2002 US Nationals LP Michelle Kwan

[desglacons]

I loved watching this performance when it happened in real time and revisiting it again and again it becomes more wonderful....just like watching everything Kwan did. One of a kind. Unbelievable. Spectacular Miss Kwan. Truly the most impressive skater with the most re-watchable and re-watchable performances ever. I am still waiting for someone with this kind of performance quality to watch. C'est magnifique!

[jjh2456]

This one was spectacular. Had she gone later in the night she would have gotten higher marks.

[SAnDiWicHy]

Wow yuna always uses the same music as michelle~

[thesupremediva]

This is an epic performance, but this is probably my least favorite of all her LPs - I just don't think it did her personality justice. I SO wish she'd used Tosca this year, or even Aranjuez. This program was just a little too slow in pace and ( I think) gave her too much time to think in between elements. It just didn't have the "attack mode" that suited Michelle so well.

[snofagun1814]

GO GIRL GO!!!!!!!!!!

[spQQks]

No one well ever come close to Michelle's artistry, to watch her skate is like a preview of heaven...

[anne91276]

Getrealandsee is not much of a commentator. What I want you people to know is that a commentator gets paid to observe and make a commentary about a specific figure skater. Getrealandsee just wastes her precious time, making up her own version of events that really doesn't exist. I don't know what prompted Getrealandsee to start her own destructive pattern of baiting figure skaters just for her own sick pleasure. She has acquired a bad habit and immediately needs to quit it.

[snofagun1814]

the whole 'skating early we're gonna leave room' was the biggest problem with the old scoring system (along with the favortism and cheating by some judges) but i do miss the old scoring a lot had it been made sure it was done a lot more fair

[rowanOetOraven]

All of you SHUT UP! She won, deal with it! The people who judged this are professionals....not you! I don't care how many years you SAY YOU HAVE SKATED but are you a professional judge? No so please just shut up

[getrealandsee]

@rowanOetOraven Oh, I agree.....and please SHUT UP about how poor little Michelle was robbed at the Olympics...how poor little Michelle was so gracious to withdraw from the 2006 Olympics ...she was greedy and wanted that OGM more than anything and she will never be the USA'S Olympic Gold Medalist...she FAILED.....the Olympic Judges ROCK....DEAL WITH IT!! Kwan's a major FAILURE!!! Held up...given inflated scores....and still LOST....the judges couldn't sacrifice their integrity THAT much~

[Karosanyo]

@tiengallavant I think that her 2001 layback was very good ... I agree with the rest of your post.

[MissThingSings]

@getrealandsee According to our reigning Olympic Champion, the one YOU call the greatest skater ever, Michelle Kwan is worthy of being called a hero! Yuna didn't call Tara or Sarah her hero...that honor goes to the one and only Michelle Kwan!!! There was no mention of Sasha, as usual lolol!!

[troy0515]

@MissThingSings don't waste your time argue with this guy, and trash other skaters as well. Don't get down to his level. He needs therapy!

[MissThingSings]

@troy0515 I appreciate your your post very much =) The things that Getrealandsee AKA Allenglandlawns says are so vulgar and disgusting that I can't allow them to stand uncontested. His statement that Michelle earned her Olympic berth to Torino by performing oral sex on a member of the skating federation is about as low as it can get. I assure you I never stoop to those levels, but I don't pass up too many opportunities to zing him. I agree that he's unstable! Thanks again for your kind words =)

[MissThingSings]

@getrealandsee No matter how nasty and vulgar your words are against Michelle, tearing her down will not change the fact that your favorite Sasha choked her career away, not even talented enough to wrestle a world title away from Kimmie Meissner, it's not going to make up for the fact that you are unloved and unwanted, and it's not going to distract anyone from noticing that you lack a formal education. The only reason you ever utter Tara's name is because Sasha is not worth bragging about!

[macerface]

it's crazy how much skating has changed since then because of IJS, this program seems so simple compared to what we see now. it's interesting to think that michelle would probably get crushed if she were still skating today for how conservative her programs were. but anyways this is a great performance.

