Hersh's MK Article | Golden Skate

Hersh's MK Article

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Kabooke

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Hersh's MK Article

It talks about up coming nationals, possible run for another Olympics, possibly never going pro, ect...

chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/international/cs-0301090254jan09,1,640451.story?coll=cs%2Dinternational%2Dprint

Some quotes:

"But I feel at this point, competing is the way to go. I don't get satisfaction from being a pro, and I might never have a professional skating life. It might be just competing and going to school."

"There is no such thing anymore as a favorite,
haven't you all realized that?"

"No ring on my finger," she said with a laugh.
 
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tharrtell

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Nice article. Michelle always comes across with a positive attitude, IMO, but I have to wonder what she is really thinking? What is driving her? While she is still a top competitor in the sport, I don't think she can realistically think she has a shot at 2006. Although, in my dream world, third time would be a charm for Michelle. Is she really going on a gut feeling and this is the direction it has taken her? Is it a simple love for the sport? Does she fear leaving the sport as she doesn't know anything else? I can't imagine she feels like she has anything to prove, and if she does, it's 3 years down the road.

Any guesses out there? Inquiring minds want to know. They are also waiting for that biography!

tharrtell
 
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mathman444

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Hi Tharrtell. I think that we should take her at her word -- she doesn't know. Just like she began this season not expecting to do any serious competing, yet here she is heading into Nationals, the grand Prix finals and Worlds as spunky as ever. She admits to being "scatterbrained" about planning too much for the future.

Bottom line, I think: "Winning simplifies everything."

Kabooke, thanks for posting. This article rates way up there on the awwwww scale (my favorite kind of MK article).

Mathman
 
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tharrtell

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Mathmann, ITA, on the awwww scale. I know this isn't a "gush" board, but I think that article says gets at the essence of Kwan. She's a wonderful ambassador for the sport and has an imitable inner spark that comes through in her skating. I absolutely cannot wait to see her at Nationals.
 
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mathman444

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

This isn't an MK gush board? What am I doing here?:lol:

I was interested in the part where Michelle felt guilty that she is not persuing school as seriously as she thinks she ought to. I don't know what kind of grades Michelle got in the courses that she took. But I can't help wondering if she ever feels like, "Hey, I'm the Four Time World Champion, and I get a lousy B+ in Sociology 101?"

Mathman
 
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eltamina

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

IIRC in the 99 -00 season, she made a B in one of the biology tests (not course grade) heading to Skate Canada, and that bothered her.

Same thing with Sarah, she said if she is skating she feels guilty that she is not studying, if she is studying she feels guilty that she is not skating.
 
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Lcp88

Guest
Hersh's MK Article

IMO, It doesn't matter if Michelle go's pro or not. She's secured her place in history already. And doesn't she have a biography or autobiograpy? And when is Alexei comming out with is?
Laura:rolleyes:
 
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sk8ing lady2001

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Thanks for the article. Good luck at nationals, Michelle! :D
 
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maxell1313

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

(Forgive me for sounding snarky, because I don't mean to sound that way, but I'm afraid that's how it's going to come out, so I'm apologizing ahead of time.)

Why is it, after a big interview with Michelle, when she talks about how much she loves competing and just skating in general, people start questioning whether she means it?

If she said it once, I might believe she was just saying anything to get the media off her back, but she's said it over and over and over. I figure after saying it THAT many times, it would get a little hard to fake the sincerity.

So she loves to compete! Why does that bother people so much?? I'm practically beating my head against a wall trying to figure out why skating fans (some, not all) are in such a rush to get rid of Michelle Kwan. Why is it such a terrible thing if she loves to stick around and continue competing? She's won plenty of hardware, so it could be possible that she's not doing it for the medals anymore, she might just be competing for the sheer love of competing. It may also be possible that she doesn't even CARE if she wins a medal. Not being privy to her inner thoughts, I have no way of confirming this theory, but it's just an educated guess on my part.

Sorry, but if the up and coming skaters want to beat her in competition, they're going to have to get out there and DO IT.
 
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Jimmy Hoffa 2

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>So she loves to compete! Why does that bother people so much?? I'm practically beating my head against a wall trying to figure out why skating fans (some, not all) are in such a rush to get rid of Michelle Kwan. Why is it such a terrible thing if she loves to stick around and continue competing?[/quote]
Because, maxell, a lot of Kwan critics think that Kwan should conduct her life according to what THEY want and not what SHE wants and they can't understand why Kwan doesn't agree or even care about what they think, so they react the same way a three-year-old does when he can't a have toy he wants, by whining everyone to death.

Edited to remove inappropriate comments. Sorry to you all who might have read it.
 
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ladybug

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Back in 95 or 96, K. Witt was competing in all the professional competitions. I don't believe she ever won a competition and I don't think she expected to win. I think she did it for the shear joy of competing. She was two time Olympic champ and had nothing to prove.

