Michelle Kwan: A Bitter End | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Michelle Kwan: A Bitter End

mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
Kwanford Wife said:
Kwan will go on and have a life of success and failure ~ just like the rest of her peers and us average souls. While I hope to see her on the ice competiting again, I would understand if I didn't. But I appreciate all that she has given & know she will go on to bigger & better things... Contrary to popular belief, winning the OGM doesn't guarntee success and NOT winning doesn't mean one's pursuit of it is a failure.
Very well said. :rock:
 

Kelly22

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
I respect Tatiana Tarosava (sp) so much. Her comment brought a tear to my eye. The article is a wider window into who Michelle Kwan is. She will find new purpose in life. I'd like to see her try SOI, but whatever it is, she will be very successful in life. She is definitely a class act and has the respect of everyone.
 

julietvalcouer

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
If the drugs are painkillers, they wouldn't make the problem go away, just numb it so she couldn't feel it. (I don't take them, either, unless I'm in agony, as in totally unable to function without them, and even then I'm NEVER taking perkocet or vicodin EVER AGAIN. I'd rather be in pain.) I don't know that her mother's worries about future children are really rational, though, or just based on a general fear of western chemical meds. I don't know of any painkillers off the top of my head that could have long-term repercussions like that, though come to think of it some anti-inflammatories might. Especially the corticosteroids...those are not fun to take (as has been reiterated a million times in threads about Irina's condition.)

That was a lovely article, and neatly summed up why so many thing Michelle is a great skater. Even without an Olympic gold, she'll be remembered as one of the best--not unlike Janet Lynn, she's a skater's skater. And I totally sympathize with what Tarasova reported her saying--what is there for her but competition? What is there to do? I get where she's coming from with that. Sometimes you just have a purpose that really fulfills you and it's hard to see the value in anything else.
 

Ogre Mage

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Thank you Nadya. This article explains a lot.

"Perhaps it is weird and hard to explain, but I still want to compete. I don't believe that I will be able to find in any professional skating show that which was the meaning of my life for so many years. And I am afraid that my life will lose meaning."

I am a big Michelle fan and completely understand why she feels this way. However, as former star athletes in both skating and elsewhere can tell her -- the magic doesn't last forever. Age and injury take their toll and the time comes when your body can no longer do all that you ask of it. You have to consider what you are going to do with your life next. For a legendary athlete like Michelle this lesson is often the hardest because given the superhuman feats she was once capable of, the fall is much bigger than for less talented competitors. Whether she continues or not I hope she comes to grips with life's changes, but it's a journey she will have to make on her own.
 
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kyla2

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
Pain Medication

Pain medication is absolutely wonderful if you really need it. Just thank God we live in the 20th century where it is available. But Michelle has long term problems here that pain medication alone won't fix (I am not saying she shouldn't take pain medic). I can certainly understand her trying accupuncture and massage, etc. I think it is very beneficial in some cases. But she clearly has some significant injuries that require her to be off the ice and perhaps getting another type of rx. I think staying off the ice until she is healed is really the issue here, and not trying to stay competitve at this point in time. Maybe she can resume training somewhere in the future. There is no point in ending up like Tara. I think Estela is a wonderful mother and her father Danny is wonderful also. I believe they wanted her to quit this a long time ago. She has done enough for herself and the sport. I would also love to say to Michelle that there is life beyond skating and she will find her way. She will never lose her fan support either; we are here for the long term.

MZHeng, do you really believe that her mother said that bit about healthy children as to why she shouldn't take pain medic.? It has no basis in scientific fact and she is a nurse. That would surprise me to be honest.
 
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tharrtell

TriGirl Rinkside
On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Kyla - Where did you see Frank Carroll mentioning surgery?

Lovely article. I'm so saddened by Michelle's withdrawal from the Olympics, but would hate to see her skate and struggle - even permanently hurt herself.

General thoughts:
Interesting to see reference to Dortmund ... around the time she started losing her 3L,no? That would make sense. I had heard the rumors of back and hip injury, but had no idea that the problems were so severe. She's always seemed to be so careful with her body. This could also really explain the lack of competition the last few years. So sad that her body just couldn't keep up.

I hope she's able to come to terms with the lack of Oly gold. She seems like a smart and grounded young woman, so I'm sure she'll be able to get there. I imagine it's hard for a competitor to get to that place, though.

Interesting re: comments about competition vs. pro. I do wonder what she'll end up doing.

I'm going to miss Michelle's presence in skating. With her out, there is really no one I want to see win gold. No one, IMO, compares. Reading articles like this one and the comments by the likes of Peter Uberroth and others helps a bit, though.
 

mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
kyla2 said:
.
MZHeng, do you really believe that her mother said that bit about healthy children as to why she shouldn't take pain medic.? It has no basis in scientific fact and she is a nurse. That would surprise me to be honest.
I don't know if her mother against painkillers is about the healthy children....But as a mother myself, the moment I knew her hip injury such, I thought about the child birth. And I knew she loves children so much. I was wondering this type injury would prevent deliver child naturally?

But put myself in her parent shoes, I would do exactly the same. At this point, she has the money, she has the fame, and she does not really need that OGM to cement her legacy in sports. I know I'm an ordianry ppl so I think it as ordiary parent. If you want to competing go ahead continue so long not to ruining your body and future. The future are the kids you have.....you can't skate forever. But when you are old like 60 or so, your kids and your memory are all that matter to you and the happy source to you.

