Ok, so, I confess to being a figure skater. I've been skating for about 14 years ever since I fell in love with the sport while watching the 1992 Albertville Olympics. Since then, I've spent far too many hours in freezing cold rinks all over the country. I started too late to be really great at freestyle and even though I was good at compulsory figures they got rid of them and replaced them with moves in the field. Synchro was my true love and that's what I really miss being on my DC team. I skated synchro at the U of M for three years, went to the National championships five times and won Nationals once. Needless to say, I've spent a lot of years just following the sport--watching the men try to land quads, watching the US pairs teams struggle against the Russians, seeing the rise of American ice dancing and most of all, watching Michelle Kwan grow from a gangly little girl to one of the most beautiful skaters in history.
I was so sorry to hear that Kwan withdrew from the Olympics. Certainly, with an injury, it was the right thing to do, but I wanted to see her win that gold medal as much as the next person. Ok, so maybe she was a tiny bit of a long-shot going into her third Olympics, but look at her resume! So Tara Lipinski won an Olympic gold medal. What is she doing now? Did anyone even like her? Her jumps were low and very tight, Lipinski barely got around three times for her triples, yet somehow she won. Sarah Hughes, don't even get me started. She has no personality, insists on wearing over the boot tights (can we say, elephant feet??) and is boring to watch. Kwan has displayed more poise, grace and class than any athlete I can think of. She is always elegant, breathtaking to watch and a real credit to the sport of figure skating. If she chooses to retire from skating, we will lose an icon. She may not have an Olympic gold, but at least she wasn't a blip like Lipinski or Hughes. Kwan has proved her staying power and won time and time again at the National and World Championships. I think that Hughes and Lipinski winning Olympic gold was nothing more than a fluke.
The skating world is definitely a byzantine one, rife with biased judging, scandal (two words, Tonya Harding), and skaters that are considered old once they hit the age of 22. Michelle Kwan has not only always represented the sport with grace but she has also always represented the USA with that same grace. I will be disappointed that I won't get to see her skate on that Olympic ice in Turin, but I am proud to be part of a sport that can boast Michelle Kwan as it's star. If she does choose to retire, we will be losing a great athlete.
Michelle Kwan, I salute you.
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