I, Tonya

[jenniferlyon]

My niece called me up today and said I, Tonya will start playing at our neighborhood art theatre on Thursday. I don't know if the film is being officially released across the country that day or what, but y'all might want to check your local listings.

 

[Coco]

Yes, we are getting it in Milwaukee on Thursday.

 

[Vash01]

It is running in a theatre in Scottsdale. I am debating whether to drive there to see it or wait and hope that it will come to one of the theatres that are within 10 mikes of my home. It may or may not come here. Scottsdale is about 25 miles away and I am not too fond of driving on my off days.

 

[WanderlustTO]

For those who haven't seen the movie - i'd highly recommend it. Leaving aside figure skating fun, in my view, it's definitely one of the best films i've seen this year. The acting is fantastic. I really loved this movie, I have to say.

As others have pointed out...if you want to get into the more 'nitty gritty' stuff re the narrative, there's a bunch of stuff that's "wrong"...and also, there's obviously perspective stuff that might test ppl a bit...but over all, if you haven't seen the movie, i definitely say SEE IT!

 

[Quintuple]

In addition to the 1994 interview posted twice in this thread, this is another fascinating find - an interview with LaVonna between 1994 Nationals and the Olympics, with Connie Chung. Finally I do see what everyone meant when they say she's innately intelligent and terrifying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW20kpQgWeE

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

In addition to the 1994 interview posted twice in this thread, this is another fascinating find - an interview with LaVonna between 1994 Nationals and the Olympics, with Connie Chung. Finally I do see what everyone meant when they say she's innately intelligent and terrifying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW20kpQgWeE

Man whenever I see this its so weird for me to see someone who trained .... in a MALL....

for me is so strange... and to have so much of the public to be able to watch you practice day in and day out....

Was this mall rink a "unique" situation as far as figure skating?

Does this mall and rink still exist?

So fascinating really....

 

[cmk]

Man whenever I see this its so weird for me to see someone who trained .... in a MALL....

for me is so strange... and to have so much of the public to be able to watch you practice day in and day out....

Was this mall rink a "unique" situation as far as figure skating?

Does this mall and rink still exist?

So fascinating really....

The mall still exists. The rink was taken out a long time ago. The other mall rink Tonya skated at (Lloyd Center) still exists but the size of the rink has been greatly reduced since then. They have a rink in Vancouver, Wa called Mountain View (that Tonya occasionally skates at. Apparently she can still do double toe , double sal, and single axel (someone heard rumors the 2axel might be back as well) at age 47. The article in Portland Monthly indicated that she was back with Dodi. Mall rinks aren't that uncommon. Isn't the Galleria in Houston a mall rink? It is unusual that a world-class figure skater trained in a mall. There was a guy at the last olympics from another country that trained in a mall. I think he also had asthma as well.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I believe Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond trains at the rink inside West Edmonton Mall.

I also think I read somewhere she thrives on the attention, and skates better when there are people watching her practice.

 

[bardtoob]

Was this mall rink a "unique" situation as far as figure skating?

Does this mall and rink still exist?

Yamaguchi and Galindo trained in the Eastridge Mall in East San Jose. However, while the mall is still there, the rink is gone.

 

[Braulio]

I saw the movie (online) and it's ok, producers did a good job overall with the casting (Margot is spot on) and research of the olympic environment (92-94 ice rinks like) and all the fuzz around the Nancy attack

 

[Inessence]

Veddy interesting: http://abcnews.go.com/US/tonya-harding-knew-infamous-1994-baton-attack-nancy/story?id=52048510

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Veddy interesting: http://abcnews.go.com/US/tonya-harding-knew-infamous-1994-baton-attack-nancy/story?id=52048510

Yes, quite interesting.

Didn't know this was in the works and about to air but makes sense.

Dont believes:

She was friends with Nancy. Child please. Nancy roomed with Kristi, never Tonya.

Believes:

He wasnt a bodyguard (officially) But back then I bet they did believe he was.

Nancy says to this day she never got a direct apology. Ill keep that in the believe pile.

Now she says she heard them talking about "taking someone out" before she attended Nats? Closest thing to me believing.

 

[skatesindreams]

I will always believe that Tonya was privy to information about Nationals and elsewhere, that only she had; or could have provided to other parties.
That she "blows off", apologies; is very telling, IMO.

 

[bardtoob]

Dont believes:

She was friends with Nancy. Child please. Nancy roomed with Kristi, never Tonya.

I think Tonya "thought she was friends with Nancy" but Nancy never thought she was friends with Tonya.

Tonya probably thought anybody who treated her humanely was a friend.

Nancy probably had a sense of the difference between an acquaintance, friend, and family.

 

[Yazmeen]

Veddy interesting: http://abcnews.go.com/US/tonya-harding-knew-infamous-1994-baton-attack-nancy/story?id=52048510

And away we go!!!! Her story changes yet again!!!!!

