Jenny Kirk

[skateluvr]

This is a skater who seems like she would have been a star in some country other than the US because she was skating against Kwan, Cohen, Hughes. I was watching some skates on youtube. Does anyone feel she was ever undermarked, underappreciated or did she get what she deserved under USFSA How about her international outings??

 

[Mathman]

Some folks thought she wuzrobbed by Sasha at 2003 Skate America (or at least that it should have been closer), but on the whole I think she was fairly marked (Shizuka Arakawa was third.) Jenny was one of the two prettiest girls in skating (the other being Ann Patrice McDonough :yes: ); the only thing her skating lacked was a certain oomph and substance.

Health challenges drove her out of the sport prematurely. She has done some good work in journalism, but i haven't heard much from her lately.

Edited to correct date

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I never enjoyed her skating much personally, and I thought she was always marked fairly. Her jumps were tiny and I didn't connect with her much as a skater.

 

[Tonichelle]

She lost her passion when her mom was sick (and then passed away) due to cancer. She tried chasing that passion and ended up with an eating disorder because she didn't feel she had any ounce of control. A couple of years ago or so she blogged about her experience (I think it was part of her schooling) but she's been pretty quiet as of late, which is such a bummer because I loved her work. She allows followers on her facebook - or did - and seems to be happier now than ever.

 

[Nadine]

Thanks for this thread, skateluvr, your post brought back so many wonderful memories of that time, in particular the 2000 Keri Lotion Figure Skating Classic in Kennewick, Washington, which I attended live in person, right next to the K&C, up close & personal.

I originally went because Oksana Baiul was going to be performing an exhibition, but during the competition I had a blast watching everyone! And I recall dubbing Jennifer the Grace Kelly of ice skating, and Deanna Stellato "Elizabeth Taylor". Seriously, those two were exquisite, but who really blew me away was Nancy Kerrigan. She's unbelievably gorgeous in person. I mean overall all the skaters are good-looking, this said from watching them year after year after year in COI, but Nancy's beauty was on another hemisphere.

Anyhow, back to Jennifer, I don't recall much of her at that competition, just a whisp of a fairy girl out there on the ice, but when Deanna Stellato took to the ice, that was something else: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym68Lnj0xu0

My favorite program of Jennifer's has to be "The Nutcracker" and "Chicago".

ps: another one that unexpectedly impressed me at that competition, to some degree, was Michelle Kwan. I was never a fan of hers, only appreciated her until after her career was over (though her Salome & Fields of Gold blew me away). Anyhow, to this day I recall how beautiful her strokes were, how calm, cool, collected she was. There was an aura of invincibility about her. She was wearing gauzy pink and I can see her in my mind's eye skating to center ice with total confidence & command in just a few strokes. Lol I wrote about this at the time over at Oksana Baiul's site.

 

[Olympia]

Kirk had an airy quality that I really enjoyed watching. Her ballet training gave her beautiful posture and positions.

Nadine, I'm glad to see you mentioning Deanna Stellato. I saw (not live, just on TV) her skate just once, and she was wonderful. I think she had a back injury and had to stop. It was a terrible loss to skating in my opinion. She left skating so early that few people recall her--unlike Naomi Nari Nam, who at least had that glorious moment in the sun at Nationals. Thanks for the YouTube link of Stellato.

Thanks for your impression of Michelle seen live. The one time I got to see her live, I was in the nosebleed section of a large arena, way way back and up, and could just about savor being in the same hemisphere with her. (We were on a budget.)

 

[Poodlepal]

I liked Jenny's skating, but I didn't like her as an announcer. She was very negative, and spoke in this squeaky? Upspeak? Like everything was a question? She never came back after that one year and was replaced by Tara Lipinski, who isn't as bad.

 

[Olympia]

Poodlepal, I've never heard the term upspeak, but it's such a wonderful way to describe that particular style of intonation.

I'd never heard Jenny as an announcer, though I've read her articles. I hope she's doing all right now, whatever she's pursuing. Anyone know where she is?

