Ashley Wagner, Unconventional Star Ice Skater, Exceptional Results

Standing at the podium to accept your award that epitomizes your success raises at least one question.

Does achieving great success applying things that embraced unconventional methods feel the same as reaching the same ultimate destination performed in a conventional way, very similar to others?

What would you say?

We feel that we agree with Frank Sinatra who smoothly expressed that he did it his way.

Very unconventional.

Very successful.

It appears that the elegant American champion Figure Skater Ashley Wagner agrees with old blue eyes.

She creates magic on the ice and headlines in the press based upon unconventional pathways.

Ashley Elisabeth Wagner is the 2016 World silver medalist, 2012 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final medalist, winner of five Grand Prix events (2012 and 2016 Skate America; 2012 and 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard; 2015 Skate Canada), and a three-time U.S. national champion (2012, 2013, and 2015).

Ms. Wagner was named to the U.S. team for the 2014 Winter Olympics and won a bronze medal in the team event.

Here is a summation of some of her top accomplishments found at web.icenetwork.com:

*2017 U.S. silver medalist
*2016 World silver medalist
*Three-time U.S. champion (2012, ’13, ’15)
*2014 Olympic Team Event bronze medalist
*First U.S. woman to win back-to-back U.S. titles (2012-13) and three U.S. titles (also 2015) since Michelle Kwan competed at her last U.S. Championships in 2005.

Ashley was born on a U.S. Army Base in Heidelberg, Germany, where her father was stationed.

Besides Germany, she has lived in California, Alaska, Kansas, Washington State, and Virginia. Ms. Wagner currently lives in southern California but considers Seabeck, Washington, her home.

Seabeck, Washington, with a population of 1,105 at the 2010 census, is a former mill town on the Hood Canal.

The fantastic local travel site visitkitsap.com adds, “Just a short drive from Silverdale hotels, Seabeck offers visitors scenic drives and great stops, including the historic Seabeck General Store, a public pier, boat launch and plenty of space to enjoy the beach and launch a kayak. Great cycling routes, overnight camping at Scenic Beach State Park and much more.”

With expectations surpassed around the globe or star began skating at age five in Eagle River, Alaska.

I think we could say in terms of her residential experience, we can conclude that she had a very unconventional childhood.

Mostly that’s a good thing. It definitely broadens a young person’s perspectives and horizons.

Taking the unconventional road also influenced her skating style.

Unlike most skaters, Ashley spins and jumps clockwise.

Her signature elements include a Charlotte spiral and a bent-leg layover camel spin with both arms outstretched above her head. She dislikes spins.

Very unusual. Very unorthodox. Very impressive.

Now for some unconventional and stunning news.

On November 26, 2017 the San Jose Mercury News reported, “Three-time national champion Ashley Wagner stopped Sunday in the middle of her long program at Bridgestone Skate America because of pain from an ankle infection, a stunning development for U.S. women heading into the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Wagner, 26, has been the leading face of American women since winning her first national title in 2012 in San Jose. Wagner needed to win Sunday in Lake Placid, New York, to become the only American to advance to the Grand Prix final that features the top six skaters of the autumn season.”

Stunning indeed. In some circles Ashley’s decision was questioned. In other camps, praised.

Oh well, that’s what doing things unconventionally will do for you. You may be the only one who fully understands why you did it.

Scores of others will not. They aren’t used to it.

An example of such was shared on February 2014 at theatlantic.com. “Critics say her unfiltered comments and facial expressions are bad for the sport. As a former figure skater, I say she’s simply being human—just like plenty of other athletes in her discipline.

Ashley Wagner will be remembered well after the torch is blown out at the Sochi Olympics, but the 22-year-old American figure skater is no America’s sweetheart. Wagner has been polarizing since before the Games began. Once there, the two-time U.S. National Champion made fewer headlines with her performances than with her meme-worthy faces, mouthed-under-breath remarks at her scores, and her less-than-shy comments about the disputed result of the women’s competition.”

