Can MK win Olympics without doing the GP?

[SQUASHY1]

Taking into consideration that most of the top skaters in the world will be competing in the grand Prix series, how many of you think that Michelle would be commiting Olympic suicide if she decides not to compete in the GPS. How hard will the international judges be on her at the Olympics? Will she be out of medal contention? Tell me what ya'll think.


*editing title to make it more clear*

SQUASHY1 - Please be sure to read our MKF Forum FAQ before you post any more threads. thanks! :)

[Krista]

I think you could have picked a better topic name. Sheesh.

If Michelle doesn't compete in the Grand Prix, it won't be to her advantage, but who knows if she'd be punished for it or not. We could hope they'd be fair, but you never know.

[SQUASHY1]

Thank you but I like my user name.

[SQUASHY1]

Ohhh, sorry I got you

[kwanette]

Topic name, not user name.

[mk2006]

LOL... This is the funniest post I've ever seen in a while now....:rollin

[attyfan]

If she wants gold, then IMO skipping the GP will (most probably) kill her chances. Remember, the ISU threatened last November to institute disciplinary action against skaters who skip the GP. Even if she avoids sanctions, the ISU can rob her, no matter how well she skates, secure in the knowledge that everyone will blame her for repeating a mistake from last year. She may minimize this problem by doing the 4CCs -- it is a month before the ladies event in Torino, so she will have time to tweak her program, without getting worn out. If she wants only a third medal (any color), she may have a shot.

[MKGrace]

"Olympic suicide"??!! I'd say that's overstating the case. It's definitely in Michelle's best interest to do the GP, but I still wouldn't count her out if she doesn't. Just look at what she did in 2003!! Michelle is capable of doing it on her own terms, but that's definitely doing it the hard way. She should toe the party line this season, do the GP, and then go for broke in Torino.

[Kabooke]

She doesn't skate for the medals,
she skates for herself and because
she loves skating.

Ofcourse do the GP will help, only in
the fact of getting her programs out there
and getting some competition run-through's
leading up to the Olympics.

If she doesn't, she still has shown she can do just as well.

I also do not believe anything will happen if she
decides not to do it. IMO, it's all talk and hype
to scare the skaters and she has shown she doesn't
fear that Speedy and the ISU.

Oh, and given Michelle's status, try to rob her and
you'll have a bigger fallout than SLC for sure, especially
if you have a similar scenerio of her skating flawlessly and
her nearest competitor having flaws.

Michelle will do whatever she feels.

[Krista]

Michelle will do whatever she feels.

Yep :) She knows whats best for her. I don't think anyone was questioning that. People are just worried and want to see Michelle do well, and are afraid of something affecting her negatively.

Personally Ill be happy if she is happy. But this being her final Olympics of course a part of me wants her to win gold, and Im sure a part of her wants to as well.

[billob]

I'm not really sure about the answer to this thread title.

I guess the question is....will it be easier or harder under the COP to show favoritism in judging?

Would such antics under the COP be more noticable to the average Olys event attendee than they were under the 6.0 system?

My gut feeling is that it will be easier to hold someone back under the COP by doing in small amounts for the entire program.

[SkateWorlds1]

Yes, I think it will be Olympic suicide for any skater to skip the GP. I do not think the ISU was just talking hype in that letter. I think it is harder to show favoritism under CoP. 6.0 was a favortism extravaganza as far as I'm concerned. I agree with everything attyfan said in regard to this subject.

[XPEG]

I think it's impossible to answer that question until people have actually skated in the Olympics. And even then, it may not be answerable.

If Michelle skates clean and her main competitors fall on their butts, then it won't make a bit of difference if she skated the GP or not. If MK falls and her competitors skate strong clean programs, it won't matter either.

If everybody has the skate of their life....then who knows. It may have an effect, or the judges may just vote their favorite to win, GP or no GP.

