2018-19 U.S. Ladies' figure skating

Mathman said:

Oksana Baiul had a short but spectacular amateur career, too. Sometimes you just have to play the cards that life deals you. It's not like the young athletes get to sit down and say, "Let's see, shall I go all out and try to win now or should I play it cool and aim for a longer career?"

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There was a time (when you had to be an amateur to compete in the Olympics) when it was beneficial to turn pro. I expect many people here are too young to remember. I can't remember if it would have affected Tara. Am somewhat more sure it would have affected Oksana.

Canadianskatingfan said:

Good for Gracie! In the caption it mentions next season, does anyone else think that may mean she will WD from nationals to focus on her preparation for next season?

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I don't. She's said repeatedly the plan was to go to Rostelecom and then to Nationals. Her last Twitter post, albeit it was ages ago, was about going to Nationals. I have to admit I check here daily out of fear she may have withdrawn. But she seems to have been doing what she says she is going to do with regards to competing this season.

I don’t think Gracie will withdraw from Nationals, even if she is not in perfect condition by then. She likely wants to feel comfortable skating in front of crowd without too much pressure on her mental health. No one’s expecting her to be absolutely perfect given the short span of time she’s had to train. I believe the crowd at Nationals will be very supportive of her and happy to see her back.

Yes, the crowd will cheer enthusiastically for Gracie no matter how she places.

moonvine said:

There was a time (when you had to be an amateur to compete in the Olympics) when it was beneficial to turn pro. I expect many people here are too young to remember. I can't remember if it would have affected Tara. Am somewhat more sure it would have affected Oksana.

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As I recall, it was right around that time (1994) that the rules on amateurism in figure skating were in flux. The IOC changed the rules to allow the participation of professional athletes in 1988. But it was still up to the governing bodies of each sport to pass and enforce their own rules. Pros such as Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Torvill and Dean and Gordeeva and Grinkov were allowed to “return” in the 1994 Olympics, but the ISU felt that the experiment didn’t really work out to the benefit of the sport.

However, the next year (1995) the ISU started offering prize money directly to skaters. Before, “amateur” skaters could earn money from skating in exhibitions only by being paid under the table, or by establishing trust funds to receive the money on their behalf.

I remember Kristi Yamaguchi saying in 1992, that after winning the 1992 Olympics, she sat down with her financial advisors (i.e., her uncle ) and computed how much money she could make if she went pro immediately versus how much she could make if she stayed amateur for two more years and skated in the 1994 Olympics. It turned out to be about the same, so she decided to get on with her show career.

By Tara’s time (1998) Michelle Kwan was making $900,000 a year directly from the USFSA. (This is in the public record according to tax filings required for non-profit organizations.) The money came from ABC television; Michelle was expected to skate in all the cheesefests shown on ABC.

It looks like Mirai just had surgery for a torn labrum? Wishing her the best:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsQ2hWVlDTR/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1dxj3wdazfutg

That's a serious injury and for Mirai, potentially could end her competitive career since recovery requires a long period of rest after surgery.

Tavi... said:

It looks like Mirai just had surgery for a torn labrum? Wishing her the best:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsQ2hWVlDTR/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1dxj3wdazfutg

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Wow. Wishing her the best! I routed for her since 2014 debacle.

"In 2014, I was left off the Olympic team which was a decision that left me devastated and heartbroken. I found myself in a place of anger, confusion, and most terrifyingly, self-deprecation.

In making the decision to continue to compete, I decided that I was going to give my career the effort that I thought I needed to to make another team and then some, which to me, at the time, meant learning a new jump. I wanted to become a skater to whom the selection committee couldn’t say no.

In 2016, I started to experience excruciating pains in my hip that reached all the way down my leg that at one point, didn’t allow me to straighten my knee. As an athlete in a sport that takes constant falls, pain isn’t an abnormality, so I thought that the pain would eventually go away. It did not and eventually, I found out that I had torn my labrum and had fractured part of my hip socket in the process of learning the triple axel. In that year, I was given two options: get surgery to repair it or try PRP. I was told that there was a high chance that I could repair my labrum with PRP if enough scar tissue would form in the socket.

As a skater with Eastern origins, surgery was not something that I could commit to quickly. Because I had also never undergone surgery, my team wasn’t sure how long it would take me to recover so I eventually decided to maintain and keep a close eye on my injury. I also made this decision based on the fact that the more time I took off, the more time I was going to need to get back into fighting shape and I felt like I needed all the competitions I could have on my resume.

