It's a good thing they stopped that kind of talk. I remember one year when they called Elaine Zayak "Overweight, out of shape, and heavy on her skates" Fast track to an eating disorder.
It is really shocking. There were actually way more comments throughout the event!
Tiffany Chin and Elaine Zayak were really fantastic.
Really? Well, I'm off to watch them.
Both were really deserving of medals through today's eyes.
I remember Witt as much stronger than she was in this performance -- I'd forgotten the doubled elements, and just remembered her overall speed and power as being better than that. For all her doubled jumps, Sumners was really flying and keeping the energy and performance up. Chin was super fun - exuberant yet very polished.
Absolutely agree re: Chin! She was always lovely to watch; I had high hopes for her and wish she had gone further. IIRC, she is coaching now. Does that sound right?
I disliked her with passion and was big time on team Liz Manley for Olympic gold in 1988This GS thread from 2011 contains some interesting thoughts about Katarina and Debi:
Some GS members adored Kat; others....eh, not so much. What strikes me now is that Kat inspired very strong feelings on both sides: you could love her or hate her, but there was no way you could be indifferent to her. IMO, that's a major component of her magnetism and star quality. Also, both camps acknowledge her as an incredibly tough competitor, which is crucial for any elite athlete.
I was never a yuuuuge fan of her skating, but grew to respect Kat when reading/hearing interviews with her later in her career. To me, she came across as a thoughtful, intelligent person who learned how to make the most of her skating opportunities -- but who also learned a lot about herself and about life in the process. Gut gemacht, Katarina!
Probably one of my favorite comments during a layback spin was "Now THAT is a sloppy foot position." But at least it helped people to have a better understanding of what to look for, even if sometimes they weren't quite as tactful as they could have been.
Back in the day, Uncle Dick was famous for his comments on layback spins. He never held back in criticizing sloppy ones but he was equally generous in praising really good ones. IIRC, he especially loved Sasha Cohen's.Tell us what you really think Dick and Peggy!
