Kwan not ready to rule out next Olympics
- Thread starter nymkfan51
- Start date
It clearly states in the article that she and Irina were joking around about 2010. If they want to continue competing next season and their bodies are able, I say why not. This is a decision they will make on their own. Michelle is simply stating that she is not closing the door on anything right now. No one should have the right to tell you when to retire. When it is time Michelle will make that decision in the same manner she did when she withdraw from the olympics.
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- Jul 11, 2003
thanks for bringing that up, attyfan. I don't think the USFS is going to give her any privilege in skating Nats. I mean, one bye is enough and then she drops out of the Olys. If the USFS allows her to skate Nats without the reg/sec competitions then it will be a blow to all the young skaters, and I think, too, that the judges will resent it.attyfan said:
I've always thought she was fit to skate the cheesfests but not the GPs. Last year she did not even skate the cheesefests (or the Nats). I believe her body is ailing. What is so wrong with taking off a year and get the body working properly again? If it doesn't stop ailing after a year of exercise and recouperation then she should consider retirement from eligibility. There is no figure skater who can go on forever. duh.
Joe
Joesitz said:
I agree that one of her options is to take another year off to recuperate. My point is simply: many people have accused Michelle of using her "special status" to avoid the GP, etc.; if she wants to escape that accusation, but still is able to compete, then this season, she needs to do regionals and sectionals -- not the GP.
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- Jun 21, 2003
This is the "adult skating" program. Adult skating is more like recreational skating -- "fun for the whole family" sort of thing -- it is not for elite competitive skaters who got too old.seanibu said:
They do have serious competitions, however, including national championships. The U.S. national adult championship was in Ann Arbor a few years ago and I had a chance to go (as a spectator, LOL!) It was pretty cool. One guy landed a triple Axel! -- I think it was a first in U.S. Adult Skating history.
One thing I remember about the competition is that all the men skated beautiful lyrical programs and all the ladies skated upbeat flirty ones.
AFAIK there is no upper age limit for competing in the elite senior classification. Maria Butyrskaya won the world championship in 1999 at age 26 (beating 18-year-old Michelle, who entered the event with a 10-competition winning streak).
MM
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- Jul 11, 2003
Isn't that what Kristi's show is all about?
Joe
Joe
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- Jun 21, 2003
The strange thing about Kristi's show is that the winner gets (besides a cash prize and a feature in International Figure Skating magazine) a "one-year contract with Major League Figure Skating."
As far as I know, MLFS has been inactive for about two years now, so maybe they are using Kristi's show to give it a jump restart.
MM
As far as I know, MLFS has been inactive for about two years now, so maybe they are using Kristi's show to give it a jump restart.
MM
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- Mar 28, 2005
I would like Michelle to skate 1 more year if she plans to use the programs of 05-06, just because she went to all the work doing them and it would be a shame if she did not get to use them and we did not get to see them. Then after 06-07 pack it in, she should not want to leave the sport in 2010 the way Stojko did in 2002(or worse). So I hope to see her 1 more year, then see her on Stars on Ice.
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- Jul 26, 2003
A number of posters have mentioned her maybe going to SOI. I think that would be good but also doubtful. As I understand it, I think she has signed a contract with COI for several years. She and the owners have been really good friends as I understand it so I wonder if that would be possible? I know for her that it would probably be a really hard decision. I hope I'm wrong but that is the feeling I get.
I always understood that the Kwan family became good friends with Tom Collins, but he isn't running the show so much any more; instead, it is run by his son. Also, the people who were Michelle's closest friends on the tour (Brian B; Elvis; etc.) have retired, with the exception of Irina Slutskaya. So, there is an off chance that MK might be willing to leave COI. However, I doubt it. She has said that she wants to finish college -- this will be easier to do on the shorter, COI tour. Also, the work is easier (fewer numbers, etc.)
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
COI is a business. Since Michelle is super popular, she will reign in that show. Probably in SOI too. I don't know much about the business deals. As for competitive skating, her best bet is simply to do the cheesefests, imo. She has a very unique style of having the audience come to her whereas other skaters must reach out to the audience. I don't think there is much to say about her remaining competitive. She has been surpassed in the technical, imo, and working hard and not healthy will keep the tech limited.
Joe
Joe
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2006
Mathman said:This is the "adult skating" program. Adult skating is more like recreational skating -- "fun for the whole family" sort of thing -- it is not for elite competitive skaters who got too old.
They do have serious competitions, however, including national championships. The U.S. national adult championship was in Ann Arbor a few years ago and I had a chance to go (as a spectator, LOL!) It was pretty cool. One guy landed a triple Axel! -- I think it was a first in U.S. Adult Skating history.
One thing I remember about the competition is that all the men skated beautiful lyrical programs and all the ladies skated upbeat flirty ones.
AFAIK there is no upper age limit for competing in the elite senior classification. Maria Butyrskaya won the world championship in 1999 at age 26 (beating 18-year-old Michelle, who entered the event with a 10-competition winning streak).
MM
Good to know (SLS), I guess that answers the question of the "28 - 70" even thought the example of "26" was given - I remember that well - and am assuming that just because you are a certain age doesn't mean you have to be in an other classification / age group of comp. Does seem contradictory to the younger skaters not being able to, yet it is more understandable.
BTW, are you using a SUN box for you PC?
