Tonya Harding to appear at Alamo Drafthouse in Austin

[slicekw]

On August 14 and 15, The Alamo Drafthouse will be showing "I, Tonya" and Tonya will be doing a Q&A.

First - Here's the link.

Second - I bought two tickets. They're in the handicapped row in the theater (2nd row, it's a small theater), and I'm willing to sell the second seat to someone from here. I got Wednesday night tickets.

Third - There are very few tickets left, so if you want to go and are able to, grab them and if you get Wednesday tickets, I could meet up before or after.

Fourth - I'm perfectly happy to stand up and say "Figure Skating Universe members' #1 question that we'd like to ask is __________." if anyone wants to help me fill in the blank. I'd love to ask her something technical or about any of her routines. Just post questions in the thread.
Scandal aside, it's a chance to ask a question to someone that was an amazing athlete in her time.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I would love to know if Margot Robbie and Craig Gillespie consulted Tonya at all about her actual skating style. They recreated Harding's look really well in the movie.

 

[BaileyCatts]

I want to know what those 2 damn bowls are that she is holding in the podium picture from 1991 Nationals! I realize one of them must be the trophy you got for winning Nationals, but why does she have TWO of them?! What are they? Why did she get TWO? I want the answer sometime before I die!

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/120913124914-figure-skating-harding-kerrigan-story-top.jpg

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

I want to know what those 2 damn bowls are that she is holding in the podium picture from 1991 Nationals! I realize one of them must be the trophy you got for winning Nationals, but why does she have TWO of them?! What are they? Why did she get TWO? I want the answer sometime before I die!

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/120913124914-figure-skating-harding-kerrigan-story-top.jpg

I imagine that, if she has a social media account, you could probably send her a message to ask.

 

[bardtoob]

@slicekw

Ask Tonya about the Triple Lutz - Double Loop combination she used in the short program at 1987 NHK Trophy, when she competed against Katarina Witt and Midori Ito ... And how that short program had the same content as Christopher Bowman and Paul Wylie's short program, who were the #2 and #3 US Men at the 1988 Olympics.

What motivated her to do content like that when it was only expected of the Men and the presentation part of skating appeared to be more well rewarded among the Ladies than technical content?

 

[Carolla5501]

Well here's an event I would NEVER bother to attend. Paying to listen to her whine that nothing is ever her fault and she's a misunderstood saint? No thanks!


But my number one question "Do you really think anyone believes the lines of BS you shovel out about how you knew nothing and have never done anything wrong?"

 

[meggonzo]

I want to know what those 2 damn bowls are that she is holding in the podium picture from 1991 Nationals! I realize one of them must be the trophy you got for winning Nationals, but why does she have TWO of them?! What are they? Why did she get TWO? I want the answer sometime before I die!

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/120913124914-figure-skating-harding-kerrigan-story-top.jpg

I imagine that, if she has a social media account, you could probably send her a message to ask.

Tonya has an Instagram account. Or you could probably ask USFSA.

 

[slicekw]

Well here's an event I would NEVER bother to attend. Paying to listen to her whine that nothing is ever her fault and she's a misunderstood saint? No thanks!


But my number one question "Do you really think anyone believes the lines of BS you shovel out about how you knew nothing and have never done anything wrong?"

I don't blame you for being angry at her. I'm one of the few people in the middle of the love/hate for Tonya.

Tonya was raised to do one thing and one thing only, skate, and the USFSA encouraged that; and they were aware of her situation and did nothing. The USFSA never answered for their complicity in shaping her to be what she was. And they topped this off by making millions of extra dollars over the next decade riding on the prurient interests of the crowd (and failed miserably on converting it to long-term fandom) and they cut her a raw deal by stealing the one thing that she could do from her.

I just think that sports organizations have a limited guardian responsibility to ensure that children involved in their sport at a high level have a safe, sane and well-rounded situation. It could have made a great difference for Tonya. I don't excuse her behavior, and yeah, it's crossed my mind that calling her on her shit could be interesting. I'm an American and we're supposed to be about second chances. I'll go and hope to see that maybe she's learned something.

 

[Rock2]

When I first read the title "....appearance....drafthouse......" my first thought, since this isn't a rink was 'sweet, what will she be chugging?'

Now that I'm reading the detail I'm pleasantly surprised to see decent opportunities holding her up still.

