Kwan Injured - Pulling out of Cambell's & Skate America... Life is NOT Fair

[Piel]

Thanks DG. I knew you would understand. Poor Abbey is so confused by all of the noise and activity. Plus everytime a new person comes in the house she brings them her ball thinking they are there for a round of Corgi soccer! If all goes well by the holidays I should have a fabulous new kitchen ready for me to make a fabulous mess in.

 

[JOHIO2]

Well, this is another example of goodnews/bad news. The bad news, now that I finally decided to go to Skate America, Michelle won't be there. We'll just have to wait and see how she's skating a little longer than planned.

The good news, I finally get to see Emily Hughes skate live. Good luck to the teenager at her first senior GP.

 

[R.D.]

Here's a little comfort for the Kwan fans who are bummed by this news:

http://media.putfile.com/mkmsc-small/320

(Link should work this time!)

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I first read this news on MKF and my initial response was what the hell...!!!!! Is she really injured or just did not feel ready and is skipping out on the GP series and doing the Dec comp (cheesfest) and then Nats because she can't take the competition. In short, though I love Michelle, I was disgusted with her and thought she won't even get another Oly medal of any color. Then I realized she never drops the cheesefests so this could be real. I now think she is taking this year very seriously, working hard with TT to make it all happen and her body is showing the strain. At any rate, this will not bode well if she has the same amount of exposure as last year. It will be telling if she skips COC. I am so bummed.

That's pretty much what I thought when I first read the post, and with Red Dog as excited as can be on every other post, I thought this was the end of Michelle. But then I read more carefully in that she would also miss the Campbells. She has contractul obligations for that and I don't think she could fake not doing it. I now think the injury is real, and I also think from what other sensible posters have
said that her hip is strained and not torn. That would make the injury clear up in a shorter time.

I can not stress enough the importance of the COC for her. However, if the hip is still strained, she will have to give this up too. I can accept this as inevitable certainly not expect her to further injure her hip, but if she then goes to Nationals, it would be difficult to consider her competitive for the Olys. It will be a repeat of Moscow Worlds, imo. A beautiful skate but just not competitive.

Let's continue to hope for the best. Michelle, imo, is the First Lady of Figure Skating with more medals or not.

Joe

 

[R.D.]

Yes, yes. Definitely.

Here's a link to a Philip Hersh article on the injury (registration needed):

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/other/international/cs-051006olykwan,1,3786455.story

Kwan announced Thursday she had pulled out of Friday's Campbell's Classic in St. Paul, the Oct. 20-23 Skate America Grand Prix event in Atlantic City and the U.S. Olympic Committee's media summit Sunday and Monday in Colorado Springs because of a strained ligament in her right hip.

[snip]

Goldberg said Kwan began experiencing "low-level pain'' two weeks ago but it became intense Saturday. After a Monday visit with Yu, she tried vainly to skate Monday and Tuesday before deciding to stop.

 

[R.D.]

So, this should put away some of those rumors. She IS injured, after all.

 

[show 42]

Let's continue to hope for the best. Michelle, imo, is the First Lady of Figure Skating with more medals or not.

Well said, Joe. My best to Michelle and a speedy recovery...............42

 

[tharrtell]

I knew I was going to have trouble w/ the Oly year, but I didn't realize the stress would begin so soon!! I wish her a speedy recovery.

 

[Rgirl]

This is the first I've heard of this and I must say that I am heartbroken for Michelle. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, i.e., doubting the reality of the injury; but Michelle has been skating senior ladies since she was 12, IIRC, and time and again she has shown us that everything about her is anathema to "playing the game" any way but straightforward and honestly. Michelle faking an injury -- pfft!

Also, there have been reports from the MK camp about hip pain from practicing 3/3s since the last Olympics. Ironically, and sadly, just the other day (when I was trying to organize my FS tapes for the umpteenth time) I was ruminating on Tarasova's tendency to push her new top skaters really hard. TAT can do great things as a coach, but she expects nothing less than an 15 on a scale of 1 to 10 when it comes to the skater's work ethic.

I was thinking about the injuries other skaters who have worked with Tarasova have had and wondered if she would demand Michelle have a 3/3 or even a 3/3/2 not just by Nationals, but NOW. What prompted my thoughts was checking a tape and seeing an interview with Sasha from about two years ago during which she reports that Tatiana kept telling her that she couldn't move up just one step at a time, she had to move up three steps at a time. I was concerned Tarasova would try that approach with Michelle and 3/3s, which I felt would cause physical problems for Michelle.

I just hope that Michelle's years of great off-ice conditioning will help her recover from the injury quickly. All my best wishes and support go out to her. I'm sure she's fighting hard to keep her spirits up, but it must be hell.

