Nicole Bobek

[olympic]

For the sake of argument, let's say that Bobek maximized her potential, had a 3-3 in the LP and landed stuff like a top consistent skater would, projected to the rafters, had an ooooh spiral, won 95 Worlds and continued onward.

Does the USFSA keep her ahead of Kwan in the 96-98 era? I think previous posts suggest that fate would've kept Lipinski out of the picture until 98 anyway due to age.

 

[Frau Muller]

Amber Glenn reminds me a lot of Nicole Bobek...presenting to crowd, musicality, emotionality. Glamorous presence. Natural talents. A certain edginess. Full of yet-unfulfilled potential...hopefully about to be fulfilled soon.

 

[bardtoob]

Does the USFSA keep her ahead of Kwan in the 96-98 era?

Kwan was already contributing to US Figure Skating's World team berths, including Nicole's berth to 1995 Worlds. Kwan also had the work ethic and demeanor they liked. I think they would have just had them trade 1 and 2.

 

[olympic]

Kwan was already contributing to US Figure Skating's World team berths, including Nicole's berth to 1995 Worlds. Kwan also had the work ethic and demeanor they liked. I think they would have just had them trade 1 and 2.

Are you talking about Kwan in '94 keeping 2 US spots for '95? Because Bobek won Nationals in '95 and outright secured a spot to Worlds whether there was 1 or 2 spots for the US.

Agreed about Kwan's work ethic and demeanor impressing the USFSA

 

[VGThuy]

Kwan was too consistent, self-motivated, self-disciplined, and skilled to be ignored completely no matter how Bobek was doing. Kwan made a career in beating skaters who were better “on paper” because Kwan’s skating can’t just be summarized on paper. It’s one of those if you watch them you’ll get it things.

 

[olympic]

Kwan was too consistent, self-motivated, self-disciplined, and skilled to be ignored completely no matter how Bobek was doing. Kwan made a career in beating skaters who were better “on paper” because Kwan’s skating can’t just be summarized on paper. It’s one of those if you watch them you’ll get it things.

I get it. I almost felt blasphemous by suggesting someone consistently stays in front of her from 96-98

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I remember as a teenager and just NOT liking drugs which back then was pot. It’s legal in Canada now but I simply can’t stand the smell. I did try it and was like .

I hardly find it appropriate to share your memoirs of drugging in this forum,dear.

As for Bobek,case in point that one can only coast on good looks and platinum blond hair for so long before questionable morals and poor work ethic catches up.

-BB

 

[Vagabond]

As for Bobek,she is a case in point that one can only coast on good looks and platinum blond hair for so long before it all falls apart.

I take it that you are speaking from personal experience.

 

[bardtoob]

Are you talking about Kwan in '94 keeping 2 US spots for '95? Because Bobek won Nationals in '95 and outright secured a spot to Worlds whether there was 1 or 2 spots for the US.

I'm talking about Kwan securing 2 berths at Worlds in 1994 while Bobek didn't make it out of qualifying.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

I take it that you are speaking from personal experience.

I am neither blond nor a floozy.

-BB

 

[Judy]

I hardly find it appropriate to share your memoirs of drugging in this forum,dear.

As for Bobek,case in point that one can only coast on good looks and platinum blond hair for so long before questionable morals and poor work ethic catches up.

The good news sweetie is that you have no control over what I - or others - post .

 

[tony]

I'm talking about Kwan securing 2 berths at Worlds in 1994 while Bobek didn't make it out of qualifying.

Yeah but the point that was being made is even if the US was down to one spot, Nicole won Nationals and earned that spot either way. Michelle technically helped get herself back to Worlds.

 

[bardtoob]

Yeah but the point that was being made is even if the US was down to one spot, Nicole won Nationals and earned that spot either way. Michelle technically helped get herself back to Worlds.

Because by virtue of USFSA being a member of the ISU, the USFSA had one spot.

 

[jlai]

I wonder if people at the time gave USFS grief for not giving Bobek the bye to 1996 Worlds considering she was a reigning world medalist and Tara ended up placing 15th there. In the end, it actually worked out because 1996 Worlds was a great learning experience for Tara and helped her grandfather into senior competition in 1997 or whatever the rules were.

Not exactly an answer but there was a mention here: www.frogsonice.com/skateweb/reports/1996-nationals.txt

 

[olympic]

I hardly find it appropriate to share your memoirs of drugging in this forum,dear.

As for Bobek,case in point that one can only coast on good looks and platinum blond hair for so long before questionable morals and poor work ethic catches up.

-BB

@Judy was actually issuing a Nancy Reagan anti drug message, hon

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

The 1995 National Championships were a bit of a cliff hanger for Kwan. Michelle made silly errors in the short and the long.

Tonia Kwaitkowski won the short program in Providence, and I'm guessing if she had skated a clean free program, would have kept Michelle from making the world team.

 

[bardtoob]

Tonia Kwaitkowski won the short program in Providence, and I'm guessing if she had skated a clean free program, would have kept Michelle from making the world team.

That would have been an interesting team, Bobek and Tonia K ... in the most disastrous way possible ... Miss Overcooked and Miss Underbaked. How could something be so frozen and burned at the same time.

 

[Vagabond]

That would have been an interesting team, Bobek and Tonia K ... in the most disastrous way possible ... Miss Overcooked and Miss Underbaked. How could something be so frozen and burned at the same time.

These two may henceforth be referred to collectively as Baked Alaska.

 

[Judy]

I am neither blond nor a floozy.

