Kwan pulls out of olympics

[piratesmate]

<snip>
A true team player should stay to route the team on!

I respectfully disagree. I believe that by leaving she is allowing Emily to skate without being overshadowed by her presence. Can you really believe that the media wouldn't continue to try to keep Michelle in the limelight?

 

[Madaboutthemouse]

Not a Michelle hater here...think that she was great...but I beleive that she is on her way home while Emily waits to fly to Torino.

A true team player should stay to route the team on!

She said that she was flying home so she wouldn't be a distraction thereby putting the spotlight on those it belongs.

 

[shellybaxter]

This debate is yet another reason why most people don't really consider Figure Skating to be a sport at all. Anything that relies that much on someone "judging" who the winner is - and, thereby, admitting personal prejudices into the equation - is kind of hard to take seriously. The "favorites" going in will just about always score higher, regardless of what the competition may do.

Michelle wanted the one win that had alluded her throughout her career, and skating being the farce that it is, she'd likely have gotten it if she could have competed. I certainly can't blame her for trying, and I think it's a classy move on her part to go ahead and pull out now rather than waiting until the last minute so that the other girl couldn't take her place.

But skating will always be a joke, so long as things like Salt Lake's pairs competition are possible (and no, the "new" scoring system won't solve the problem).

I've always hated this arguement. It is partially true. Skating judgement is somewhat subjective. I was reminded of this arguement about skating as I was watching the Superbowl this year. The game was definately effected by the calls of the men in black and white. If a few of those penalty calls had gone the other way the game could have had a different outcome. I heard much water cooler discussion the next morning about how the "refs" decided the game. Most sports are somewhat subjective.

 

[Ziva]

I made another thread for Michelle's fans or anyone else that would like to post without a debate.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1029009

 

[CarolA]

but that fourth place didn't mean that she would automaticaly get a spot on the Olympic Team.



An earlier poster stated that only the winner wins a spot on the team. The other members are selected. So if she wasn't first at Nationals that means she was selected. Last time I checked selected and win had different meanings.

Also I don't think anyone here has said she broke the rules only that if she wasn't healthy she shouldn't have petitioned for the 3rd spot.

Yes, and I think that if we had only had two spots then the only two going would have been Sasha and Kimmie. I don't think they would have accepted the petetion. However, if they had NOT had the third spot there would be NO WAY Emily would be going... She has not done anything to justify sending her ahead of the person who finished second at Nationals...

And you have to petetion when your not healthy... Otherwise you would have been there to skate!!!!

Now as others have pointed out. Michelle passed a test skate and the doctors with the IOC are convinced this is a new injury (otherwise they didn't have to let Emily come) Michelle has played by the rules and for being a good sport and not just sucking it up and doing a halfway job she is being cruicified....

Let me tell you that there are a LOT of skaters who would have stayed until the very end to keep thier Olympic spot....

 

[salmoneous]

-An earlier poster stated that only the winner wins a spot on the team. The other members are selected. So if she wasn't first at Nationals that means she was selected. Last time I checked selected and win had different meanings.

Sheesh. She was selected due to previous wins in internatinal competitions. If you see an important distinction, fine, but I think people are going way out of their way to find reasons to critize her.

 

[wvrevy]

I've always hated this arguement. It is partially true. Skating judgement is somewhat subjective. I was reminded of this arguement about skating as I was watching the Superbowl this year. The game was definately effected by the calls of the men in black and white. If a few of those penalty calls had gone the other way the game could have had a different outcome. I heard much water cooler discussion the next morning about how the "refs" decided the game. Most sports are somewhat subjective.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong wrong. For the two arguments to even be equal, the referees would have had to choose, after 60 minutes, which team played better - hint: it wasn't the one that won the game - and awarded them the trophy. The game was won on the field, not in the judges minds. Yes, a call here and there may have affected the outcome. But it was a long way from being the sole decisive factor.

Sorry. Skating is athletic and I would certainly classify the participants as athletes, as well as being gracefull and artistic. But the same could be said of dance, and it isn't a sport either.

 

[salmoneous]

Nobody is saying Kwan broke the rules to get onto the Olympic team or that she didn't follow procedures.

Here's a typcial quote, "Really aggravates me when someone doesn't have to play by the same rules just because they have a "name" in the business."

Believe me, there was a reason they closed her "tryout" to all Media except those who would sign a form agreeing only to report what the Skating Officials deemed as "acceptable information." She was and is hurt -- she cannot skate right now. Really she was put on the team for one reason and that is money. Women's Skating is the Headline event of the Winter Olympics and Michelle Kwan is a name that brings in viewership -- which is good for the Olympics, good for TV, and good for the US Figure Skating Assoc.

Um, you have just accused Michelle, her coach and US Figure Skating of lying and breaking the rules.

 

[OhMari]

Did anyone else see that Michelle was offered a commentating job by NBC for the Olympics and she also declined. She said she didn't want the media focusing on her, she wanted it to be on the remaining skaters.

You know how many people would have killed for that job-and she gracefully turned it down. To me that is true class and graciousness.

 

[damo]

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong wrong. For the two arguments to even be equal, the referees would have had to choose, after 60 minutes, which team played better - hint: it wasn't the one that won the game - and awarded them the trophy. The game was won on the field, not in the judges minds. Yes, a call here and there may have affected the outcome. But it was a long way from being the sole decisive factor.

Sorry. Skating is athletic and I would certainly classify the participants as athletes, as well as being gracefull and artistic. But the same could be said of dance, and it isn't a sport either.

