Very often, a skater coming back from injury -- especially in the first competition medically allowed -- has a joy that (IMHO) is close to unbeatable. Kwan had it at Nats in 1998 -- her firt event after recovering from stress fracture in her toe -- and Irina has it now (I think Irina's joy is outlasting Kwan's because Irina's illness was more serious). However, Sarah didn't have it after her injury.
Hughes on cover of "Blades on Ice" Magazine
- Thread starter R.D.
- Start date
...something that Irina nor Michelle have had the pleasure of facing is defending your place in the skating world after you win the Olympic gold medal. RW explicitly said that she encouraged Sarah to take advantage of the opportunities afforded her after her OGM win and that indeed didn't help her skating a lot. However, the reports that Wagner had to "drag her back to the rink" is mostly rumour, not fact.
Perhaps Sarah is one of those skaters that enjoys skating from the "come back position" rather than the "defenders" position. She did, in fact acquit herself very nicely after having a disasterous qualifying round at the worlds after SLC. She had won the top prize in the sport and had a world medal to go with it. Sarah's injury may have caused her to re-evaluate her prioriteis AT THAT TIME. I don't give Sarah any more guff about changing her plans that I would give any college freshman who changes their major 2-3 times.
We all grow and learn and even change our minds. Who know's...maybe she got tired of all the fuss about her flutzing, not living up to expectations after she won the OGM, competing endorsement deals that would have taken her away from her family, or just being a teenager and being overwhelmed by it all. Sarah hasn't been in touch lately so I can't (nor can anyone outside skating's elite) know what ALL the factors were in her decision making process.
It may not be easy to be the skater that "deprives" two of skatings most popular skaters from winning the OGM. I don't know, I've never had the opportunity. However, it seems like an awful lot of pressure to be "the lady that got in the way of MK/IS gold medal" especially for a teen with big dreams and is generally known to be an exceptional student and kinda brainy skater.
All I know is I don't care what Sarah does, one way or the other about returning to elite skating. She gave me a joyous moment that I will always appreciate and that's enough for me. She doesn't owe me anything; and she's already made me proud of her. Just let me get good seats to see her wherever she skates, be it at Nationals or at SOI. Whether anyone else loved her skating or not, I do. The only thing I love more is her classy demeanor. Never a bad word about anyone and never blamed anyone for any mistakes or misjudgements she may have made.
Perhaps Sarah is one of those skaters that enjoys skating from the "come back position" rather than the "defenders" position. She did, in fact acquit herself very nicely after having a disasterous qualifying round at the worlds after SLC. She had won the top prize in the sport and had a world medal to go with it. Sarah's injury may have caused her to re-evaluate her prioriteis AT THAT TIME. I don't give Sarah any more guff about changing her plans that I would give any college freshman who changes their major 2-3 times.
We all grow and learn and even change our minds. Who know's...maybe she got tired of all the fuss about her flutzing, not living up to expectations after she won the OGM, competing endorsement deals that would have taken her away from her family, or just being a teenager and being overwhelmed by it all. Sarah hasn't been in touch lately so I can't (nor can anyone outside skating's elite) know what ALL the factors were in her decision making process.
It may not be easy to be the skater that "deprives" two of skatings most popular skaters from winning the OGM. I don't know, I've never had the opportunity. However, it seems like an awful lot of pressure to be "the lady that got in the way of MK/IS gold medal" especially for a teen with big dreams and is generally known to be an exceptional student and kinda brainy skater.
All I know is I don't care what Sarah does, one way or the other about returning to elite skating. She gave me a joyous moment that I will always appreciate and that's enough for me. She doesn't owe me anything; and she's already made me proud of her. Just let me get good seats to see her wherever she skates, be it at Nationals or at SOI. Whether anyone else loved her skating or not, I do. The only thing I love more is her classy demeanor. Never a bad word about anyone and never blamed anyone for any mistakes or misjudgements she may have made.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
True, but most often the skater has been sitting around, recovering, and going stir-crazy, because his/her focus has been 100% on skating. Hughes was still in great demand all year, she was enjoying her last year of high school, and she had the distractions of college applications. She also was living with her family, which gives her perspective that a lot of skaters don't have the luxury of having, because they're living and training so far from home.attyfan said:
Piel,
I was speaking about the perception of Michelle and Irina's individual fan bases, not that Sarah deprived anyone of anything...she just skated her best. However, I'm sure you remember the MULITITUDINOUS post about..." if, if, if...if Michelle had won over Irina she would have won, if Irina had been correctly marked, if sarah had been correctly marked, who flutzed, who didn't, who was underrotated who wasn't" there was a lot of begrugding Sarah of her win. That's not an opinion, that's just the way it was back then. I'm sure Sarah was neither unaware, nor unscathed by these observations. Everyone naturally wants to be liked, but being vehemently DISLIKED because you won something over someone else's favorite...that has to smart.
I was speaking about the perception of Michelle and Irina's individual fan bases, not that Sarah deprived anyone of anything...she just skated her best. However, I'm sure you remember the MULITITUDINOUS post about..." if, if, if...if Michelle had won over Irina she would have won, if Irina had been correctly marked, if sarah had been correctly marked, who flutzed, who didn't, who was underrotated who wasn't" there was a lot of begrugding Sarah of her win. That's not an opinion, that's just the way it was back then. I'm sure Sarah was neither unaware, nor unscathed by these observations. Everyone naturally wants to be liked, but being vehemently DISLIKED because you won something over someone else's favorite...that has to smart.
