Is a Michelle Kwan comeback possible?

[Mathman]

...still was nowhere near the level of her astounding U.S Nationals free skate.

Year after year, Nationals brought out the best in Michelle. If someone wanted to make a compilation of the greatest skating performances of all time, that person could do no better than just to list Michelle's Nationals free skates, 1996, 1998-2004. (OK, throw in Torville and Dean's Bolero, Kurt Browning's Singing in the Rain, and Alexei Yagudin's Winter, LOL.)

Michelle may not have an Olympic gold medal, but we have our tapes.

 

[Mathman]

the poll is moot. There's no way she can compete against Mao, Yu-Na, Miki with consistent triple+triple and/or 3A.

I also don't understand the obsession of some MK's fans' desire for her to return. She had an amazing career, and she's perhaps the most legendary female skater up until today. Why should she come back and face some crushing defeats and blemish her image?

I am sure that Michelle realizes that at age 26 and recovering from major surgery she is not going to jump out and skate a 190 point program and knock the youngsters out of their socks in international competition.

But I do harbor this little dream in which Michelle, like the Irish hero Cuchulan, feels the indomitable war-age swelling in her breast one more time as U.S. Nationals approaches...Kimmie, Emily and Alissa cower in terror as her shadow falls across the ice...Rachael, Caroline and Mirai fall prostrate before the legend of elden times suddenly come alive before their very eyes...

"Then Speedy, the subtlest of all men,
Ranking his Druids round him ten by ten,
Spake thus: 'Kwachula will dwell there and brood
For three days more in dreadful quietude,
And then arise, and raving slay us all.
Chaunt in her ear delusions magical,
That she may fight the horses of the sea.'
The Druids took them to their mystery,
And chaunted for three days.
Kwachulain stirred,
Stared on the horses of the sea, and heard
The cars of battle and her own name cried;
And fought with the invulnerable tide." -- winning her tenth U.S. championship uncontested!!!!

 

[Zuranthium]

I think it would be wonderful for Kwan to come back just for one season - next year. She could definitely still win the U.S. title without a Triple/Triple combination and even get a medal at the Worlds too. Who knows how consistent Miki will be next year. There's going to be a ton of pressure on her. I could easily see a podium of GOLD - Mao, SILVER - Yu-Na, BRONZE - Kwan.

This return will in turn get Cohen nice and fired up to compete in 2009 and 2010.

~Z

 

[krenseby]

Irina certainly did not need a triple-triple to win gold, she just needed to skate marginaly better then the very subpar attempt an optimum 6-triple performance she had. .

Irina's the epitome of a choker... She did absolutely abysmal LPs, arguably the worst of her career, at the 2002 + 2006 Olympics. At least Kwan managed a perfect LP at one Olympics! Some skaters really fall prey to their nerves...

 

[PolymerBob]

We really don't need to worry about Michelle tarnishing her image. This is because she knows what she needs to do to win. She needs triple/triples, a triple axel and perhaps a quad. Armed with this knowledge, there are only 3 possibilities.

1) Michelle gets on with her life and makes it to the Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Image untarnished.

2) Michelle decides to come back and starts to train hard. She finds that she can NOT do the hard jumps, and gets on with her life. Hall of Fame. Image untarnished.

3) Michelle decides to come back and starts to train hard. She finds that she CAN do the hard jumps, kicks butt for a few seasons, wins a few more medals, and gets on with her life. Hall of Fame. Image untarnished.

 

[mkdream]

the poll is moot. There's no way she can compete against Mao, Yu-Na, Miki with consistent triple+triple and/or 3A.

I also don't understand the obsession of some MK's fans' desire for her to return. She had an amazing career, and she's perhaps the most legendary female skater up until today. Why should she come back and face some crushing defeats and blemish her image?

I started this poll months ago. We have an obsession because were obsessed with her!! She has already had a career others can only dream about. She's simply THE best, with or without an OGM or a tenth National title....Actually if she chose to compete again I have complete confidence that she could easily beat Kimmie Meissner even if Kimmie skates to the best of her ability. Michelle's artistry would simply be too much for her to match...IMO.

