Hughes May Return

[IDLERACER]

Whether you like the way they skate or not, I'd like to see both Sarah and Tara back out in the spotlight, be it as a competitor, or merely for exhibition purposes. They are both charismatic presences who know how to play to an audience.

Incidentally, it's too bad that networks don't put on those skating "Battle Of The Sexes" type programs like they used to during the off season. They were lots of fun, and it would be a kick to see the likes of Michelle, Sarah and Sasha working together as a team. You could even make Jenny Kirk the team captain, simply for the novelty of refering to her as "Captain Kirk." :D Hmm. This is probably a good topic for a whole new thread.

[NansXOXOX]

Originally posted by IDLERACER
You could even make Jenny Kirk the team captain, simply for the novelty of refering to her as "Captain Kirk." :D Hmm. This is probably a good topic for a whole new thread.

Nan

[Ladskater]

Awesome! Go Sarah.

Thanks for the article, Paula

[tharrtell]

Hughes as a trailblazer? Two 3/3s in the competition of her life yes, but still doesn't seem quite right. Had to get that off my chest.

Interesting that she's thinking of a returning to competition. While I don't doubt her regard education, I wondered what she think of being a full time college student. College is tough and not all that glamorous. Hour upon hour training isn't glamorous either, but there are perks of elite skating that aren't available at Yale. The perks of Yale are down the road a few years. She had worked hard for many years in skating and achieved a point where she was recognized for what she had accomplished. Going to Yale meant starting from the beginning and, once again, working her way up from the bottom. That's a tough adjustment to make.

As to her return to skating, I wonder how it will go. I'm not sure that from a skating perspective puberty was good to her. At 16, it looked like she was barely hanging on skating figure. I'm not suggesting eating disorder by any stretch of the imagination, but I bet she had to work hard to avoid weight gain. I wonder whether she could return to the elite ranks.

All that aside, I'd love to see Sarah as a mature skater. I think she has a lot to offer the sport. I'd also like to see her with a program choreographed by someone aside from R. Wagner.

[gezando]

Great news. I miss her so much, hope she is really returning to skate. Tarasova will be a good choice for her.

[registered]

Definitely not easy, but probably doable. Good luck to Sarah!

[berthes ghost]

Boring!!!:o

Are we really going to be subjected to 4 years of the two sides of Sarah's mouth talking. "I love skating and am considering a comeback, but I love school and don't miss skating and don't do it anymore because I didn't enjoy it even when I was doing it, but I'm thinking about coming back, but I want to be just like everyone else, but I love the special attention, so I'm gonna say I might return, but not with any form of concrete plan or even intelegent reasoning." At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if she hits someone with a hubcap come next Nats time.

[nymkfan51]

BG ...

And just mentioning her body changes ... she could certainly lose weight and get back into good physical shape, but have you all see the recent pictures of her? She has definitely developed (if you know what I mean) ... and that she can't lose. I'm not convinced that jumping would be something she could get back. Liftoff might be a problem.

[berthes ghost]

show people that there is life after an OGM that doesn't involve hip replacements or pro skating

Isn't a DWI almost a requirement for OGMs there days? What better place to work on your binge dringking than college?

Anyway, whatever came of all the SOI/COI are pissed off at her and her Dad gossip? Last I heard, she was persona-non-grata with Collins. Is Tom the forgiving type? And wasn't there talk of failed negotiations with SOI? Was that all just speculation? Weren't Scott and Roz mouthing off about MK not turing pro as ruining the sport in "Frozen Assets"? I don't remember anyone ever complaining that Sarah wasn't joining SOI. At this point, what skating doors does she actually have open to her?

[euterpe]

In Sarah's comments, it seemed pretty clear to me that she was talking about competing as an eligible. She has mentioned trying for Turin before in interviews, but only as an 'out there' possibility.

But now she's actually talking about not returning to school, and that says she really IS considering Turin. I do not think for one minute that she's contemplating SOI (and yes, she pretty much burned her bridges with Collins and COI). Sarah did not seem to enjoy touring or the whole exhibition thing. Maybe that is partly because audiences never reacted to her as warmly as they did to Kwan, even right after the Olympics.

I think if she goes through with it and returns to competition, she is going to have one heck of a hard time. She IS very much out of shape, but even if she sheds the excess pounds, the plain fact is her body is completely different from her SLC body. Her figure was starting to develop during the 2002-2003 season, and her jumps were very much affected. Yes, she was on a training regimen much reduced from the pre-Olympic one, and her motivation wasn't there, but still, she was not nearly competitive for the podium at Worlds 2003, and she finished 8th and last at the 2003 Spring cheesefest.

