Thursday, July 22, 2010

This and That


David Wilson says that Yu-Na is considering a Latin/Spanish/Tango program for this season. She will discuss programs following All That Skate. He insists that she has all of her jumps and still wants to compete. Nothing is definite in the Yu-Na camp, but that doesn't mean the Korean press can't have 5,987 about the ideas being tossed around in Yu-Na's mind.

Paul Hamm is back and the gym and is hoping to regain his position as best in the World. He isn't sure if he'll train at the OTC or at Swiss Turners, but he has been working out with Andrei Kan and Stacy Maloney. Paul gave IG2 a snippet at the douche that he is when he mentioned how he talked with his former coach on the phone. Paul wanted to know 'what Stacy would be willing to put into this comeback.' As though Stacy, the man who built him as a gymnast, owes him something. Paul should be on his hands and knees kissing Stacy's ass after he left him high and dry a year before Athens. I will confess to loving Paul Hamm's gymnastics, but having to deal with him giving interviews is another story. Have you ever met someone as utterly unlikable?!

Morgan, the twin people actually like, is coaching at M+M Gymnastics and hopes to attend Pharmacy school.

Chelsea Davis spoke with Gymnastike about her comeback and new routines. She has redesigned her beam set to include the least amount of arching as possible. As usual, Anne's questions are positively riveting.

Kayla Williams won't be competing at this weekend's US Classic (Cover Girl Classic) after sustaining a foot injury. Mary Lee Tracy has had Kayla jumping rope for hours a day to get the pounds off. Judges insist that Kayla was actually looking decent and could still have a shot if she heals in time for the selection camp. Being the reigning World Champion, Kayla should have an automatic bye through to the selection camp. With Alicia training only 2-3 hours a day, getting her power specialist spot back could be easier than initially thought.

Li Mingzhu moved back to China. Caroline Zhang is officially working with Tammy Gambill. Ms. Tammy is known for being a little nuts herself. People are already taking bets about how long this union will last.

Shen and Zhao will be celebrating their wedding on ice on September 4th in 'Artistry On Ice.' Evgeny Plushenko, Sasha Cohen, Alexei Yagudin, Johnny Weir, Pang and Tong, The Zhangs, Mao Asada and Stephane Lambiel will also participate in the on-ice nuptials.

Ashley Wagner has been vlogging again. As usual, she produces absolutely nothing of value and puts on her peppy act. Friends shouldn't let friends embarrass themselves like this. Where's her agent?!

14 comments:

  1. I happen to like Ashley's vlogs.

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  2. I like Ashley's vlogs too. I think its just that when a skater actually takes the time and effort to put herself out there in an accessible fashion, we end up taking em for granted.

    You also make no sense when you say that "Ashley Wagner has been vlogging again. As usual, she produces absolutely nothing of value and puts on her peppy act. Friends shouldn't let friends embarrass themselves like this. Where's her agent?!"

    The fact that she's producing "nothing of value" in your opinion shows that she is being discrete and that her agent would approve.

    I'm not even a fan of Ashley but come on, lets get serious for a minute, Perez.

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  3. I also don't get the gripe over Ashley's vlogs. Yes, she probably acts more upbeat than she would in person, but it's not like she's reading off a script. As far as not having substance, what do you expect her to do? Ramble on about skating technique? Bitch about her competitors?

    Ashley is cool and classy. You're the one embarrassing yourself, AJ.

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  4. At least Ashley is nice and caring enough to do this for the fans. She could talk about what she had for breakfast, and it would still be interesting enough. Let her be.

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  5. I'm not a super Hamm fan but the douche in that dysfunctional relationship is neither of the twins. Paul would have been a great gymnast no matter who his coach was and Stacy is hands down one of the biggest a-holes in gymnastics. And that's saying something. Paul must have had a major head injury if he's thinking of training with him again.

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  6. I will say that Ashley DOES come off as slightly disingenuous, though that may be just her being animated and cheery for the camera, I can see where AJ think's what he thinks.

    Of course, I'm always slightly wary of athletes (especially elite athletes) who do that highly animated, cheery, bubbly tones in interviews and for public consumption.

