Why is Sarah H so unpopular with so many?

[NorthernLite]

Sarah is not unpoplular with her Canuck fans! I really loved her style. I think she was unappreciated by her US fans ...

I've also noticed that a few of Sarah's strongest online supporters were from Canada.

As someone who was a big fan of hers since early 1999, I can assure you she was always picked on a great deal by Internet fans. It had nothing to do with SLC, because it's always been that way.

I enjoyed Sarah's personality on the ice, her competitiveness, her big, deeply edged stroking, her pushing the envelope, her spins, her steady rise to the top. She's so underappreciated, I sometimes have to remind people how succesful she was on the GP circuit, for instance.

(And although I was partly watching CBC during the OOOOOs, I have a recollection that the *US* network didn't seem to pay much attention to her prior to the freeskate. Had they even mentioned she was the then-World bronze medalist? This contributed to the casual viewer's impression that she'd come out of complete nowhere.)

When she won the OGM I didn't want to read certain boards because I'd thought fanatical fans of other skaters would tear her apart. But people were very fair in acknowledging that she had the knockout punch. However, as time goes by, people have again started to nitpick even about that win.

I've had the pleasure of getting to watch high-level skaters in their everyday practices. Now some of those skaters have been favorites of mine to begin with. But watching them also reminds me -and makes me appreciate- how hard ALL skaters work. I try to remember that, and not snark as much about skaters I don't care for.

 

[show 42]

To me, the problem doesn't lie with Sarah at all, it's the over-blown importance winning the Oly gold garners on a person. To the casual fan of skating or to those who only know about figure skating because of the "fanfare" that the media brings to the Olympics, winning an Oly gold, in any sport, must automatically mean you are the best at what you do.........period, and not just the best at what you did that performance. World championship winners do not, in comparison to Oly winners, get the same publicity, notoriety, endorsements, etc.

It was said that "Sarah has won the big title", so she doesn't have to compete anymore, wasn't allowed to try and win a National or a World title that would have given her more of a "figure skating resume".

I guess you could say she "peaked" at either the right time or the wrong time........it depends on your perspective.......but she'll "always be a lady to me"............42

 

[berthes ghost]

I disagree Show. I think that the idea that the Oly gold is the be all and end all of skating comes directly from the skating establishment. Everyone perscribes to it: the skaters, the TV commentators, the journalists, the federations heads, the judges, everyone.

If Kwan walks away from Torino without gold and says that it didn't define her or her place in the sport, I think that she will literally be the first in the sport to do so.

Hughes may have moved on to other things, but she still gets in plenty of "I have the Oly gold, and no one can take that away!" sound bites at every chance.

 

[show 42]

Berthe..........I agree with what you say about the "skating establishment" promoting the Oly Gold as the end all to skating, but do you think this is true in other sports as well? I keep thinking of the speed skater in the last Olympics who won the gold because the skaters in front of him fell..............42

 

[berthes ghost]

Well, I can certainly think of several sports where the Oly is more an after thought than the big goal. Kim Cleisters is the most obvious example: can you imagine MK not going to Torino because she can't wear Vera Wang?

What other sports totally revolve around the Olys? Hmm...maybe gymnastics? Ski jumping? Track&Field? Diving? If it weren't for the Olys, I'm not sure I'd have any idea who Burt Connors, Carl Lewis or Greg Louganis were. I still can't name a single ski jumper.

 

[sk8m8]

Berta, I surprised at you...

don't you remember EDDIE ‘THE EAGLE' EDWARDS, Great Britain's answer to the "agony of defeat". This man may own the record of the SHORTEST distance ever attempted at a ski jump competition


See Berta, you're smarter than you think LOL

Love sk8m8(mark)

 

[hockeyfan228]

What other sports totally revolve around the Olys? Hmm...maybe gymnastics? Ski jumping? Track&Field? Diving?

It depends on where. Track and Field is HUGE in Europe and Japan, and the biannual World Championships are considered as prestigious, because longevity and consistency are key and recognized. Also in a lot of winter sports, the World Cup -- repeated excellence over a long season -- is an equal prize, even if the Olympics is big.

