I saw an article by Christine Brennan in USA Today, titled "Ashley Wagner Has Already Proven She Belongs on Team," in which she said this:
And during the coverage of previous Olympics on the Olympic Channel, I heard Sandra Bezic say confidently that newcomers don't win gold medals at the Olympics, that it takes experience and several tries to win there. So I checked the female Olympic gold medalists' Olympic experience.
1992: Yamaguchi. First and only Olympics.
1994: Baiul. First and only Olympics.
1998: Lipinski. First and only Olympics.
2002: Hughes. First and only Olympics.
2006: Arakawa. First and only Olympics. [My mistake -- she was at 1998 Olys. Thanks, Jeddah.]
2010: Kim. First Olympics; silver four years later, in 2014.
2014: Sotnikova. First and only Olympics.
Why do commentators keep maintaining that previous experience should be the no. 1 criterion for selection to the Olympic team, when fresh young skaters can and do come out on top?
And so what if Ashley Wagner helps the U.S. win a bronze medal in the team event? Who cares about the team event???? It's just a ridiculous vehicle invented so also-rans from the four major skating countries (U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan) can grab medals in the hope of burnishing their lackluster careers. I say, let the fresh faces go to the Olympics if they do well at Nationals, not those whose qualifications are in the past. Many of the youngsters will never have another shot at it. The Olympics should be about the wonderful young skaters who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much, NOT about the number of medals raked in by the U.S.