[missmarysgarden]

My answer to the question is a definite "Yes." I don't think she will have a prayer for the OGM if she skips the GP Series - unless all her competition has a serious meltdown. I admit to being a cynic where international competition is concerned, but in that respect, I am also a realist. I think it is a big mistake to think that Michelle can do it "her way", and still go home with the Gold - if her way includes skipping the GP. Speedy is out for blood, COP DOES allow for manipulation of placement, nationalism is alive and well, and deals will be made and acted on. It won't take a blatant inflation or deflation of a score to manipulate the placement. A lot will depend on the assignment to the technical panel.

I also think that Rafael, TT and Morosov know that, and have and will continue to advise her. Yes, Michelle skates for the pure joy of it. But make no mistake, this is her Quest for Gold, and I think she will pull out all the stops, including taking risks she hasn't taken in the past. While on the subject, I think that making to move to TT was not only a good choice of choreographer; it was good political choice. TT is a heavy hitter in the ISU, no matter what you may see on the surface. Michelle is going in with a complete "former Soviet bloc" coaching/training team. You can bet that there will be favors to call in. They might not be "deals", but over coffee, they can influence that moment of "+1 to a +2, and a tenth here and there in the Presentation scores.

My love of Michelle and her skating is in the realm of character and aesthetics, and I don't think there will ever be another Michelle Kwan. She is one of a kind. But I think it is a mistake to think that she can "control her own destiny" at the Olympics. There will be many factors operating that will determine her destiny in her quest for the OGM. She will need to skate brilliantly in all phases - and I believe she will. But there will need to be a positive attitude in the political world of skating - they need to be, on some level, holding it out the holy grail of sport and saying "Come and Get It" for her to depend on her performance alone. I just think about her, and how much I love her, and how much I want for her to have that gold around her neck - and just want to wrap her in a golden light of good fortune. She has a great fight ahead of her.

[skatingfan5]

I know that this will only push this thread back up to the top of the page, but I just had to say how much I really hate seeing the word "suicide" greet me each day as I open the MK Fan Chat section. It's such a downer for all its connotations -- maybe because this summer has been a hard one for me emotionally. People certainly can use the English language anyway they please to express themselves within the MKF guidelines, so I'm just going to take a break from here until I'm in a better frame of mind and can face headlines like this one without letting the negative energy get to me. It just seems to attract more doom and gloom discussions. Others with stronger constitutions can carry on the "suicide watch" discussions of Michelle's Olympic career.

[patsue]

I'm with you skatingfan5--so many other words to use and yet one of the ugliest words in the English language greets me every day when I come to see if there's any news about Michelle!

[RainbowR]

ITA Miss Mary, especially about Michelle's "former Soviet bloc" coaching team and their connections. I think this is the dream team! IMO Michelle would have to do at least some of the GP if she wants to be on the podium. It is the only way to know where she stacks up COP-wise against her competition before the Olys.

[aaronts]

while i do trust Michelle unconditionally, i hope she competes in the GP. it's about experience & one could say Michelle hasn't had the experience that she needs internationally w COP. she's like a junior skater in that regard right now. she's already finished off of a podium for the 1st time in forever, IMO, she has nothing to lose. if she's not physically ready to do 3/3s & the like, just go & do what she can do as best as she can at the time~

[RainbowR]

Sorry, I meant to put on an upbeat icon.

[missmarysgarden]

I do want to clarify one thing. I was not suggesting that Michelle's "team" would need to "cut a deal" for MK to go gold. What I am strongly suggesting is that TT has the power to make sure that if Michelle does the job, Michelle wins. Anyone who messes with Michelle will have to mess with TT in the future. And knowing TT, I'm sure that she has something invested in Michelle beating Sasha. She does carry a grudge with the best of them! My friend who is an FIG top official says that most international sports politics is just having the right people in your corner in a way that everyone knows about. It makes people more cautious about giving your athlete a raw deal. Its interesting that she asked me about Michelle, and when I told her that I was so happy that TT was choreographing for her, she responded "That is the wisest move she could have made. It should work like a shield from the bad guys." Should be an interesting year.

