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Thread: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

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    Senior Member quequisiera's Avatar
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    Sad Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    My absolute favorite figure skater of all time has decided to bow out of the Olypics due to a new groin injury. I do not know if I will even watch ladies figure skating at the Olympics now. I just hope they do not give the gold to some teen who has not developed yet and that is why it is so easy for them to do the jumps. The past three teens that flew in and won gold left the sport shortly afterwards instead of atleast competing for a few years to add to the sport. I do not think Emily hudges will be liked by the Euro judges. I think Kimmie is not developed enough as a skater. Sasha Cohen may medal if she can hold it together but usually she does not. I think the Japanese and Irina Slutskya will take the field.

    Any one else have any predictions???

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    God/dess Rhiannon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Awww man.. I knew it would happen. She wasn't doing too good with her practices, and was in a great deal of pain. Poor girl.

    I don't have any predictions, although I do hope Sasha does get a medal, no matter if it's Gold, Silver, or Bronze.

    I'm really really impressed with the Chinese team, in all games, and their couples rock the ice.

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    God/dess RedZ28's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    With what Peter Ueberroth called the most important figure in US Women's figure skating out of the picture, the mantle of leadership falls on 21-year-old Sasha Cohen who has had consistency problems in the past, but could do very well this time around.

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    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    I think Michelle Kwan is a true hero - taking one for the team and allowing another to go for her dream.

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    Moderator yoda57us's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by Deogol
    I think Michelle Kwan is a true hero - taking one for the team and allowing another to go for her dream.
    I agree. I have an 18 year old daughter and she's been a big fan of Michelle's since I took her to an ice show years ago. What a great role model for young girls-she conducts herself with style and grace, works hard to achieve her goals, repsects her fellow athletes, her sport and her country.

    What bothers me is the "oh well, tough luck, see ya!" attitude and what I feel is a complete lack of respect that Sasha Cohen, The Hughes sisters and many other female skaters who have come up over the years are showing for Ms. Kwan. Michelle came along post Tanya and Nancy and brought respect back to women's figure skating. When these young ladies are cashing their huge endorsement checks or raking in big bucks on the Ice show tours they need to think a bit about the class act who helped make an "amatuer" sport into a multi million dollar career oportunity.
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    so didn't another athlete get bumped from the list for Kwan to compete? That sucks for her if Kwan is just bowing out anyways.

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    Featured Member kikin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Michelle should never have been chosen to be on the olympic team given that she did not even compete in the U.S. trials. She got on the team based solely on the strength of her personality/reputation. I am really glad that Ms. Hughes will now get the chance to compete and represent the U.S. by being given a slot on the team that she actually earned in the trials earlier this season.

    In olympic competition cult of personality is always the wrong way to go. Let she who deserves it win the medal based on the strength of her skills, and not on wether or not she would be a U.S. TV ratings booster.

    *keekeen wears his flame-retardant suit and screams flame on*

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    Moderator yoda57us's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Kwan's petition was granted because the USOC felt that, if she was 100%, she would be the US's best chance for a medal. Nine US championships and five world championships are not won with personality. They are won with skill and dedication to your sport. She told the USOC that she would bow out if she didn't feel like she could compete at a high level and she did exactly what she promised.

    Kwan herself was left off the team ten years ago when Nancy Kerrigan's petition was granted even though she couldn't compete in her trials because of a knee injury after being attacked during practice. The USOC granted her petition because they felt Nancy was the best chance for a medal. Michelle Kwans petition was granted for the same reason.

    The decision was not arbitrary. The USOC wants it's best skaters at the Olympics and thats what they felt they where accomplishing by putting Michelle Kwan on the team.
    Is it fair? I guess that depends on who you ask. Kwan did the right thing and bowed out, giving Hughes her chance to compete.
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    Featured Member kikin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Ms. Kwan did the right thing by withdrawing. But the USOC didn't do the right thing in the beginning. The trials were less than 6 weeks ago and Ms. Kwan didn't even skate. There was no way she would have recovered in that short period of time. You are correct her previous World Championship medals were won because of her great skill on the ice, but this time around she should not have even been on the team. Otherwise, what good is it to have the trials if you're not gonna pick the best athletes to go on to the Olympics?

    I still maintain that the USOC's decision to 'diss' Ms. Hughes in favor of Ms. Kwan was more than likely influenced by the TV ratings it would have generated had Ms. Kwan performed on the ice. Ms. Kwan is a phenomenal skating athlete and a star no doubt, her strong presence and potential win in Turin would have been good for most everyone concerned, including NBC, the USOC, countless inspired young girls gaining the ice, and the sport in the U.S. in general. Everyone, that is, except Ms. Hughes and the principle of fairness.

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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    I've been watching skating for a long time...I don't like the "new/improved" robotic skaters. They have no on-ice personality and lack grace. Compared to the passionate skaters like Gordeeva and Grinkov, Boitano, Witt, Hamilton, and Yamaguchi...these new girls are just dull. In fact, I find myself bored at their programs. Sure, they're all good. They have a wonderful talent, but the thing that lacks in all of their programs is passion and joy (or at least they fail to show it).