 

[Ladskater]

With all the Japanese female skating phenoms out there I think the likelihood of Michelle Kwan regaining her World title crown is non-existent. She has lost too much training time and these girls and the other American girls are way ahead of Michelle in jumping abilities. Also Mao Asada is more graceful and flexible than Michelle. Don't tell me Michelle is thinking of trying a come back? Sorry, I just can't see it.

 

[temperboy28]

I started this poll months ago. We have an obsession because were obsessed with her!! She has already had a career others can only dream about. She's simply THE best, with or without an OGM or a tenth National title....Actually if she chose to compete again I have complete confidence that she could easily beat Kimmie Meissner even if Kimmie skates to the best of her ability. Michelle's artistry would simply be too much for her to match...IMO.

Please, Meissner and her triple-triples would blow Kwan out of the water. I love Michelle Kwan as much as the next person but get off your delusions. You arent going to coast to titles on PCS, and Kwan's one time competing under COP Slutskaya and Cohen both blew her away on the PCS anyway. Meissner would have to skate worse then she did at Worlds, and Kwan would have to skate the best she skated since 2004 for Kwan to even pray to beat her at this point.

Kwan and Slutskaya, and even Cohen and Arakawa are best staying where they are. In the ice shows and watching skating on the couch. All those women had great careers, Cohen will probably be remembered sadly as a major underachiever for always falling short of winning the "big one", unlike the others who all won the biggest titles. Still all had great careers, any unfulfilled dreams at this point, are just that, dreams that will never happen. Any of those girls would just be tarnishing their reputations by coming back and getting dusted by Ando, Asada, Kim, and even Meissner, which is what would happen, those girls would literally lap them at this point. Their time has passed, move on with your lives girls, dont even think of an ill-advised return, just to get spanked around by the kids who have taken skating into the new era.

 

[temperboy28]

I could easily see another National or World title. The only problem would be the people who will say that she needs to " pass the torch ". I believe that if someone want's her torch they need to cleanly beat her and take it.

Sorry dear Kwan's torch went out a long time ago. Her last Worlds in 2005 she did not even medal. The Worlds before that in 2004 she came 3rd, her first time not 1st or 2nd in 9 Worlds. Kwan hasnt held the torch since almost 4 years ago now, she has no torch to hand off to anyone at this point.

You could easily see another World title? Where at the World juniors? Sorry there is an age requirement for that. I am not even sure she would have the technical standard to win the World juniors of today anyway. Is there such a thing as the World novice championships that you were referring to?

Another U.S title on the other hand? Well seeing as Meissner almost let Emily Hughes beat her this season I guess anything is possible. Kimmie will probably have gotten the kick in the derrieure she needed at Worlds though, and will be back fighting with the 3 Asian girls next season though. With that said, I dont see somebody like Emily Hughes coming so close to an upset at U.S Nationals again next season.

 

[mkdream]

Please, Meissner and her triple-triples would blow Kwan out of the water. I love Michelle Kwan as much as the next person but get off your delusions. You arent going to coast to titles on PCS, and Kwan's one time competing under COP Slutskaya and Cohen both blew her away on the PCS anyway. Meissner would have to skate worse then she did at Worlds, and Kwan would have to skate the best she skated since 2004 for Kwan to even pray to beat her at this point.

Kwan and Slutskaya, and even Cohen and Arakawa are best staying where they are. In the ice shows and watching skating on the couch. All those women had great careers, Cohen will probably be remembered sadly as a major underachiever for always falling short of winning the "big one", unlike the others who all won the biggest titles. Still all had great careers, any unfulfilled dreams at this point, are just that, dreams that will never happen. Any of those girls would just be tarnishing their reputations by coming back and getting dusted by Ando, Asada, Kim, and even Meissner, which is what would happen, those girls would literally lap them at this point. Their time has passed, move on with your lives girls, dont even think of an ill-advised return, just to get spanked around by the kids who have taken skating into the new era.

I can't disagree with you that she doesn't have a shot at Kim, Asada or Ando but Kimmie Meissner is NOT the skater that they are. Yu-Na fell twice at Worlds and still beat her. You are kidding yourself if you think a clean Michelle can't beat a clean Kimmmie.....So did Michelle coast to 5 World titles and 9 National Championships?

 

[temperboy28]

I can't disagree with you that she doesn't have a shot at Kim, Asada or Ando but Kimmie Meissner is NOT the skater that they are. Yu-Na fell twice at Worlds and still beat her. You are kidding yourself if you think a clean Michelle can't beat a clean Kimmmie.....So did Michelle coast to 5 World titles and 9 National Championships?

