Tara May be Returning to the Ice

[AJ Skatefan]

Tara Lipinski did NOT have hip replacement surgery at age 17 -- according to many published reports (and Tara's self report) she had surgery to repair a torn hip labrum in late September 2000 (when she was 18 years old). She was back on the ice skating barely two weeks later. If you believe that this was possible after having undergone a hip replacement, you are welcome to your beliefs. Perhaps Tara in the subsequent decade has had hip replacement surgery and has kept it a secret from the media and the world at large. That would certainly explain the persistence of mentions here and on other figure skating message boards of "Tara's hip replacement." Of course, there are other explanations for that, but I'll leave those unsaid.

Thanks skatingfan5 for your persistence in letting people know that Tara did NOT have hip replacement. I really can't figure out why that urban myth keeps going around. Every official report I've read said that Tara had the surgery that you've described.

From her official website:
"Tara Lipinski, the Olympic figure-skating champion, underwent surgery for the same hip injury Rodriguez is suffering - from the same doctor who examined A-Rod this week.

Lipinski was back on the ice in a week, and back in a major event in just a few months, but not without enduring some painful rehab.

"It was a blessing," Lipinski told The Post of the surgery, saying she has been pain-free since. "It changed everything for me."

Lipinski, who took home the gold in 1998, recalled yesterday that she had a badly torn hip labrum and ended up visiting Dr. Marc Philippon."

http://www.taralipinski.com/inthenews.htm

[Sparks]

Ahhhh, AJ Skatefan and Skatingfan 5 = voices of reason.

The skater I know had a hip replacement was Rudy Galindo.

[Sylvia]

The skater I know had a hip replacement was Rudy Galindo.

And Alexei Yagudin (2007).

[Sparks]

Oh yes.

[Simone411]

Here's an article about Tara's surgery which brought on the threat of DVT. It was two years later after the Olys. when she had the surgery for the torn hip labrum.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...lipinski_x.htm

Tara also injured her hip again in the fall of 2002 while on tour with SOI when she fell on her right hip while skating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Lipinski

[leafygreens]

It wasn't even that subtle. It DID create a rift in the marriage, and her parents split up. Pat Lipinski later recounted some horrible fights that were going on during that time. After Tara retired, they reconciled.

That's great that they got back together. I don't see how the distance can be ok for a marriage. I'm pretty sure that's what Tara meant by wanting to go on tour for family reasons. Not that she could stay home with them, but so her parents could stay together. I don't see anything wrong with that and it's pretty good of her, actually.

The hip thing is so confusing because Tara said that it was a "huge misconception" that hip pain caused her to retire. It might be possible that she reinjured it after taking the ice so soon (one week) after her arthroscopy. I have had this surgery myself, and I don't see how in heck she skated in one week. I could barely skate a lap 4 weeks after my surgery, and I didn't have that much damage or that much shaved off, it was pretty minor. I imagine Tara's was probably serious since she dealt with it for years. Then she was doing full triples in 2 months. Doesn't make sense.

Who knows what the real reasons were? The hip seems like a good enough reason to retire, but then she herself said that wasn't the reason.

*Tara definitely did not have a hip replacement, it was an arthroscopy done by Dr Phillipon. There's an article which I linked to pages ago where she talks about the operation. The DVT article mentions it as well. Hip replacement = urban legend. I guess people think any hip surgery is a replacement?

[Iceman]

IMO Kwan had one strike against her when she and her team chose Lyra for her LP. The first time I saw it, my spirits just sank. Whatever were Lori and Frank and Michelle thinking. This is not the kind of music in which Michelle can brilliantly outshine any of her other competitors. Does anyone know if there were any adverse reactions to Michelle's repetition of her Nagano Short at Salt Lake City? I remember once hearing Dick say (not in reference to Michelle) that it was not a wise thing to do. Since she won that segment, I guess not, but still I wonder.

[AJ Skatefan]

This is not the kind of music in which Michelle can brilliantly outshine any of her other competitors.

Well, she brilliantly outshone Tara at Nationals with Lyra. And she brilliantly outshone everyone else at the Olympics and Worlds with Lyra.

[AJ Skatefan]

The hip thing is so confusing because Tara said that it was a "huge misconception" that hip pain caused her to retire.

I know, right? I'm really confused now. In the recent interview Tara is quoted as saying that a hip injury was not what made her stop skating. However, lots of articles about her said that she had TWO hip injuries. One was the hip labrum thing and the other was another injury in 2002 where she tore her hip muscles and had to quit SOI.

"Lipinski suffered another hip injury in 2002 during a Stars on Ice show in St. Louis, when she fell on her right hip during a jump. "I still thought everything would be fine. I had fallen before and would fall again." The next day, Lipinski tore muscles around her hip, causing the other muscles to take the load and fail.

She participated in rehearsals for a fifth season of the Stars on Ice tour in the fall of 2002, but withdrew from the tour before it began. Although she has not made any official announcement of her retirement from skating, she has not skated since, and has instead concentrated on acting."

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/skater1967/tara.html

Of course, this website and Wikipedia may not be the most reliable sources...

[kwanette]

Well, she brilliantly outshone Tara at Nationals with Lyra. And she brilliantly outshone everyone else at the Olympics and Worlds with Lyra.

Indeed she did. I had the good fortune of being in Philadelphia in 98...and the 17,000 plus folks in the CoreStates Center were mesmerized by her performance.

