Kristi Yamaguchi - Face of America | Golden Skate

Kristi Yamaguchi - Face of America

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Heyang, with your permission I would like to move this interesting thread to the Edge.

During World War II, most Japanese-Americans served in the segregated, all Japanese-American, 442nd Regimental Combat Team. But Kristi’s maternal grandfather, George Akira Doi, served in the 100th Infantry Division, an otherwise all-white unit. He saw combat in Europe and was decorated as “unquestionably the company’s best soldier,” even as his wife and family spent the war years incarcerated in concentration camps.

The audio clips are fascinating. Kristi talks about how her Japanese heritage has affected her life, both as an Olympic gold medalist and as a private person.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
The tapes are lovely! Thanks for posting this.

As Kristi says of her family, many Japanese who were interned never talked of it, either publicly or privately. In fact, during the War there was a Supreme Court case, Korematsu v. United States, in which a young man sued to remain out of a camp, and he lost. Years later, Korematsu's own daughter first learned of the case when she studied it in school. Even then, her father wouldn't speak of it at first. This is often true in Jewish families whose parents were Holocaust survivors, too.

When Kristi was a young skater, she was cute and obviously smart. She's become quite beautiful, and her smarts have deepened into wisdom. I really enjoy listening to what she has to say. She's contemplative, articulate, honest but tactful. This is a woman who has lived well and made a good place for herself in the world.
 

fairly4

Medalist
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
yes- what she wants people to know and face about-what she leaves out it more important-they brough up the 1992 olympics nothing about the 1994 where she didn't want to skate due to pressue and now fast forward to DWTS where she stated publicly can handle bad judging due to figure skating and than slam it for low scores.
she may have not deserved it -but part of figure skating is handling scores you don't like and keeping mouth shut. she didn't due that.
come out and publicly state wants to be home with family-than states lucky to have grandparents and husband to watch the children-cauise she is so busy.
yes-alot of them had a hard time-they moved on with with lifes.
shich is good.
yes kristi is articulate, tactful,honest maybe-but when it suits her and her ideas-did they asked her those questions or did shej allow
certain questions to be asked and denied others--i heard through media a lot of athletes /stars- get ahead copies of questions and than they cross out the questions they don't want and dont want to be heard. i was wondering if she had advanced copy -so she can look good instead of letting it all ride and medai askwhat they want and face the consquences.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Fast forward to DWTS where she stated publicly can handle bad judging due to figure skating and than slam it for low scores...

The contestants on these "reality" shows are scripted to say funny and outrageops things for their entertainment value.

As for the rest of it, Kristi (born 1971) apologizes to you for her part in the 1937 Nanking Massacre.
 

ks777

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
yes- what she wants people to know and face about-what she leaves out it more important-they brough up the 1992 olympics nothing about the 1994 where she didn't want to skate due to pressue and now fast forward to DWTS where she stated publicly can handle bad judging due to figure skating and than slam it for low scores.
she may have not deserved it -but part of figure skating is handling scores you don't like and keeping mouth shut. she didn't due that.
come out and publicly state wants to be home with family-than states lucky to have grandparents and husband to watch the children-cauise she is so busy.
yes-alot of them had a hard time-they moved on with with lifes.
shich is good.
yes kristi is articulate, tactful,honest maybe-but when it suits her and her ideas-did they asked her those questions or did shej allow
certain questions to be asked and denied others--i heard through media a lot of athletes /stars- get ahead copies of questions and than they cross out the questions they don't want and dont want to be heard. i was wondering if she had advanced copy -so she can look good instead of letting it all ride and medai askwhat they want and face the consquences.

ok, query5...whatever.
 

