Remembering the Kween

L

layman

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I came across this retrospective , this afternoon and it brought a big smile to my face:
youtu.be

Michelle Kwan's Top 10 Programs

Disclaimers: 1). A program had to be clean to be chosen for this list. 2) Fields of Gold and 2003 Worlds LP were not downloadable but those would have defini...
youtu.be youtu.be

I was in the house and on my feet at the end of her long program at the 2004 Nationals, joining everyone else in giving her a (well deserved) standing ovation. It is a memory that I will always cherish.
 
^^ Exactly! What with the spread of you know what, and all the unexpected sad news coming down!

In any case, doesn't this type of topic belong merged in the MK thread in Trash Can?

I've seen that compilation recently, and it's great fun to take a look back.
 
just tuned in said:
This post nearly gave me a heart attack.
Click to expand...

Me too!!!! You can't scare me like that.

ETA: That video is great, but because of technical issues, that person is missing some key programs from the top 10. Also, I don't like how they formatted it to be wide screen for videos that predated that. It really cuts off the video and affects my enjoyment.
 
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I crap on her Tosca a lot as being Aranjuez 2.0 and how she really relied on her command on the ice due to lack of transitions...but rewatching it now...in retrospect...that command is nothing to downplay. She was a humble person off-the-ice, but on the ice, she skated as if she was ROYALTY. As if she owned the ice and you knew it and she knew it. And I have to say the elements really were choreographed superbly to the musical accents. Part of her command was her carriage, her posture, and her natural musical phrasing. That phrasing is something I took for granted during her heyday thinking all skaters develop it...but nope. They really don't. That was all her.
 
Also, something more recent:

www.youtube.com

Olympian Gracie Gold Gets Candid About Her Mental Health with Michelle Kwan | Thank You Notes

For my new series, Thank You Notes, I teamed up with Olay to challenge a group of women to surprise their role models — the women who inspired them to face a...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Also, Ice Network is no longer available, but I remember after 2017 Worlds or before the 2018 season, they asked members of Team USA of all disciplines and genders who their hero was and nearly all of them (and I mean all of them except for maybe one) said Michelle Kwan.

I also remember all the fuss being made about how the 2018 American figure skating team had more Asian-Americans than ever, and I truly believe that is her and Kristi Yamaguchi's legacy. Kwan really normalized the Asian-American face on American television and showing they can participate in this sport (or sport in general). I know it seems like hyperbole, but it really isn't. As I grow older and connect with more Asian-Americans my age or older/younger in all sorts of professions, we all know Michelle Kwan and have this worship of her. Even my in-laws mention her and her parents often as inspiration. That's how far her reach is.
 
VGThuy said:
Also, Ice Network is no longer available, but I remember after 2017 Worlds or before the 2018 season, they asked members of Team USA of all disciplines and genders who their hero was and nearly all of them (and I mean all of them except for maybe one) said Michelle Kwan.
Click to expand...

Who was the mean person who didn't name the Kween as their hero?? :lynch:
 
VGThuy said:
As I grow older and connect with more Asian-Americans my age or older/younger in all sorts of professions, we all know Michelle Kwan and have this worship of her.
Click to expand...

That's wonderful. Michelle inspired Asian athletes around the world, and not just in the sport of figure skating. Indeed, Michelle inspired/ inspires people across cultures and generations (i.e., all ages, genders, and backgrounds). The writer Luanne Rice wrote about a character in one of her novels dearly loving Michelle Kwan. Eventually, Rice's career and popularity were hugely impacted by the word-of-mouth among Michelle's fans who started reading that book and all of Rice's books. Rice is a wonderful writer so her love and admiration for Michelle Kwan had a domino effect in furthering the success of her own career.

MK was and is a phenomenal human being who has brought so many people together over the years. Her legacy and her relevance continue to amaze and to inspire.
 
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aftershocks said:
That's wonderful. Michelle inspired Asian athletes around the world, and not just in the sport of figure skating. Indeed, Michelle inspired/ inspires people across cultures and generations (i.e., all ages, genders, and backgrounds). The writer Luanne Rice wrote about a character in one of her novels dearly loving Michelle Kwan. Eventually, Rice's career and popularity were hugely impacted by the word-of-mouth among Michelle's fans who started reading that book and all of Rice's books. Rice is a wonderful writer so her love and admiration for Michelle Kwan had a domino effect in furthering the success of her own career.

MK was and is a phenomenal human being who has brought so many people together over the years. Her legacy and her relevance continue to amaze and to inspire.
Click to expand...

That’s great to hear about Ms. Rice. I also remember that Kwan’s performance of “Fields of Gold” in SLC coupled with a news special about her boosted sales for Eva Cassidy’s record and Kwan got to present the family a Gold Record after it achieved that status.

ETA: Upon research, I got it wrong. Kwan met Cassidy’s parents who then gifted her with the gold record as recognition for her role in helping that song achieve gold status.

Pictures Part Five – Eva Cassidy Web Site

evacassidy.org evacassidy.org
 
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VGThuy said:
That’s great to hear about Ms. Rice. I also remember that Kwan’s performance of “Fields of Gold” in SLC boosted sales for Eva Cassady’s record and Kwan got to present the family a Gold Record after it achieved that status.
Click to expand...

Yes, I heard about that. :) It would be great if Kwan and Rice got to meet, but I don't recall whether it ever happened. Truly Rice is an excellent storyteller in the same vein of excellence as MK at what she does best. It's been awhile though since I've had a chance to catch up with Rice's more recent work.
 
VGThuy said:
I crap on her Tosca a lot as being Aranjuez 2.0 and how she really relied on her command on the ice due to lack of transitions...but rewatching it now...in retrospect...that command is nothing to downplay. She was a humble person off-the-ice, but on the ice, she skated as if she was ROYALTY. As if she owned the ice and you knew it and she knew it. And I have to say the elements really were choreographed superbly to the musical accents. Part of her command was her carriage, her posture, and her natural musical phrasing. That phrasing is something I took for granted during her heyday thinking all skaters develop it...but nope. They really don't. That was all her.
Click to expand...

Amen to that, I couldn't have said it better myself.

She is not one of my favorite skaters choreographically but everything else about her skating is so perfect, so harmonious that it is mesmerizing to watch. She did indeed carry herself like a queen on the ice and had the ability to effortlessly sell even the emptier programs she was given.

When you watch her, you notice such abandon and joy in her movement - as if she was made for the ice. That joy is what made her so compelling to watch.
 
For those of you who were looking forward to the new Mulan before all of this pushed movie premieres back, why not enjoy Michelle Kwan as Mulan?

www.youtube.com

REVISED-Michelle Kwan's Mulan

From 1998. The entire show from U.S. television, no commercials. **SORRY ABOUT THE WEATHER CRAWLER** **AUDIO MUTED DURING DONNY OSMOND'S "I WILL MAKE A MAN O...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

I remember Madison Chock saying she watched this special over and over as a kid. I'm surprised she did triple lutzes and loops and such for this special.
 
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