Tonya Harding seeks USFSA Reinstatement | Golden Skate

Tonya Harding seeks USFSA Reinstatement

S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
Here's a link to a brief article on one of the various Tonya Harding websites. If this is ancient history to you folks, my apologies. I wish I had more time to keep current with everything in the figure skating world, but, that's not possible for me at this time. :cry:

Anyway, the article states that Tonya has incorporated figure skating into her boxing training - AND - she is seeking reinstatement with the US Figure Skating Association. As we all know, she was stripped of her 1994 US title and barred for life from participation in any USFSA-sanctioned events as a result of her involvement in the Nancy Kerrigan attack/cover-up.

Perhaps Tonya will take legal action against the USFSA - as she did in 1994.

http://www.tonyaharding.com/
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I don't see why she would... she doesn't need it to skate professionally(though I doubt many skaters would want to tour with her) and she wouldn't be able to skate up to todays standards anyway...

whether or not she knew about the attack she certainly liked having her name known(if she were really as sorry as her lawyer's letter said I don't see why she'd parade around years later and laugh about the stupid thing) I personally hope the USFSA stands by its decision...
 

attyfan

Custom Title
Medalist
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
IIRC, Tonya skated in an all-pro, non-sanctioned event, just before getting into the news by throwing a hub-cap at her then-boyfriend. If this is correct, then isn't she restricted to pro events, any way?
 

soogar

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Well her lawyer can make the argument that with a lifelong ban, she had no choice but to skate in an unsanctioned event b/c sanctioned events were closed to her and it would be a pretty good argument. There are several points that could be argued: the severity of the ban verses the crime and the fact that similar incidents have occurred in other sports and the athlete was not punished with a lifetime ban, and her inability to practice her trade (being a skater) b/c of the USFS's control of the sport.

I don't really think Tonya can make a comeback, but even if she wants to coach she has to be a member of the USFS to bring her skaters to competitions etc. I think she definitely has a case that the USFS ban is precluding her from earning a living. Like her or not, she still was a top flight competitor back in the day and with all the money she had spent learning to skate like that, she should be able to teach others how to skate (or at least have that option).
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
The USFSA made it very clear that under no circumstances would they ever reinstate her; HOW MANY TIMES does she have to try this to get the message? This is at least the 3rd (rumoured) time. Does she honestly think they forget who she was or something?
 

IDLERACER

Medalist
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
The one thing being a one-time national chapion will always guarantee you is gainful employment. She ought to just get herself a job teaching a class full of little girls how to bunny-hop and shoot-the-duck. That's essentially what Linda Fratianne does now, and if it's good enough for her, then it should be good enough for Tonya Harding. Of course, I doubt she'd be able to get a job at some place as prestidgious as the Healthsouth center, but I'm sure there must be a rink or two in Oregon that would welcome the name recognition, if nothing else.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
what parent/skater would want her as a coach though? could a lawyer prove that she'd have any pupils? I know I'd never want my kids to learn from someone who was accused of anything to do with what she was apart of. The only good type of coach she'd make is a "poor me" coach... and it's not like she's led a very healthy lifestyle (or upstanding one) and blaming it on the USFSA isn't going to help her cause as it's not their fault that she doesn't see the need to change her ways...
 

IDLERACER

Medalist
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Tonichelle said:
what parent/skater would want her as a coach though?
Are you kidding? You're problem is you're way too rational. Do you have any idea how many morons there are out there who would be absolutely thrilled to have O.J. Simpson coaching their kid's little league football team? For certain types of people, the prospect of being in close proximity to someone who was, at one time at least, a celebrity of sorts, trumps all other criteria.
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
IDLERACER said:
Are you kidding? You're problem is you're way too rational. Do you have any idea how many morons there are out there who would be absolutely thrilled to have O.J. Simpson coaching their kid's little league football team? For certain types of people, the prospect of being in close proximity to someone who was, at one time at least, a celebrity of sorts, trumps all other criteria.