[lemonade16]

missmarysgarden: I just loved your quote:

"I just think about her, and how much I love her, and how much I want for her to have that gold around her neck - and just want to wrap her in a golden light of good fortune."

I agree with your sentiment that Michelle should do everything possible to avoid controversy and backlash in the coming season if it is her goal to win Oly gold, which I think we can all safely say is at least one of her goals.

It's pretty basic. The ISU wants its top-tier skaters to participate in the Grand Prix. The ISU is powerful. Michelle had people in skating circles talking against her last season -- even though much of it was completely unreasonable (for example, Debi Wilkes and her ridiculous comments). The unfortunate truth is that comments such as Wilkes' can have a negative impact on Michelle's image. In figure skating, the reality is that image matters. If Michelle is perceived as not working as hard (for the ISU) as other skaters, I believe this will impact her negatively. All judges are human. As someone else pointed out in this thread, the impact doesn't even need to be obvious cheating, but NOT giving Michelle the benefit of the doubt as far as COP levels and points.

I am also very happy Michelle went to Tarasova for choreography. I do think it was wise and that Tarasova could shield Michelle, in MMG's words. My hope is that Michelle will touch base with Tarasova a few more times to really refine and polish her LP.

I want Michelle to be relaxed and happy next season most of all, but I can foresee that not participating in the Grand Prix may create for Michelle more stress than participating. No doubt, not participating will create a brouhaha and possibly a skating/media backlash that could actually add to Michelle's stress level. By competing in the GP, oddly, I think she'll be able to maintain a lower and more positive profile.

lemonade16

[missmarysgarden]

I think you are very wise about it being potentially less stressful to compete in the GP than not compete. I also think that the camaraderie of competition can in itself be important - rather than training in seclusion.

[TwinnerA]

You scared me. I thought for a second that some Olympian committed suicide!

[olympic]

One thing MK really needs to do is keep TT's choreography for two reasons:

1. TT Remains in her corner (doesn't TT hate it when people mess with her choreography??)
2. TT choregoraphy seems to reverberate well with judges.

MK obviously puts her own stuff in there, but she really needs to listen to the big boss wearing the dead animal. Rumors were rife about what she did to Dean's choreography last year. I really don't know what happened then, so I won't say it was her that gutted his choreography but it certainly changed and not for the better.

MK needs to map it out in the Fall and stick to it, making every little detail strong, then watch out world:b

[kwanette]

SF5, Please don't stay away too long...I learn so much from your posts....:)

[GinnySmith]

SF5--Ditto to what kwanette said. Take care.

[Vinluvskwan]

Thank God, another interesting topic thread to occupy off-season dry spell.

I believe Mk should at least commit to one GP event, it would have to be Skate America as she has in the past b/c she has a good chance winning Skate America and locking a spot in the GP Finals. I also have a feeling she will include one USFSA cheesefest. So if she also commits to Cup of China (in case one of her 2 GP assignments is uncredited w/ points), she can CERTAINLY handle 2 or 3 fall events including the GPF (this based on last season's 2 fall cheesefests plus Marshalls in spring; the only difference this time will be the effects of different time zones and the resulting jet lag - China, and wherever the GPF event is.

Knocking on wood and trusting MK's instinct, MK has always been physically healthy (:p her mental health may be questioned by some when considering how she wavered to commit to GP in the past 2 seasons; how she constantly tweaked Bolero; how she has struggled in QR in the past 2 Worlds - but not by me, as we know she posseses the mental durability/perseverance and calmness under pressure that has allowed her to have such a long a career). If Irina can do it, MK certainly can commit to a full GP assignment.

