I don't doubt she's done but I have a hard time with the never really taken it seriously stuff. Whatever you haven't had in WC results from her you've had in stoke and inspiration and modelling for kids that skiing can still be fun at the top level. & Olympic medals that many "serious" athletes would kill for. There is room for both LVs and JMs in sport. I know who I'd rather ride a chair with and take a lap with.
I don't believe that I said "never taken seriously", and not sure if anybody else did, but if so that would be a mistake. Because of her talent, and ability, she has some very good years and very, very good results. This was not somebody just hanging in and hoping for her next WC start. I think that she finished in the top five of the WC overall maybe three times? Seven WC wins is something that any kid would aspire to. Five medals? Same thing. That is all good stuff. For most GREAT stuff.
At the risk of being redundant, the "conflict" in this comes from the various parts of the puzzle. Natural athleticism and talent is one. I have no way to quantify this, though there are no doubt testing records somewhere deep in the USST, but it's generally acknowledged that she is not just a phenomenal athlete and skier, but maybe the best that the USST has ever had, and one of the top in the world....all time. Old timers talk about what an incredible athlete Tamara McKinney was, and Mancuso is in another league. When she was a teen, it is ALL you heard. It's part of rthe reason why she made her WC debut in her first year as a FIS skier, at 15.
Add to that her touch and ski ability, which again in the eyes of many/most coaches was always just off the charts. A lot of it was just mileage as a kid at Squaw chasing her siblings. She is fearless. That gets noticed as a kid. Add the athleticism and what was observed on snow. She was noticed early on. Like a MS, and LV.
I have heard stories of her "killing it" in most every athletic endeavor. Soccer. Better than anybody, including all the boys, etc. There are no such LV stories, and fewer MS ones.
She was also a kid full of personality, and enthusiasm. All good.
So, back to skiing, she raced in three consecutive Jr. World Champs, which by itself is unusual. She won eight medals, including five golds. That is off the charts. A record. However, keep in mind that she was skiing on the World Cup at the time: ages 18-20. And the consensus, all over the tour was that this was just a phenom. To out in today's terms, a Mikaela. Once a generation.
And, while she has had a very good career, a great career by many measures, it is NOT what people super serious about this business had thought it would be. And there is no getting around the fact that all of those things that I posted above enter into the conversation. And the big one is how hard did she or would she work. There seems to have been a big disconnect between her talent and her results. Women who win big, and bigger than ever before on every stage as a junior are expected to have more than seven WC wins.
I have heard it mostly attributed to her being very, very difficult, spoiled, demanding to be on her own program, and the concensus that what she considered to be hard, productive work in the off season was not in line with the team, the coaches, the rest of the sport. It may not be fair, it may be mean. She seriously underachieved relative to her potential. Some of it is injury. But you can't believe how many coaches I this country and abroad dump on Maui, the surfing, etc. Her family background is no secret, and it's probably not fair, but it adds to the spoiled piece. Too much talent. Not enough work. Spoiled. Is it fair? Cruel?
I guess that this discussion may have taken off without giving JM enough "credit' for her personality, enthusiasm, fun, etc. Because she is ALL of that.
BTW, all that I hear and see is that every single young girl in the sport wants to be like Mikaela. I have seen it at so many events. Julia is barely on the radar screen. I think she was, big time, more like 5-10 years ago. As was LV. I recall the two of them at US Nationals 8, 9, 10 years ago. Hugely popular with kids and fans, endless autographs. Now, all MS, by a long shot.
I agree there is room for a lot of people in the sport....for everybody in fact.