I think Gary is off base about Michelle Kwan. For one thing, placement at Nationals is NOT the deciding factor in selecting the figure skating team. Yes, it's a very strong factor, but it boils down to a committee that selects the team. Swimming and figure skating are so different it's ludicrous to try to relate the two.
The bottom line is Michelle Kwan is a five-time world champion, and was fourth at Worlds in 2005. Her chances of medalling were much higher than Emily Hughes and that's why she got the spot.
After reading that article I came away feeling that Gary has some sort of a personal vendeta against Ms. Kwan. I am sure that is not the case, but he seems hell bent on belittling her. Oh well, he is entitled to his opinion I suppose.
Originally posted by knelson
I think Gary is off base about Michelle Kwan. For one thing, placement at Nationals is NOT the deciding factor in selecting the figure skating team. Yes, it's a very strong factor, but it boils down to a committee that selects the team. Swimming and figure skating are so different it's ludicrous to try to relate the two.
The bottom line is Michelle Kwan is a five-time world champion, and was fourth at Worlds in 2005. Her chances of medalling were much higher than Emily Hughes and that's why she got the spot.
Gosh, didn't they say the same thing about Emily's sister?
Apparently, Apollo didn't learn strategy from swimming. The other US skater did the dumbest strategy.
Also, did anyone read Aquanotes from Gary Hall? I think that it was amazing that Michelle Kwan got on the team. Supposedly, (she even admitted tha she didn't have a very good skate while they were there) she fell several times while the "special group" were watching her.
And then, I wish that Gary wouldn't use inappropriate language in his note. Soem very young kids I know read it and used on phrase all morning.
Originally posted by craiglll@yahoo.com
Gosh, didn't they say the same thing about Emily's sister?
If they did they were just saying it to add drama. Sarah Hughes has success at the International level prior to the 2002 Olympics. She was 3rd at Worlds in 2001 and 5th the previous year. Emily, on the other hand, has not.
With all the crowing about how great the new judging system is, the truth is there's still plenty of latitude for the judges to prop up the skaters they like. It's highly unlikely for a new upstart to come in and medal unless they do something pretty impressive.
After watching the pairs competition last night it struck me that the Chinese pair of Shen and Zhao (the team where the guy ruptured his Achilles last year) were probably in a similar position to Kwan. No one expected them to be healthy enough to compete, yet there they were. I'm sure there's a fourth place team sitting home in China that could have filled in if needed, but Shen and Zhao earned their spot by being the best Chinese pairs team before Zhao's injury.
I'm one figure skating fan that didn't agree with sending Michelle Kwan because she had injury problems during most of the season. And I thought it could have happen again at the olympics and it did. But as people stated here figure skating chooses not just based upon what happens in nationals. And it true that during the past two years at worlds Kwan and Cohen did the best among US women in figure skating.
