Where is MK's spark?

[Brian]

Although I am thrilled MK won Nationals, I am disappointed with MK's "performance level" this season. There does not seem to be any spark, energy, or attack. If you compare Red Violin at Nationals to Skate America, it pales in comparison. Even though she fell on the triple flip, she skated with intensity, fire, and attack. She was in perfect time with the music and really "sold" the program. I am pleased MK went after the 3loop, she could have just doubled the jump, but she tried. Hopefully since MK has only one class this semester she can start training more and regain more confidence in her skating. One thing is for sure, MK is going to have to skate better at Worlds if she wants to win. Irina is ON FIRE, and MK needs that "fire" as well.

[BMWMKFan86]

I agree Brian. I have to say though that through out Michelle's Long Program I was so nervous. I knew however she would fall on the 3 loop. She looked a bit apprehensive going into the jump. I loved her new hair cut though ;) I am glad she kept her title. "In my opinion, the car for Michelle Kwan is the BMW 740il;)"

[skatingfan]

Brian, ITA. Sigh................., Mk is probably going through a lot. New school, new skating rink, adjusting to a new body, lost a bunch of wt etc. Reminds a bit of Tiger Woods in stanford, he was so tired..........Nonetheless, he did well enough to win tournaments, and did well in school. Fortaunately in golf you only need to win with or w/o spark. But I think Mk has more sparks than e.g. Angela Nik, who is just skating right? This comparison is not an Angela put down. I root for her all season.

[iceangelic]

I strongly believe MK should have kept her weights the same as when she was at Skate America. I think if she's got more meat on her, she'll do better.

[Beth2000]

To me Michelle just seemed exhausted, like she could use a week or two to doing nothing but rest! Like y'all said hopefully with just one class she will do much better. I wonder if that is why she decided to take just one class this semster. Was she thinking that she needed to concentrate and have more training for the World's verses Nationals?

[galadrielle]

I agree, Brian. sigh ... I'd like her next programs to be set to music that are more dance-y, with more highlights. Something that energizes her and excites her. I'd like a bit more tension in the music, actually lots more. MK seems to be a very sensitive person. So, I think it would be a smart thing for her to pick music that would suggest Fire, Intensity, Fight, and Strength to her. I'd also like to see what another choreographer can do for her competitive routine. I'm just hoping that she's reserving all her fire for Worlds. She may just pull it out of the bag when the time comes. And I think she should do more flips and loops and not do 3 toes as a single jump. I'm hoping she'll come out of this Nationals experience all fired up and itching to fight in the Worlds. She has it all. She's got what it takes. The World's gold is hers to take. And she should do a 3/3 there and take it BACK. Forget sparkling and dazzling. I want her to come out roaring something fierce.

[kwanluv]

I think that this year is a wake-up call for her (as in 97'). Even though I want Michelle to win worlds this year, I think Irena will. Right now Irena has the energy, drive and "Spark" needed to do the job (not to mention superior jumping). Michelle and Frank have already said that next year Michelle will do possibly 2 triple/triple combos, which she'll need if she wants to Win in salt lake. No other skater has the complete package like Michelle, but she needs to push for more difficult jump combos to stay on top.

[Naomi]

I don't think her musical choices are helping her this year either. They are different and interesting, don't get me wrong, but the average figure skating audience does not identify with music that is strange and eerie. They want something lyrical, beautiful, that makes them emotional, like Lyra Angelica. I believe if Michelle went back to the light, carefree, melodic music, she'd skate with that spark again. Then no one of her fans would ever care if she did a jump at all, they'd just enjoy watching her skate around the rink. That is the difference with her fans now, me included. We're all pushing for her to "up the ante", technically. But it is her spark and enthusiasm that we really care about and miss. I just hope that she's always happy in all of her endeavors, and I was thrilled when she said, "maybe I'll never turn pro". I never want to see her doing silly made for tv comps, and dancing around the ice to pop songs. GO MICHELLE!!! -Naomi

[GinnySmith]

