Hersh's MK Article

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

Off-topic sort of:

I remember when I used to act in a lot plays. That one moment standing in the wings 2 or 3 minutes before my entrance was a rush of fear and nerves. But oh that feeling when I stepped out for my first entrance! What a cool rush!! It was totally worth the nerves.

One of my most favorite Olympic memories was watching Katerina Witt - a skater that I had only been lukewarm on in her eligible years - skate for the the pure love and joy of skating at the 94 Games. If that's all 2006 is for Michelle, assuming she sticks around and is able to make the team, then I'll be happy for her!

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

I really don't think Michelle has a choice. There is nothing in show skating. The tricks are not the same as competitive skating. rarely do you see more than double axels from the ladies and the gentlement leave it at a triple axle. Lots of hips swaying and wearing boas as well as the inevitable clown number. Nothing wrong with that says Seinfeld but... there just isn't the tension one gets as even the toddlers try their quads and the scores go up.

Another thing about show skating. Do skaters really want to do all those one-night stands? ugh!

I do believe Pro Competition would have more value if it ever gets its act together.

Joe

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

It really wouldn't surprise me if Vegas came 'a calling for Michelle. If a permanent ice venue could be mounted this would be the perfect vehicle for La Kwan and others. There are only so many spots in both SOI and COI and the COI changes with the changing of the medalists. Michelle could live relatively near LA, have a permanent home, have a fabulous show with no expenses spared and have a ready made audience. People already pay 50-200 dollars for shows ranging from Circ du Soiel to big name entertainers in concert. Pretty soon, Celine Dion will be packing them in at a permanent showplace that is being built expressly for her. With the push in Vegas to have more family oriented shows and attractions you can bet your bottom dollard that MK and Co would be a sure fire hit and a gauranteed sell-out without ever having to hit the road once. They could vary the shows, bring in special guests and still remain artistically and technically as challanged as they chose to be. It would cetainly be on my "must see" list if I were in the area. Just a thought....

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

I just love that cute "No ring on my finger" quote about her and Brad!

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

Many good points of view here. For me, I think it's simply that she loves what she does. She has many times brought up what Brian Boitano told her once about "knowing when it was the right time to quit." I have no doubt that the day she wakes up and gets that feeling, she'll leave promptly. Or ... if she couldn't compete with a reasonable chance at winning ... she'd probably not continue.
In the meantime, I thank my lucky stars that I have more time to enjoy her!
And ... you never know about 2006 ... if she's there and not the favorite ... maybe she would be able to skate with total abandon and then who knows!

Skating for joy

I'm with the posters who didn't particularly care for Witt during her 1st 2 Oly appearances. Actually, I kinda missed 84 because i was in college at the time. She didn't particularly impress me as a showgirl in 88 and I preferred Debi Thomas. Witt clearly outskated Thomas in the LP and deserved to win - just didn't impress me.

Anyway, I've enjoyed her much more at 94 Oly's and since then. She doesn't seem to play the coy flirt as overtly. It's obvious that she's just enjoying the experience.

I also remember Elaine Zayak returning to 94 Nationals. If I recall correctly, she finished a surprising 3rd. She said she wanted to prove that artistry was important, too. Good message from her since she was the cause of the Zayak rule. Anyway, for such an 'old' lady, she was great and you could see how she just enjoyed herself. I would've loved to see her at Oly's in 94. Does anyone remember if she went to Worlds that year and how she placed?

Re: Skating for joy

heyang - I think (I am not sure) that the Canadian gal won the freeskate and Witt was first overall and Debbie gave up too soon. (I think DT should have stayed with it and got lst.)

Somebody correct me on this, please.

Joe

Re: Skating for joy

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Does anyone remember if she went to Worlds that year and how she placed? [/quote]

I thought Nicole Bobek finished 3rd at the 94' US Nationals (I could be wrong). I am pretty sure Elaine Zayak did not go to 94' Worlds. Michelle and Nicole Bobek went to Worlds that year but Bobek did not make it through the Q Round. Michelle, 13 at the time, had to finish in the top 10 to secure 2 spots for the US the following year. She finished 8th.