I knew that making the Olympic team wasn’t going to be a trip of cotton candy and sprinkles but on some days, the pain and pressure were excruciatingly overwhelming. It also wasn’t something that I could easily share with anyone outside of my team because I saw this injury as a weakness. More importantly, I didn’t want the media to use it as an excuse as to why I didn’t compete well that day or a reason to leave me off the team again."

And this is why you don’t call a skater “lazy” or “unmotivated” unless you know the whole story. The negative treatment of Mirai on this forum during the Olympics and Worlds was unbelievable.

Tavi... said:

It looks like Mirai just had surgery for a torn labrum? Wishing her the best:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsQ2hWVlDTR/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1dxj3wdazfutg

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Best to Mirai.

Although the long post about her surgery is new (and is major news indeed to her fans), she has me unsure as to the timeframe of the surgery.
(I am not trying to diminish that the surgery was/is a big deal. I am merely curious about the timeframe.)

Per her Instastory today, she is at Gold Meets Golden, an event that precedes the Golden Globes. Looking lovely, and seemingly enjoying the festivities. There happens to be a jewelry-embossing station at the party, and Mirai chose "FIGHTER" as the inscription for her made-to-order bracelet. :yay:

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ETA (on Jan 12):

C'mon, Gracie! :clapper:

I've had three labral hip surgeries and one shoulder along with rotator cuff and reattachment of tendons. The pain is not fun. I could barely move my shoulder/arm before the most recent surgery. The recovery period is at least six months and there is discomfort and stiffness for a long time thereafter. Wishing Mirai a good recovery.

ice coverage said:

Best to Mirai.

Although the long post about her surgery is new (and is major news indeed to her fans), she has me unsure as to the timeframe of the surgery.
(I am not trying to diminish that the surgery was/is a big deal. I am merely curious about the timeframe.)

Per her Instastory today, she is at Gold Meets Golden, an event that precedes the Golden Globes. Looking lovely, and seemingly enjoying the festivities. There happens to be a jewelry-embossing station at the party, and Mirai chose "FIGHTER" as the inscription for her made-to-order bracelet. :yay:

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I'm thinking it must have been at least a few weeks ago as I know I remember seeing instastories recently from her walking on one of those zero gravity treadmills. So it would make sense if the surgery was well in the past.

She just skated in a Stars on Ice show in Lake Placid the night before New Years Eve. Yes the surgery was some time ago.

Rachel Flatt and Tom Z got lots of negative publicity when Rachel skated at Worlds with an undisclosed injury. Now we find out Mirai went to the Olympics with an undisclosed serious injury.

chuckm said:

Rachel Flatt and Tom Z got lots of negative publicity when Rachel skated at Worlds with an undisclosed injury. Now we find out Mirai went to the Olympics with an undisclosed serious injury.

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I think there's a little more forgiveness given when it comes to the Olympics as that's something that comes once every 4 years and there's no certainty that you'll be around in 4 years.

chuckm said:

Rachel Flatt and Tom Z got lots of negative publicity when Rachel skated at Worlds with an undisclosed injury. Now we find out Mirai went to the Olympics with an undisclosed serious injury.

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As I recall the kerfuffle, the whole thing about Rachael was stirred up by columnist Phil Hersh. He just gnawed away on the story like a dog on a bone until he bullied the USFSA into imposing a fine on Rachael just to make him go away. Everybody skates hurt.

Seems possible to me that Mirai did keep USFS in the loop, to one extent or another. I think it is possible that USFS did know that she had opted for PRP.

How much Mirai told USFS is not clear from her Instagram.
(And what "my team" means in this context is vague.)

Mirai did not disclose the injury to the media, per her Instagram.
I doubt that would have been a violation of a USFS rule?

chuckm said:

Rachel Flatt and Tom Z got lots of negative publicity when Rachel skated at Worlds with an undisclosed injury. Now we find out Mirai went to the Olympics with an undisclosed serious injury.

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I believe that USFS knew Mirai was injured, but she didn't want to disclose to the media. Rachael Flatt was shunned so much after that injury hiding, no athlete would make that mistake again

Even if Mirai went to Olympic injured she still make her name in history, landing 3A and getting medal.