I, for one, have a feeling there is something more to the lack of spark than music or stress. I adore Michelle but she really looks wiped out to me these days. The last time the spark was there was at the Japan Open which was in January. At the Grand Prix, I was willing to write it off to the crazy format and the fact that she was globe-trotting in a short period of time. However, as someone else posted, if you compare her performance of TRV at Skate America with her performance Saturday, it is almost like seeing 2 different people. I don't claim to have the answer. At times, I think she is just exhausted from trying to balance everything. At other times, I'm a bit concerned about her overall health. Then there are times where I think she just might be getting overwhelmed carrying everyone's expectations on her shoulders and that her own expections of herself are too demanding. Whatever the cause, I just want Michelle to find joy in whatever she is doing and lighten up a bit. "Work hard, be yourself, and have fun." Michelle is great at working hard and being herself. However,I think somewhere recently, she has lost the "fun" part. These are not criticisms. Just observations. Whatever the cause, I sincerely wish her the best and hope that as she is digging deep to up the technical ante, somewhere she also rekindles the fire, joy and passion that she usually conveys so well on the ice.

[Terri]

I think she left it in LA but she'll remember to bring it to Nice.

[SJB]

I don't think at all that Michelle needs different types of music or new choreography or anything of that sort. When the season started, I was absolutely bowled over by her improvements and her new programs and music and choreography. However, at the GPF, she looked exhausted and thin, and at Nationals still quite exhausted---maybe mentally. The only thing I can deduce is that it's been a hard and tiring year. So I agree with Beth2000--I think we'll see Michelle's spark when she's well-rested and mentally and physically energized, and that spark will be there no matter what kind of music and choreography she uses.

[andycat]

I've said this in numerous posts, but Michelle is only human!!! I don't think there's any other skater on the scene that could handle what she's handling: UCLA, promotions, tv specials, books, competitions, training. Just thinking about it makes me exhausted. Of course she's losing weight, of course she's lost some of her fire. She can't do all the things she's doing and have it not take a toll on some aspects of her life. I graduated from UCLA -- and that plus working part time while keeping a full load left me lethargic, exhausted, irritable -- and with absolutely no free time on my hands. And it was especially difficult that first year. I can't imagine going through school with the kind of pressures she has. It's insane! I do, however, think that with this first year under her belt, she'll be able to gauge her ability to juggle skating and school, better. She'll probably keep her scaled-down class schedule (which is SOO smart) and will come back with renewed vigor and determination. That kind of fight and drive seems to be in her blood. All that said, I don't think we have to worry about her coming back strong...she may still be a bit overly-taxed to be amazingly astounding at Worlds, but next year should be a different story. She now knows it'll HAVE to be a different story with all these astoundingly talented younger skaters nipping at her heels!

[mommy2]

My heart went out to Michelle. The pressure to be perfect every time must be incredible! However, I think the reason she seems unhappy is that perhaps the media's negative attitude towards her decision to attend UCLA and continue skating is getting to her. Ever since she made the decision to go to school and skate she has had to defend it to a slew of critics who in my opinion are very narrow minded. I applaud her decision to do both and think she should be proud of how she has handled both. I would think that after awhile all of the negative comments (some from people who use to support her) would take their toll. I wish the media would back off and let her live her life the way she wants. I have great respect for her desire to be a scholar athlete and think that it bodes well for the sport of figure skating. Michelle's desire to join the ranks of Dr. Debbie Thomas and Paul Wylie is comendable. She will leave the sport of figure skating (whenever that is) an educated, well adjusted, and well rounded person. While this year may not be her best she still is maintaining a competitive edge. To relate a fall in a program to whether or not she is attending school is ridiculous. I wish the media would back off and let Michelle be herself and pursue ALL of her dreams. It is way to early to count her out. I for one will be estactic when she makes her critics eat their words.

[Googoo]

Come now unless you are Michelle or know her very well you really can't say that it's the media that has been making her stressed. It always amuses me when people say MK doesn't have spark. What is spark? Can it be measured? What does it look like lol? Well I re-watched her performance today and yes she looked serious, yes she fell on the 3 loop, but I still enjoyed it greatly. Her arm positions particularly are so beautiful!

[GinnySmith]

Mommy2--I totally agree with you that the press has been merciless regarding Michelle. It seems as if they really have it in for her. The article which really trashed her even made it sound as if going to college and getting a major endorsement were really bad things. The way the press talks about Michelle, you would think she has committed a major crime against the universe instead of being a hard working, positive role model for young women student- atheletes! My own lazy bay area news papers, The San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Newspaper, chose to print the more insulting article which claimed that she was disconnected from the audience, uninspired and got "charity" from the judges. The only creativity they put into the article was to see who could come up with the most denigrating headline! I do agree with GooGoo that even though it was not Michelle's best, she was still interesting to watch. I totally disagree that she was disconnected, uninspired or received charity. The only article that was fair was Terry Gannon's. He reported the facts in an unbiased fashion without trashing Michelle and did point out that it was not her best. However, he did it with respect for her, which she deserves! I don't expect the press to say she was wonderful when she was not. However, to only print a picture of her getting up off of the ice when she did complete 6 other triples is cruel and unfair.