What I foresee (and this is just off-season prediction) is a win in SA; a top 3 finish in CoC; a top 3 finish in GPF; eleventh US title (I personally think the judges will reward her w/ higher PCS, knowing Sasha has the advantage of higher base TES points). Then comes the 2 big ones...2006 Olys and Worlds, likely her swan song amateur competitions. I just can't wait for an exciting season.

In regards to US Nationals, I predict it will be:
Women's: 1. Kwan 2. Cohen 3. Hughes (more CoP friendly than Kimmie) 4. Meissner

Men: 1. Weir 2. Lysacek 3. Goebel 4. Savoie

[JunJohn21]

eleventh US title

You mean her tenth national title, right? Although, an eleventh title in 2007 wouldn't be bad!

[fkriesler]

skateworld

I think it is harder to show favoritism under CoP. 6.0 was a favortism extravaganza as far as I'm concerned

COP can be used for favorritism extravaganza, just look at how Arakawa was robbed of a gold in Skate Canada 03, and the gold went to Cohen's ZZZZ, and uninspired performance

[SkateWorlds1]

True, but they have a long way to go to top 6.0 in my opinion.

[BethAnne3]

I think not doing eligible events really hurt her at worlds in '05 and '04. I know that she was nervous about competing under code of points, but I don't think that was her main problem. I am of the opinion that lack of competition experience was a problem. This is two years in a row that she had difficulty in the QR. If she doesn't do the GP or 4 Continents, she will have only done her short program once during the season before the Olympics. That seems to be a huge risk.

[mzheng]

ITA with missmerrygarden.

What I am strongly suggesting is that TT has the power to make sure that if Michelle does the job, Michelle wins. Anyone who messes with Michelle will have to mess with TT in the future.
This is my hope as well. If it's a close call again, this time I hope judge panel in favor of MK....

[MKGrace]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I believe Mk should at least commit to one GP event, it would have to be Skate America as she has in the past b/c she has a good chance winning Skate America and locking a spot in the GP Finals.<hr></blockquote> I don't think signing up for SA only would go over to well with the ISU - I don't even know if that's allowed anymore. If Michelle is gonna do the GP at all then she should go ahead with 2 events and the Final.

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>but I don't think that was her main problem. I am of the opinion that lack of competition experience was a problem. This is two years in a row that she had difficulty in the QR. <hr></blockquote> That's a good point - the nerves got the better of her from the beginning and then she had too far to catch up. Although in the 01-02 season she did the full GP series and still seemed very nervous in her Olympic free skate. In that case I think the lack of coaching during the season is what did her in.

There's good points on both sides of the arguement but in the end I'd say it's best for Michelle to do the GP because of the new judging system. That will give her plenty of opportunity to test out her programs and make adjustments if needed.

[JaneC]

Add me to the list who believes that MK *must* do the GP to have a chance at gold. If she doesn't do them, she will have already lost the gold even before the skating season starts. I also agree that MK must keep TT's choreography and any/all changes must come from TT, after course, MK's agreement. This is because TT isn't just some choreographer; she brings along a lot of political benefits, and simply, her choreo is quite good. If MK is physically able to do TT's program(s), she should stick with them.

Jane

[Dream Again]

Michelle's less than stellar finishes at the past 2 Worlds have been due to lackluster performances in the Qualifying Round. Had she skated the QR better in 2004 and in 2005, there's no doubt she would have finished ahead of Cohen in '04 and ahead of Kostner in '05. She cannot allow those kinds of mistakes to creep in and have great results. It seems that since she has skipped the GP series, the judges expect her to come in, be rested up, and absolutely WOW them and when that doesn't exactly happen, the judges REALLY wham her with their marks. Case in point, the 4.9 in the '04 Worlds QR and the 5.1 in the '04 Worlds SP. I do think it's in her best interest to skate the GP series in order to gain experience with her programs under COP and to familiarize herself with this new system and how she is scored in comparison with other skaters and what exactly she needs to do in order to boost up those points as much as she possibly can. I'm sure the ISU does not like that Michelle plays the game her way and not their way. Honestly, that's one of the things I REALLY LOVE about Michelle but you really get the feeling from the judges' scores that they haven't been flattered by her choices in the past couple of seasons. It really seems when other skaters make mistakes (Irina and Sasha in the '05 Worlds SP), the judges are much more forgiving to them in their scoring. Yes, I think a Kwan-bias does exist and it REALLY ticks me off!