    I've never met her in real life so I couldn't tell you how this compares to her usual personality.

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  7. Zach, I agree that Ashley doesn't come off as completely genuine. I think most people who "vlog" put on persona that's not exactly what they're like in person, even if they are trying to act natural. It's more obvious with some people than it is with others.

    But it's kind of unfair for AJ to criticize Ashley for this and say she's embarrassing herself when he doesn't know her (and no, seeing her enter the stands at Liberty doesn't count). Like you said, we don't know if this is her real personality or not since we don't actually know her.

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  8. Look, Ashley seems like a kind, sweet, down to earth girl. Of course, she probably isn't like this every second of every day...it's called being human and having emotions. But,the videos are pleasurable to watch and I truly enjoy seeing them. We get a look at what her everyday life is, and I enjoy that. Especially since we only typically see skaters when the pressure is on during a competition. It's nice to see her smiling and relaxed. AJ, I think you're being a bit too critical here.

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  9. Why are Ashley's vlogs embarrassing?? I thought Mirai's panasonic clips were completely ridiculous and held even less substance, yet you seem to adore her and everything that comes out of her mouth. Ashley is taking the time to answer some questions from her fans and give them a chance to get to know her and her routine. Of course she wants to come across as nice and is overly cheerful and puts on a big smile; but I fail to see a problem with that.

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  10. Wow, did Ashley's entire fan club take a field trip to the ice cream stsand?

    Ashley's vlogs have always been embarrassing. Not to mention immature, vapid, and pointless. End of story. Totally agree with AJ.

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  11. PolyisTCOandbannedJuly 23, 2010 at 8:57 PM

    Paul is just being direct. That's actually one of the things that makes him interesting to listen to is that he has a little bit of an analytical and strategic side to him. I get tired of the interviews with bromides. He'll actually answer the question usually.

    Paul is leaving a paying job and is not going to make much money this year with endorsements or what have you. He's putting a lot of hours into it. Stacey has a business and a lot of things to rely on. Paul needs to make the right decision. There is no reason to kiss ass unless Stacey is the only option.

    Really I think the only reason for exploring it is the social support (and expense saving) of being at home. I guess he could consider other gyms in Wisconsin, but obviously Stacey knows him. Really I think doing it at Chicago might have been an option.

    I would love to see him at Oklahoma or Houston! I think either of those coaches could work well with him. Although USOTC coaches are more intense. The fellow gymnasts at Houston or Oklahoma would be more motivating.

    I donno.

    Anyhow...Hamm is the real deal. That May tape was JUST FINE. He's not NCAA girl who says she's coming back and then doesn't do squat.

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  12. PolyisTCOandbannedJuly 23, 2010 at 9:00 PM

    Really...Hamm is pretty self-directed. He wants a coach to add that extra. Nothing wrong with that. EVen if there were issues with Stacey, I would see nothing wrong with him changing as the runup to the games goes on.

    Medical is the key issue. Really USOTC is the place if he can get some kind of social network. Maybe in some ways he doesn't mix as well and he is getting older, is alone, with no wife, important that he actually has real buddies. You can understand fellowship, no?

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  13. Stacy really helped him become innovative. A large party of why Sandy Hamm decided to have the boys move to OSU was purely financial. Stacy Maloney wanted more $ if he was going to devote all of his time and energy into making the boys Olympic Champions. He did have a business to run and would be losing money. Sandy Hamm is a notorious stage dad and pulled a bit of a Danny Kwan.

    Being older, Paul may need to become more innovative with his routines and play the code. Stacy knows him well and would likely be the coach to do that. Paul has always had a good relationship with Andrei.

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  14. Umm, this is not women's gymnastics. No male gymnast on the US team pays their coach to train. Zero. Zip. Nada. The guys get paid by USAG to train and coaches get like a hundred bucks. Plenty of people run gyms just fine. Heck, Cypress paid Jon H. to train there, because he's a huge asset to have in the gym. Stacy didn't want money to train the Hamms, he wanted a cut of their endorsements. It was unprecedentedly greedy and that's just one of the things that made them leave. Their dad may be a stage mama but there were plenty of reasons to ditch wanna-be rock star Kirk Baker.

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