It's Official -- Frank Carroll Retires | Page 2 | Golden Skate

It's Official -- Frank Carroll Retires

GrandmaCC

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 18, 2017
Meh, bye Frank

I'll always hold him partly responsible for Gracie's anorexia. When he trained Michelle and her sister in the 90s, he was known for his obsession with low body weight and not eating. If you read newspaper articles from that period, they always said things like "Michelle Kwan is 85 lbs and 4'9" tall blah blah blah"

Then Jenny Kirk developed anorexia and he told her to put off treatment until after the Olympics

When Gracie first trained under him, her weight plummeted, not to mention the yoyoing of her weight afterwards.

The media at the time did this with every athlete in sports like skating or diving or gymnastics etc. It used to flash on the TV screen under their name even (Sally C - 5”0, 90, Hometown- Toyland, etc...).
I think they stressed it to give the 4 year fans another reason to tune in, “hey look at this girl/guy, they can do all this crazy stuff even though they’re SO tiny!!”.
It stopped soon after - definitely by the 04 Games and I would bet the 02 ones and maybe even 00 - height only would be mentioned.
Written articles are another matter of course but the TV thing was really just a sign of the times.
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Country
United-States
Evan Lysacek flew from New York to take Frank out to dinner and celebrate his retirement. That says so much about two very classy gentlemen!

I will enjoy thinking of Frank developing his talent, practice, and interest in art again ... after, oh, say, a 60-year hiatus. Sketching, painting.

Thank you for posting this link and creating the thread, attyfan. Frank Carroll is worthy of his own thread. I remember a comment in his TSL interview; he said that after Linda Fratianne and 1980 olympics, "I thought I was done with figure skating." But then, a skater sought him out who picqued his interest, so we had Michelle's career, and Evan's, Denis' and so many others.


The legend who coached skaters to World titles and Oly medals under all three judging systems (i.e., figures; 6.0 after elimination of figures; and CoP) has called it a career:

https://www.ifsmagazine.com/frank-carroll-retires/
 

KatGrace1925

Medalist
Joined
Apr 4, 2016
I think it is important to note that Gracie does not hold Frank responsible for the struggles she faced. She recently posted on instagram an Olympic Day post where she said that olympic day is about all the people who got them to where they are and she posted a series of photos that included Frank and Alex.
 

Lester

Piper and Paul are made of magic dust and unicorns
Final Flight
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
I don't think anyone can make you get anorexia. Restrict your diet, certainly, but anorexia is partly a psychological issue.
 
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