SusanBeth said:I don't know where this puts me on the dividing line. I have a feeling I am part of a new group- ''Michelle Fans Who are Starting to Yawn.''
Mathman said:Oh, that was so well said, Eyria.
Tony, that's cool, because you do feel that inspirational spark for your favorite skaters.
For myself, I first started paying attention to figure skating and to Michelle in the 1998-99 season. When I saw her short program (Rachmaninov) at the Goodwill Games in spring of 1998, I couldn't believe my eyes. That was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Little did I suspect that in just a month or so she would top even that masterpeice with the East of Eden artistic program at the World Professional Championship. I saw East of Eden (white dress) several times in those pro-am TV events that year, and each time was just as emotional for me as the time before.
Then she came out in the fall with the Fate of Carmen SP, one of Michelle's finest and most underrated programs. I don't know why, but I am just a sucker for a good Lori Nichol short program. In the LP, you have to fit in 6 or 7 triple jumps and there is not much room for anything else. But something about the structure of the short program, with the eight required elements forming the framework on which to weave your magic -- to me, Lori works that format like Shakespeare writing a sonnet. (OT -- check out Fumie's Rolling Stones SP next week, if you haven't seen it yet!)
What is so cool about Michelle is that almost every time she skates (for instance, her LP at Nationals this year) I think, that's it! That's her all-time greatest performance! How lucky I am that I got to see it!
Then she goes out next time and does it again.
I do not understand how people can say that Michelle's performances are boring because she does the same old jumps every time. Well, yes, every time she does the toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, Lutz and Axel. (?)
It's like saying, oh that Babe Ruth is such a boring baseball player. He hits a home run every time.
Mathman
LarasB said:Ditto. I agree completely.