MK interviewed on Lakers - says she's training

[tarotx]

I think Sasha and Michelle both want to compete in the 2010 Olympics but neither know what they will be able to do yet. Michelle has only just began to test what her body will let her do. Sasha doesn't just want to come back and skate a clean long. She wants to be COP ready with a strong chance of making the Olympic team. Either know how many spots the young women who will compete for the USA this year will be able to win the US. That is a huge factor in rather or not Sasha or Michelle will attempt a come back.

Sasha has to skate a full tour on Soi with out injury. She then has to be able to do all the jumps that she used too (and says still does) at a huge accuracy level and get at least a 3t-3t. She's already at a disadvantage because her lutz has never been a lutz. She then has to get cop programs and see if she can do this. Michelle has to get her jumps and spins and basic skating back to her previous level and then get cop programs to see if she can do this. It's a lot of hard work a head of both these women if 2010 us nationals is in their future.

 

[Star85]

I read this article too. Exiting!... :chorus:
I hope she does get back into "olympic shape" in time. Gosh, you know how many people will be thrilled if she comes back? It will be great for the sport too.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

personnally, I don't think it would help her image if she came back.

I never understand these statements - in what way does a Kwan comeback damage her image? Is Michelle such an icon that if she competes and doesn't win, it becomes a reflection on her reputation as being a fierce competitor and mosr decorated? If she does win Nationals or at least his the podium, that's bad? Americans love a great comeback story - win, lose or draw. Heck, she'd probably earn a few more million in endorsements just because.

Another point gets to a point made by my hubby - he always says that only us ubers love her because she always wins - the everybody else loves her because she not only has star power, that it factor, but because she's the only athlete on the planet that gets worshipped MORE when she doesn't. He calls it the Kwan Jedi Mindtrick. I think he has a point. :yes:

People keep saying I wish Sasha and Michele would come back. For sasha would return to competition would be a challange, no question, but for Michelle it would be a huge hurdle. First, sasha has been skating (not olympic level for sure) but skating every day for the past few years. She has done hundreds of shows and that assures that she can land her easiest jumps, do good spins and steps with ease. Sasha did not have a surgery to recover from, not studies to fill her days.
But most important, the only thing sasha would have to do in coming back is skate clean. A clean LP, and her comeback would be a sucess. Michelle, on the other hand has many clean LP's to her name. Her motive for returning is finally an olympic victory which is EXTREMELY improbable, clean skate or not. Michelle at her best, (think 2003 nationals or 1996 worlds) would not come close to beating Yu-na or Mao. Sure, Michelle would CoP up her programs, but without the 3/3 and belliman spins etc, the most she could dare to hope for is a bronze, and that she already has.

Tiny - I totally agree with all of the above, but wow... your post actually got me truly excited outside of my desire to see her on the ice... how freakin' cool would it be for her to suffer the injury, come back, win a spot on the Olympic team and then go on to win the bronze ala Shen/Zhao? You gotta love it... :chorus::chorus:

 

[feraina]

We have a spy at the rink to take notes on Michelle's comeback progress: :yes:
http://new.qzone.qq.com/648379062/

The same blog by the 12-yr-old (sorry, I thought she was 11, but she's turned 12), Zijun Li, training with Mingzhu Li along with the two other young Chinese girls: Bingwa Geng and Kexin He.

She mentioned three days ago that Michelle Kwan got back on ice and attempted some 3T, single axel, and 2F. She writes in today's blog that Kwan was working on 2A today (with success). Also, Michelle's family gave two big bags of Michelle's training clothing form her younger days to the Chinese girls, who are over the moon wearing a world champion's clothing.

Oh, she also mentioned that Michelle was coached by 雷萨克 today, and then afterwards she coached 雷萨克. I'm not sure who 雷萨克 is, I'm guessing Lysacek? Can anyone verify?

ETA: it is Lysacek according to someone at MKF who translated the blog.

 

[kalle]

We have a spy at the rink to take notes on Michelle's comeback progress: :yes:
http://new.qzone.qq.com/648379062/

The same blog by the 12-yr-old (sorry, I thought she was 11, but she's turned 12), Zijun Li, training with Mingzhu Li along with the two other young Chinese girls: Bingwa Geng and Kexin He.