[anne91276]

Getrealandchoke is really not much of a sasha fan. She is just finding excuses just to take a swipe at Michelle Kwan with some more unreserved nastiness. Enough is enough. And I am sick and tired with your unhealthy obsession on Michelle Kwan to just poke more insults with,allenglandlawns. Stop acting like a child. Find something else to do rather than waste your time in here.

[allenglandlawns]

Another frufru gold for Kwan to tout.

[MissThingSings]

@allenglandlawns Awwwww...too bad your beloved Sasha choked for 10 years straight. Otherwise you might have something of substance to brag about =(

[getrealandsee]

No Way....she had the gold in the bag before she got out of the car. Pressure...hardly...she was able to fall, stumble, bumble, and not to worry...here's another Gold medal Michelle. The other skaters might just as well have stayed home but Michelle needed them to fill in and make it look credible...they had no chance during the ugly era of Kwan...no chance at all until THE OLYMPICS!! The Nats were in the bag and Kwan knew it!!! She blubbered about pressure but then she was so phony anyway.

[MissThingSings]

@getrealandsee After reading your classless post suggesting Michelle performed oraI sex to earn her medical exemption, nothing you write surprises me. IMO, you are ignorant, bigoted trash who can't stand the fact that a woman of Asian descent is so famous, rich and universally adored. It's not Michelle's fault that your beloved, fair- skinned Sasha choked 99.9% of the time during her career. Then again, you are the same idiot who ranks Brian Orser ahead of 2 time Olympic Champ, Dick Button...LOL

[MissThingSings]

@getrealandsee HILARIOUS that a Sasha fanatic would accuse Michelle Kwan of falling, stumbling and bumbling ROFLMAO!!! TAKE YOUR MEDS!!! Sasha was a gorgeous artist, but there are polar bears who spent less time sitting on ice than she did! AMAZING that Sasha performed the worst LP in skating history at her last nationals and still got kudos from you, yet you criticize a skater who performed cleanly 99.99% of the time. If only Michelle were fair-skinned, blonde and blue..you'd adore her!!

[cbd123456789]

@MissThingSings THANK GOD SOMEONE HAS CALLED THIS GUY OUT. I LOL every time this person talks about Michelle stumbling and falling all over the place. Michelle fell the LEAST of anyone, compared to Sasha who fell the MOST of anyone. LOL getrealandgetalife should be this guys name.

[MissThingSings]

@cbd123456789 Getreal is not just racist and uneducated IMO, but it is clear to anyone who reads his posts that he knows absolutely ZILCH about skating. Sasha is his favorite skater, yet he criticizes Michelle for falling and stumbling ROFL! Have you ever encountered such insanity? He's totally incapable of engaging in respectful debate due in part to his lack of education, and also because his opinions are not founded in logic. So, I just kick him in the head every chance I get lol Join in! =)

[ALBrazil23]

How many skaters are out there that we can say they've performed magical performances like this.. MULTIPLE times in their career? There may be a few performances from others that stick out, but Michelle? 96 World LP, 98 Nationals SP & LP, 2000 World LP, 2001 National SP, 2001 World LP, 2002 National LP, 2003 National LP, 2003 World SP & LP, 2004 Nationals LP, 2005 Nationals SP.. I'm sure I'm missing some. That many times!! Def. one of the most breathtaking skaters who will ever live!

[joanofarch38]

@7:57 "Hi everybody at home. Hi Karen, Ron, Mom. Hi Brad, miss you. Wish you were here." hehehe cute...

[getrealandsee]

@allenglandlawns Totally and Absolutely SICKENING! A whole lot of BULL and just plain out and out blatant predetermined....My God I don't know why she even bothered to exert herself...she could have stayed home (paid for with unearned figure skating money) and had the Gold Medal delivered to her by Dick Button. It's is so bloody INFURIATING to hear ....the judges MUST save room...they MUST...and then see those 6.0s for the Kwan....it's a total disgrace and you are right...a total embarrassment!

