![\"Ross](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/bng-l-skate-0107-42.jpg\")
<\/a>Ross Miner, whose misfortune inspred me to write this entire rant. Pictured at the top of this page are the 2018 Men’s medalists. (L-R) Siver medalist Ross Miner, Champion Nathan Chen, Bronze medalist Vincent Zhou, and Pewter medalist, (yes, that IS a thing!,) Adam Rippon.<\/p><\/div>\n
Because I\u2019m the busiest girl in the world, I\u2019m a bit behind in watching all of the US Figure Skating Nationals that took place last week.\u00a0 But I\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0see every second of the Men\u2019s and Ladies competitions. And there was controversy in both of them. [Note: I had to look this up because I thought I had it wrong\u2014the competitions are listed as \u201cMen\u2019s\u201d and \u201cLadies,\u201d which are inconsistent. \u201cMen\u2019s\u201d is possessive while \u201cLadies\u201d is just a plural! How has no one in sports fixed this before??? But I\u2019ll just have to go with it…for now.]<\/p>\n But what happened on Sunday, the day after the Men\u2019s, is so disgusting that I almost can\u2019t even spit it out.<\/p>\n This is an Olympic year, so the results are more important than in the previous three years.\u00a0 For those of you who are not familiar with how this sport works, here\u2019s a super-short primer:<\/p>\n In most of the past years, throughout history, the skaters who place as the top three, in all four disciplines, are the ones who get to compete at the World Championships that year and, more importantly, the Olympics.\u00a0 [Note: Sometimes, it\u2019s only the top two, or, in horrible cases, as with this year\u2019s Pairs, only\u00a0one<\/em>\u00a0team who gets to go. But three is the most from any one country.]<\/p>\n Ashley Wagner.<\/p><\/div>\n Some other countries decide who get to go\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0by who are the top three at their country\u2019s Nationals; instead, a committee looks at their body of work.\u00a0 That way, if their\u00a0real<\/em>\u00a0top skater screws-up at this one competition, he or she is not penalized for it.\u00a0 But America has always made it the top three, except in cases of temporary injury.<\/p>\n That all changed four years ago when the United States Figure Skating Association wanted fourth place Ashley Wagner to go to the Olympics, feeling that she\u2019d have the best chance to wind-up on that podium, which is all they care about.\u00a0 Medaling on the world stage is much more important to the committee than individuals\u2019 feelings or fairness.<\/p>\n Mirai Nagasu.<\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s always been a shame to me that one competition can crush a person. But conversely, it can make someone\u2019s life complete.\u00a0 It\u2019s up to each competitor to do his or her best.<\/p>\n So background over, and now the saga begins. Four years ago, in 2014, (the previous Olympics year,) semi-newcomer Gracie Gold won the Nationals, and the powers-that-be loved her, so of course she was chosen.\u00a0 Ashley Wagner, who had been expected to win, fell to fourth.\u00a0 My<\/em> favorite current skater, Mirai Nagasu, (who has been competing on the senior level for a decade now, and who always seems to be expected to fail,) did great, but not great enough, because she wound-up in third place, with super-young newbie, Polina Edmonds, as the surprise silver medalist.\u00a0 So, that\u2019s the trio who should have been appointed to the three-skater Ladies Olympic team.<\/p>\n The 2018 Ladies medalists. (L-R) Silver medalist Mirai Nagasu, Champion Bradie Tennell, Bronze medalist Karen Chen, and Pewter medalist (yes, there IS such a thing,) Ashley Wagner.<\/p><\/div>\n But no\u2014they really<\/em>\u00a0wanted Ashley on there!\u00a0 Mirai had come in fourth at the previous Olympics, at just fifteen years of age, so she should have been rewarded with a berth this time, especially since she earned it in the Nationals!\u00a0 They could not replace the\u00a0Champion<\/em>, so, if it had to be\u00a0anybody<\/em>\u00a0who was left off the team for Ashley, it should have been inexperienced Polina.\u00a0 But they wanted the young \u2018un to gain the experience for the future, and it really would not have been right to kick the second place<\/em> finisher down, anyway, so it was lovely Mirai who was sacrificed for Ashley.