I have said what I have to say, it is done.

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Erm, but how do you REALLY feel? Just kidding, but I think you could have been a bit kinder. We're a pretty tolerant lot here.

There are ways to avoid posters if you want to - I'm sure lots of people do it to wordy old me! Here's a few suggestions:

First, don't read any threads that he/she starts.
Second, view the poster's profile. Above the signature line are two options: Add to Buddy List and Add to Ignore List. If you Ignore them, you don't see their posts. (Except in Quotes by others.)
Third, if it's really important to say something, just send them a private message so you don't embarrass them and don't make yourself seem scroogish.

You've posted fairly often since joining us last year, so I assume you like these Forums and aren't a troll. Stick around and keep chiming in on things that interest you.

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Wow. This thread is unfortunate. Everyone starts somewhere, and usually, when people start something they are really enthusiastic about it.

Kevin has impossible expectations, and perhaps some grandiose illusions as well, but it's no reason to make a thread dedicated to humiliate him. I put a lot of thought into that huge post I made on that thread, hoping to help him. It sounds from his latest reply that everyone's posts made a difference in his thinking, at least a little. He was open to opinions and he stayed really calm and nice with everybody, even though without meaning to everyone did gang up on him a little, and said some things that weren't the kindest- if for my post alone. I know it was a harsh post, but I tried to keep in constructive.

I definitely don't believe in the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" because then no one would ever realize when they are in the wrong, but on the other hand, if you're going to say something less than nice, you could at least make it so that it helps the person you are criticizing in changing for the better. Making fun of someone just for the sake of it makes YOU look bad, not them.

I agree 100%. And I really liked that post you wrote, stardust.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve

Wow this is a bit harsh. Kevin has a passion for skating. What the hell is wrong with that? So what if he posts all his ups and downs here. It's a place for him to share his joy or vent with other skaters. As an American he has that right. As a person he was that right.

Mocking him will not get you support, but rather hostile responses. If you want to post your ups and downs as well and get the same support Kevin gets here, then cool. Just don't be a dick about it.

I admire Kevin, I wish there were more people with his guts and determination that he has.

He's a great guy, maybe if you gave him a chance, rather then mocking him...you'd see.

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Check out the sites I run
http://www.joelisi.net
http://www.charlieday.net

It’s a bit like believing in Santa Claus, when we are young we have dreams, its not until we get older that we realize that not all of them are going to come true. However speaking as a 56 year old “Random Woman” I still have my dreams, they are just more realistic, they are what keeps me alive, they give me a purpose to get out of bed in the morning.

I supported Kevin in the early days because I know what it is like to have a dream, let’s hope he achieves at least some them, as I have.

Oh and coskater64, can I be your flower girl?

I do not know if I can count the number of times we have had to listen to Kevin Callahan wax poetic about how he desperately wants our approval and then promptly ignores it.

Being gung ho is great, but being realistic is helpful. We all have our dreams but Kevin keeps bragging about things and making statements that show little understanding of the sport and little ability to take any sort of criticism. There are at least 10 threads where you can see Kevin saying he feels like he being attacked, by people who have actually gone through the learning process.

I am sick and tired of him hijacking threads, making everything about him, his constant bragging about his coach, his boasting about how good he is...he has not passed a single test, basic skills, usfigure skating or ISI.

I had to skate w/ a young 20-something young man at my old rink. He was a Ph D in astrophysics and a very strong young man. He was equally as gung ho, he could jump...up. After several years of skating he was making progress on his bronze field moves and saying the same stuff about skating at the gold level, he never listened, he failed the moves constantly, he can't spin and his jumps aren't neat and tight-- they are huge and open, he has interesting posture...the thing is. He could actually be a good skater but he thinks he knows better than everyone else, he doesn't listen to his coach and he doesn't practice the edge quality issues or anything other than the jumps.

So if I seem mean that's fine w/ me but I am just so annoyed at having to have threads hijacked by someone who knows nothing and doesn't listen and in all honestly is just making a desperate plea for attention.

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

I quite honestly don't think this thread is necessary. It's catty and IMO should be closed.