Maybe that is what Michelle is feeling. I will do what I want for as long as I want and move on when I want. If that is the case, good for her. I hope she wins Nationals and Worlds just one more time.
 
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scmcca

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

I hope she wins as long as her heart is in competing. ;)
 
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Joesitz

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

I can't blame her for not liking 'Pro Skating'.

Imo, if you've seen one ice show you've seen them all; the tricks are always the same; the costumes change. On a positive note, I enjoy watching certain skaters in limited doses.

As for Pro Competition. Imo, I believe could be a fascinating entity for the skating public if they would get rid of the gimmicks. Serious competitions leaving the bumps and grinds to the ice shows would make it more of a sport.

(I know many fans love to see their favorites being silly on the ice. I do too, but in ice shows - not in competition.)

Michelle is a competitor.

Joe
 
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tharrtell

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Please do not assume that because I question Michelle's motivations, I am a critic. When I say motivations, I mean how has she been able to maintain the drive to stay at the top of elite skating for so long. It is an all-consuming life, and I would think that at some point it would get tiring.

Maintaining anything at a high level for a long period is both mentally and physically exhausting. I am no high level athlete, but I am going into a 3rd season in a row of training for Ironman triathlons. I have many more athletic goals that I would like to attain, but I am currently finding it tough to get mentally prepared for another season that will cumulate in 20 - 25 hours a week of training.

Please, note that I said I've only been doing this for 3 years and I have a list of goals to accomplish. MK has been an elite skater since, when, 1994 (if not earlier)? It's not only the difficulty in staying at the top, but the climb is extraordinary. She has achieved so much. How does she manage to continue?

Just because I don't understand how she is able to do it doesn't mean that I think it's a bad idea or I am criticizing her. I'd just love to know how she motivates. Maybe it is the simple act of competing that keeps her going. I don't know. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if there is something in addition to that.

Michelle is by far my favorite skater, and I will be extremely sad when she leaves the eligible ranks. Just felt like I needed to add that.


tharrtell
 
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mathman444

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Tharrtell -- You do ironman triathlons? That's so cool! (That's running, biking and swimming, right?)

About Michelle's motivation, I do think that she just flat out likes her life. If not, or if she has some hidden agenda on the side, then she is the world's best actress. I think that she likes training because it makes her feel good, look good and gives her a natural high. I think that she likes the rush of competition. I think she likes giving the audience a rush watching her. I think she likes being famous. I think that she wears her heart on her sleeve and that her life is an open book.

I kinda like her.

Mathman
 
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tharrtell

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

MM, you are right. It could be that simple. She just loves her life - and she should. I must be a lazy person, because I'm just hung up on the amount of work she must put in to do what she's doing! There is definitely something to be said for the mental and physical benefits of working out. She is adored by her fans (and rightly so, IMO, she's a model in so many respects - I wish I had just a fraction of her calm!), skating has provided her with many opportunities - travel, people, etc. It really could be that simple - she just loves it.

tharrtell

Oh, and yes, triathlons are a combo of swimming, biking, and running. They are much fun. I highly recommend giving the sport a shot:)
 
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eliza88

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

I'm glad Michelle is sticking around. She is a competitor through and through, she loves it! I hope she listens to herself (and not people screaming RETIRE!) and continues doing what she loves best--and watching her at her best is one of my favorite things to do!:D I am glad to see that there are some nice articles being written about her lately--they weren't overly glowing after the Olympics...IMO I still think all gold medals go through Michelle, it's hers to win or lose at least until the ladies 3/3 is as consistant as the men's quad. Michelle has been beaten maybe a handful (or less) of times when she has skated clean, she has never lost a competition when she was in "the zone."

I think in the years to come we will see a different Michelle, I think she will skate more her way, I think she will push herself artistically and show more freedom and joy in her skating. I can't wait!

eliza88
 
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LAVENDER

Guest
Michelle is just a competitor at heart

I don't know anyone (so far) who says they like that nervousness they get when they compete. Michelle actually likes that. I think most of these athletes like to compete. I just don't know how nervous they like to get. I remember competing a lot in school and I never liked that nervousness feeling that I would get. I just liked to do the things I did so I made myself go through with it with it being extremely nervous. I was like “wow”…no wonder Michelle competes so well. She actually likes those feelings. I knew then that I could never see Michelle go pro. I don't think it would keep her interest long enough.
 
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SteveKmetko374

Guest
Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

It's a long shot, but after seeing Maria Butryskaya win a world championships at the age of 26, Dan Jansen win a gold medal after how many Olympics disappointments and Todd Eldredge win US Nationals last year over Mr. Quad Himself, I will never say "never" to MK winning a gold medal in 2006. If she still likes to compete, she should go ahead and do it, at this point I dont think she cares what the peanut gallery (us, the press, skating community) thinks anyway.
 