[iloveskating]

I think it would be to her disadvantage, but not because of retribution from the judges. It would be due to her lack of experience with COP.

Her performance and comments after worlds showed that she is unfamiliar and uncomfortable with COP. More so than I had expected. I thought she & her team would study it more, be well acquainted with it etc. to be ready for worlds. It wasn't until after worlds that she said she now understands it's a different system. She admitted that her less than usual performace in the QR was due to her unfamiliarity with COP.

If she does no more COP comps until Nats and Olys, I don't think she will suddenly do an about face and be 100% comfortable with performing under COP. So she needs to do GP to develop her own comfort level with the new system, if she wants to do her best at Olys.

[epoibim]

I agree she should do the GP, and I think she's going to - don't ask me why!

As for the question - can she win an Olympic gold without doing the Grand Prix?

Of course she can!

Stranger things have happened on Olympic ice, how quickly we forget! It is absolutely, positively possible for her to win without the GP, as it is for anyone for that matter.

[Krista]

yeah I think she's going to do the GP as well. she has in the past olympic years. :)

[AJ Skatefan]

It doesn't look like Evgeny Plushenko plans on doing the GP series and I seriously doubt that he will be denied the gold medal if he skates like he can. There are other skaters who didn't do the GP series and went on to do well at Worlds or Olympics:

Lobecheva and Averbukh didn't do GP and was one judge away from OGM.
Bourne and Kratz didn't do GP the year they won worlds.
Did Stephane Lambiel do the GP last year? Isn't he our reigning world champion?
Michelle only did SA in 2002-2003 and won Worlds, remember?

[attyfan]

Neither L & A nor B & K had to address an entirely new judging system. Lambiel has skated at Euros, so he has some CoP experience; he also won when one top competitor had to withdraw; others (such as Weir) were injured; no one skated really well; and some (such as Joubert) just melted down. IMO, he will need more experience for Olys. Plushy had to withdraw from Worlds due to injury; since he is no longer a top seeded skater, he is outside the ambit of the ISU's threats of disciplinary action. More importantly, however, is that he has been skating a lot under the CoP, and will be able to test his Oly program at Europeans -- which will also put him up against some of his top competitors. Kwan, OTOH, has skated under the CoP once. IMO, she needs a lot more experience before Olys. Even equating MK with Plushy (and for CoP experience, there is no comparison), she would still need 4CCs to test her program -- and I don't think she will have a lot of her top competitors there.

[ladybugs]

I agree with you, XPEG.

I think Michelle Kwan is one of a kind and we will never see another like her. If she wants the best chance to win a gold medal at the Olympics 2006, she has to play by the rules and not take anything, I mean anything, for granted. She should not skip the Grand Prix and try to do all the competitions. I don't know why this past year she skipped them, anyway. Does anyone know her reason for that? I think the single most biggest mistake she made in the 2002 Olympics was going it alone without a coach. I am not saying I don't have confidence in Michelle, but I think she has to play her cards right. Even if she thinks she doesn't need to prove herself. When she gets her gold medal than she can do the Monday night quarterbacking, but until then she has to take each step that she needs to get her much deserved/earned gold medal.

The pressure must be enormous, but if she enters each competition she will be playing their game and this will put her in the "right shoes" or "frame of mind". Also, she needs one other very important element - she needs to focus/concentrate on skating clean. She has to keep this mind set and "deliver the goods" and let the judges see that she means business.