[getrealandsee]

@allenglandlawn Oh, how I enjoyed seeing her shot down at the Olympics..oh the joy and pleasure of seeing her put in her place and SHOCKED that she wasn't handed THAT Gold Medal. The Olympics are for the true and honest champions and poor wittle Michelle was out of her league...I hope it eats away at her for the rest of her life...that she will NEVER EVER wear Olympic Gold for the USA! Thank God for the integrity of the Olympic judges!! Pressure? Kwan? Nats? That's CRAP! Sickening, phony, CRAP!

[allenglandlawns]

7:55 Some more nose crinkling and thumbing down her marks...so full of class huh? She thought she could have added some more gifted 6s to her name but hey...judges tried really hard to give her this title. What an embarrassment!

[idolfan9495]

The troll--you know who you are-- gets a charge out of the responses, kind of like an obscene phone-caller. Don't respond. Instead, move the mouse to the right of the troll's posts and click the thumbs down. If enough people do it, the troll's posts will disappear.

[JNagarya]

@getrealandsee How much was every individual in every audience paid to consistently give her standing ovations?

[filipinoICEsk8ter]

@allenglandlawns Let's see you compete then? She would skate circles around you. Even I could skate circles around you. You're no champion so F&*( OFF!!

[mlc2005]

@allenglandlawns: Why do you constantly come to Kwan skating programs if all you want to do is trash her? If I don't like a singer, I certainly don't go and listen to his/her music. Do you enjoy getting a rise out of her fans? What makes you so sad is that you are in such a minority in terms of your opinion, and yet you act as if you are more correct than the 99.9% of skating fans, not to mention basically every skater/former skater who respects her as one of the best. Get a life

[keikomoon17]

I love Michelle Kwan.... But I Like Yuna's version of this program more... Yuna's performance is just more artistically done... But I love Michelle too, and I think she's the rightful 2002 Olympic Champion...

[Pila426]

@MissThingSings: Thanks for clearing that up. I have to wonder what sort of petty, disturbed person would make comments under one user name just so that he could praise his own comments that were made under another user name. Why waste so much time and energy watching videos and making negative comments about a skater he doesn't like? It's also telling that neither one addressed the substance of my comments and instead decided to cut and run. I'm not going to get into a flame war.

[MissThingSings]

@Pila426 No problem...Getrealandsee is truly disturbed in my opinion. No intelligent person would ever agree with her hateful rants, and so she had no choice but to create the "Allenglandlawns" user name so that it would appear that she has support. Whenever she/they are confronted with facts, or asked to support their nonsense with facts, they change the subject or, as you said, cut and run. She is obsessed with Michelle...cannot go a day without commenting on her.

[Pila426]

@MissThingSings Thanks for the information. I don't watch videos of skaters I don't like.  I don't want to waste time watching those skaters and making negative comments. Makes no sense.

[Pila426]

Lovely performance.

I have to say, I don't understand why anyone would spend time watching videos of people they don't like and posting negative comments. I've noticed a person doing that on several Michelle Kwan videos. There's some trollish person doing that on almost every Nadal video also. It takes a truly and profoundly petty, bitter person to spend time doing that.

[getrealandsee]

@Pila426 Not necessarily:) I don't know who Nadal is but I comment on Kwan's videos because the truth needs to be told. I am neither petty or bitter..simply sick and outrage at the gushing and swooing and blatant favortism of Kwan. She seriously damaged figure skating's credibiltiy and was ugly and arrogant enough to destroy another skater's dream by sleazing into Torino simply to satisfy her craving for attention and the spotlight. No ethics, no integrity, and a complete lack of sportsmanship.

[Pila426]

@getrealandsee : The "truth" is merely your opinion, which is unsupported by any realistic review of Michelle Kwan's career, whether you like her or not. Your numerous negativecomments are petty. I don't particularly like Brian Joubert's skating. I don't watch his videos and trash him in the comments section, however. I've better things to do with my time. You are wasting your time with all this negative emotion about Michelle Kwan. Grow up and get a life.