There are quite a few olympic events that are scored mostly by judges. Snowboarding and moguls come to mind as the latest ones shown in this olympics. Just looking at the individual judge's scores show how subjective these marks are. If we take out figure skating, we'll have to take out a lot of others.

 

[Deb in IA]

For those who have short memories, or may not have understood what Michelle had to do to gain her spot on the team, here is a summary of her try-out on January 27:

The committee, led by chairman Robert Horen, was looking primarily for two pieces of evidence. First, Kwan needed
to demonstrate Olympic-level quality in her elements. And, perhaps more critical, she had to present a convincing
standard of physical stamina across two programs, performed almost back-to-back.

After a brief warm-up, Michelle embarked on her long program-Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C-Sharp Minor- in
business-like fashion. She followed shortly thereafter with her short program, skating to Totentanz by Liszt.
Following a break, she landed two double axels-the only jump she missed in the earlier session-and reviewed
numerous individual elements with the panel of judges, seeking feedback relative to her level of difficulty.

Subsequently, the committee declared her fit for competition and awarded her the coveted spot on the Torino
Olympic team.

This was a panel of 5 judges, and Michelle had to do both her long and short programs back-to-back. None of this day-in-between that skaters get in competitions. And she pulled off something like 7 triples in the span of about 30 minutes.


Michelle came onto the US figure skating scene right in the midst of the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan mess, and, for the next 12 years, gave the sport some much needed class, dignity and grace, not to mention breathtaking moments of sheer elegance and artistry. Along the way, she collected an unprecedented 9 US Nationals, 5 Worlds, and a boat-load of perfect 6's. As Peggy Fleming said, we will not see anything like her again.

Of course, her heartbreak is nothing compared to oh, say children who are staving and dying all over the world. But it is the end of a dream, the sad realization that she will now never get the one elusive award that has eluded her all these years, through all the thousands of hours of practice, all the training, conditioning, pain, and tears. I'm sure skating will always afford her a very comfortable life. But it will never give her that one special title, "Olympic Gold Medalist".

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Um, you have just accused Michelle, her coach and US Figure Skating of lying and breaking the rules.

How? By saying that they closed the arena to all Reporters would would not sign the agreement? I don't know how that is accusing them of breaking the rules, but it is definately the way it was reported here. "We didn't go in to watch Kwan skate because our ________ (newspaper, station) etc always reserves the right to report events objectively."

As for Michelle Kwan. Yes, she is a lovely girl and yes I feel sad that she won't win the Gold. But honestly the reason for that is not the current events. It is because in 2002 --- she dropped her Coach to train herself and came into the event with a program that was really below the other top skaters in technical difficulty. Even so, if she would have turned in anything close to a good showing, the judges would have given her the Gold.

Then on a night when the Russian girl, Sasha Cohen, and all the other top skaters made numerous errors, she blew the competition by skating horribly.

Michelle Kwan practically handed that Gold Medal to Hughes. She was lucky to get 3rd place that night.

Don't kid yourselves, Michelle Kwan has had plenty of chances at Olympic Gold.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I'm sorry to see her go. I think she shows a lot of dignity and grace. From what I've seen she's a class act. But she's had a wonderful Olympic career and I'm sure she will have a wonderful professional one. In the end, does it really matter what color the medals you earned are? She is loved by so many fans. I've seen her skate in person and enjoyed it immensely. I feel sure she'll be watching and cheering on our team.

I'm also happy for Emily. I'm sure she's thrilled to be flying over to compete. I hope she gives the performance of her life.

I don't want to get into the "who should have gone" debate. I figure that was up to the commitee that makes those decisions. I'm just looking forward to watching our team and I'll cheer for whoever is there.

 

[wvrevy]

There are quite a few olympic events that are scored mostly by judges. Snowboarding and moguls come to mind as the latest ones shown in this olympics. Just looking at the individual judge's scores show how subjective these marks are. If we take out figure skating, we'll have to take out a lot of others.

Oh, I wasn't saying to take them out Just trying to say that there is a reason they shouldn't be taken seriously. As for the other "events" you mentioned...yes, I'd put them in the same boat. Anytime you have someone judging on "style points" or some other such nonsense, it shouldn't be taken seriously.

 

[Galahad]

Anytime you have someone judging on "style points" or some other such nonsense, it shouldn't be taken seriously.

Is there really any game or "sport" or other such diversion that should really be taken "seriously"?

 

[rt2dz]

Simply not true. I happened before for Todd Eldredge and Nicole Bobek, plus a few others, maybe Chris Bowman. If you have followed skating you will realize that Michelle Kwan deserved the chance to go. I'm glad the USFSA gave her that chance.

OK, let me be a little clearer: In women's figure skating...

While I don't follow skating that much (just starting as my neice is training for the 2014 Olympics), where on Earth did I say or even can be read to slightly imply that I thought Michelle shouldn't go? I was staying out of that 100%. Personally, I think she is one of the best skaters yet. However, I thought there was a HUGE chance that if she went, she wouldn't be well enough to skate. As injured and re-injured, as she has been all year, with the intense training/competition of the olympics I thought she was pretty likely to be injured again.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

nbc wanted her aorund so much that they offered her a job to work in the broadcast booth. It hink she did the right thing by leaving and doing that as her presence would have overshadowed the skating and she would have also had to sit there and watch it all. She was really in a no win situation.

 

[hemispheredancer]

I just found out that the doctor she consulted (Dr. Moeller) is my DD's sports medicine doc. DD has seen him several times for skating-related injuries. I feel good knowing that USFS trusts him enough to oversee the skaters' medical needs. He is an awesome doc!!!

 

[Deb in IA]

She was really in a no win situation.

Going by many of the responses here, I think you are right.