Is Michelle Kwan underrated

[VGThuy]

Kwan was also lucky that the post 1998 fame occurred when Disney was releasing Mulan and they did a whole ice special around that movie with Kwan playing the titular character. Phillipe Cadeloro played Shang. They had similar hair.

This led to ABC/Disney hiring Kwan to be a spokesperson and do a few more ice specials.

 

[Lemonade20]

Michelle Kwan was far more friendly and approachable than Tara ever was. I remember when Tara was on tour, she didn’t get along with the cast

 

[bardtoob]

The absolute shade of this still makes me laugh, and I always thought Tara was unfairly maligned. What was the USOC's rationale for having the ladies silver medalist do this? Just because Kwan was better liked or what?

The athletes themselves elect who presents the jacket.

 

[Fiero425]

Michelle Kwan was far more friendly and approachable than Tara ever was. I remember when Tara was on tour, she didn’t get along with the cast

Tara was a child; probably totally sheltered! Heaven knows I didn't get out or associate that much with other kids until I was 14 or so! To this day I felt misunderstood at the time back then and at times now! You don't pick up some social cues or care really because it's not important! If single-minded enough, you miss out on a lot of outside interests and friendships! You don't even know you're missing out on anything! Anyone know how Tara was raised outside of that '98 bio of a 16 year old?

 

[Orm Irian]

I think most people in the western World would know the name Michelle Kwan, including those who don't follow FS. Particularly in Canada and the US.

They really wouldn't.

 

[bardtoob]

Michelle Kwan was far more friendly and approachable than Tara ever was.

Tara was a child; probably totally sheltered! Heaven knows I didn't get out or associate that much with other kids until I was 14 or so! To this day I felt misunderstood at the time back then and at times now! You don't pick up some social cues or care really because it's not important! If single-minded enough, you miss out on a lot of outside interests and friendships! You don't even know you're missing out on anything! Anyone know how Tara was raised outside of that '98 bio of a 16 year old?

Michelle and Tara had very similar lives in many respects for many years.

Probably the biggest difference is:

1) Michelle almost always had her similar aged sister with her, which involves a lot of sharing and socialization with a peer, while Tara was an only child often alone with her mother.

2) Michelle was dependent on help from sponsors while Tara was self-funded, for example Pat Lipinski commented that the Kwans "made money off their kid".

 

[attyfan]

I remember reading years ago about Michelle and Tara doing things together when both on tour with COI, such as amusement parks, (I recall reading that they once stayed too late, and running back to the hotel holding hands in the dark). Once Tara won, she switched to SOI ... where the huge age gab between her and the rest of the cast proved to be a problem.

 

[Fiero425]

I remember reading years ago about Michelle and Tara doing things together when both on tour with COI, such as amusement parks, (I recall reading that they once stayed too late, and running back to the hotel holding hands in the dark). Once Tara won, she switched to SOI ... where the huge age gab between her and the rest of the cast proved to be a problem.

Tara couldn't possibly know those people! They were "so called" STARS before she was even born more than likely!

 

[Lemonade20]

I remember reading years ago about Michelle and Tara doing things together when both on tour with COI, such as amusement parks, (I recall reading that they once stayed too late, and running back to the hotel holding hands in the dark). Once Tara won, she switched to SOI ... where the huge age gab between her and the rest of the cast proved to be a problem.

This!!!!!

 

[Skibean]

Tara had the reputation for being very spoiled and unapproachable. There were reports of her being rude to wait staff in restaurants and not friendly with working class people. This would probably be due to her upbringing- parents.

I didn’t like Tara for years due to the rink rumors and her overall attitude. She must’ve mellowed, because I met her and she was extremely nice and approachable.

I find her behavior while commentating to be over the top, and she definitely likes the attention. But she’s not that little child anymore that was spoiled and bratty. Again, a parenting issue. I don’t think the backlash she received for having a plantation wedding was fair, but I didn’t agree with the Nagano results either.

 

[Lemonade20]

Tara couldn't possibly know those people! They were "so called" STARS before she was even born more than likely!

It’s not the age, it’s the attitude.

 

[Simone411]

She probably would have actually needed the Olympic Gold Medal to get on the Wheaties box.

She may not have been on the Wheaties box, but she had several endorsements including Maxxis Tires. I even sent off for the free posters of Michelle and Maxxis tires. There were 3 different posters, and I still have them.

