Is a Michelle Kwan comeback possible?

[krenseby]

Re:

I believe Michelle had begun her 'movin on' in 2006 when she realized there is no more easy skates in cheesefests, and that hip was getting worse. Now that she has taken care of her hip which should have been done in 2002, she is nestled in Colorado Springs with school, ambassadorship, and maybe a real boyfriend.

I think she will make skateless public appearance here and there for the next few years. Old skaters never die, they just fade away. Remember Sonia Klopfer?

Joe

I think Michelle is fine being away from figure skating, but she left the scene without a sense of closure. I agree with people who say it's not a good thing that the last memory people have of her is a tear-eyed withdrawal from the 2006 Olympics. Not a good way to end such a memorable career. Every accomplished skater, just like an accomplished student, needs to celebrate their "graduation" with fanfare. Michelle needs to put together a TV special to celebrate her career and talk about her memories of the sport and competition. She should do this once she is healed and ready to put together an exhibition number of two. Of course, she should invite all her good friends from the skating community to skate in her honor.

 

[Dee4707]

I don't think we will see her compete again. Sorry, I know it's hard to believe.

Dee

 

[DaveT]

I believe Michelle had begun her 'movin on' in 2006 when she realized there is no more easy skates in cheesefests, and that hip was getting worse. Now that she has taken care of her hip which should have been done in 2002, she is nestled in Colorado Springs with school, ambassadorship, and maybe a real boyfriend.

I think she will make skateless public appearance here and there for the next few years. Old skaters never die, they just fade away. Remember Sonia Klopfer?

Joe

How could she fix her hip in 02, before it was hurt?

 

[Bynx]

Yes.

Yet, ofcourse she'll be counted out which will
just make it all the more sweet! Watch out!

 

[Grgranny]

I think Michelle is fine being away from figure skating, but she left the scene without a sense of closure. I agree with people who say it's not a good thing that the last memory people have of her is a tear-eyed withdrawal from the 2006 Olympics. Not a good way to end such a memorable career. Every accomplished skater, just like an accomplished student, needs to celebrate their "graduation" with fanfare. Michelle needs to put together a TV special to celebrate her career and talk about her memories of the sport and competition. She should do this once she is healed and ready to put together an exhibition number of two. Of course, she should invite all her good friends from the skating community to skate in her honor.

I so agree. That would be wonderful.

 

[tripleflutz]

I think she's done competing. She'll be back with COI next year and maybe some TV specials, but there's no way she could compete on a technical level with the new younger skaters at this stage of her life.

 

[Mathman]

Personally, I am not sad about the way Michelle ended her career. She went down fighting. She never gave up until her body failed utterly and they had to carry her from the battlefield on her shield.

Michelle has never given any indication of being interested in a professional skating career. She skated in COI and in cheesefests only as a diversion from her passion, which was competition. (I even wonder if there is something out of the ordinary with Michelle's brain chemistry, the way she always seemed to savor that thrill of victory/agony of defeat thing that animates and defines sports.)

My wish for Michelle is that now she can find some other path in life that she can devote as much passion to.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

Personally, I am not sad about the way Michelle ended her career. She went down fighting. She never gave up until her body failed utterly and they had to carry her from the battlefield on her shield.

Michelle has never given any indication of being interested in a professional skating career. She skated in COI and in cheesefests only as a diversion from her passion, which was competition. (I even wonder if there is something out of the ordinary with Michelle's brain chemistry, the way she always seemed to savor that thrill of victory/agony of defeat thing that animates and defines sports.)

My wish for Michelle is that now she can find some other path in life that she can devote as much passion to.

Mathman,

I totally agree... about her ending - since that was always the impression I had of her... she wasn't gonna stop until her body said "enough." Not judges, not her dad (which he did in '03...) and not even the skating community. She's a soldier and that's how she went out...

But that's not what this post is about... everyone knows that I'm a true uber who simply worships at the knee of the Kween... but I'd like to comment on the brain chemisty thing...

Kwan is a true athlete. And that hitch in the brain is what defines the true ones from those who simply have talent. The greats in any sport NEVER know when to quit because its all about win/loss for them... they don't compete because of attention, accolades or money. The compete to prove that they are the best and to win. And if they don't win, they better loose big time. In my profession, I see it all the time... We have these athetes who won't stop because they can't stop. Brett, Jordan, Ripkin, Gail Devers, Rocketman and Kwan are all stars because of this quality, unfortunately they end up paying for it with their bodies. Kwan is more fortunate in that she is young and obviously smart as a whip (and believe me, this is not true for all sports folk...) so she will have a bright future.

