Tara May be Returning to the Ice

[Jubak]

My bad about the error of the timing of the skaters scopes, I think my emphasis though is that all were injured, all needed the hip scopes or more. Galindo & Yags perform w/triples but not the full roster and definitely no quads for Yags. Again, Kwan could do some triples but not a full roster. Right now, Tara could probably do a triple or so if she came back, but it seems she burned alot of bridges w/skaters during SOI, injured or not. There is just not alot of pro work out there & her time has passed.

She did really, really well with commentary and I hope that is the way she goes in the future.

[RD]

Tara's mother behaved horribly and with no class about the jacket fiasco. However, I think she was correct in sensing that Michelle was getting a lot more respect from people than Tara was, and I can see why she'd be upset about that. I think even Tara said at some point that she felt like "everybody hates me", and we all know that feeling wasn't all in her head. Pat Lipinski just should have kept it private.

It most certainly wasn't. And I always wondered why- did she not stay visible enough after the fact? I even feel the same thing happened to Hughes a bit- although the latter got her share of TV interviews and specials...that said, I suppose it was her choice to go to school and get back under the radar.

[euterpe]

Tara's mother behaved horribly and with no class about the jacket fiasco. However, I think she was correct in sensing that Michelle was getting a lot more respect from people than Tara was, and I can see why she'd be upset about that. I think even Tara said at some point that she felt like "everybody hates me", and we all know that feeling wasn't all in her head. Pat Lipinski just should have kept it private.

The negative feelings about Tara were pretty because Pat Lipinski had a habit of using the media to "protect" Tara from any kind of criticism. I can remember Pat's tirade about commentators who dared to mention Tara's flutz. She frequently compared "my Tara" to Kwan, and of course Kwan was painted the inferior skater.

Ironically, Pat Lipinski's media circus wound up hurting Tara.

[Prancer]

I think even Tara said at some point that she felt like "everybody hates me", and we all know that feeling wasn't all in her head. Pat Lipinski just should have kept it private.

I think you might be thinking of the fluff piece were Tara said that the media doesn't like her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fejuXEcFJKg

It's way in there somewhere. But I figure she talks about her hip and Michelle, so most of the clip is kind of relevant.

[kwanette]

I think you might be thinking of the fluff piece were Tara said that the media doesn't like her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fejuXEcFJKg

It's way in there somewhere. But I figure she talks about her hip and Michelle, so most of the clip is kind of relevant.

Thanks for the clip..So, in part, the pain was some of the reason she left eligible skating? (In her own words)

[Yazmeen]

I have never been anything resembling a fan of this young woman and flat out disliked her when she was an eligible skater. Looking back, however, a thump on the head to me for never really taking into account how young she was and what she went through courtesy of the media and skating fans like me. It must have been absolutely excruciating for her to think that so many people disliked her, or thought she was just in it to grab the big prizes and cash in and run away from competition. Not to mention having what was likely youthful enthusiasm and joy interpreted as cockiness.

A lot of the negative vibes I got weren't really from Tara, they were from her mother, whose intentions were what she though was good, but who couldn't open her mouth without sticking both feet in. And while some of Tara's behavior was far from stellar, again, she was very young and put in a situation (SOI) that was difficult to handle and where she wasn't well-supported by the adults around her. I hope she is able to come back and skate - I'd like to see her skate, and I hope she keeps up the commentary - she seems to have a natural flair for it. Whatever she does, I hope she does what SHE wants and is successful and happy.

Now pardon me while I go give myself that thump on the head...

[bardtoob]

I think you might be thinking of the fluff piece were Tara said that the media doesn't like her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fejuXEcFJKg

It's way in there somewhere. But I figure she talks about her hip and Michelle, so most of the clip is kind of relevant.

She said she was:

- Misdiagnosed for 4 years
- She was complaining about her immense pain, but nobody knew the answer.
- She was out of the ice for hours a day doing a lot of triple jumps (embellished the number for effect)
- It is obvious to her, in retrospect, that the triple jumps were the problem



She was 12 years old with hip pain. She complained about the pain. She was taken to doctors. She continued to do train for hours a day and do lots of triple jumps. As an adult, it was obvious that it was the triple jumps.

At that age, it is up to parents to identify such things.

[DreamSkates]

Honestly, there are more "old skaters" looking for work then shows to hold them all... IMHO

Yep, and there is not much for professional skaters in the US. Tara had to quit skating due to a chronic hip injury, so her return wouldn't be to compete. But I did enjoy seeing her in SOI. Her youthful exuberance was refreshing. Of course, she is much "older" now. Acting hasn't garnered her much except shmoozing at parties in Hollywood. Maybe she could bring something to pro skating and return some interest to the sport. ???

