Is Ashley Wagner a Spoiled Sport?

[Anonymous]

Figure skating still wants the beauty on ice.

A non-beauty has to be 10-times better to make it.

Everyone votes for the pretty girl.

This time it didn’t work in the pretty girl’s favor probably because she f@cked way too many of the extra chances she was given.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty girls always expect to win in life.

What's sad about Ashley is I think she totally knew, going into even the 2017 season, that she didn't have it anymore. So instead of going all-in on her training, her programs, her coaching, etc., she went all-in on her endorsements and celebrity, hoping that being the de facto "face of the 2018 Winter Games" would get her a spot on the team.

In some ways, that was a savvy move, and it almost work. I hope she's been saving her money.

But if she had just skated clean--not at a stellar level, but CLEAN--and gotten two new good programs done, under her belt...she would have gotten bronze, and on the roster. Instead she talked a big game and played around, and now she has the nerve to complain.

Brandie had at least seven clean triples, with combinations. Mirai has a 3A that at least has all of its rotations. Karen Chen fought against illness to put out two solid, classic routines.

Ashley called her performance "laying it down." If that was her best, thank goodness she is not representing the USA this time around.

Bradie.

[Anonymous]

Brandie, Bradie, whatever. This is what happens when you get Kreative with names.

[Anonymous]

USA Today has a story that USA skating totally rigged it against Wagner. She got lower artistic scores at Nationals, with uS judges, than at an international competition, which the author says never happens. The judges just decided to move onto the skaters with jumps as opposed to artistry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:USA Today has a story that USA skating totally rigged it against Wagner. She got lower artistic scores at Nationals, with uS judges, than at an international competition, which the author says never happens. The judges just decided to move onto the skaters with jumps as opposed to artistry.

She lost the chance for them to be invested in her artistry when they didn't have the opportunity to view "La La Land" routine in practice and offer critique, as is standard. She went with an untested program, and very few of her spins were rated Level 4. And her combo jump wasn't there. She two-footed another landing. Weak program, not clean, done.

[Anonymous]

Wagner's PCS scores are not defensible, particularly compare to Tenell. Well, compared to what they threw out for Tenell, pretty much everyone got hosed on their PCS. A great jumper she may be, but artistry, grace, and performance? She's lacking.

But such is the direction of the sport over the past decade-plus. All about the difficult jumps and contorting yourself into a pretzel during spins, and using PCS to hold up some and keep others down.

[Anonymous]

How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

Yes, but when you put it up against long-term success in international competition, a wonderful fluke it may be, but it is still perhaps a fluke. They want people they know can perform well, consistently, not just a big night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wagner's PCS scores are not defensible, particularly compare to Tenell. Well, compared to what they threw out for Tenell, pretty much everyone got hosed on their PCS. A great jumper she may be, but artistry, grace, and performance? She's lacking.

But such is the direction of the sport over the past decade-plus. All about the difficult jumps and contorting yourself into a pretzel during spins, and using PCS to hold up some and keep others down.

Well, the system is what the system is, and Bradie has a better shot at the Olympic podium than Ashley does. Period, end of story. Actually, Marai will be the top performer of all US ladies, I have no doubt, because I think she'll land at least one 3A at the Olympics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

Yes, but when you put it up against long-term success in international competition, a wonderful fluke it may be, but it is still perhaps a fluke. They want people they know can perform well, consistently, not just a big night.

Exactly.

US Figure skater clearly states that the Olympic team is based on body of work, and that Nationals are just one factor in their decision.

Adam has proven himself on the international scene, and had a great Grand Prix season this fall.

Also, US Champs is not the "right moment". The Olympics are. It is one thing to have the skate of your life on home ice at your country's nationals, but being able to do so at the Olympics is completely different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

I don't think so! I feel sort of pissed on Ross Miner's behalf -- and they really rubbed it in his face but not making him an alternate!

As for the fluke, well, who's to say that he won't have another 'fluke' in February, and who's to say that Rippon won't screw up again when it counts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

I don't think so! I feel sort of pissed on Ross Miner's behalf -- and they really rubbed it in his face but not making him an alternate!

As for the fluke, well, who's to say that he won't have another 'fluke' in February, and who's to say that Rippon won't screw up again when it counts?

I’m really torn on this. Ross Miner went to the World’s in 2013 and didn’t crack the top 10- which was a big factor in the Men’s team only having 2 spots for Sochi. He also tends to crumble at his Grand Prix assigments. That said, he had the skate of his life and finally put it together when it really mattered.

However, Adam Rippin has only really started to get consistent in the past 1.5 years. He only made it to the Grand Prix Final because so many of thr top akaters were missing.. He wasted the YEARS of potentially being the leading US man. His Rippon Lutz was breathtaking and started the movement of jumping with both arms over your head. If he hadn’t crumbled under pressure in the past he could have been on world podiums. Now he doesn’t have a chance of being on tbe olympic poduium.

Only Nathan Chen can possibly compete with Yuzaru Hanyu, Shoma Uno, Javi Fernandez, Mikhail Kolyada or Boyanig Jin. Miner and Rippon don’t stand a chance.

I don’t understand why Max Aaron the 4 continents assigment over Grant Hochstein!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

I was in the building when Miner’s coach, Mark Mitchell, also finished in the top three at Nationals in Orlando, apparently earning a berth on the 1992 Olympic team, only to be booted off the team in favor of a skater with a better international record. Oh, fate. You do mess with certain people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about the men? #2 guy gets booted in favor of #4 and isn’t even made the first alternate. That seems very unfair. I realize he doesn’t have the international career but he had the skate of his life. Shouldn’t skating big at the right time count? I do not follow skating closely but I remember when Tara and Sara Hughes were skating for gold. They killed it. It was so exciting. Ross Miner has a moment like that and he should get to go (or at least be the alternate). Am I wrong?

I was in the building when Miner’s coach, Mark Mitchell, also finished in the top three at Nationals in Orlando, apparently earning a berth on the 1992 Olympic team, only to be booted off the team in favor of a skater with a better international record. Oh, fate. You do mess with certain people!

And Paul Wylie earned silver at that Olympics. The judges called that one right!

[Anonymous]

If one of the three was injured she still got in by default?