- Joined
- Nov 26, 2009
ita!!!!!!!!
Could a perfect Kwan have beaten a perfect Yu-Na?
- Thread starter baltimorefan
- Start date
ita!!!!!!!!
Verysmuchso, I don't really get your point. As for their being no support for Yu na that is absolute nonsense. She has had a TON of support to get as far as she has. How do you think she has done it? In case you have been in an igloo for the Olympics, have you noticed how consistently South Korea as been represented in winter sports? This is a country that takes its sports very seriously. In many respects, American skaters are more on their own. They have to find sponsors and pay their own way if they can't. They don't have US government support. Michelle Kwan's family and Frank Carroll were her support sytem for a good part of her career. She worked her butt off to get where she got. It took YEARS for her to get the title of Kween in the skating world. Yu Na is not the Queen of anything as far as I am cocnerned. She is a very talented skater, with a so far, a very short career. Let's talk in another 5 years. When she has a legacy, we will go there.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2007
I think this is a fair and to be honest a straight forward question... under the current point/judging system Yuna's jumps would get at least +15 GOE more than Michelle (no disrespect but her jumps were slow and tiny comapred to Yuna's), and it's very hard to account for Michelle's artistry using PCS, people would cry foul if Michelle got a much higher PCS given Yuna's technical superiority.
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2009
How did she do it? With blood and guts. That's how. Yuna got very little support (i.e. almost none) from Korean Skating Union because they're so focused on short track speed skating. Her family almost went broke trying to support her career. They had to put get a loan using their house as a collateral so she could continue. It was only after her senior debut (end of 2006) that she started to get sponsorships. She often traveled to competitions by herself due to lack of money.
As for the main question, it's too hypothetical to consider since they competed during different times.
I find this discussion funny because it's obvious to me that Michelle and Yuna have a mutual respect for each other.
Yuna herself said that she's nearly memorized Michelle's LP from the 1998 Olympics because she watched it so many times. And we already know that Michelle has praised Yuna many times.
The answer to the question, for me anyway, is I don't know. I will say, however, that I don't agree that length of time = better legacy. Kristi Yamaguchi only was in senior competition as a singles skater for five seasons and certainly nobody would debate her great impact on the sport. In fact Michelle's long tenure as a skater is unusual and she certainly should be praised for keeping herself in shape for so long.
If Yuna were to retire now, I think she will leave a legacy of her own, particularly in her home country.
Yuna herself said that she's nearly memorized Michelle's LP from the 1998 Olympics because she watched it so many times. And we already know that Michelle has praised Yuna many times.
The answer to the question, for me anyway, is I don't know. I will say, however, that I don't agree that length of time = better legacy. Kristi Yamaguchi only was in senior competition as a singles skater for five seasons and certainly nobody would debate her great impact on the sport. In fact Michelle's long tenure as a skater is unusual and she certainly should be praised for keeping herself in shape for so long.
If Yuna were to retire now, I think she will leave a legacy of her own, particularly in her home country.
You are wrong, I'm afraid! There was a Korean TV programme the day after the ladies final, in which Yuna was interviewed by a pair of the most hopeless presenters. One of the questions she was asked was exactly this; "do you now think that you are better than Kwan (when she was at the peak of her games)?". Yuna looked horrified (if it had been the Dutch skater, the answer would have been "
are you stupid??"), hesitated for a bit and mumbled, "how can one compare? we are from different eras".Many Koreans know Kwan is Yuna's idol and the TV station's website was absolutely bombarded with complaints afterwards, saying "that was completely inappropriate and you should apologise".
Mind you, they also asked other terrible questions, including one about Mao, and the overall quality of the interview was just shameful. Fortunately, Yuna played it cleverly and didn't actually say much.
You are wrong, I'm afraid! There was a Korean TV programme the day after the ladies final, in which Yuna was interviewed by a pair of the most hopeless presenters. One of the questions she was asked was exactly this; "do you now think that you are better than Kwan (when she was at the peak of her games)?". Yuna looked horrified (if it had been the Dutch skater, the answer would have been "
Many Koreans know Kwan is Yuna's idol and the TV station's website was absolutely bombarded with complaints afterwards, saying "that was completely inappropriate and you should apologise".
