2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

brightphoton · Jan 13, 2018

evasorange said:
Karen Chen needs ten thousand dollars?! I will be attending the Olympics with my sister and have been planning since last February so I know it ain't cheap but...ten thousand dollars?!

I don't think it's outrageous. Karen has her parents and her brother. For a family of four, there's already $4000 or $5000, just for the plane ticket. Add in hotel, transportation, food, and general hidden fee traveling money. Skaters also have to pay for the plane and boarding, of their coaches + the coaches usual fees + usual training costs.

mrrice · Jan 13, 2018

klutzy said:
Polina's younger than Bradie and 14 months older than Karen. I'd say the three of them are really the same generation of skaters. Polina needs her jumps back, but she is competitve with them if she does. She's better than Starr--who's got charisma, but not all the skills to go with it.

That might be true but, and it's a big BUT, Polina is a fulltime student and that will take valuable training time away from her. If Polina were to defer for a semester so that she could train fulltime, I could see it happening. The skaters you mentioned are not fulltime students and we all know how time consuming it is to take a full load of classes.

She may have enough time to skate but, when you add the stress of homework and testing to the exhaustion and fatigue of practice sessions....... It's very, very draining and something will have to give.

mrrice · Jan 13, 2018

brightphoton said:
I don't think it's outrageous. Karen has her parents and her brother. For a family of four, there's already $4000 or $5000, just for the plane ticket. Add in hotel, transportation, food, and general hidden fee traveling money. Skaters also have to pay for the plane and boarding, of their coaches + the coaches usual fees + usual training costs.

Easily.....I think people forget about some of the small things that add up....Assuming you don't take the train....There are Taxi/Uber drivers that need to be tipped. If you ever eat something other than fast food, there are tips there as well. Programs, and the food in the arena's are very expensive.....If you don't have a car it will be expensive to travel to and from the venue unless there's a shuttle but even those aren't free. These are expenses that happen "After" you land in the area.

Vancouver was great because they have good public transportation but, things happen that you can't predict. One of the people in our group got sick and wanted to go back to the hotel. The shuttles have very specific schedules and she had to take a cab and it was very expensive. Please note that none of the things I listed included flying to the event, or the cost of lodging.

skylark · Jan 13, 2018

mrrice said:
That might be true but, and it's a big BUT, Polina is a fulltime student and that will take valuable training time away from her. If Polina were to defer for a semester so that she could train fulltime, I could see it happening. The skaters you mentioned are not fulltime students and we all know how time consuming it is to take a full load of classes.

She may have enough time to skate but, when you add the stress of homework and testing to the exhaustion and fatigue of practice sessions....... It's very, very draining and something will have to give.

If it were me, I wouldn't even think of making two such demanding, full-time commitments at the same time. But people are different. Kristi Yamaguchi's mom said, around 1990, ... the more Kristi does, the better she does. Something like that. But then, the year before the Olympics, she dropped pairs and focused on singles full-time. Perhaps Polina would do the same. In fact, she might have graduated college by the next Olympic year. I pretty much agree with you, because one of my very dear favorites, Ricky Dornbush, wasn't able IMO to do both at the level that he wanted.

klutzy said:
Polina's younger than Bradie and 14 months older than Karen. I'd say the three of them are really the same generation of skaters. Polina needs her jumps back, but she is competitve with them if she does. She's better than Starr--who's got charisma, but not all the skills to go with it.

That's amazing! It's funny how we all seem to perceive Bradie as so young, just because she seems new. She burst onto everyone's consciousness largely because she was injured and then making up ground for the last 2 seasons. Polina went to last Oly at age 15, and is now seen as part of a different generation. :thank:

for the reminder that she isn't!

princessalica · Jan 13, 2018

lyndichee said:
Competition aside, given how Mirai and Ashley have been in the last couple of seasons, I am actually hoping that Polina and Gracie can have their own comeback stories. Whether that means another Olympics for them, there are other victories in between we can celebrate. Gracie tweeted that she was inspired by the ladies' event so I'm really hoping to see her enjoy skating again.

TSL made a comment about even with gracie being inspired they would be shocked if she came back considering all of the details not published in the media. I know to take TSL with a grain of salt, but they do seem to sometimes know more.

ice coverage · Jan 13, 2018

mrrice said:
... The skaters you mentioned are not fulltime students and we all know how time consuming it is to take a full load of classes. ...

Mirai Nagasu has been a full-time college student for the past couple of years.

And she will be going to the 2018 Olympics.

Just sayin'.

mrrice · Jan 13, 2018

princessalica said:
TSL made a comment about even with gracie being inspired they would be shocked if she came back considering all of the details not published in the media. I know to take TSL with a grain of salt, but they do seem to sometimes know more.

