MK interviewed on Lakers - says she's training | Page 3 | Golden Skate

MK interviewed on Lakers - says she's training

Kathy

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Nah, it's not weird at all. If you look at what Michelle actually said, she said the same thing that she has said in evey interview in every venue and every circumstance for the last ten years:

"We'll see." :)

Not really. Never said she graduated from College before. And never since Torino have I heard her say she was "training on and off ice and trying to get in olympic shape." Don't have any idea why she would say "olympic shape" if she was just trying to get into exhibition shape. Those are very different "shapes." She could have been her usually vague self saying she's trying to get into shape to perform again. Think she went out of her way to say "olympic." To me the key to remember is that she said "trying" - tells me she thinks she might be able to, yet surely has her doubts. I take her at her word she's trying - I agree though we'll see and she'll see if she can possibly skate at that level again.
 

MKbeauty

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 22, 2004
re. MK

I don't see this happening. She is too old, out of condition, and untrained to be competitive with the top three.

Tell that to Fumie, who's the same age at MK .... we all know what happened at Japanese Nationals.
 
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feraina

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
For some concrete news about Michelle...

The youngest of the three Chinese skaters training with MingZhu Li has a blog:
http://new.qzone.qq.com/648379062/
She mentions on Friday's (01/09) blog that she got a surprise coaching session from Michelle Kwan, who was on ice practicing. She didn't describe all the jumps Michelle did, but apparently she started off with 3T, which she had some problem with, but gradually got better, and then she tried axels and flips.

The girl (11-yr-old) said she was so excited to see Michelle skate, and never imagined in her wildest dreams that she'd get a personal coaching session with her. She said she didn't know if she could fall asleep that night. :laugh::laugh::laugh:

I think I'd have the same reaction, 11 or not! Lucky girl!

But anyway, it does look like Kwan's trying to get back into triple-jumping shape, at least. I wish her well!

I wish I knew what her skating schedule was, I'd totally drive up to LA just to see her skate, it's only 2.5 hours from SD without traffice (though when is it ever without traffic?). :bow:
 

Kwanford Wife

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
This thread is so very awesome... the icon that is Michelle Kwan pokes her head up from a book & all heck breaks loose... so awesome...

Some random thoughts...
  • Kwan is a major Lakers fan w/ season tickets -so its quite normal to get a fluffy piece from the Staples Center
  • We don't know what shape she's in, but since Kwan has always been more of an athlete than a pure figure skater, so I doubt if she'd be unable to get into shape
  • Why would Kwan with all of her resources, including a skating facility,train without the proper guidance
  • I agree with Mathman - the same rules apply: if you want to win, then skate better
  • No, Red Dog life isn't fair - but what can you do? Prevent celebs & rich folk from getting better seats than the rest of us?

But my main issue is this: what does it really & truly say about the state of American Ladies Figure Skating when the most exciting news to debate is a possible Kwan / Cohen rematch on the Nationals stage? I think all of the newbies are just adorable with a couple standouts but here's the rub - how much better would these two supa dupa stars make the next generation be if they were there?

Think about it: what made Kwan & Cohen better skaters? Skating against other so-so skaters or being pushed by the best? Win, lose or draw - Mirai, Caroline, Ashley, Rachael & even Kimmie will be better off for having to knock around the old ladies to claim their spot.
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
Pulling a Katarina Witt is the last thing I'd want to see Kwan do. That would lower her in my estimation because I felt Witt's motives for reinstatement were pretty selfish. She knew she wouldn't medal, but she went ahead and took away Marina Kielmann's spot anyway. '94 was Kielmann's last chance at an Olympic medal, and I'm sure she wanted it. Witt wasn't going because she wanted to win, or because she was the best Germany had to offer in '94 (both Kielmann and Szewczenko had more than two triples in their respective arsenals); she was basically going for the fun of it. Because, on the strength of her reputation, she could, so S****ß' auf Marina.

So what happened at German Nationals that year - did Witt beat Kielmann or was there questionable judging? It's just that I have always though as MM does in the quote below:

Mathman;358964 As for Michelle "taking someone's spot on the olympic team said:
Perhaps, but if you are unable to compete, and given a bye, that's a different story in itself...

There is no cahnce whatsoever that either Kwan or Coehn would get a bye onto the Olympic team without skating at nationals. Neither are taking part this year so there would simply be no chance of that.

Tell that to Fumie, who's the same age at MK .... we all know what happened at Japanese Nationals.

I think there is a world of difference between Fumie - who has continued to train and compete full time in all of the intervening years and Michelle who has had terrible injuries, surgeries, stopped training and competing.

I think that the comebacks of either Kwan or Cohen are unlikely - Kwan injured herself badly last time trying to get into olympic shape with COP friendly programs. The likelihood of injury for her would be pretty high.

Ant
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
I think there is a world of difference between Fumie - who has continued to train and compete full time in all of the intervening years and Michelle who has had terrible injuries, surgeries, stopped training and competing.

