"STRENGTH and glory is not found in a lifetime of championship titles. It lies in being able to stand up after every fall, learning from it, and becoming a better person because of it!" In a career of ups and downs this phrase best befits Michelle Kwan. Having been through so much, she has risen to every occasion and has established herself as one of the best skaters in the world.
Born to Danny Kwan & Estella Wing, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, Michelle first saw the world on July 7th 1980 in her hometown of Torrence California.
She first took to the ice at the age of 5 with sister Karen after watching her brother Ron play hockey. She began taking skating lessons and at the age of 11 was already of Junior Status.
Michelle first dreamed of Olympic glory while watching Brian Boitano skate to Olympic gold in 1988. She trained rigorously as a kid, and at the age of twelve when her coach Frank Carrol was out on a convention she had her father drive her out to the senior qualifying exams which she breezed through (against Coach's will).
As her coach had expected, Michelle spent her first few years as a senior under the shadows of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding who had stirred up a lot of controversy.
She was sent to the 1994 Lilhammer Olympics as an alternate to Nancy Kerrigan and later on in the year at her first World Championships she placed 8th.
A year later she looked like she was on her way to a World Championship title as she skated a clean program, but the judges were looking for the Woman's Champion of the World and not a kid.
A year later for the 1995-96 season, Michelle transfigured into a young woman on the ice. Team Kwan worked overtime during the break to create a new image for their prized skater. They convinced Michelle's parents to allow her to use eye make-up (w/c is against Chinese custom for young girls) and gave her an elegant bun for a hairdo, not to mention a dramatic Salome Program which brought an exotic style to her skating.
With the whole world kept in awe with this new found maturity, Michelle went on to win her first US National & World titles in 1996. More titles followed and Michelle was deemed unbeatable.
Michelle plunged into what many call the shadows of her career as she entered the year 1997. She admitted that her reason for skating had become for the sake of winning and not for the love of it. She was overcome by the anxiety of pressure (not to mention by an inner conflict) and lost both the Nationals and the Worlds.
It was only until late that year when she got her feelings on check and went back on track. She was her old self again, skating for the love of her sport and craft.
As Sports Illustrated Magazine puts it. Michelle skated into the Light in her 1998 season. Skating to what many have called the best programs ever. Michelle made a dramatic comeback to win her second Skate America crown.
A toe fracture would come in her way to blacken out the rest of the year as she was forced to skip the NHK Trophy and the Championship Series Finals. Many feared she would be forced to skip the Nationals dimming more hopes for an Olympic title.
With the strength of a Champion Michelle pulled herself together, stepped on the ice and skated the short program of her life, which included much difficult but less painful jumps. She was awarded 7 perfect 6.0's for presentation.
The primary goal of figure skating is to be able to perform all the difficult moves and make them look easy. That is what Michelle did as she breezed through her Lyra Angelica Long Program.
Exuding Angelic beauty and poise, Michelle floated across the ice without any care or worries, landing all 7 triples. She had brought the audience to their feet and as well to tears. The judges too in awe awarded her another 8, 6.0's for presentation bringing her total to 15 perfect scores, the most by any skater in history.
Michelle came into the Olympics the favorite. Featured on various magazine covers, Michelle was the center of a big media hype. She won the short program despite the pressure but perhaps because she skated too early in the competition where scores are usually held back and because she lacked a triple-triple combination, rival Tara Lipinski edged her out for the elusive gold.
The loss was saddening and even quite devastating for some including me. But in all her greatness Michelle said that she didn't loose the gold but she won the silver.
The loss was the only one of the year for she went on to win her world title plus other ISU sanctioned open events such as the World Professional Championships where she beat Olympic Champions Oksana Baiul and Katarina Witt.
Michelle is now taking one day at a time, enjoying what's left of her teen years. She has her eyes set on the 2002 Olympics and right now can take it easy because a rival is yet to come. But Michelle is unfazed by the lack of competition. She still as ever works everyday to improve on the facets she already possesses. She doesn't know for sure how long she'll be around, just like any other teenager she'd like to go to college and get a degree. Harvard would be nice!
When asked when she'd stop skating, Michelle simply replies, "when I have lost the love for it."
by Michael Josh for Michelle Kwan Online
