Who will go Pro or retire after Turin?

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Why Irina in particular? Is it because she needs the money to pay for her family's health bills?
Otherwise mostly in agreement with what you and everyone else said.
insecureedge

It's a question of AGE and Irina is older than MK. The fans on this Board will nitpick them for staying on. I think most fans (and judges) enjoy watching teenagers winning Olys. I believe MK has a big fan base in the US and IS has a big fan base in the World but new skaters come along quite readily and fan bases change. Both these Ladies have had an excellent run with their fans. I also suspect that both would like to be mothers. JMO.

Joe

 

[ceg15]

Oh, I'm pretty sure that plushenko will turn pro if he wins the OGM in 2006. He's had many accomplishments, he would've had his time and I think he will likely retire and go pro like the rest. I highly doubt he would wait around for the next olympics.

 

[wvgal57]

It's been reported in many Russian magazines that Irina is a wise business woman who has invested wisely and that she is quite wealthy. She does pay for her lots of her moms medical bills but that doesn't mean she is skating just to pay for them.

Irina also has a job with television as a sports commentator and she has a couple other things she is looking at post eligible skating.

 

[ceg15]

Good for Irina, I think that's great! She always seemed like a very smart lady!

 

[Vash01]

Why Irina in particular? Is it because she needs the money to pay for her family's health bills?

Otherwise mostly in agreement with what you and everyone else said.

insecureedge

I was referring to Irina's health problems since last year. Whether she competes or not, tours or not, skates or not depends on her health. That should not be hard to understand.

Right now she is responding to the treatment. It does not mean it will always be like this. She could get better or worse.

 

[insecureedge]

I was referring to Irina's health problems since last year.

I got you now. I had mistakenly applied your parenthetical comment in the original post, "(in Irina's case in particular this is important)" to the notion of "Michelle and Irina will turn pro or retire after 2006 Olympics" instead of the immediately preceding clause of "I don't see either of them retiring before the 2006 Olympics if they are healthy." Looking at the responses above, I was not the only one to misconstrue what was modifying what. [End grammar discussion]

insecureedge

 

[R.D.]

MK: I think it may depend on her motivation. If she happens to win gold, I do see her stepping out. If she doesn't, she might stay in for another year or so before calling it quits.

IS: I think it depends on her health, among other things. She has expressed interest to do other things so I think she's outta here no matter where she places.

I agree with others about Cohen that if she wins (unlikely) she's outta here. I do think that she may stick around for worlds '06 to see if she can win it or not (assuming she doesn't win '05), then leave.

 

[kasia16]

But of the top teams, the only ones I see retiring after Torino are Shen/Zhao, Petrova/Tikhonov, and Zagorska/Siudek...

According to that what they wrote on the one of Polish forums, they're going to stay eligible till season 2006/2007 when European Championships will take place in Poland (Warsaw). After that they'd like to skate in some shows (but not too long) and coach somewhere in Poland.

 

[doubleaxelcm]

I love post-Olympic years. There's so many fresh faces.

I've always found post-olympic years essentially a bore. What was exciting in 2003?

 

[R.D.]

I'll tell you...there was the anticipation of Hughes coming back (the first olympics champ in a while to do so) and a potential Hughes/Cohen rivalry (which of course didn't happen ), and the rise of the Japanese ladies.

 

[insecureedge]

I'll tell you...there was the anticipation of Hughes coming back (the first olympics champ in a while to do so) and a potential Hughes/Cohen rivalry (which of course didn't happen ), and the rise of the Japanese ladies.

Going into the post-Olympic season, maybe I would agree. By the time Worlds came along, however, we had Irina out of Worlds tending her mother's illness after a season of subpar skating, Hughes underperforming as shown by her underrotated jumps in US Nationals 2003, and the Japanese women keeping steady with Fumie Suguri winning bronze again, Yoshie Onda finishing fifth, and Shizuka Arakawa falling out on a spin to finish 8th?. With Sasha Cohen's short program fall after a GPF win, I would say that Elena Sokolova once-in-a-lifetime SP and reasonable 3-3 in the LP and Carolina Kostner's 3-3 in the SP were not enough to derail Michelle Kwan's (well-earned) victory parade. IMHO 2003 was indeed a somewhat :indiff: year for the ladies apart from Kwan's resurgence.

insecureedge

 

[Fossi]

I think Irina will retire after the Olympics. I have read that she is very wealthy and doesn't really need the money, so I think it's the thought of winning gold, and loving skating that keep her going right now. After the Olympics she may feel her health and family are most important. I know she has been ill, but she is obviously very healthy and strong right now. I hope she enjoys life. I don't remember Irina talking much about anything past Worlds in Moscow, but I think she'll be strong at the Olympics.

I think Michelle Kwan will retire after Olympics, but then again who knows? I thought she'd retire after SLC. I thought that's what Fields of Gold was all about. But she's still here and one of the top guns in the world.