[Pila426]

@allenglandlawns: getrealandsee's opinion counts more than those of the judges who awarded Michelle with her many titles? Saying that someone was arrogant, had no ethics, no integrity, ugly, and destroyed another skater's dreams is is based upon "real skating dynamics that aren't always apparent"? Michelle frequently did six or seven triple jumps in her programs. How is that not suited for high-level athletic competition? Both you and getreal need to grow up.

[MissThingSings]

@Pila426 For the record, Getreandsee and Allenglandlawns are the same person.

[MissThingSings]

@allenglandlawns Getrealandsee (AKA allenglandlawns) knows nothing about competitive skating. The object of COMPETITION is to win. If skating conservatively is what it takes to win (a la Shizuka in the Olympic LP) then an intelligent skater does just that. It is absolutely foolish to take unnecessary risks in the name of progress and risk losing a major title. That's the difference between ice shows and competition, dear. You've never competed so I understand your ignorance on the matter...

[MissThingSings]

@allenglandlawns Getrealandsee's opinion is based on ignorance, hatred and envy...but then again, you know this because YOU ARE getrealandsee =) Michelle is loved and respected by her peers...our current Olympic champion refers to Michelle as her hero. Legends like Dick, Peggy, Scott, Brian and Dorothy rave about Michelle the iconic skater, AND Michelle the person. It is a FACT that they know more about Michelle and skating than you do or ever will. Hating her will not fill Sasha's trophy case.

[JNagarya]

@allenglandlawns Asshole: in order for KWan to excell in her artistry she had first to have superb athletic foundation. That means not only abundant physical strength, and superior fine muscle control -- coordination -- but also mastery of the basics.

I'll take two-time Olympic Gold medalist Button's statement of those facts over your ugly hatefulness 24/7.

[allenglandlawns]

@getrealandsee That is a very diplomatic way of saying that. :) As a former Kwan fanatic, I have actually come to this same conclusion too by observing Michelle much more carefully. When you really think about it analytically with your brain instead of your heart, you can really see what her true impact on the sport behind her idealized image.

Anyway Rafael Nadal is an AMAZING tennis player. He is exceedingly humble and gracious on/off the court and a great competitor. Vamos Rafa! lol

[getrealandsee]

Good Heavens Dick, you can stop defending Kwan before she steps on the ice. Were there any other skaters competing that day? It was hardly a shocker when Kwan's marks for 'artistry' were inflated...again...even with being the 1st skater (again, any others?)

[MissThingSings]

@getrealandsee Skating legend Dick Button prefers skaters who are not one hit wonders like Tara and Sarah, or no hit wonders like your beloved Sasha. I think Dick knows more about skating that you ever have or will...which is why he appreciates the fact that Michelle ruled for a entire decade and did not need Olympic gold to become a legend and icon, not to mention the most celebrated skater of the past several decades!

[getrealandsee]

@MissThingSings Ho Hum...same old, same old.... . Michelle HUNG ON for over a decade, yes...and gathered bling along the way..some earned by skating against a sub par field of newbies...some just handed to her by virtue of 'artistic marks'. Dick Button wasn't talking just about her skating...it was personal gushing and fawning..over a pathetic wannabe Olympic Gold Medalist and true athlete. Kwan is SO SO full of herself and here we go again with the 6s for arm waving and jiggling...'artistry'

[getrealandsee]

@MissThingSings It is QUALITY not KWANTITY that counts:)

[MissThingSings]

@getrealandsee With 9 national and 5 World titles, Michelle has KWANTITY and KWALITY...

[getrealandsee]

And AGAIN with the thumbs down...both of them and the wrinkled up nose. Not good enough eh, Kwannie? You had the gold before you showed up..what did you want...perfect marks for a program full of downgrades and safety checks. No, you didn't up your technical difficulty.But **drum rol and taps** then came the Olympics...you know, the one that matters, the one where you have to actually COMPETE! The judges TRIED so hard to help you, Kwannie, but you couldn't but it even with their help.

