Quote Originally Posted by blue dog View Post
Michelle also admitted that she loved the pressure and the nervousness she felt before competing. For the most part, she was able to turn the nerves into great performances...except for four nights in her career =(
What really helped Michelle was Irina. For me, her greatest performances were her 2000 and 2001 LPs at Worlds, when Irina's magnificent jumps forced Michelle to produce her absolute best skating. Michelle rose to the challenge so many times, and sometimes I think having a solid rivalry would help skaters like Mirai and Alissa attack their programs rather than skating so defensively. They are so talented but I always get a sense they are skating "not to lose" rather than to win.