She mentioned three days ago that Michelle Kwan got back on ice and attempted some 3T, single axel, and 2F. She writes in today's blog that Kwan was working on 2A today (with success). Also, Michelle's family gave two big bags of Michelle's training clothing form her younger days to the Chinese girls, who are over the moon wearing a world champion's clothing.

Oh, she also mentioned that Michelle was coached by 雷萨克 today, and then afterwards she coached 雷萨克. I'm not sure who 雷萨克 is, I'm guessing Lysacek? Can anyone verify?

ETA: it is Lysacek according to someone at MKF who translated the blog.

Is Lysacek coached by Frank Caroll?Do you think Michelle would go back to Frank again or find a new coach?Hard to beleive that she would train all alone!

 

[fairly4]

well, for the most part what you stated about Michelle images is true.

However because of her off ice reptuation anything less than a gold is a failure. The media and a lot of people will wonder why she came back just for a medal..non medal.Also if she skates well and the judges don't give her the right scores /pcs scores. Their will be an outcry. If she skates bad and we /normal public don't see it and the scores are low, it will look bad than what it is now.
If she skates bad, it will hurt her image partly in the public eyes. Some people would like her to continue what she is doing now. The cop is more standardize (in other words) they all skate the same. Michelle would have to make sure her edges, levels are clean and correct. They would compare her skating now to younger days and younger skaters.
Michelle transcended the skating part with sportmanship, honesty, and the assumption of fair judging at time.She was herself on/off the ice. Her reputation off the ice exceeds her reputation on ice.

(off track)+
We saw her personality on the ice. Part of the problem with COP we don't see the skaters personality. We see the tricks and how everyone does against each other with those same trick. Like 6.0 they did the same jumps etc, but we saw the Individuality of the skater, so if we perceived an unfair outcome, we still appreciated the sport through the skater. With this new system we dont appreciate the skater as much, because they all use basically the same music, chorography etc. What drove the sport in the past through controversy was the skaters personality--not the medal, but how the we loved the skaters skate, not how well they did a certain jump, spin, spiral. How well the skater interpreted the music to what we personnaly might skate like or to. how well the skater matched the image of the music with the skater in our mind. The cop takes that away.

 

[R.D.]

You know, controversy aside, if there is an American ladies contender (or, better yet, two) people (in the US) will watch no matter what the system is. Look at the mess that was gymnastics scoring in Beijing. Of course, skating was unique among Olympic sports in that it used to attract some degree of interest in non-Olympic years. Those days are obviously now numbered, if not already past.

Mark my words, skating events at Vancouver 2010 will get viewers. So will skating events at Sochi 2014. As to what happens otherwise, it's up in the air.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

You know, controversy aside, if there is an American ladies contender (or, better yet, two) people (in the US) will watch no matter what the system is. Look at the mess that was gymnastics scoring in Beijing. Of course, skating was unique among Olympic sports in that it used to attract some degree of interest in non-Olympic years. Those days are obviously now numbered, if not already past.

Mark my words, skating events at Vancouver 2010 will get viewers. So will skating events at Sochi 2014. As to what happens otherwise, it's up in the air.

I agree with you somewhat. People will adapt to it, but still criticize it. There was a lot of confusion and criticism over the new scoring system in gymnastics, but people still watched because of the competition and Beijing was a highly rated Olympics.

Carly Patterson won gold under the 10.0 system (though it was in a crappy Code that inspired generic, lifeless routines), but Shawn and Nastia got way more attention than Carly did (though it helped that Beijing was a higher-rated Olympics and had a slightly better code despite losing the 10.0 scoring) thanks to the fact that they had more personality and their gymnastics was a lot more watchable.

 

[Mathman]

Vietgirlterrific! I can't believe my eyes!

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Vietgirlterrific! I can't believe my eyes!

LOL. This thread inspired me to come back, .