[Brian]

MK just does not have Slute to worry about at Worlds. Malinina, Gusmeroli, and Butryskaya will challenge as well. I know some people probably don't agree, but based on Europeans results they will contend. MK looked so uninspired out there. She really needs to change her mindset, she skates much too cautiously. I think I am one of the few people who thinks college really did not play that much of a factor with her Nationals performances. It is MK's conservative and cautious nature that caused her problems. If she does not get that intensity back, she is in for a major "wake-up call" at Worlds.

[Valerie]

For a parameter of time now, I had observed and perceived Michelle's loss of fire. At first, I assumed that it was my inference and I shouldn't conclude; however, with such a numerous number of fellow Michelle fans agreeing, I feel better now. My father believes Michelle has lost her focus and confidence. The lack of triple-triple combinations might not benefit Michelle psychologically. Michelle may be afraid and may even be losing the trust she once had for herself. For me, Michelle appears to have lost that freedom and joy that she once possessed in her skating. In the 1998 Nationals, for example, that jubilation and serenity was evident, and was transferred and conducted to every being in the arena and every person watching on TV. Presently, Michelle gives me the impression that she is there just to skate, she doesn't have fun anymore. She looks stressed out, lethargic, and lacks that fire she had ijn 1996. I admit that I also am extremely disappointed with Michelle lately. ~~~~She *needs* to reach deep down into her soul, and rediscover the serenity, the peace, the joy, the enlightenment, and the excitement that once accompanied her skating.~~~~

[taf2]

But I think that anyone who's disappointed in Michelle, lately or anytime, cannot call themselves a true fan. They are what I call a fair-weather fan, only rooting when their favorite is on top & dominent. Michelle is not just my favorite skater-she's also the one I'll be behind, no matter whether she ever wins another competition. None of us really know what's going on with her-to speculate is useless. If it's meant to be, Michelle will regain the world title & go on to win Olys in 2 yrs. If not, I will continue to enjoy her skating as long as I am allowed to do so.

[Brian]

Give me a break! You have some kind of nerve calling me or anyone else who is disappointed in Michelle "not a true fan". I always root for MK over ALL other skaters. I practically have heart attacks waiting for her comp results because I want her to do well. NO other skater is more important to me than MK. It is because I care about her, that I point out things that are wrong with her skating. Constantly praising MK is not going to do her any good. She needs honest and constructive critiques.

[lavender]

Who needs the negativity. I pray that it goes away.

[Brian]

LAVENDER, without that negativity would MK have improved her layback? The unfavorably comparisons between her layback and those of NNN, Nikodinov, and Hughes certainly motivated her to improve the position.

[Armchairskater]

I think MK is just tired. Remember that she had just come through midterms. I don't think that it is any coincidence that she gave her most energetic performances at Skate America before she had to cope with finals or midterms. I think she was right to go down to one course. I believe she will be more rested going into Worlds than she was at Nationals and one course will provide her with some balance to keep her mind busy and a foot into campus life. Without a difficult and consistent triple-triple, I don't know is he will be able to win Worlds over Irina, but I expect her to perform at a higher level than this week.

[Icare]

I really think covering so many grounds and stretching so thin, Michelle is still on course. Excuse me for saying so, this tread is very harsh to MK as a person. All the creativity and joy come from a whole person being fulfilled. When skater prodigies grow up, many need to take detours to come back and skate as content adults. Irina Sluts(spelling?) got married, lucky her got a good husband. Many did not come back or they just turn pro( in my mind, that's leaving the sport and an easy way out: retirement). Michelle is an intelligent person. She needs to grow intellectually in order to bring herself and her skating to the next level. I happen to think some joy for Michelle also comes from the respect and love of her fans, besides the sports itself. Gosh, I just think the warm and supporting fan group and media is not so understanding as before. MK loses her fire? No! I think she is going through this personal growth period, and she is fighting back mightily. While I watch MK in Nationals, I still felt the connection, but I also felt that concentration. Hey! when she had the growth spurts in her body, everyone was understanding and sympathetic. Now, she is undergoing this personal growth spurts, she did not run away, and she is still faithful to her sports, which is exteremely difficult! Look at the big picture! Give her a break!