[getrealandsee]

Well, so much for the leaving room. Kwan fans screamed bloody murder when the judges DARED to 'leave room' at the Olympic Games. Why even bother to have anyone else skate, it was a given gold coming in. Downgrade a jump.no prob...we'll just give you 6s for the arm waving and jiggling..ooops, I mean 'artistry'. And SHE WAS GIVEN 5.9s for 'artistic' at the Olympics and high marks for technical...God knows the judges TRIED to get her Olympic Gold. It's quatlity that counts or should...not KWANTITY

[chuhboemember6]

Michelle is a gorgeous skater and one of the most beloved of all time, with an outstanding record.

Tara and Sarah won Olympic Golds with fantastic performers.

ALL of them are excellent skaters who deserve to be remembered.

Don't argue.

[jacquelinesosa1]

shes cool



[laudese]

she looks great in red

[rickram1961]

Its really unfortunate that she (Michelle) didn't skate as well at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Games. But than again even when Michelle makes a mistake it doesn't bother me none. Michelle's skating is absolutely timeless!

[limide]

she no have "one program of her life" she have many programs of her life.......... she is amazingggggg better than anyother skater .. no comparation

she is waw!

sorry for my english

[MissGreenDay7]

An interesting note is that 7 years after this performance Yu-Na Kim would perform to this same music on the same ice at the 2009 World Championships. She even wore a red dress! That goes to show what a big fan of Michelle she is.

Also Frank Carrol wasn't coaching Michelle anymore at this competition but was there anyway to coach another athlete. But I love the way he smiled at her as she was hugging her dad.

[flaming188]

The Olympics are overrated. Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Janet Lynn, Kimmie Meissner, Nancy Kerrigan, Belbin and Agosto, and Kurt Browning are some of the best figure skaters.

[JNagarya]

@flaming188 Nancy Kerigan!? Did you see the 1994 Olympics? During the exhibition skate, unlike ALL other medaled skaters, she skated THE EXACT SAME PRGRAM she skated during the competition.

By contrast,Oksana Baiul skated TWO DIFFERENT programs than that she skated during the competition. Kerrigan is a cold fish -- no fire, no passion. Cold and unmoving. Those who see her as a great skater are stuck at square one: skating is ONLY mechanics, techniques; being a rule-bound robot.

[AcrossTheRiverStix]

Even without Olympic gold she is STILL the best and most decorated skater EVER. No one can replace her in my opinion! She deserved the gold in 98 :)

[JPBENEF]

@AcrossTheRiverStix  yep!

[overdale32]

It's always fun to find an awkward (yet happy) Frank Carroll in almost every video of a great michelle kwan performance after their breakup. Can you find him here? hahaha

[LAX324]

Didn't she go to the 2002 olympics without a coach?

[overdale32]

Yeah, she had her dad "coach" her at the 2002 olympics. Likely a contributing reason to why she lost...he always told her to skate safely as opposed to carroll's push for michelle to attack in competitions

[LAX324]

Yeah that was tough. She is probably the best female figure skater in history. At least the most artistically beautiful and she didn't get an olympic gold.

[BeyonceBoi247]

@LAX324 Yea, she did. Frank Carol was her coach previously, but she decided to go it alone in 2002 and she didn't loose she did get the bronze medal.

[cricketsknows2]

@BeyonceBoi247 This lumbering loser has been held up so many times. She took the bronze medal home from SLC but Sasah earned it!! And without Olympic Gold she is just another skater..she just hung on and on...never bothered to up her skills and why should she...she knew she would get 6s for picking her crooked teeth. She couldn't cut it at the ONLY competition that matters which is a great comfort and source of pleasure for those who know the truth..she had to compete there and LOST!

[BeyonceBoi247]

@cricketsknows2 Look... I was just stating my opinion. Maybe you should just calm down a little bit lol. I was just saying that she was an amazing artistic skater thats all lol. And I also think that Sasha did earn it, so did Tara in Japan, Kwan fell its that simple. Besides it happened I don't even know how many years ago lol.

