Roz Sumners is Happy With Her Life

[berthes ghost]

Rgirl. Tone is so hard to interpret on the web.

Anyway, knickers calmly unknotted, I remain somewaht take aback at so many people's readiness to interpet Roz's rather blase comments as sin inspired. So far in this thread, she's been accused of avarice, sloth and jealousy. Vanity and pride, maybe, not really clear. Anyone care to take a stab at gluttony and lust?

 

[euterpe]

I find it hard to believe that Roz Sumners is really 'happy with her life'. A happy person would not be such a font of negativity. She speaks deprecatingly about Lipinski, Hughes and Kwan, two OGM winners and a skating icon; the only skater she speaks positively about is Sasha Cohen, who has won many lesser competitions, but has no US or World medals.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

If you know the source of the material you know what to expect. Roz is still an affectionado of skating and does sound off from time to time. But that's Roz. Take her seriously? That's your business. We are all used to Dick and I daresay most of us take him with a grain of salt. Why not the same with Roz?

As for Michelle, I would like to read less about her until after the Worlds unless there is something really important to write. We do have fun in the Summer months of nitpicking her.

Joe

 

[Verbalgirl77]

Peggy even went out of her way to say really disparaging things about Sokolova's artistry at the worlds last year even though Sokolova skated a better program than Michelle and had better jumps.

That's a pretty subjective comment. Sokolova's LP needs a lot of work itself, especially compared to someone like Liashenko this season. Elena's SP was pretty good, but it was pretty clear to me that Michelle skated a better program in the LP and the judges agreed 8-1. Choreo-wise, the only skaters that I thought had comparable or better content than Kwan were Fumie, Sasha, and Liashenko back in 7th.

Elena has great SPs but that LP and the music don't do anything to show off her presentation skills and unfortunately highlight her lack of speed. I hope this is the last year she uses it.

 

[Yazmeen]

soogar: You make some good points in your post. One point I definitely agree with you on is that the skating world didn't warm up to Tara, and I can pin the blame for that on two people: Her mother and her agent. Tara had an agent before she was ever famous, and her mother did everything possible to put her in the public eye, often annoying other skater's parents. I live in the Delaware Valley area and I can remember articles about her in the Philly papers way before her win at Nationals in 97, back in the days when she was training at U Del with the coach she had prior to Callaghan. In fact, the chapter in Christine Brennan's book about Tara's tantrums on ice that upset so many Tara fans (the description of her "frenzies") came from this time period. This IMO was a typical classic error by Tara's Mom and agent: Mom talked to Brennan (she is quoted in the chapter directly) about Tara's jumping obsession and then gets upset later when Brennan puts it in book in an unflattering manner which doesn't come out until after Tara wins the OGM and is a big star. I think the problem was that Mom was determined to give Tara her wish to become a star, and sometimes the eagerness to do so got in the way of forethought and real thinking about the consequences of some of their actions. Is one sense, Tara was the first (noticeable) pre-packaged skating star, with an agent and a publicity machine going prior to any real results. That was completely different from the way it was done before--usually the skater had to make a splash on the National/International scene first--either by a big win (Peggy and Dorothy at O's, Kristi at Nationals/Worlds) or by a unique set of skills or circumstances (Michelle becoming the alternate at 94 O's, Tonya's triple axel in 91) before the media noticed or they had a agent and the ball started rolling. Tara was packaged to be the next big thing from the age of 12 on, and I think that caused a lot of resentment with people. Was some of it jealousy? Sure, but I think a lot of it was just upset with a pushy publicity system that the skating world wasn't used to.

Michelle's reaction to her silver in 98 likely made a big splash because it was so different from what the media was used to seeing. I recall one reporter describing in his article that he had seen everything in sport, from Charles Barkely spitting on spectators, to various major league tantrums from team sports millionaires, and here was this young girl, who just suffered the biggest crushing defeat of her life, and she is asked to comment on her opponent and she smiles and says "I like you, Tara." Did it get overblown? Sure. But it was a heck of a change from the usual, especially after Nancy Kerrigan's bitterness (which I think was justified) over her loss in 1994.

The media can make or break an image, and in the long run, while she's had her share of criticism, Michelle fared better. Tara was a unique skater with a totally new way of making a name for herself, and then she left eligible skating seemingly as quickly as she came. Unfortunately, it was all new to everyone, and the media and the skating world didn't take to it as kindly as the Lipinski's would have liked.

