Michelle Kwan Euphoria

[christinaskater]

I love Michelle Kwan and I have seen her live during the 1998 US Nationals LP, 2001 Worlds Free Skate, the 2003 Worlds LP and the 2004 US Nationals LP and when she is in the crowd- there is a certain energy and feeling of euphoria when she is on the ice. It is a feeling that rarely happens to me- the only other person to make me feel euphoric was Pope John Paul II!

It was an absolutely incredible experience seeing her live! If in the TV you feel the euphoria and the magic- well if you see her live it really takes it to an even higher level!

 

[evangeline]

I am very envious.

I'm willing to trade my younger brother's soul and my life-size Stephane Lambiel cheese sculpture in exchange for going back in time to see Michelle perform at the 1998 US Nationals, but unfortunately that's not quite enough.

Also, I don't think Michelle would approve.

 

[christinaskater]

I love Michelle! Watching her live is the greatest ever!

Seeing her smile and seeing her get into the zone is amazing. How she becomes lost in the music and how she meshes perfectly the technique and artistry! It is a sublime feeling and a surreal experience! She is ethereal in every way!

It is worth all the money to see her skate- so when she skates again , then I will definitely go there!

 

[Olympia]

You lucky duck! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. There have been quite a few truly great skaters (counting all the disciplines), but no one else is like Michelle for that combination of technique and profound musicality. A century from now, if skating still exists, her name will still be on the list of all-time top skaters, and people will be watching her on three-dimensional life-sized UsTube or whatever.

I saw her live once, and I was way up in the nosebleed section of an arena, so all I could see was an aerial view, but the roar that went up around the stadium was electric when she skated onto the ice. I still treasure the experience, and I treasure her entire career.

 

[kwanatic]

Good lord! You saw so many magnificent performances!! I do envy you quite a bit. I've only seen her live twice, when she came to Atlanta with COI. I really wish I could have been at Phillips Arena for her performance at Nationals here in 2004, but I was away at college in Statesboro, GA...4 hours away. :scowl: I so wish I could have been there for that. *sigh* I do miss the Kwan Magic she was capable of bringing to the ice...

 

[Mathman]

I am very envious.

I'm willing to trade my younger brother's soul...Also, I don't think Michelle would approve.

And what would Pope John Paul II say?!

...and my life-size Stephane Lambiel cheese sculpture...

The curious thing is that I just googled "Stephane Lambiel cheese sculture" and got 1660 matches. :yes:

 

[goldenpleasures]

I love Michelle! Watching her live is the greatest ever!

Seeing her smile and seeing her get into the zone is amazing. How she becomes lost in the music and how she meshes perfectly the technique and artistry! It is a sublime feeling and a surreal experience! She is ethereal in every way!

It is worth all the money to see her skate- so when she skates again , then I will definitely go there!

Gush, gush, gush. Really, it's all a bit much.

 

[demarinis5]

^^ Did you not see the thread title. It is a gush thread for the Kween.

 

[meem]

I count my blessings that I got to see MK up close during a COI show a couple weeks after she won '96 Nationals. We sat exactly where the judges would have been sitting if it were a competition so she skated "for us". She performed both her SP and LP, and that Salome character? Near the end of the LP, as she flew past us, she made that (for lack of a better description) dramatic eye expression (briefly closed her eyes, then jerked her head up & opened her eyes wide), a gesture that just went with the character and music. It was stunning and thrilling. MK and Lori Nichols were one incredible team. I'm just sad that she no longer seems to skate to nonvocal music. Wish I could have seen her skate to East of Eden live.

 

[silverpond]

Wow, are you lucky! I loved Michelle's "Salome", as that was her break-through performance, elevating her from a purely technical skater to one of the great all-around skaters of all time.

And her "Lyrica Angela" long program at the 1998 Nationals was one of the most memorable ever performed at Nationals, in my opinion. Her flow, technique, jumps, expression, etc. were just so stunning and so PERFECT. When the slew of 6.0s was displayed, the audience went crazy, and so did many of us who were watching the performance live, but in television!

I think it may be a very long time before the US produces another skater on the caliber of Michelle Kwan, if in fact, that is even possible.

Thanks so much for sharing your memories with us.

 

[christinaskater]

I was always telling my mom before to bring me to see Michelle Kwan and she was really the best- she would buy tickets quickly, book because she knows I love Michelle and she is my inspiration! Watching her is like experiencing heaven here on earth.

 

[herios]

I will re-balance the euphoria here. Seeing a skater you are rooting for is a great experience ideed, but for me , who was a neutral viewer in her case, the 2 times I got exposure to see her life, she got beaten by Irina S. and rightfully so. So I cannot really cherrish those experiences as far as Michelle's great performances is cocerned.

 

[Olympia]

Ooh, which competitions did you see live, Herios? That sounds tantalizing. Who else skated? Did you see just the ladies, or did you get to watch other disciplines? Tell more!

Michelle isn't perfection itself...no one is. But her gift was that (at least when viewed from my vantage point on TV) she was able not only to get into "the zone" but to bring many of us in along with her, and that's rare to find. Moreover, she was able to achieve that effect not just during exhibitions but in competitions. I never got that feeling from Tara, for example, though I do hope she has a fan base that feels that ardent about her. Every skater should have such devoted fans, considering how hard they all work. But Michelle does seem to have an extra dose of X factor, as evidenced by the way she's spoken of even now. I don't like to use a word as loaded as "revered" for an earthly person, but she's certainly regarded in a very rare way by skate fans of all levels of knowledge and expertise (i.e., the ones who can tell a loop from a salchow as well as the ones who are just there for the spangles).

 

[christinaskater]

Who else her have seen Michelle Kwan skate?

I wish she would skate in more shows and exhibitions!

 

[christinaskater]

I think she is one of the biggest stars the sport has ever produced. Among the women- I think Katarina Witt, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamil, Michelle Kwan are the biggest skating stars ever. I think MK is the biggest ever- especially in terms of achievement and longevity.

 

[christinaskater]

9 TIME US CHAMPION
5 TIME WORLD CHAMPION and 9 TIME WORLD MEDALIST!
2 TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST

 

[dorispulaski]

I was lucky enough to see Michelle skate a few times. My favorite was seeing her SP to The Feeling Begins in 2003 in in Worlds in Washington, DC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDTYqmcDFpM

And being part of the audience when she skated her LP at the same event, and won her 5th Worlds Championship was wonderful too.

 

[Olympia]

Just when I thought I couldn't get more jealous!

What a magnificent experience that must have been.

 

[Dee4707]

And what would Pope John Paul II say?!

Just curious Math, why John Paul II???

 

[Mathman]

^ I was responding to the original post on this thread, where Christinaskater mentioned the blessed feelings that this particular leader of the Church invoked in her.