- Joined
- Dec 28, 2003
okay, venturing to say something...
I watched a download of MK's Red Violin (Courtesy of the wonderful www.cruelladekwan.com site) from 2000, and in it Peggy Fleming mentioned (whether correctly or not, I don't know) after Michelle did a clean, 7 triple, 3T/3T program with lovely, interesting choreography (and a great haircut) IMO, that it was only the second time she'd done a *clean* program since 1998 Olympics...now, this says a few things to me.
First of all, Michelle, though she has been more consistent than anyone in her sport over a great span of time, which in itself is a testament to her competitive excellence, is human, not some consistency machine like she's made out to be, or like she has actually managed to be in recent years, and, like everyone else, she has gone through stages in her career, in the late 90's she was taking more risks in terms of both potential for error-prone programs and injuries, then, in the interest of longevity, or of continuing to win, or both, she may have decided to concentrate on clean, consistent 6 triple programs and on growing as an artist rather than adding the 3/3. (Sound familiar? I'm reminded of Robin's approach to Sasha's program...)
Why am I saying all this? It's not to knock Michelle, it's more to make the point that she hasn't been coasting along as perhaps may have been implied on this thread, but also not to make the opposite, Michelle is invulnerable, invincible, etc., and others, like Sasha, for example, just can't hold it together. Clean programs, especially when you're pushing that old envelope for difficult jump combos and the like (as both ladies were when they've had falls--though I won't deny that Michelle has been more consistent in doing clean programs than Sasha, though percentages aren't part of my point here), are difficult, whether you're a decorated veteran like MK or newer to the skating elite like Sasha; the ice is slippery and challenging for everyone, and not just because of shifty judging
I just mentioned Peggy's comment (and again, I'm relying on how factual it may be for this argument) because I'm tired of people (Peggy included, actually) ragging on Sasha's less-than-clean programs and presenting Michelle alongside her as this infallible paragon of consistency, forgetting Michelle's problems altogether in the first five years of her own career after winning World gold in '96. Though I applaud Michelle's remarkable consistency and competitive excellence, I think every great elite skater has growing pains at the top; I know Michelle won worlds before she started having these troubles for a few seasons, and Sasha didn't, but generally speaking, the bottom line is, having an absolutely clean program in high-stakes situations (for Michelle, it's defending her top spot and continuing to dominate against so many contenders for so long, for Sasha, it has been capitalizing on her immense talent and finally doing what people expect her to do, which is dominate) has proven difficult for EVERYONE, not just "can't-get-it-together" Sasha. I've already discussed the reasons for her particular problems in another thread, "Cohen's Swan Lake #2". When at the very top of the mountain, NOBODY coasts along, because it takes a tremendous amount of work to remain at the top of the mountain, and most do it by playing to their strengths, which for both Michelle and Sasha have been the artistic over the technical.
Sorry for dragging this off topic, but I wanted to talk about this somewhere.
Just for the record, I have preferences in skater's styles, ones I like more than others, but I have gushed about programs by most of these skaters, Sasha and Michelle included, and I really appreciate and have enormous respect for all of them as people and have no malicious intent or desire to bash anyone, ever, because they work so hard, all of them, to make this sport entertaining, exciting, and to stay at the top of their games year after year.
The only coasters I know of are the ones I put my drinks on while watching a great night of skating
Cheers!
Sarah
I watched a download of MK's Red Violin (Courtesy of the wonderful www.cruelladekwan.com site) from 2000, and in it Peggy Fleming mentioned (whether correctly or not, I don't know) after Michelle did a clean, 7 triple, 3T/3T program with lovely, interesting choreography (and a great haircut) IMO, that it was only the second time she'd done a *clean* program since 1998 Olympics...now, this says a few things to me.
First of all, Michelle, though she has been more consistent than anyone in her sport over a great span of time, which in itself is a testament to her competitive excellence, is human, not some consistency machine like she's made out to be, or like she has actually managed to be in recent years, and, like everyone else, she has gone through stages in her career, in the late 90's she was taking more risks in terms of both potential for error-prone programs and injuries, then, in the interest of longevity, or of continuing to win, or both, she may have decided to concentrate on clean, consistent 6 triple programs and on growing as an artist rather than adding the 3/3. (Sound familiar? I'm reminded of Robin's approach to Sasha's program...)
Why am I saying all this? It's not to knock Michelle, it's more to make the point that she hasn't been coasting along as perhaps may have been implied on this thread, but also not to make the opposite, Michelle is invulnerable, invincible, etc., and others, like Sasha, for example, just can't hold it together. Clean programs, especially when you're pushing that old envelope for difficult jump combos and the like (as both ladies were when they've had falls--though I won't deny that Michelle has been more consistent in doing clean programs than Sasha, though percentages aren't part of my point here), are difficult, whether you're a decorated veteran like MK or newer to the skating elite like Sasha; the ice is slippery and challenging for everyone, and not just because of shifty judging
I just mentioned Peggy's comment (and again, I'm relying on how factual it may be for this argument) because I'm tired of people (Peggy included, actually) ragging on Sasha's less-than-clean programs and presenting Michelle alongside her as this infallible paragon of consistency, forgetting Michelle's problems altogether in the first five years of her own career after winning World gold in '96. Though I applaud Michelle's remarkable consistency and competitive excellence, I think every great elite skater has growing pains at the top; I know Michelle won worlds before she started having these troubles for a few seasons, and Sasha didn't, but generally speaking, the bottom line is, having an absolutely clean program in high-stakes situations (for Michelle, it's defending her top spot and continuing to dominate against so many contenders for so long, for Sasha, it has been capitalizing on her immense talent and finally doing what people expect her to do, which is dominate) has proven difficult for EVERYONE, not just "can't-get-it-together" Sasha. I've already discussed the reasons for her particular problems in another thread, "Cohen's Swan Lake #2". When at the very top of the mountain, NOBODY coasts along, because it takes a tremendous amount of work to remain at the top of the mountain, and most do it by playing to their strengths, which for both Michelle and Sasha have been the artistic over the technical.
Sorry for dragging this off topic, but I wanted to talk about this somewhere.
Just for the record, I have preferences in skater's styles, ones I like more than others, but I have gushed about programs by most of these skaters, Sasha and Michelle included, and I really appreciate and have enormous respect for all of them as people and have no malicious intent or desire to bash anyone, ever, because they work so hard, all of them, to make this sport entertaining, exciting, and to stay at the top of their games year after year.
The only coasters I know of are the ones I put my drinks on while watching a great night of skating
Cheers!
Sarah
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