Wowza, Michelle and Evan are still beloved, but I mean we are moving into an entirely new generation... Make that 'have moved a long time ago.' While Michelle and Evan are the gold standard, I think the time has passed where they need to be mentioned and featured at every U.S. Nationals. It appears to me that some of the photos of past skaters and champions are picked out somewhat randomly and maybe in some instances purposely to highlight current champions who are now commentating or coaching, etc.
I don't recall seeing a bunch of photos or references to Johnny's career, albeit there have been some old photos and references. As well, Johnny often pulls from his knowledge and past competitive experiences in his commentary, as does Tara. Sometimes Terry joshes with both T&J affectionately about aspects of their skating careers. As someone said earlier, I think both Tara and Johnny are fine by this point and don't need any career coddling. Of course, NBC has over-catered to Tara's past exploits on occasion. But seriously, by this point, I believe Tara and Michelle are both about living their best lives and congratulating each other on respective achievements and milestones. Ditto for Johnny and Evan.
There is such a thing as over-analyzing a broadcast and suggesting intent that may not even be in the ballpark of validity. I mean oomph that Starr skated to a version of
Salome. It was not selected as some kind of tribute to MK. Likely Starr and her coaches landed upon the idea as a challenge for Starr and they purposely did not choose the same music version. Fans spoke about the choice and the MK connection briefly when we learned of Starr's music. At this point in the season, it's more about seeing whether Starr can continue bringing out more expression while attempting to master her tech difficulty. I don't see a huge reason to mention Kwan's version unless Starr's version had made a bigger impact. As we know, it hasn't. As someone previously commented, it's enough to see that Starr has been trying to work on her expression and interpretation, but she still has a way to go.
If TT&J had thought of it, maybe they would have made a tangential reference to Kwan's
Salome, but annh, it ain't a big deal they didn't. It's not a requirement, and that legendary performance is very far removed from today's Russian assembly line teenyboppers with quads & 3-axels hullabaloo.
We are so far removed from 1996 and from the end of Michelle's legendary career in figure skating in 2006 that there really isn't any need to reference MK every time someone uses similar music or similar program ideas or similar costumes. MK is iconic and by this point, there's a long laundry list of skaters who have been inspired by her example and who have tried to put their own stamp and interpretation on music we associate with her excellence.
It's fun looking at where MK is now and reminiscing about her career and her impact on the sport, but all of us MK fans are getting a bit old and long in the tooth.
It's important not to forget the past and to find legitimate ways of remembering and making connections between the past and the present as time moves forward. But that doesn't mean references and tributes to MK are always needed at this point. We might see more of MK if she was still doing a lot connected with skating, like Scott and Kristi, etc., but MK has transitioned into other fields of endeavor. That's why it is so cool seeing MK post current skating clips on her Instagram, and it's fun having a chance to enjoy those rare moments when she connects with skaters of this generation, e.g., Nathan Chen at Yale (when MK was recently honored there).
When we see Scott H and Brian B at skating events, their broadcast colleagues don't ad nauseam talk about their great moments in skating history. We just know they are legends of the sport and those of us who witnessed their remarkable feats in real time get a warm feeling inside remembering. But yeah, it's actually a long time ago now.