\u00a0 It was a truly horrible, painful time for Mirai.<\/p>\n But she hung-in there for this entire Olympics cycle, and won the silver medal this year, while Ashley, once again, came in fourth.\u00a0 Thank goodness they didn\u2019t screw Mirai again, or there would have been a revolt by all American skating fans.\u00a0 So, they did the right thing, and the Ladies results stayed the way they were, with the top three going to the Olympics.\u00a0 I\u2019m really so happy for this totally deserving trio. (Last year\u2019s Champ, Karen Chen, is the third place girl.)<\/p>\n The incredible Nathan Chen.<\/p><\/div>\n I told you all that as a prelude to the horror show that was the Mens competition this year.\u00a0 So, we have the incredible Nathan Chen, who would have won his Olympics spot even if he had pulled-out of the Nationals\u2014he\u2019s\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0good.\u00a0 But, even with a cold, which forced him to water-down his programs, he blew everyone away, and just may be the favorite to win Olympic Gold.<\/p>\n But the rest of the competition was a mess.\u00a0 Very young Vincent Zhou was expected to come in second, with two former National Champions, senior citizen Adam Rippon and crowd favorite Jason Brown, duking it out for third.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not even close to what happened.<\/p>\n Vincent Zhou.<\/p><\/div>\n Vincent was fifth<\/em> in the short program, but pulled-up to third in the long program, due to his many triple jumps combined with less-than-stellar performances by the other guys.\u00a0 Adam and Jason fell on the ice multiple times each, and \u201cpopped\u201d jumps, (which means they did singles or doubles rather than planned triples,) and fell to fourth and fifth places, respectively.<\/p>\n Adam Rippon.<\/p><\/div>\n Jason had been to the Olympics before, and he\u2019s still young, and has no quad jumps, so he\u2019s not a contender on the world scene, anyway.\u00a0 But, at twenty-eight, this is basically Adam\u2019s last chance.\u00a0 He\u2019s a gorgeous skater, who\u2019s very confident, (bordering on cocky this year,) so it was sad and shocking to witness his problem-plagued program.\u00a0 In all his pre-competition interviews, he made it quite clear that he was expecting to be on the Olympics team.\u00a0 (He went so far as to say that the only way he would not<\/em> make the team is if the other skater\u2019s \u201cmothers are on the selection committee.\u201d\u00a0 But that isn\u2019t really as obnoxious as it sounds; it\u2019s just Adam.) [Sidebar: He cracked me up when he tweeted that being a gay athlete in sports is \u201cexactly like being a straight athlete. Lots of hard work but usually done with better eyebrows.”]<\/p>\n Ross Miner praying the Selection Committee doesn’t screw him. (But, alas, his prayers went unanswered.)<\/p><\/div>\n But the shock of all shocks is that perennial also-ran, Ross Miner, had the skate of his life!\u00a0 It was amazing, and he won the silver medal.\u00a0 Which meant that even if the committee decided to move Adam up, how could they leave the third place finisher, Vincent, on the team, and screw the second place guy, Ross, right?\u00a0 But guess what?\u00a0 That\u2019s exactly what they did!!!\u00a0 How terrible of them!\u00a0 Ross earned his spot, yet was totally screwed!<\/p>\n And adding insult to injury is this\u2014they didn\u2019t even make Ross the first<\/em> alternate (which means he\u2019d get a trip\u00a0to the Olympics if one of the top three drop-out.) They gave that spot to Jason<\/em>!!!\u00a0 That means that\u00a0two<\/em>\u00a0of the top three would have to drop-out for Ross to get to go.\u00a0 That is just unconscionable of them to do to someone who\u2019s put his heart and soul into skating for all these years, and had the second best performance of the competition! What do these athletes work for their whole lives if their accomplishments wind-up meaning nothing to these decision-makers??? I\u2019m so outraged that my head is pounding just writing this! [Note: Jason Brown is lovely and kind and totally beloved by all who know him. But this is a professional skating<\/em> competiton–his goodness as a person should have no bearing on his selection or not. Although he does have the most gorgeous posture I\u2019ve ever seen!]<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>