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She partially tore the quad muscle in her landing leg. Wagner rated the initial pain as a seven out of 10. It lessened, but it would bother her for two months.
Wagner had the performance of her life at worlds, ending a 10-year U.S. women’s medal drought by taking silver.
“You’re going into a jump, and you just know it’s going to hurt,” Wagner remembered. “There’s a lot of anxiety that comes with an injury like that, but you have to turn your head off at that point.”
Wagner chose not to discuss the injury in interviews before or right after worlds. She did reportedly mention it at Skate America six months later.
“I didn’t want that to be the story [at worlds],” Wagner said. “I was already mentally dealing with so much. The last thing that I wanted to see was a reminder of my injury left and right.”
“The only reason why I signed on for four more years in the sport is because I think I’m capable of getting an individual medal,” she said when asked to rate her medal chances after Skate Canada. “How I skated at Skate Canada isn’t going to get me a medal, but also Skate Canada isn’t the bar that I’m setting for myself at the Olympics. I will be better. I will be prepared.”
Ashley is a competitor but not a high scorer. I believe she has reached the peak of where she can go compared with who has surpassed her, score wise. Her highest score ever was 215.39 (late in the season) and she has not shown that form in a year and a half. Five skaters have surpassed that score already early in the season. File me under Ashley's beloved naysayers.
She could win a medal, perhaps if she could jump without UR´s or two-footing. I suppose that at US Nationals her possible faults will be ignored, but hopefully the Olympics and Worlds are more strict?
You do not talk about conquering "demons", whatever those "demons" mean. You simply conquer them silently. If you need to talk about it then they are conquering you.
“The only reason why I signed on for four more years in the sport is because I think I’m capable of getting an individual medal,”
Anything is possible. Ashley has so far been the luckiest skater ever, clinging on to medals for simply being the last one standing (and sometimes not standing.) This gives her a bit of delusion. If you take out all but three skaters for the top countries she is still ranked about 12th or so this season. And she is not the only one who is hungry.
Ashley is a competitor but not a high scorer. I believe she has reached the peak of where she can go compared with who has surpassed her, score wise. Her highest score ever was 215.39 (late in the season) and she has not shown that form in a year and a half. Five skaters have surpassed that score already early in the season. File me under Ashley's beloved naysayers.
http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2017-18/sbtslto.htm
You do not talk about conquering "demons", whatever those "demons" mean. You simply conquer them silently. If you need to talk about it then they are conquering you.
Y'all are so damn harsh on Ashley! Reading this board over the years you would get the impression that she can barely do a spin, skates slower then a three year old, and has rotated two jumps in all of her skating career:noshake: If all the other girls were held to the same underrotation standard Ashley is...she might not be the absolute best in the field but she can hold her own against the best in the world and has many times over. It just never seems to be enough for some people. I mean the fact that she is even in contention for a second Olympic team at 26 years old...she is resilient as HELL and I believe if she can fully rotate jumps and keep her nerves at bay she is absolutely capable of getting an individual medal.
Sorry....I have to say something ....as much as I give Wagner credit for sticking it out all these years, the "diva factor" rises to the top when she needs to build herself up. Do we really think she has the goods to go up against the top Russian ladies ( or Kostner....who, yes, still needs to up the ante technically, but choreographically, her programs are stunning this season) I don't care that Wagner talks about old injuries. The Olympics are about bringing it to the ice. IF she is going to go for a medal this year, then put it out there. No excuses ...old or new. The skating HAS to speak for itself. Technically and choreographically. This is a competition. Not a coronation.