 

[Jaana]

Michelle's reaction to her silver in 98 likely made a big splash because it was so different from what the media was used to seeing. I recall one reporter describing in his article that he had seen everything in sport, from Charles Barkely spitting on spectators, to various major league tantrums from team sports millionaires, and here was this young girl, who just suffered the biggest crushing defeat of her life, and she is asked to comment on her opponent and she smiles and says "I like you, Tara." Did it get overblown? Sure. But it was a heck of a change from the usual, especially after Nancy Kerrigan's bitterness (which I think was justified) over her loss in 1994.

As far as I remember Michelle also said in Nagano that she did not lose the gold but won the silver (or something like that).

Marjaana

Ilia Kulik photos & photolinks
http://koti.welho.com/mjylha2/index.html

 

[dizzydi]

Regarding Michelle's comment after the '98 Olympics.....whereas Michelle's comment was a nice response, it was hardly an earthshaking reaction. Michelle didn't event good sportsmanship. There are many sports figures out there with similar values and reactions to defeat (if you can call it that). The problem is that the news media is always after every ugly thing they can dig up.

Please do not take this the wrong way. I am in no way saying that Michelle Kwan isn't a person of high integrity. She has, IMO, throughout her career proven to be a wonderful role model and has always conducted herself with dignity and poise.

My attack is directed to the news media who always go for the story, even if they have to event it. They (news people) are hell bent on making a story, even when none exists. There always has to be a bad guy.

In this case, I saw both Michelle and Tara as winners

Dizzy

 

[Yazmeen]

Dizzy: You really hit it with your comment about how "there has to be a bad guy."

In 1994, Nancy went from the injured princess to the nasty, unsportsmanlike loser while Oksana became the poor, angelic orphan who beat the odds to achieve Olympic glory. In 98, Michelle was the paragon of sportsmanship and selflessness who would toil on toward another Olympics while Tara became the stardom obsessed little brat who took the money and ran and of course, was too "chicken" to face Michelle again. The media just loves to put a celeb on a pedestal and then kick it out from under them. And I swear, they are always worse when the celeb is female. Geez, is Justin Timberlake getting the flack that Janet Jackson is receiving? You'd think she ripped off the bustier herself.

Back to the original topic though, I think some of what motivates Roz frankly IS envy. While her Olympic silver medal led to a nice pro career and other perks, she didn't get the same fame and money that went to Nancy or Michelle, much less to the OGM's. Roz STILL has a hard time talking about her loss of Olympic Gold without getting teary eyed or emotionally upset, and her loss is no where near as controversial as Nancy's (nor as close as Michelle's was to Tara). Both Nancy and Michelle are happy with their overall skating careers and their accomplishments and view their Olympics in the perspective of their entire careers. The only person more bitter than Roz is probably Linda Fratianne, and the resentment they both harbor is not doing them any good at this point. I swear for all that Roz was talking about "being happy" in that article, who was she trying to convince? Us or herself?

 

[hlannah]

Greetings! lurker, 1st time poster. I think both Tara and Michelle in the mid-90s were part of the new, "get an agent before anyone has heard of you" publicity machine. I remember in 98 being disheartened by Tara's win--not because she didn't deserve it that day--she did--but I thought her winning at 15 would take skating in the direction of gymnastics--use kids up early until their bodies break down, then toss them aside. Unfortunately, that's what happened physically to Tara--she couldn't sustain her career because her team didn't take care of her body. I think Michelle sticking around so long has really benefitted the sport--people complain that she isn't doing the big tricks, but she has grown as an artist, and she's remained injury free, relatively. And look how many older skaters are sticking around: Liashenko, Sokolova, Slutskaya--skaters can still have eligible careers into their 20s. I think Michelle's continued success and status has had some influence on that trend. I'd rather see that than disposable teens. Also, I think skaters sticking around longer adds more legitimacy to figure skating as a sport--it's not merely a stepping stone to "being a star." I'm not terribly impressed with Tara's "look ma, I'm on TV" acting career. If it makes her happy, fine, but I thought Roz was right in an objective sense: a former OMG could still play a role in the sport. Even if she can't skate, she could perhaps commentate, provide analysis for media, weigh in on the proposed judging changes, speak on platforms. Other former athletes, tennis players for example, some gymnasts, still play a role in their sports. I think Tara's choices merely fuel the "it's all just show, anyway" point of view, if stardom is the only goal.