She can't rely on what the other skaters may or may not do. I always think of Debi Thomas at times like :SP :SP these. :SP :SP

[vixen62025]

Despite some people's success at Worlds and the last Olympics without doing the GPs, there was a major difference: they had medical reasons for withdrawing. Michelle has repeatedly said she has skipped the GPs by choice. That, in turn, has annoyed the powers-that-be within the ISU, as they realize her attendance helps draw a higher attendance and better ratings.

While MK suffered in part from poor qualifying skates in the last two Worlds, I think it could easily enough be argued that she also was sent some messages from the ISU for not doing the GPs. Time deduction or not, in Dortmund, the scores for the SP were suspect (look back at Ando's presentation marks!), and the same could be said for the SP in Moscow, where Kwan or Kostner should have been the only logical choices to have lead the SP scores. Again, in the Moscow LP, Kostner did not skate as well as she did in qualifying, but her PCS scores literally "raised her up" enough to knock Michelle off the podium - the biggest joke of which is that suddenly Carolina's performance skills surpassed those of Michelle - and her interpretive skills were nearly equal!!! Only viewing the world through the politically ugly view of Speedy-colored-glasses is such an outrage conceivable.

Sadly, perhaps even doing the GPs may not make a difference to those who simply want to promote their favorites within the ISU. If MK does the GPs, I think Cup of China (certainly the most competitive line-up - on paper at least) will be the best, early reflection on Michelle's competitive fire - and her chances in Turin. There she'll have to face down the last two World champs (Irina and Shizuka), and two potentially dangerous youngsters (Asada and Phanuef), on foreign soil, and under the new judging system. Skate America will be a test in and off itsself (see ing if she can best Sasha under CoP), but CoC will be a stronger barometer of what the portents for this season truly hold. Here's wishing for the best, but not underestimating the shady ways of the ISU.

[TAF2984]

I think it is very important MK skates in the GP series as I did last year and we saw the results at worlds. It is important to get the program out there and to constantly be able to practice the program in front of the judges, to get feedback, and to figure out where to improve and of course add more points.

I also just have a strong inclination that MK's program will have great choreography next year, and it is important to have the judges feel comfortable giving out huge numbers if she delivers. Yes, it is a point based system, but the judges are human and seeing the program on several occasions certainly can be impressionable. Quite frankly, I think MK's placements the last year where basically determined before she took the ice based on her decisions regarding her skating and some other outside factors.

[SamChez]

The current thread subject title, or the original...even asking the question proves that COP is a worthless attempt to address cheating and biased judges. If it is still possible to punish someone in their scores, then why have this new system at all? All this change is simply sucking the artistry out of the sport, and to what end? PCS is the new way for the judges to wipe out any TES accomplishments; or ignore any amazing artistry that has just occurred. I predict that, once this travesty is exposed to the light of the Olympic press and public, we will see a scandal that makes 2002 pairs seem like a tea party.

I am confident that Michelle and her team are well aware of this shortcoming (longcoming?) in the new system, and are prepared. She has certainly played the 6.0 politics enough. Same game, slightly different rules.

Will Michelle compete in the GP? Wow, I honestly can't predict that. I thought she certainly would last year, but was surprised. Did that hurt her at Worlds...you betcha! But the lessons she learned about COP at Worlds may have been more about the new politics than skating. We shall see. Even with my sour attitude about COP and the new politics, I am REALLY looking forward to this season and the certain history it will produce.

SamChez

[SkateWorlds1]

I'm not sure CoP is sucking the life out of the artistry side but it seems they are moving over to the technical a bit. I'm sure the skaters are aware of this and all the adjustments needed to be made to gain the most out of the new scoring. I think it's too soon to say it's a failure. If Michelle wins the gold we will love it, I'm thinking.

[fkriesler]

skateworld

True, but they (COP) have a long way to go to top 6.0 in my opinion.

Of course when the US judges giving favoritism extravaganza for Cohen's silver ahead of Sarah Hughes in 00 nationals and 02 nationals that was 6.0. OTOH during that period of time Sarah totally dominated Cohen in ISU competitions.

