Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive drive?

RealtorGal · Apr 3, 2003

Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive drive?

I read a quote where she said something along the lines that skating is her first love and she hopes she can find the joy of skating again. That seems to indicate that it's not there at this time. Do you think that already winning Olympic gold took the air out of her competitive drive? Do you think she'll ever get it back? What part did her injury this year play into all this?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Verbalgirl77 · Apr 3, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I think she will!

She seems to compete well in the face of a challenge, and I think next season would be a great way to have a 'clean slate' so to speak, especially if she takes the COI tour off and rests, then begins training after a nice break.

BronzeisGolden02 · Apr 3, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I think it's far too early to tell. Winning the Gold medal surely was something no one, not even Sarah, expected. So, I say give the girl a year of whirlwind life experiences. She gave us something very special to remember in SLC, so, I say let her try new things, even going pro if that's what she wants. But, if skating is her first love and she does stay amateur, then I believe we'll see Sarah come back inshape and ready to deliver like she did in 2001 and 2002.

lottafs · Apr 3, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I guess so. When she won gold, the media was all over her. She was asked to advertisements. She was asked if she wanted to do a TV special on her "balanced life". She said "Yes" to all of them. Now she got geek, I mean

lol: ), Ivy League colleges wanting this gold medalist to their schools. All of this had her lose time for training for Worlds.

I don't know anything about the injury, really. I guess she was running around so much, she trained quite hard, then injured herself.

Show 42 · Apr 3, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I think it was a case of "too much too soon". She would have benefited I think if she had been able to gradually build to an Olympic win, at least a National title and maybe a few more World medals. When a skater or any athlete is made to think that the Oly Gold is the top prize of their sport, there's only one place to go and that's downhill....42

dlksk8fan · Apr 4, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

Show-ITA

Pookie · Apr 4, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

Sarah isn't one of my favorite skaters. She has outgrown or overcome, whichever, a lot of the awkwardness that has kept me from enjoying her skating. She had "the skate of her life" in SLC. But if she doesn't get back her love of skating, the sad part is she really hasn't touched what she could accomplish on the ice as she matures and loses more of the awkwardness that shows she is still a teenager.

Too much, too soon is right. If she gives it up, she won't ever reach her artistic ability.

Will she be another Annette Poetsch <sp?> as the years go by?

Of course, there is more to life than skating. Wanting to be a doctor is a wonderful thing.

Lcp88 · Apr 4, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

Sarah's still pretty young. If she wants to skate, than by all means, skate. If she wants to go to collage, go. It is her life after all.
IMO, though, if she really still likes to skate, than she should do it now and not take time off. It can be hard to get back into the swing of things after one takes some time off. She still has time to go to collage, she;s early as it is. Or she could do a few part time classes as well. I wonder how much the media really does affect her. She was interviewed so much and made into America's little darling when she was only 16.
She's not a favorite of mine, but I wish her well in what ever she does, skating or school.
Laura

RealtorGal · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I think that if she quits now, she will always regret not reaching her true potential. School will always be there but a skater's career is limited.

Personally, I hope she stays around.

Just one Gal's opinion.

engrsktr · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I think that Sarah is wonderfully set for her future.... her goal was the olympic gold medal.... she achieved it early.... more power to her..... and now she can move on if she feels she wants to experience "normal" life at college, etc....
where one usually gets into trouble is the college and skating theory..... most people don't go because they are too busy skating... others let their skating "suffer" to attend..... it's really REALLY hard to find that happy medium between the two... for example, debi thomas took a year off for the olympics.... kwiatkowski's skating was never consistent until she graduated from college.....paul wylie's career dragged on and on because of his collegiate goals....
and so for Sarah, if she is serious about academics like she professes, then it is the perfect scenario for her... she can skate as a professional whenever the mood strikes her and she can continue with the other newer side of her life....
I think it might be good that the competitive fire is dampened with her..... she has achieved her goal by giving the performance of a lifetime AT the Olympic games - she has nothing to prove to herself or anyone else anymore....she did it when it counted.... fantastic!

Ladskater · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

As it has been already stated Sarah is young and has her whole life ahead of her; personally, I love her skating and feel she has a lot of years yet to develop her talents. She was thrown into the spot light when she won the Gold at the Olympics. How would we have handled it? Sarah was still in high school! She is a typical teenager and is developing into a lovely young lady. Although, she wowed us at Salt Lake City, I think her best skating is still ahead of her. Of course being the Olympic champ expectations were put upon her and she was not really ready for the Worlds this year. You can bet she will be ready next year if she decides to stick around.

Ladskater

Princess Leppard 625 · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

The media in DC was horrible to Sarah. The pictures in the papers were all over her falling, and not very flattering. I admire her very much for not dropping out after the QR, as some posters on another board suggested. She stuck with it and pulled herself up. I think there's still some determination there, just maybe not as much as there needed to have been.

I agree that her best skating is ahead of her, and I hope she doesn't quit. A year off, though, might do her some good.

I was in the elevator at the Metro, and Sarah and Robin got on. I didn't say anything, but Sarah spoke to me, after she saw my "no secret judging" pin. She asked how the protest went and if there was a lot of media. We had a nice, though brief, chat. She seems very sweet and sincere, and I'd hate to see her go.