I realize that Gracie felt inspired by her trip to Nationals but, I'd be very surprised if she came back at this point. Once the long days in an empty, freezing arena return, I think she will long for the freedom she now enjoys. I missed competing until I started teaching, once that happened, I had something, and someone else to focus on.

It might take time but, I think Gracie will find something else to get her juices flowing once again. Who knows what that will be. Doesn't she like photography? I think that she'd be a great event photographer. Maybe they'll ask to join them in the commentary booth. She has a ton of options.

pearly · Jan 13, 2018

brightphoton said:
I don't think it's outrageous. Karen has her parents and her brother. For a family of four, there's already $4000 or $5000, just for the plane ticket. Add in hotel, transportation, food, and general hidden fee traveling money. Skaters also have to pay for the plane and boarding, of their coaches + the coaches usual fees + usual training costs.

The USFS doesn't pay for the skaters and coaches to go to Olympics?

mrrice · Jan 13, 2018

ice coverage said:
Mirai Nagasu has been a full-time college student for the past couple of years.

And she will be going to the 2018 Olympics.

Just sayin'.

Mirai has been a fulltime "Online" Student which is very different. Polina lived in a dorm....She had to go to the cafeteria to eat lunch. She had to walk from class to class. It's a completely different experience. She doesn't have to follow a class schedule. If she doesn't want to study English at 10am, she can wait until midnight if she wants to. Polina does not have that option. If it's pouring rain, she still has to walk from class to class and can't be late or study subjects in any order she'd like. Maybe she should consider taking her classes online for a year.

ice coverage · Jan 13, 2018

mrrice said:
Mirai has been a fulltime "Online" Student which is very different. Polina lived in a dorm....She had to go to the cafeteria to eat lunch. She had to walk from class to class. It's a completely different experience. She doesn't have to follow a class schedule. If she doesn't want to study English at 10am, she can wait until midnight if she wants to. Polina does not have that option. If it's pouring rain, she still has to walk from class to class and can't be late or study subjects in any order she'd like. Maybe she should consider taking her classes online for a year.

WRONG. Mirai has NOT been an "online" student.

Don't know where the heck you got that misinformation.

ETA:

I'm not saying that it is easy to be a world-class athlete and a full-time student at the same time.

I'm saying that it is not impossible to be both at the same time. So I myself will avoid making assumptions about Polina one way or the other.

mrrice · Jan 13, 2018

ice coverage said:
WRONG. Mirai has NOT been an "online" student.

Don't know where the heck you got that misinformation.

ETA:

I'm not saying that it is easy to be a world-class athlete and a full-time student at the same time.

I'm saying that it is not impossible to be both at the same time. So I myself will avoid making assumptions about Polina one way or the other.

Chill........I had absolutely no idea that Mirai was attending college on a campus. Good for her. I am relating my experience when I say that I didn't go anywhere once I got on Campus. I didn't have really have a normal life as I had already toured and made money before I ever started. The reason I started late was because it was too difficult to audition and be part of cast and got to school at the same time. I don't how Mirai, or any skater can have a full load of classes while they are traveling, and competing literally around the World at the same time.

ice coverage · Jan 13, 2018

mrrice said:
Chill........

You were dismissive of Mirai -- based on either a false assumption or false information.

Your post deserved an emphatic correction. So please do not tell me to "chill."

mrrice said:
...I had absolutely no idea that Mirai was attending college on a campus. Good for her. ...

:agree: Yes, good for Mirai.

mrrice · Jan 13, 2018

ice coverage said:
You were dismissive of Mirai -- based on either a false assumption or false information.

Your post deserved an emphatic correction. So please do not tell me to "chill."

:agree: Yes, good for Mirai.

I would never be dismissive of any athlete, let alone a National Champion who has been to the Olympics, Worlds, and is about to go to the Olympics for the second time. I am truly sorry if that's how it came across.

Being elite at anything requires an enormous amount sacrifice not only from the person, but their family members as well. I am always happy to meet the parents of my students because most of them are already working fulltime jobs. For them to give up their weekends to travel and support their child, friend, or relative is something I have always admired.

skylark · Jan 13, 2018

pearly said:
The USFS doesn't pay for the skaters and coaches to go to Olympics?

Skaters, yes. The skaters pay for their coaches to go along, and I assume that means hotel, food etc.

It's interesting that Karen (and apparently Mirai and Bradie too) have gone the route of GoFundMe to help their families attend. It seems like a generational shift in thinking, to me .... but I could be wrong.

ice coverage · Jan 13, 2018

mrrice said:
I would never be dismissive of any athlete, let alone a National Champion who has been to the Olympics, Worlds, and is about to go to the Olympics for the second time. I am truly sorry if that's how it came across. ...