    I'm sad that Michelle Kwan bowed out...I was really looking forward to her skating...but it also is deeply disturbing that the other skaters are being "bitchy" about it. With the new wave of skaters coming in, they're learning to spell Team with an "I". Kwan still came from the ranks where it was all for one and one for all...these other skaters are "happy" because now they know they have more of a chance of being the US Skaters "hero". For me, they'll never get there. But, luck to them anyways.

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    Moderator yoda57us's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by kikin
    what good is it to have the trials if you're not gonna pick the best athletes to go on to the Olympics?
    In the opinion of the USOC they did pick the three best athletes to represent women's figure skating. Since Kwan was unable to compete we will never know if she would have placed in the top three. The USOC's opinion was that she would have and that she had a better chance of medaling than Hughes did. Hughes will get her chance, as the alternate, to compete.
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by yoda57us
    In the opinion of the USOC they did pick the three best athletes to represent women's figure skating. Since Kwan was unable to compete we will never know if she would have placed in the top three. The USOC's opinion was that she would have and that she had a better chance of medaling than Hughes did. Hughes will get her chance, as the alternate, to compete.
    If we all followed the USOC's lead why even play the superbowl or the world series? We should just examine the teams in September (or April) and decide which team is the best based on how they have performed in the past and crown a champion.

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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by kikin
    If we all followed the USOC's lead why even play the superbowl or the world series? We should just examine the teams in September (or April) and decide which team is the best based on how they have performed in the past and crown a champion.
    Mind you we are not talking about sports like baseball, football, or even speed skating where there is a truly substantive means of scoring, but a sport where points are given on the subjective opinion of a panel of judges, many of which carry their prejudcies, political or otherwise, with them.

    Should it be any surprise then that the USOC chooses who they feel would best represent them, rather than giving the nods to the top three finishers in a particular competition? The Olympics are ALL about politics after all.
    Former SCJ now in rehab.

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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by kikin
    If we all followed the USOC's lead why even play the superbowl or the world series? We should just examine the teams in September (or April) and decide which team is the best based on how they have performed in the past and crown a champion.
    The USOC doesn't preside over the NFL or MLB so that's not going to happen.
    It's obvious you don't care for the decision making process that the USOC uses but it's their process to apply as they see fit. It existed long before Michelle Kwan filed her petition last month and I don't see it going away in the near future. Olympic competition comes along once every four years. The USOC allows petitioning so that the top athletes in a given sport won't miss a chance to compete because of a temporary injury. It occurs to me that you should be writting letters to the USOC if you feel that strongly about it Kikin. I'm just backing their policy, I didn't create it, but I do agree with it.

    Most of the comentary I've heard since Kwan pulled out is that Ms. Hughs doesn't have much chance of medaling. The USOC was very well aware of this when they made their initial decision. They decided to put there money on a proven commodity. It is all about the US medal count as far as the USOC is concerned.
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    ^^^ The Kerrigan decision didn't pan out well either. She only got a silver (?)

    And now the Ms. Kwan decision has suffered an even worse fate. She's not even going to compete.

    I like Ms. Kwan as an athlete--I just have an issue with the way USOC makes decisions that totally bypass their own trials which are ostensibly set up to pick the top athletes to represent us in the Olympics. Both the Kerrigan and Kwan decisions have proven that the trials are actually a sham. The USOC will do what the USOC will do.

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    Featured Member kikin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by doc-catfish
    Mind you we are not talking about sports like baseball, football, or even speed skating where there is a truly substantive means of scoring, but a sport where points are given on the subjective opinion of a panel of judges, many of which carry their prejudcies, political or otherwise, with them.

    Should it be any surprise then that the USOC chooses who they feel would best represent them, rather than giving the nods to the top three finishers in a particular competition? The Olympics are ALL about politics after all.
    Well, why even have the trials if decisions are based on other less than subjective criteria? Politics should have no place in sports. Either you have what it takes or you don't as an athlete.

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    Moderator yoda57us's Avatar
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    Default Re: Michelle Kwan withdrew the from Olympics

    Quote Originally Posted by kikin
    Well, why even have the trials if decisions are based on other less than subjective criteria? Politics should have no place in sports. Either you have what it takes or you don't as an athlete.
    Your making an assumption that it's about politics. It's not. It's about putting the best athletes in a position to win a medal for their country.

    When Nancy Kerrigan was put on the team 14 year old Michelle Kwan was made an alternate. At that time, the USOC determined that Nancy had a better chance of winning a medal than relative newcomer Michelle Kwan did.

    When Kwan was injured and couldn't compete in Nationals a relative new comer was made an alternate for the olympics because, again, the USOC felt that Kwan would have the best chance of wining a medal and Hughes would not. Kwan did the right thing and stepped down when it was obvious she would not be at her best. She also stepped down early so that Ms. Hughes would have time to prepare. The only person who has suffered in this decision is Michelle Kwan

    In both cases the USOC decided that the petitioning athlete had what it took.
    A temporary injury does not mean you may not still be the best athlete to represent your country in the olympics. As I said before, the decision is not arbitrary. It may be politicaly motivated if you want to make the argument that the USOC's goal is to give the US it's best chance to win medals.

    Politics, in one form or another, permeats all sports.
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