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

It's Official -- Frank Carroll Retires

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Frank Carroll has had some amazing skaters and is a legendary coach ... but the latter years has sorta shattered my disposition of him.
 

brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
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.
 

elbkup

Power without conscience is a savage weapon
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Mar 3, 2015
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Wish him well, an active creative retirement ..
Remember seeing him in the hotel lobby late one afternoon Boston Worlds 2016 waiting for Gracie to appear. She did eventually, in full costume looking tense, nervous. He was quiet, elegant, impeccably dressed, to my eye looked fit, healthy, calm. Don't know much about Frank or his career, but he inspired admiration in that moment.
 

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️
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Jan 9, 2017
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Olympics
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.

That was the way many coaches were in that time period.
Regarding Kirk, she came to Frank with this issue.
I find it amazing that so many want to just attach it to him because they don’t know him and want to project whatever they feel on him

There are many of his skaters and ones that never were that highly respect him and traveled quite a distance just to come back and thank him and celebrate his career upon the announcement, and it’s not something they were asked to do either.
 

Spinning

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 10, 2015
That was the way many coaches were in that time period.

...as Eteri is still doing with her girls. And many here don't like her for that. Still she is, as Mr Carroll was, widely successful.

Eteri is not the only one. Raf, Hamada, Tom Z are no different. And people tend to side with athletes more so yeah at one point coaches are the easiest escape goats. I hear a few whisper towards B Order too. No matters how good or caring you are, no way to escape the hate.
 

halulupu

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 21, 2017
Eteri is not the only one. Raf, Hamada, Tom Z are no different. And people tend to side with athletes more so yeah at one point coaches are the easiest escape goats. I hear a few whisper towards B Order too. No matters how good or caring you are, no way to escape the hate.

Yes I agree. But Eteri and Mr Carroll get more bashed and blamed for it than the others and in that way and how successfull they are/were they are both similar. I don't knwo the truth and I am not judging. It just an oberservation
 

Enero

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Not surprised by this. He was looking pretty rough at the Olympics. I wondered if he might’ve been ill. Anyway, love him or hate him he was/is legendary, coaching some of the best in skating. Wishing him a healthy and happy retirement.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
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Mar 3, 2014
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Not surprised by this. He was looking pretty rough at the Olympics. I wondered if he might’ve been ill. Anyway, love him or hate him he was/is legendary, coaching some of the best in skating. Wishing him a healthy and happy retirement.

Frank was in fact ill at the Olympics, although it had nothing to do with age or a chronic illness, AFAIK, but a simple bug that anyone could pick up.

Frank Carroll has done more for US Skating than any other three coaches put together. He has had a long and distinguished career and deserves to sit by the pool with his adorable puppies with what to eat for dinner as his biggest worry.

Best wishes for a happy retirement Frank!:hap10:
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Good bye Uncle Frank, I will miss your rosie cheeks and myriad of gent's hats at the KnC.

Wish it could have worked out better with Mirai and Gracie... but alas... it is already in the past...
One can only speculate Denis have affected him in a big way... No matter what. Always the legend and irreplaceable.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Happy retirement Frank. Whatever anybody says, you brought a lot to the skating world and you will be missed.
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
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.

Actually, 85 lbs is right in the middle of the appropriate weight for a 4'9" female. But whatever.

Eating disorders are far more complex than someone merely suggesting to a person that s/he should lose a few pounds or even weight being monitored. If they were that easily triggered every overweight person who ever visited a conscientious doctor who addressed their weight would develop one.

And there is absolutely no evidence that Frank actively starved skaters in the manner of Eteri.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
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I'm a little perturbed at the blame cast on Frank for contributing to or aggravating Gracie's eating disorders.:confused:

We have no evidence of that. In fact, the most recent evidence we have shows that Frank was instrumental in *resolving* a skater's eating disorders and encouraging them to a healthy, nutritious diet. In Dice Murakami's retirement video/announcement, he talked about how he starved himself with his previous coach, and when he went to Frank, Frank arranged for Dice to see a nutritionist so Dice could learn healthy eating habits. According to the translation (I neither read nor speak Japanese) Dice credited Frank with saving his skating career.:clap:

In fact, I had the occasion to overhear Frank talking to Dice about his programs at a summer comp, and Frank was nothing but respectful and even kind in making his point about what jumps he thought would work better. When Dice disagreed, Frank essentially backed down. Hardly the actions of an all or nothing ogre. :scratch3:

Nor do I want to see quotes from 30 years ago as though Frank is a robot incapable of change or learning new methods of coaching. Such ageism does not go down well with me.:dev2:

Not every coach is right for every skater. Not every coach is right for every skater throughout their career. But Frank has had a magnificent career and USFS owes him big time. And nothing about Gracie's issues have changed my opinion on that.
 

merrywidow

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
If I'd been a figure skater I'd have gone to Frank for training. Not only has he been a top US coach for decades he's right up there internationally in my mind with Carlo Fossi. I wish him much joy in his retirement.
 
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