Michelle Kwan's Olympic participation pathway
Michelle Kwan has competed in 2 Olympic Games already.
In 1997-98, despite recovering from a broken toe, she competed in SA (beating Lipinski), and SC (where the injury became apparent, but she won), and was out for the GPF due to the stress fracture. She did Nationals, the Olympics and Worlds. She went to Nagano fully prepared, won the SP and skated a clean and lovely LP. When she was done, you could see in her emotional response that she felt, with all the nervousness, that she skated the best she ever did---and she did a beautiful job. She was 17 years old. The triple triple combinations, and the excitement of programs with them (one in the last 10 seconds) simply beat her.
In 2001-02, despite not having a coach, she did skate the GP, the GPF, the Olympics and Worlds. She came to SLC as well prepared as she could have been under those circumstances of not having her usual support system and usual coaching to tweak her programs into winning programs. She won the SP, despite a cheated triple flip, and skated tentatively and nervously again in the LP, where she made mistakes---three of them, actually, which cost her. Once again, and the writing was on the wall with Sarah who had competed with two triple triple combinations in her programs for two seasons, the triple triple combinations, and the excitement of a program with those, beat her again.
In 2005-06, I have no doubt that Michelle will take the advise of her team, and the lesson from other great Olympic Champions like Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano, that to win the Olympic Games, preparation is key, and you must compete your program as much as you can before the event as part of this preparation. Then, you hope to feel great at the time of the event, skate on auto-pilot, perform the program (not just skate the elements) and hope for the judges to put you first.
All this chatter about long travel, a tight schedule, possible injury and overuse syndromes, etc. is meaningless when it comes to knowing whether or not Michelle will "go for it".
Of course she will! There was never any doubt in anyone's mind. This OGM for Michelle is akin to the Nobel, Pulitzer or other top prizes. She wants it in her resume for her career path in skating, and needs it to be sucessful in para-skating affairs (like Ice Rinks, etc.) because the general public only remembers who won the Olympics and who is on a Wheaties box.
It is really only 8 months away, and no one is going to believe that a Champion skater, a career skater, like Michelle Kwan, with all her resources and talent, can not formulate a training/competition/preparation plan to have her ready for one competition at the age of 24-25.
Boitano and Hamilton did it at 24 and 25. Nancy Kerrigan did it at 25 also. Michelle can do it too, and will probably do it in a similar fashion to these former champions. The formula is clear---get the programs in the summer, start training the sections, then do run throughs over and over and over, and compete as much as you can with pacing and tweaking. Repeat this process until the big event. To be "devoted" to this schedule means you "sacrifice" your social life, personal life and money-making events to get ready.
It's only for 8 months of her young life, with such a big reward if she pulls off a Dan Jansen moment, that I could never see her not "going for it".
The whole inquiry was rhetorical. Barring injury, Michelle will do this, there was never really any doubt whatsoever.
Michelle Kwan has competed in 2 Olympic Games already.
In 1997-98, despite recovering from a broken toe, she competed in SA (beating Lipinski), and SC (where the injury became apparent, but she won), and was out for the GPF due to the stress fracture. She did Nationals, the Olympics and Worlds. She went to Nagano fully prepared, won the SP and skated a clean and lovely LP. When she was done, you could see in her emotional response that she felt, with all the nervousness, that she skated the best she ever did---and she did a beautiful job. She was 17 years old. The triple triple combinations, and the excitement of programs with them (one in the last 10 seconds) simply beat her.
In 2001-02, despite not having a coach, she did skate the GP, the GPF, the Olympics and Worlds. She came to SLC as well prepared as she could have been under those circumstances of not having her usual support system and usual coaching to tweak her programs into winning programs. She won the SP, despite a cheated triple flip, and skated tentatively and nervously again in the LP, where she made mistakes---three of them, actually, which cost her. Once again, and the writing was on the wall with Sarah who had competed with two triple triple combinations in her programs for two seasons, the triple triple combinations, and the excitement of a program with those, beat her again.
In 2005-06, I have no doubt that Michelle will take the advise of her team, and the lesson from other great Olympic Champions like Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano, that to win the Olympic Games, preparation is key, and you must compete your program as much as you can before the event as part of this preparation. Then, you hope to feel great at the time of the event, skate on auto-pilot, perform the program (not just skate the elements) and hope for the judges to put you first.
All this chatter about long travel, a tight schedule, possible injury and overuse syndromes, etc. is meaningless when it comes to knowing whether or not Michelle will "go for it".
Of course she will! There was never any doubt in anyone's mind. This OGM for Michelle is akin to the Nobel, Pulitzer or other top prizes. She wants it in her resume for her career path in skating, and needs it to be sucessful in para-skating affairs (like Ice Rinks, etc.) because the general public only remembers who won the Olympics and who is on a Wheaties box.
It is really only 8 months away, and no one is going to believe that a Champion skater, a career skater, like Michelle Kwan, with all her resources and talent, can not formulate a training/competition/preparation plan to have her ready for one competition at the age of 24-25.
Boitano and Hamilton did it at 24 and 25. Nancy Kerrigan did it at 25 also. Michelle can do it too, and will probably do it in a similar fashion to these former champions. The formula is clear---get the programs in the summer, start training the sections, then do run throughs over and over and over, and compete as much as you can with pacing and tweaking. Repeat this process until the big event. To be "devoted" to this schedule means you "sacrifice" your social life, personal life and money-making events to get ready.
It's only for 8 months of her young life, with such a big reward if she pulls off a Dan Jansen moment, that I could never see her not "going for it".
The whole inquiry was rhetorical. Barring injury, Michelle will do this, there was never really any doubt whatsoever.
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:thumbsup: :agree: 
