TV Alert: Caesars Tribute II: A Salute to the Ladies of Ice On Now!!!!

[CoyoteChris]

I am glad no one thinks Arakawa is arrogent. She is incredibly beautiful and did the best skate of the night. Not bad for an old lady of 30!

 

[demarinis5]

Here is a video of Tara skating on the Today show on 12/30/11. She looks to be in fabulous shape.
I really enjoyed her program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPR0hh8gRbA

 

[Olympia]

I certainly accept that you disagree.

However, I think MK gave back to the USFSA every time she medalled at World's and the Olympics, securing spots for the US in the following year. She competed at senior level from 1994 to 2006. 11 seasons (I excluded 2006 since she never actually competed, but did train and was put on the Olympic team.) Even in 1994 she was put on the spot to secure spots at 95 World's when Nancy Kerrigan didn't go and Nicole Bobek failed to even qualify and finished 8th in her 1st senior world's. Every World's thereafter, MK finished no lower than 4th, which only happened twice.

Also, 11 seasons of senior level skating is more than the majority of skaters give to their federations.

Agreed, Heyang. I'll never forget that year she was thirteen and carried the entire U.S. ladies' team on her back. Her eighth-place finish assured the U.S. of two spots the next year. Whatever her reasons for not showing up to this particular event, she has more than proven herself as a skater and as an accommodating participant in the U.S. skating program.

 

[Tonichelle]

I finally watched the show... all I can say is, it wasn't lacking with MK not being there... but I wish there'd been more upbeat programs... sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sloooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww

 

[Mathman]

...all I can say is, it wasn't lacking with MK not being there...

True. I hope when I retire that my former students don't come around and pester me to p-l-e-e-e-ease teach one more calculus course.

 

[Tonichelle]

True. I hope when I retire that my former students don't come around and pester me to p-l-e-e-e-ease teach one more calculus course.

if any of them do, have them committed. they wouldn't be right in the head!

 

[skateluvr]

Agreed, Heyang. I'll never forget that year she was thirteen and carried the entire U.S. ladies' team on her back. Her eighth-place finish assured the U.S. of two spots the next year. Whatever her reasons for not showing up to this particular event, she has more than proven herself as a skater and as an accommodating participant in the U.S. skating program.

Michelle skated for hersef, her medals and maybe felt great patriotism at Olympics. I am fan of her and her skating, though 2004 should have been her swan song, but she didn't skate for the federation. Her fans kept her at the top. It is not about just Caesars. I mentioned the ATS/Korean things. I'll bet a lot of fans at MKF over the years have been very disappointed to see her not do US things. I wonder if things would be different if she had the OGM. It certainly is a club, and she doesn't belong to it despite all the other medals. I think she is looking to prove herself still as a distinquished American. Who wanted OGM more than MK? I suspect a tiny bit of anger/disappointment, maybe more.

And why Olympia did the Kwans show up wherever asked before Nagano but not after according to you? Tara had a jampacked schedule from age 3 it seems until around 2002. Then came her acting classes-she wasn't skating. I never read anywhere the Kwans were "accomodating" but the Lipinskis were not. Could it be the Kwans needed the money/appearance fees for 3 kids in skating/college etc and the L's had the money with just the one Oly gold 15 year old?:think:

 

[chuckm]

No---the fans did NOT keep Kwan at the top! Kwan's hard work kept her at the top, and the fans went along for the ride. It got to the point where the pain became too great for her to continue with the hard work, and Kwan had to stop.

Figure skating is a short-lived career because bodies wear out. Kwan's was longer than most.

She owes her fans nothing.

 

[Olympia]

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking, skateluvr. I wasn't comparing Kwan to Lipinski or discussing when anyone's family showed up anywhere. All I know about skating is what I saw on TV, so I have no idea who made appearances at any skating-related events. Kwan's family generally came to all her competitions and sat in the stands because they supported her efforts. Probably the Lipinskis showed up to Tara's competitions as well. Tara stopped skating competitively (i.e., under the jurisdiction of the U.S. federation) in 1998. Thereafter she was a professional skater and so was not skating for the federation in any sense. There's nothing wrong with that choice. Being a pro skater was what she wanted, and she did it very well. For whatever reason, Michelle decided not to go pro at any time in her career. Both ladies did honor to skating throughout their active careers, and both skaters deserve both their fans and their medals.

