While I wish that at least some of the other great champions who were nominated had been elected, I can not deny that Kwan deserves her place. It is a shame however, that some champions have had to wait nearly 50 years to get in only to fall short at the finish line. Djikstra leads a quiet life based on the documentary of her life I saw a few years ago an likely does not have the interest in lobbying for her own induction. In addition,she probably does not have a wealth of youtube vids of her skating and legions of eager, internet savvy fans boosting her nomination. Sad.
As for the comments about DC by Skateluvr, I take great exception to their tone and the overall stereotype they perpetrate. As a native and lifelong resident of DC, I am most familiar with the standard meme that outsiders have pushed about DC being full of nothing but political players living off the taxes of hard working Americans. The only problem is that impression is a complete myth used by politicians in their election campaigns back home to prove their strong ties to their local roots. In truth DC is two cities in one. There is the much smaller but better known federal identity it occupies as the seat of national government. Then there is the quieter yet larger role it plays as a 200 year old city with a rich local, ethnic, religious, cultural, and geographic history. BTW, the vast majority of people who live and work here do not work in jobs that are connected to the federal government generally or politics specifically. But those that do, keep the unseen yet vital government services we all depend on working and flowing. That is the DC I and everyone else who lives here knows and loves.
As for why Kwan has chosen to live here, it makes sense for many reasons. Beyond the obvious work related reasons, she may have plenty of personal reasons. As I have stated, DC is not some cesspool. We have families and communities with deep deep roots here (my own has lived here uninterrupted since the mid 1800s with not one politician among the bunch); fine weather most of the year; seasonal cultural and ethnic festivals; multiple water ways; a large urban forest which is bigger than Central Park with plenty of hiking and biking trails; a team from every major pro sports league; beautiful parks and gardens; gorgeous cathedrals and other religious landmarks; the world's largest collection of museums and art galleries; excellent universities and hospitals; hundreds of historic sites highlighting the birth of our nation and its steady growth; a thriving community of military families; beaches a short drive to the east and skiing a short drive to the west; VA wine country to the south and MD fishing hotspots to the north and east; one of the nation's most treasured watersheds; easy public transit; a growing restaurant scene; a thriving arts scene from major theaters and small community companies to local art galleries; and a bustling downtown core along with thriving shopping and nightlife districts. All of which has made DC proper grow faster than any state in the last year with one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country. The DC metro area also contains one of the highest concentrations of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants in the country at about twice the national average. She may well have family connections here. BTW, DC is also home to many figure skaters in case anyone forgot.
My point is there are plenty of reasons for anyone, famous or otherwise, to choose to live here short or long term. Politics is only a small part of what makes DC either important or special. Washingtonians are tired of having to defend ourselves against popular misconceptions about us created by lazy superficial ideas.
As for the comments about DC by Skateluvr, I take great exception to their tone and the overall stereotype they perpetrate. As a native and lifelong resident of DC, I am most familiar with the standard meme that outsiders have pushed about DC being full of nothing but political players living off the taxes of hard working Americans. The only problem is that impression is a complete myth used by politicians in their election campaigns back home to prove their strong ties to their local roots. In truth DC is two cities in one. There is the much smaller but better known federal identity it occupies as the seat of national government. Then there is the quieter yet larger role it plays as a 200 year old city with a rich local, ethnic, religious, cultural, and geographic history. BTW, the vast majority of people who live and work here do not work in jobs that are connected to the federal government generally or politics specifically. But those that do, keep the unseen yet vital government services we all depend on working and flowing. That is the DC I and everyone else who lives here knows and loves.
As for why Kwan has chosen to live here, it makes sense for many reasons. Beyond the obvious work related reasons, she may have plenty of personal reasons. As I have stated, DC is not some cesspool. We have families and communities with deep deep roots here (my own has lived here uninterrupted since the mid 1800s with not one politician among the bunch); fine weather most of the year; seasonal cultural and ethnic festivals; multiple water ways; a large urban forest which is bigger than Central Park with plenty of hiking and biking trails; a team from every major pro sports league; beautiful parks and gardens; gorgeous cathedrals and other religious landmarks; the world's largest collection of museums and art galleries; excellent universities and hospitals; hundreds of historic sites highlighting the birth of our nation and its steady growth; a thriving community of military families; beaches a short drive to the east and skiing a short drive to the west; VA wine country to the south and MD fishing hotspots to the north and east; one of the nation's most treasured watersheds; easy public transit; a growing restaurant scene; a thriving arts scene from major theaters and small community companies to local art galleries; and a bustling downtown core along with thriving shopping and nightlife districts. All of which has made DC proper grow faster than any state in the last year with one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country. The DC metro area also contains one of the highest concentrations of Asian Americans and Asian immigrants in the country at about twice the national average. She may well have family connections here. BTW, DC is also home to many figure skaters in case anyone forgot.
My point is there are plenty of reasons for anyone, famous or otherwise, to choose to live here short or long term. Politics is only a small part of what makes DC either important or special. Washingtonians are tired of having to defend ourselves against popular misconceptions about us created by lazy superficial ideas.