- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
Is it a proven fact that Gracie's coaching/choreographer changes to Carroll/Nichol played a role in her moving into World medal contention that staying with he previous coaches/choreographers never could have done? And how do you know or why do you think that leaving Gambill will do Karen any good?I think we as fans have a tendency to pin our hopes on/get excited about the people with the raw talent and natural qualities like Gracie and Karen, even if time and again they let us down. Those two have higher ceilings and more potential than, say, skaters like Ashley and Polina.
But Karen is in a different boat than Ashley also in that she's been with the same coach for a long time and she obviously hasn't decided to seek a new situation with a more experienced, elite coach who might bring more stability to her skating. She hasn't worked with any well-known choreographers. She shouldn't wait until it's too late to get to that next level with her skating. Gracie, too, ended up making the move to that elite level, in part by moving to Frank and Lori. Although it may not have made her more consistent in the long run or improved her nerves, it's put her in World medal contention and won her National championships and gotten her to the GPF. OTOH, someone like Polina Edmunds arguably lost the National championships because her skating/programs didn't match Gracie's world class level. If Karen wants to move her career forward, she probably needs a change to a coach who has trained champions.
Regarding the question of Ashley's consistency/lack thereof - she's as consistent or more consistent than any other current lady over the age of 20.