Have fun!

 

[Skittl1321]

I want to know what those 2 damn bowls are that she is holding in the podium picture from 1991 Nationals! I realize one of them must be the trophy you got for winning Nationals, but why does she have TWO of them?! What are they? Why did she get TWO? I want the answer sometime before I die!

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/120913124914-figure-skating-harding-kerrigan-story-top.jpg

That's a great question. Does the men's winner have 2 bowls too?

 

[giselle23]

I would ask her how hard it was for her to do those cartwheels and flips in her DWTS finale? Did she ever do gymnastics?

 

[Carolla5501]

I just think that sports organizations have a limited guardian responsibility to ensure that children involved in their sport at a high level have a safe, sane and well-rounded situation. It could have made a great difference for Tonya. I don't excuse her behavior, and yeah, it's crossed my mind that calling her on her shit could be interesting. I'm an American and we're supposed to be about second chances. I'll go and hope to see that maybe she's learned something.

I am not angry at her. She's not worth that much effort
And I am an American. Tonya's on chance #300. Why would she have "learned something" this month? She's shown over and over and over and over that all she's learned is the ability to blame others.

She's "learned" how to milk this for cash which is really rather disgusting IMHO

Yes, her upbringing was bad, but she's and adult now.

 

[Yazmeen]

Everyone here knows I'm far from fond of Tonya, but she has a right to make a living, and I can't blame her for taking advantage of yet another "second chance."

That said, the likelihood of her being asked about "the incident" is pretty high, and it's also pretty likely someone will not be nice in asking about it. I hope someone at the restaurant either sets a firm rule that "the incident" is off limits, or that if it does come up, Tonya manages to hold her temper and set a good tone even if she doesn't want to discuss it. Because the moment she either loses her temper or walks out, she can pretty much kiss future opportunities goodbye; she's made too many mistakes courtesy of her temper in the past. And I hope she is very aware that some people are simply going to try and goad her into blowing up just to film it and make themselves famous. Overall, I hope it goes well for her and that she can keep the attitude she had throughout DWTS. She finally managed to build up some good will there; I may not like her and think she's guilty as hell, but for her own and her family's sake, I hope she doesn't blow it again.

 

[Simone411]

Ask the Shoe Lace Queen why she didn't have some extra shoe laces on hand because it sure would have left out all the melodrama, and Josee Chouinard wouldn't have been forced to skate before it was her time to skate where she could have been more prepared and ready for the actual time she was supposed to skate.

 

[Jarrett]

I am not angry at her. She's not worth that much effort
And I am an American. Tonya's on chance #300. Why would she have "learned something" this month? She's shown over and over and over and over that all she's learned is the ability to blame others.

She's "learned" how to milk this for cash which is really rather disgusting IMHO

Yes, her upbringing was bad, but she's and adult now.

You aren't angry? Really? lol

 

[kwanfan1818]

Before every audience Q&A at
Town Hall in Seattle, they ask the crowd to put it in the form of a question and to make it short. Every time, at least two people step up to the mike to give a speech.

The smart moderators make everyone write their question on an index card they've handed out, it to tweet it. Then they decide what questions to ask the guest, often aggregating like questions. It works really well.

 

[tony]

Ask the Shoe Lace Queen why she didn't have some extra shoe laces on hand because it sure would have left out all the melodrama, and Josee Chouinard wouldn't have been forced to skate before it was her time to skate where she could have been more prepared and ready for the actual time she was supposed to skate.

This one I never quite understood. As I see it, they called her name and then it took her nearly full 2 minutes to get to the ice. She started her program, skated for almost a minute, and then went over to the boards for a good minute or two.

By the time Josee’s name was called, she was probably only a minute or so earlier than she would’ve been otherwise. Didn’t Oksana have to skate around in circles for much, MUCH longer later in the night waiting to start (aside from the typical extended time it took her to get into place)?

That combined with the fact that Josee was never the model of consistency..

 

[savchenkoboss]

This one I never quite understood. As I see it, they called her name and then it took her nearly full 2 minutes to get to the ice. She started her program, skated for almost a minute, and then went over to the boards for a good minute or two.

By the time Josee’s name was called, she was probably only a minute or so earlier than she would’ve been otherwise. Didn’t Oksana have to skate around in circles for much, MUCH longer later in the night waiting to start (aside from the typical extended time it took her to get into place)?