[regimaorosbo]

@cricketsknows2 I don't know anyone who would agree that skaters who didn't get the gold are "just another skater". does that make sasha "just another skater"? there are many skaters like janet lynn or brian orser who will be forever immortalized for their contributions to the sport. when ppl think of figure skating they think of michelle kwan. that's something no one will ever be able to take away.

[grafgirl27]

@idolfan9495 Irina Slutskaya artistically strong, that is funny. The only reason Tara is nearly forgotten today is she retired at only 15 after only about a year on top. People also realize the only reason Lynn didnt win in 72 and Ito didnt win in 88 was figures were around. And Hughes is the worst Olympic Champion ever. It doesnt mean the Olympics arent still a huge event. I dont think a skater can ever be the greatest ever in any discipline without atleast 1 Olympic Gold.

[JNagarya]

@grafgirl27 You're full of it: you can't have it both ways: if having an Olympic gold medal doesn't make such as Hughes great, then an Olympic medal is irrelevant when it comes to being the greatest in skating. (By the way, Olympic medals aren't given to the greatest in the discipline of, as example, writing.) Kwan is the most decorated in US history, has an UNPRECEDNTED 42 championships, and over 50 perfect 6.0s.



[cleareyed1]

@JNagarya So? Kwannikins has no Olympic Goldikins and she never will even though she whined her way into Torino to get a Gold Medal in the Olympics...but all of her titles, medals, 6s, are nothing compared to what Tara and Sarah have accomplished. Period! And even her Kwannikins doubled a planned triple and simplified her elements but still of course 'winned'. Kwan is a LOSER!

[allenglandlawns]

@cleareyed1 Yep the Olympic gold is what will get you remembered no matter how much you are loved and adored by fans. Sure she left a legacy with her "unprecedented 42 titles." But she will ultimately be most remembered as the one who failed the ULTIMATE prize in her sport. Tara, Sarah and other OGM winners will be remembered for their golds whether or not they enchanted their audiences when they skated. That's the reality of it =/

[grafgirl27]

@JNagarya you are retarded. Hughes was a fluke but to the great skaters who also won Worlds and other major events like Witt, Kim, Yamaguchi, Fleming, et al winning an Olympic Gold is a huge advantage. The Olympic Gold is still the biggest prize in skating, to downplay it as not important shows what an idiot you are.

[JNagarya]

@grafgirl27 The Olympics is a glorified Worlds. And go back and deal with your contradiction: "I don't think a skater can ever be the greatest without . . . Olympic Gold"/"Hughes is the worst Olympic Champion ever".

[idolfan9495]

@grafgirl27 Read it again. I didn't say Irina was artistically strong. Just that she is among the skaters who are better than Tara, technically or artistically, not a very high standard.

[grafgirl27]

@idolfan9495 yes which is why Tara achieved more in major titles (an Olympic Gold and World gold vs 2 World golds) in 2 years near the top as Irina did in 10 years near the top, LOL!

[grafgirl27]

and Sasha is not a great skater. Pretty positions, great spins, great spirals, but weak ass jumps, complete inability to skate clean programs, slow, and poor basic skating as far as things like edges and stroking. She certainly is not superior to Tara. Hughes possibly and probably only then since the unremarkable Hughes retired at 16.

[RCskater97]

@overdale32 was he in her tosca one??

[mk146hw]

She would have been the Olympic champ with this performance.

[JPBENEF]

She would have considering she still should have won with the performance she gave. Not because it was the best of the night, but because of the math of how the placement should have gone.

[vlirio]

I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU! I am so glad someone else is cognizant of this technicality.

[LAX324]

She's still the greatest figure skater in history. You don't see this kind of artistry in figure skating that Kwan had.

[JPBENEF]

@mk146hw shouldve been anyway based on performace!!

[collegeguy15]

I love her but i have to agree with you. She skated clean, but the choreography and energy just doesn't match up with her other performances.

[iheartsk8tn]

can you post the short program or the fluff?