But because she's young & arrogant (sorry kwaniacs... all the greats are arrogant...) I wouldn't be surprised if she made it to one more Nationals & Worlds... the hitch won't make her agree with skating fans that the youngins are too powerful to compete against... its just another challenge to be overcome...

Another thought that just occured to me is that victory means different things... Do you think that Tara's 98 gold meant more than Lulu's bronze? I doubt it...
and to me, that's awesome and more importantly, that's sports...

Gotta Love It...

 

[Spun Silver]

I love the last two posts. I'm not really a Kwan fan and don't buy for the supposed heart on a sleeve, but this idea of the great warrior who just won't quit because it's not in her fighting nature to do so is profound and helps me understand the adoration of her fans.

I like the comparison to Clemens, Devers, and Ripkin - also Armstrong. (Basketball and hockey - I know nothink.) After they beat everyone else, they try to beat their own aging flesh. The universal struggle...

At first one marvels at their exceptionalness... then one begins to identify.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

I love the last two posts. I'm not really a Kwan fan and don't buy for the supposed heart on a sleeve, but this idea of the great warrior who just won't quit because it's not in her fighting nature to do so is profound and helps me understand the adoration of her fans.

I like the comparison to Clemens, Devers, and Ripkin - also Armstrong. (Basketball and hockey - I know nothink.) After they beat everyone else, they try to beat their own aging flesh. The universal struggle...

At first one marvels at their exceptionalness... then one begins to identify.

See, Spun Silver & I have found the key to world peace... a skating season without Kwan & Cohen and you have just two really good chicks who are smarter than the average bear... its a beautiful thing :yes: :yes:

 

[Spun Silver]

But Cohen will be back.

 

[gio]

I'm not sure if Cohen, Kwan and Slutskaya are still competitive, unless they reintroduce in their programs the 3/3s. Without them they can medal with inflated marks or mistakes of the younger skaters.
Their comeback is not possible, IMO.

 

[krenseby]

I'm not sure if Cohen, Kwan and Slutskaya are still competitive, unless they reintroduce in their programs the 3/3s. Without them they can medal with inflated marks or mistakes of the younger skaters.
Their comeback is not possible, IMO.

I think you really understand the situation better than anyone else, geo. The question is really moot because we've moved to a new generation of skaters whose technical skills surpass the previous one to the extent that all of those ex-champions would not be able to challenge the youngsters.

I think a clean, effortless skate from Cohen, Kwan, and Slutskaya would not earn them anything higher than a bronze! Silver if the top 3 crash and burn as they did at the GP Final.

 

[goodbyemylover]

Cohen and Slutskaya actually haven't announced plans for retirement as of yet. I hear Slutskaya went out of her way to mention not retiring to Russian media.

I've already read two posts which illustrate the point of Michelle's importance to the sport, and the beauty of her carreer in this thread. I agree with them wholeheartedly.

However, again, I really don't think there's hope for her to return to competition, even if she wanted to do so. There are some young ladies coming up with bigger and bigger technical abilities. Miki Ando even has the quad under her belt and when it becomes utterly consistent, everyone will have to learn them. (Unless she retires herself before it becomes necessary.)

 

[Mathman]

I love the last two posts. I'm not really a Kwan fan and don't buy for the supposed heart on a sleeve...

To me, this means her competitive heart. I don't expect her to pantomime angst, jealousie, terror, delight (OK, maybe delight), sorrow, lust, avarice, Happy, Sneezie and Doc. The emotion that she wears on her sleeve is, "I'm out here kicking butt!"

When I watch Sasha perform, I am enthralled from beginning to end. I can't take my eyes off her.

When I see Mao Asada, it's like , WOW, she's all that and a side of fries!

When Michelle competes, I have to hide around the corner and peak out whenever I hear the crowd cheer. (Then I watch it later on tape -- the next day if she wins, a month later if she loses.)

 

[Spun Silver]

To me, this means her competitive heart. I don't expect her to pantomime angst, jealousie, terror, delight (OK, maybe delight), sorrow, lust, avarice, Happy, Sneezie and Doc. The emotion that she wears on her sleeve is, "I'm out here kicking butt!"