I guess I shouldn't have quoted such a long post, but....sk8m8 said:
I loved your post, it is so spot on. :agree:
As for Sarah’s detractors they are best ignored, the detractors seem to come out of the woodwork, on all boards, when Sarah is the topic.
hwell:
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
liberal said:As for Sarah’s detractors they are best ignored, the detractors seem to come out of the woodwork, on all boards, when Sarah is the topic.
Let's face it all of the skaters who have had any success have received this same treatment.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
My memory must be different from others'. I don't remember Sarah ever being the subject of viscious personal attacts on her character, like Michelle, Sasha and others have endured. Of course there are aspects of her skating that bear criticism -- that's true of everyone -- but in general the Internet trolls have always been pretty mild in their Sarah-bashing, reletively speaking.
About the controversies of Salt Lake City, a lot of Irina fans thought that Irina should have won the short program (by a vote of 5 to 4, she didn't), which would have given her the gold medal no matter what Sarah did in the long.
A lot of Michelle fans thought that Michelle should have been placed ahead of Irina in the long program (by a vote of 5 to 4, she wasn't), which would have given Michelle the gold medal no matter what Sarah did.
Any time a big contest is decided by a 5 to 4 vote among expert judges, this means it could have gone either way. Skaters know that's life. But it gives fans plenty to be upset about, when their favorite loses the prize because of whimsical judging.
Still, in all this, everybody -- Michelle fans and Irina fans alike -- agreed that Sarah's LP was the best. (Well, everybody except the 4 judges who voted with the "Soviet Bloc," LOL.) Nobody blamed Sarah personally.
I think this is a tribute to Sarah's demeanor and personality. No one finds it possible to dislike her.
Mathman
About the controversies of Salt Lake City, a lot of Irina fans thought that Irina should have won the short program (by a vote of 5 to 4, she didn't), which would have given her the gold medal no matter what Sarah did in the long.
A lot of Michelle fans thought that Michelle should have been placed ahead of Irina in the long program (by a vote of 5 to 4, she wasn't), which would have given Michelle the gold medal no matter what Sarah did.
Any time a big contest is decided by a 5 to 4 vote among expert judges, this means it could have gone either way. Skaters know that's life. But it gives fans plenty to be upset about, when their favorite loses the prize because of whimsical judging.
Still, in all this, everybody -- Michelle fans and Irina fans alike -- agreed that Sarah's LP was the best. (Well, everybody except the 4 judges who voted with the "Soviet Bloc," LOL.) Nobody blamed Sarah personally.
I think this is a tribute to Sarah's demeanor and personality. No one finds it possible to dislike her.
Mathman
The injury that kept Sarah from skating in the 2002-2003 GP was a very slight one. She was back on the ice practicing a month later, and did TWO competitions back-to-back (literally), Crest one day, Hallmark the next; she skated in Nationals a month later. If she had been recovering from a serious injury, she certainly wouldn't have done two fluff competitions that close together a month before Nationals.
What held Sarah back that season wasn't injury, it was not enough practice coupled with physical growth and maturity. Sarah grew 1.5 inches and put on at least 25 lbs between SLC and Worlds 03.
What held Sarah back that season wasn't injury, it was not enough practice coupled with physical growth and maturity. Sarah grew 1.5 inches and put on at least 25 lbs between SLC and Worlds 03.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Hughes was out of Skate America and Skate Canada in 2002 due to injury withdrawal. That she skated a couple of times before Nationals certainly makes sense, because she spent the fall recovering and getting back up to (a certain) speed. However, she was out for nearly three months of competition in the fall.
Sarah did the Campbell's competition at the end of September 2002 (she finished 3rd behind Kwan and McDonough) and was scheduled to compete at Skate America and Skate Canada at the end of October. Right after Campbell's, she withdrew from her two GP events due to a slight knee injury and was off the ice for 4 weeks--not 3 months--then began practicing in November for the two fluff events.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
I didn't say she was off the ice for three months; I said she didn't compete for three months. Carolina Kostner, after being off the ice for months, was back on the ice at Obersdorf during Nebelhorn, but she wasn't jumping for at least several weeks after that. Being on the ice can mean everything from being a week away from full practice to doing a lot of stroking.
My point was that most skaters who are injured and off the ice for any amount of time are likely to obsess and go stir crazy -- even Plushenko blew off doctor's orders to stay off the ice for a month, saying that after two weeks off ice, he'd lose the advantages of his past months of training -- whereas Hughes had plenty of other positive things to distract her.
My point was that most skaters who are injured and off the ice for any amount of time are likely to obsess and go stir crazy -- even Plushenko blew off doctor's orders to stay off the ice for a month, saying that after two weeks off ice, he'd lose the advantages of his past months of training -- whereas Hughes had plenty of other positive things to distract her.
IMO, the 'MOTIVATION' was simply not there any more after the OGM.
Would the minor knee injury kept her from trainning and competetion had 2003 was an olympic year? Or she was still in the way of climb to the top? I doubt.
Here is the latest review of SOI from skatefan:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/SkateFans/message/140751
Would the minor knee injury kept her from trainning and competetion had 2003 was an olympic year? Or she was still in the way of climb to the top? I doubt.
Here is the latest review of SOI from skatefan:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/SkateFans/message/140751