Apology accepted. :thank:

skylark said:
... It's interesting that Karen (and apparently Mirai and Bradie too) have gone the route of GoFundMe to help their families attend. It seems like a generational shift in thinking, to me .... but I could be wrong.

After Nationals, Madi Hubbell also started a new GoFundMe -- to help her brother (and former ice dance partner) Keiffer attend the Olympics.
(One of the donations was $2018. :shocked:

)

Madi and Zach already had a GoFundMe to help with training costs.
And Madi and her mother have an Etsy shop to help raise training funds. (They made gorgeous heirloom-quality Christmas stockings for the recent holiday season.)

So yes, the Internet has opened up new possibilities -- beyond the bake sales (for example) of old.

brightphoton · Jan 13, 2018

U.S. Figure Skating estimates that it will cost about $11,000 for one attendee.

I just realised that Karen is fundraising $10k just for her brother to go to Korea, Bradie $20k for her two brothers, and Mirai $11k for a ... someone, I don't recognize him. Might be a boyfriend, might be an assistant coach.

klutzy · Jan 13, 2018

skylark said:
Skaters, yes. The skaters pay for their coaches to go along, and I assume that means hotel, food etc.

It's interesting that Karen (and apparently Mirai and Bradie too) have gone the route of GoFundMe to help their families attend. It seems like a generational shift in thinking, to me .... but I could be wrong.

I was thinking the same thing. My instinctive response is to think there should be some effort to raise the money--sell tickets to watch a couple of practices or something--but I'm not a millennial.

In Karen's case, it sounds like she's trying to raise money so some of her more extended family can attend--a grandmother in Taiwan.

Just tells you how the bottom of skating has dropped out financially when this year's and last year's U.S. champions don't have some sort of sponsorship that would make $10K a non-issue.

shiroKJ · Jan 13, 2018

brightphoton said:
U.S. Figure Skating estimates that it will cost about $11,000 for one attendee.

I just realised that Karen is fundraising $10k just for her brother to go to Korea, Bradie $20k for her two brothers, and Mirai $11k for a ... someone, I don't recognize him. Might be a boyfriend, might be an assistant coach.

Mirai's funding is for one person (either one of her parents or her boyfriend, who's in that picture) to go with her to PC.

ice coverage · Jan 13, 2018

brightphoton said:
... Mirai $11k for a ... someone, I don't recognize him. Might be a boyfriend, might be an assistant coach.

Mirai's longstanding boyfriend -- who traveled with her (for example) to 2017 U.S. Classic, to 2017 NHK, and to 2018 Nats. (And possibly to other competitions?)

My impression is that in the same way that (for example) at least one of Jason's parents always (or almost always) travels to his competitions, Mirai's boyfriend seems to travel to hers as her "family"/"support system."

(Mirai's parents have to run their restaurant and generally are not free to travel.)

klutzy said:
... Just tells you how the bottom of skating has dropped out financially when this year's and last year's U.S. champions don't have some sort of sponsorship that would make $10K a non-issue.

Karen at least had the book deal, although I don't know how much it was/is worth.

But I agree with your overall point.

klutzy said:
... My instinctive response is to think there should be some effort to raise the money--sell tickets to watch a couple of practices or something--but I'm not a millennial. ...

At the federation level, USFS has the Destination PyeongChang fundraising campaign (and had the Destination Sochi campaign) to help family members travel to the Olympics.

The Sunday night fundraiser in San Jose was for Destination PyeongChang, for example. Buying a ticket (for $100, IIRC?) gave special access to the newly announced Olympians.

eriecold · Jan 13, 2018

mrrice said:
That might be true but, and it's a big BUT, Polina is a fulltime student and that will take valuable training time away from her. If Polina were to defer for a semester so that she could train fulltime, I could see it happening. The skaters you mentioned are not fulltime students and we all know how time consuming it is to take a full load of classes.

She may have enough time to skate but, when you add the stress of homework and testing to the exhaustion and fatigue of practice sessions....... It's very, very draining and something will have to give.

It may be her choice (she was also a full time HS student, went to oly's and won 4cc). But, as of right now, she just can't train that much anyway. Her ice time is way more limited by her foot than it is by her work load at college.

2017-18 State of U.S. Ladies Skating

brightphoton

mrrice

mrrice

skylark

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princessalica

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mrrice

pearly

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mrrice

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mrrice

skylark

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brightphoton

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shiroKJ

Back to the forest you go.

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