 

[Tonichelle]

However the WSF has shown that they cannot be relied on to control the sport (just look at the demise of pro skating).

Since when was the WSF in charge of pro skating????????


and what's the difference between pro skaters using their programs more than once at a competition... Sasha Cohen is using last year's SP again... and no one is "not watching skating" because she's being "lazy like the pro skaters"

what happened was the mid-90s created burn out for the skaters... and then there was a long period of "no scandal" until 2002. which is the real reason skating got popular and pro skating boomed... unfortunately it was on no skater's merit so much as people wanted to see the "Tonya"s of skating and the "Nancy"s of skating...



sorry if this makes no sense... I'm going on 2 hours of sleep LOL

 

[isk82]

Just have to add a comment or two.......Keep in mind that Roz is marrying a very, very wealthy man that she has been engaged to FOREVER so the four houses may not be just from her own skating earnings. Also, I am not a fan of hers, but I do think she was trying to say that it's important for Olympic Medalists to promote their sport, to keep funding going into it, to keep people interested in it. And again, as much as I don't care for her skating or her personality, she's kept a lucrative skating career going 20 years after winning her Olympic medal. I guess she deserves some credit for longevity.

 

[soogar]

The WSF is essentially backed by IMG (this is according to Josee Chuinard who mentioned in an interview that no other skaters were informed of this federation) and all the skaters who actively endorse it are represented by IMG. YOu can argue that IMG has a virtual monopoly on the pro skating world but there are other high profile pros who are under other management.

I don't want to come off as not liking Michelle Kwan b/c I like her skating. I just feel that there are other girls trying risker jumps and that needs to be rewarded b/c the bottom line is that skating is a SPORT. Sokolova isn't the smoothest skater, but I thought her program had way more energy and difficulty than Michelle's program and don't forget that the Worlds were held in the US so that was an advantage to her.

I remeber the 1984 Olympicsz and let me tell you that her loss was extremely close 4:5, by one tenth of a point to Katarina Witt. It was Kerrigan/Baiul close which was closer than Michelle's 6/3 loss to Tara. If memory serves me correctly, one of Roz's scores was a 6.0 so I imagine that was heartbreaking esp since Roz popped one of her jumps.

As for skaters giving back to the skating world: most skaters pretty much fund themselves and then the USFSA gives moderate amounts of money to help defray the costs. In Brennan's book, they did not give Tara aid when she applied b/c her dad made an "eyepopping six figures" (that was a good call on the USFSA's part). If you look at past champions, you don't see a lot of them visibly supporting the sport. Debi Thomas is doing her doctor thing and I haven't seen Kristi Yamaguchi , Jill Trenary or Nancy Kerrigan rinkside at nationals. You don't even see Janet Lynn and Dick keeps making a big deal out of her.

 

[chuckm]

Sokolova may have had more difficulty in her program, but the only thing in it she did well was the jumps. Everything else, the spins, the stroking, the spiral, the footwork, was sloppy and of far lower quality than what Kwan did.

 

[Tonichelle]

KRISTI has been a spokesperson for Smart Ones at Nationals since the 2001-02 season.... and I think she's a prime example of someone who's gone above and beyond the call to promote the sport...

however I don't think Tara/Sarah/anybody should be degraded because they aren't busting their butts for pro/am skating... they did their part... MK is still in the game but so what... if Sarah, Tara, and MK were all in amature sport for the rest of time it still wouldn't matter... people would still have a choice to be interested or not...


AND if I'm not mistaken Nancy Kerrigan was at this year's nationals....

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I don't want to come off as not liking Michelle Kwan b/c I like her skating. I just feel that there are other girls trying risker jumps and that needs to be rewarded b/c the bottom line is that skating is a SPORT. Sokolova isn't the smoothest skater, but I thought her program had way more energy and difficulty than Michelle's program and don't forget that the Worlds were held in the US so that was an advantage to her.

Soogar - At DC Worlds, Elena S. skated her best ever. It was, however, nothing special in the artistic sense, yet she executed some excellent 3x3s and was awarded a silver medal. there are so many skaters who would do anything for a Worlds' silver medal. It's a question of whether the consensus of the judges go for the 'whole package' or strictly on cleanly executed difficult jumps. Maybe in Dortmund a group of judges who see skating as a jump competition decide who does the best jumps and then who among those competitors skate the rest of the criteria. It's a subjective sport and I see Elena as a top competitor.

