Two new articles on Kwan possible comeback
- Thread starter visaliakid
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Mathman said:
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Figure skater Michelle Kwan recieved her degree from DU yesterday. She had a grade point average of 4.0, 4.0, 3.9, and from the Russian judge, 2.1
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Off-topic but similar theme: I liked a quote (several actually) from "When Harry Met Sally."
Harry Burns: Had my dream again where I'm making love, and the Olympic judges are watching. I'd nailed the compulsories, so this is it, the finals. I got a 9.8 from the Canadians, a perfect 10 from the Americans, and my mother, disguised as an East German judge, gave me a 5.6. Must have been the dismount.
How deep was this "East vs West" judging ingrained in North American culture? And was it the same for our friends from the East?
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- Jun 21, 2003
The Soviet sports apparatus had a string of bad luck in the late 1970s.
By 1976 the situation in figure skating judging had gotten so outrageous that all Soviet judges were banned from officiating at any ISU event for a year.
At the 1976 Olympics a Soviet fencer was caught using a rigged epee that would light up a false "touche" at the press of a concealed button. The Soviet Olympic Committee -- caught red-handed -- issued this statement:
In 1977 the entire Romanian gymnastics team, including Olympic gold medallist Nadia Comanici, pulled out of the European championship because of biased Soviet judging. (The president of the International Gymnastics Federation was a well-known former Soviet champion.)
In March, 1980, challenger Victor Korchnoi, a Soviet defector, was to play Tigran Petrosian for the world chess championship. Five days before the match was to start, Soviet authorities arrested Korchnoi's son and sent him to prison in Siberia as a "particularly dangerous criminal."
I am not sure of the date, but at some point the IOC decided to implement sex tests to make sure that "female" athletes were really female. Soviet "sisters" Tamara and Irina Press, former Olympic gold medalists in track and field, instantly disappeared from public view, never again to be seen.
Is all this the unvarished truth or one-sided propoganda? Here is a book about it, written from an anti-Soviet point of view. (You can read it on line.)
Olympic sports and propaganda games By Barukh Hazan
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- Jul 11, 2003
But Sasha has been skating in SOI for the past 3 years. It's not like she had surgery or anything outside of skating. Sasha is good skater and if she is spending time with Rafael to get a 3x3 she can be competitive. I don't rule her out. Also she knows what she is doing by skipping the preliminary comps.
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- May 15, 2009
mathman, I appreciate your post. I remember seeing on "60 minutes" the fate of a group of E. German female swimmers - almost all dead or bedridden before age 40 from excessive steroid use given to them by their National team coaches and doctors. A sad story and the interview from one of the swimmers practically brought me to tears. She claimed most of the girls never knew they were being force fed massive doses of steroids/drugs and she thought they grew such big muscles from hard training and a special diet. This particular girl died a few months after the interview of a rare form of cancer. It was so suspicious watching these swimmers back in the 80's - and I always knew US girls would have beaten them easily in a fair contest. Atleast our girls are still healthy and alive today.
But I am sure there are stories about excesses of Western sporting programs.
I was actually curious how this plays out in popular culture - of the West and East. Jimmie Kimmel's joke about Michelle's grade point average or the 'Harry and Sally" joke about his mother disguised as an E. German judge was more of what I had in mind. It is interesting to think that 20 years after the "cold war" a late night American comedian would crack a joke about the old cold war scoring battles and controversies that went on. Or to hear a joke about it in a Holllywood movie. That shows the cross cultural effect and I was curious if there are other examples anyone can think of - and most definitely to hear the views from members here that are from the East.
I did not mean for this to be the same old argument - but a more lighthearted look into how much of this was absorbed into the popular culture of society both East and West. Maybe I think of strange topics.....
But I am sure there are stories about excesses of Western sporting programs.
I was actually curious how this plays out in popular culture - of the West and East. Jimmie Kimmel's joke about Michelle's grade point average or the 'Harry and Sally" joke about his mother disguised as an E. German judge was more of what I had in mind. It is interesting to think that 20 years after the "cold war" a late night American comedian would crack a joke about the old cold war scoring battles and controversies that went on. Or to hear a joke about it in a Holllywood movie. That shows the cross cultural effect and I was curious if there are other examples anyone can think of - and most definitely to hear the views from members here that are from the East.
I did not mean for this to be the same old argument - but a more lighthearted look into how much of this was absorbed into the popular culture of society both East and West. Maybe I think of strange topics.....
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- Dec 29, 2004
Kyla,
I just want to see Michelle compete again... her reputation and record are so far & away superior to most, that I don't see this as a negative in any regard. Do I expect her to win the Olympics? No. But does she have a shot at a 10th National title? Based on what I saw last year, yes. Tufts will be there. That title might not be...
C'mon Michelle - come on back and give this generation a run for their money!
Not to mention, Kwan on ice is the equalivent of a skating stimulus package...
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- Sep 27, 2005
http://figureskating.teamusa.org/athlete - Michelle is listed as one of the USFS athletes.
OMG Id be over the moon
:yes:
OMG Id be over the moon
:yes:
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- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
So, totally true IMO. I think a lot of people would pay to see her at Nationals again.
I, for one, would love to see what she would do with a COP friendly program - by all reports from 2006, she was performing a COP friendly program.
Anyway, I think she deserves at least the opportunity for another Nationals just to allow her to finish they way she wants to and for the fans to get a 'last' look. I'm pretty sure that this is 'it' for her and that there won't be a possibility of her competing after 2010 at the Oly level or even any level (considering the state of pro skating right now.)
Even if she decides not to compete, I would love it if the USFSA invited her to do a special performance at the post competition gala.
http://figureskating.teamusa.org/athlete - Michelle is listed as one of the USFS athletes.
OMG Id be over the moon
So her listing at USFS is a recent addition???
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- Sep 27, 2005
I just want to see her long program choreographed by Tarasova.
:yes: me too!! Even if just for an exhibition
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- Jan 14, 2008
And several U.S. ladies who already have Grand Prix spots are not listed (not to mention they also misspell Rachael Flatt's name). So what does that tell you?
USFSA.org has the official A, B and C teams listed here: http://www.usfigureskating.org/Athletes.asp?id=209
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