Okay, so she’s not conventional. We all understand that.

Is there more unconventional behavior to report? Of course there is.

Look, it’s all good. Or is it?

As printed on November 28, 2017 at olympics.nbcsports.com, “Ashley Wagner‘s rough week wasn’t limited to the ankle injury that forced her to withdraw from Skate America. Wagner said in an Instagram story video on Saturday that somebody had broken into her home while she was traveling.”

Now having your home broken into happens to millions and those involved tend to take a conventional approach to the problems, itemizing what was lost, reporting to the insurance company and the police.

We’re sure that Ashley did all of those things, but guess what? Oh you already know. She’s very unconventional so she didn’t stop there.

Our friends at olympics.nbcsports.com continues, “The three-time U.S. champion followed up Tuesday by posting an image of the intruder on Instagram.”

Ashley announces, “All right folks, it’s a long shot but here we go. This is the woman who has broken into my house three separate times and stolen from me. I believe she follows me on social media she only breaks in when she knows I’m gone. If she’s going to be bold enough to steal my Louboutins, she’s going to get blasted on Insta. Anyone recognize her? Help solve the mystery!”

Ashley? You go girl!

That’s what you guys would have done right?

Then there is this whole issue of female athletes taking their clothes off to pose nude in well-respected publications like ESPN and Sports Illustrated.

More and more, female athletes will spend more time applying their makeup for photo shoots to increase their ability to secure endorsements more than ever before.

Yet despite their best efforts time.com reports, “the WNBA offers makeup seminars to rookies in hopes of attracting a larger male audience; athletes even in the less sexy sports like skiing or golf are posing in bikinis or less in magazines; and women who compete in sports that require helmets are spending 30 minutes in front of the mirror putting on makeup before competition preparing for their HD close-up when that helmet comes off at the finish line.

These efforts can earn sponsorships—though not nearly as many as the men get. Even though most female athletes make the bulk of their money from endorsements, Sports Illustrated’s 2013 list of the 50 highest earning athletes didn’t include a single woman.”

Hmm, very sobering.

Also, there’s the inevitable backlash where a female athlete’s beauty can also be used against her.

Our beautiful star Ashley found out the hard way when she was accused by several members of the media of earning her spot on the Olympic Figure Skating team based on her looks rather than her talent.

fciwomenswrestling.com, femcompetitor.com article, Fort George G. Meade Public Affairs Office wikimedia photo credit

How did Ashley feel about that?

Time captured her response. “I feel like the media and society in general—because it’s easy—put female athletes into two boxes,” Ashley Wagner says. “You’re either a very pretty athlete or you go to the opposite end of the spectrum and you’re very sexy.”

What is left out of Ashley’s quote is that being physically unattractive is not an option.

Ashley certainly has a way of putting things in perspective. Conventional or otherwise. She will get your attention.

You have your thoughts about that, right?

Well so does Ashley and as usual her methods tend to be very different than ours.

In terms of having to move around continuously when she was young, while most of us would like stability, trying to predict how Ashley will respond is risky business.

On November 3, 2017 when speaking to Sports Illustrated, here is how Ashley responded. “I actually think that might be the reason my career has lasted so long, because I moved around so much. My parents always made sure I could skate. So it was that one familiar thing I had. I was always the new kid, always had to get used to new surroundings. But rinks are rinks wherever you go. So it’s kind of part of my identity because it has always been there in my life.”

Approaching life an unconventional way is also part of her identity and you know what?

We’re unconventionally ecstatic about that.

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OPENING PHOTO CREDIT NBC Olympics USOC

https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/unconventional

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabeck,_Washington

https://www.visitkitsap.com/seabeck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Wagner

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2017/11/26/ashley-wagner-abruptly-withdraws-long-program-skate-america/896258001/

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/26/stunning-development-for-u-s-women-at-skate-america/

http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/11/28/ashley-wagner-house-intruder-photo/

http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/11/14/ashley-wagner-figure-skating/