The news reports started leaking during last week's world championships. Michelle Kwan the greatest skater of her generation, wasn't ruling out a comeback. The story ran in USA Today. The New York Times printed it. Even my old haunt, SI.com, ran an AP story suggesting that Kwan might decide to compete in 2010. Michelle Kwan at Vancouver? Who knows? SI.com's subhead ran.
....They should have called me. I know. It ain't happening. I promise you all this talk about Michelle Kwan's "comeback" is nonsense being floated by Kwan on instructions from her agent, Shep Goldberg, to increase traffic on her website, position Kwan for a television commentating future, and rejuvenate her endorsement career. Kwan is 28 and isn't even performing with a skating tour. She couldn't do a triple-triple combination in her prime, never mind now. She could not possibly win if she competed in Vancouver. She would not medal. And in all likelihood, she would not even qualify for one of the two spots the weak U.S. women will get in 2010. Why would she risk her stellar reputation for such potential embarrassment? She wouldn't. So, please, let's stop reporting nonsense. Kwan's competitive career is over.
....Just for fun, take a look at the short program of Michelle Kwan from the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, which was one of her finest performances. (Tara Lipinski won the gold by beating Kwan in the long program.) Kwan was 17 years old at the time, a few months shy of her 18th birthday, in her skating prime. She could not possibly skate like this today.
....It is a wonderfully lyrical performance, but the most difficult jump technically was the triple lutz, double toe combination. The height of her jumps was average. The spins and positions were nothing special--Kwan was never a terribly flexible skater--and the speed was, well, restrained. But it was beautiful, unquestionably, especially her spiral.
Now take a look at 18-year-old Yu-Na Kim's short program from last week's world championships:
Yu-Na Kim
This is as good as it gets: a brilliant triple flip-triple toe-loop; a high, sure triple lutz, a breathtaking spiral, and dramatic, flexible spins. Above all, the speed of the program, throughout, was maintained at a high level. It was, I think, the best women's short program I've seen since I began covering the sport in 1983.
Kim is about the same age now as Kwan was when she skated that short in the 1998 Games. The Michelle Kwan of 1998 would have been a good match against Kim, but based on these videos, it's clear she would not have beaten the Korean even then. The technical superiority of Kim is quite apparent, and the artistry is comparable. The Kwan of 2010, however, would be 12 years older than she was in Nagano, and even slower and less flexible. Compared to the lithe, butterfly-like Kim, Kwan would look like George Foreman did at the end of his career. Kwan may be old in figure skating years, but she's not a punch-drunk numbskull. The only place you'll see her in Vancouver is in the television booth.
Mr. Swift.... what an interesting, but flawed article. You may be a sports-writer, but you really don't care if your facts are correct.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Michelle does not have an official web-site....hard to get hits on it, eh?
Nagano was not in 1988...it was in 1998
No triple-triples?? I guess you didn't see Michelle at 96 Nationals, 97 worlds, 00 worlds, and 01 worlds.
If you want to say that Michelle could not beat Yu-Na Kim NOW, that is fine. But, to compare 2 programs 11 years apart is silly. Skating programs are designed for the judging system at the time they compete. The skaters and their coach strategically decide what they will include and where it would be placed in their program. Since the judging system has completely changed in 11 years, your point is not accurate.
Mr. Swift, Stick to what you know, or at least do your homework before you try to make people think you know something. There are many skating fans who are laughing at this article now. If you are smart, you will fix your mistakes or take it down before more people start laughing.
laughing hystarically at how little you know about skating Mr. Swift!
ReplyDeleteUh, Mr. Swift, just what website is Michelle trying to promote? She doesn't HAVE an official website...nor does she need one. Nor does she need to promote herself WHATSOEVER! Michelle Kwan is still hugely popular, and one of the classiest people ever to grace the public stage, unlike a certain has-been sports writer I could name. Not to mention, she made fewer mistakes in any of her nine US championships or five world championships than you have made in this one article!
ReplyDeleteWill Michelle try for a competitive comeback? I don't know, but I DO know that the legions of her fans would love to see her skate again in ANY arena under ANY circumstances. We wish her all the best, and we know that she will continue to do herself, her family, and her country proud in whatever she puts her hand to in the future, because that's the kind of quality person she is!
