- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
It's so interesting to read her take on Kwan's Olympic disappointment. She can definitely relate to the pressure Michelle was feeling, and it makes the accomplishments of skaters like Baiul and Kim that much more amazing. It's one thing to win Olympic gold; it's quite another to win and carry the pressure of being a clear favorite.
I would love for her to try TV commentary. What an amazing, intelligent young woman! Definitely WOW!
I really would like an expert skater or long time watcher/expert tolook at Jenny and see if she was undermarked at any performances. It seemed to me she was.
It is a good piece. But I think it is presumptive of her to tell us what Kwan felt or thought in SLC. She was not in Michelle's head. It seems like she is projecting how she would have thought or reacted onto Kwan as well as Browning and Eldredge. She may be right about their Olympic experiences. But she may not. Those are their stories to tell if they choose to and their feelings and experiences were not necessarily the same as hers.
I found her insight valuable. No one knows what was inside Kwan's head, but Jenny at least understands the various pressures associated with athletes at the elite levels of skating. Whether she's right or wrong, I find her perspective more credible than the biased journalists who have no experience as a competitive skater (I'm looking at you Phil). While I didn't feel like Kwan had lost the gold before she stepped on the ice, I did feel uneasy for her and Irina after Sarah skated so well.
If you agree that no one can get in someone else's head, then the notion that it is okay for Jenny to try because a) she has had similar experiences and b) other journalists try without having had similar experiences...that doesn't make sense.
Where is the logical fallacy there? Are you saying it isn't ok for Jenny to have her opinion? Because she has been a SKATER I believe she is in a better position to express the mental challenges associated with competitions. No two experiences are identical; Kwan cannot speak for Kurt and vice versa. That doesn't mean that they do not have valuable insights.
It is clear that, because of scientific limitations, we cannot currently enter someone's head. Just because you learned about logical fallacies in your college philosophy class doesn't mean they apply when you don't like someone's opinion.