Kimmie Meissner is behind those 3 girls you mentioned-Asada, Ando, and Kim, but not as much as you may think she is. Remember Kimmie has a World title, neither Asada or Kim have a World title. Also remember Kimmie has a PB in the free skate of 129.70, higher then either Ando or Kim. So she has even surpassed them in certain ways, so she is not as far behind them as you seem to think.

As for what you are saying about Worlds, Kim had those two falls in her free skate, but Kimmie also had serious mistakes in her own free skate. She both touched down/stepped out her opening triple lutz and had to omit the triple toe altogether, then her next triple flip-triple toe was underrotated and downgraded to a triple-double. She still narrowly beat Kim in the free skate, but could not catch her because of Kim's WR short program score.

I am kidding myself that a clean Michelle couldnt beat a clean Kimmie? First of all you may be kidding yourself that Kwan is even capable of a 6-clean triple performance at this point. Including cheesefests she was seen 4 times in the 2004-2005 and failed to complete 6 clean triples even once. It was either 4 or 5 clean triples each time. Since then she has gotten even older, and her injuries which have now been reported to have been lingering for awhile, grew even worse causing her withdrawal from all 2005-2006 events including the Olympics.

Kwan competed under COP only once at the 2005 Worlds. She scored only 61.22 for a clean short program, and was placed below a flawed Slutskaya and a flawed Cohen. That would have placed her 6th in the short program at this years Worlds, 10 points out of the lead, an 3 points behind Meissner. In the free skate her only mistakes were falling on triple salchow, and two footing a triple lutz, her score was a 113.98. That would have placed her only 5th in the free program at this years Worlds, behind Meissner and Kim with their own major mistakes. She had a long way to go from where she was at the 2005 Worlds to beat Meissner even having a decent competition. Do you honestly think she would be better now then she was in 2005, 2 years old and after more serious injuries? Also keep dreaming she is going to advance more then 15 points, at this point in time, to match the free skate PB of 129.70 of Meissner.

I didnt take away from her past achivements. She is a great skater and champion and earned every title she won. However her time has passed. For another example, It is like you if you said Witt could not be successful if she came back to competitino around 91-92, or when she did in 94. It is not taking away from all the great things she did in her career, or what a great champion she was. It is that the sport had moved on. There is a time where all great champions get passed by, nothing lasts forever, and Kwan like other greats before her has reached that point.

 

[mkdream]

Well, there is no harm in wishing, praying and dreaming.

 

[satorare]

The new rule on "flutzing" is a final farewell to Kwan from the ISU.
IF Kwan skates like 2005 worlds, she will have barely 150 points,
and that's almost impossible to imagine!

 

[carolinefan177]

well no...

As much as I love Kwan, I don't see her coming back to the sport. I would hesitate to say, however, that, if she did return, that she wouldn't make the podium. At the 2005 worlds, Kwan placed fourth. That isn't bad with the majority of her program--spins, footwork, etc valued at level 1 or 2. When she made the decision to try and go to the Olympics, she was working on making her programs more stable under the new system. She introduced more changes of edge in her spins; in correlation with varied positions, and more transitions. She would have been ok, but her injury forced her dream to end. If she comes back in good health, she should be ready to take on the system.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

No one's ever shown a youtube of Kwan flutzing. I would guarantee that only antiKwan fans would say this especially if anyone says any thing against Mao.
Independent fans rise above all this.

Now on topic: Her 4th place in Moscow Worlds was pre surgery as was everything else she did after 2002 when she should have gotten surgery. Now that she has had the surgery, she may well skate a beautiful Kwan routine even in a competition, but she is no longer in her era. The baton has been passed on to others.

Now, Sasha, maybe, can still pull it off since so many fans (and judges) think flexibility is the cat's meow. Go Sasha!

Joe

 

[DaveT]

The new rule on "flutzing" is a final farewell to Kwan from the ISU.
IF Kwan skates like 2005 worlds, she will have barely 150 points,
and that's almost impossible to imagine!

This rule would actually help Michelle vs. the others (comment completely non-related to comeback, only that Kwan doesn't flutz and the top ladies can't lutz)