The copy editor regrets the mistake of the date of the Nagano Olympics, which has been changed now to correctly read 1989...er 1898..um, 1889...whatever...the point remains: worship at her alter as you wish, Kwan-ites. She ain't comin' back. Nor should she. Let her great career R.I.P. --ems
ReplyDeleteis that you Sasha Cohen posing as "Mr. Swift"?
ReplyDeleteI'd say someone is looking for some attention(and it's not Miss Kwan) and found out the name Michelle Kwan grabs attention wherever it's written.
Come on now don't you have some bigger and better story to write...you big sports writer you...than to try and bring down Miss Kwan and all her fans.
Of course Kwan will not skate at the Olympics. The diehard idiots at MK Forum are under the delusion that a near 30 yr old woman will be shating with the likes of Kim and Mao. They just can't let the idea go. It's ridculous.
ReplyDeleteOf course Kwan won't be skating at the 2010 Olympics against Kim and Mao. She'll be almost 30 yrs old. The crazy fans at MK Foorum are old, fat, and delusional.
ReplyDeleteYes I said Foorum. They are fools and probably full of rum. The MK Forum is the most laughable piece of garbage anyone could read.
ReplyDeleteAh, side-stepping the "will she/should she/can she" issue, I take exception to your characterization of Yu-Na Kim's spins as "dramatic and flexible." If anything, they are exceptionally weak for a world champion. This may be due to Kim's recurring back problems, which is unfortunate, or the absurd demands of the COP judging system, but almost any skater from the pre-COP era (Kwan, Slutskya, Nikidinov, Lipinski, to name a few)had better spins than Kim or the other top skaters of today.
ReplyDeleteYes, kim is having back problems but Mao isn't and won't be at the Olympics. If Kwan did something like 11 3/3's in her whole 10 yr career, that would be about one 3/3 a season. can anyone imagine a skater going to the Olympics with one 3/3 in the entire season? Yes, Arakawa did not use the 3/3 in the last Olympics but she didn't have to because nobody was jumping but the judges and everyone else knew she could do them at will.It's a much differant skating world now. It's silly to even imagine Kwan going up against Kim, Mao, or even Caroline K.
ReplyDeleteMiki Ando, Mao Asada, and Rachel Flatt have both only landed ONE clean/ratified 3/3 this entire season. So, yes, I can imagine it. Joannie Rochette has not landed a clean/ratified 3/3 combination in about 4years and she is the current world silver medalist.
ReplyDeleteKwan has not only not done 3/3's in years, she can't spin fast and is as stiff as a board. She competed in the 6.0 90's era.It's over, get a life. The woman will be 30.
ReplyDeleteAs if figure skating didn't have enough problems of its own--credibility issues, a complicated new scoring system, and a decline in talent--it's nice to see we can add sportswriters who don't do their research and write blogs full of vague, unsupported generalizations to the list of ailments plaguing what dignity is left.
ReplyDeleteKwan and her silly minions can howl all they want, skating is not going to change back to 6.0 just to please Kwan.
ReplyDeleteYes, jlb335... you're right. What figure skating really needs amidst all its current ailments is publicity stunts from over-the-hill skaters that haven't competed in years.
ReplyDeleteGod forbid some silly sportswriter tries to focus attention off of this nonsense and back on the the people who are actively participating and contributing to the sport.
Mitch, my man, you are The Man. Thanks for the support. It's MK's craven publicity grab that I found so galling. Two days in a row at Worlds she and her agent showed up at Kim's practices to hold impromptu press conferences and share in Kim's limelight, because that's where they knew the print media would be, hungering for stories.--e.m.s.
ReplyDeleteI know, you'd think MK would be ashamed to show up all over the place. I guess she doesn't know how to bow out gracefully. It isn't about her anymore and hasn't been for some time. It's just sad at this point.
ReplyDeleteAhhh that is it. You did not get the chance to talk to her as other press did.... I get it now.
