Tonya Harding Update

silverpond · Nov 16, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding

Here is a link to a very extensive "wiki write-up" on Tonya Harding. It pulls no punches (no pun intended, ladies and gentlemen). Included is a section on the "incidents" that typically occurred whenever Harding competed - a list that grew to the extent that commentators stated (sic) "It wouldn't be a competition with a Harding incident." Much of this wasn't brushes with the law, but the kinds of stuff that just make you shake your head and say, "Huh????"

There's a section on her boxing career, along with her fights/results.

Unfortunately, there's a section that does detail her brushes with the law.

Not to be gossipy, but Tonya married for the third time, and she gave birth to a child in February of this year.

dorispulaski · Nov 16, 2011

That sounds OK, but be aware that anyone can edit Wikipedia. It relies on its users to keep its articles accurate.

silverpond · Nov 16, 2011

dorispulaski said:
That sounds OK, but be aware that anyone can edit Wikipedia. It relies on its users to keep its articles accurate.

Correct, Doris. However, in reading the write-up on Tonya, it does appear to be accurate. Of course, I cannot guarantee that every single item is accurate. Some figure skaters have long "wiki" writeups, while others have very little in the way of coverage. For better or for worse, Tonya is a person who elicits a lot of press coverage.

drivingmissdaisy · Nov 16, 2011

Hopefully she finds happiness with her marriage and becoming a mother. It's really a pity that she made such poor decisions and wasted her incredible talent.

silverpond · Nov 17, 2011

drivingmissdaisy said:
Hopefully she finds happiness with her marriage and becoming a mother. It's really a pity that she made such poor decisions and wasted her incredible talent.

I agree with you! I remember the 1991 US Championships, in which Tonya absolutely overpowered the competition by landing the first-ever triple axel at Nationals. She was amazing!! Her music selections were interesting, as was her choregraphy. Her strength was her athleticism, and, boy, did she ever deliver a memorable performance.

Prior to the Ladies' final, a number of the "up close and personal" bios were aired. Tonya, clearly, had had a challenging childhood, and figure skating was her vehicle to make something of herself. She was a maverick - played pool, smoked, and was married to Jeff Gillooly at that time. But who cared -- she could skate!!

Personally, I think her story is a tragedy, and unfortunately, it's one that has been in the media for nearly 20 years. I, too, hope she finds happiness in motherhood and the stability of a happy marriage.

ILoveFigures · Nov 18, 2011

Was it ever really confirmed that she knew what was going to happen to Nancy? From all the stories I have read about this to all the interviews I am still uncertain whether she actually was a part of the attack or not. Maybe I have missed something.

brightphoton · Nov 18, 2011

Not really. It was her boyfriend's doing, but I guess people thought that she was the mastermind or that she and her boyfriend were accomplices, but no definitive link. I think it was ultimately unfair. Maybe I'm biased because I don't care for Nancy Kerrigan's skating, while I'm in love with Tonya's.

ILoveFigures · Nov 18, 2011

I know it was her boyfriend or ex and some of his friends that attacked Nancy, and that's why I don't understand why Tonya was blamed. Since there were really no proof from what I can see, I too believe she was unfairly punished. It does seem like she fell victim of her own lifestyle and personality.

Tonichelle · Nov 18, 2011

ILoveFigures said:
Was it ever really confirmed that she knew what was going to happen to Nancy? From all the stories I have read about this to all the interviews I am still uncertain whether she actually was a part of the attack or not. Maybe I have missed something.

She pled to knowing after the fact which is why she got off while he and his buddy went to jail. The only thing she was guilty of was obstructing justice. Legally she was never blamed, and her lawyers did a FANTASTIC job of scripting her sob story of an apologizing so she got off. The USFSA, though, took her plea as a way to ban her for unsportsmanlike conduct. She knew what happened AFTER, she admits that, she didn't come forward to help catch the ones who did. And there are those that believe that wasn't the full story. She sued the USFSA to allow her to beo n the Olympic team, but that was the end of her career (her conduct at the games didn't help).

TV was booming for figure skating at that poitn because of the whack and she would have had a great pro career - but the other big named pro skaters (not just American skaters) wouldn't skate in shows/programs she was involved in.

drivingmissdaisy · Nov 18, 2011

I personally find it implausible that she wasn't behind the plan. She was the only one who had anything to gain from taking Nancy out, but only she and the ex know for sure. Regardless of whether she knew before or after, the lifetime ban was appropriate. The safety of the skaters is of utmost importance and the sport has to do everything possible to discourage such behavior.

ILoveFigures · Nov 19, 2011

Tonichelle said:
She pled to knowing after the fact which is why she got off while he and his buddy went to jail. The only thing she was guilty of was obstructing justice. Legally she was never blamed, and her lawyers did a FANTASTIC job of scripting her sob story of an apologizing so she got off. The USFSA, though, took her plea as a way to ban her for unsportsmanlike conduct. She knew what happened AFTER, she admits that, she didn't come forward to help catch the ones who did. And there are those that believe that wasn't the full story. She sued the USFSA to allow her to beo n the Olympic team, but that was the end of her career (her conduct at the games didn't help).

TV was booming for figure skating at that poitn because of the whack and she would have had a great pro career - but the other big named pro skaters (not just American skaters) wouldn't skate in shows/programs she was involved in.

But that's the thing I'm wondering about. Did she know about the attack before it happened or did she get to know about the attack after it happened?

If she got to know after the attack, then she might not have said anything fearing for her own safety.