Cheers,

Laura

Verbalgirl77 · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>I was in the elevator at the Metro, and Sarah and Robin got on. I didn't say anything, but Sarah spoke to me, after she saw my "no secret judging" pin. She asked how the protest went and if there was a lot of media. We had a nice, though brief, chat. She seems very sweet and sincere, and I'd hate to see her go.[/quote]

She was very, very cordial to all the fans. She seemed very conversational with everyone. It wasn't like a 'fan' talking to a 'celebrity,' she just talked to you like a regular person would. She did come out twice to sign autographs during the qualif. practice session, even after she finished and changed into street clothes. I would certainly miss Sarah the person in amateur skating, as well as Sarah the skater.

shdotz · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

I wouldn't think so.

She's a young lady who has been through a lot of discipline prior to the Olympics, and then came all the acolaydes that probably wore her out. What a year she must have endured.

Only time will reveal her next step(s). Maybe she'll take a break for a year or so and attend college; there's a lot more to life than figure skating. Perhaps this is just one aspect of her life. She always wanted to win the Gold and she has done that.

How many female won Figure Skating Olympic Gold and stayed eligible? I really don't know. There's so much politics and cheating that becomes a deterrent for some who skate; and then there's the joy of challenge - competition and winning.

But you gotta want to do it or it's no good. sh

CuteGreekGoddess · Apr 5, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr


I hope it hasn't
It will take her a while to get her mentality
back together because it probably was too much
too soon. It will take her some time to get it back
I hope to see her get back on top

Ogre Mage · Apr 6, 2003

Sarah

I think it was a combination of things. Wanting to have a life, the whirlwind of attention after winning Olympic Gold, too many commitments leaving her with little time and her injury were all factors in her subpar season. It's worth noting that even before 2002, I read an article that Sarah struggled with not being able to have a normal life. She seems more interested in life outside of the rink than Sasha and Michelle. Hopefully, if she stays in, she will scale back her commitments to have more training time.

For Sarah, winning the Olympic Gold was a double edged sword. On one hand, it is considered by many to be the biggest prize in skating. It's an extraordinary accomplishment at such a young age and she had the best skate of her life to win it. How could you keep yourself motivated under such circumstances? And yet, because she had not won Nationals or Worlds, she had to listen to speculation -- would Sarah be a "One Skate Wonder?" If she quit now, I suspect that is how many would see her. That's tough, especially when you want to have a life outside of skating. But she many great opportunities ahead of her no matter what she does.

NancyH · Apr 6, 2003

Re: Sarah

I don't know Sarah but I watched her a lot at Hackensack and her practices fascinated me. What a nice and positive young lady. She'd fall, she'd get up and do it again (over and over) and often with a smile on her face. As some people say, perhaps the weight of everything that goes with that medal is bound to upset anyone's apple cart but wow, that kid did it the right way. She trained and trained and trained, and then simply went out there one night and skated with her whole heart - that produced a winning performance. And now, some people damn her for it - too soon, it's all about the medal, etc. It's what we all say we always want our champions to do - skate from the heart.

I don't think it matters where Sarah wants to go from here on - stay with skating or move on to college and other things. It's a completely personal decision. She won that medal in a wonderful way and everyone should admire that moment and let the rest be determined by her. Perhaps we should take her lead and not project our own expectations - I remember she said that she didn't skate that night with expectations, she just skated.

Nancy

Linny · Apr 7, 2003

What about her figure

Sarah seems to be maturing into a beautiful woman. Her figure type doesn't appear to be that of, say, Maria Buterskya who is a bit of a bean pole.

So, would Sarah have to work out 20 hours a day and eat only bean curd to stay a bean pole? Would it be worth it to put herself through this to skate when she, apparently, has the brains and the determination to choose any career she wants to?

How about her becoming the next Nobel Peace prize winner? Or curing cancer?

I hope she makes her decisions with good perspective.

Linny

rgirl181 · Apr 7, 2003

Re: Sarah

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>I think it was a combination of things. Wanting to have a life, the whirlwind of attention after winning Olympic Gold, too many commitments leaving her with little time and her injury were all factors in her subpar season. It's worth noting that even before 2002, I read an article that Sarah struggled with not being able to have a normal life.[/quote] ITA, Ogre Mage. In fact, I agreed with your whole post. Well said.
Rgirl

BronzeisGolden02 · Apr 7, 2003

Re: Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive dr

Interesting Ogre Mage, that Sarah struggled with the limitations that come with a World level skating career before the Olympics. I can't even imagine what it must be like to give up almost everything for your dream. Also, think of what it must be like for her in high school! And you thought that the girls resented the prom queen, how about the Olympic Champion? Sarah seems so down-to-earth and humble, and hearing that she struggled with the constraints of such a career earlier only make her more human in my eyes. Good luck to her, she's done enough in my eyes to always be remembered as a great skater. If Sarah does decide to stay I know she'll refocus her efforts and dazzle again.

Did winning Oly gold ruin Sarah's skating competitive drive?

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