Re: Hersh's MK Article
Scmcca, Welcome to GS!
I think it bears clarification that those who want Michelle to "move on" or whatever are few and far between here at GS. Of course I know they're out there--I've seen their posts on boards like RSSIF and others. I don't have any numbers, of course, but I would say that they are much in the minority. Michelle is still the most popular and beloved figure skater by far and her fan base seems to be growing rather than shrinking. Her fans and most people in general I think are happy to see her continue to compete and do what makes her happy.
While I'm not a Michelle fan--not anti-Michelle, her skating just doesn't do it for me--I'm happy to see her competing as long as she wants to. I wouldn't be fulfilled by pro skating either if all I'd ever known was COI and the weak pro competitions that have been predominant since about '98. However, as I've said before, I think SOI offers a pro skater a much different experience than COI. Kristi, Kurt, Paul, and Ilia are all excellent examples of skaters who kept up their technical skills, improved their presentation, and truly became artists on the ice through their work with SOI. And I think Yuka is a great example of someone who, like the aforementioned skaters, had or found the motivation within herself to keep challenging herself both artistically and technically. I think most of how a skater develops depends on being in or developing a productive environment and knowing what one wants to focus on as a skater. For some that is in the current pro system, for others, it's as an eligible. I think the reason Michelle gets asked about it so much is (a) she has been at the top of eligible competition for so long; the last time she finished off the podium at Worlds was '95 at age 15 when she finished a controversial 4th (many thought she deserved 3rd); (b) she has the opportunity to do anything--SOI, COI, start her own show, go to school, etc.--which is a very rare position for an athlete to be in; and (c) what Michelle is doing is different from what most other skaters in similar positions have done; people are naturally curious about anyone who is as succussful as Michelle who chooses to do something different.
While I'd agree with Joe on "If you've seen one ice show you've seen them all" in terms of COI, I would strongly disagree in terms of SOI. As for the tricks remaining the same, much the same could be said of eligible skating. The younger skaters up the ante every few years with more difficult jumps, but other than that, it's the same everything else. As we've discussed, the footwork has improved in eligible skating over the last few years, but Kurt and Scott were doing extremely difficult fw 7-8 years ago with SOI. When Yags and Plush started increasing the difficulty in their fw, it then became de rigeur for all eligibles. Anyway, I don't think that going pro equals retiring--as Jamie Sale said, the work load skating with SOI is actually harder than that of eligible competition--but unfortunately, that has become the perception. The way the USFSA and ISU treat the pro side of skating, IMO they are making it more difficult for skaters like Michelle to broaden their horizons artistically and keep up their competitive interests. How unfortunate for Michelle to feel that the only options for her are eligible competition or school. It may be true, but I still think it's unfortunate because I don't think it has to be that way. I think Kristi too was a competitor but she turned pro during its "golden age" where the competitions were serious. Actually, I think most of the pro skaters still take the competitions seriously and IMO, it was only a few skaters who gave the competitions the "gimmicky" rap. Some, like Candeloro and Urmanov went gimmicky because that's who they are; others, like Scott Hamilton and just this year, Boitano with "Hernando's Hideaway," went that route because of age. If you look at Scott and Brian's pro competitions during their late-20s and most of their 30s, their programs had difficult technical content and there wasn't a golf club, puppet, or bare chest in sight
I thought Lavender made an excellent point about nerves. Apparently Michelle thrives on the adrenaline that wears out most skaters eventually. I remember an interview with Ilia Kulik about a year after he won the '98 Olympics. His demeanor was so ultracool during the Olympics he was described as having a "ho-hum" attitude, when in fact he said he was so nervous that he made himself write down ever single thing he was going to do every day just to keep the nerves from overwhelming him. So you never know how different people are going to respond to competitive pressure. Also, and I hope people don't take this the wrong way, but Michelle is used to winning. She has certainly deserved these wins, but I think an athlete with such an overwhelmingly winning record is very likely to have a different attitude toward competition than one who is the perennial runner up or who has an inconsistent record. But as someone pointed out, Katerina Witt competed in the '94 Olympics and in pro competitions for years knowing she had no chance to even win a medal, so for some people there is just something about the competitive environment they find fulfilling in a way for which there is no substitute.
Good luck to Michelle wherever her path takes her!
Rgirl
Edit: I just read the thread about the new code of points going into effect next year. Just as Steve said "never say never" about Michelle at the Olympics in 2006, if figure skating goes the way of gymnastics, then I'm amending my post to "never say never" about Michelle turning pro--probably to skate with SOI. If skating turns into a jump contest, I don't think there would be the interest for her in that to keep her in it.