We really don't know how bad her injury was, do we? And I think she only had one surgery. I do agree there is a world of difference between Michelle and Fumie--and it gives me hope!
 

hrmsk8ngnutt

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
So what happened at German Nationals that year - did Witt beat Kielmann or was there questionable judging?
IIRC, Witt finished second and Kielmann finished third (behind Szewczenko). However, the decision for the Olympics would rest on the results at Europeans since there were 3 spots for the ladies. Kielmann was the reigning bronze medalist at Europeans and had finished 5th at 93 Worlds. However, she was very vocal in her feelings about Witt's return. It was very much like how Mark Mitchell felt about Brian Boitano's return. They didn't like it - Witt and Boitano have already had their chances. In the SP, both Marina and Katarina did not skate well. However, Katarina was able to skate a nice LP, finished higher than Marina, and won the second spot on the Olympic team. I believe NBC did a piece about this during their broadcast of Euros, but I don't know if I still have that tape. I don't think there was any mention about the judging, but I could be wrong.

Herm (sk8ngnutt)
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I hope Michelle comes back, but I disagree with everyone who says she needs "CoP friendly" programs. CoP-wise, Michelle would have to come back not only as good as she ever was, but better than she ever was by about 20 points.

Instead, I hope she comes back on her own terms. Skate like Michelle Kwan and let the CoP do as it pleases. :)
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I am a huge Michelle fan from way back and always will be, but I don't think she'll come back. Since she hasn't formally retired, she couldn't come out and say that she isn't competing or training anymore..........42
 

mycelticblessing

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Instead, I hope she comes back on her own terms. Skate like Michelle Kwan and let the CoP do as it pleases. :)

That would be wonderful to see. Her style and her way of skating seems almost to have gone extinct. I haven't seen a good COE spiral since she left.
 

museksk8r

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
But my main issue is this: what does it really & truly say about the state of American Ladies Figure Skating when the most exciting news to debate is a possible Kwan / Cohen rematch on the Nationals stage?

Interest in figure skating in the United States has been waning ever since the conclusion of the 1994 Olympic season. The Olympic gold medal showdown between Nancy and Tonya never happened due to Harding's disappointing showing. The two of them never competed together as eligible skaters after that event, an opportunity lost for US figure skating. The pro competition boom that occurred as a result of the Nancy/Tonya saga lasted until the 1998-1999 season and after that, the pro circuit really started dwindling away. The public interest in Olympic eligible competitive skating really took a hit as a result of the shady Salt Lake City judging controversies. Skating has really been on death row since February 2002, all as a result of lack of judging integrity. Now that the only televised skating events in the USA includes 2 hours of Skate America, Nationals, and Oxygen Network cable tv coverage of Worlds, the fate of the sport is the same as that of gymnastics and diving, a sport that only garners general public interest every 4 years at the Olympic Games. No other US lady has picked up the torch from Michelle Kwan and sustained her level of excellence and consistency. US skating has suffered as a result.

On the other side of the coin, a huge, hearty congrats to Japan and Korea, who are currently undergoing a huge and well deserved skating boom! :bow: :love:
 
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vlaurend

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
I hope Michelle comes back, but I disagree with everyone who says she needs "CoP friendly" programs. CoP-wise, Michelle would have to come back not only as good as she ever was, but better than she ever was by about 20 points.

Instead, I hope she comes back on her own terms. Skate like Michelle Kwan and let the CoP do as it pleases. :)

Even if she manages to get all of her triple jumps back, I remember her having serious trouble learning the new spin features back in 2005. Unless she has been working on spin variations and step sequences on the sly for the past several years, I'm afraid the only thing she'd get more than a level 2 on would be her spiral sequence. And I'd be curious to see if her famous change edge spiral would get credit under the current rules. Unless she changes edge within 1 meter of ice, they won't count it as a feature. . .

Here are her levels at 2005 Worlds:

SP Spins: FSSp1, CCoSp2, LSp1
SP Steps: SlSt2
SP Spirals: SpSq3

LP Spins: FSSp1, CSp1, FCoSp2, CCoSp2
LP Steps: SlSt2
LP Spirals: SpSq2
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
^ That's what I mean. That's what she should skate if she comes back. It will make the CoP look pretty foolish.
 

ManyCairns

Medalist
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Country
United-States
^ That's what I mean. That's what she should skate if she comes back. It will make the CoP look pretty foolish.

Sadly, though, the results of a measurement tool are often mistaken for the thing being measured, regardless of the reliability and validity of the tool.

In other words, MM, I'm afraid not too many would gasp in awe and immediately consider chucking the system or even overhauling it to try to better capture the brilliance of a good MK performance.
 