Mind you, they also asked other terrible questions, including one about Mao, and the overall quality of the interview was just shameful. Fortunately, Yuna played it cleverly and didn't actually say much.
Most journalism majors know that one of the first things you learn is that you "do you homework" before you interview someone. If those newscasters did, they would've known that Michelle Kwan was Yuna's idol and that Michelle Kwan thinks highly of her. The question might have been more fun like "How do you feel about Michelle Kwan appreciating your skating?" Or "What did you learn from Michelle Kwan when you watched her programs as a child?" The answers to those questions would've been more interesting.
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2009
Guess they bought their degree from 1-800-diploma-mill. *shaking head*
Yuna has double axe triple toe combination which MK never did. If Michele Kwan skated her 1998 or 2002 Olympics long programs this Olympics, no MK would not have won. She didn't win in 1998 or 2002. But if MK were competing and she was at her prime, I'm sure she would have made sure she would do everything she needed to win it. So this is a meaningless thread.
MK's legacy lives on in Yuna. Yuna has said numerous times that she loved MK so much she memorized MK's 98 long program in her head. MK has said Yuna has speed, jumps, artistry and the look, the whole package. They love each other. We should just love them both for who they are as skaters.
Pheonix 347
PHULEEZE, blood and guts. I mean really. A little over the top aren't you? Look, Yu Na is a multimillionare many times over and it has happened very quickly for her when compared to other skaters. MANY families take out second mortgages but I would bet money, Yu Na has had serious support from the South Korean sports infrastructure and there is NO way you will convince me otherwise. They new what they had in her a while ago and they would not allow their potential superstar to be, to languish. Yes, they support short track, but they would have supported her too. They are not mutually exclusive.
PHULEEZE, blood and guts. I mean really. A little over the top aren't you? Look, Yu Na is a multimillionare many times over and it has happened very quickly for her when compared to other skaters. MANY families take out second mortgages but I would bet money, Yu Na has had serious support from the South Korean sports infrastructure and there is NO way you will convince me otherwise. They new what they had in her a while ago and they would not allow their potential superstar to be, to languish. Yes, they support short track, but they would have supported her too. They are not mutually exclusive.
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2009
Actually it kinda is...given the political situation w/I KSU.
They didn't even bother to get her a rink for her to train -- though unless I'm mistaken short track & long track skaters have their own. There's still no skating rink for her to train in Korea, even if she wants to move back. When she come back to Korea in 08 right before the World, she said the lack of training facilities for figure skaters was a huge problem for her because she couldnt' afford to not train for weeks.
Isn't there enough to discuss? sheesh
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2010
This has to be the stupidest threat in GS history.
Moreover, I can't believe someone would waste their time replying to this garbage.
Moreover, I can't believe someone would waste their time replying to this garbage.
Have you considered why we haven't seen a Korean skater in the elite ranks until recently? It's because the KSU have put almost NO funding into figure skating. Korea has been a speed-skating nation. One only has to watch YouTube videos of their Nationals competition to see their rinks are sub-par. Not only that Yuna actually has to give back a huge cut of her prize money to the federation. So if anything, she's supporting the figure skating program not the other way around. (And let's not forget she's funding the juniors program herself).
Yes, Yuna is a multi-millionare but they're from her endorsements. And she got those endorsements only after she started winning competitions. There's plenty of stories out there that talk about how basically Yuna's mother had to rearrange their entire budget so Yuna could skate.
Yuna got where she is not because she was given favors. She obviously had raw talent and thankfully her parents sacrificed so she could cultivate that talent.
But my points are probably moot to you anyway, because you already told us that we can't convince you. That's fine. I mainly write this for others who aren't ridden with so many incorrect assumptions.
ETA: I will try to find links to support my points here.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Similar threads
