UPDATE (1\/27\/2014): Thank you to everyone who supported Mirai! You were amazing! Unfortunately, the USOC’s Board of Directors today approved U.S. Figure Skating’s nominations, so Mirai will be an alternate for the team in Sochi. You can see several comments of mine on Twitter (@iaurmelloneug) with the hashtag #MiraiEarnedIt; I’ll try to post some of them here when I get a chance. In the meantime, you can wish Mirai well on Twitter or via the contact page on her website, MiraiNagasu.com.<\/p>\n
ORIGINAL POST: No doubt you know about the figure skating controversy in which Mirai Nagasu was left off the U.S. Olympic team. I started the #MiraiEarnedIt hashtag to protest that decision. And we actually have one more chance to plead her case! The nominations of athletes still have to be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee\u2019s Board of Directors first. These nominations, at least in the case of America’s figure skating squad, are scheduled to be finalized by January 27. <\/p>\n
So let\u2019s tweet and email the USOC board in support of Mirai – as soon as you can! Mirai skates early Thursday morning, January 23, in Taiwan in the 4 Continents Championships. Let\u2019s send her off with the knowledge we’ve bombarded the USOC Board of Directors with tweets and emails! <\/p>\n
Strategically, we need to take things one step at a time. The board members won’t simply overrule U.S. Figure Skating to put Mirai on the Olympic team (replacing either Polina or Ashley). So we’ll first ask them to refuse to approve the women\u2019s figure skating nominations until U.S. Figure Skating fully answers the many allegations in the press that NBC and corporate sponsors influenced the Olympic team selections. If the board does so, then we’ll proceed with the next step, all to help Mirai get to Sochi!<\/p>\n
To whom do we send tweets and emails? I\u2019ve listed the members of the Board of Directors below, along with a sample tweet and a sample email that you can cut and paste, if you like. But regardless of whether you use the samples or not, PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL! These directors are outstanding individuals. Many were Olympic athletes previously. Many now lead major corporations and\/or charities. BE GRACIOUS! This effort depends on it!<\/p>\n
Please do this today (Tuesday) if at all possible! If you have questions, tweet me at @iaurmelloneug. Thank you so much!<\/p>\n
These members of the Board of Directors are on Twitter. Please tweet them:<\/p>\n
Anita L. DeFrantz at @ADeFrantz
\nAngela Ruggiero at @angelaruggiero
\nJohn S. Hendricks at @JohnSHendricks
\nWhitney Ping at @wping<\/p>\n
Sample tweet:
\n.@ADeFrantz Please insist that USFS answer charges of corporate influence b4 your board (USOC) approves the ladies\u2019 team #MiraiEarnedIt<\/p>\n
<\/br>
\nThe following members of the Board of Directors are not on Twitter. Some of them I could not find direct email addresses for. Please contact me if you do find them. Please email:<\/p>\n
Larry Probst (USOC chair) at communications@usoc.org
\nJames L. Easton at communications@usoc.org
\nRobert J. Bach at communications@usoc.org
\nJames Benson at communications@usoc.org
\nSusanne Lyons via alison@wildcarebayarea.org
\nBob Bowlsby at bbowlsby@big12sports.com
\nUrsula Burns at ursula.burns@xerox.com
\nNina Kemppel at nkemppel@akfh.org
\nBill Marolt at BMarolt@ussa.org
\nMary McCagg at mary.mccagg@candlewick.com
\nDave Ogrean DaveO@usahockey.org<\/p>\n
Sample email:
\nDear USOC Board of Directors,<\/p>\n
Thank you so much for taking this moment to hear from me.<\/p>\n
I write as a supporter of Mirai Nagasu. And I am deeply disturbed by allegations, raised by numerous journalists and longtime figure skating observers, that corporate sponsors and NBC influenced U.S. Figure Skating’s choices for the 2014 U.S. Olympic team. The credibility of the Olympic movement in American figure skating has been called into serious question. Would you please insist that U.S. Figure Skating answer these charges forthrightly and transparently, and that until then, no approval of the women’s figure skating nominations will take place?<\/p>\n
I am grateful for your leadership of the American Olympic movement, and I trust you will take a stand for its integrity. Thanks once again.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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