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- Mar 28, 2005
Mathman, the field at the 99 Worlds was extremely weak overall. Slutskaya had not qualified for Russia, Sokolova the best Russian on the GP series that year also had not. Hughes was a total raw newbie, and Cohen was not even a senior yet. Alot of skaters had left the amateur ranks following the 95-98 quadrennial, Chen, Bonaly, Lipinski. Nicole Bobek who was trying a comeback, injured herself before Nationals, so could not qualify for Worlds. Malinina and Soldatova were two of the "favorites" that year.
Kwan had a very bad competition for her standards and still won silver. Maria was able to win because she skated very well, and there was no alternative really.
Kwan had a very bad competition for her standards and still won silver. Maria was able to win because she skated very well, and there was no alternative really.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
When I post from work we have a system of a bunch of old Suns and other stuff cobbled together, LOL.Seanibu said:
About Maria's age, after winning the World championship in 1999 she continued in international competition until the 2002 Olympics, when she was 29. "Adult skating" (the 28-70 group) is not really a competitive classification (like Novice, Junior and Senior) -- it's kind of off to the side.
Yeah, this was Michelle at her peak and (as Peggy Fleming said at the time) the only way Michelle could lose was if she didn't show up. Basically, in the short program, she didn't, LOL.Slutskayafan said:
In the long, Maria would have won the title anyway, unless she slipped to third in the LP (which is what happend in 2000) -- but I have always been curious about whether the judges would have given it to Michelle if she had been second in the SP instead of third.
Julia Soldatova rocked! I thought she was The Next One. Funny how things work out.
Anyway, none of this takes away from Maria's medal. She skated the best, she won the championship.
MM
Kwan had some kind of flu at 99 Worlds and went on antibiotics. She had apparently resisted this becuase it throws of your balance but finally had to.
But worlds 99 was no worse than worlds 97 for kwan. She was simply sick although she did have 6 clean triples in the long because of turning out on the first luta, I beleive. It was the best long of Butraskaya's career (and probaly one of her top 3 shorts with 98 Oly and 00 worlds.)
We'll see how Kwan fairs if she regains health but its an odd subject because no one of her caliber (or even Sluteskayas) has stayed eligible that long for comparison.
But worlds 99 was no worse than worlds 97 for kwan. She was simply sick although she did have 6 clean triples in the long because of turning out on the first luta, I beleive. It was the best long of Butraskaya's career (and probaly one of her top 3 shorts with 98 Oly and 00 worlds.)
We'll see how Kwan fairs if she regains health but its an odd subject because no one of her caliber (or even Sluteskayas) has stayed eligible that long for comparison.
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- Mar 28, 2005
Mathman said:Yeah, this was Michelle at her peak and (as Peggy Fleming said at the time) the only way Michelle could lose was if she didn't show up. Basically, in the short program, she didn't, LOL.
In the long, Maria would have won the title anyway, unless she slipped to third in the LP (which is what happend in 2000) -- but I have always been curious about whether the judges would have given it to Michelle if she had been second in the SP instead of third.
Julia Soldatova rocked! I thought she was The Next One. Funny how things work out.
Anyway, none of this takes away from Maria's medal. She skated the best, she won the championship.
MM
Actually I think Maria would have won the long anyway since all the judges had her first in the long, and Michelle even had some second, but some 3rds and a 4th vote(no 1sts). So I dont think being 1st or 2nd after the short would have changed marks to that extent, maybe it would have given her a first place vote or two with the same skate, but that is it probably. Remember in the long Michelle stepped out of her first triple lutz, downgraded her triple toe-triple toe to a triple toe-double toe, and then replaced her last double axel with a triple, as well as singling her double axel. So a program that was supposed to have 7 triples, 2 triple lutzes, a triple-triple combination, and two double axels; ended up with 6 triples, 1 triple lutz, no triple-triple, and no double axel.
I felt badly for Malinina since this year was by far the best chance she would have had to medal, and that obvious to me even at the time. She would have won the bronze without her step out of the triple lutz in the short. Whereas with somebody like Soldatova you would have thought she would have alot more chances, and possably some gold ones in the future, as she developed, she looked very promising, while still in a very raw state. However once she changed citizenship it was over for her.
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- Feb 5, 2004
hockeyfan228 said:
And just like everyone else you have to BS your way through those questions since my honest answer would be no-one knows - hopefully still alive and in full health...who knows what's just around the corner! I can BS an employer with where i see myself 5 years from now, and half the time its as realistic seeing Kwan and Slutskaya at the 2010 Olympics - its just never gonna happen. I love their skating dearly but there's no way they can keep up the skills required and remain injury free for the next four years.
Ant
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- Feb 5, 2004
Joesitz said:
Well she's damned if she does and she's damned if she doesn't. The above scenario is one way of looking at it, the other is to say its a blow to the young kids in regionals and sectionals who won't make it out because a nine time national champion was made to skate the regionals and sectionals. I think if Michelle skates at regionals and sectionals the skater in 5th place at regionals and especially 5th place at sectionals would be more crushed than anyone if Michelle is given a bye to nationals. In fact i can't see who exactly would be hurt by kwan being given a bye to nationals...except maybe kwan herself from criticism from her detractors. I personally don't see the point of making kwan jump through hoops for pretty much beaurocratic reasons - mindlessly following the rules when she's a nine time US champion...i think we'd be hard pushed to find anyone in the skating community who can give a good reason as to why she should compete at regionals/sectionals short of just saying "rules are rules".
Joesitz said:
I agree with this though. If she does have chronic injuries then for her own health i think she'd be better off taking a real amount of time off from skating and training and really let her body heal...but maybe she has no interest in skating once she retires from elligible competition, maybe she'll just push herself for one more national title and say goodbye...risk of injury be damned especially if she doesn't want to do pro skating at all?
Ant