[rationality52]

If Michelle can't win the olympics without skating in the GP, she can't win the olympics if she does. If Michelle says she wants to try and win the olympics and she decides she doesn't want to skate in the GP, I'll trust her for doing what is best for her. Jack

[SQUASHY1]

You took it so seriously and you need to get over yourself and calm down. It got your attention didn't it!! By the way, I don't like the word "HATE" take that.......

[SQUASHY1]

There are uglier words than that, I just won't say them here.
You guys are to prissy for me. Sorry I'm out of here.

[AJ Skatefan]

OK bye.

[berthesghost]

Suicide? Well maybe a little suicidal, but it's not like she's doing something really suicidal like getting rid of the choreographer that made her famous, firing her long time coach and going in with her non-skating father at her side. Oh...oops. Nevermind. ;)

[aaronts]

BG:eek

you'd better watch it. criticism of the ever magical kween is not tolerated. SHE DOES NO WRONG!!!!

i'll just reiterate what i said earlier - it's about [experience] IMO & although suicide isn't the word that comes to mind for me, i don't think it would be wise to skip it altogether~

[nymkfan51]

you'd better watch it. criticism of the ever magical kween is not tolerated. SHE DOES NO WRONG!!!!


YAY! Now you're catching on!

[Ariane98]

I think it's CRUCIAL for her to compete in the GP series, but not only to win over the judges. She needs to learn to skate to the COP. Remember how she kept frantically changing her program last year? She still looked confused by the Code at worlds. Besides, I think since the judges have clearly shown that they want the wildly overrated Irina to win the Olympics :rolleyes (or if Irina really falters, Carolina), it is very important for MK to play nice with the judges. Besides, if this is her last year of eligible skating, she should compete in at least two of these events. I'm sorry to be harsh, but if she doesn't compete in the GP series to "save" her body, she shouldn't compete in the cheesefests!

[olympic]

Ariane,

I've said it before, too: If MK wants to "save her body" but still skate, she should just go pro and do whatever she likes without going through the mental anguish of competition.

[mrstbythesea]

"I'm sorry to be harsh, but if she doesn't compete in the GP series to "save" her body, she shouldn't compete in the cheesefests!"

She should do whatever she darn well pleases, she's more than earned that right.
And the very last thing she should do is listen to any of us. After all, NO MATTER WHAT she did, for some people it would still not be enough.

[graciesfriend]

MrsT, I believe the expression is, Damned if you do, damned if you don't.";)

[kwanette]

mrst, :)

[Ariane98]

mrst:

I agree that she should do what she pleases if she's skating for fun. However, if her goal is to go after that elusive gold medal, then she must please the judges. As we've all seen, skating is a very subjective and political sport, and I don't think the COP has changed that one bit! ;)

[berthesghost]

"She should do whatever she darn well pleases, she's more than earned that right." :lol That's OJ talk!

[attyfan]

No one is disputing that she has earned the right to do what she pleases. There are a lot of things that skaters have the right to do that might cost them an OGM -- certain drugs that could get skaters banned are perfectly legal, and, they can always binge out on chocolate. They could also show uo to Olys with only one international event under the CoP for experience, with a program that is not really tested -- and with TPTB eager to punish. IMO, Michelle also has done enough to put her into the history books and into legendary status, even without the OGM. The question is whether Michelle can win the OGM without the GP, and I don't thinks she can.

[Kayko318]

this is kinda dumb but the years she hasnt been on the top 2 steps of the podium were the years she didnt compete in the Gp at all

[savvysearch]

I think it would be a huge mistake for MK to allow her programs to be seen on the day of the Olympics by the international judges. She needs to know how to rack up the points.

[mrstbythesea]

Ariane, thinking MK needs to do the GP to win at the Olympics is one thing. If you noticed, my comment to you was related to the quote of yours I pulled from your earlier post.

