Joannie Rochette Article

[R.D.]

But does Leung really ENJOY skating, or is she doing it because she "has to" (i.e. her mother, if it's true if she has a lot of influence)? Is there a detailed bio on Leung that sort of covers these details? All this discussion on her and Rochette is getting me curious.

 

[Spun Silver]

And Lesley (and Joannie as well) just love skating and everything that comes w/it. I was at Ottawa Cdns last year and decided to get in line to meet the Ladies Medalists up in the Concourse on the Sunday afternoon. Lesley and Joannie were having a ball and were genuinely happy to be there chatting and meeting the fans. Mira OTOH...She really didn't chat w/you and when you looked her in the eye, there was nothing there. No spark, no life, nothing. She was there because she had to be there. Nothing more, nothing less.

We won't talk about Joannie's reaction to my question of if she got the box of Lindor Truffles and Birthday Card I'd thrown on to the ice the night before though. I literally thought she was going to leap over the table to get to me to give me a hug.

Cute story about Joannie! I'd be loathe to judge Mira on her social skills, though (even though skaters really do need to be able to enjoy the fans). Or at least, I'd give her a major break on that side just because some people are introverts. What concerns me is the mismatch between her attitude and her performance on the ice. Real divas have self-destructed through bad behavior (eg Kathleen Battle, Britney Spears), but they could get away with it for a while because they had the goods. Mira, however - well, "I've known divas and you, ma'am, are no diva."

 

[astimegoesby]

But does Leung really ENJOY skating, or is she doing it because she "has to" (i.e. her mother, if it's true if she has a lot of influence)? Is there a detailed bio on Leung that sort of covers these details? All this discussion on her and Rochette is getting me curious.

Now that is a very good question, Red Dog...but I don't think you'll find the answer in any "official" Mira bio.

But the more I hear about Mira, the more she's starting to remind me of Ann Patrice McDonaugh, another promising young skater with a skating mom from hell. Anyone else remember the creepy fluff piece where the first words Ann Patrice's mom said when she held her baby girl in her arms were, "You will be a skater."

Granted, Ann Patrice's jumping technique and artistry were much better than Mira's, but I never got the impression Ann Patrice truly loved to skate; that it was just something she did because that's what her mother wanted. I don't remember ever seeing any joy in Ann Patrice's eyes when she skated, and sure enough, as soon as Ann Patrice was old enough to break away from her mother and make her own decisions, she quit skating altogether, went to college and never looked back.

Unfortunately, if Mira doesn't improve (in a lot of ways!) and if she's truly only skating because that's what her mother wants and not because it's what Mira genuinely wants to do, I can see Mira doing exactly the same thing as Ann Patrice.

As I said in another thread, I think next season will be a huge turning point for Mira. She'll be 18, old enough to (hopefully!) start making more decisions on her own and (hopefully!) more independent from her mother. Then we'll find out how much of Mira's decisions and behaviour over the years have been influenced by her mother and whether things will be different once Mira's no longer a child.

I also wonder how much slack Skate Canada has cut Mira and her mom just because she is a young, promising female skater who learned triples at a young age and can perform under pressure (something Skate Canada has searched for years!) Considering what happened to Mira at Worlds and the fact she's no longer a child, I wonder whether Skate Canada will start cracking down on certain things.

The one thing I'd most like to see change with Mira would be just to get her away from her mom for at least a little while. If that doesn't improve things, I don't know what will.