Chuck, my friend who works at a high-end restaurant in Beverly Hills, that just recently opened back up a week ago after closed more than a year, said that Michelle Kwan was in there a couple nights ago.
Oh, that is soooo cool!
I consider Michelle Kwan one of the G.O.A.Ts of the sport of figure skating. For those who don't know, G.O.A.T is "greatest of all time".
Most figure skaters seem to be around for a 4 year cycle, always retiring after an Olympic year.
Michelle Kwan made her senior level debut in 1993 (her coach, Frank Carroll advised against taking the test to become a senior level skater, Michelle did it behind his back). 1996 was her breakthrough year, winning the gold medal at Skate America, Skate Canada, Nations Cup (Germany), US National Championships, the Grand Prix final, and the World Championships.
Michelle never won a gold medal at the Olympics, she was denied at both Olympics by young upstarts who quickly retired and faded away (Tara Lipinski & Sarah Hughes).
Michelle's competitive years ranged from 1993 to 2005. In those 12 years, Michelle won:
Goodwill Games: 2 silvers and 1 bronze
Trophée Lalique (France): 1 bronze and 1 gold
Skate Canada: 3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
Skate America: 7 gold, 1 silver
Nations Cup (Germany): 1 gold
Grand Prix Final: 1 gold, 4 silver
World Championships: 5 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze, and 2 fourth place finishes. Her last appearance, she finished fourth, just missing the bronze medal by 0.37 points.
98 Olympics: Silver Medal
02 Olympics: Bronze Medal
She was very consistent in her skating, and was a quick learner. Some skaters never learn how to interpret the music, how to mature their style. Here are two examples to show how quickly Michelle evolved. The videos are the short (2:30 minute) programs. The first is her 1994 US Nationals program. The second is also the US Nationals, just two years later.
What a huge difference in style and presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o_rNkV3W_s - age 13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBTm4pLuS1w - age 15