Michelle was also endorsed by Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Campbell Soup, Kraft, Got Milk, East West Bank, ESPN and too many more to name. I found this article about Michelle that lists several of her endorsements.

Endorsements - Michelle Kwan

She was also on several TV Guide covers over the years. I believe I have all those, too.

And then, a wonderful member here mailed me a gift of the collection of covers from Skating Magazine that Michelle had been on. There was an introduction page with Michelle giving brief info about every cover, and she even personally autographed it. This is something that I will cherish forever.

 

[Spikefan]

I think I still have one of those tire posters too. I also have one that was for public libraries. I kind of miss the days of hunting down every Michelle thing I could get my hands on. Simpler times.

 

[Simone411]

I think I still have one of those tire posters too. I also have one that was for public libraries. I kind of miss the days of hunting down every Michelle thing I could get my hands on. Simpler times.

And you just reminded me. There was a limited edition 1998 Olympics Snow Globe of Michelle by Hallmark. Hallmark also had a limited edition of Tara, too!

 

[Skibean]

I have the globe, Barbie doll and poster. I didn’t get the game.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

I have the globe, Barbie doll and poster. I didn’t get the game.

Of course I have the snow globe.

 

[paskatefan]

I have the MK snow globe, too!

 

[RoseAugust]

Wish I had a MK snow globe!

 

[UGG]

Michelle Kwan was far more friendly and approachable than Tara ever was. I remember when Tara was on tour, she didn’t get along with the cast

I don’t think the issue was she didn’t get along with anyone...she was 15 years old (and probably a young 15) and the cast was so much older...going out to bars etc...so obviously she couldn’t go out with them after shows and at the same time, no one was obligated to ensure she was having a good time. The tour was just not a good mix for her due to her age.

 

[kwanatic]

I had (and still have) the posters from Maxxis. They are in my closet but they were all over my dorm room when I was in college. My room was basically a shrine to Michelle Kwan and Kobe Bryant. I'm a huge Lakers fan (YAAAAY! We just won another title!), and a mega Kobe fan (my heart is still broken).

I also had the Michelle Kwan game. I have no idea where it is though. I'm sure I could probably find it if I went back to the house and dug around--it's probably in a box somewhere in a closet or the attic. I hate that there aren't any good figure skating games out there...

 

[giselle23]

One other thing to consider is Christine Brennan, the most highly respected, knowledgable, and revered expert in U.S skating history said Kwan should have won both the 95 and 97 worlds, even with her mistakes at the 97 worlds. Based on that info alone we can safely say she deserved atleast 7 world titles. She mentioned this specifically in her book.

Brennan revered? Hardly. She is just another fan who happens to write for a living. I love Michelle, but she isn't underrated. She is appropriately rated as a legend, the best of her era and one of the best of all time.

 

[Fiero425]

Brennan revered? Hardly. She is just another fan who happens to write for a living. I love Michelle, but she isn't underrated. She is appropriately rated as a legend, the best of her era and one of the best of all time.

Agreed! Brennan's not all that respected and Michelle certainly wasn't underrated! If anything, she was massively overrated! As consistent as she's thought to be, there have been more than a few occasions where she appeared to be another person; esp. after that Masters Champ. back in '01 where she fired her coach, Frank Carroll that very night! She allowed Tara & Sarah to sneak up on her in '98 & '02 respectively, then totally underperformed during that period after '01 where Slutskaya pretty much owned her!

 

[bardtoob]

From Serena Williams to Michelle Kwan: The Richest Women in Sports

If a little girl has both athletic talent and dreams of growing up to be rich, she should learn to play tennis. In ranking the female athletes with the highest net worths -- those with fortunes of at...

www.yahoo.com

The Kween is rated 19th in a 4 way tie of richest female athletes . . . $16 Million.

 

[Simone411]

Thanks, @bardtoob, and this what is mentioned about the Kween:

The most decorated American figure skater in history, Michelle Kwan is a two-time Olympic medalist, earning a spot on the podium at both the 1998 and 2002 Games. Between 1996 and 2006, she won five World Championships and nine U.S. National Championships. She remains one of the most famous and celebrated figure skaters and female athletes of any sport.

What's so wonderful about it is that Michelle worked for everything she's accomplished. She earned it with dedication and true sportsmanship, and nothing was given to her. This is why I admire and respect Michelle as much as I do.