[UGG]

Tara's mother behaved horribly and with no class about the jacket fiasco. However, I think she was correct in sensing that Michelle was getting a lot more respect from people than Tara was, and I can see why she'd be upset about that. I think even Tara said at some point that she felt like "everybody hates me", and we all know that feeling wasn't all in her head. Pat Lipinski just should have kept it private.

I always felt that perhaps the Olympic Team selected Michelle because of the way she handeled her loss...she showed a lot of class, said very nice things about Tara, and overall just was very very gracious. Maybe Tara and her mother should have stopped and thought that selecting Michelle to present the jacket was not a slight to Tara, but to lift up Michelle a bit. But of course Pat Lipinski was always under the impression everyone was thinking about how to slight Tara every possible second of the day. Someone needed to inform her that not everyone was thinking of Tara 24x7.

[Muffin]

I have never been anything resembling a fan of this young woman and flat out disliked her when she was an eligible skater. Looking back, however, a thump on the head to me for never really taking into account how young she was and what she went through courtesy of the media and skating fans like me.

I feel the same way a bit. I really disliked her skating, I hated her programs, and basically felt she was an irritating little brat. (Those fluff pieces showing Tara and her friends didn't help; she was being a normal 15-year-old, but it just so happens that normal 15-year-olds are really annoying.) But she wasn't strangling puppies or anything, all she did was win skating competitions.

[leafygreens]

I feel the same way a bit. I really disliked her skating, I hated her programs, and basically felt she was an irritating little brat. (Those fluff pieces showing Tara and her friends didn't help; she was being a normal 15-year-old, but it just so happens that normal 15-year-olds are really annoying.) But she wasn't strangling puppies or anything, all she did was win skating competitions.

I feel like Tara was never taken that seriously because she hadn't really "paid her dues". She didn't have to do figures or toil in obscurity for years like everyone else did. Pretty much from the moment she hit the scene, her young age caused a media frenzy. She took everything by storm, took all the gold medals, and left the sport with what? Burned bridges, a pushy stage mom and a nonexistent acting career. Her whole skating career just seems very selfish. Yes she won competitions which proves she is great, but in my opinion she was lifted in the rankings because of her cuteness and novelty of being so young. Judges are only human and I believe that they were entranced by her the same way as Oksana. Neither one were the best skaters, but both were extremely cutesy and had compelling life stories. I think that people wanted to see records broken with Tara and that was a major reason she was catapulted above others. She also benefitted by chance that she hit the scene right at the cusp of the ending of figures and at a time where other skaters hadn't yet been raised to be jumpers. Yes she is the reason for the age rule and I'm glad that there is an age rule now. However I wish someone more gracious could beat Tara's age record just so Pat wouldn't have something to gloat over.

[neptune]

Her whole skating career just seems very selfish. Yes she won competitions which proves she is great, but in my opinion she was lifted in the rankings because of her cuteness and novelty of being so young. Judges are only human and I believe that they were entranced by her the same way as Oksana. Neither one were the best skaters, but both were extremely cutesy and had compelling life stories. I think that people wanted to see records broken with Tara and that was a major reason she was catapulted above others. She also benefitted by chance that she hit the scene right at the cusp of the ending of figures and at a time where other skaters hadn't yet been raised to be jumpers. Yes she is the reason for the age rule and I'm glad that there is an age rule now. However I wish someone more gracious could beat Tara's age record just so Pat wouldn't have something to gloat over.

Are you serious???

[Mathman]

Unfortunately, Tara got some negative publicity right after winning the OGM. There was the incident when the US Olympic team visited the White House and presented a US jacket to the President. The team voted on the presenter, and Kwan won.

IIRC, Picabo Street, the skier, was actually chosen as athlete representative, but was injured (?) and couldn't attend, and Kwan was runnerup.

I don't know for sure, but I read somewhere that all this was a story concocted after the fact to defuse the situation. According to that accoiunt, there was no vote of the athletes, but some USOC functionary just tapped Kwan.

(I don't know if this version is true or not.)

[DickButtonFan]

I think Tara paid her dues. She can't help it figures were gone, she didn't make the rules. I don't think she was handed anything, she won fair and square in what she did. She had talent and she worked hard.

And how was her career selfish. Cuz she left early? She didn't want to put her parents through all that anymore. It was her choice, anyone can leave whenever they want. She gave a lot to the sport, proved you could skate at a young age, raised the bar with the triple triples, showed her love for competing and is now commentating.

