Julia Mancuso

[Muleski]

@Eleeski,

Thanks for posting that. Interesting. One of my kids had surgery, and his doc told him that if he could tolerate the pain, and could still perform, no risk of continuing and then doing the surgery post season. There would be ample rehab time. He kept at it with one, and did the surgery fast to get a jump on rehab with the other. Guess it depends...Torn shoulder labrum, and a hand injury. The mechanics of the hand made things pretty much impossible to race.

The unanswered question here, I think, is whether she can ski well enough, even if she can press through the pain. I've heard a lot of "no way" opinions. Which makes me root for the underdog, even if it's the longest of longshots. I'm skeptical.

I wish her well. I just hope that this isn't some season long 'will she or won't she'' thing, and there is minimal drama. Drama on women's ski team has never been good.....going back many decades.

Guess we'll see tomorrow!

 

[Franzz]

From balistic to unrealistic..., please Julia dont start anymore, thanks!!

 

[Tricia]

I'll see your JM pic and raise you a bad ass pic.

Crossing fingers for a good hip move.
@Rudi Riet knows a bit about Hips and some such.

^^^^This Julia
And this Julia are two very different Julias

Spoiler: Julia's run

 

[Lorenzzo]

No way to comment without spoiling...

 

[Wolfski]

No way to comment without spoiling...

Spoiler: Spoiler

Almost speechless, that run it looked like she was in pain and would have trouble on blue groomer with that effort.
Always painful to watch athletes brains trying to convince their bodies that it still has it.

 

[NESkier_26]

Sad to watch. Hopefully time for Julia to reevaluate.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Spoiler: More spoiler-y discussion

She has essentially zero confidence in her left leg. That hip is toast, and I know how it feels. She definitely needs to re-assess her season, and the remainder of her career. The snow at St. Moritz doesn't look especially hard, so if anything it was a more forgiving surface - better for hip comfort, though after 29 previous runners (plus forerunners and POV camera runners) it will be a little chewed up.

This will not end the way Julia wants, I'm afraid. I feel for her, but she needs to move on.

 

[Muleski]

Spoiler: Continued spoiler proofing

Agree with the comments.
This is NO SHOCK, at all.
Two years ago, it was very common knowledge that her hip was a disaster, and her surgery had "not worked."
We went through a year of complete BS a year ago, with her literally taking another athlete's spot on many a start list....only to not start. A sad situation.
Some of us were critical of how the USST was "managing" it, or wondering if they were. Others felt that was "mean", and bought into the age old "Super Jules" hype.
Is Julia an overachiever or an underachiever? Good question.
One thing is clear. It is over. It is past the time when the USST needs to show some skill and savvy in dealing with this.
The routine of USST athletes reluctantly admitting that it is over {Bode} does not sit well with some whom the organization is soliciting the most for support.

It's over. Say so. Get her ready for the NBC booth. Have the USSSA's athlete insurance program continue to pay for the hip surgery. BTW, not an insignificant factor in this, IMO.

Sad. No possible way that she can compete. Please, somebody admit it, and end this.

She has had a long career, with some very exciting highlights. Awesome, long career.

It ends for every athlete. Not always on their terms. Did anybody catch Porino's comment? This was her first speed event start in over 1000 days.

Wish her well. This is NOT all about her at this point.

A mess........

 

[markojp]

Spoiler: I got a fever! More spoiler!

Hmmmmmm. Wow.... It was a good run, but it's time to hang'em up, get well, and make a comeback on the grass roots coaching side. Hope her financial self is in better shape going forward. There's probably a great book in her experience. Hope it gets written.

 

[Swede]

Please don't spoil the spoiler.

 

[Muleski]

I'm not playing the spoiler game today.
No need to with this one.

Julia started the SG today. It was held on the easier of the two tracks, and the start was lowered. The snow was soft for a WC SG. The winning time was just over a minute. It was short. All this effectively means this was likely the most gentle SG, on the body, that the women will see this season.

Julia was dead last. 5.5 seconds out. One second behind the second to last place finisher.

This is really painful to watch. I am pretty disappointed in the whole "Super Jules" campaign. In simple terms it looks like trading on past success, and marketability in a clear money grab. The Winner has been oft-injured, recently. There was another USST skier who is coming back from a bad injury who was top 10.

My hunch is that she skips tomorrow, and possibly returns in a month when the speed events resume. Right now, there will be a huge uprising if she is somehow on the Olympic team. Complete waste of a slot. It used to be that when you could no longer do it, you retired. Not now in the business of the USST.

If I were a parent, funding my kid, and my kid did NOT get the start because Mancuso did, I'd not be pleased.

Julia had a pretty solid career.....a great one when she really turned it on. It's over. Isn't that obvious?

 

[Tricia]

This is sad to watch. Its like Favre.
Retire on top with a name. People love you, take a bow and fix your hips so you can live a better life without pain.
Your fans want that for you, Julia.

 

[PTskier]

Mancuso is 33.
Vonn is 33.
Liggety is 33.

Shiffrin is 22. Who is coming up, not fading away? Ganong was #26 in FIS points last year. Nyman was #61. Ross was #25. Wiles was #45, Cook was #46. The U.S. doesn't have a bench.

 

[Lorenzzo]

This is sad to watch. Its like Favre.

Is she sending photos too?

 

[Started at 53]

Is she sending photos too?

OMG, too funny

 

[Tricia]

Mancuso is 33.
Vonn is 33.
Liggety is 33.

Shiffrin is 22. Who is coming up, not fading away? Ganong was #26 in FIS points last year. Nyman was #61. Ross was #25. Wiles was #45, Cook was #46. The U.S. doesn't have a bench.

We've been talking bout a lot of new up and comers who could have the potential to compete on the women's side if they had the resources behind them.
I'm not sure about the men's side, but the women's side had a potential bench if they utilize the talent.

Don't get me wrong, I love Julia Mancuso, but she's in pain and its obvious when she's racing.

 

[Jack skis]

I agree that Jules is at the end of her racing career, but few among us here could finish in less than 6 seconds behind first place in a World Cup SG. I'm not qualified to make decisions about ending careers for any WC racer. So Julia, if you want to keep trying, it's OK with me.

 

[Blue Streak]

Mancuso is 33.
Vonn is 33.
Liggety is 33.

Shiffrin is 22. Who is coming up, not fading away? Ganong was #26 in FIS points last year. Nyman was #61. Ross was #25. Wiles was #45, Cook was #46. The U.S. doesn't have a bench.

Sad but true.

 

[Tricia]

I agree that Jules is at the end of her racing career, but few among us here could finish in less than 6 seconds behind first place in a World Cup SG. I'm not qualified to make decisions about ending careers for any WC racer. So Julia, if you want to keep trying, it's OK with me.

I can give you that.
I'm not a pro in that sense and I don't have the mental and physical traits it takes to do what she's done and continues to do.
But I will say, I've seen her around and she looks(walks) like she's in pain. I don't wish that on anyone, let alone a star athlete that I admire.

 

[NESkier_26]

It appears as though she can't drop her hips low enough to get her skis fully on edge in the sharper turns. Perhaps she's thinking/hoping that with training and rehab, she'll build enough strength and have the pain subside enough to enable her to compete in the Olympics. Based on what we are seeing now, though, it seems really dubious that she can make sufficient progress over the next 30-45 days to be competitive.