 

[Inessence]

Anyone else recall that a USFSA official sent an e-mail out after Tonya's blade debacle at '93 Skate America trying to have her kicked off the team? (I believe it was mentioned in one of the hastily put together books that came out shortly after the incident.) Gillooly wrote a scathing response back. I always thought they plot was hatched around then and not after NHK.

 

[Inessence]

And away we go!!!! Her story changes yet again!!!!!

I can't wait to hear it in full context next week. Gillooly's story has changed drastically if the "I, Tonya" script is to be believed. SPOILER: Now he's saying he didn't orchestrate the original death threat against Tonya before regionals. But decided since Tonya was so freaked out he decided to send threatening letters to Nancy to scare her and level the playing field. Shawn Eckhardt then went above and beyond and had Nancy assaulted all by his little lonesome (yeah, right.) But of course, now he's dead and can't defend himself.

 

[bardtoob]

Anyone else recall that a USFSA official sent an e-mail out after Tonya's blade debacle at '93 Skate America trying to have her kicked off the team? (I believe it was mentioned in one of the hastily put together books that came out shortly after the incident.) Gillooly wrote a scathing response back. I always thought they plot was hatched around then and not after NHK.

I never heard that before . . . They were using e-mail in 1993? I remember that being something only for college kids, government researchers, and behemoth tech companies like IBM . . . I have a hard time believing Gillooly could even figure out how to use an email client like Pine.

 

[Inessence]

I never heard that before . . . They were using e-mail in 1993? I remember that being something only for college kids, government researchers, and behemoth tech companies like IBM . . . I have a hard time believing Gillooly could even figure out how to use an email client like Pine.

It existed at Lillehammer Olympics, so I'm sure the USFSA officials could figure out how to use it. Not sure if Gillooly responded by fax or snail mail.

I *think* it's mentioned in the "Fire on Ice" book. But that's my 23+ year old memory talking.

 

[jenniferlyon]

I never heard that before . . . They were using e-mail in 1993? I remember that being something only for college kids, government researchers, and behemoth tech companies like IBM . . . I have a hard time believing Gillooly could even figure out how to use an email client like Pine.

There were a lot of skating people on AOL and Prodigy at the time. In fact, I was ON the Prodigy skating board when I heard the news about the attack on Nancy from the TV in the next room. IIRC, neither Prodigy nor AOL had what we would consider email today, but you could send messages to people who were on the same system.

 

[Inessence]

Also, I remember hearing that "The media" broke into Harding's e-mail account given to all athletes competing in Lillehammer. Someone also had to show Tonya how to use it.

 

[bardtoob]

There were a lot of skating people on AOL and Prodigy at the time. In fact, I was ON the Prodigy skating board when I heard the news about the attack on Nancy from the TV in the next room. IIRC, neither Prodigy nor AOL had what we would consider email today, but you could send messages to people who were on the same system.

... Actually, that reminds me that I have a friend that still possesses a Prodigy email address post-25 years of tech companies buying and selling that brand.

 

[bardtoob]

I can't wait to hear it in full context next week. Gillooly's story has changed drastically if the "I, Tonya" script is to be believed. SPOILER: Now he's saying he didn't orchestrate the original death threat against Tonya before regionals. But decided since Tonya was so freaked out he decided to send threatening letters to Nancy to scare her and level the playing field. Shawn Eckhardt then went above and beyond and had Nancy assaulted all by his little lonesome (yeah, right.) But of course, now he's dead and can't defend himself.

My sense from venturing into the deep dark web where 90s message boards go to Google to be archived . . . is that talk about doing anything against Nancy was a joke that started while drinking, and Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckhardt did not forget about it after the drinking was over, and any objection from Tonya was not taken seriously; they basically patted her on the head and told her that "the men would handle it" like they handle anything in a small town in the back woods of frontier land. Tonya was treated like a child in a very misogynist and patriarchal way.

I think Jeff Gillooly's and Shawn Eckhardt's only interaction with any sort of large institution was maybe having a bank account. They had no idea about the internal functioning of Government, Corporations . . . Sports Organizations, etc.

 

[BaileyCatts]

Veddy interesting: http://abcnews.go.com/US/tonya-harding-knew-infamous-1994-baton-attack-nancy/story?id=52048510 .........

“Is it a challenge from the Lord to see how far I can be pushed until I break and become nothing?”

Hold on .... I'm delirious on cold medication right now ... is she now blaming "The Lord" for her actions and problems?????

I saw the preview on GMA where they show her saying that Shawn was never her bodyguard. Oh plllleeeaasseee let some producer be on the ball enough to pull that clip just after 1994 Nationals where Tonya specifically says "this is my bodyguard" (while pointing to Shawn is directly behind her!!!!) and throw in the clip directly after she says that! Do they call them producers, story editors, writers ...... whoever they are that edits the entire interview together .... I'd love it if every time she says a lie they pull out old news clips of her saying the exact opposite thing ... like claiming she never said Shawn was her bodyguard when she oh so very much did. Same with the handwriting analysis deal from 30 for 30.