[ArtisticFan]

I feel like Tara was never taken that seriously because she hadn't really "paid her dues". She didn't have to do figures or toil in obscurity for years like everyone else did. Pretty much from the moment she hit the scene, her young age caused a media frenzy. She took everything by storm, took all the gold medals, and left the sport with what? Burned bridges, a pushy stage mom and a nonexistent acting career. Her whole skating career just seems very selfish. Yes she won competitions which proves she is great, but in my opinion she was lifted in the rankings because of her cuteness and novelty of being so young. Judges are only human and I believe that they were entranced by her the same way as Oksana. Neither one were the best skaters, but both were extremely cutesy and had compelling life stories. I think that people wanted to see records broken with Tara and that was a major reason she was catapulted above others. She also benefitted by chance that she hit the scene right at the cusp of the ending of figures and at a time where other skaters hadn't yet been raised to be jumpers. Yes she is the reason for the age rule and I'm glad that there is an age rule now. However I wish someone more gracious could beat Tara's age record just so Pat wouldn't have something to gloat over.

I think that one of Team Tara's biggest problems was that she had no compelling story to tell. She wasn't an orphan. She didn't overcome anything major in her life to win her Olympic Gold Medal. She didn't even come from that poor of a family. The only thing that was consistently said about her was that she was the youngest to win X, Y and Z. That only goes so far though.

Not to beat a dead horse, but other skaters have better agents and handlers that help to package them. With Michelle Kwan there were the stories of her doing homework and falling asleep at the family business, immigrant family members, a competitive sister, the senior test story, etc. Oksana even had good handlers with the story of Viktor giving her the skates, injured before the long program, living with her coach, abandonment, etc.

Tara was never well packaged as anything more than the "youngest" whatever winner. Her fluff pieces tried to show her as a cute kid, but in all honesty those are a dime a dozen in skating. It is a shame that someone on her team didn't package her better than that. Everyone has a story, but he or she shouldn't rely on the media to tell it for them. In my opinion that is what Tara's mom wanted reporters to do. The media world doesn't work that way.

If an athlete, politician, etc. doesn't feed the media the stories they want out there, it isn't going to be a positive experience for him or her. Reporters are trained and told to look for the drama in a story. They want to know about the struggles, the fights, the things you've overcome. They want the story to be remembered and not just another cute girl's family writes check to pay for coach story. It may not seem fair, but that's the way it is. It is a shame that Tara's mom not only didn't want to conform to that, but spoke out against the system. Right or wrong, she made it worse for her daughter. Then add in Michelle, who was a natural at dealing with the media by comparison. Tara's interviews weren't inherently bad, but they made her look even more immature when she was sitting next to Michelle.

I don't deny that the media probably grew to dislike Tara. But I would say that it is a two way street. I see it every day with my job back in public relations. People have expectations of what the media should do, but they don't understand their role in it. When I write and submit a news release, I know that the media will edit, cut, change, expand, and all those things. Other people I work with don't know that. I get calls from them wanting me to complain when a paragraph is cut or a photo isn't used. As I tell them, public relations/media relations is not a guarantee. If they want the message out there word for word, they need to buy an advertisement.

[DickButtonFan]

^ interesting post, I never really thought of her life story compared to others like that

[Anita18]

^ interesting post, I never really thought of her life story compared to others like that

More recently you could definitely say that Mirai was packaged differently than Rachael.

In fact I think you could say they're Michelle and Tara all over again - Mirai having to help out in her parents' restaurant and the family having to scrimp for her skating, and her already experiencing setbacks in her career. While Rachael is Miss Dependable, whose parents never had to worry about money. The most dramatic thing you'd ever hear about her is her crazy schedule with multiple AP classes.

[kwanfan1818]

Lipiniski was packaged deliberately by Mike Burg. When Sports Illustrated did the story on US Nationals in 1995, the story was that Sydne Vogel was US Junior Champion, but the photo was of Lipinski.

Amy Shipley wrote an article in "The Washington Post" in 1998 The Day After, when Lipinski's future wasn't yet decided.

"It's all so new," Burg said. "She's the youngest champion in Olympic history. There's no basis for comparison. It's a brand new world and it's really difficult to make decisions right now."

Lipinski gained fame last year when she became the youngest world champion at age 14. Within months, her autobiography had been written and published.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv.../nextoly22.htm

Youngest, youngest, youngest, youngest...

[DickButtonFan]

More recently you could definitely say that Mirai was packaged differently than Rachael.

In fact I think you could say they're Michelle and Tara all over again - Mirai having to help out in her parents' restaurant and the family having to scrimp for her skating, and her already experiencing setbacks in her career. While Rachael is Miss Dependable, whose parents never had to worry about money. The most dramatic thing you'd ever hear about her is her crazy schedule with multiple AP classes.

Yeah, and Rachael's parents are the super smart biologists aren't they? Something I know I can't relate to at all lol . I'm a total fan of Rachael and Mirai's though no matter what their background stories are.

[Coco]

I don't know for sure, but I read somewhere that all this was a story concocted after the fact to defuse the situation. According to that accoiunt, there was no vote of the athletes, but some USOC functionary just tapped Kwan.

(I don't know if this version is true or not.)

That wouldn't surprise me. Shep Goldberg is a good agent! HA!