Let's take ski-jumping: In 2001-2, Adam Malysz of Poland, considered to be one of the, if not the, greatest ski jumper of the last 8-10 years, won another World Cup title, and Sven Hannevald won the Four Hills Championship by winning each of the four competitions -- four different venues in a week -- which was a virtual miracle. If anything, Americans remember Simon Amman, a rather unlikely two-event winner at SLC, probably because the broadcasters kept harping on how much he looked like Harry Potter. While I'm sure it was disappointing for Malysz and Hannevald -- the latter, in his late 20's, is a virtual old man of the sport and peaked rather late -- it's not Olympics or nothing, certainly not among the crowds who stand in the snow and sleet and wind and cold every year in the same places to watch all of the races in the circuit.

This year an injured Malysz left the circuit just before the end, at the time in seventh place. While Amman has been competitive in some events, he isn't even top ten in the World Cup, which, by the way, was won by Finland's Janne Ahonen, in a 10-point squeaker over Norway's Roar Ljoekelsoey, who won the last event of the year, in which Amman figured with the longest jump, but bad technique.

It's the commercial aspects of the Olympics that make them so big in this country. Who ever heard of a 23-year-old Olympic gold medallist in biathlon or cross-country skiing retiring after winning a gold medal, even if it brings them recognition, sponsorships, and dates with supermodels in their native countries/regions? Just not going to happen. Even former top gymnasts stay on to help the next team, even if their star has been eclipsed by the newest young, tiny thing.

 

[berthes ghost]

I do remember Eddie quite well, you're right.

 

[Yazmeen]

I think Michelle herself changed the perception of the OGM being the be all and end all in skating competitions along with a little help from Nancy Kerrigan. Prior to 1992, the OGM was the ultimate prize not only from a competitive point of view but from an endorsement point of view, especially for American skaters, particularly the Ladies. Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill went on to much pro success, media adoration and star power in shows and the endorsement arena, whereas Linda Fratianne and Roz Sumners were almost "stigmatized" a bit when they came in second. They still both did quite well but to be blunt, their money earning potential especially was a bit dampened by the fact that they didn't win. (Not to mention Roz and Debi Thomas after her dealing with the charismatic and "easy on the eyes" Kat Witt who was the first non-America lady to make a big impact in the US). In 1992, Nancy did almost as well as Kristi in publicity and endorsement-wise. In fact, I think she suceeded Kristi at first (mostly because of the heavy "All America Skating Sweetheart" promotion of her looks and some anti-Japanese sentiment at the time because of the state of the American Economy) although Kristi was the big winner in the long run both career wise and endorsement wise. Nancy went on to even more attention and success in the public arena in 1994 with all the attention to the whack.

Then something really unusual happened in 1998. The American ladies placed one and two, but the SILVER medalist ended up being the lady who endeared herself to the public and fans more and ended up with greater success endorsement wise, and frankly, skating wise. Tara was viewed as an adorable but somewhat cocky kid who "took the money and ran" at an age where the fans and general public expected her to stay in and keep competing. Michelle oozed grace and sportsmanship and vowed to stay in the eligible race giving us many more years of triumph, dazzling skating and yes, a little more Olympic heartbreak.

I had to smile at the poster who commented on Sarah and the "I won gold, no-one can take it away." Its funny, previous American ladies like Dorothy and Peggy and Kristi talk fondly of their OGM experiences but rarely use statements like that. It was Tara who constantly repeated the mantra of "I won the OGM, its forever, no-one can take it away from me" in a rather defensive manner, which I always presumed came from puzzlement and some irritation that Michelle ended up with the "Dorothy Hamill" star package after the O's even though she won the OGM. I think in Sarah's case, (she's said it, too admittedly) its more a way of explaining that she won the big one and is ready to move on, sort of an tag line when she explains why she has chosen to step away from skating in favor of education.

There will always be people who dismiss Michelle if she never wins an OGM as a "loser" just as there will be those who try to dminish its value because Michelle hasn't won it. In America, we have it hammered into our heads that second place is "first loser," and you "don't win the silver, you lose the gold." It depends on how you look at it and not everyone will ever agree; however, the climate in figure skating has somewhat changed because of Michelle's long string of accomplishments and Sarah's one huge victory and Tara leaving almost as soon as she arrived. We won't look at the Olympics and the OGM quite the same ever again.

 

[Lynn51]

Great post, Yaz!