I merely said that Kwan did astonishingly well in a high-pressure situation 1994 at a very early age, and that the U.S. team benefited from her efforts. I have no idea what her motivations were, though I assume that she skated for medals just as anyone else did. That doesn't make her calculating; it makes her a good competitor.

 

[fairly4]

too bad they couldn't just show a picture of michelle and dorothy. without them. the list is incomplete. make it seems michelle isn't a great lady of figure skating. not to mention dorothy. and carol, teneley.
the ones who skated fine, but should have showed pictures of all the ladies.

 

[Mathman]

I'll bet a lot of fans at MKF over the years have been very disappointed...

I can assure you they were not.

The very fact that the MK Forum still exists testifies to their selfless devotion. :yes:

 

[Tonichelle]

too bad they couldn't just show a picture of michelle and dorothy. without them. the list is incomplete. make it seems michelle isn't a great lady of figure skating. not to mention dorothy. and carol, teneley.
the ones who skated fine, but should have showed pictures of all the ladies.

this wasn't a tribute to US ladies, though?

 

[Olympia]

Good point, though, Fairly. I wonder where Dorothy was. This isn't meant to be a criticism of her. I just wonder and hope she's okay. She hasn't always had an easy time of it. Anyone know of her current particulars?

As for fans of Michelle being disappointed in her, not this fan! If I need a skater who's devoted a lifetime to skating, I am lucky to have Kurt. Michelle spent a long time with us, but she has moved to other pursuits. We'll always have YouTube!

 

[Tonichelle]

Whenever you use someone's image you have to have permission and compensate. Why spend more money to put up a few pics of people who were too busy to show up? (this would be my thought process if I were running a show anyway, no free advertisements here! LOL)

 

[skateluvr]

I disagree MK owes her fans nothing. her hard work and her clear favor by US fans over every other skater in the US and the world was unique. I'd be very grateful and I would feel obligated. But that is me. As for Dorothy, I always thought there must have been some competition between the two ice queens who came close in terms of the era they skated. Peggy was the princess and so stunning, along came the lovely next princess Dorothy. There had to have been some competitive feelings between these two very competitive ladies. Olympia, I only know Doro has married for the third time. Her book shows a real jerk as second husband, so hopefully, this is a nice guy. I think a decision was made to just have people who could skate a little be on ice, but I am surprised Dorothy wasn't in the interview clips. She had to have idolized peggy Fleming coming up. I remember Sarah felt that way about Kwan, but it seems that changed along the way. Well, Shizuka still has it and I like her skating even more now than as an amateur. I remember her doing 3x3x3 in practices and she scaled way back in Turino. I wonder if she regrets not going all out to show just how strong a jumper she was in that performance. It was underwhelming, esp when you watch it again. Yet Shizuka is so talented, and so beautiful. It is incredible to think of japans ladies. Tho I think I already did that thread a while ago. The show was ok. Better than most of these things though not better than Caesars I -that was a truly entertaining extravaganza.

 

[Tonichelle]

Dorothy still skates. And Dorothy and Peggy have done many projects together over the years.

 

[Mathman]

I disagree MK owes her fans nothing. her hard work and her clear favor by US fans over every other skater in the US and the world was unique. I'd be very grateful and I would feel obligated. But that is me.

All good things come to an end. Me, i count my blessings -- all the wonderful programs that Michelle has given us (for instance, the 2001 Nationals short program performance of East of Eden, which I just rediscovered ).

I do not buy the argument that goes, because we loved the hundred performances that Michelle gave us, therefore she owes us 101.

 

[Olympia]

Thanks for the info about Dorothy, skateluvr. I'll check that out. I agree with you about Shizuka, by the way. She is still wonderful. She combines artistry with that gorgeous jumping ability, and she has such lovely presence on the ice. I agree that I enjoy her pro career even more than her amateur (or whatever they call it these days) career. It seems she has relaxed but has also retained her technique. While I'm sorry she skated conservatively in the 2006 Olympics, I'm glad she did what she needed to do to win.

 

[Tonichelle]

it's now just "Olympic Elligible", Olympia.

 

[Olympia]

Thanks, Toni. Yes, there are no more amateurs, because they all make money. It's better this way on the whole. In the old days, Western skaters had no source of income, while Soviet and East German skaters were subsidized by their governments.

Either way, Shizuka has blossomed as a pro skater, while retaining her competitive skills. I can see that she'll be one of my forever favorites, even if she never does another of those phenomenal Ina Bauers.