[maileng]

I mentioned this same reply on another subject and felt it also supports this discussion. I fell in love with her artistic ability. But before I fell in love with her artistic ability, she had it technically going on for me as well. I'm so mad that the judges and including Dick Button comments and scores are all about physical looks, youthism and technical ability. They,IMO, are pushing Michelle to lose her focus on how she successful, under or without pressure, skates perfectly. Michelle is the only female skater who can feel the music and it's beautiful. Rosalyn Sumners doesn't do it. Tara Lipinski doesn't do it. Now Kristi is not far from Michelle. Dorothy Hamill does it (but without the technical strength that MK does in today's world). Michelle puts the right balance of technique, artistry, softness, warmness and elegance. God has definitely blessed her with this special gift. And I only wish she had won the Gold Medal in 1998 so that she could continue along that path. But as we all know judges play with the skaters according to their own desires. Figure skating judges are not fair and we all know that and this has been demonstrated over and over again. Saturday night was a prime example. The 1998 Olympics was another prime example. If they would act right and judge correctly, IMO, Michelle would not be in this situation in the first place. Yes, based on past experiences on how the judges judge, Michelle Kwan did indeed deserve that win. She won US Nationals Saturday the same way she won the Silver Medal at the 1998 Olympics. The reason I still watch figure skating is because I accept this flaw with the judges just like Michelle does and hope and pray that some how the judging delivers balance and eventually the right award to the right recipient. Come back to us Michelle ... We love your work!

[rda]

I know this is the place for MK's fans to get together and discuss what's on their minds, and I count myself as one of those fans, but really, I think this speculation is getting out of hand. You can guess all you want about why Michelle seems to have less fire this year, but we will never know the real reason, and personally, I feel that all this second guessing of her violates her privacy in a way. JMHO. I think constructive criticism is good for her, (especially coming from a source that she knows and trusts)but it never needs to be negative. Talking about how another human being disappoints you is very negative and harsh. She shouldn't be doing this to live up to anyone's expectations of her except her own, and as fans, I think we should be supporting *that*.

[aries2]

but I will post my two cents. Going into world's, I think Michelle knows what she needs to do and in my opinion it is not JUST about the triple- triple. She will defenitly need that in the future, but at worlds I believe that she needs to connect w/ the audience and judges,really feel the music like she has in the past. With all her exsisiting elements she should be able to get high marks if she hits them, but what she has that NO ONE else has is the ability to really connect w/ the audience. As far as Irina goes, don't get me wrong I like her,but at GPF she skated a performance that we all know don't happen to often "the performance of a lifetime" and she had nothing to lose if she went for it all as opposed to Michelle who was the favorite. It will be interesting to see how things will turn out now that it seems like Irina will be the so called favorite. In a way maybe it's not so bad that Michelle had those experiences at GPF and Nationals. My prediction is that at worlds she'll blow all of them away!!! 6.0 6.0

[TLynn]

No, she was not at her best at Nationals; yes, she clearly deserved the win. To put it simply, she hasn't been getting enough sleep, she's exhausted, and she hasn't had enough consistent training time. Cutting down on her course load now doesn't change the fact that her practice time was at quite a premium her first semester at college, and her schedule is still really packed. With any sort of performance, you need to develop security over time for it to work out at the end. Personal example - my Master's piano recital wasn't my best because I was newly married (major life change) and working way too much just in order to make ends meet. I temporarily dropped a few things a month ahead of the program to try to get extra practice time, but these efforts came too late for a really stellar performance. On the other hand, during my doctoral work I was able to work less and practice more, and I had also adjusted to married life. I didn't become a much better player all of the sudden, but my required recitals were considerably stronger. Michelle's drop in course load came too late for Nats (especially right after a midterm!), but she may be able to pull off a "Best of Kwan"-worthy performance at Worlds. And if she doesn't, she has still done darn well this year. Most other skaters would be thrilled with her 99-00 record, and if she were most other skaters, we would be thrilled for her.

