Sarah Hughes | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Sarah Hughes

euterpe

Medalist
Joined
Sep 4, 2003
There's something about the lure of fame---I think Sarah did SOI because she found she really didn't like being just "Sarah from Long Island" and wasn't ready to give up her celebrity status.

Tara COULD have gone to college after giving up skating due to injury---but she, too, clung to her celebrity. She's trying desperately to make it as an actress, but is having no real success. Maybe she should take a cue from Sarah and start taking communications courses as a preparation for a possible career in TV. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sarah trying a debut as Peggy Fleming's successor some day.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
attyfan said:
I think that pro events might have to be reconfigured to get Yags and Plush competing against each other, instead of on the same team. I think, most likely, though, is that the big pro event will be some form of "Battle of the Sexes", with Yags and Plush taking on Michelle and Irina.
Battle of the Sexes, imo, is nothing more than a sugary joke. Do you really care if the men beat the women? Most viewers of that event just want to see some old time favorites do a program with a pretty costume or an outlandish number. It's not serious competition, and it's entertainment value is only for real fans. It'll never replace eligible competitions unless someone changes the format to make the results meaningful.

Joe
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Tonichelle said:
And then there's Kristi Yamaguchi who only had 2 years as Reigning Champ and she held her own well past that of the 3 oly champs that followed... in fact the only time she was "slowed down" was when she was pregnant (and she's expecting a second child, right?) and she bounced back pretty fast :clap:
sorry I figured while we talked about the "has beens" I wanted to at least give Kristi her due!
Yes, Kristi is a very special skater. Logevity as with Flemming and Hamil are reserved for the best the sport has to offer.

Joe
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
euterpe said:
There's something about the lure of fame---I think Sarah did SOI because she found she really didn't like being just "Sarah from Long Island" and wasn't ready to give up her celebrity status.

Tara COULD have gone to college after giving up skating due to injury---but she, too, clung to her celebrity. She's trying desperately to make it as an actress, but is having no real success. Maybe she should take a cue from Sarah and start taking communications courses as a preparation for a possible career in TV. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sarah trying a debut as Peggy Fleming's successor some day.


:sheesh: :sheesh: :sheesh: :sheesh:

Really, the Tara hating gets old :disapp: :disagree:

Tara has her entire life to go to college (if she chooses to attend). If Tara really wanted to hold on to her celebrity status, she can pull a Bobek and show up at events with no jumps. Tara wants to work toward other challenges. Since her body isn't going to allow her to work on triple jumps and 3-3 combos, she has decided to work on acting. There are lots of people in Hollywood with no talent whatsoever who get big breaks on account of looks/connections. There are also a lot of talented/untalented people who can't get jobs. Why don't these people all just go home and stop trying?

Sarah has the right to enjoy her reign as the OGM. It's bad enough that Sarah's parents robbed her of a special opportunity to tour as an Olympic champion while her skating skills were still good. Their snob mentality that Sarah was too good to tour and that "our kid is going to attend Ivy League" really hurt Sarah's stature as the OGM when she lost all of her skills. I hope they don't do the same with Emily, though I get the impression that skating is something the Hughes kids do until they get accepted to college and then they have to quit.
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
soogar said:
:sheesh: :sheesh: :sheesh: :sheesh:

Sarah has the right to enjoy her reign as the OGM. It's bad enough that Sarah's parents robbed her of a special opportunity to tour as an Olympic champion while her skating skills were still good. Their snob mentality that Sarah was too good to tour and that "our kid is going to attend Ivy League" really hurt Sarah's stature as the OGM when she lost all of her skills. I hope they don't do the same with Emily, though I get the impression that skating is something the Hughes kids do until they get accepted to college and then they have to quit.

Where did you get the information that Sarah's parents prevented Sarah from touring, or that they are snobs? I personally have not gotten this impression from articles or quotes, but then I haven't read every article puplished about Sarah either. And I haven't met her or her family personally.

Just curious..

DG
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Doggygirl said:
Where did you get the information that Sarah's parents prevented Sarah from touring, or that they are snobs? I personally have not gotten this impression from articles or quotes, but then I haven't read every article puplished about Sarah either. And I haven't met her or her family personally.

Just curious..

DG


In saying they were snobs, I just deduced it from the circumstances. Ie Sarah's special: the majority of the program was devoted toward Sarah getting into an IVY League college with a huge bit devoted toward Sarah's parents attending Cornell and Cornell's greeting of Sarah. Then when Sarah announced her choice to quit skating to attend Yale, her parents were quoted (I don't have a link) as saying (paraphrasing a bit, but not by much) , " We left the decision to her but we were holding out breath hoping that she would make the right decision" [ right being attending Yale over skating in shows]. A lot of attitudes are cultivated at home...it was very obvious to me that Sarah's parents put a huge premium on the snob factor of the school attended (as if other colleges aren't as good or better than IVY league schools).