Lynn

 

[Lillehammer 94]

Yazmeen, I enjoyed reading your above comments. In my opinion what hurt figure skating in regards to the SLC Winter Games was the pairs competition judging debacle. People overall cast a negative light on figure skating as a whole - including the Ladies Singles competition in SLC. Olympic figure skating will bounce back from this to be sure.
The public at large is responsible for making the Ladies Singles Olympic Gold medalist a Worldwide celeb. That includes Tara Lipinski. I'm sure Tara will never have to work another day in her life if she manages her money well. And this is just money earned from her OGM status.
The key work is cycles. Remeber Janet Lynn never won an OGM and yet she is still regarded as a huge skating star from yesteryear. My understanding also is that Janet Lynn became quite wealthy as a figure skating star and this was back in the pre Dorothy Hamill era of the early to mid 70's.
History has then proven that the OGM is not the be all and end all - yet I would never take any glory away from the ladies who have won this most prestigous competition. Once again it is the public at large that has made the OGM as big as it is and I personally don't see this ever changing in my lifetime.

 

[show 42]

Yazmeen and Lillehammer..............well said............42

 

[mzheng]

Yaz, great post. I enjoyed it.

 

[clairecloutier]

Great post, Yazmeen. I totally agree with your analysis. I also agree with Berthe that the prestige of the OGM is conferred as much by the skating establishment as anyone else.

It does seem like pretty much everyone in the establishment subscribes to the belief that the OGM is the ultimate honor. For example, before Salt Lake, I believe even Peggy Fleming was quoted in the NY Times as saying that if Michelle didn't win the OGM, she might not be considered one of the all-time greats. (Or something like that.) And Scott Hamilton has always made it very clear that he believes the OGM is the be-all and end-all. I well remember his comments about Kurt Browning when Kurt was sitting in the kiss-and-cry in Lillehammer after flubbing his short program. Scott noted that Kurt was a four-time world champion, then said: "And I know he would trade every one of those world titles" for a clean short program.

The emphasis on the OGM was also very noticeable in Katia Gordeeva's book, My Sergei. In the book, Katia devotes many pages to the 1988 and 1994 Games, describing in detail how she and Sergei prepared for each Olympics. Clearly, they considered the Olympics the main event by far. In comparison, the Russian championships and world championships get little coverage.

I'm really glad that Michelle is starting to challenge this notion that the OGM means everything. Real skating fans know it just ain't so.

 

[Jimmy Hoffa]

Okay, Jimmy, maybe there are such people as those you describe; in fact, I know that there are nasty people out there who root against skaters for whatever reason (which to me is against the spirit of what figure skating fandom should be) , in spite of all the honest hard work that goes into being an elite skater, let alone a consistent one like MK, but I'm assuming you do make allowances for people who just prefer other skaters?

OR--gasp--fans of skating who like both MK and Lulu (like BronzeIsGolden--no doubt can be cast upon her love of Michelle's skating, and she preferred Lulu's Rach at 96 Worlds--hope you don't mind me citing you as an example, BiG I know you make no bones about how much you love both MK and Lulu, and Lulu on that night), or both MK and Irina (each competitor pushed the other and it resulted in great moments in skating on many occasions), or both MK and NNN, or both MK and Nicole Bobek, or both MK and Sasha (the fan in question could be a patriotic fan of US lady skaters in general, dying to see US ladies sweep, in ANY order), or just the bloody lot of them

OR....
Is it law that you're either with the Kween or against her? Sheesh

Sarah

There's no need for you to be defensive. I am not talking about people who just aren't fans of Kwan or are fans of another skater. I'm talking about those people who hate Kwan so much that they like any skater who isn't her, especially if they can beat her, hence the term ABK (Anyone But Kwan) fan. Someone of these people have come right out and said they like "anyone who isn't Michelle Kwan".

Example: Remember that pro-am when Kwan lost to Josee Chouinard? On FSW a bunch of threads entitled "Congratulations to Josee for BEATING KWAN", etc. popped up. Some of the posts were genuinely happy for Chouinard, but just as many posts were basically "Ha Ha, I'm glad Michelle got her butt kicked", "Kwan felt stupid when she lost", and general bashing and unconstructive criticism.