It's a very sad story indeed, but it looks like she is doing great these days.

drivingmissdaisy said:
I personally find it implausible that she wasn't behind the plan. She was the only one who had anything to gain from taking Nancy out, but only she and the ex know for sure. Regardless of whether she knew before or after, the lifetime ban was appropriate. The safety of the skaters is of utmost importance and the sport has to do everything possible to discourage such behavior.

I am in no way defending the behaviour, but like you say yourself, this is your personal opinion. I don't think the lifetime ban seems appropriate because we don't know for sure whether she was actually the mastermind behind the plot or not. Maybe the USFSA knows more about this than what is publicly known. We will probably never know. It was also a well known fact that Tonya was not a popular skater with the USFSA, while Nancy on the other hand most definantly was.

Buttercup · Nov 19, 2011

dorispulaski said:
That sounds OK, but be aware that anyone can edit Wikipedia. It relies on its users to keep its articles accurate.

I'm a frequent editor on Wikipedia, a lot of it skating-related (not on the Harding entry, though). My experience has been that the people who work on skating articles try very hard to keep the articles informative and well-sourced (GS articles have been very helpful in many cases, BTW). But if anyone here comes a across something inaccurate on Wikipedia, or feels that there's more material that can be included - don't hesitate, jump right in and do it yourself! It's no more difficult than posting on a forum.

Tonichelle · Nov 19, 2011

ILoveFigures said:
But that's the thing I'm wondering about. Did she know about the attack before it happened or did she get to know about the attack after it happened?

according to the official story (aka the one the court has) she knew only after teh fact, not before. And she didn't tell anyone after because she had be threatened with harm to herself if she told. Whether or not people believe that story, or accept her decision is a completely different matter. The USFSA felt (and I agree) that she should have come forward when she found out.

ILoveFigures · Nov 19, 2011

Tonichelle said:
according to the official story (aka the one the court has) she knew only after teh fact, not before. And she didn't tell anyone after because she had be threatened with harm to herself if she told. Whether or not people believe that story, or accept her decision is a completely different matter. The USFSA felt (and I agree) that she should have come forward when she found out.

But I have to say that if that story is true, then I for one completely understand why she chose to keep silence. If someone threatens you with harm (keep in mind that she was young at the time), then I absolutely understand that you keep your mouth shut, even when you know it is not the right thing to do. Wasn't Tonya married to the attacker at that time? She has always claimed it was an abusive relationship. :think:

dorispulaski · Nov 19, 2011

The husband was the attacker's friend.

Tonichelle · Nov 19, 2011

ILoveFigures said:
But I have to say that if that story is true, then I for one completely understand why she chose to keep silence. If someone threatens you with harm (keep in mind that she was young at the time), then I absolutely understand that you keep your mouth shut, even when you know it is not the right thing to do. Wasn't Tonya married to the attacker at that time? She has always claimed it was an abusive relationship. :think:

I've been there - not in an abusive relationship, but an attacker telling me not to tell anyone or they'd come kill me and my family. It's scary and hard, but it's possible to do it. I honestly don't buy her innocent routine and I hate the scripted "apology" that she gave that she didn't mean a word of. Her conduct later on in the season gave more fuel for the USFSA to give up on her. Plus the pressure from the other skaters didn't help. That Tonya blames the USFSA for all of her problems when really she made those choices on her own (the picking the bad boy, the assaulting her boyfriend with a hubcap, etc) is another annoying factor. At some point one needs to move on. Most skaters and fans have. It was nearly 20 years ago, it can't continue to affect your life. This last marriage and child have seemed to be her turning point. We haven't heard of her antics and she's doing better. More power to her.

I was a huge fan of Tonya as a young girl and the whole event devastated me. I preferred her in every way to Nancy (though I loved them both and Kristi too).

The only person who knows the true story of the whack decided to let the lawyers construct a story for her. We will never know her actual involvement.

ILoveFigures · Nov 19, 2011

Tonichelle said:
I've been there - not in an abusive relationship, but an attacker telling me not to tell anyone or they'd come kill me and my family. It's scary and hard, but it's possible to do it. I honestly don't buy her innocent routine and I hate the scripted "apology" that she gave that she didn't mean a word of. Her conduct later on in the season gave more fuel for the USFSA to give up on her. Plus the pressure from the other skaters didn't help. That Tonya blames the USFSA for all of her problems when really she made those choices on her own (the picking the bad boy, the assaulting her boyfriend with a hubcap, etc) is another annoying factor. At some point one needs to move on. Most skaters and fans have. It was nearly 20 years ago, it can't continue to affect your life. This last marriage and child have seemed to be her turning point. We haven't heard of her antics and she's doing better. More power to her.

I was a huge fan of Tonya as a young girl and the whole event devastated me. I preferred her in every way to Nancy (though I loved them both and Kristi too).

The only person who knows the true story of the whack decided to let the lawyers construct a story for her. We will never know her actual involvement.

I never payed attention to the whack until recently, when I saw some old clips of Tonya's skating. That made me interested in the whack because I could not believe why someone so talented would threw it all away like yesterday's garbage.

The story is interesting non the least. I am glad she has moved on though.

silverpond · Nov 24, 2011

Whether or not Tonya actually knew about the planned attack on Nancy Kerrigan, after it happened, and she knew who was responsible, she should have gone to the police to report what she knew, even if this information was after the fact. She may very well have had absolutely nothing to do with the attack, yet she did have the responsibility to go to the authorities once the facts were known to her. Yes, she desperately wanted to win the US title and compete at the Olympics, and Kerrigan was her only serious rival, since Yamaguchi had turned pro after winning at Albertville.

It's a tragedy, in any case. It's easy to be a Monday-morning quarterback, of course.

Again, I hope Tonya enjoys motherhood and gets her life straightened out.

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