Look, Kevin may be a bit gung-ho and over the top sometimes but he at least is enthusiastic. Having a positive attitude is something that will get you just a little bit farther than someone who is negative all the time.

To me, Kevin reminds me of some people who audition on American Idol. They have been told they have talent, and truth be told they aren't all that bad. (I'm not talking about the really BAD people...just average) A lot of these people can sing in the shower or with the radio, but put them acapella and they don't always hit the notes. Many of them have never had voice lessons or have only had a little. They head off to AI and perhaps get past the frist audition (maybe even not then) Then they realize just how good everyone is (some better some the same, and a few lower) and realize they have A LOT of work left to do to make it. Those who have a good attitude about it all will take the criticisms to heart and actually use them. Others will not listen to reason and keep believing that the powers that be were all wrong about them. Hopefully Kevin will be one of the ones that will walk away taking the criticisms to heart

As for him going on and on about his coach...well, making it to the national championships doesnt make you a great coach. Over the next while, either his coach will turn out to be well knowledgable or he'll realize that perhaps this wasn't the right person for him. It sounds like they have a good working relationship, though I think Kevin might be a bit enamoured by the fact his coach was at a national championship

I cringed when I read this thread because it singled out one particular person. The truth is that there are any number of people on this board that can turn any thread into a "ME! LOOK AT ME!" tangent. Plus, other people help by pointing out those tangental poster's mistakes, inaccuracies, delusions, you get the point. COSKATER is making a really, really good point: hijacking threads is rude. Just say no.

If someone wants to talk about their progress in skating, there is a weekly thread in the "On Ice" section, there's a "Coaches Corner" for the coaches, and Patsy's Parlor isn't above the occasional "I PASSED MY xxx TEST!" cheer diversion. Or, do as Casey, Kevin, Celliste, and others have done: start a new thread in On Ice.

However, there have been several posts lately that were started by one person looking for advice or posting frustration that turned into a discussion (or even a heated debate with nasty personal attacks) about something completely unrelated. Attempts to get it back on thread were unsuccessful due to the determination of the combatants. In fairness, some of the diversions came from misreading or not reading earlier posts.

When we do this, we tell the thread starter that we don't care about his/her issue or achievement, which is RUDE! However, several people have started new posts saying "I didn't want to hijack the so-and-so thread, so I decided to start a new post about (whatever.) That's a much nicer way to handle it, even if you're not interested in the discussion.

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coskater- If this is truly how you feel, I second the opinion of whoever said to go to Kevin's profile and click on "ignore user" so that this annoyance stops for you. Kevin doesn't annoy me, and I hope he keeps posting.

[Edited to add: I am far from reading every thread on this forum but I do read quite a bit and I haven't noticed Kevin hijacking any threads? Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Either way those types of things don't really bother me. It's just a forum, everybody gets along most of the time, and there is some really good discussion here. I think we're all lucky!]

I agree; if you don't like Kevin's post, either ignore them or don't read them. This thread was completely pointless and juvenile.

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

I had someone teach me how do to the ignore thing and didn't realize you could do that...now I know, now I will ignore. Yeeee haaa

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

And a final thought from me:

For someone you claim is fishing for attention, good old Kevin did not make ONE post on this entire thread- he could've started some serious drama or "pity me" type of thing, and he didn't. He didn't even try to reply to you coskater, he just let you say what you had to say and ignored it- maturely. He's been on the board since you posted this stupidity because he's made other replies. I think the fact that he didn't even attempt to make any replies on here shows that Kevin isn't an attention hog at all, or even immature.

Props to Kevin, I know that if it had been me I would've been too pissed to not try and answer for myself.

yeah...don't worry about it coskater ... it's just a normal thing to have in board forums. There'll always be people that need a lot of attention and just want to tell the world how they're progressing each day....or seem overly enthusiastic about things. But all these things makes the board interesting....interesting to see different behaviours in people...different characteristics. The skating community is diverse.

But better not set up a topic to deliberately insult other board members, because that's like against good code/ethics.

I would imagine Kevin has chosen the ignore button as I have. I no longer have to hear his daily events and well, he never had to hear mine. Lesson learned.

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r