Michelle always held the ending poses for the right amount of time to gain full completion, not breaking character too soon. Great instinct and very satisfying to watch.
@@PthaloGreen2 I do agree to a certain extent. It's not the skater but the skating requirements itself. The industry has made it a competition of who can flex the most, who can jump the most, who can complete all these quads. By removing the artistry it is hard to appreciate the skater as much because they're trying to fit in all these elements in and to get them in at the 2 minute mark so you can get extra credit. That is an awful lot of pressure for these young athletes. Not to mention the injuries of which is a high risk due to the danger of the sport. They are already having to contend with the pressures of competing; let's just make it even harder and for what? This is not Cirque du Soleil. I still love ice skating. I just wish it was more ice skating and less ice acrobatics.
@@PthaloGreen2 I agree 1000 percent! Not to mention the mental strain. I saw a post on Twitter (X) from Gracie Gold about two weeks ago and it broke my heart. She said something of a demeaning nature about herself that I believe she was half joking but not really. It's been a long road to recovery for her physically and mentally. Even the GOAT in gymnastics, Simone Biles was smart to see that if your head is not in the game you will seriously injure yourself. I admire the kids for what they do. I would have been crushed and bruised very early on if I had been in their shoes.
Michelle owns "East of Eden". It's tough for any other skater to use this music because one always flashes back to these Kwan performances, and how beautiful and emotional they are.
Growing up as a little asian american girl, seeing myself represented was rare and so my two heros is Mulan and Michelle Kwan. That fearlessness, grace, and ambition was so inspiring
My favorite Kwan program - a skate for the ages. Though she did not win Olympic gold, Michelle Kwan is the most decorated American skater: her 9 National titles alone equal the total of the great Maribel Vinson-Owen. Michelle Kwan is truly a legend. I come and watch this program whenever the current sad state of figure skating ⛸ gets me down .
Some people deserved the Olympics gold but never got it with bad lucky, like Michelle. Tara was overrated at 1998 Olympics, her performance just like a Disney cartoon. Sarah did a good job never happened before to win, she deserved it and was lucky because the other better skaters like Michelle and Irina made mistakes.
BmcC102 Let me be more specific: artistically, her 2001 Worlds performance was better than this. This performance was technically a lot better than Worlds. Her National LP performance was way too tentative.
+MM Miller Apparently she didn't use this program, because it wasn't received as well as she hoped from the international judges. I don't know what those international judges were smoking
That was the most beautiful triple lutz of her career! For skeptics who claim Michelle flutzed - well, just look at the counter rotation of her axis mid-air. This cannot be achieved with a flip jump - changing circles, which is the hallmark of a lutz jump.
@@lexismith8325 True, but her lutz in 1997 was actually pretty good. 1996 Skate America, nice lutz. Most of her career she rolled it in, and was mostly flat on the edge
Amazingly exhilarating to watch.. you just fall into a trance from the speed and silky smoothness. I guess back then basic skating skills just mattered more.
My favorite skater or all time and certainly the best to never win an Olympic Gold medal. I wanted her to go back just one more time so she could put that one on her shelf with all the others. I mean, she had IT, all of IT- that rare combination of grace, beauty, artistry, musicality, confidence, and fearlessness that can't be taught. The IT that has never sufficiently been celebrated because Olympic gold eluded her (so unfair). I still get chills watching her performances; she was just the best!!!!
+Kevin Johnson. That is what I like and miss about Dick Button and Peggy Fleming commentating. They were very knowledgeable and knew when to stop talking when they saw a great and awe inspiring performance. Now we have Tara who doesn't know when to stop talking appropriately.
Monica Lebon are you kidding ? They were always talking : maybe the most talkative in the history of the figure skating on the ice - except the French commentator Nelson monfort : horrible !
Driss Abderrhamane. Yes they were talking. The difference is Dick and Peggy are professionals and know their stuff. Tara on the other hand talks unprofessional and is very critical. You have 2 different generations here. Big difference! It really comes down to people's choices. I have the right to state my opinion. Just like you do. There is nothing wrong with that. Everybody has their own choice to like or dislike the commentators in figure skating.
Michelle truly has the best spirals. While Sasha has more flexibility, the strength of Michelle's edges, stability, and her ice coverage are unbeatable.
Ice Skating is like singing...they expect Huge triple Axels and Quads with amplitude. In singing now they expect singers to have huge ranges and hit really high notes.
Beautiful! Gracious, musical. All what I needed to see after watching a jumping machine Trousova on the Russian Open. How in the world ISU managed to kill this tipe of real women skating in order to receive the bunch of jumps without anything else?!..
+Dale Bergman I just want to share rare vids with fans like me! I am doing the same with all rere vids from my collection: I AM JUST A FAN WHO WANTS TO SHARE SOMETHING WITH FANS LIKE YOU! :)
yes i heard Frank talking about that. I think she just did enough to stay ahead. Look at Men's skating now. 4 year ago a program had one clean quad, MAYBE 2...today Nathan is trying 5/6.
