Comments on: Kwan says goodbye to competitive career

By: jewel54

jewel54 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:43:13 +0000

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.

By: clairemoloko

clairemoloko — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:31:04 +0000

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.

By: w2bsa

w2bsa — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:53:13 +0000

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.

By: Jennifer Kirk

Jennifer Kirk — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:14:45 +0000

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.

By: Jennifer Kirk

Jennifer Kirk — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:04:04 +0000

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.

By: stacey

stacey — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:01:34 +0000

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!

By: davelease

davelease — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:51:12 +0000

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?