That combined with the fact that Josee was never the model of consistency..

Too much is made of this as Josee was never in medal contention anyway. She had already blown the short program and was in 8th place. Even if she skated a great long, skating from there she never places higher than 3rd (probably not even that considering Sato skated a great long which might have won the long program in the final flight and was only placed 5th due to being in that flight) which still does not pull her up to a medal overall.

Place as you say Josee was always likely to bomb anyway. She was like the Butyrskaya or Cohen of Canada when it comes to consistency.

 

[Simone411]

This one I never quite understood. As I see it, they called her name and then it took her nearly full 2 minutes to get to the ice. She started her program, skated for almost a minute, and then went over to the boards for a good minute or two.

By the time Josee’s name was called, she was probably only a minute or so earlier than she would’ve been otherwise. Didn’t Oksana have to skate around in circles for much, MUCH longer later in the night waiting to start (aside from the typical extended time it took her to get into place)?

That combined with the fact that Josee was never the model of consistency..

You're right about Josee not always being consistent, but what I still will never understand is why Tonya didn't go there prepared regarding that shoe lace. I mean those were her skating boots, and she more than likely knew every detail about them including how the shoe laces were beforehand. Oh well, I guess that's something we'll truly never know about either.

 

[Yazmeen]

You're right about Josee not always being consistent, but what I still will never understand is why Tonya didn't go there prepared regarding that shoe lace. I mean those were her skating boots, and she more than likely knew every detail about them including how the shoe laces were beforehand. Oh well, I guess that's something we'll truly never know about either.

And I still think that if anyone should have a had a shot at a punch to Tonya's chin that night, it was Josee. I was still learning to do friggin' forward crossovers when I learned that you had to keep an extra pair of laces in your skate bag. This was the hallmark moment of Tonya's unpreparedness, laziness, and frankly, stupidity. To be an elite skater and not have a second (and third, fourth, fifth) pair of laces in your damn bag???? You're an idiot. Period.

 

[Inessence]

And I still think that if anyone should have a had a shot at a punch to Tonya's chin that night, it was Josee. I was still learning to do friggin' forward crossovers when I learned that you had to keep an extra pair of laces in your skate bag. This was the hallmark moment of Tonya's unpreparedness, laziness, and frankly, stupidity. To be an elite skater and not have a second (and third, fourth, fifth) pair of laces in your damn bag???? You're an idiot. Period.

If there were so many extras in other skate bags, it sure took them long enough to find her one. What’s even dumber? Not having the current World Champion’s National anthem ready, you know, just in case.

 

[Simone411]

And I still think that if anyone should have a had a shot at a punch to Tonya's chin that night, it was Josee. I was still learning to do friggin' forward crossovers when I learned that you had to keep an extra pair of laces in your skate bag. This was the hallmark moment of Tonya's unpreparedness, laziness, and frankly, stupidity. To be an elite skater and not have a second (and third, fourth, fifth) pair of laces in your damn bag???? You're an idiot. Period.

Thank you so much for that! I'm not a skater, but I even know to keep extra shoe laces on hand. I loved to roller skate in my much younger days. I had my own pair of roller skates that I would use whenever I skated with friends in Shreveport. I always kept extra shoe laces for those skates in case one of them broke.

 

[meggonzo]

I thought she did have an extra lace? The original lace broke and they re-laced her boot, it just ended up being too short.

 

[bardtoob]

Before every audience Q&A at
Town Hall in Seattle, they ask the crowd to put it in the form of a question and to make it short. Every time, at least two people step up to the mike to give a speech.

. . . what I still will never understand is why Tonya didn't go there prepared regarding that shoe lace. I mean those were her skating boots, and she more than likely knew every detail about them including how the shoe laces were beforehand. Oh well, I guess that's something we'll truly never know about either.

@slicekw

Ask Tonya why she did not have an extra set of laces so then we will understand.

 

[Japanfan]

I'm an American and we're supposed to be about second chances. I'll go and hope to see that maybe she's learned something.

Why would she have "learned something" this month? She's shown over and over and over and over that all she's learned is the ability to blame others.

To be fair, Tonya has demonstrated a capacity for learning. She didn't just curl up into a ball of depression and live on the government's dime after the incident. She learned how to box, she learned how to landscape and earned a living at it for many years. She's learned how to maintain a marriage and be a mother (can't comment on how well). She's got physical skills like hunting and auto mechanics, and has developed those skills throughout her lifetime.