I agree that Tara Lipinski has turned out to be a very good skating announcer. I find her voice surprisingly pleasant and well-modulated. It has changed from her skating days, and not just in terms of having moved from adolescence to adulthood. I think that all her acting studies have served her well as a voiceover commentator. Her voice projects maturity and warmth. It's actually hard to sound good in a microphone. I remember hearing Carol Heiss as a commentator for Landover in the late eighties or early nineties, and for all her expertise, her rather sharp and monotonous delivery got in the way of what she was saying. I admire Heiss tremendously as a skater and as a coach (she coached Timothy Goebel early on, and Tonia Kwiatkowski), but as an on-air expert her vocal style diminished her effectiveness. Lipinski, on the other hand, kind of invites you in, and she sounds both sympathetic and authoritative. I'm sure that her training helped her develop voice placement and breath control. It's great to have her back involved with skating.

 

[Tonichelle]

I hope she's doing all right now, whatever she's pursuing. Anyone know where she is?
.

She went to school for journalism/broadcast journalism and afterwards I think returned to her hometown - her dad is also in the broadcasting industry IIRC - and she got a job there... again IIRC!

 

[Nadine]

PS: how could I forget Sasha Cohen, lol, especially when I mistakenly thought she was Oksana Baiul! Seriously, that was my first time seeing Sasha in person, and I honestly got her and Oksana mixed up. I thought Oksana was Sasha when I first saw her standing near the K&C, but the beige monk robe she was wearing with the huge black cross on it gave her away. But holy cow, from the side she looked exactly like Sasha, just taller!

Back on topic, the lovely one & only Jennifer Kirk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPqn71b5FY

 

[skateluvr]

Some folks thought she wuzrobbed by Sasha at 2003 Skate America (or at least that it should have been closer), but on the whole I think she was fairly marked (Shizuka Arakawa was third.) Jenny was one of the two prettiest girls in skating (the other being Ann Patrice McDonough :yes: ); the only thing her skating lacked was a certain oomph and substance.

Health challenges drove her out of the sport prematurely. She has done some good work in journalism, but i haven't heard much from her lately.


Edited to correct date

yes, mm, wuzrobbed!

 

[Mathman]

Here is the article on the event from the Golden Skate archives.

http://www.goldenskate.com/2003/10/2003-skate-america-highlights/

I tried to look up Jenny's skate on Youtube to refresh my memory, but it does not seem to be there. Jennifer gave the skate of her life with seven triples, including 3T/3T. But Sasha gave an almost clean performance, too (no falls), with just a minor bobble here and there. I was satisfied with Sasha winning, but her score of 197 points was a little outlandish. And in fact the ISU tweaked the CoP the next season to discourage such high PCSs.

At 2002 Skate America Kirk gave a great short program and could easily have won the SP, except that Michelle Kwan also was flawless in the SP. In the LP Michelle fell and left the door open, but Jenny's performance in the long program was not her best and she fell to fourth.

 

[skateluvr]

Ahh, I realize I was watching another skate, oh well... she teamed up with Fedor Andreev for pairs...where did that go? He has done everything in skating. I wonder if that faltered because he seems so flighty where skating was concerned. Jenny was wonderful despite the little girl voice-I can see why she might annoy people as analyst on air. I agree Tara is delightful in her newest role as commentator.

 

[Tonichelle]

Ahh, I realize I was watching another skate, oh well... she teamed up with Fedor Andreev for pairs...where did that go? He has done everything in skating. I wonder if that faltered because he seems so flighty where skating was concerned. Jenny was wonderful despite the little girl voice-I can see why she might annoy people as analyst on air. I agree Tara is delightful in her newest role as commentator.

Neither one of them were seriously persuing pairs... someone would have had to change countries anyway (he skated for Canada at the time). She really wasn't into skating at that point either and did a last ditch attempt at nationals before finally moving on. Her blog made her skating sound like it was anything but a passion at that point in her life.

 

[Rachael]

I watched Jenny skate at Skate America live in 2003. She was great, but I wouldn't say she was robbed.

 

[Pepe Nero]

I loved Jenny Kirk's blog. It was incisive and thoughtful. I wish she start that up again.