 

[Skibean]

Agreed! Brennan's not all that respected and Michelle certainly wasn't underrated! If anything, she was massively overrated! As consistent as she's thought to be, there have been more than a few occasions where she appeared to be another person; esp. after that Masters Champ. back in '01 where she fired her coach, Frank Carroll that very night! She allowed Tara & Sarah to sneak up on her in '98 & '02 respectively, then totally underperformed during that period after '01 where Slutskaya pretty much owned her!

Tara didn’t sneak up on her. Tara was the reigning World champion and CO FAVORITE for gold in Nagano. People forget that very important fact. Also, Michelle was coming off an injury.
Sarah didn’t exactly sneak up either. She beat both Michelle and Irina prior to the SLC Olympics. Perhaps you should review those seasons.

 

[tony]

Tara didn’t sneak up on her. Tara was the reigning World champion and CO FAVORITE for gold in Nagano. People forget that very important fact. Also, Michelle was coming off an injury.
Sarah didn’t exactly sneak up either. She beat both Michelle and Irina prior to the SLC Olympics. Perhaps you should review those seasons.

Tara was having a rough season leading up to Nagano- losing to Hubert, finishing 4th in the short at Nationals while Kwan had two stand-out performances, etc. But yes, I think everyone expected her to challenge for gold while there was a long list of potential bronze medalists (Butyrskaya, Szewczenko, Chen, Gusmeroli, Czako, Slutskaya, Hubert, etc)

Hughes, though: absolutely not. She had been developing a rivalry with Butyrskaya for the prior season and a half as two likely bronze medal contenders, and Cohen was thrown in, although she hadn't really proven herself yet internationally but had the potential to do so. Skate Canada was a mess of an event- Slutskaya was held down to 4th in the short but won the long, Kwan made many mistakes in the free, and so on. Also, seeing how Sarah scraped through her GPF bronze medal and also only went into the Olympics as the 3rd best American, I don't think anyone was considering her a gold medal possibility unless they were her part of her family. As an example, Butyrskaya won Europeans over Slutskaya (and also was the only one to win both of her GP points events that season, and finished 2nd in the GPF SP) and not one person thought that made her a sudden gold medal favorite-- and she was a former World Champ.

 

[kwanfan1818]

I've long thought that Wagner kept Hughes focused after that disappointment by changing up the FS between Nationals and the Olympics -- for the better, IMO -- but Hughes was also exceedingly competitive, and I think that 3rd fueled her, just like Lysacek's did in 2010. She also must have been teed off that Cohen was more favored, despite not having the track record, but winning was the best revenge.

The judges left a superhighway's worth of marks above Hughes' FS. No one else was able to capitalize on it.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Sigh. Reading this post takes me back to a time when US ladies ruled the world.

 

[Fiero425]

Tara didn’t sneak up on her. Tara was the reigning World champion and CO FAVORITE for gold in Nagano. People forget that very important fact. Also, Michelle was coming off an injury.
Sarah didn’t exactly sneak up either. She beat both Michelle and Irina prior to the SLC Olympics. Perhaps you should review those seasons.

Honey, you aren't telling me anything IDK! I not only followed all the competitions, I taped and still have them on VHS tape! True enough neither Tara or Sarah snuck up on MK, but no one thought they'd win at Nagano or SLC respectively! Kwan's reputation allowed her an undeserved Bronze medal where she made an obvious mistake on her 3F in the SP, but still scored ahead of Irina and Sasha Cohen! That was BS as it affected the "Ordinal" system that was still being utilized! Irina probably should have owned the GOLD in SLC even with Sarah winning the LP!

 

[VGThuy]

Well, it's not as if Irina didn't get any gifts in her career. She got a major one in the 2001-02 GPF and then Kwan was pretty much shut out of Worlds no matter how she skated. And even if Irina placed first after the SP, there's no telling what would have happened in the LP. Irina could have found some way to muck it up anyway. And maybe if Cohen learned to skate on edges by 2002 she could have beaten Kwan in the SP. Kwan can't help it that she was just da bomb diggity at that point in comparison to her competition. Cohen placing ahead of Fumie Suguri at that time in their career in a sport called figure skating where skating skills should be important and then keeping her stockings after she "borrowed" them from Suguri was reward enough.