Joe

 

[Nadine]

Lol (am trying to do a multitude of things @ once)!

Just read the article.........CONGRATS to Roz on her upcoming marriage.........and also on enjoying the good life; this after having worked very hard to get there. MUCHAS FELICIDADES, MAZAL TOV, ET AL!!!

As regards her comments, it came across to me that she was being asked questions, and she answered them honestly (from her perspective). Though I don't exactly agree with what she stated in regards to Tara & Sarah, I support her right to exercise her prerogative, nothing less--nothing more. JMHO. And I wish all three happiness in whatever path each has chosen to walk.

Peace & Love, Nadine

P. S. Leave it to Roz to start a 4+ page thread ~ WTG! ^D

 

[berthes ghost]

If you look at past champions, you don't see a lot of them visibly supporting the sport. Debi Thomas is doing her doctor thing and I haven't seen Kristi Yamaguchi , Jill Trenary or Nancy Kerrigan rinkside at nationals. You don't even see Janet Lynn and Dick keeps making a big deal out of her.

I completely disagree.

I don't track such things, but I have seen all of the above mentioned skaters at at least one nats or worlds. Many, like Kristi, work for promotional organizations. Janet also judges at Pro events. Jill and Nancy comment for TV. Not mentioned above, but I see Oksana at many events in the US (nats, worlds). Almost all of them (perhaps all) have been inducted in either nat or world Hall of Fame, so like Nancy at this year's nats, they figure prominately in that event. Is Tara in HOF yet?

I didn't see it, but was it last year's nats that were in Texas? Tara was interviewed in a special fluff piece all about her just because Texas is her home state. IIRC, the interview was taped from Tara's home in NC. Even when she's featured, she doesn't show up live. Am I wrong?

Anyway, for a funny little view, look at Alissa Drei's K&C at this past worlds. There was a hold-up due to a glitch in the scores system, so the camera killed time by showing all of the past skaters in the audience. Boy, it was like a who's who of skating in DC last year!

 

[Rgirl]

Rgirl. Tone is so hard to interpret on the web.

Anyway, knickers calmly unknotted, I remain somewaht take aback at so many people's readiness to interpet Roz's rather blase comments as sin inspired. So far in this thread, she's been accused of avarice, sloth and jealousy. Vanity and pride, maybe, not really clear. Anyone care to take a stab at gluttony and lust?

is exactly the tone, Berthe, for both my posts.

As for Roz being a sinner for her comments ("Let he who casts the first stone..." with me at the head of the sinner line) I know for myself I reacted to the article plus years of Roz's cranky, accusatory comments. You're right, the article is pretty much a combination of nothing, backpedalling, and making sure we know the person doing Roz's wedding flowers also did Barbra Streisand's (isn't that comment alone worth at least one "Shut up, Roz"?). My guess is that others reacted to Roz's "oevre" of comments as well.

Anyway, gluttony, nah--I've seen Roz up close and she looks great! One of those skaters to whom the camera doesn't do justice. As for lust, well, I know it's one of the seven deadlies, but not in my book Actually, the time I liked Roz most was when she got all giggly and excited over Phillipe Candeloro's '98 Olympic "D'Artaniagn" LP. I'd give her props for lust.
Rgirl

 

[Verbalgirl77]

Anyway, for a funny little view, look at Alissa Drei's K&C at this past worlds. There was a hold-up due to a glitch in the scores system, so the camera killed time by showing all of the past skaters in the audience. Boy, it was like a who's who of skating in DC last year!

THAT was hilarious. Yagudin. Alexei, Katia & Iliya, Brian Boitano, Artur Dmitriev, then Elvis and Dick & Peggy in their broadcast booths. Peggy gave Dick little devil's horns behind his head. I know Baiul was there but she was in the restaurant the night of the LP(?) and I'm not sure she would have been spotted by the camera.

I probably forgot a lot more that were shown though, it went by so fast. It was really funny.

 

[chuckm]

I do think many of Sumners' catty remarks about top skaters do reflect envy and her own profound disappointment about not winning an OGM.

I also thought it odd that she talks about her excitement over planning her $$$$ wedding but not much about being married. She has been engaged for the past 4 or 5 years, IIRC. Maybe the wedding is the important thing and the marriage no big deal.