Life After the Games for Five Former Olympians: Features Lipinski, Hughes, Cohen

[Willowway]

For anyone who's interested, I checked:

- The O's have no preliminary rounds - everyone sent to Olympics skates everything, both programs.
- Not so for Worlds - they used to have preliminary rounds but eliminated those. Now there is a significant cut after the first program whatever it is in the skater's discipline.

[AJ Skatefan]

For anyone who's interested, I checked:

- The O's have no preliminary rounds - everyone sent to Olympics skates everything, both programs.
- Not so for Worlds - they used to have preliminary rounds but eliminated those. Now there is a significant cut after the first program whatever it is in the skater's discipline.

Actually, I think they cut some skaters after the short programs at the Olympics. But there are no preliminaries.

[mtnskater]

A famous sportswriter called a figure skater taking center ice at the Olympic games all alone with millions watching, the most intense pressure moment in all of sports. Absolutely true. Yet look at the legions of posters here belittling the accomplishment of medaling, let alone winning the gold, by an Olympic figure skater.

[nubka]

Some people will not be satisfied, whatever these Olympians choose to do with their lives.

ITA. I guess they are all supposed to be busy saving the world, or finding a cure for the common cold...

[AndyWarhol]

Actually, I think they cut some skaters after the short programs at the Olympics. But there are no preliminaries.

This is correct. I remember Joanne Carter didn't make it through to the LP in 2006

[Jaana]

One question though and I'm not picking at Jaana but want to understand if I have something wrong (I think I must). I thought that at O's the members of the country all skate for medals - in other words, I didn't think the O's included an elimination (or preliminary) round. Am I wrong about that? Have I been wrong for [too many to mention] years? I always thought that there were no preliminary eliminations at the Olympics.

In many Olympics I have watched, there were skaters who were not successful enough in sp to make the freeskate. Here the sp results )30 skaters) from Vancouver:

http://www.isuresults.com/results/owg2010/SEG001.HTM

and in the freeskate were 24 skaters:

http://www.isuresults.com/results/owg2010/SEG002.HTM

[foreverkwanfan]

I like that Sasha and Tara are friends and that they hang out all the time.
It is great that Sasha is attending school, good for her.
I like Tara more and more, I certainly was scarred when she won gold in 98, but it seems she has done a lot of growing up and I like her as a commentator.
Sarah seems to self-promote a lot on twitter, it is a little off putting after awhile.

[SkateBlades17]

Sarah seems to self-promote a lot on twitter, it is a little off putting after awhile.

I have to agree with that.

[leafygreens]

I have to agree with that.

I also agree, but it's not just Sarah that's off-putting, it's any celebrity that won't get off Twitter (LeAnn Rimes, etc.)

[Garden Kitty]

I like Sarah's tweets. She's usually tweeting from some event and or charitable activity and I appreciate the fact that she posts a lot of pictures from the events. She's posted some very fun pictures (including John Kerr in a kilt for his birthday dinner )

[Simone411]

I like Sarah's tweets. She's usually tweeting from some event and or charitable activity and I appreciate the fact that she posts a lot of pictures from the events. She's posted some very fun pictures (including John Kerr in a kilt for his birthday dinner )

Thanks for that tidbit. I'll have to keep up with Sarah's tweets more often.

[paskatefan]

Some people will not be satisfied, whatever these Olympians choose to do with their lives.

Are you suggesting that Olympic medalists should be considered "much more" than ordinary Olympians? Because a lot of athletes go to the Olympics knowing they won't medal, and I don't think it makes their efforts and performances somehow less worthwhile.

Anyway, the article is about five Olympians, one of whom is not an Olympic medalist. Therefore, it makes more sense to refer to them as Olympians.

It's difficult enough to become an Olympian.
Must we stratify them; as if they aren't worthy of mention unless they win a medal - or as if mentioning the medal in every reference makes them more worthy of our attention?

Hey, and what about all those very talented athletes who are simply unlucky enough never to make the Olympics for reasons having nothing to do with the level of their talent? Doesn't make them more or less better or lesser than the 'luckier' Olympians or even 'luckier' Olympic medalists.

Anyways, I more admire those Olympians who realize that participating at the Olympics or medalling, or bringing home the highest of all, OGM, does not make them more special or somehow above all other gold medal-less human beings.

Great that these former 'Olympians' seem to have gained some understanding re the importance of building a life after the Olympics and giving back.

Yes, exactly.

Thanks for sharing the article. I'm glad Sasha is continuing her education. No one is ever too old to learn or continue his/her education.

[RobinA]

Tara Lipinski is 30.

That's something I didn't need to know.