Wagner's pain not limited to Olympic years | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Wagner's pain not limited to Olympic years

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temadd

Final Flight
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Nov 19, 2015
:rolleye:

Lol this is what interviews for athletes are for. Talking about their competitive history and how they plan to improve.

FYI for many, many people, verbalizing something, putting it into speech and telling it to others, is itself a part of making something real.

I don't think Ashley will win an individual Olympic medal. But if she doesn't believe that she can, or if she starts telling people that she doesn't think she can, then that means she DEFINITELY won't win anything.

Y'all calling her delusional are harsh. She's not a young up-and-comer whose turned themselves into a bit of an underdog (like, say, Marin Honda) or a has-been (like, say, Alena Leonova) - in either case, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to say "my goal is to place top 6" or "my goal is to place top 10."

She won WSM less than two years ago. Do we really WANT a skater in her position to set her sights lower than an individual medal, or, even better, to start making it known that she is setting her sights lower than an individual medal??

I could just hit :thumbsup:but I need to say thank you too.
 

brightphoton

Medalist
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Jan 23, 2009
She is well aware of this. It's not her fault that the reporter chose to ask her questions about previous world championships and then focused his article on the obstacles. She spoke nothing of her problems at 2016 and 17 worlds until reporters asked her about them months later. She is aware of her shortcomings and is working hard to overcome them. Truth is, right now the US has no one better.

Has she publicly called herself a diva or did that come from TSL? I could have missed it, but I have not heard her refer to herself as a diva.

The nickname "Diva Wagner" sounds like something TSL came up with, but it looks like Ashley is okay with it.

David: Is it a second guessing thing? Because it looks like Diva Wagner is going into the jump.
Ashley: Diva Wagner goes into the jump, and dog-with-tail-between-her-tail Wagner comes out of that jump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdFwnh-JB5o&t=0m17s
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
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I did not know that Ashley was injured / not fully healthy while skating in Boston and the fact that she skated like this, bringing Silver is mind-boggling in hindsight. :eek:

Also a good reason why we shouldn't count people out. There are so many factors that go on behind closed doors that we find out only after the fact or not at all. :noshake:

Bonus points to GS and Ted for getting quoted in the NBC article. :cool2:
 

Nigel

On the Ice
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Feb 21, 2006
She is well aware of this. It's not her fault that the reporter chose to ask her questions about previous world championships and then focused his article on the obstacles. She spoke nothing of her problems at 2016 and 17 worlds until reporters asked her about them months later. She is aware of her shortcomings and is working hard to overcome them. Truth is, right now the US has no one better.

Has she publicly called herself a diva or did that come from TSL? I could have missed it, but I have not heard her refer to herself as a diva.

Wagner could have easily side stepped questions that either she did not want to answer.
It still comes back to the skating.
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
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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.

:2thumbs:

and thank you. :)

ETA: Ashley has also never tried to rationalize her mistakes or blame inequitable calls on anyone else. She takes responsibility and says how she hopes and plans to do better. Often with her legendary charm and humor. She's a Warrior, valiant as hell.
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
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if Ashley just said I will skate my heart out and let go of expectations it could happen. Her errors are always nerve related. .... Ashley puts great pressure on herself. If only she would just let go of results and skate freely like in 2016 then medals can happen. Her demons are her self doubt .... I hope she can let herself be free.

That's exactly what she did at 2016 worlds. So there's no doubt ... she's proved that she can. In fact, she said after winning the world silver that skating out onto the ice, she had to remind herself that worrying about getting onto a podium wouldn't get her anywhere.

She then went out and created an awesome unforgettable moment for figure skating. Of course she's absolutely capable of doing it again.
 

ManyCairns

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So Ashley said the only reason she signed on for four more years was belief she could win an individual (Olympic) medal. Well, she signed on for this Olympic quad cycle, i.e., "four more years" -- about 3 1/2 years ago. During that time, she has achieved, among other things, another national title and a World Silver medal.

Let's not forget the full scope of the comment, even if this isn't exactly what Ashley was talking about! Even if she falls short of her ultimate goal, she certainly has achieved a lot already in the allotted four years. And she acknowledged she will have to be better moving forward than she was at SC.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
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So Ashley said the only reason she signed on for four more years was belief she could win an individual (Olympic) medal. Well, she signed on for this Olympic quad cycle, i.e., "four more years" -- about 3 1/2 years ago. During that time, she has achieved, among other things, another national title and a World Silver medal.

Let's not forget the full scope of the comment, even if this isn't exactly what Ashley was talking about! Even if she falls short of her ultimate goal, she certainly has achieved a lot already in the allotted four years. And she acknowledged she will have to be better moving forward than she was at SC.