Realistically, Sarah's chances of defending her OGM are very, very remote. It would be a real shame if she skipped school for two years, went into heavy-duty training, and then found she couldn't compete at the same level she did as a 16-year-old. Remember how disappointed Kat Witt was at not being competitive at the '94 Olympics? I just think for Sarah there's a lot to be lost academically and not much to be gained by coming back as an eligible.

[dorispulaski]

Actually, I remember Kat Witt in 1994 skating to where are all the flowers gone (Sarajevo) and being just glad to skate and to be able to commemorate the city in which she won one of her 2 OGM's. The fact that I can remember this when I haven't watched 1994 since 1994 means that it was a memorable performance, too. If I recall, she was also glad to have her parents actually able to see her skate in an Olympics, too.

When did Kat say that she regretted not being in shape or not being competitive in 1994?

In 2003, Sarah completely bombed in the QR. She was in the much harder bracket, and only completed maybe 3 triples. Once down, she stayed there. From Fumie's 2004 Worlds, you can see how hard it is these days to rebound from a poor QR.

I would love to see her skating again, whether as a pro or an amateur. If Yale lets her take a year or two off, so much the better. She performed well in her classes at Yale, so they might well let her do this, if she wants.

[chuckm]

Kwan rebounded from a poor QR to finish on the podium, even after being dinged for time in the SP.

Sarah was 6th in her QR but that wasn't the only segment where she fell short. Although Sarah had a 'clean' SP, she finished 8th, no doubt because her flutz was atrocious and her triples short of rotation. She finished 6th in the FS after falling on a 3F to finish 6th overall.

Fumie was worse off, having finished 8th in the QR and 7th in the SP (and her SP was lovely). She placed 5th for a beautifully skated FS to finish 7th overall.

[NorthernLite]

Originally posted by berthes ghost
Boring!!!:o
Are we really going to be subjected to 4 years of the two sides of Sarah's mouth talking. "I love skating and am considering a comeback, but I love school ...so I'm gonna say I might return, but not with any form of concrete plan or even intelegent reasoning."

Saw your same post on MKF (where, BTW, someone already pointed out the "intelligent" thing ) .

Yeah, too bad Sarah can't be like a certain other skater, who's always made crystal-clear, definitive statements about whether *she* would continue on to the next Olympics.

BTW this piece was written by Barry Wilner. Hasn't he been known for messing up facts. Perhaps he got the quote wrong and this is much ado ...

[euterpe]

But that 'certain other skater' HAS been competing since SLC and has accumulated two US Championships and two World medals since then. She has consistently never committed to any events more than a few months ahead, but OTOH, has never talked about quitting skating or going pro.

Right around Worlds this year, Sarah said in one interview that she hadn't even put on her skates since the end of the 2002-2003 season, and that she was happy pursuing other interests. Only a month ago she was talking about how burned-out she was after the Olympics and the year afterward.

Now, she's saying she wants back in and may quit school! Meanwhile, she's allowed herself to get WAY out of shape, and has lost her coach to a rival skater.

I think she really IS a teenager who has so many choices that she doesn't know what she wants.

[berthes ghost]

Saw your same post on MKF

Don't board drag, it's against the rules.

Yeah, too bad Sarah can't be like a certain other skater, who's always made crystal-clear, definitive statements about whether *she* would continue on to the next Olympics.

Why all the secret code? The way you wrote *she* reminds me of the really funy spoof board, the Michelle Kwanless board or something, very funny. If you did indeed mean Kwan, I think that euterpe did a pretty good job of showing how your comparison is nonnsense. :(

BTW this piece was written by Barry Wilner. Hasn't he been known for messing up facts. Perhaps he got the quote wrong and this is much ado ...

I actually think all of the nonsense that we've been reading for the past 2 years is more about the press's desperation for a story than about Sarah giving any real thought to her skating career. She's "just Sarah from Long Island" afterall, and who among us hasn't waffled on issues. But, I am disapointed that she hasn't learned to grasp what being a celebrity is like and that one has to be careful what one says. Otherwise, I'm mostly just annoyed by the "will she or won't she" angle the press is always trying to drag us into. At this point, I stop caring about 3 "I haven't ruled out Turin" articles ago. Get back to us when you have something real to say.