I, Tonya

[Barb]

They got me with this line, I do not remember exactly the words they used:

¨ A mi me golpearon toda la vida y a nadie le importó, a Nancy la golpean UNA vez y el mundo se vuelve loco ¨

¨I was beaten all my life and nobody cared, Nancy is beaten ONCE and the world goes crazy¨ With a confused expression

It is sad and funny at the same time

 

[Moxiejan]

Right! What I can't believe is that the other Parents didn't say anything, or call CPS on her mother. That "graceless bulldyke" line and when the parent says "Don't swear around the children" and she answers...."I didn't swear, You C***." No wonder Tonya ran straight to Jeff when he was nice to her.

OK, so I finally saw the movie today. This prompted me to go on YouTube and look at some "early Tonya" videos, since I had remembered seeing her at competitions for years & hadn't remembered her being rejected by judges at that point. Note this LP from 1986 Skate America, in which the TV commentators (including Judy Blumberg) praise her artistry & good use of music. She was just 15 here & yet USFSA already had assigned her to a top event! So if "rejection" came later, it likely was due more to Tonya's own issues (slacking on training, smoking, rebelling) than any conspiracy to label her as a "graceless bulldyke":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuZuqr8nXQ

 

[brightphoton]

OK, so I finally saw the movie today. This prompted me to go on YouTube and look at some "early Tonya" videos, since I had remembered seeing her at competitions for years & hadn't remembered her being rejected by judges at that point. Note this LP from 1986 Skate America, in which the TV commentators (including Judy Blumberg) praise her artistry & good use of music. She was just 15 here & yet USFSA already had assigned her to a top event! So if "rejection" came later, it likely was due more to Tonya's own issues (slacking on training, smoking, rebelling) than any conspiracy to label her as a "graceless bulldyke":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuZuqr8nXQ

Speaking of Skate America, I have GOT to share a Tonya exhibition at 1986 Skate America. I can't believe I've never seen this before. She was skating to one of my favorite songs (at the time), 99 Red Balloons/Luftballons. Oh the nostalgia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10kWro6pzk

And that costume, wowzer! Must've have caused a few gasps, what with the V-neck dress that cut down to the ... under waist.

I love Tonya's skating so much. She seemed to encapsulate the 80s

 

[stolbovadivas]

It was a brilliant movie. Tonya is such a great skater! One of the most underscored and underrated skaters ever. I am thrilled that her real story was told, and not the false one a biased media did years ago.

 

[TryMeLater]

It was a brilliant movie. Tonya is such a great skater! One of the most underscored and underrated skaters ever. I am thrilled that her real story was told, and not the false one a biased media did years ago.

The movie does a lot of sugar coating.
Harding wasn't underscored.
She would usually make mistakes when it counted.
Don't forget that USFSA sent her to 2 Olympic games.
Harding was a gifted skater with great natural ability - however she was a poor competitor (BTW how many asthmatic smoking Olympic athletes do you know?).

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Speaking of Skate America, I have GOT to share a Tonya exhibition at 1986 Skate America. I can't believe I've never seen this before. She was skating to one of my favorite songs (at the time), 99 Red Balloons/Luftballons. Oh the nostalgia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10kWro6pzk

And that costume, wowzer! Must've have caused a few gasps, what with the V-neck dress that cut down to the ... under waist.

I love Tonya's skating so much. She seemed to encapsulate the 80s

Love that layback spin at the end!

Fingers crossed for Alison and Margot tonight!

 

[stolbovadivas]

The movie does a lot of sugar coating.
Harding wasn't underscored.
She would usually make mistakes when it counted.
Don't forget that USFSA sent her to 2 Olympic games.
Harding was a gifted skater with great natural ability - however she was a poor competitor (BTW how many asthmatic smoking Olympic athletes do you know?).

You have been listening to Christine Brennan too much. Yes she was her own worst enemy at times, but she was also underscored often. I wont even bother going into a long list of examples as most people here probably cant even remember each specific event, but she was certainly judged on a different scale than more popular and privileged women (the perennialy overscored Kerrigan just one of many of those).

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Love that layback spin at the end!

Fingers crossed for Alison and Margot tonight!

I hope they both win! Such talented women and actresses and both did a fabulous job in their characters. Janney especialy, wow! Insanely good.

 

[alyssamarie]

About to come out on Netflix. Get in line : )

do you know when?

 

[TryMeLater]

You have been listening to Christine Brennan too much. Yes she was her own worst enemy at times, but she was also underscored often. I wont even bother going into a long list of examples as most people here probably cant even remember each specific event, but she was certainly judged on a different scale than more popular and privileged women (the perennialy overscored Kerrigan just one of many of those).

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I hope they both win! Such talented women and actresses and both did a fabulous job in their characters. Janney especialy, wow! Insanely good.

I didn't read too much of Brennan.
I've recently viewed the videos of Ito, Harding and Yamaguchi - clearly Harding was scored higher then Ito - mainly because she was an American.
If anyone was underscored it was Ito - who should have had a row of 6.0 for technical in 1990 worlds.

 

[stolbovadivas]

I didn't read too much of Brennan.
I've recently viewed the videos of Ito, Harding and Yamaguchi - clearly Harding was scored higher then Ito - mainly because she was an American.
If anyone was underscored it was Ito - who should have had a row of 6.0 for technical in 1990 worlds.

LOL Harding was hardly ever scored higher than Ito (not that I am saying she should have). The only time she ever did was the 1991 worlds when Ito was injured due to some collisions and skated horribly, and was lucky to finish 4th.