Kwanford Wife

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Interest in figure skating in the United States has been waning ever since the conclusion of the 1994 Olympic season. The Olympic gold medal showdown between Nancy and Tonya never happened due to Harding's disappointing showing. ... The public interest in Olympic eligible competitive skating really took a hit as a result of the shady Salt Lake City judging controversies. Skating has really been on death row since February 2002, all as a result of lack of judging integrity. Now that the only televised skating events in the USA includes 2 hours of Skate America, Nationals, and Oxygen Network cable tv coverage of Worlds, the fate of the sport is the same as that of gymnastics and diving, a sport that only garners general public interest every 4 years at the Olympic Games. No other US lady has picked up the torch from Michelle Kwan and sustained her level of excellence and consistency. US skating has suffered as a result.

On the other side of the coin, a huge, hearty congrats to Japan and Korea, who are currently undergoing a huge and well deserved skating boom! :bow: :love:

I agree with all of the above- but I'm speaking more to the quality of the skating vs. quality / quantity of tv coverage.

Gymnatics changed their judging system after shady judging and from a casual fan perspective, I didn't see a noticible decline in the quality of the competition. And the technical aspects made parts of the Matrix look lame - but in figure skating, particularily US skating, the quality of the skating seems to be lacking.
And that's unfortunate.

But to stay on topic -
Do I think Kwan will or even should come back? Yes! But that's because I'm an uber who understands that she'd rather save the world than do SOI (the nerve - saving the world vs. entertaining moi...)
 

museksk8r

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
Sadly, though, the results of a measurement tool are often mistaken for the thing being measured, regardless of the reliability and validity of the tool.

In other words, MM, I'm afraid not too many would gasp in awe and immediately consider chucking the system or even overhauling it to try to better capture the brilliance of a good MK performance.

I agree . . . Michelle returning to COP competition with 6.0 programs will accomplish about as much as Surya's LP back flip in the 1998 Olympics, ultimately nothing but a low result. It's absurd for anyone to think that the judges will cater to any skater, no matter how great they are/were, who doesn't play by the ISU rules.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
In other words, MM, I'm afraid not too many would gasp in awe and immediately consider chucking the system or even overhauling it to try to better capture the brilliance of a good MK performance.
They wouldn't? But-but-but how could they not? (He who has eyes, let him see.) :biggrin:

museksk8r said:
...Surya's LP back flip in the 1998 Olympics...
:rock:
 

antmanb

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
We really don't know how bad her injury was, do we? And I think she only had one surgery. I do agree there is a world of difference between Michelle and Fumie--and it gives me hope!

Bad enough that she wasn't able to do a triple loop for a few seasons. Bad enough that she couldn't compete in the run up to the Olympics. Bad enough that she withdrew from the Olympics. Bad enough to require surgery.

That seems to be pretty bad from where i'm sitting ;)

IIRC, Witt finished second and Kielmann finished third (behind Szewczenko). However, the decision for the Olympics would rest on the results at Europeans since there were 3 spots for the ladies. Kielmann was the reigning bronze medalist at Europeans and had finished 5th at 93 Worlds. However, she was very vocal in her feelings about Witt's return. It was very much like how Mark Mitchell felt about Brian Boitano's return. They didn't like it - Witt and Boitano have already had their chances. In the SP, both Marina and Katarina did not skate well. However, Katarina was able to skate a nice LP, finished higher than Marina, and won the second spot on the Olympic team. I believe NBC did a piece about this during their broadcast of Euros, but I don't know if I still have that tape. I don't think there was any mention about the judging, but I could be wrong.

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

Well from my perspective there is no controversy - all the skaters were told what the criteria would be to qualify for the Olympics. If what you report is correct, she finished third at nationals and third at of the German ladies and Europeans. It seems pretty clear cut. If you want to get to the Olympics you have to beat the other people to get there.

Ant
 
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fairly4

Medalist
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
personnally, I don't think it would help her image if she came back.
But I wished she would officially tell us.
She stated she would let us know after she graduated in November and December and I am dissappointed that she has let us know. She has just given us tidbits and hit and misses. She should officially state one way or the other.
I am tired of the guessing game between Michelle and Sasha. (sasha's expected-not michelles_
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
People keep saying I wish Sasha and Michele would come back. For sasha would return to competition would be a challange, no question, but for Michelle it would be a huge hurdle. First, sasha has been skating (not olympic level for sure) but skating every day for the past few years. She has done hundreds of shows and that assures that she can land her easiest jumps, do good spins and steps with ease. Sasha did not have a surgery to recover from, not studies to fill her days.
But most important, the only thing sasha would have to do in coming back is skate clean. A clean LP, and her comeback would be a sucess. Michelle, on the other hand has many clean LP's to her name. Her motive for returning is finally an olympic victory which is EXTREMELY improbable, clean skate or not. Michelle at her best, (think 2003 nationals or 1996 worlds) would not come close to beating Yu-na or Mao. Sure, Michelle would CoP up her programs, but without the 3/3 and belliman spins etc, the most she could dare to hope for is a bronze, and that she already has.
 
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