-BB

@Judy was actually issuing a Nancy Reagan anti drug message, hon

If I am a “druggie” from having tried pot twice 35 years ago (ouch) well ... there are no words .

(that isn’t directed at you olympia).

Today’s drugs are even more dangerous then when I was a teenager that’s for sure.

 

[Brenda_Bottems]

Miss Overcooked

"Miss Overcooked" would have easily placed 5th at Birmingham Worlds ahead of that severe Russian with her performances from 1995 Nationals. Miss Kwiatkowski deserves much better than this frankly uninventive and dull nickname.

If I am a “druggie” from having tried pot twice 35 years ago (ouch) well ... there are no words .

Gateway drugs are dangerous—and can be disastrous. I fail to see any humor when it comes to drugging.

@Judy was actually issuing a Nancy Reagan anti drug message, hon

How dare you drag Mrs. Reagan's good name in this discussion.

-BB

 

[Coco]

Nicole Bobek - 1995 U.S. Figure Skating Championships - Long Program

Music: Doctor Zhivago soundtrack by Maurice Jarre

www.youtube.com

Nicole Bobek (USA) - 1995 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Short Program

Birmingham, England, GREAT BRITAIN - 1995 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Short Program - First, a profile on Nicole Bobek of the United States, ...

youtu.be

Nicole Bobek - 1998 United States Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - 1998 United States Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate - Nicole Bobek placed 3rd in the Free Skate and ended d...

www.youtube.com

 

[Judy]

"Miss Overcooked" would have easily placed 5th at Birmingham Worlds ahead of that severe Russian with her performances from 1995 Nationals. Miss Kwiatkowski deserves much better than this frankly uninventive and dull nickname.


Gateway drugs are dangerous—and can be disastrous. I fail to see any humor when it comes to drugging.


How dare you drag Mrs. Reagan's good name in this discussion.

-BB

 

[bardtoob]

"Miss Overcooked" would have easily placed 5th at Birmingham Worlds ahead of that severe Russian with her performances from 1995 Nationals. Miss Kwiatkowski deserves much better than this frankly uninventive and dull nickname.

It's relative. Tonia could have just as easily been Ms. Underbaked if you were talking about the depth of her knee when she jumped rather than being overprepared every jump entrance relative to the effort she put into actually getting off the ice.

Of course, Ms. Overbaked could refer to Bobek during her Breaking Bad years.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

After a couple of good summer competitions, Bobek had a disastrous fall, landing nothing harder than toe or salchow (and sometimes not even that). She then came under heavy criticism (including from many in the USFS) by skating in the Nutcracker tour over Christmas instead of training for Nationals. The pre-Nationals coaching change didn't do her favors either. She went into Nationals with a lot of people seriously fed up and rooting against her.

If there was any outrage about her not receiving a bye (I wasn't online until the following years), her disastrous performance at Centennial on Ice - where she fell on all three jumps in the short program, doubled everything in the free skate, and finished last in both segments - quieted any second-guessing. Those performances would have had her last at Worlds, without a doubt.

I do think Bobek at her best would have been a multiple-time World medalist / champion. Her technique wasn't bad by 90s standards and wasn't a barrier when she was actually in shape, which was rare. She unfortunately crash dieted very often and spoke about being bulimic in the period leading up to 1998 U.S. Nationals. She was on fire in those practices, landing 3Lz3T, 3F3T, and 3T3T plus 2A2A sequence. Her actual competitive performances, as good as they were, were a let-down compared to the firepower she was showing in practice. The program itself, as originally choreographed by Robin Cousins, was not bad, but had become unrecognizable to the point that he was distancing himself from it.

Ah, what might have been.

Having seeing Bobek skate in person at the 1994 US Championships, her short program was spectacular.

From memory, I believe Centennial on Ice was after the 1996 US National Championships. Maybe Bobek's heart just wasn't in it at that stage, after being bumped from the world team.

I'm sorry to hear she had so many skating-related health issues as well. The sport can be so cruel at ditching talent in search of the next big star.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Nicole Bobek - 1995 U.S. Figure Skating Championships - Long Program

Music: Doctor Zhivago soundtrack by Maurice Jarre

www.youtube.com

Nicole Bobek (USA) - 1995 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Short Program

Birmingham, England, GREAT BRITAIN - 1995 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Short Program - First, a profile on Nicole Bobek of the United States, ...

youtu.be

Nicole Bobek - 1998 United States Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - 1998 United States Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate - Nicole Bobek placed 3rd in the Free Skate and ended d...

www.youtube.com

Nicole, at her best, was the definition of ladies' skating. She was strong and powerful, yet elegant and sophisticated at the same time. Prior to Kwan's transformation in the fall of 1995, Michelle looked like an elementary school girl by comparison.

 

[Vagabond]

Nicole, at her best, was the definition of ladies' skating.

Right down to the mule kick and change of edge on her lutz.

 

[Lemonade20]

I always remembered Nicole as the next Tonya Harding. They were both blonde skaters with power and talent, but their demons kept them from ever achieving their full potential.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I always remembered Nicole as the next Tonya Harding. They were both blonde skaters with power and talent, but their demons kept them from ever achieving their full potential.

That comparison certainly didn't go unnoticed by the British media when Bobek appeared at the 1995 World Championships. I recall Nicole and her coach having to deflect questions about an alleged home invasion charge (that was quashed because it was made public).

The road to fame has certainly been a rocky one for some of the sport's biggest names.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Right down to the mule kick and change of edge on her lutz.

Awwwww.....Don't be spoil sport!

 

[bardtoob]

Awwwww.....Don't be spoil sport!

The CoP did that by making it a nitpicking contest.