Michelle Kwan (Threads Merged)

[Marco]

We all know that 2002 was the beginning of the end in terms of interesting competitive programs (despite good performances since then, they went really mainstream). I really wonder just who was the driving force behind the pretty academic exploration of the "classical" music Michelle skated to. I konw this is a dumb thought, but I remember Frank's story about how he and Lori found Lyra Angelica, and I remember thinking, "Well, LA does have the great USC classical radio programming."

1. She wasn't getting the competitive edge in the second mark against Slutskaya for bringing sophistication in expression, finesse and interpretation in her programs. Instead, Slutskaya was being heavily rewarded for speed and flow;

2. She was injured and was having a hard enough time just landing the jumps, let alone landing them in between complex choreography;

3. She had Morosov to help with programs...

4. She must have spent a lot of time trying to adapt to a new judging system that was not at all catered for her strengths.

 

[DannyCurry]

Check out Tarasova watching intently in the background.

I guess my eyes were only on Michelle (and sometimes on Frank Carroll) but where is Tarasova? :S

It'd probably take me forever to list all the programs and performances from her that I love, so I'll go with the ones I don't watch (so that the list is shorter) : Reflection, The World Is Not Enough, Bolero (safe the Campbells version), This Used To Be My Playground, and I guess that's it.

Thanks Michelle, for all those magical skating memories.

 

[Karpenko]

It still amazes me that nobody even knew she was injured throughout that quad until well after 2006. She was always no BS or excuses, and while being under more stress and scrutiny than any skater. She never didn't fight for everything and finished off every movement, no matter how the performance was going. That's more and more uncommon in skating these days across the board IMO.

I made this video about 8 years ago that (hopefully) sums up why she'll always be my favorite.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Me_F6-CD8S4

 

[Coco]

Well, something was clearly wrong in '04-'05 season, her stride got shorter.

But yes, refreshing lack of excuses.

And I'll always be most impressed with the changes she made to her jumps in the final years of her career, while injured. Unreal.

 

[Karpenko]

I had thought maybe she was recovering from a slight injury, nothing that serious though, and I was way too into the idea of her getting COP'd that I wouldn't even think of it lol. She didn't have quite the same flexibility in 05, or she didn't show it off as much on in-betweens like before. Jump landings became like buttah'.

I'm more baffled by Bolero knowing she was injured, but maybe that one was always on her bucket list.

 

[Clay]

Her body was aching way before the Fall of 2005

There were reports of her injuries starting in 2003-2004 season, but all of the references were vague. At the Campbells event in the fall of 2003 (not on youtube), the media (USFSA article probably) reported that her layback was shortened because her back was bothering her. She didn't do the Grand Prix that year, so no fans could report anything unusual at practices.

At the 2005 nationals, you could tell she had not been skating as much. Her long program looked unseasoned and her spiral was a bit more twisted that year.
At the end of the year cheesefest in 2005, fans and media noticed she was holding her back leading some to think she might withdraw when she missed a practice.
http://www.iceskatingintnl.com/archive/results/marshalls.htm

 

[RoseAugust]

With the exception of in her Romanza SP, I don't think Michelle ever featured her Ina Bauers well enough, although she often did small variations of them that sort of blended into the background. When she did feature it, it was lovely.

Michelle Kwan 1996 Worlds SP - Romanza Eurosport: https://youtu.be/1imuQWeIi4Q

Thanks for posting this. It reminds me just how much I miss spirals.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Michelle Kwan + Skating = Kleenex

 

[Sylvia]

Michelle and Clay Pell attended the Figure Skating in Harlem gala benefit in NYC last night:

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...harlem-gala-benefit-news-photos-videos.95422/

 

[skatingfan5]

Michelle and Clay Pell attended the Figure Skating in Harlem gala benefit in NYC last night:

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...harlem-gala-benefit-news-photos-videos.95422/

Here's a picture of Michelle and Clay from last night -- as always, Michelle looks absolutely stunning!

 

[giselle23]

TSL (Dave) did a mini-interview with Michelle at FSH. http://www.theskatinglesson.com/tsl...h-skating-with-the-stars-gala/#comment-396070

 

[aftershocks]

^^ I just saw that. Unfortunately the audio is really bad, but it was so cool seeing Michelle in an informal setting. She resembles her sister Karen quite a bit in that clip.