[Muffin]

Lyra Angelica was difficult, subtle music that could really only be appreciated after listening to it many times and getting to know it very well. That's fine for hard-core Kwan fans who re-watched the program a hundred times and fell in love with it, but it was a big gamble to take with the judges, especially in an Olympic year when all the other skaters aimed to choose dramatic music that would grab the judges right away. The fact that Michelle only liked the music after listening to it many times should have been a warning sign.

Without dramatic music to help her along, the burden was all on Michelle to sell the program. When she did it, like at Nationals, it was like a great souffle that everybody loved. When she tightened up and performed stiffly at the Olympics, it was like a souffle that had gone flat.

Her SP music was *perfect*. It was dramatic, it was catchy, it was moving, it crescendoed at the right moments, and it wasn't music that had been used much by other skaters. That's rare in skating. The program had also had a youthfulness and joy to it.

She did not do justice to the program when she re-did it in 2002. The perception of Michelle at the time was that she had stalled artistically and that her skating was stale, and redoing an old program only confirmed that. She got good marks for it because it was still a solid program, but the magic was gone.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

I actually preferred her Rach in 2002.

[Simone411]

I know, right? I'm really confused now. In the recent interview Tara is quoted as saying that a hip injury was not what made her stop skating. However, lots of articles about her said that she had TWO hip injuries. One was the hip labrum thing and the other was another injury in 2002 where she tore her hip muscles and had to quit SOI.

"Lipinski suffered another hip injury in 2002 during a Stars on Ice show in St. Louis, when she fell on her right hip during a jump. "I still thought everything would be fine. I had fallen before and would fall again." The next day, Lipinski tore muscles around her hip, causing the other muscles to take the load and fail.

She participated in rehearsals for a fifth season of the Stars on Ice tour in the fall of 2002, but withdrew from the tour before it began. Although she has not made any official announcement of her retirement from skating, she has not skated since, and has instead concentrated on acting."

http://www.angelfire.com/ct/skater1967/tara.html

Of course, this website and Wikipedia may not be the most reliable sources...

It is correct on Wiki about her hurting her hip again (the torn muscle) when she fell at the SOI show in 2002. In November of 2002, Tara had a flare-up with her hip 2 weeks before she competed at Ice Wars.

They mentioned it shortly after the beginning when Tara was performing to Paint It Black:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdrUeBVyOwM

I couldn't find Tara's 2nd performance, "To Where You Are", on YouTube but she started having trouble with her hip and nearly fell while doing a triple. When Tara finished the program, she sat down beside Nicole in the K&C. If I remember correctly, Nicole then asked Tara if she was okay.

[diskates]

Indeed she did. I had the good fortune of being in Philadelphia in 98...and the 17,000 plus folks in the CoreStates Center were mesmerized by her performance.

I was there too! Michelle was definitely better and the crowd let her know that. That is the only live competition I have ever been to.

I remember they gave her a fancy car, some award for getting the most 6.0s and the announcer made the comment "yes, Michelle is actualy old enough to drive it".

[leafygreens]

IMO Lyra Angelica didn't have anything to do with it. V&M skated to a death march for crying out loud and still won, probably the most boring program to ever win an Olympics. If you have to have excitement to win then why didn't D&W win?

[caseyedwards]

I think maybe D&W went too far in the excitement direction! LOL. I know some people have said they are just too fast.

[leafygreens]

Too fast? Isn't the point of skating to be fast (and do it well)? Which they did. I've never heard anyone complain about a skater being too fast if their technique is good. Evan winning gold was the death knell for another American team winning a second title. We can't have Americans winning everything, especially dance. It just wouldn't have been "fair" and would have appeared biased. V&M went second, so there was no reason to "hold back" on scoring, with a screaming home crowd adding a facade of excitement to what would have been a very boring program in any other location. By the time Worlds rolled around, they had the reputation of OGM and there's no reason to mark them second if they don't trip; anything to keep the Americans at bay from at least one more year of dance titles, now that the Russian cat is out of the bag. So fast/slow wasn't really the issue here, and I doubt it was with Lyra, either. The issue with Tara and Michelle wasn't country related, but once again, Tara went second benefitting from holding back of scores, the judges got caught up in the cutesiness, and had the satisfaction of helping Tara become "the youngest."

[Enero]

I think putting Michelle's loss in 98' on the music is unwarranted. She'd won with the program at Skate America (where she beat Tara) and Skate Canada earlier in the season. Both competitions had international judges.

I think at the Olympics she was just outskated. It was the Olympics afterall, and the judges always seem to be looking for someone to rise to the occasion. Though Michelle skated beautifully, she didn't have the speed, the passion or the perfection she had at Nationals. Tara had the speed, the passion and a technically superior program. Michelle was good. Tara was great, and great won the OGM as it should.

[AJ Skatefan]

It is correct on Wiki about her hurting her hip again (the torn muscle) when she fell at the SOI show in 2002. In November of 2002, Tara had a flare-up with her hip 2 weeks before she competed at Ice Wars.

They mentioned it shortly after the beginning when Tara was performing to Paint It Black:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdrUeBVyOwM

I couldn't find Tara's 2nd performance, "To Where You Are", on YouTube but she started having trouble with her hip and nearly fell while doing a triple. When Tara finished the program, she sat down beside Nicole in the K&C. If I remember correctly, Nicole then asked Tara if she was okay.

Thanks! I thought I remembered a big injury in 2002. I wonder why Tara would say that she didn't quit skating because of injury when it really seems like that's what happened?

[Prancer]

The issue with Tara and Michelle wasn't country related, but once again, Tara went second benefitting from holding back of scores, the judges got caught up in the cutesiness, and had the satisfaction of helping Tara become "the youngest."

Or maybe they just thought Tara skated better.

Occam's razor applies even in skating.