Michelle's a big girl. She can make her own decisions about her skating. No matter how much smarter than her we all think we are ... we're not.

[honey827]

I think doing the GP couldn't hurt Michelle in terms of her being able to adjust her programs based on feedback she receives and getting more comfortable with her programs while in competition. However doing the GP doesn't determine what happens at the Olympics. If Michelle wants to win the Olympics she is just going to have to skate better than everyone else over the course of the two days of competition in the judges eyes just like everyone else. The most important thing that Michelle can do to have a chance at winning the Olympics is construct two programs that bring out the best in her while being COP friendly.

[sandrakae]

No

[michaeljosh]

There are pros and cons. If she does join the GP then she will be able to test her programs more, and will get a bit more experience with this new points system. This could also mean a bit more stress than is necessary for an Olympic year.

[MK Simply Stunning]

Unfortunetly not. :RP

[boggartlaura]

Can she? Yes. But she will make her job much easier if she does the GP series.

[vixen62025]

Well from the updated rosters on the ISU site, it appears MK is still (at the moment) planning on doing the GPs. Cross your fingers, heart, toes, whatever, and hope we get the chance to see more of the Kween this season... and just keep believing!

[centerstagequeen]

Quote:

"this is kinda dumb but the years she hasnt been on the top 2 steps of the podium were the years she didnt compete in the Gp at all "

That's true. However, the years she did compete in the GP, they didn't bring her the Olympic Gold, either.

Can MK win olympics without doing the GP? Base on how politics works in this sport, probably not.

But can MK win Olympics WITH doing the GP? Not necessarily, either.

[Beach Springer]

Michelle also won Worlds in 2003 without doing the GP. Yes, she did Skate America, as a last minute fill-in for Sarah Hughes, but she didn't do the whole series. Apparently the GP Series is no guarantee one way or the other.

[attyfan]

I think the real difference between prior seasons with little or no GP experience and this year is the CoP. Michelle could win Worlds in '03 (and have a great FS in '04) without the GP because she didn't need to adjust to a new scoring system. Last year, she flat out wasn't ready, and it killed her. IMO, she won't win without testing both her SP and FS in international events, with international judges. She may squeak by if she does the 4CCs, but IMO, the only way she can get the feedback she will need in time to tweak her program is by doing the GP. The fact that doing the GP doesn't guarantee Kwan the OGM doesn't alter the fact that the past two OGMs did do a full GP season and the GPF.

[bjb22]

"Never A Straight Answer" (NASA) about this GP thing.

[taf]

The problem with doing the GP is the final. It is not scheduled well-it is too close to the different Nationals and to the Olympics. If the ISU would make the final optional instead of mandetory, the GP series would be more appealing to skaters who already have a crowded schedule. This would probably result in a final with no top elite skaters, but IMO, who cares?

However if Michelle does do 2 events next year, maybe she can have a slight injury for the final & be able to skip it without "punishment".

[bjb22]

The GP Final.....kind of like loose ends of "gap" filler on the Space Shuttle. Maybe the GP isn't worth it.

"In a Town Without Pity
Where the water runs deep
She says "be easy, baby, ain't nothing
Worth stealing in here"
...And their beating the devil out of a guy
Whose wearing a POWered blue wig
Later he'll be shot for resisting arrest
I can still hear that voICE crying in the wilderness"

"Tight Connection" - Bob Dylan

[shirleyprice1]

Sorry as I am to say this, I do think Michelle needs to go for the GP series ! I also believe that unless Irina falls on her tush, she will be awarded the gold no matter how well the others skate, and according to some folk, Sasha has supposedly stated that 2006 is going to be her year ! As much as I want that OGM for our girl, I jsut want her to be happy about how she skates after it is all over with !
I have been watching old tapes for over a month now, and the judge who has consistantly given Michelle the low score has be our own USA judge.:rolleyes :(