I agree Ito at the 1990 worlds was amazing and it was hard to see her lose to Trenary but that is what happens when you have compulsory figures and a weak free skating field, where not enough people can finish between them. Harding btw wasnt even at those worlds as she was sick at Nationals and missed the 3 women U.S team.

 

[Moxiejan]

It was a brilliant movie. Tonya is such a great skater! One of the most underscored and underrated skaters ever. I am thrilled that her real story was told, and not the false one a biased media did years ago.

You think the "biased media" made up the fact that Tonya's friends attacked Nancy?

As for "underscored & underrated," how is it that as early as age 15, Tonya won a silver medal at Skate America with plenty of 5.8-range scores? And that she later won U.S. Nationals (actually two, before one title was stripped) & a Worlds silver, and was 4th at 1992 Olympics?

I was a huge fan of hers during those years & often watched her up close at Nationals practices. Her "real story" is that she squandered her immense talent by a lack of training & many bad habits, including smoking!

 

[Blades of Passion]

Harding was underscored at times I think. She should have been put on the World team in 1993 but was left off and there was another event I saw earlier in her career where she deserved higher placement (can't remember exactly when though).

As for her bad training habits - yeah that's what happens when you are surrounded by abuse, lack of education, lack of money, and lack of emotional support.

 

[dorispulaski]

I had never seen her 1992 Olympic Exhibition to "Moon River"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWMsH1xvy4

I like this one too.

 

[Moxiejan]

Harding was underscored at times I think. She should have been put on the World team in 1993 but was left off and there was another event I saw earlier in her career where she deserved higher placement (can't remember exactly when though).

In 1993, Tonya was 4th at Nationals and had only a 4th at Skate Canada as her recent body of work. She was on a downswing. And was certainly not the only skater in history to have been underplaced a couple times.

As for her bad training habits - yeah that's what happens when you are surrounded by abuse, lack of education, lack of money, and lack of emotional support.

None of that stopped her from 1986-92. Her coaches were extremely supportive & she worked hard. And after winning Nationals & a Worlds medal in 1991, she would have had more USFSA money/support than ever before. At that point, she was 20 & could have sought training away from her mother & in a better environment. Other coaches would have been thrilled to support a skater of her stature with housing & training at reduced rates. But she chose the loser husband instead.

 

[apgold]

Congrats to Allison Janney on her Oscar!

 

[stolbovadivas]

Congrats to Allison Janney on her Oscar!

Hopefully queen Margot Robbie will be winning another for this AMAZING movie.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Congrats to Allison Janney on her Oscar!

Definitely deserved it. As I said in my review, she stole the show.

By the way, for UK members, Tonya is one of the guests on the episode of the Ellen de Generis Show that is being shown on ITV2 this morning (3h 30m from now).


ITV2

Monday 5[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2018 (All times GMT)
ITV2 09:25 – 10:15 The Ellen de Generis Show
ITV2+1 10:25 – 11:15 The Ellen de Generis Show


This episode was actually originally shown on Friday at 13:45 GMT, but I didn't spot it (too busy watching the Olympic Ladies FS). So, if you miss this morning's repeats, it will be available on the ITV Hub on-demand service until 21:59 on Friday 10[SUP]th[/SUP] March 2018.

It will be interesting to hear what Ellen can get out of her.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Blades of Passion]

I had never seen her 1992 Olympic Exhibition to "Moon River"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWMsH1xvy4

I like this one too.

The length she holds that ina bauer for and continually performs while doing so is glorious. She turned this into a competitive SP for 1992 Worlds, it was the best SP she ever had but only competed it that one time.

 

[LiamForeman]

Harding was underscored at times I think. She should have been put on the World team in 1993 but was left off and there was another event I saw earlier in her career where she deserved higher placement (can't remember exactly when though).

As for her bad training habits - yeah that's what happens when you are surrounded by abuse, lack of education, lack of money, and lack of emotional support.

Tonya was an inconsistent disaster for an entire year starting at 1992 Nationals. Bombed Olys and Worlds that year. Thinking she'd get her butt in gear over the off season, she showed up at her international event, Skate Canada heavy and out of shape. Then she was given one or two plum Pro-Ams where she earned tens of thousands and still was heavy and out of shape. So by the time Tonya got to 93 Nationals, it was just the same old same old skater. She didn't do more than the others who were put on the 93 World team. I think Kwiatkowski was the only one to land a 3lutz plus one other triple (toe?). Ervin had the cleanest skate with three triples plus a fall out on a 3loop. I figured USFSA decided that it would be better to send two other skaters who actually have a work ethic and TRIED than lazy Tonya who would most likely show up at Worlds still heavy and out of shape. Time to look to the future, and Tonya wasn't it. As far as blaming her poor work ethic on a lifetime of abuse, lack of education, etc give me a break. I know several people who had even worse upbringings than Tonya, who didn't have a world class talent, but they turned out just fine. They had no money and had no choice but to join the military. Maybe Tonya should have thought of doing that.

 

[Inessence]

In 1993, Tonya was 4th at Nationals and had only a 4th at Skate Canada as her recent body of work. She was on a downswing. And was certainly not the only skater in history to have been underplaced a couple times.

None of that stopped her from 1986-92. Her coaches were extremely supportive & she worked hard. And after winning Nationals & a Worlds medal in 1991, she would have had more USFSA money/support than ever before. At that point, she was 20 & could have sought training away from her mother & in a better environment. Other coaches would have been thrilled to support a skater of her stature with housing & training at reduced rates. But she chose the loser husband instead.

Unfortunately, that’s what battered women often do. It takes both a mental and physical toll over time.