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Milano Cortina 2026 - Team USA - Figure Skating


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Ok, I am going to state what I think is pretty obvious…..our American athletes are really struggling with the mental side of things this Olympics.  I know Shiffrin struggled 4 years ago and based on the team event, nothing has really changed.  Stoddard was a force during the WC season and wasn’t able to hardly complete a lap.  Now tonight.  Honestly for the last 30+ years of Olympic watching I have watched Americans rise to the challenge and perform when the pressure was greatest.  Something has changed.  I’m not knocking our athletes, but I think we need to examine our mental preparation.  Something really feels different.  Thoughts?

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7 minutes ago, Bear Hollow said:

Ok, I am going to state what I think is pretty obvious…..our American athletes are really struggling with the mental side of things this Olympics.  I know Shiffrin struggled 4 years ago and based on the team event, nothing has really changed.  Stoddard was a force during the WC season and wasn’t able to hardly complete a lap.  Now tonight.  Honestly for the last 30+ years of Olympic watching I have watched Americans rise to the challenge and perform when the pressure was greatest.  Something has changed.  I’m not knocking our athletes, but I think we need to examine our mental preparation.  Something really feels different.  Thoughts?

Ehhh... I wouldn't generalize it like that. Shiffrin, Malinin and Stoddard like you mentioned are struggling with the pressure of expectations.

 

But, there are plenty of athletes/teams that have responded to the pressure (women's hockey, Chock/Bates, Stolz, mixed doubles curling, women's moguls). 

 

Sure, there are individual examples of failure under pressure. There will be individual examples at every Olympics. But, I don't think that's a big enough sample size to generalize it to "American athletes".

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Your examples are duly noted….and yes those are good example of success.  For example look at Diggins…injury and all mentally willed herself to a podium.  Watching Ogden at the start line of the sprint..you could see that dude was getting on the podium.  I’m not saying it’s an epidemic but something is different than the past and it’s more than just one athlete.  My observation goes even deeper than favorites not medalling, they have almost looked paralyzed.  Honestly I watched Stolz first race while standing waiting for something to happen and if you watch and even heard him in his interview at 600m he was in trouble in his pair but then he flipped the switch.    Even watching a number of those not as favorites struggle when the pressure gets on more than usual.  Performing your best and not winning a medal at the Olympics is something to be proud of for sure.  I’m watching body language, facial expressions, there’s trouble for many of them.  I’m used to seeing a determined confidence.  

Edited by Bear Hollow
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13 minutes ago, clemsonbeav said:

Finally managed to watch.  That hurt.  (Happy for Shaidorov :KAZ.)

I feel for Ilia (who wouldn't).  I'm glad I saw it live, but it probably now ranks highest in Olympic events I never want to see again.  

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It just sucks, too, because Ilia has skated beautifully this whole season.  Never a mistake.  Finally saw a mistake in the SP of the Grand Prix Final, and then of course this...just the pressure got to him.  He is human after all, as we found out.  I'd just want to crawl in a hole and not come out for a good long while...

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1 hour ago, Bear Hollow said:

Ok, I am going to state what I think is pretty obvious…..our American athletes are really struggling with the mental side of things this Olympics.  I know Shiffrin struggled 4 years ago and based on the team event, nothing has really changed.  Stoddard was a force during the WC season and wasn’t able to hardly complete a lap.  Now tonight.  Honestly for the last 30+ years of Olympic watching I have watched Americans rise to the challenge and perform when the pressure was greatest.  Something has changed.  I’m not knocking our athletes, but I think we need to examine our mental preparation.  Something really feels different.  Thoughts?

I want to fully respond on this.  Quickly though, Ever since Saturday, I feared that something like this could happen to Ilia, after his short program in the team event. As for Shiffrin, when she was in the start house, she seemed to be very uptight and constantly banging her poles around - not the look of someone who is confident about the upcoming race,  Maybe she does that all the time anyway, but right after she finished, NBC said she looked very tight.  

 

Stoddard, I don't know enough about her, and I hadn't penciled her in for anything.  C&B  and Chloe did their best, and it just wasn't their day.  I do have some questions about the judging for C&B and I feel badly for them.

 

To be continued ...

 

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