canada, I can't blame her. I am surprised Ben didn't go to Canada to skate with Tanith acutely.

 

[hockeyfan228]

She is free to make her decisions.

In this case, her decision is to quit skating or to sit out as long as the USFS makes her.

From what I've been reading on FSU, it seems to go like this:

a. Post 153: The ISU rules for allow skaters to compete for another country after representing a different country int he past
b. Post 154: The USFS rules for releasing a skater, when another Federation asks for the release.

1. The Canadians asked the USFS for Matthews's release, according to ISU rules.
2. Matthews won a silver at 4C's (ISU championship) in 2005-6, which means that according to the USFS rules, she doesn't qualify for an automatic release.
3. Exceptions go to the USFS Board of Directors.
4. USFS Board of Directors denied her release. (According to the rules, this can be for up to four years after she won a medal at an ISU championship, but there are no reports to say how long this rejection is for.)
5. Someone objected to the decision at the Governing Council.
6. The Governing Council sent it back to the Board of Directors.
7. The Board of Directors tabled discussion.

And judging by the reception of skating in Canada, I can't blame her. I am surprised Ben didn't go to Canada to skate with Tanith acutely.

I've read many items on different boards that said that Agosto's father would not let him skate for another country.

 

[discoduck]

Has the USFS tried to pry away O'Mearer from Arizona?

Joe

Personally I adore Ryan OMeara and I think he is one of the best male dancers in the US. From things I have read though, he's very happy in Arizona and is also working in interior design as well as running the dance program at a club there. I'd love to see him come back but for some reason I can't see him with Morgan.

 

[chuckm]

The USFS has the right to refuse release if the athlete has met any of these conditions in the past 4 years (2003-2004 to 2006-2007):

1. Received Envelope A funding. M/Z were in the "A" Envelope for the 2004-2005 season.

2. Medaled at an ISU Championship (Worlds, Jr Worlds, 4CC). M/Z won bronze at 2004 JW, gold at 2005 JW, and silver at 2006 4CC.

3. Medaled at any Junior or Senior GP event. M/Z won a bronze and a gold at the 2003 JGP, two golds at the 2004 JGP, bronze at the 2003 JGPF and gold at the 2004 JGPF.

Morgan Matthews met all the criteria for release refusal.

 

[Mathman]

The USFS has the right to refuse release if the athlete has met any of these conditions....

This is a "right" arrogated by the USFSA to itself.

In the same way, a bully has a "right" to beat someone up on the playground. Doesn't make it "right."

 

[chuckm]

There is a remedy to this situation: Matthews/Gislason could choose to skate for the US. That would appear to be a better choice than not skating at all internationally until 2010.

By 2010, the competitive situation in Canada could be quite different. D/L could still be in, V/M should have a World medal by then, and Weaver/Poje could be on a huge upward push. Add in now-Junior teams Crone/Poirier and Lenko/Islam, and Matthews/Gislason might find themselves outsiders, competitively.

 

[Mathman]

To me, there is a better remedy. USFS could let Morgan do as she wishes.

 

[hockeyfan228]

The USFS has the right to refuse release if the athlete has met any of these conditions in the past 4 years (2003-2004 to 2006-2007):

1. Received Envelope A funding. M/Z were in the "A" Envelope for the 2004-2005 season.

2. Medaled at an ISU Championship (Worlds, Jr Worlds, 4CC). M/Z won bronze at 2004 JW, gold at 2005 JW, and silver at 2006 4CC.

3. Medaled at any Junior or Senior GP event. M/Z won a bronze and a gold at the 2003 JGP, two golds at the 2004 JGP, bronze at the 2003 JGPF and gold at the 2004 JGPF.

Morgan Matthews met all the criteria for release refusal.

The 4C's silver is the most important of these, because it is the most recent, and it gives the right to USFS to deny her release for three more full seasons.

 

[hockeyfan228]

To me, there is a better remedy. USFS could let Morgan do as she wishes.

ITA.

They'll never get another dime from me if they block her.

 

[chuckm]

Then what happens should Emily Samuelson or Evan Bates or Charlie White decide they'd rather skate for Canada? Should the USFS just say, sure, go ahead?

If that were the case, then Skate Canada should be sending scouts to all the major US training centers, looking to recruit talented US ladies for Canada's Ladies and Pairs teams. They'd be foolish not to, if the USFS made it so easy to pirate skaters.

 

[backoutsideedge]

If that were the case, then Skate Canada should be sending scouts to all the major US training centers, looking to recruit talented US ladies for Canada's Ladies and Pairs teams. They'd be foolish not to, if the USFS made it so easy to pirate skaters.

Is that what the US did with all their Russian skaters? Did they go to Moscow and St. Pete scouting for Peter T., Sur, etc.