Great post! I hope Ashley does realize that, whether or not she wins an individual Olympic medal, her legacy is far more impressive because of her achievements at Nationals, Worlds, and the GP this quad.
 

Tallorder

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 28, 2014
This IS a season of incredible susceptibility to rhetoric. In other disciplines have been baffled by fans so willing to "follow" when a skater bullies their competitors and builds themselves up (e.g., saying they will refuse medals, etc.). Just. Wrong. Put it out on the ice.
 

SarahSynchro

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Funny thing is that in the lead-up to Boston, it was known that Wagner had that hard fall in the show and talk among gossip circles was that she wasn’t back to 100% because of it. In fact, it came to a head during Worlds practices where Wagner tweeted out “I’m injury free!” to dispel reports that she was practicing light and not jumping. Anyway, I certainly couldn’t really tell anything was off watching her practice. So CLEARLY she didn’t want word getting out. :laugh:
_______
I won’t knock her for stating her ambitions for Korea, even if I personally think it’s a *very* long shot (at this point). Better than the hackneyed “I want to skate my best” soundbytes anyway.

I was at that show and saw that fall! It was not good. :( Ashley didn’t skate in the second act as scheduled, and had a reduced role in the group finale. I remember being so worried for her to go to worlds. It’s a miracle that she found the strength to push through the pain and had such a great result in the end.
 

Skater Boy

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https://goldenskate.com/forum/newreply.php?p=1851646&noquote=1Ashley is a well rehearsed, well spoken athetle. Lovely rehetoric. i do believe she can win an olympic medal; she has some of the highest pcs when on - of course I could also see he lingering outside of the top ten - ice is very slippery. If she UR's and falls she could be in big trouble. But I you can't count her out however. there are only three medals and you have two to three Russians, Two Japanese, at least one if not two Canadian ladies and Carolinato battle two Americans for three meagre medals. If Wagner skates clean she gets a medal. And she will win a team medal probably too. There is probably only room for one North American lady though on the podium. So she and Kaetlyn might battle it out.
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
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I was at that show and saw that fall! It was not good. :( Ashley didn’t skate in the second act as scheduled, and had a reduced role in the group finale. I remember being so worried for her to go to worlds. It’s a miracle that she found the strength to push through the pain and had such a great result in the end.

We're all richer because of it. :hap10: I'm very happy to have those inspiring moments to re-watch.

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.”

This is worth some attention, on behalf of all the athletes. I often feel this way when reading about some skater's struggle. Maybe it doesn't bother some, but I wouldn't want to be forced into that "frame" when trying to think positively ... and then asked about it every time a reporter approached.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
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Jul 26, 2003
The mouth does not really equal grit.

:laugh: although, she has shown it on occasion over the years. Sticking around after 2010 and 2011 and bouncing back, then post-Sochi bounce, then Boston. So it *is* there. That said, sometimes there is a disconnect between her words and the product she puts out on ice.
 

leafygreens

Final Flight
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Mar 7, 2011
ETA: Ashley has also never tried to rationalize her mistakes or blame inequitable calls on anyone else.

She did at 2014 Olympics. Remember the meme of her mad face at the team event? Then she used the Yuna/Adelina controversy as an excuse to speak out about her own scores. Paraphrasing: "It's not ok for someone to fall and place above you."
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
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She did at 2014 Olympics. Remember the meme of her mad face at the team event? Then she used the Yuna/Adelina controversy as an excuse to speak out about her own scores. Paraphrasing: "It's not ok for someone to fall and place above you."

Yeah, I do remember that face, who doesn't? even though I wasn't watching or following ladies at that time. But I don't think that qualifies as rationalizing or blaming. It was a genuine emotional reaction, because she felt she did better than that score reflected. And it only lasted for a few seconds ... it's easy to forget that.

The quote you paraphrased also isn't an excuse or a rationalization. It's a statement about the judging system as it now exists. I completely agree with her that it's not okay for skaters who fall during their performance to get better scores than beautiful skates with no visible errors, or with errors that can only be determined by examining close-ups of feet in slow motion. I just watched IDFrance ladies SP, and it's ridiculous that people who fell got such sky-high scores.
 

SarahSynchro

Record Breaker
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This IS a season of incredible susceptibility to rhetoric. In other disciplines have been baffled by fans so willing to "follow" when a skater bullies their competitors and builds themselves up (e.g., saying they will refuse medals, etc.). Just. Wrong. Put it out on the ice.

Uh, what? I don’t understand your second sentence at all?
 
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