Joannie Rochette Rivalry For 2008-2010?

[museksk8r]

Using my logic, Tara Lipinski should stilll have been considered a rival of Michelle Kwan.

Tara and Michelle both competed on the senior circuit from 1995-1998, so it would be reasonable to only count Michelle's titles in the years that they were actually competing against each other (just as I had only compared Joannie and Mao starting from the 2006-2007 season). If we were to count number of ISU championships won during that timespan, Tara had 1 Olympic title, 1 world title and 1 Champion Series Final title to Michelle's 2 world titles and 1 Champion Series Final title (though Michelle's 1998 world title was won during Tara's absence). Those are very comparable records, especially given that Tara was virtually a nobody during the 95-96 season. True, Tara only really dominated Michelle for the 96-97 season, but Tara did also manage to win the biggest title of the 97-98 season in the midst of Michelle's dominance and moreover, Tara was only on the full senior competition circuit for two seasons.

Tara actually won the Champion Series Final twice, once she beat MK in the 1997 season and the second she beat out Tanja Szweczenko in the 1998 season (MK had to sit out the event due to her toe injury). MK won 2 National titles defeating Tara; Tara defeated MK once at Nationals. MK did far better on the GP circuit than Tara. A bit of skating trivia: Lipinski NEVER won a single Grand Prix event; only the Final twice. MK, on the other hand, won all 4 of her GP events when she and Tara competed together from 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.