And I'll say it again .... no Tonya you have NEVER, EVER apologized to Nancy! "I'm sorry this happened to you" is not apologizing!!! You, Tonya, specifically speaking directly to Nancy, and saying "I'm sorry I did this to you!". THAT is apologizing.

 

[Inessence]

My sense from venturing into the deep dark web where 90s message boards go to Google to be archive . . . is that talk about doing anything against Nancy was a joke that started while drinking, and Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckhardt did not forget about after the drinking was over, and any objection from Tonya was not taken seriously; they basically patted her on the head and told her that "the men would handle it" like they handle anything in a small town in the back woods.

The logical, obvious follow-up question then would be, once Nancy was attacked, who did you BELIEVE was behind it? I think Tonya has the survivor mentality to tell herself whatever is needed just to get through hard times, but even still...

Can't wait to see the entire interview.

 

[bardtoob]

The logical, obvious follow-up question then would be, once Nancy was attacked, who did you BELIEVE was behind it? I think Tonya has the survivor mentality to tell herself whatever is needed just to get through hard times, but even still...

Can't wait to see the entire interview.

I do not think Tonya was behind it, per se.

I think Tonya would have had to call the police on Jeff and Shawn before the incident to stop it because they would not listen to her despite their goal being to benefit her.

Had Tonya called the police on Jeff and Shawn, then she would have had nobody because she would have ruined the lives of her associates and the skating community already wanted her to stay away.

I think Tonya just hoped Jeff and Shawn would do nothing, but instead it telescoped with a lone Shawn Eckhardt deciding "more was better".

 

[Yazmeen]

The logical, obvious follow-up question then would be, once Nancy was attacked, who did you BELIEVE was behind it? I think Tonya has the survivor mentality to tell herself whatever is needed just to get through hard times, but even still...

Can't wait to see the entire interview.

I think Tonya has the mentality to keep changing her story to desperately try and paint herself as the victim in the entire affair to try and convince the world to feel sorry for her. And to also get some benefit for herself (preferably in dollars...) after all these years, during which she has been burning in anger that everybody but her made money off of the scandal. As for the idea that the attack started as a joke and Tonya was a "pawn," in all of this...nope, not a shot in hell in my book. I think she and Jeff have probably revised their stories over the years to make themselves look as victimized as possible. And Shawn is conveniently dead now, and cannot refute whatever BS they come up with. (And it's apparently working to pin the blame on him, as bardtoob and others here have demonstrated.) And that is beyond appalling and frankly, ridiculously funny to think that he could have masterminded the whole plot. Yeah, he was one hell of a espionage expert and brain trust, folks.

But then again, I also think OJ has talked himself into the idea that someone else killed his wife and Ron Goldman...

 

[VGThuy]

I think Tonya was hoping they'd get away with it. After hearing so much about it in the past 20 years, I really do believe she knew what they were doing and was complicit. Her story keeps changing back and forth with varying levels of culpability except the one constant is that it, like everything else in her life, was not her fault.

IMO, Tonya's bitterness and stories over her treatment by the big bad USFS makes me inclined to believe she was willing to let it happen, if not part of the planning.

I had more to say about the revisionist history and how some are attempting to hold her up as some sort of feminist icon who deserves redemption (or even doesn't deserve any of the blame) really hits a sour note for me considering stories like Tonya happen every day and nobody is quick to redeem others for crimes they may have committed due to their unfortunate circumstances.

 

[Simone411]

I do not think Tonya was behind it per se.

I think Tonya would have had to call the police on Jeff and Shawn before the incident to stop it, because they would not listen to her despite their goal being to benefit her.

Had Tonya called the police on Jeff and Shawn, then she would have had nobody because she would have ruined the lives of her associates and the skating community already wanted her to stay away.

I think Tonya just hoped Jeff and Shawn would do nothing, but instead it telescoped with a lone Shawn Eckhardt deciding "more was better".

You know I agree with you on many things, and I'm also a total Star Trek fan. I don't necessarily call myself a Trekkie even though I do have a collectible I would never let go of which is Star Trek Barbie & Ken because my dad actually gave that to me as a Christmas present when it first came out.

The only thing is that this isn't Star Trek, and there still lies one problem that is hardly ever brought up. It was what was found in the trash bin with Tonya's hand writing giving the location and phone number of where Nancy would be practicing.

I don't know. Maybe it does have something to do with Star Trek. Maybe she told Scotty to beam her out of there and she just simply forgot to take that information with her and it was somehow left in the trash bin. I guess Scotty is to blame for that because he beamed her out of that area too soon.

 

[bardtoob]

(And it's apparently working to pin the blame on him, as bardtoob and others here have demonstrated.)

I am carefully considering your comments.

I recognize that I am not pointing out in every post that Tonya was no angel. Tonya was not above grabbing her own baseball bat or hub cap.

Moreover, Tonya should have worked harder on her skating because then she could have always been better. Instead, she did not work hard enough and just got by on enough last minute conditioning and talent.