fairly4

Medalist
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
kss77

yesj--whatevery--she states one things one year-cand several years later does something elese--you don't like the examples pointed out.. good for you.
skaters thought techinique-jumps, urs, downgrades and when it is brought up-- you claim--it is okay--that is sport it isn't racist.
lets see us nationals
short mirai-clean
ashely 4th with afall no ur on that fall
rachel 3 no ur on triple/triple in long at nationals or short, and no ur in fall at skate america
sasha-bombed her long-no ur, no downgrades on jumps only -2 on goes
zhang-got downgrades and ur cal
notice which ethnic group got more downgrade and urs for woment at this years nationals than others

did they give her an advance copy--so she could prepare.
talk about not wanting anything bad stating about a skater --you state kristi is --she might be-however she isn't --
\yes-i complained and bought things she pitched and went to events she was at-me and my friends-back than-but after we started paying attention to what she states (which revels more character than on ice -what she states now versus what she states back in 1992-we noticed a big difference. she states now only what hypes her up and ignores what she previously stated or did-in the articles did she ever mention rudy or thank him. as far as i know of, no---she didn't acknowledge him. just stated she skated in pairs.
she didn't admint on tour she did same jumps over/over again. she doesn't bring up that she had her chance to go back to 1994 olympics an didn't because of backstage handling (badness)and now i brought it up-you don't like--sorry--yes-kristi is nice articulate --honest-only when it suits her-but that is human nature.
fanbase -don'
want her to look bad. just like michelles doesn't want michelle to look bad.
people complained of how michelle talk--watch what she says-this is a reason--always watch what you say-because public can misinterpret what you want or says.
don't make fun of people who watch what they say-it will be turned around and interpreted the way you don't want it to be.
 

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Glad you enjoyed it. I'm actually planning to watch the other episodes, as well.

As for 1994, why would she be asked about 1994 when she didn't skate that year? Who really wants to be judged over and over and over again? She won a gold medal in 1992 and decided that she was tired of competing. You could just as easily ask why Midori Ito didnt' stay in until 1994 and try for gold? Paul Wylie and Petr Barna didn't return in 1994 - Viktor Petrenko won gold in 1992 and then didn't medal in 1994.

There was no obligation fo her to stay and compete til 1994. As for DWTS, it was year's later and partly about having 'fun'. There was no pressure initially for her to win and the best dancer does not always win on DWTS.
 
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aftertherain

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
kss77

yesj--whatevery--she states one things one year-cand several years later does something elese--you don't like the examples pointed out.. good for you.
skaters thought techinique-jumps, urs, downgrades and when it is brought up-- you claim--it is okay--that is sport it isn't racist.
lets see us nationals
short mirai-clean
ashely 4th with afall no ur on that fall
rachel 3 no ur on triple/triple in long at nationals or short, and no ur in fall at skate america
sasha-bombed her long-no ur, no downgrades on jumps only -2 on goes
zhang-got downgrades and ur cal
notice which ethnic group got more downgrade and urs for woment at this years nationals than others

did they give her an advance copy--so she could prepare.
talk about not wanting anything bad stating about a skater --you state kristi is --she might be-however she isn't --
\yes-i complained and bought things she pitched and went to events she was at-me and my friends-back than-but after we started paying attention to what she states (which revels more character than on ice -what she states now versus what she states back in 1992-we noticed a big difference. she states now only what hypes her up and ignores what she previously stated or did-in the articles did she ever mention rudy or thank him. as far as i know of, no---she didn't acknowledge him. just stated she skated in pairs.
she didn't admint on tour she did same jumps over/over again. she doesn't bring up that she had her chance to go back to 1994 olympics an didn't because of backstage handling (badness)and now i brought it up-you don't like--sorry--yes-kristi is nice articulate --honest-only when it suits her-but that is human nature.
fanbase -don'
want her to look bad. just like michelles doesn't want michelle to look bad.
people complained of how michelle talk--watch what she says-this is a reason--always watch what you say-because public can misinterpret what you want or says.
don't make fun of people who watch what they say-it will be turned around and interpreted the way you don't want it to be.

You're just making me more confused.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Heyang, I agree with you that the entire show looks fascinating. I wonder who else will appear on it--I'll have to look on the PBS site and see what I can find. Henry Louis Gates always does a great job of presenting an idea and getting us curious about it. How nice that you got this information through Kristi's Facebook connection.