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rgirl181

Guest
Re: Hersh's MK Article

Scmcca, Welcome to GS!

I think it bears clarification that those who want Michelle to "move on" or whatever are few and far between here at GS. Of course I know they're out there--I've seen their posts on boards like RSSIF and others. I don't have any numbers, of course, but I would say that they are much in the minority. Michelle is still the most popular and beloved figure skater by far and her fan base seems to be growing rather than shrinking. Her fans and most people in general I think are happy to see her continue to compete and do what makes her happy.

While I'm not a Michelle fan--not anti-Michelle, her skating just doesn't do it for me--I'm happy to see her competing as long as she wants to. I wouldn't be fulfilled by pro skating either if all I'd ever known was COI and the weak pro competitions that have been predominant since about '98. However, as I've said before, I think SOI offers a pro skater a much different experience than COI. Kristi, Kurt, Paul, and Ilia are all excellent examples of skaters who kept up their technical skills, improved their presentation, and truly became artists on the ice through their work with SOI. And I think Yuka is a great example of someone who, like the aforementioned skaters, had or found the motivation within herself to keep challenging herself both artistically and technically. I think most of how a skater develops depends on being in or developing a productive environment and knowing what one wants to focus on as a skater. For some that is in the current pro system, for others, it's as an eligible. I think the reason Michelle gets asked about it so much is (a) she has been at the top of eligible competition for so long; the last time she finished off the podium at Worlds was '95 at age 15 when she finished a controversial 4th (many thought she deserved 3rd); (b) she has the opportunity to do anything--SOI, COI, start her own show, go to school, etc.--which is a very rare position for an athlete to be in; and (c) what Michelle is doing is different from what most other skaters in similar positions have done; people are naturally curious about anyone who is as succussful as Michelle who chooses to do something different.

While I'd agree with Joe on "If you've seen one ice show you've seen them all" in terms of COI, I would strongly disagree in terms of SOI. As for the tricks remaining the same, much the same could be said of eligible skating. The younger skaters up the ante every few years with more difficult jumps, but other than that, it's the same everything else. As we've discussed, the footwork has improved in eligible skating over the last few years, but Kurt and Scott were doing extremely difficult fw 7-8 years ago with SOI. When Yags and Plush started increasing the difficulty in their fw, it then became de rigeur for all eligibles. Anyway, I don't think that going pro equals retiring--as Jamie Sale said, the work load skating with SOI is actually harder than that of eligible competition--but unfortunately, that has become the perception. The way the USFSA and ISU treat the pro side of skating, IMO they are making it more difficult for skaters like Michelle to broaden their horizons artistically and keep up their competitive interests. How unfortunate for Michelle to feel that the only options for her are eligible competition or school. It may be true, but I still think it's unfortunate because I don't think it has to be that way. I think Kristi too was a competitor but she turned pro during its "golden age" where the competitions were serious. Actually, I think most of the pro skaters still take the competitions seriously and IMO, it was only a few skaters who gave the competitions the "gimmicky" rap. Some, like Candeloro and Urmanov went gimmicky because that's who they are; others, like Scott Hamilton and just this year, Boitano with "Hernando's Hideaway," went that route because of age. If you look at Scott and Brian's pro competitions during their late-20s and most of their 30s, their programs had difficult technical content and there wasn't a golf club, puppet, or bare chest in sight;)

I thought Lavender made an excellent point about nerves. Apparently Michelle thrives on the adrenaline that wears out most skaters eventually. I remember an interview with Ilia Kulik about a year after he won the '98 Olympics. His demeanor was so ultracool during the Olympics he was described as having a "ho-hum" attitude, when in fact he said he was so nervous that he made himself write down ever single thing he was going to do every day just to keep the nerves from overwhelming him. So you never know how different people are going to respond to competitive pressure. Also, and I hope people don't take this the wrong way, but Michelle is used to winning. She has certainly deserved these wins, but I think an athlete with such an overwhelmingly winning record is very likely to have a different attitude toward competition than one who is the perennial runner up or who has an inconsistent record. But as someone pointed out, Katerina Witt competed in the '94 Olympics and in pro competitions for years knowing she had no chance to even win a medal, so for some people there is just something about the competitive environment they find fulfilling in a way for which there is no substitute.

Good luck to Michelle wherever her path takes her!
Rgirl
Edit: I just read the thread about the new code of points going into effect next year. Just as Steve said "never say never" about Michelle at the Olympics in 2006, if figure skating goes the way of gymnastics, then I'm amending my post to "never say never" about Michelle turning pro--probably to skate with SOI. If skating turns into a jump contest, I don't think there would be the interest for her in that to keep her in it.
 
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