The dream and the passion of Michelle to be on the ice existed because she made it happen, with the loving support of her parents. She was driven to succeed which is the reason why she's still skating. Whew!
Until a better skater is born who has both the technical solidity and artistic gift of Kwan (and Kwan's ability to pace herself so she can last years in competition), ALL current skaters will remain in Kwan's shadow. So it's not just Irina...
A very beautiful shadow of influence, I would agree. I was really only pointing out that both skated a long time. Girls seem to be coming and going at an alarmingly fast pace these days....and many seemed quite scarred by the competitive pressure....I appreciate the fact that Michelle is remarkably SANE, after her experiences. Others aren't fairing so well....best wishes
And it's amazing to note, too, that the fact that neither of them had an Oly gold never stopped them from being skating greats (and more respected than all recent Oly gold medalists).
I love Irina, too, and I hope she's able to do a comeback. Her record won't ever match Kwan's however. Until 2005 (Kwan's last competition), she NEVER fell below 3rd place in ANY competition that she entered (even at Worlds '05 where Kean placed 4th, she was actually 3rd in both the SP and the LP). Also, Olympic medals-wise, she and Irina have the same (silver and bronze) record.
Funny how you see Irina was always in Kwan's shadow. From 2000-2006 Irina actually had more success then Michelle overall probably. 3 world titles for Michelle to 2 for Irina, but an Oly silver and bronze for Irina to Michelle only a bronze, 4 GP final titles for Irina (beating Michelle 3 in a row) to 0 for Michelle. Head to head between them was 8-3 for Irina in the main ISU events those years.
The main advantage Michelle had is she was was by far more successful from 96-99.
Thank you for your comments, I will be posting Irina soon, and your notes give food for thought. I really was not implying any comparison technically or artistically, I just wanted to point out that Irina had a longer than normal international carreer as well. Irina really did not come to prominance until her 95 European win, and World bronze...which followed Michelle, chronologically, to some degree. It is hard to evaluate their competitive success...best wishes
Yes, and while I was at first so disappointed in Michelle's bronze, I now think it was a real achievement considering how much more technical ability she was up against compared to 98. In 98 the only skater with more jumping ability was Lipinski. By 2002, she had Slutskaya and (out of nowhere) Sarah Hughes's ridiculously difficult combinations to contend with. Even with a clean program she would have barely held them off.
Scherezade is a cursed piece of music. Very few have succeeded with it.......I knew when I heard she was skating to it, that it was not going to work out.....it just didn't suit her. thanks for commenting, best wishes
I agree. It's beautiful music, but it's not Michelle. You could see her anxiety as she skated to it. She had to try too hard. You certainly didn't see that in Lyra Angelica, where she seemed to be floating.
people say caroline is better i disagree! Michelle got skate america when she was only 13! Caroline got it when she was 14. Michelle was a u.s. silver medalist and made the olympic team at 13. Caroline is 14 and she is only the pewter medalist!
Interesting thoughts! but not sure how much youth acheivement is a measure of long term success. we shall see....I am worried the scoring system will ELIMINATE older skaters in favor of the children. Caroline does seem to have an artistic soul...lets hope she has a chance to bring it to fruition!! best wishes
The dream and the passion of Michelle to be on the ice existed because she made it happen, with the loving support of her parents. She was driven to succeed which is the reason why she's still skating. Whew!
waddleduckie1 2 years ago
The music is "An American Hymn."
travismn 2 years ago
what's this music?
vistaprime 2 years ago
Until a better skater is born who has both the technical solidity and artistic gift of Kwan (and Kwan's ability to pace herself so she can last years in competition), ALL current skaters will remain in Kwan's shadow. So it's not just Irina...
mdiamse 3 years ago 4
A very beautiful shadow of influence, I would agree. I was really only pointing out that both skated a long time. Girls seem to be coming and going at an alarmingly fast pace these days....and many seemed quite scarred by the competitive pressure....I appreciate the fact that Michelle is remarkably SANE, after her experiences. Others aren't fairing so well....best wishes
k9henrydog 3 years ago
And it's amazing to note, too, that the fact that neither of them had an Oly gold never stopped them from being skating greats (and more respected than all recent Oly gold medalists).
jgardell 3 years ago 2
So true, and such an important point! As the Baron said "Triumph is not necessarily an Olympic Gold Medal!!" thanks for commenting.
k9henrydog 3 years ago
I love Irina, too, and I hope she's able to do a comeback. Her record won't ever match Kwan's however. Until 2005 (Kwan's last competition), she NEVER fell below 3rd place in ANY competition that she entered (even at Worlds '05 where Kean placed 4th, she was actually 3rd in both the SP and the LP). Also, Olympic medals-wise, she and Irina have the same (silver and bronze) record.
jgardell 3 years ago
Funny how you see Irina was always in Kwan's shadow. From 2000-2006 Irina actually had more success then Michelle overall probably. 3 world titles for Michelle to 2 for Irina, but an Oly silver and bronze for Irina to Michelle only a bronze, 4 GP final titles for Irina (beating Michelle 3 in a row) to 0 for Michelle. Head to head between them was 8-3 for Irina in the main ISU events those years.
The main advantage Michelle had is she was was by far more successful from 96-99.
selesqueen 4 years ago
Thank you for your comments, I will be posting Irina soon, and your notes give food for thought. I really was not implying any comparison technically or artistically, I just wanted to point out that Irina had a longer than normal international carreer as well. Irina really did not come to prominance until her 95 European win, and World bronze...which followed Michelle, chronologically, to some degree. It is hard to evaluate their competitive success...best wishes
k9henrydog 4 years ago
I think Michelle has a 98 Olympic silver and a 2002 bronze..........
k9henrydog 4 years ago
Yes, and while I was at first so disappointed in Michelle's bronze, I now think it was a real achievement considering how much more technical ability she was up against compared to 98. In 98 the only skater with more jumping ability was Lipinski. By 2002, she had Slutskaya and (out of nowhere) Sarah Hughes's ridiculously difficult combinations to contend with. Even with a clean program she would have barely held them off.
dylanvalente 2 years ago
Scherezade is a cursed piece of music. Very few have succeeded with it.......I knew when I heard she was skating to it, that it was not going to work out.....it just didn't suit her. thanks for commenting, best wishes
k9henrydog 2 years ago
I agree. It's beautiful music, but it's not Michelle. You could see her anxiety as she skated to it. She had to try too hard. You certainly didn't see that in Lyra Angelica, where she seemed to be floating.
dylanvalente 2 years ago
people say caroline is better i disagree! Michelle got skate america when she was only 13! Caroline got it when she was 14. Michelle was a u.s. silver medalist and made the olympic team at 13. Caroline is 14 and she is only the pewter medalist!
iluvefiguresk8tn 4 years ago
Interesting thoughts! but not sure how much youth acheivement is a measure of long term success. we shall see....I am worried the scoring system will ELIMINATE older skaters in favor of the children. Caroline does seem to have an artistic soul...lets hope she has a chance to bring it to fruition!! best wishes
k9henrydog 4 years ago