Sarah Hughes to Skip Fall Season | Golden Skate

Sarah Hughes to Skip Fall Season

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SkateFan4Life

Guest
Here's a link to a USFSA website piece on Sarah Hughes. It's not a surprise - Sarah will be settling into Yale University - moving in on August 29 - and she intends to fully experience the life of a Yale freshmen. While she will continue with her skating training, she is not going to compete in any of the fall Grand Prix events, and she has skipped the Campbell's competition as well.

Hopefully, Sarah will show up at Nationals in good shape and skate two strong programs.



http://www.usfsa.org/news/2003-04/hughesupdate.htm?siteid=983
 

Lucy25

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Thanks for the link. This is not at all surprising. I hope college is all she hopes it will be. I see no hint in the article that she will be training for Nationals, though. I would predict she will not be there. (However, my predictions usually do not come true!)
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Nationals

I would not be surprised if she turned up at Nationals. After all, she missed the entire GP season last year and ended up with silver at Nationals.
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I'll play the "devil's advocate" here and say she won't be returning to competition anytime soon (although skating in specials is still a possibility)........42
 

lavender

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Old news but I don't expect to see her at Nationals either. I mean Sarah's one of the skaters that would need to train really hard to stay in shape and partial training won't do it.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Our Sarah is growing up and making mature decisions. I will miss seeing her compete - she is such a joy to watch skate! I wish her the best at University. She is at that "crossroads" in her life - which path to choose. All the best Sarah!
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Well, make me about the 45th person to not be surprised! I'm glad Sarah has chosen a college and is ready to give that part of her life a go. She's reached the pinnacle in the first phase of her life and I feel she'll want to strive for the same in the second. I don't expect to see her back at Nationals next year (and probably ever). I believe Sarah will become fully emersed in college and campus life, just as she did in the competitive skating scene, and will have little time left for the intense training that the amateur level requires. LOL, but watch me be competely wrong! Either way I'd be pleased... I just have a feeling she is done.
 

shanilia

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
show 42 said:
I'll play the "devil's advocate" here and say she won't be returning to competition anytime soon (although skating in specials is still a possibility)........42
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.
 

NanSinger2

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Call me evil, and I don't mean to say something unkind, but I never expected Sarah to return this season, and possibly not ever to the amatuer circuit. My opinion is she had the skate of a lifetime and ended up with the biggest prize there was to win. However, she had not had any kind of big success in general competition and had a lot more developing to do. She probably knows she likely will not repeat this accomplishment without some major effort on her part. At least when Tara checked out she had a few titles under her belt. I understand why Sarah is taking this course, but I would have respected her more for coming back to "represent" her gold medal and become the skater she had the talent to be.

I hope that didn't sound too mean, it wasn't intended to be.

As always, this is just IMHO.
 

maxell1313

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Sarah's freshman year will really tell the tale as to whether she returns to skating in a big way or if it will just be something she does for skating specials and whatnot. I used to room with two people who were pre-med majors and their workload was unreal and they weren't champion skaters. I realize Sarah's in no major rush, but med schools tend to frown on students studying for a few semesters and then taking time off and then coming back and studying again, etc, Whatever her choice, I hope she's not being pressured one way or the other and that all the decisions she makes are HERS and hers alone. She and her family are the only ones that really have the right to decide about her school/skating career. She'll do great in whichever path she chooses.
 

toutestgrace

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
She may surprise me, but I see no reason for Sarah to skate again on the eligible circuit. She has what all skaters dream of and has moved on to college life. It would take a tremendous amount of time and work to stay in competitive shape. I think she knows that college will present more challenges than she was able to get away with in HS - studying in the car for a few hours a day on the way to FS practice won't do. It seems like a short career because it was a short career. But I don't blame her - and again - she may surprise me!
 

Pookie

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I don't think Sarah will return either. I think she is too interested in school and life after skating to come back.
Doesn't she have a little sister that is a skater also? Maybe she is making way for the next Hughes. ;)
 

Panther2000

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
All I can say is that I wish her luck with School. We may or May not see her skate at this level again. But, Whatever she does Good Luck.
 
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mzheng

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
show 42 said:
I'll play the "devil's advocate" here and say she won't be returning to competition anytime soon (although skating in specials is still a possibility)........42

Yeah. Count me in as another one don't see she will ever come back for top level eligible skating.

Good luck to her in her college life. As one of the elite level lady skater in US, I've always admired her more for her School work than her skating.
 

Sweetie

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 7, 2003
I think this is the best decision for her and I commend her for going with education. I do expect we'll see her at Nationals, skating with zero inhabitions or expectations, but skating purely for the love of it. I hope she fares well in Yale. Best of luck, Sarah :)
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
Sarahseems to be a very level-headed young woman who knows what she wants -- and right now she's focused on her college education. I'm sure she'll be an honors student at Yale, and I hope she truly immerses herself in college life, studies hard, makes many lifelong friends, and has the time of her young life.

Sarah had the skate of a lifetime at Salt Lake City. When you win Olympic gold, there isn't much left to go after, I guess. I would love to see Sarah return to eligible competition at some time, but unless she really makes the firm decision to get into serious shape and train, she's not going to distinguish herself on the competitive level ever again.

If Sarah decides to skate professionally, that's OK, of course, but I just hope she's in good shape and doesn't come out there, obviously out of shape, and skate nothing but "simple" routines.
 

StillBlueLake

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Hopefully she will have a good time at school. Time for her to move on in her opinion anyway. I can see how the drive just isnt' there for her, it's perfectly natural for her to want to experience a new part of life.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Sarah may never compete again. It's her life and her choice. I don't think she is through with skating; who knows she could end up teaching skating and maybe coaching an Olympic champion herself! Sarah may find the medical profession is not for her. She will always have skating to fall back on! Hey, who would not sign up for lessons with an Olympic champion?
 
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