Those people weren't really happy for Chouinard, they were just glad to see Kwan lose. The winner could have been Josee Chouinard or Saddam Hussein and those people would have been equally happy. So I'm surprised that those people aren't lifelong fans of Hughes considering she beat Kwan for Olympic gold. A few were happy, but most had a blase "at least Kwan didn't win" attitude toward Hughes, which is confusing to me.

 

[Tonichelle]

there were a lot of "skating fans" equally upset and bashing Josee Chouinard for beating Michelle... saying she didn't deserve to even be in the competition and that she was a hasbeen... so it goes both ways

 

[Jimmy Hoffa]

It does seem like pretty much everyone in the establishment subscribes to the belief that the OGM is the ultimate honor. For example, before Salt Lake, I believe even Peggy Fleming was quoted in the NY Times as saying that if Michelle didn't win the OGM, she might not be considered one of the all-time greats. (Or something like that.) And Scott Hamilton has always made it very clear that he believes the OGM is the be-all and end-all. I well remember his comments about Kurt Browning when Kurt was sitting in the kiss-and-cry in Lillehammer after flubbing his short program. Scott noted that Kurt was a four-time world champion, then said: "And I know he would trade every one of those world titles" for a clean short program.

The emphasis on the OGM was also very noticeable in Katia Gordeeva's book, My Sergei. In the book, Katia devotes many pages to the 1988 and 1994 Games, describing in detail how she and Sergei prepared for each Olympics. Clearly, they considered the Olympics the main event by far. In comparison, the Russian championships and world championships get little coverage.

I remember a show from two or three years ago featuring past Olympic gold medalists (The "Gold Club reunion", I call it.) In one of the fluff pieces with all the skaters talking about how important Olympic gold is, one skater smugly saying something like "You either win Olympic gold, or you settle for less".

I also remember reading an article saying that how after Kwan won her fourth world title, Katarina Witt went up to her and said "You have as many world titles as I do, but I have Olympic gold and you don't."

And who can forget Tara Lipinski snotting that winning Worlds doesn't matter, because "Worlds doesn't mean much because it only lasts a year, while Olympics is forever"?

 

[Tonichelle]

as I recall the two articles you mention about Katrina and Tara were both written by Christine Brennen who just write a bunch of bunk anyway.

 

[soogar]

The OGM means a lot and the fact that MK does not have one says a lot about her ability to skate under pressure (more in reference to 2002 than 1998). Yeah, MK may have more World titles than Katarina, but Katarina did what she had to do to win gold and she did it twice. Katarina may not have had the best skate in her life to win in 1988, but she stayed on her feet while her rival Debi crumbled under the pressure. That's what separates Katarina from Michelle: the mental toughness. It's going out there and getting the job done like a champion which MK had the opportunity to do in 2002 and blew it.

The OGM is eroding a bit, but mainly b/c the skaters who won did not develop a relationship with the viewers. Katarina was competing for years before 1984 and continued to compete for another 4 years. Kristi competed for 3 years before winning her gold medal and then stayed in the public eye afterward continually delivering stellar professional performances. Contrast this with Tara who competed for 2 years before her OGM, did not place in the top 3 at worlds in her first time out, won worlds second year, OGM next year and then she quit. Afterward there weren't that many professional skating opportunities b/c everyone was burnt out on it and then she gets injured and can't jump. Sarah won NO other titles other than OGM and then she quit as well. Sarah was on the podium twice at worlds but she was so nondescript that a lot of people didn't get into her skating. Plus I think this had a lot to do with the choices her family made for her that kept her out of the spotlight, but maybe prevented her from becoming a fixture in the public's imagination (not that this was a bad decision).

I imagine that all the Kwan lovers will bash Katarina Witt for making that comment (if this is even true). I can totally see Katarina saying that , but I think she said that in a joking context so don't start flaming her for that.

 

[Jimmy Hoffa]

as I recall the two articles you mention about Katrina and Tara were both written by Christine Brennen who just write a bunch of bunk anyway.

Maybe the Witt thing was from Brennan, but I doubt it since there was no huge Brennan-bashing section after it came out.

I know for a that the Lipinski quote is true, for the facts that A) It's one of her "Golden Girl" quotes she uses often, along with "Nobody can take it away from me" and "special club" and B) I heard it directly from her mouth no less than twice when I saw her on TV. But maybe it was Brennan wearing a Lipinski costume.