U.S. FIGURE SKATING GOES BCS? Well, that's one explanation for
why skating officials today decided to bypass last night's women's championship results to place Ashley Wagner, the 4th-place finisher who
fell twice during her long program, on the Olympic team over 3rd-place Mirai Nagasu.
I have mixed feelings about this. Mirai Nagasu skated a beautiful long program (I missed the short) and Ashley Wagner fell several times. It seems like Nagasu deserves to go. Also, while I understand taking the skater's entire year into account, the Olympics are a one-time deal - you skate, you place, you win a medal or not. Just like the nationals. I'm glad Ashley Wagner gets to go, but not thrilled at how she made it there.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting to watch people who don't follow the sport commentating on this. Nationals has NEVER been the only thing taken into consideration in determining the Olympic team. It typically ends up that way but it is by no means a lock. I absolutely love Mirai and I prefer her to Ashley as a skater but this decision makes total sense for US figure skating. Plus, Mirai's program was seriously lacking in PCS and was overscored (everything tens to be overscored at nationals for all countries). This was one good program in the past 3 years. Ashley has been far more consistent. Daisuke Takahashi was 5th at the Japanese nationals but is on the team and no one is making any stink about that because of his history. It's just kind of how the sport works.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Mirai Nagasu pair up with Claude Giroux, in a blades of glory / cutting edge hybrid.
ReplyDeleteAll this being said, Mirai being left off the team is still controversial with hardcore fans. More of them are surprised that Polina Edmunds, the 2nd place finisher, is on the team instead of Mirai. US Nationals was her first senior level competition. That being said, teenagers have a tendency to come out of nowhere and win Olympic Gold (Oksana, Tara, Sara Hughes) so I'm not surprised she is on the team either.
ReplyDeleteIt is my sincere hope that Ashley Wagner gets hurt and Mirai Nagasu is able to take the rightful place that she has earned on the Olympic team. This smacks of racism. They want the blonde haired All American looking Ashley in the Olympics for marketing purposes instead of Asian Mirai. Shame on them!
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