Can anyone make out the Kween's very soft-spoken, reluctant response to Dave brashly asking her something about Presidents and politics? Careful Dave, or you and Jenny will never be able to get MK on TSL for a full-on interview.

Here's a pic of Clay and Michelle at the event:
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/n...-the-10th-annual-skating-news-photo/469631220

 

[Marco]

Careful Dave, or you and Jenny will never be able to get MK on TSL for a full-on interview.

I asked about that on TSL's instagram post and the response from them was "we have an interview lined up".

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Oh really? J&D are definitely the busy bees. Very gracious of Michelle to take time out from her own surely busy, booked-up schedule. The Kween must have agreed to do the interview largely for skating fans and because she enjoys staying in touch with the sport. I hope Dave will be on his best behavior.

Did anyone catch MK's response to Dave's question about Presidential politics? I didn't even hear clearly what he was asking her.

 

[DreamSkates]

I remember the one time I saw her skate in person, in a Champions on Ice Tour, when she came out on the ice for the first time and skated around the rink, it was like she showered joy on everyone.

 

[DreamSkates]

And Uncle Dick ends the clip by saying, "That's why Michelle Kwan is Michelle Kwan."

So much of what Dick Button said about her seems - to me - to be missing in many female skaters today.

 

[RoseAugust]

I remember the one time I saw her skate in person, in a Champions on Ice Tour, when she came out on the ice for the first time and skated around the rink, it was like she showered joy on everyone.

That was my experience as well.. My husband, who is not a figure skating fan and pays zero attention to it, came with me. On the way to the card afterwards, he told me that Michelle Kwan made eye contact with him through his binoculars!

 

[aftershocks]

Some 'Best of Michelle Kwan' photos from 2010 to the present - Getty Images:

http://www.gettyimages.com/galleries/personality/201485?personality=Michelle Kwan&asset=457272382

Love, love all these pics -- especially the first one, and all the pics of Kween with Peggy, and the ones with Dorothy, Michelle and Peggy (at 2011 Rise premiere in NYC) -- scroll down. Michelle was wearing more eye makeup at that event.

 

[kittyjake5]

Article in today's Boston Herald regarding Michelle's involvement in bringing the Olympics to Boston!

http://www.bostonherald.com/inside_track/the_inside_track/2015/04/michelle_kwan_s_2024_bid_boost

 

[Simone411]

Thanks, @kittyjake5 !

 

[Simone411]

There is one performance that has always been amazing to me and always will. I know it's been seen several times, but it's worth watching again.
Michelle's LP from 2003 Worlds

It's been uploaded by others, but my upload of Michelle's LP is a little different than the others. You can enjoy 'everything' (in all aspects) in this video.

 

[aftershocks]

^^ Ah yes, thanks! I was in the arena that year, in Washington, D.C. It was unforgettable, with chills running up and down my spine. Michelle was/is a rock star! The only slightly unsettling thing was the ear-splitting screams emitting from some of her followers I was sitting close to in the stands who frankly had lost their minds and could not contain themselves during her performance.

That's wonderful news @kittyjake5 re plans for 2024 Summer Olympics bid! It's great to hear how Michelle feels about the City of Boston, and about how watching the 1988 Calgary Olympics changed her life. As a fan of figure skating, I cherish a lot of memories from those games.

Kwan said the board is committed to making the Olympic bid “cost-effective” and said the city will derive benefits long after the Games are gone.

“Watching the Olympic Games in Calgary changed the trajectory of my life,” she said. “I was only 7 years old, but when I watched the figure skaters, I told my parents, ‘I think I’m going to go to the Olympics.’”

Kwan said the chance to host the Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city. “It’s been 28 years since the U.S. hosted the Summer Olympics,” she said. “I think it’s time and I think it’s now.”

Hail to our Kween! Is it any wonder why MK will reign forever in our hearts!


ETA:
Here's one fan's Top Ten Youtube compilation of Michelle's Best Programs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mry3jLCTnWA

 

[skatesindreams]

What an experience it must have been to see that performance "up close and personal"; after many thought she would "decline" after the disappointment of SLC.