[lavender]

Yes some things she listens to and some she doesn't. I'm sure she is harder on herself and she feels a lot pressure from everywhere so i don't think she needs any extra negativity. She might have gotten suggestions from her family on her layback not the media. I'm not going to compare her layback to the others.

[skatingfan]

ITA with Brian. when MK was skating my heart rate was way up. I also think she has lost the spark, and it is not the work load. Whatever it is, may take some time to figure out. Ahh...., what an interesting age to be 19. Any other 19 y/o is just a freshman college kid, having time of their life to learn, socialize make friends. MK at 19 is called a grand dame. There are baby ballerinas who are fearless. It has been a long standing problem that mK slows down her spins/speeds etc whenever she is nervous. In any other sports e.g. tennis and golf when the athlete's problem is identified, particularly if it is more of a mental game than physical ability they will fix it. And we have discussed about that at length here in MK forum. Dare we bring up the word sports psychologist. I am not advocating that for MK. Just bringing that up. Don't kill me for it. I am her die hard fan, regardless of how she place in a comp, I am loyal to MK.

[axelkid]

I was watching Michelle with a friend and when she came to the triple loop I said "uh oh, she's been having trouble with this jump in practice" and BOOM!! And my friend turned to me and hit me and said "Look, now if you hadn't said that, she wouldn't have fallen". So I guess it's all my fault. I'm sorry.

[taf2]

Not to start a war, but I stand by my post. We state here so often that we don't expect Michelle to be a machine, and we know she can't win everything, but the first time she has this kind of competition, all the naysayers come out of the woodwork & start analyzing why she's lost her spark & what she needs to do. Yes, Brian, I do think constructive criticism is good, but is Michelle going to hear what you have to say? And if by chance she read your message, no offense, but why should she listen to YOU? Are you some skating guru whose opinion she values? I read all the opinions at FSW but I really didn't expect to see the same attitude here as there. Michelle didn't suddenly lose her wits-she has a very competent team around her-and she knows what she has to do without a lot of armchair coaches thinking they know what's best for her.

[eilaram]

Yes, she did not have the spark that she had before. What caused it? nobody knows but Michelle. I'm no mind reader. Could be a number of things. Might or might not have to do with school. Maybe she was stressed, tired, feeling sick, her dog might have died, she may have been abducted by aliens... But it was still a wonderful performance, I was touched by it. She didn't look lazy or scared, she fought for the jumps. She could have easily given up on the lutz and toe and ended up falling. As far as not smiling...Where do we get the idea that if someone is not smiling that they are unhappy or not enjoying themselves? Too many times someone has seen me not smiling when I am actually in a wonderful mood and they try to cheer me up which ironically puts me in a bad mood. Michelle looked determined out there...TRV is not really a program for beauty pageant smiles. She was smiling afterwards so why bring that up. Hope this is coherant, it's written after a typical Monday at school combined with the fact that I procrastinated and stayed up too late writing an English paper last night...

[Googoo]

I see no one has volunteered to answer my question about what spark is. Many of you think she has lost it so you must know what it is surely. I'm just curious to hear your answers. I tend to agree with Taf. I think a lot of you guys are overreacting. This was one competition. During the SP MK was doing great all *SMILES* and she messed up and fell on the 3 toe. She got up and continued *SMILING* and presented her program great. Unfortunately she ended up in 3rd place. So in the LP of course she looked determined and serious. She knew she had to fight to win. I'm sure she had that same look at 97 Worlds LP and did anyone complain then? My point is don't take one competition and twist it into some deep problem MK is having with her skating. Maybe it is/maybe it isn't but how can you say for sure? This is one competition, a stressful one. Give the girl a break. She is a human not a laughing, perenially smiling robot!

[Karin]

Where's the spark??? I think she's too tired for spark!!! Taf...I AM a true fan...and I am not only rooting for her when she wins...even if she doesn't win...I'm also behind her!!!...BUT I am disappointed!!! BUT Taf...I do understand where you are coming from!!!...I understand!!! It's been (within about a week) 2 years since MK has skated a clean lp!!! I still luv MK...but it doesn't mean I can't be disappointed!!! Valerie...I also think that MK might have lost some trust in herself...the hesitation???...BUT I do think she was very DETERMINED!! Armchairskater...good points... Eilaram...great points re: who knows what caused the 0 spark!!! I just think that MK needs to step out of her circle...and see a different perspective...BUT hey I'm not MK...so how would I know...