Personally, I don't see why anybody would want to watch 2 people hitting each other. So, can I please take this thread back to something more civilised? Like figure skating!
(Given that this documentary was talking about
that incident, yes, I am being ironic!)
That was a very interesting programme!
For the first 25 minutes or so, I was watching and thinking “has this documentary been made by the Tonya Harding Appreciation Society?!” It was all about Tonya. About her family background, her tough childhood, her early years skating, etc.
But, having this introduction actually provided a good backdrop for the final hour, which was all about the events of 1994.
I did not start getting interested in skating until this side of the Millennium. And all I knew about the events of 1994 was what I have read on Wikipedia in the past couple of years.
In fact, the only reason I found out that something had happened was because I was looking up old results on Wikipedia a couple of years ago, and couldn’t understand why the winner’s box for the 1994 American Championships was blank. So, I started clicking, and found out. I had never heard tell of the scandal before then.
So, it was fascinating to find out more in this documentary. In particular seeing all the archive footage from the time.
Of course, I had seen the footage of the immediate aftermath of the attack before. And, even though it wasn’t my first (or even second) time seeing it, hearing Nancy wailing like that was still having an affect on me.
But, it was all the other footage that was fascinating.
Watching the bit where the officials were trying to decide who was going to be selected for the Olympics was very interesting. And, given what is going on at the moment, I couldn’t help wondering if the discussions over what to do with the TEB and the GP Final were being conducted in a similar fashion…
And how cute was Michelle Kwan?!
I did feel sorry for her, coming 2nd in Nationals but missing out on the 2nd Olympics slot. But, I did understand the USFSA’s decision. Even though she was injured, Nancy was at the height of her career. If she could get fit in time, she would have a much better chance of winning a medal than this young girl who was only just transitioning from Juniors to Seniors. And, as we all know, winning medals (preferably gold ones) is all that matters in America. Plus, Michelle was young enough and good enough to have plenty more chances.
Until last night, I had no idea that the attack and everything after it was such a big story in America.
Seeing the way that the press were hounding Tonya and Nancy after the incident really angered me. It wasn’t fair the way the press were carrying on. Particularly that stunt with the reporters trying to tow Tonya’s pick-up away just to get her out of the house. Unbelievable! Like, you couldn’t live a normal life in those conditions, never mind prepare for an Olympics!
My main complaint about the programme was the lack of skaters involved in it. Instead, there was an awful lot of journalists talking about what happened. And whilst their memories were interesting, I would have preferred to hear what other skaters had to say. About how it impacted on how they went about things, and about their opinions on the attack.
Paul Wylie (who I had never even heard tell of before) and Tonya herself were the only skaters that made a significant contribution. I would have loved to hear more from Scott Hamilton. Like, surely he said a lot more than the couple of sentences that were used.
I would also have loved to hear Nancy talking about what happened. But, you can understand her wanting to put the whole affair behind her. Let’s face it, that’s all anybody wants to talk to her about. So she probably got sick of answering the same questions over and over again a long time ago! Like, say, 20 years earlier!
Ever since I first heard about her a few years ago, I haven’t been sure what to make of Tonya. As I said, I didn’t pay attention to skating back when she was competing, so I never knew much about her. Or Nancy, for that matter.
After watching that documentary, I still don’t know what to make of her! She definitely has an attitude about her. But there is something about her that means you’re not sure whether to take what she says at face value. You get the impression that she is very clever, and that she carefully thinks out everything she is going to say before she says it. Even though it appears like it was spontaneous.
Whether Tonya knew what her husband and his mates were plotting before it happened, and whether she was involved in it, I don’t know. I don’t like the thought that a skater would get involved in something as sinister as that, and I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt. But, I just don’t know what to think. I thought watching this documentary and finding out more would help me form a better opinion. But, it hasn’t.
All I know is that it happened, and because of it, her skating career went down the drain.
What a waste of talent.
CaroLiza_fan