ReplyDeleteBTW, it is normal for the commentators to watch the practices especially of the ones about whom they will be speaking about quite a bit. Do YOU not do research before you write an article? Does Oprah not ask quetions of her guests BEFORE the camers go on? DUH! Also there were plenty of other way-more-over-the-hill skaters there at the practices and competitions. And she did not hold any press conferences. The press just asked her because they wanted to because she still has star power. Could this be why she DECLINED to commentate at the 2006 Olympics so that she would not take the focus off of the other skaters? yep, that is what she said. One would think that 4 years later, the press would not be interested anymore. Nope, they still are, including you. Sorry you did not get a chance to interview her like your other cohorts. Guess you should go back to your old haunt and maybe you would be able to get in to more places and see more people.........
As for comparing the number of triples or triple/triples... in her heyday she landed MORE triples in a program than our champs are landing these days. YuNa landed 5 in her long program. Michelle landed 6 and 7-triple programs consistently. When she moved down to 5-triple programs, folks complained that she was declining. Yet, the champs of today are winning with 5 triples including Shizuka Arakawa at the 2006 Olympics and YuNa at the 2009 Worlds.
As for whether or not she returns to competition, it is up to her, not you, not me, and not her fans. No one really knows, not even Michelle as she has said time and time again. She is taking it one day at a time. She may decide when the time comes, that she won't do it, and your prediction may prove to be correct, but you certainly don't "KNOW" what will happen.
Finally, she has no need to grab publicity. She is a very private person as evidenced by the fact that she does NOT have her own website as so many of the other skaters do these days. She has had no need to grab publicity. She has her own life, goals, ambitions, and has done a lot more with her life outside skating than most of us could accomplish. Perhaps this is why the media is drawn to her... because even without skating, she is a star.
Of course the chance of her actually coming back to eligible skating is slim. She hasn't competed in a very long time, only competed once under the new system (though she finished 4th even while not skating her best...not too shabby), and is certainly not as young and quick as someone like Asada or Kim. However if she does come back, she could have a shot of making the Olympic team. If you haven't noticed, the US ladies are in a period of regrowth......with the likes of Kwan and Cohen not around, no other us ladie has been able to rise to the top and stay there. Again, I don't think she'll come back, but even an older and slower Kwan could compete and do well against our current US skaters.
ReplyDeleteWhat upsets me about your article is your claims that she is trying to drum up publicity. If you have followed skating for as long as you say you have, then I'm sure you've noticed that Kwan is a very private person, and she would never do something just to get her name in the papers. She is simply not sure if she wants to compete anymore, plain and simple. And that is enough for news outlets to print stories about her. And, they are only doing that because she is STILL the main draw in the US. As others have mentioned, she doesn't have a website, so caring about the traffic to it seems moot. Also, she doesn't need to "set herself up for a commentating posistion", NBC would be extremely stupid to not want her on their team. Even though she hasn't competed since the 2005 worlds, she is still the number one name in figure skating in the US.
Her place in history as one of the greatest skaters of all time is set in stone, she will be remembered (already is) long after Lipinski, Hughes, Cohen, Slutskia, and Arakawa are forgotten (atleast in the US), and the fact that Kim admires her speaks for itself.
Can someone please tell me the official website address for Michelle Kwan? I think that would be a cool website.
ReplyDeleteI google it up and looked all over for her official website, but all I could find are unofficial website like the MKF and Heather's website.
Please tell me the website address.
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ReplyDeleteI went to many of the practice sessions at Worlds this year. I saw Kurt Browning, Tracy Wilson, Sandra Bezic, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi...to name a few.
ReplyDeleteWere they also trying to drum up publicity? What an absurd notion. The commentators go to the practices to see how the skaters are doing. I am surprised that a sports writer doesn't know that. Or maybe that bit of truth was just ignored so he could make his (fallacious) point.
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ReplyDeleteThis is a really poorly researched write-up. But more than that, it shows a lack of skating knowledge. The edging, spinning of Yuna Kim has always been weak, even if they are above the current field which is noticeably more weak. The spiral is incomparable of any of the girls back in the 90s. Yuna Kim for the short program, but artistry always takes the long program. Kwan tends to skate flawlessly. 5 triple jumps to win the championships? That would have been laughed at in Kwan's day.
ReplyDeleteAs for her trying to steal the limelight? Swift, your groundless assumptions are tabloid driven and unconvincing.
And don't accuse people of being Kwan-ites for poking holes in your analysis. They're just stating the obvious.