Michelle Kwan article in LA Times today

[barbk]

Longevity, excellence, perseverance in the face of crushing defeats — why we love Michelle Kwan

Two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan serves as an inspiration to Alysa Liu and the next generation of figure skaters.

www.latimes.com

Includes a picture from her with Elena T. that I've not seen before and Kwan's comments on Alyssa and Nathan.

 

[VGThuy]

Love that picture of her with Tcherkasskaia.

 

[tony]

Love that picture of her with Tchaikovskaya.

Tcherkasskaia- the coach who passed away in the middle of the 2001/2002 Grand Prix after having done wonders with Nikodinov.

 

[VGThuy]

Tcherkasskaia- the coach who passed away in the middle of the 2001/2002 Grand Prix after having done wonders with Nikodinov.

I’ll correct it.

 

[tony]

I’ll correct it.

When I read your post, I curiously opened the article wondering why Butyrskaya’s coach would’ve been in pics with Kwan in both of their primes

 

[MacMadame]

I can't read the article. (It says I've reached my limit for the month)

 

[barbk]

I can't read the article. (It says I've reached my limit for the month)

Sent you a message that might help.

 

[BittyBug]

Michelle wears her age incredibly well.

 

[attyfan]

Thank you for posting this article!

 

[MacMadame]

Sent you a message that might help.

I don't see it.

 

[barbk]

I don't see it.

I think it might have gone by email.
I used the envelope icon on FSU.

 

[MacMadame]

Then it's in the ether somewhere. But someone else got it to me.

A nice article!

 

[Coco]

Michelle wears her age incredibly well.

That's because she, Sasha, Sarah Hughes and Angela Nikodinov are all still in their late 20s. When they said Kwan was 39, that was just the obligatory skating article mistake.

 

[crzesk8dad]

That's because she, Sasha, Sarah Hughes and Angela Nikodinov are all still in their late 20s. When they said Kwan was 39, that was just the obligatory skating article mistake.

Michelle's birthday is June 7, 1980. That makes her 39.

 

[Prancer]

There's always someone who needs an emoticon.

 

[carriecmu0503]

Michelle's birthday is June 7, 1980. That makes her 39.

Michelle’s birthday is July 7, not June 7.

 

[crzesk8dad]

I stand correct

Michelle’s birthday is July 7, not June 7.

I stand corrected! Typo error. Thanks.

 

[MacMadame]

Michelle's birthday is June 7, 1980. That makes her 39.

And you've been reading FSU how long now?

 

[aftershocks]

Longevity, excellence, perseverance in the face of crushing defeats — why we love Michelle Kwan

Two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan serves as an inspiration to Alysa Liu and the next generation of figure skaters.

www.latimes.com

Includes a picture from her with Elena T. that I've not seen before and Kwan's comments on Alyssa and Nathan.

Thanks for sharing. It's always nice to read articles on Michelle, and to hear things from her perspective.

It's fine for this and other writers to mention Alysa Liu when writing about Michelle. It's just that the way they do it is always presupposing Alysa is going to have this great, comparable career. I personally think it's better to allow Alysa's career to simply unfold without so much connecting her to possessing MK-level potential and measuring her at this stage with the great achievements of a legendary champion.

When Michelle was starting out, there's no way anyone could have predicted the phenomenal career she achieved, which ultimately transcended skating. Michelle was a legend in her own time, while she was still competing. At least this article was a bit careful about laying the comparisons between Michelle and Alysa on too thick, but they still couldn't resist that opening line...

 

[bardtoob]

Michelle Kwan is 23, like me.

There was this nasty rumor that she was already 24 when I joined FSU, but you know rumors in the skating world

 

[skatesindreams]

I can't read the article. (It says I've reached my limit for the month)

For me, also.

 

[Erin]

Michelle is the same age as me, so I know she cannot possibly be 39.

 

[mjb52]

My grandmother used to say she was "as young as springtime" when you tried to get her to specify her age and I'm pretty sure that is true of both Michelle and all of us as well.

 

[Coco]

There's always someone who needs an emoticon.

The urge to mansplain overwhelms the senses.

 

[Simone411]

Michelle’s birthday is July 7, not June 7.

It sure is, and I remember on 07/07/07 that Michelle received Happy Birthday wishes from practically everyone that was a member of MKF because of the rareness of that birthday. It was a once in a lifetime birthday and there was at least 20 plus pages of birthday wishes.

From the wonderful article:

“I always knew the responsibility of being looked up to by young girls and boys who watched me closely, watched my every move. That was before social media, before Instagram stories and stuff,” Kwan says. “I know that they watched every interview and it kind of felt like they knew me, which they did. The backstory of my family and my upbringing, I think, really connected with the Lius. I feel very honored that they thought of me as somebody to look up to.”

I wonder at age 13 after Michelle became an alternate for the 1994 Olympics if she could even imagine the bucket list of accomplishments she would achieve. What a wonderful life she's had and still with more to come.

 

[MacMadame]

For me, also.

Check your Inbox

 

[kwanette]

Michelle's birthday is June 7, 1980. That makes her 39.

July 7..

 

[skatesindreams]

Check your Inbox

Got it!

 

[goldberry99]

When they said Kwan was 39, that was just the obligatory skating article mistake.

I thought the obligatory mistake was the picture that was captioned “Kwan at 1995 US Nationals.” If that’s correct, where’s the ponytail?

 

[VGThuy]

I thought the obligatory mistake was the picture that was captioned “Kwan at 1995 US Nationals.” If that’s correct, where’s the ponytail?

I didn’t even catch that. That pic is from 2005 Nationals.