I also think the way Sarah's father managed her career also left a lot to be desired. He was quoted that "Sarah was too young to be selling products" in his decision to keep her away from endorsements/public eye prior to her win. Now I agree with him in his decision to protect Sarah. However I do believe there was an undercurrent of elitism in his decision making. Sarah is from a privileged background therefore father doesn't want the world to perceive that Sarah has to push products/tour to support her skating. The vibe I got was that the father felt he made enough money to provide for his children and that "Sarah was above touring for a living".

People will bring up that Sarah did tour with COI, however I believed that she was allowed to because she was in high school and it was considered one of her extracurricular activities (plus looks good on a college application). However once she reached college age, she was expected to go to college and while she wasn't forced to attend, I think her parents' views forced this decision (in addition to her poor skate at Worlds) and after a year of college, she really regretted the decision which is why she joined SOI. Unfortunately Sarah lost all of her skills and I think that precipitated her return to Yale. Had she retained her skills, her time with SOI would have been better and she would have continued to tour.

This is all IMO and my impressions from interviews and stories on the family. I hope that Emily is a strong enough person to withstand that pressure and make the decision that resonates within her. You can feel Emily's love for skating when you watch her compete. Emily is so skilled that I would love to see her develop even further and bring that skill to show skating.
 
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Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
soogar said:
:sheesh: :sheesh: :sheesh: :sheesh:

Really, the Tara hating gets old :disapp: :disagree:

Tara has her entire life to go to college (if she chooses to attend). If Tara really wanted to hold on to her celebrity status, she can pull a Bobek and show up at events with no jumps. Tara wants to work toward other challenges. Since her body isn't going to allow her to work on triple jumps and 3-3 combos, she has decided to work on acting. There are lots of people in Hollywood with no talent whatsoever who get big breaks on account of looks/connections. There are also a lot of talented/untalented people who can't get jobs. Why don't these people all just go home and stop trying?

Sarah has the right to enjoy her reign as the OGM. It's bad enough that Sarah's parents robbed her of a special opportunity to tour as an Olympic champion while her skating skills were still good. Their snob mentality that Sarah was too good to tour and that "our kid is going to attend Ivy League" really hurt Sarah's stature as the OGM when she lost all of her skills. I hope they don't do the same with Emily, though I get the impression that skating is something the Hughes kids do until they get accepted to college and then they have to quit.


Soogar it seems that you feel being the OGM and skating is the ultimate goal in life. For a very few maybe, but in the real world an education and career that will sustain you EVEN if your knees/hips/ whatever give out is more important.
 

samskates

Spectator
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
does anyone else see something wrong here?

Sarah has made a very wise decision-to move on with her life and prepare for her future. She accomplished the greatest achievement she could-an olympic gold. How can you blame her? Maybe she wants to be famous for something other than just skating or maybe she doesnt want to be famous at all? Skating may have just been her childhood goal and I imagine her parents want more of her than just skating too. I know it means her fans won't get to see her skate as often or do big triple triples but they should be proud of her work ethic and determination. There are no written rules about how to conduct your life if you win the gold. I miss her skating too but I also can't wait to see what she will accomplish next.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
samskates said:
Sarah has made a very wise decision-to move on with her life and prepare for her future. She accomplished the greatest achievement she could-an olympic gold. How can you blame her? Maybe she wants to be famous for something other than just skating or maybe she doesnt want to be famous at all? Skating may have just been her childhood goal and I imagine her parents want more of her than just skating too. I know it means her fans won't get to see her skate as often or do big triple triples but they should be proud of her work ethic and determination. There are no written rules about how to conduct your life if you win the gold. I miss her skating too but I also can't wait to see what she will accomplish next.
:agree: :rock: :clap:

Welcome to Golden Skate, Sam. I totally agree with your post.

Mathman :)
 

samskates

Spectator
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
thanks mathman. i feel like skating fans make sarah out to be damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. they want her to skate so she does after being at school a year and they complain how out of shape she is. well, anyone who went to college knows the rigours of college. if she went to college i'd expect her to enjoy it and go all the way. she decided not to go back to tour and to go back to school and everyone complains again. how can this young lady ever win?
 

Kuchana

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 25, 2004
Well, the most important thing for Sarah is what SHE wants and not what anyone else expects from her. But I would love to see her make a comeback just to see how she would fare against the other ladies and also because I don't think she reached her full potential.
 

Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
soogar said:
In saying they were snobs, I just deduced it from the circumstances. Ie Sarah's special: the majority of the program was devoted toward Sarah getting into an IVY League college with a huge bit devoted toward Sarah's parents attending Cornell and Cornell's greeting of Sarah. Then when Sarah announced her choice to quit skating to attend Yale, her parents were quoted (I don't have a link) as saying (paraphrasing a bit, but not by much) , " We left the decision to her but we were holding out breath hoping that she would make the right decision" [ right being attending Yale over skating in shows]. A lot of attitudes are cultivated at home...it was very obvious to me that Sarah's parents put a huge premium on the snob factor of the school attended (as if other colleges aren't as good or better than IVY league schools).

Is this vs. the let's call it "skating snob" factor of having a high profile skating career? Maybe Sarah is able to satisfy her need to skate (if she has one) by just going to a rink and skating for her own pleasure. Her parents could certainly do a lot worse than wanting their daughter to get a good education. Very few peopole would turn down the chance to get an Ivy League eucation....it DOES carry a lot if prestige with it.


I also think the way Sarah's father managed her career also left a lot to be desired. He was quoted that "Sarah was too young to be selling products" in his decision to keep her away from endorsements/public eye prior to her win. Now I agree with him in his decision to protect Sarah. However I do believe there was an undercurrent of elitism in his decision making. Sarah is from a privileged background therefore father doesn't want the world to perceive that Sarah has to push products/tour to support her skating. The vibe I got was that the father felt he made enough money to provide for his children and that "Sarah was above touring for a living".

Again, a father providing for his family is a bad thing since when? IMO touring (even with a tour like SOI/COI) might not be the best thing for everyone. SH's parents know her pretty well and are in the position to decide what is best for their daughter. I think any parent would have some qualms about sending their child out on the road (SOI is a VERY long tour)even if the child is legally an adult with a good head on her shoulders.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
- There is no "Tara hating" going on from what I can see- not this time, anyway.

- About Sarah- I do think she gets more of her fair share of criticism (see thread in the Voting booth). But enough of that- I do believe that the two of them are doing what they wish, and that's perfectly fine by me. Taking one route (continued career vs. school) over the other isn't necessarily good or bad but they each have their own pros and cons. JMO- I bet anything Hughes' parents were involved in her decision making process but if anything, they should be helping her out.

I don't buy the "fame" excuse for Sarah- who knows, maybe she actually ENJOYS skating in shows? However, she did not keep up her skills enough to really be a show-stopper, which is unfortunate, and evident in forum discussions about her. So there really is only one option for her, which is school.
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
I think people are taking my post the wrong way. I was responding to Euterpe's post that Sarah was entranced by fame that it lured her away from her education. I believe that Sarah wanted to skate professionally, but was convinced otherwise to attend school. After a year at school, she probably missed skating for an audience and took advantage of touring on SOI. The big problem was that she lost a lot of her skills and took a lot of flack for it.

As for skating around a rink for fun: Sarah had trained for and reached the highest level. I don't know how most people here feel, but it's very hard to just go back to skating around a rink for "fun" with no goal in sight when you've achieved the highest level. She probably had an all or nothing attitude. Either she will skate for an audience or not at all.

I don't know why people think Tara did so wrong in sacrificing her hip for her sport. I know people who haven't even reached the level Tara had who had to quit skating due to injury. There are lots of coaches who have to get hip replacement as well (Richard Callaghan is recovering from hip replacement, my coach is putting off hip replacement as long as he can and he has told me of many coaches who have had to stop demonstrating SINGLE and WALTZ jumps in an effort to save their hips). For all you know, Michelle will probably wind up needing hip replacement as well when she hits her 40s (or even earlier) considering the pounding her body has taken over the years. Or maybe she won't need hip replacement, but either way it's not something that happens to "bad" skaters or skaters who don't warm up properly. I always get the feeling when I read posts on Tara that she "deserved what she got" and that she was at fault for her injury when all that girl did was train hard and win an OGM [what she was supposed to do].

As for an education, you can get an education at any time in your life. Sarah could have toured for a few years and then gone to school. She didn't have to go one way or the other. She could have had her cake and ate it too.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
As for skating around a rink for fun: Sarah had trained for and reached the highest level. I don't know how most people here feel, but it's very hard to just go back to skating around a rink for "fun" with no goal in sight when you've achieved the highest level. She probably had an all or nothing attitude. Either she will skate for an audience or not at all.

I can definitely see this. I agree with this point.

As for an education, you can get an education at any time in your life. Sarah could have toured for a few years and then gone to school. She didn't have to go one way or the other. She could have had her cake and ate it too.

Ditto. But Sarah really blew it, I feel, by not keeping up with her skating skills. It's obvious the impact this has made by so many SOIers' reports and opinions. She could always work to get them back if she REALLY wanted to do show skating, so I feel she just wants to move on to other things. And I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. There's nothing written down somewhere that says a skater must stay a skater forever.
 

Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
It seems that if one skates just for the love of skating that "just skating around the rink" would give you that. Competing or performing on the world stage is another thing. Does Sarah (or any other skater for that matter) skate because she loves skating or because she wants to be a skating star? Cohen and Lipinski have always come across to me as wanting to be skating stars. For example, I love swimming. I love the freedom of moving through the water. I have never wanted to even swim on a team. I get what I need from swimming with just me and the water.

As for getting an education anytime you can. BUT you can't get that Freshman in college experinc with othe your age at any time.

To play devil's advocate .......do fans REALLY care that much about what a skater does or doesn't do, whether they skate or attend school, bake cookies, set out the GP series, or participate in World's after winning an OGM because of what is best for the skater? IMO we care about it only because we want to enjoy seeing them compete and want to see as many as possible show up in top shape, well trained and ready to thrill and entertain us.
 

Doggygirl

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
I'm personally glad that my own parents:

1) Advocated a college education and the best school possible for us.

2) Supported my brothers and I in sports as kids to the highest levels possible for us, but then advocated a college education once we turned 18.

As far as I know, my parents were never asked if us kids could or would do product endorsements as minors. But if they were, they didn't, and I wouldn't blame them.

Does this make them snobs? Not to me!! I still don't think I've seen hard facts about Sarah's family to lead me to a "snobs" accusation. But we're all entitled to our opinions.

DG
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Piel said:
It seems that if one skates just for the love of skating that "just skating around the rink" would give you that. Competing or performing on the world stage is another thing. Does Sarah (or any other skater for that matter) skate because she loves skating or because she wants to be a skating star? Cohen and Lipinski have always come across to me as wanting to be skating stars. For example, I love swimming. I love the freedom of moving through the water. I have never wanted to even swim on a team. I get what I need from swimming with just me and the water.

As for getting an education anytime you can. BUT you can't get that Freshman in college experinc with othe your age at any time.
.

Well speaking for myself, I didn't think freshman year was that great. The trend now is for many kids to take a gap year anyway to find themselves before committing to college. In my experience, I find that the kids who worked/took a year off before attending college did the best. Even now in law school, the very best students (highly ranked) are the older students who have children and life experience. They bring the most to the classroom and they've learned how to prioritize their time.

As for the motivation for Sasha, Sarah and others: they are motivated first and foremost to pass tests/get results/compete/get recognition. They aren't just skating for fun. If they were, they would never make the elite level because there's a point where the training stops being fun and it becomes work.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Piel said:
To play devil's advocate .......do fans REALLY care that much about what a skater does or doesn't do, whether they skate or attend school, bake cookies, set out the GP series, or participate in World's after winning an OGM because of what is best for the skater? IMO we care about it only because we want to enjoy seeing them compete and want to see as many as possible show up in top shape, well trained and ready to thrill and entertain us.

Good question (and hey, you're stealing my title! :laugh: ). I do think there is some jealousy on part of the fans, whether admitted or not. But try telling that to the non-Lipinski and non-Hughes fans that could care less what they do, yet insist on criticizing and/or bashing them at any opportunity. This applies to certain other skaters as well.

There is a sense among us fans, IMO, that skaters should ONLY skate and do nothing else. Recall discussions about Cohen's journal entries (gasp, hate to bring this up here :sheesh: ) and how discussions of her cooking, etc. lead to questioning of her preparedness for the skating season and all kinds of speculation. There are other similar situations where topics like this pop up. But after thinking about this one, it just doesn't make sense that a skater would ONLY skate. I think some of this comes from fans wanting favorites to do their best, and want them to train non-stop. I think that anyone who thinks about this for awhile would conclude that this is impossible, and that doing so would drive anyone nuts. In fact finding something else to do outside of skating can only help them. In our little example that I gave, Cohen finds time to bake cookies and take cooking courses outside of her skating schedule.

Now, skating because you love it or you want to be a star- I think this shows in the performance. Those who love it will tend to put their soul or their all into it, and usually (but not always) will stick with the skating community after they retire. Those who just want to be a star might get their 5 min. of fame, and then completely lose interest and bow out altogether. This is only what I THINK, mind you.
 

Piel

On Edge
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
think some of this comes from fans wanting favorites to do their best, and want them to train non-stop

Exactly!

A Cohen fan reads in Sasha's Journal that she is baking cookies and thinks "What the #%@! shouldn't she be be practicing those 3/3s.?. Do you think Kwan is sitting at home playing Mrs. Fields?"

Kwan fans see pics of MK at the Emmys and think "Why isn't she practicing those 3/3's? Do you see Irina prancing down the red carpet? And BTW no wonder her back gives her problems carrying around that huge Chanel tote."

Slutskaya fans read that Irina wants to birth a baby and think "Girl get your mind off of your ovaries and concentrate on the other "Big O"....... the Olympics."

:p ;) :p ;) :p
 
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