 

[lcd]

Given the number of absolutely glorious artistic skaters freshly (past couple years) retired, for whom none of us really gives a hoot whether the spin is level 4 or the spiral is held for the correct number of seconds, it feels like these 'new' pro ranks are sufficiently refreshed to attract competition between these skaters under a non COP premise. I don't need to see MK do required elements. Get healthy and skate your heart out -... take on Buttle! Think out of the box.

 

[Star85]

Is Lysacek coached by Frank Caroll?Do you think Michelle would go back to Frank again or find a new coach?Hard to beleive that she would train all alone!

I was thinking about this too. At the 2006 olympics, Frank ditched Evan to coach Michelle (until she dropped out). Although I felt bad for Evan, and I don't think that was completely fair, I can understand why he did it. Michelle had a better chance of medaling, plus Frank and her had a lot more history together. I woudn't approve if he did that to him again at the 2010 olympics though. That would be really unfair. If he has two skaters to coach, then he should stand by them both. If he doesn't want to commit to both, he should drop one or the other well before the olympics to give them time to find a different coach.

 

[MKFSfan]

^^^WHAT? AFAIK, Rafael was Michelle's coach at the 2006 Olympics, NOT Frank. Frank was there for Evan. Rafael didn't show up for Buttle, I think. Maybe that is where you are getting mixed up? But it wasn't due to coaching Michelle, it as some sort of Visa issue.

 

[VIETgrlTerifa]

I was thinking about this too. At the 2006 olympics, Frank ditched Evan to coach Michelle (until she dropped out). Although I felt bad for Evan, and I don't think that was completely fair, I can understand why he did it. Michelle had a better chance of medaling, plus Frank and her had a lot more history together. I woudn't approve if he did that to him again at the 2010 olympics though. That would be really unfair. If he has two skaters to coach, then he should stand by them both. If he doesn't want to commit to both, he should drop one or the other well before the olympics to give them time to find a different coach.

Wait, what? Frank was coaching Evan in Torino.

 

[museksk8r]

Yeah, I think Star85 is misinformed.

 

[demarinis5]

Yeah, I think Star85 is misinformed.

...or that information was the best kept secret ever ...lol

 

[Star85]

Hm.... I could have sworn that was what happened... Are you sure it wasn't? How could I have gotten that so mixed up? Am I getting senial prematurally? That's pretty bad if I not only remember things incorrectly, but I imagine whole stories up! I'll have to look that whole thing up when I get the chance. And I'll have to do it soon, or else it's going to eat at me.

 

[Star85]

Ok, even though I didn't really have time to do it right now, I was able to look up some info on this. I found on several sites, that Frank Carol has been coaching Evan since 2003. So I was at least right about that part. I don't have time to look up the rest of the story right now though. Gotta go!

 

[museksk8r]

If Caroll was coaching Kwan in Torino, he was doing it through extrasensory perception because he was nowhere to be seen on the video from USA Network's Olympic Ice when Michelle practiced and he wasn't there to comfort her by the boards when she got emotional after re-injuring herself. He was not around her on any video I saw on NBC either.

 

[antmanb]

I was thinking about this too. At the 2006 olympics, Frank ditched Evan to coach Michelle (until she dropped out). Although I felt bad for Evan, and I don't think that was completely fair, I can understand why he did it. Michelle had a better chance of medaling, plus Frank and her had a lot more history together. I woudn't approve if he did that to him again at the 2010 olympics though. That would be really unfair. If he has two skaters to coach, then he should stand by them both. If he doesn't want to commit to both, he should drop one or the other well before the olympics to give them time to find a different coach.

Hm.... I could have sworn that was what happened... Are you sure it wasn't? How could I have gotten that so mixed up? Am I getting senial prematurally? That's pretty bad if I not only remember things incorrectly, but I imagine whole stories up! I'll have to look that whole thing up when I get the chance. And I'll have to do it soon, or else it's going to eat at me.

Kwan very famously ended her coaching relationship with Frank at the start of the 2001-2002 season heading into the SLC Olympics and went their coachless with her father by the boards for her!! In the time after that she had Scott Williams for a coach and then Rafael Arutunian (sp?) who i'm fairly certain was her coach for the Olympic season where she had to withdraw because of injury. If Frank Carol had been rehired as her coach I think there would have been a ridiculous media whirlwind around that!

Ant