Kind of along the lines of women who marry convicts they've never actually met--they think they're "special" just because they saw them on TV. SICK! :p
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
IDLERACER said:
Are you kidding? You're problem is you're way too rational. Do you have any idea how many morons there are out there who would be absolutely thrilled to have O.J. Simpson coaching their kid's little league football team? For certain types of people, the prospect of being in close proximity to someone who was, at one time at least, a celebrity of sorts, trumps all other criteria.

I guess you;re right... however then I wouldn't consider them parents... more like mindless "adults" in charge of children...
 

mpal2

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Toni,

I was thinking the same thing you were but then Idle so clearly burst our bubble of logic. How depressing that it's true. 🇳🇴
 

Glacierskater

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
So I guess that there is no posibility that she has reformed herself, and would be a productive member of society? I don't keep up with her too much, but that cannot be ruled out. I don't think that she should ever be reinstated (and the USFS would probably lose some credibility over it) but that does not mean that she does not have anything at all to contribute to the skating world. She was a talented skater, and quite possibly has learned from her mistakes. It just something to think about.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Some of the rinks in Northern BC are screaming for coaches. They might just take Tanya Harding on! Hey, her boxing skills may come in handy as well as there are a lot of "rednecks" in these remote towns.

:biggrin:
 

John King

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Tonya,Tonya,Tonya.....

As I pointed out before,nobody wants her!Not Stars On Ice,not Champions On Ice,not Skate The Nation,not the Candeleuro tour,Tara's Miracle Match,Artur Dimitriev's St. Petersburg show,nobody.
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
IDLERACER said:
Of course, I doubt she'd be able to get a job at some place as prestidgious as the Healthsouth center, but I'm sure there must be a rink or two in Oregon that would welcome the name recognition, if nothing else.

Having lived in Oregon for over half my life (up until 2 years ago) I can feel fairly comfortable in asserting that no-one would hire her there, either, name recognition or no. She's a laughing stock in Portland and Eugene, the two most liberal areas of the state, and the rest of the state is much too conservative to hire her to be coaching children. They were tired of her and emberassed by her 10 years ago and still are now and probably just wish she would put herself in a FedEx box and mail herself off to New Hampshire or something. Perhaps it would have been different had she just layed low after Lillehammer instead of getting herself involved in bizarre situations that kept her in the news every time people had just about forgotten all about her.
 

Crizzy

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Tonya's woes

I swear this girl has more whining and crying than a hungry Ethiopian child.

Do you guys honestly think she understood and has remorse of what she has done to Nancy? I think Tonya only feel bad because she got caught! Please, there are so many things Tonya could do besides skating or even boxing. She can go back to school, get an education, graduate with a Bachelor's or Master's. She is always crying "woe is me", I wonder if she ever stop and think about Nancy when one of her henchman club her knee and could have caused permanent damage.. I wonder if Tonya will still be singing the same tune. Tonya was the only US lady to ever land a 3 axel in the senior field and she just wasted that amazing talent. Even a decade later, 3 axel is uncommon for ladies. I do hope that she would move forward and attend college because there is nothing more rewarding than walking on that stage receiving your diploma. I wonder if she has some cheese to go with that whine. :laugh:
 

diamondqueen

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
If she thinks the USFSA will allow her reinstatement., she is crazier then a loon. :banging: She needs to move on and leave the skating world alone. She's not wanted, not liked and no ice show would dare invite her to skate. Lets move on to something better then Tonya Harding :disagree:

Have a nice day.

diamond :)
 
Last edited:

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Glacierskater said:
So I guess that there is no posibility that she has reformed herself, and would be a productive member of society? I don't keep up with her too much, but that cannot be ruled out. I don't think that she should ever be reinstated (and the USFS would probably lose some credibility over it) but that does not mean that she does not have anything at all to contribute to the skating world. She was a talented skater, and quite possibly has learned from her mistakes. It just something to think about.

yes but at the same time she still contends that she was unfairly banned from the USFSA... I can't see how someone who is "reformed" can still play blind to their actions... didn't she get into some trouble last year? I can't see her really keeping it together. She just doesn't seem to want to. Even with her boxing thing she hasn't kept up with the training from reports/articles I've read... so what's the point?
 
Top