She's "learned" how to milk this for cash which is really rather disgusting IMHO

Tonya did not ask Hollywood to make a movie about her. And when the film was made, I don't think anyone expected it to be as successful as it was.

Due to the film, she's been invited to make guest appearances on various shows and to do Q&As. Obviously the public is interested. And not because Tonya is "milking this". If she is, then tons of people who get attention for works of various kinds and are likewise invited to be the center of public events are also "milking" their situation. In which case, it's pretty much the norm for a lot of folk.

Tonya took the punishment UFSA gave her and moved on with her life. With the film came a 'second chance'. You (Carolla5501) may not think she deserved (seems you think she should be punished forever) it. But it wasn't of her own doing. Luck came her way, and luck or lack thereof is rarely fair.

And you can be sure that the film producers are making way more money off of "I Tonya" than Tonya will. Benefiting from her existence just as FS benefited from the incident for awhile. Arguably, there could exploitation at play.

 

[WildRose]

Ask her if she ever apologized to Josee. Ask her why she thinks she deserves to profit off of assaulting Nancy. Ask her if she knows she is extremely fortunate she didn’t go to jail because she should have.

 

[StasiyaGalustyanLove]

Ask her if she ever apologized to Josee. Ask her why she thinks she deserves to profit off of assaulting Nancy. Ask her if she knows she is extremely fortunate she didn’t go to jail because she should have.

Amen!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!! My wife and I do not give a gosh darn about Tonia nor the reason she has two bowel's. This says it all, and; you speak for both of us.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

That's a great question. Does the men's winner have 2 bowls too?

Back in the day my mom had two bowls for my brother and me. Mostly, she used them as guidelines to cut our hair.

 

[Carolla5501]

Everyone here knows I'm far from fond of Tonya, but she has a right to make a living, and I can't blame her for taking advantage of yet another "second chance."

That said, the likelihood of her being asked about "the incident" is pretty high, and it's also pretty likely someone will not be nice in asking about it. I hope someone at the restaurant either sets a firm rule that "the incident" is off limits, or that if it does come up, Tonya manages to hold her temper and set a good tone even if she doesn't want to discuss it. Because the moment she either loses her temper or walks out, she can pretty much kiss future opportunities goodbye; she's made too many mistakes courtesy of her temper in the past. And I hope she is very aware that some people are simply going to try and goad her into blowing up just to film it and make themselves famous. Overall, I hope it goes well for her and that she can keep the attitude she had throughout DWTS. She finally managed to build up some good will there; I may not like her and think she's guilty as hell, but for her own and her family's sake, I hope she doesn't blow it again.

Do you really think that people will come see her if she’s not going to talk about the incident? There is absolutely no other draw. So she will get up there and either whine she’s innocent or show her “you know what”.


I can’t imagine paying money to see her. She’s done her act on tv so much that this just seems bizarre. I mean what else is she going to say. How long can anyone milk this act? I’m amazed at what people will pay for.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

To be fair, Tonya has demonstrated a capacity for learning. She didn't just curl up into a ball of depression and live on the government's dime after the incident. She learned how to box, she learned how to landscape and earned a living at it for many years. She's learned how to maintain a marriage and be a mother (can't comment on how well). She's got physical skills like hunting and auto mechanics, and has developed those skills throughout her lifetime.

Tonya did not ask Hollywood to make a movie about her. And when the film was made, I don't think anyone expected it to be as successful as it was.

Due to the film, she's been invited to make guest appearances on various shows and to do Q&As. Obviously the public is interested. And not because Tonya is "milking this". If she is, then tons of people who get attention for works of various kinds are are likewise invited to be the center of public events are also "milking" their situation. In which case, it's pretty much the norm.

Tonya took the punishment UFSA gave her and moved on with her life. With the film came a 'second chance'. You (Carolla5501) may not think she deserved (seems you think she should be punished forever) it. But it wasn't of her own doing. Luck came her way, and lack of lack thereof is rarely fair.

And you can be sure that the film producers are making way more money off of "I Tonya" than Tonya will. Benefiting from her existence just as FS benefited from the incident for awhile. Arguably, there could exploitation at play.

This!