Rgirl

 

[ladybug]

I think Michelle has been working very hard to get that OGM. Because of injury in 98 she couldn't practice the 3/3 toes immediately before the Olympics and may have been the reason she won the silver medal. Now this injury. I feel really bad for her.

If she wanted to skip the GP's, wouldn't it have been wise to skip COC and probably not qualify for the GPF instead of Skate America which is a much closer location for her. I find it hard to believe she will be ready for COC and with the competition there she will need to be at the top of her game. Two weeks off the ice and a month to ease back into skating. Isn't COC being held Nov. 2? That is less than a month away. I doubt we will see her before Nationals.

I wish her the best and I hope she doesn't try to skate before she is ready. Remember Tara after her surgery and the outcome. I would rather see Michelle continue her skating without an OGM than find it necessary to look for another career.

Ladybug

 

[Vash01]

Terrible news. I just got home after an incredibly long day (it's almost midnight!), and this is what I have to read? OK, I am whining but I am really concerned about the injury. Michelle is one skater that has been nearly injury free for many years. Is it the emphasis on jumps that caused this?

She still needs to get feedback under COP by international judges. If she recovers in time for COC, she should go for it and even the GPF. She can skip the next cheesefest.

Vash

 

[antmanb]

So what if the doctor's name is listed. Doctors do what their patients want them to do. If a patient is a little sick and needs a note from the doctor to miss work, the doctor will give the patient the note and probably tack on a few more days of rest just to be sure.

What country do you live in? That certainly isn't the case in the UK.

Ant

 

[antmanb]

No kidding. The worst case scenario that could come out of this is that after this injury, Kwan *COULD* decide that she just cannot keep up with the younger ones and then decide to hang up her skates. But Kwan doesn't really come across to me as a quitter.

She knows that playing it safe won't work. But I equate what might have happened to the phenomenon of "cramming" for an exam- you take it easy and don't think about the test until it is 3 days away- then you scramble and kick into overdrive to try to learn all the material for the test. You will burn yourself out, and, worst of all, you won't do so well on that test because you'll forget everything.

So- to complete this comparison, Kwan took it easy for three years, knowing that she was being passed by others, and slipping in the world rankings. But now that the Olympics are nearing, wanting to go for the gold one last time, it (finally) starts to sink in; she realizes how far behind she is and tries to work harder than usual. But because she is not used to this type of work, she puts herself more at risk for an injury. And now here we are.

(Note that this is only my speculation- it's not based on any facts.)

But lots of skaters get injured without the "playing it safe" mentality. There's the other extreme as well; you just push yourself WAY too hard. But this is telling, because as I said before when was the last time Kwan was out with an injury? As Kwan fans love to say, she supposedly "knows her body". But apparently, and unfortunately, not this time.

JMO.

As i've already said i think she does know her body and does know that she's older than most of the skaters she's competing against, this injury only prooves that she was right about her body and the reasonits happened now is because she only has this season to get through so she's risking pushing herself even more. I think the cramming allusion doesn't really work here - she's passed all of the exams she needs to she's "the most decorated figure skater in US history" and has learnt everything she needs to - there's no cramming here - she's the one who raised the technical barrier such that ladies needed 7 triple programs with a 3/3 to be competitive - she's been there and done that and now her her body just can't keep up. Perhaps your exam allusion would work better if it was the most successful brain surgeon of our time retaking his medic exams at the age of 70...maybe even with altzheimers!!!

Ant

 

[antmanb]

1) Remember how she used to keep saying "I need to step it up." But, for one reason or another, it never seemed to happen. :scratch:

2) I dunno, man- some of the comments she made during the year (especially when Cop came along) have left me wondering whether she really was trying to wait it out or not. I think of Sarah Hughes not keeping up with her skills during her time with SOI.

And then you wonder why people think you're a troll...please tell me how on earth Sarah Hughes not skating for a year and struggling to land double jumps on tour having pretty much said she was done with competitive skating equate in away shape or form to Kwan skipping the GP for the last two seasons? You do admit your utter ignorance of skating so at least it doesn't need pointing out [even though i obviously just felt the need to remind everyone!].

Ant

 

[antmanb]

If you think about it though it's kind of sad- Kwan has done this (skip the GP) so many times now and given so many "reasons" that now when she might be really injured, some people actually have a tough time believing her. hwell:

And yet again you're completey wrong...she's not given so many "reasons" as you put she set it out plane and simple...she told everyone she was skipping the GP plain and simple she said she wanted a reduced competition schedule. That's one reason and she's used it twice what obvioulsy p*sses people off so much is that fact that she can and she has. She's put the hours and the effot in for 10 years+ so she can pretty much do what she wants and if she doesn't want to do the GP she doesn't have to i don't understand why people don't get it.