 

[Simone411]

@aftershocks you said it right! Hail to our Kween! I wasn't in the arena to see that wonderful program, though. I was at home screaming and jumping up and down! I'll never forget that moment.

 

[Simone411]

What an experience it must have been to see that performance "up close and personal"; after many thought she would "decline" after the disappointment of SLC.

skatesindreams, I join you in what it must have been like to experience that performance "up close and personal"!

 

[skatesindreams]

I was at home screaming and jumping up and down!

I cried, watching in my living room.

 

[aftershocks]

So true, @skatesindreams, and @Simone411. It was such a privilege to be there in 2003, even just watching from a distance up in the stands. I lived in New York at the time, and I knew I could not miss that opportunity (unfortunately having missed 1998 U.S. Nationals in Philadelphia because I couldn't get time off from my job). I did not unfortunately attend the pairs event in 2003 (Shen/Zhao OMG, what a thrilling performance), but I had a ticket to see the Kween and her court. Thanks for posting this reminder Simone411 -- watching MK skate never gets old. The emotions that wash over Michelle's face after this performance are priceless (as are Dick Button's cries of joy: "... I love it, I love it." Peggy's words also rang true: "She's loving what she's doing ... She's an incredible athlete.")

Michelle's performances at Nationals in 2003 and at Worlds in 2003 were such beautiful gifts to her fans. You can feel this every time re-watching these performances (in fact, re-watching every one of her performances brings back memories whether or not I was in the arena). But yes, I feel fortunate that I was at World Pros in 1998 and I got a chance to meet Michelle in person after the event, and that I was in the arena in D.C. to see MK at Worlds 2003. Little did we know that 2003 would be Michelle's final crowning glory on top of the podium, through no fault of her own truthfully, since she continued to give it her all until her body said, "No more."

Yet, of course Michelle's life continued (continues), as she struggled (struggles and succeeds) to find new meaning and purpose in her journey. What a wonderful, giving and joyous spirit she possesses. I don't think we can fully wrap our heads around it, but I'm just thankful for being around to witness, share in and learn from Michelle's journey. If you can get beyond the surface of things, you'll understand what I mean. As a fan of figure skating, and as a humble traveler myself, I feel blessed by the gifts Michelle has given and continues to bestow as she wings through this universe. (Michelle Wingshan Kwan Pell )

 

[Simone411]

Yet, of course Michelle's life continued (continues), as she struggled (struggles and succeeds) to find new meaning and purpose in her journey. What a wonderful, giving and joyous spirit she possesses. I don't think we can fully wrap our heads around it, but I'm just thankful for being around to witness, share in and learn from Michelle's journey. If you can get beyond the surface of things, you'll understand what I mean. As a fan of figure skating, and as humble traveler myself, I feel blessed by the gifts Michelle has given and continues to bestow as she wings through this universe. (Michelle Wingshan Kwan Pell )

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so happy that you were able to attend those competitions and witness Michelle's wonderful performances live. You know, I feel blessed that I was able to tape so many of the competitions with Michelle with my VCR. Some of which was even before I ever had the internet. Now I feel blessed that I can share all of this with everyone. That's what it's all about. To be able to share these experiences even if it's on video is an amazing thing!

 

[giselle23]

There is one performance that has always been amazing to me and always will. I know it's been seen several times, but it's worth watching again.
Michelle's LP from 2003 Worlds

It's been uploaded by others, but my upload of Michelle's LP is a little different than the others. You can enjoy 'everything' (in all aspects) in this video.

Dang, it cut out before the "rusty hoot" comment. But thanks for posting. It was incredible.

 

[aftershocks]

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so happy that you were able to attend those competitions and witness Michelle's wonderful performances live. You know, I feel blessed that I was able to tape so many of the competitions with Michelle with my VCR. Some of which was even before I ever had the internet. Now I feel blessed that I can share all of this with everyone. That's what it's all about. To be able to share these experiences even if it's on video is an amazing thing!

Yes indeed. That's another of Michelle's gifts: how she helped bring together so many people with different backgrounds who became friends through sharing the experience of loving her and following her career.

Dick's "rusty hoot" utterance during this performance ... classic!