Is it possible to want "it" TOO much?

[Tinymavy15]

I think that the skater who are expected to win it want it even more because they feel the pressure to live up their coaches, their countries and fan's expectations. We have seen it with Brian Joubert, with Sasha Cohen, with Michelle, with Evan a few times, with Irina and even with Belbin and Agosto last year at worlds. When they are the favorites to win, winning becomes a do-or die situation and the athlete begins to panic if the slightest thing goes wrong. Thinking "ok, this is it" makes it not "it" so many times.

 

[chrissy51]

Tara Lipinski

Regardless of what a lot of people say about Tara Lipinski, she won every title out there US Championships, Grand Prix Series Championships, Worlds and Olympics. Not a flash in the pan if you ask me. Most skaters quit after winning the Olympic Gold. She was so adoreable and to watch her skate was to smile throughout her performances. I think she left her mark and I for one think she was just great.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

Regardless of what a lot of people say about Tara Lipinski, she won every title out there US Championships, Grand Prix Series Championships, Worlds and Olympics. Not a flash in the pan if you ask me. Most skaters quit after winning the Olympic Gold. She was so adoreable and to watch her skate was to smile throughout her performances. I think she left her mark and I for one think she was just great.

Despite my long-lingering bitterness about Tara's OGM - I can't disagree with too much of the above however, I always wonder if "want it too much" applies to her more than anyone else previously discussed... yeah, she won but at what cost? If she'd trained abit less for that gold, maybe she'd still be on the ice. Maybe Tara is the ultimate Flash in the Pan... maybe she would've traded that gold for four more years on the ice?

 

[R.D.]

If she'd trained abit less for that gold, maybe she'd still be on the ice.

Then she probably wouldn't have the gold. But I think that's a digression.

The NBC commentators even mentioned this during the US nationals broadcast, and I thought it was interesting- that you can want it too much and not focus on the performance at hand- I think Sandra said that. Forgot who was skating though.

 

[Kwanford Wife]

Then she probably wouldn't have the gold. But I think that's a digression.

The NBC commentators even mentioned this during the US nationals broadcast, and I thought it was interesting- that you can want it too much and not focus on the performance at hand- I think Sandra said that. Forgot who was skating though.

They were refering to Ashley.

As for Tara - she might not have won that gold, but because she wanted THAT gold by any means necessary - she lost her career. At age 15. If that's not a definition of "want it too much" I'm not sure what is... unless you only mean in terms of people who wanted it but lost - but isn't it the same thing?

 

[R.D.]

They were refering to Ashley.

That's right. I remember now. Her SP, I think.

As for Tara - she might not have won that gold, but because she wanted THAT gold by any means necessary - she lost her career. At age 15. If that's not a definition of "want it too much" I'm not sure what is... unless you only mean in terms of people who wanted it but lost - but isn't it the same thing?

OK, I think I see where you're coming from. I was thinking more in terms of how thinking about final results affects your performance at the moment, though. As for Lipinski, did she actually say that she'd do whatever it took to get that OGM? I think she said later that she had no regrets...and BTW, what is she doing now? I haven't seen any new pictures of her for, like, a year and a half now. But that's for another topic.

 

[Dee4707]

maybe she would've traded that gold for four more years on the ice?

Obviously you mean competitive years, she spent a few years in SOI.

Dee

 

[Tinymavy15]

Despite my long-lingering bitterness about Tara's OGM - I can't disagree with too much of the above however, I always wonder if "want it too much" applies to her more than anyone else previously discussed... yeah, she won but at what cost? If she'd trained abit less for that gold, maybe she'd still be on the ice. Maybe Tara is the ultimate Flash in the Pan... maybe she would've traded that gold for four more years on the ice?

I don't think Tara was killing her body for that Olympic Gold. She wanted to skate all the time and was very hard on herself. Sure that was her long term goal, but I don' t think it was do or die for her in Nagano. If she had not won then, her team would have been preping for Salt Lake, which never would have happened.

 

[Tonichelle]

I don't think Tara was killing her body for that Olympic Gold. She wanted to skate all the time and was very hard on herself. Sure that was her long term goal, but I don' t think it was do or die for her in Nagano. If she had not won then, her team would have been preping for Salt Lake, which never would have happened.

I think she said as much in an interview. That in retrospect Nagano was just being at the right place at the right time and being flat out lucky not just for gold, but being able to skate there at all...

 

[antmanb]

Despite my long-lingering bitterness about Tara's OGM - I can't disagree with too much of the above however, I always wonder if "want it too much" applies to her more than anyone else previously discussed... yeah, she won but at what cost? If she'd trained abit less for that gold, maybe she'd still be on the ice. Maybe Tara is the ultimate Flash in the Pan... maybe she would've traded that gold for four more years on the ice?

I think the real question will be - would she trade the OGM for the at least next three hip replacement operations she will need to have (if memory serves me right don't hip replacements wear out after 15-20 years?).

I don't think Tara (despite everything she's already been through with her hip) has even begun to see what the effects of that overtraining have caused her. The next 20 years will show her what she will have had to pay for that gold medal and only then will she really be able to say whether it was worth it or not.

Maybe it's a good thing that the ladies seem to be dropping the triple loop from their programs under COP?

Ant