Kwan says goodbye to competitive career
Michelle Kwan announced earlier today that her competitive figure skating career is officially over. Instead of battling it out for a spot on a fourth Olympic team, Kwan will become a full time graduate student at Tufts University’s Fletcher school beginning this fall.
In a press release posted on IceNetwork.com, Kwan says that while her focus is going to be on her studies and continuing her work as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy, her plans also include some future skating exhibitions. Her first appearance back on the ice will take place next month in Korea.
This news won’t come as a shock to many. Although it would have been great to watch her compete this season, realistically winning a third Olympic medal would have been nearly impossible for Kwan. With the time that she spent away from the ice, the problems with her hip combined with her age, Michelle has made a very smart choice in choosing grad school over a return to competitive skating.
Since Kwan’s departure from the sport in 2006, the U.S. had struggled to produce another woman with the staying power and consistency that was so unique to Michelle. She helped to keep skating in the public eye following the attack on Nancy Kerrigan in 1994, and her absence over the past four years has resulted in a dwindling of interest in ladies figure skating and television ratings.
For a brief amount of time it seemed like Kimmie Meissner would become Kwan’s successor. However, Meissner has been battling inconsistency and a growth spurt, and she failed to make last year’s world team. Mirai Nagasu and Alissa Czisny, U.S. champs in 2008 and ‘09, aren’t well known, and the two lack consistency, which was a main component to Kwan’s longevity in the sport.
Kwan says that she has plans to do some commentary work in the future, and hopefully she will continue to be a strong presence in the skating world. I looked up to her during my career, and although I think she has made a wise choice, I will miss watching her compete against the best in the world. She has left big skates to fill for the ladies competing in the U.S. today, and I predict it will be decades until we see another U.S. skater–man or woman–who will rival Michelle Kwan’s accomplishments.
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I adore the Kween, but she is not the best public speaker. Her image is too ‘nice’ to be honest about some of the gross performances and choreography these days.
I’d pay serious money to see her skate in a show. And you should reprise ‘Chicago’ in that show…
What about Kwan made her such a great competitor? Was she intimidating to compete against? How good is her bitch face in the locker room? Which of your competitors rocked the best bitch faces? Could anyone compete with the Russians in that respect?
Hi Dave,
I think she was such a great competitor because she had amazing focus and a great ability to rise above adversity. Whenever someone would count her out, or if there was talk of another skater overtaking her–like worlds in 2003 or nationals in 2004–it appeared Michelle would thrive off of it. The way she handled that pressure and worked so hard to defend her titles was very impressive.
In terms of “bitch faces,” haha, I would say that every skater had a pretty good game face. The thing about Michelle, though, was that you knew she could actually deliver, and that made her the most intimidating competitor at any event.
In response to another comment. See in context »I think she made a great choice. What a smart, realistic and classy lady!
I agree that she might be too “nice” to commentate well, and the thing that always bugged me about her was how prepared and “canned” her interviews have always sounded. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say anything that sounds spontaneous, unscripted, or without any consideration of what might be politically incorrect…maybe that might serve her well as a diplomat, LOL!
Hi Stacey,
I agree that Michelle always had the “right” thing to say, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes her responses in interviews came across as somewhat predictable. I think the majority of skaters are taught at an early age about the “correct” way to handle an interview–be nice, don’t say certain things, speak in complete sentences, etc.–and as they grow up in the sport it can be difficult to change that programming. However, in order to be an interesting commentator a person has to speak freely and be spontaneous, so maybe this is something Michelle will work on if she is going to focus on this new career.
In response to another comment. See in context »Hi Jennifer,
Frankly, Michelle has made a smart move. She will now get her Masters Degree in International Studies. When done with that, if the US Government, US Figure Skating, or the US Olympic Committee doesn’t take advantage of her fame and her poise, they will be fools. She would be the best thing to happen to US Diplomacy in years. Our country needs a well known Diplomat with her grace and poise.
While i respect her choice, im very sad about this. As a figure skater, michelle has been my hero since i was 12, when she won her first world title. And while i wish her all the luck in the world, i am still very saddened by this.
Michelle is a wonderful representative and role model. However, I have to agree with you about her interviews. Her comments seemed so scripted and lacked spontaneity. At times she would pause, carefully editing comments in her head before responding to a reporter’s question. She was programmed very well on how to say the right thing during an interview, but she came off as flat and void of true emotion at times. Sometimes she sounded superficial and too good to be true. The only time I could sense true emotion behind her words was when she lost to Tara Lipinski at Nagano.