I think Sasha Cohen will retire. She wanted to retire after SLC, but Sarah Hughes spoiled her plan! :agree: Back injuries are a serious thing and we don't need another skater that ends up like Lipinski where people are asking "whatever happened to her? "

I think Angela N will retire. Such a beautiful skater. Like Cohen she has so much potential, but she is not emotionally strong and not mentally touch. She's so demure and fragile. So sad.

I think Fumie will retire. Grace on ice and beautiful to watch.

I think Shizuka will retire. Sad to say. She is awesome!!!!

Last but not least, maybe Sarah will officially retire. I love this girl and she keeps us all guessing. Come back Sarah!

 

[mzheng]

My guess, MK, IS, SA, SC would retired after 2006 Olympics, win gold or not, win medal or not.

SC, unless she got her jumps consistancy down, she would have the difficulty to compete with Japanese Lady's next crop. She would most likely join show skating and become one of the most popular show skaters. Or open her own fashine bussiness.

SA, she said herself she would've retired had she not won last year WC.

IS, ditto to every one above said.

MK, she implied in one of her interview this season. Now she realized there will be an END. and she has the advantage having a full bloon just let go when time comes. She would do some coaching. Is it true that Danny Kwan built a rink somewhere at Cal?

 

[Germanice]

... I believe MK has a big fan base in the US and IS has a big fan base in the World ...

Well said!

Anke

 

[Linny]

Post-Olympic

What was exciting post-Olympics? Shen and Zhao, Washington DC, 2003.
Linny

 

[millyskate]

Sasha Cohen is definately made to be a pro rather than a competitive skater. I think she won't stay ona fter turin.
Michelle and Irina have to leave some time (third olys for both) and after turin seems sensible enough.
Plushy, IMO, will win and turn pro. Baboo, i'm concerned, is very disavantaged by COP and unless the system changes will not place well at turin. He will therefore have problems in selling himself as a pro. With no potential pairs partner in the country for him (french individual champ barely landing double axels), i think his only option is to stay on after turin and take advantage of retirements to try and get some medals again. Sandhu will turn pro oguess as well shen and zhao, totmianina and marinin and shizuka arakawa.

 

[Jhar55]

Michelle always said she didn't want to turn Pro so maybe she'll just retire. I could see her teaching younger children to skate then maybe work her self up to more elite skaters. So a few shows with COI, just don't see her skating with SOI.
Heck she just might go back and finish school, what ever path she lead it will be one of her own choosing.

 

[chuckm]

Fossi: " I think Irina will retire after the Olympics. I have read that she is very wealthy and doesn't really need the money, so I think it's the thought of winning gold, and loving skating that keep her going right now. After the Olympics she may feel her health and family are most important. I know she has been ill, but she is obviously very healthy and strong right now. I hope she enjoys life. I don't remember Irina talking much about anything past Worlds in Moscow, but I think she'll be strong at the Olympics.

I do NOT think Irina is wealthy at all. Irina is the sole support of her mother, who is very, very ill with kidney failure. Irina had to pay up front for a kidney transplant for her mother, but the transplant failed, and her mother is on dialysis several times a week while she awaits a second transplant. Irina herself was off the ice for more than a year while she was ill, not earning any money, and she ran up sizable hospital bills. I have read an interview where Irina said if it were not for her friends, she wouldn't have been able to get by.

Why do you think Irina skated in the Marshall's Spring cheesefest, and then at COI this summer, when she had just resumed skating after a long absence. And why do you think she skated at CoR, then traveled to the US to skate at the Marshall's cheesefest, then back to China for the GPF? Irina did all those events and appearances BECAUSE SHE NEEDED THE MONEY.

Her mother needs another kidney transplant, and once again Irina will have to pay up front. Besides that, Irina has a chronic illness. She is in remission right now, but she is well aware that at any time, she can have a relapse and not be able to skate. If you notice, Irina isn't making any long-range plans, but is taking it one day at a time---I have never heard Irina make any reference to Torino. She won't even discuss Worlds, just Russian Nationals--her next competition.

 

[Kuchana]

Michelle always said she didn't want to turn Pro so maybe she'll just retire.

What????? Is that true?????

 

[Mathman]

She has said that in the past. When she was very young she thought that she would go out there and win a bunch of World and Olympic medals, and then when she had had enough, just walk away.

In her press conference interview (on the other htread) she says:

Reporter: "What does longevity mean? When will it be enough?"

MK: "It will be hard for me to walk off the ice some day. Right now I take one thing at a time."

And:

Reporter: "Are you surprised to see some skaters turn professional so young?"

MK: "I am surprised to see certain skaters turn professional. Right now it is the best of both worlds. I can enjoy summers on tour and I can have an amateur career as well."

But the lady might change her mind. She might compete until the 2007 season, then "retire" in the sense of still doing COI (why not, if she still enjoys it?). They might also restructure the cheesefests for her, especially if othe skaters like Irina, Sasha and Shizuka come out at the same time.

Mathman