I'm glad someone written this article. But on other side, imo, she is not as described like don't know what to do after the competetion. She was planning this as her last season until Olympics. Just this season not going as well as her had planned. She sure has a lot wonderful things waiting ahead of her. She is truely a happy soul on ice, (at those darkest days, the only time she was seeing smile and happy was when she was on ice skating, as long as the pain not bothering her)....As long as she can skate, even just a few laps, she will be fine.
 

graceness

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Joesitz said:
So beautifully written. Nice change from all the speculation that's been going on.

Joe

Joe, I rarely post here, but read avidly and wonder if you would explain how this article differs from all the rest of the speculation running rampant on boards and in the media.

There are errors here, on small things, which make me question the veracity of the larger points of the article. Michelle often does wear black which does seem to contradict the writer's statement. She commented on Saturday's press conference that she had slept very well Friday night which doesn't indicate painfilled, sleepless nights before Saturday night.

And if it truly takes one day to acclimate for every hour of time change, then one would think that these elite skaters would arrive for the world championships sooner than they do, not to mention something as important as the Olympics. But even so, Michelle WAS in Italy more than nine days before the short program was scheduled. Surely the writer isn't suggesting that one shouldn't even practice until one has been in the locale the equivalent number of days needed to acclimate? If that's so, then most of the skaters at the Olympics don't know that and certainly aren't heeding it.

Who is this reporter and who are the sources for this article?

I find it hard to believe that Michelle was fainting due to hunger and that was never reported until now.

I find it hard to believe that Michelle grabbed a mic and contradicted Frank at a press conference in the way that was described. Surely that would have been reported before now; it most certainly would have at the time of her split from Frank as reporters were looking for signs of strain in their relationship.

I find it hard to believe that Mrs. Kwan wouldn't allow Michelle to take pain pills, fearful of the effects on future children. Yes, there is so much we in the West can learn from Chinese medicine, but I doubt that Michelle would have turned down medical options that could help her. She has certainly made independent decisions about her skating career all her life (taking the test for seniors without Frank's blessing; firing Lori and Frank; skating without a coach in 2002, etc.), and I doubt that she would eschew sound medical advice for her physical well-being.

i find it hard to believe that 'arthrosis' is the cause of all her problems and that we've never heard that before. If so, then surely in the medical disclosures about her health would have mentioned it, at some point, anyway.

I'm glad that so many of you find so many wonderful things to read in this article, but so much of it is nothing but pure speculation, at least to me. There are no attributions for a number of things presented as facts in this article. So, who IS this Russian reporter and other than her reference to TT, who are her sources? Since she missed it on some smaller assertions, why are y'all inclined to believe the rest of it?

So, Joe, please tell me why you think this is a refreshing change from speculations. To me, it's nothing BUT speculation.

Mzheng? Others?

Graceness
 

Ogre Mage

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
mzheng said:
I'm glad someone written this article. But on other side, imo, she is not as described like don't know what to do after the competetion. She was planning this as her last season until Olympics. Just this season not going as well as her had planned. She sure has a lot wonderful things waiting ahead of her. She is truely a happy soul on ice, (at those darkest days, the only time she was seeing smile and happy was when she was on ice skating, as long as the pain not bothering her)....As long as she can skate, even just a few laps, she will be fine.
Thanks, mzheng, I am glad to hear her perspective on skating/life may be better than the quote from the article suggested.
 

pelladon

Spectator
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
graceness said:
Joe, I rarely post here, but read avidly and wonder if you would explain how this article differs from all the rest of the speculation running rampant on boards and in the media.

There are errors here, on small things, which make me question the veracity of the larger points of the article.

<stuff deleted>

I'm glad that so many of you find so many wonderful things to read in this article, but so much of it is nothing but pure speculation, at least to me. There are no attributions for a number of things presented as facts in this article. So, who IS this Russian reporter and other than her reference to TT, who are her sources? Since she missed it on some smaller assertions, why are y'all inclined to believe the rest of it?

So, Joe, please tell me why you think this is a refreshing change from speculations. To me, it's nothing BUT speculation.

Mzheng? Others?

Graceness
Bingo, we have a winner! I've read this writer's previous works (Elena, not the translator, Nadya) and I've found plenty of discrepencies as well. Lots of unsubstantiated "claims".
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
pelladon said:
Bingo, we have a winner! I've read this writer's previous works (Elena, not the translator, Nadya) and I've found plenty of discrepencies as well. Lots of unsubstantiated "claims".
I only read the translation. It was in the spirit of the writer to define Michelle as a great skater who came upon hard times. That opinion was totally different from others who emphasized the hard times or praised the skater without realizing the hard times, which in my opinion began long before this Olympics.

Any discrepancies were of no importance to me. It was the conclusion the writer made which caught my eye.

Joe
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
Thanks for the wonderful article! Michelle will remain as one of the greatest skaters to ever lace up skates, and it was truly a shame that she was not able to fully recover from her injury to compete at Torino.
 

Eeyora

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Wow TThat is so beautiful. The Tarosova quotes but tears in my eyes. So much for her being lazy. Interesting about the pain appearing up to two years ago. Maybe it explains the Bolero mess and sitting out the Grand Prix.l
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
with Kwan, things are always worse than they seem. Kwan is one to keep her issues to herself.
 
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