Ant

 

[antmanb]

Well-- remember that "back injury" (or whatever it was) from last year she used to pull out RIGHT AFTER Campbell's? And to top it off, she skated in the pro-am event right afterward. But this one sounds more believable, and actually makes some sense given the situation. The timing of it though is really bad.

Why change the habbit of a lifetime and actually get a fact right - last year Kwan clearly said she didn't want the competitive burden of the GP and she was pulling out to do a season like the one before. The story of the injury came up after that and then the media put 2 + 2 together and got 5. Since you were so obsessed with needing things "from the skater's mouths" go back and check the archives - the quotes from michelle absolutely do not state the injury as the reason for the withdrawal.

Ant

 

[antmanb]

Now, to respond to your comment. I wasn't following skating much from the period of 1998 to 2002, so she *might* have stepped it up for those two performances. However, that was before she fired her coach. Ever since she did that, she's been stagnating and falling behind. I really don't think anyone could claim that MK has improved dramatically from late 2001 to the present time. What's more, DURING THIS TIME PERIOD she constantly kept saying that she needs to "up the ante" in interviews. But it NEVER HAPPENED! The Olympics are four months away and her chances for gold have all but slipped away!

So you are authoritatively passing a comment on how she's been stagnating while simultaneously telling us that you didn't watch skating between 1998 and 2002

How exactly is any of commentary about Kwan's imporvement (or lack thereof) from you valid in any way shape or form bearing in mind you (by your own admission) weren't watching???

Ant

 

[antmanb]

With all the obvious responses to this topic, I would like to say, I understand Soogar's rather not well thought out remark. Let's be honest. Kwan has been avoiding the GPs for the past two years, but always manages the cheesefests, the nationals and the worlds. Maybe she was looking for an excuse to get out of this season's GPs. You have to admit, there is a pattern here. We will know more by her final decision whether to skate the COC. If she doesn't skate the COC and the hip heals for the Nationals, well.... you have to understand Soogar and Curious remarks and maybe they are not so flippant.

Anyway, from my point of view which is based more on realism than on favoritism or hatred.....I find this news very sad in many ways, not the least of which is her injury. But, she's out of Campbells - that's interesting because it is not in the pattern. She intends to skate one of the GPs - obviously she does not want to be involved in the Finals.
Will the hip heal for cheesefest II? for the Nationals? for the Olympics?

In summary There will be no international competitions before COC, and then only if she goes there. No feedback on this program no matter how well the American judges see it at cheesefest II, and Nationals. We must continue to wait for Kwan, and as usual the news will be at the last minute.

With only one feedback at COC if she goes there, I can not see any Oly medal unless there really was successful work on upping the technical. I'm sure TT gave her a lovely program and I still consider her the best skater in the world, but I do not see her as the best competitive skater in the world. She'll have to prove that to me.

In the meantime, let's hope the hip heals as soon as possible.

Joe

I don't agree with your opening paragraph for one reason - if she wanted to skip the GP she would simply tell the world she was skipping the GP to save herself for the natioanls and Olys...sure there'd be a collective groan from most people but that's what she'd do. Alleging that someone is faking an injury is pretty mean spirited stuff and even if she doesn't skate in CoC isn't CoC a month before the December invitational? That's still a months' worth of healing time so i don't think that's a bad thing.

the rest of it though i agree with - what she needed this season was international feedback and exposure and with this injury she's stopped from doing that. Desperately scarbbling for good things though - TT will be out on the GP with er skaters andsee everyone else's programs so she'll know what needs to happen technically from a CoP perspective with Kwan's programs for them to be competitive. When she goes to tweak the progam she can impart her wisdom.

Ant

 

[Jaana]

I don't agree with your opening paragraph for one reason - if she wanted to skip the GP she would simply tell the world she was skipping the GP to save herself for the natioanls and Olys...sure there'd be a collective groan from most people but that's what she'd do. Ant

Well, the matter is not quite that simple these days. Have you forgotten what happened to Plushenko last season as he did not compete in GP and chose to appear in shows instead? I don´t think that Kwan is able to skate in cheesefests and in the same time withdraw from GP competitions in Olympic season.

 

[nymkfan51]

Here's an article from the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-olycol7oct07,1,5436313.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

I found this part interesting:


Kwan skipped last season's Grand Prix events and competed only once under the new cumulative scoring system, finishing fourth at this year's world championships. If she can't compete in China, she will have only the U.S. championships at St. Louis, and the Four Continents competition at Colorado Springs, Colo., to gauge how her programs will fare in Turin.


I wonder if she would really consider going to 4CC.