Re: Skating for joy

Joe,

I think you are correct about Liz Manley winning the free skate.

Don't recall the placements after SP? Were figures still part of it, too? I don't think Liz was in the top 3 before LP.

Re: Skating for joy

Hey Joesitz, yeah, in Calgary, Debi was in first following the short, KW was in second and Liz Manley may have been third or forth. Liz Manley skated up a storm and won the free skate, KW wasn't too far behind, Debi Thomas tanked after she popped her first big combo and it wen downhill from there. Yes, Patch was still in efffect then and Witt won overall on the strength of that and the Long.
Jill Trennery finished forth and it was a repeat at worlds where Kw, Liz and Debi finished 1,2, 3 again though many said that Katerina won that competition off reputation rather than skating. Notable of the whole competition was the appearance of a young Midori Ito who had such spark and fire to her jumps that she impressed the commentators into saying..."you may be looking at a future World or Olympic Champion"

In 1994 Michelle finished 8th, Nicole isn't even listed in any of the placements. I don't remember if she even competed or if she had to withdraw. It was the year that Yuka won and Suryia threw down her silver thinking she had been slighted.

1995 was the year that Nicole won a controversial decision over Michelle for bronze and MK took 4th. It was the year of Lu Lu and her world championship.

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

Sk8m8,
I couldn't agree more with the Vegas idea. In fact, I've wondered before if Brian B. and Michelle, who are good friends, have talked about starting a skating show with a permanent home.

Joe, I hate to keep disagreeing with you, but the things you're saying about pro shows just are not true. You say the most the women do is a 2Axel and the men leave it at a 3Axel? For one thing, this is not true and for another, since when is 3Axel a wimpy jump, even for men? I've been to SOI every year since '93--live, not just what they show on TV--and COI almost every year over about the same time period, though I haven't seen it live since 2000. Once at SOI I counted the number and kinds of jumps Kristi did throughout the show. True, she would only do three or four triples per program, but she would do three solo programs plus the groups numbers. She did all the triples, including a true Lutz and 3/2 combos. Of course a skater like Witt doesn't do more than a 2Axel, but age does become a factor at some point. Also, the skaters do many more creative things with their programs that they just cannot do in eligible competition. For me, the challenge and difficulty in skating is not all measured by the jumps. The depth of performance ability the top pro skaters develop, the creativity in the choreography and music, and the variety of styles they try--not all my taste, but at least there is the variety--makes quality pro skating more interesting to me than eligible skating.

At COI, the technical difficulty very much depends on the skater. Skaters like Todd, Brian, Sarah, and Michelle do four to five triples in their COI program. But like I said, I wouldn't be happy skating with COI either. One 3-4 minute program per night, a one-minute intro, and a group finale. Not much there given all that traveling. However, for people who want to see top skaters live--and there is an enormous difference between seeing skating on TV and live--pro shows are the only option. SOI does try to hire skaters who will and are able to maintain high technical standards as well as those who can grow and communicate artistically. Some years the shows are not as good as others, but one thing I've found is that I can never judge the quality by what's shown on TV. Also, without an outlet like SOI, Paul Wylie never would have become the Paul Wylie so many fans love so dearly. Same with Kurt and Scott. The fact that Scott has to depend on humor and "gimmicks" now is a function of his age. It's either quit or find another way to keep the audience enthralled. From audiences' reaction to Scott, they love him whether he jumps or not.

Of course if Michelle is only interested in eligible competition, that's her prerogative. She is who she is and people love her for it.
And of course you are entitled to your opinion. You don't like pro skating or pro skaters and that's fine for whatever reason. However, if you haven't seen these shows, I don't think you should comment on what the skaters do and do not do.
Rgirl

Re: Michelle is just a competitor at heart

rGirl - You are reading into me in that last para. I have said on many occasions I do not like show skating because it does nothing for me esthetically. Pro competitive skating I would really enjoy if it was organized properly. Mea culp, I still see figure skating as a sport and not as a grand entertainment. I see nothing wrong with my opinions and I have watched many many ice shows probably before you were born.