re: the US ladies & who can go to olympics..?? (contain spoiler results!) opinions??

[Kwanatic]

Im not sure how much I can say, but... this is the spoilers sections so here goes... Since Ashley is in fourth, but has done well, and is a big part of the reason that the US got 3 spots this time...I really think she should go. Another reason is that the silver medalist Polina (begs ur pardon, i cant remember last name) is only 15 from what I understand and (pardon again) isn't the rule that one must be 16 or turn 16 at a certain point before the olympics. so..would she actually even qualify. Not to mention the fact that she is pretty much a rookie, who ..debateable:plus side, not so much pressure as she is new on the podium, BUT..could be pressure because its the olympics and she will be expected to do well since we just got the three spots back, also: down side: she is a rookie and has not a lot of reputation built up. and i really hope Mirai gets to go, after all..she did perform well in 2010 and would be the only returning lady (singles) to go. Personally, i would hope it is Gracie, Mirai, and Ashely. Anyone else have an opinion? (and i really hate that ashley didnt perform as well as she could have, while i know a lot of her reasoning for being so much with a vengeance for getting our top 3 spots back was for her, and because she felt the pain BUT...she could have performed well tonight, got gold and still went without a doubt and therefore she wouldnt have needed 3 spots. however: i do think that she must also have thought about that 3rd person and how they would feel because she has been there. I just hope Irony doesnt bite her and them send the top three after all that. Im hoping she got the worse performance out of her at Nationals and will use that as a kick in the pants to do better at the olympics. I'd love to see our ladies ALL do well, but i sure hope Ashley is one.
As for Gracie: she should by ALL means go! even though she could very well be in the mix for 2018, she earned the right last year and at this nationals to be there, and has shown she can skate well for her country.
Mirai: I havent gotten to see her performance yet. I just hope she can rise to the occasion and get her monemtum going and really WANT to do it again. I think honestly in 2010 her performance was as good as Joannie Rochette, but understood her getting it (my opinion , i love Joannie, but thought they were very close!). Just wondering you guys, who have more knowledge on the subject, might feel??? thanks

[lillyfly]

The Oly team is Gracie, Polina and Ashley: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...as-womens-team

This was a toughie. I love Mira but but I think they made the right decision. I haven't always loved Ashely but she has been working on steadily getting better and better the last four years. Polina is the future and this gives her experience on the international stage. And she is darn good. I wish there were four spots.

This is just my two cents. :-)

[Nicki]

I'm not a huge fan of Ashley's, but I understand why USFSA chose her. She has had past success both Nationally and Internationally, and the goal is to send the skaters who have the best chance of bringing home a medal. Gracie is a given to me. She is the gold medalist, and skated two great programs. The issue I have is with Mirai vs. Polina. I would have chosen Mirai. Polina had a great nationals and is our silver medalist, but this is only her first time skating seniors. To me, she is still unproven. Mirai has had her issues the past few years, but she has a more solid resume. She also seems to have rediscovered her joy of skating this season, and is much more focused. Thus we have been able to witness several solid skates from her this season. Polina is only 15, and if she continues to do as well as she did here, she would be a candidate for 2018 and beyond.

[Kwanatic]

I like Ashley, but besides that..my original post was meant to pretty much say what the rest of yours said! I just tend to ramble. I agree with Gold, and Wagner..but because A) Polina is new and not accomplished on the world stage (or national stage before now!) and B) because Mirai does rise to the occasion and was close to a medal in the 2010 olympics ...I would have chosen Mirai. And yes, ITA that with Polina being 15 ... she has a couple of more olympic chances. DOES ANYONE see the slight irony here: Wagner is a fan of Lipinski (as is Polina i hear) yet she finds herself in SOMETHING SORT OF a similar position to Michelle as to being the older skater who helped the US get back 3 spots and who is appointed in (although Michelle was because of injury, not performance) and now the younger skaters like Gold and Polina (Edmunds i think???) are getting the points and being cheered on etc. I just see a little of similarities in the situations, and I see Tara being very kind in remarks about Ashley. Now other "Tara's" so to speak, are a genuine threat to Ashley. just a thought...

[michellesmom]

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, on so many levels. If they were going to pick someone other than the top 3, why even bother to have Nationals? They didn't do it for the men, and they didn't do it for pairs, so why did they do it for the women? Because Ashley has a lot of endorsements, and NBC would lose too much money from her sponsors and they're already losing a bundle because Lindsey Vonn isn't going.

Ashley isn't going to finish on the podium, and neither are any of the other U.S. women. Don't forget that when Ashley got the bronze at GPF, YuNa wasn't competing and neither was Carolina and a lot other top women because the GP counts points in a weird way--you get just as many points for winning against lower-level competitors as you do for beating top-level ones.

This is so unfair to Mirai, it makes me want to not even bother watching the ladies' events.