It occurs to me that people like Kristi are one of the main reasons that so many of us are lifelong fans of some skaters, whether they continue in skating or not. It's just so nice to know that people like her are out there in the world.

A friend of mine who knows several Olympic track medalists pointed out that for many athletes, if they're not careful, the Olympic experience can turn out to be the greatest thing they ever do in their lives. That's really sad to have the peak of your life at the age of 21 or even younger. So when I see an athlete move on to other good things, I'm both delighted and relieved. It's one of the reasons I (and many others) are so happy to watch Michelle Kwan right now. The people who remain in skating, like Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, and Kristi herself, also give me that feeling, because they're growing artistically and professionally and also living a rewarding life outside the rink, with families and philanthropic activities.

Thanks again for moving this thread to where I noticed it! I'm kind of a creature of habit and haven't really explored all the corners and pathways of GS.
 

hikki

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Country
Japan
I have tremendous respect for the approach Kristi's parents/ grandparents (and earlier-generation Japanese Americans in general from what I hear) took on the history, letting the new generations be proud of the heritage without forcing massive hang-ups. I'm half Vietnamese (dad) and half Japanese who grew up in Japan, and dad never focused on the hardships he must have experienced.

Thanks for sharing these inteteresting clips!
 

Phoenix347

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
I thought Kristi handled herself very well in the interview. She was so gentle when asked if she didn't get as much endorsement deal because of her ethnic background. What I like the most was how she kept gently point out that she's an American... even if her heritage is Japanese.

The only thing about this series is that why did they mainly choose celebrities or well known people? I know that it gets more attention but I would have liked to seen not so famous people of different background doing great things being interviewed instead. I was surprised they interviewed Colbert... I kept expecting him to make jokes but he stayed serious the whole time.

Anyway, thanks for the link to an interesting interview.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I'm old enough to remember the fuss about Dorothy Hamill, and I remember that there was much less fuss made about Kristi in terms of publicity, endorsements, and so on. At the time, I was very much aware of the discrepancy and wondered whether her ethnicity was a factor. (I think it pretty obviously was, though I think another component was Hamill's unusual star quality--she just had that innate sizzle that few people have.) I remember feeling very disappointed that, after 16 years without a figure skating gold medalist, America was not paying attention to Kristi.

I think things have progressed since Kristi's win (judging by Michelle's impact), and Kristi herself is part of the reason for the progress. She has always been gracious and her public conduct has been exemplary. Her long pro career (a lot of it seen on TV during those "golden years" of skating's highest popularity) and now her Dancing with the Stars stint have only added to her luster.

A sidelight to this topic: the name of this TV program, The Face of America, reminds me of that enjoyable TV series about Superman, Lois and Clark. When they cast Superman, instead of choosing some WASP with a chiseled profile and blue eyes to reflect the comic book rendition of the Man of Steel, they cast Dean Cain, and they didn't make him wear contact lenses to hide his brown eyes. Cain is part Japanese. I remember seeing his face and realizing with delight that he was, in the deepest sense, the All-American Superman. It was a small step forward, but to me (a big Superman fan from way back) it meant a great deal.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
That was good. :yes: They surprised Kristi by finding an old newpaper article about Kristi's mother being the first baby born in the concentration camp. Then when they showed Kristi the letter commending her grandfather's service in the army, it made her cry.
 

merrywidow

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 20, 2004
I've spent many hours doing genealogical research into my family's history so find this series fascinating. Kristi has always been a favorite of mine not just as a skater but because she has always been so gracious & giving to the public. Look at the years she spent helping to make SOI a success. She is a marvelous role model for all Americans not just those of Asian descent.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
could not have said it better, merrywidow... never once thought of her as one of the Asian skaters.. or as asian at all... she's Kristi Yamaguchi. 1992 Olympic Champion. Fantastic skater. Favorite skater...

and I'll always relate my dad's eyes sparkling with her... man glows when he watches/talks about her ;)
 
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