Oh, well, if you put it like THAT...!

When I watch Sasha perform, I am enthralled from beginning to end. I can't take my eyes off her.

Oh, you dear, perspicacious man. :agree:

When I see Mao Asada, it's like , WOW, she's all that and a side of fries!

Yup!

When Michelle competes, I have to hide around the corner and peak out whenever I hear the crowd cheer. (Then I watch it later on tape -- the next day if she wins, a month later if she loses.)

That bad, eh? I hope there's medicine you can take for your "peaking outs."

 

[Mathman]

Yeah, and then sometimes I "peek too soon" and end up losing the big one.

 

[iloveaxel]

why do we need to have this poll?

the poll is moot. There's no way she can compete against Mao, Yu-Na, Miki with consistent triple+triple and/or 3A.

I also don't understand the obsession of some MK's fans' desire for her to return. She had an amazing career, and she's perhaps the most legendary female skater up until today. Why should she come back and face some crushing defeats and blemish her image?

 

[kittycat26]

the poll is moot. There's no way she can compete against Mao, Yu-Na, Miki with consistent triple+triple and/or 3A.

I also don't understand the obsession of some MK's fans' desire for her to return. She had an amazing career, and she's perhaps the most legendary female skater up until today. Why should she come back and face some crushing defeats and blemish her image?

You are absolutely right. There are many who question if Cohen can come back and seriously aspire to regain medal ranking at the World level, so what is Kwan going to do if she returns? Kwan is 4 years older then Cohen, Cohen is still at a realistic age to compete at the top level much more then Kwan. Cohen was regularly beating Kwan outside of the United States of America Nationals the last couple seasons they competed together. Yet there are many that doubt even Cohen's prospects to return to the medal position at the World level should she return, which puts Kwan's chances into perspective.

Kwan would gain nothing by returning. She was far from leading any longer in even her areas of strength like PCS, and GOE on spins, footwork, and spirals before her absence. She cant even dream of competing with the jumps of the Asian girls, or even Meissner who herself is being swamped by the leading Asian girls this season. She was not even able to do level 4 spins, footwork, or spirals upon her absence. Her greatness is intact, she is one of the finest women to lace up skates, the Olympic Gold sadly is a long gone fantasy at this point and hopefully something she is able to accept and move on from. A return to career worst results would only mar her considerable greatness, leave a sour feeling to end her career on when she again exits, and leave deflating memories for fans of the sport to recall her final departure of the sport from.

 

[kittycat26]

Yeah, and then sometimes I "peek too soon" and end up losing the big one.

Kwan's performances at U.S Nationals in both 1998 and 2002 would have earned her Olympic Gold medals both seasons. In 1998 her wonderful Olympic free skate, which many felt warranted the gold medal as it was, although most can accept it was a wonderful exhibition of skating by both leading ladies and a tough call that could be accepted as fair either way, still was nowhere near the level of her astounding U.S Nationals free skate. Thus the very narrow split as it was makes a victory with her U.S Nationals free skate in its place seems a virtual certainty. Her actual marks, skating first in the final flight of the Olympics before the rest of the elite of the world, still may have been much more conservative then they were at U.S Nationals skating 2nd last only before Tonia Kwaitkwoski. However marks are used as placeholders anyway, regardless how much her marks change or didnt change, they would simply slightly adjust Tara's to come up with the desired placement on their card.

At the 2002 Olympics a triple-triple would not have been neccessary for gold even with the 2 triple-triples Hughes accomplished. Irina Slutskaya with both not a triple-triple, but 2 failures to complete cleanly 2 of her 6 triples-a two footed triple lutz, and an illusion turn on her triple flip, combined with a tenative and lacking speed for her standards performance, still missed gold by a mere 1 tenth of a point on a tiebreaker on 1 judges card. Irina certainly did not need a triple-triple to win gold, she just needed to skate marginaly better then the very subpar attempt an optimum 6-triple performance she had. Cohen and Kwan with falls both also managed to take judges from Mrs. Hughes. This example would seem to make obvious Kwan's perfectly clean 6-triple performance, skated with ease, style, confidence, and as much speed as expected from her(as Irina relies on her speed as one of her leading assets more then Kwan, even more speed would be expected of her to have an optimum performance)a certain winner at Salt Lake over Mrs. Hughes.