Michelle Kwan: TSL's Interview with the 9-Time U.S. Figure Skating Champion
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 01. 2016
- Michelle Kwan is a woman who needs no introduction in the skating world. The nine-time United States Champion, five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist was a steady presence at the top of the skating world for four Olympic Games.
On January 2, 2015, we met up with Michelle at the Le Frak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park to discuss her career, her perspective and life on the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign.
SUBSCRIBE!!
TheSkatingLesson
SkatingLesson
Facebook.com/TheSkatingLesson - Sport
I DID NOT WANT THIS INTERVIEW TO END?!?!?!!?!?
Michelle Kwan will never know how much she helped and saved me during my teenage years, I wouldn't be here without this absolutely dynamic and purely magnanimous person, thank you Michelle, truly you saved my life with your performances and your ability to recover , shake yourself off and persevere
It will be a very long time before we see anyone come close to what Michelle has accomplished. Not just from the US but anywhere. The consistency she had was unbelievable. No one skates as smooth and graceful as Michelle. She is in a class by herself and always will be. Thank you so much for doing this interview!!
Mao Asada, Sasha Cohen, Medvedeva, plenty of more balletic and smooth skaters. Michelle's consistency was most impressive. She wouldn't stand a chance in today's world though because she never pushed herself technically.
Of course no one will match her because he sport is actually progressing. Female skating was stagnant during her years, partly because of her and her relying on artistry. I think women's skating would have progressed more, had she not been around. But maybe that says more about her artistry than anything but she doesnt compare to like mao asada who had both or medvedeva who has both sets of skills
What's strange is that it's progressed in some ways (if you can call it that) - there are more embellishments - but regressed in other ways, such as pure skating technique. I couldn't put my finger on what it is that is to me lacking in modern day skaters, and then somebody explained a few things to me, for example about lack of deep edges, and now when i focus more on what the feet are doing rather than the upper body, it all makes sense. This is where Michelle Kwan shone, and none today would rival her. There was such a deep smoothness, everything just glided and flowed, compared to which today's skaters just look rickety. Plus there have been some components added that are downright ugly - all this excessive grabbing of skates.. king of vulgar, and sort of out of place and contradictory of all the excessively ballet-like motions of the arms, which are so in vogue today. Yes, the styles have evolved, but questionable whether to a better place. Also it seems the components have become sort of more set in stone, there is less variety, less creativity in choreography. Michelle had much more freshness than most of the skaters today. There's this exuberance in her programs, just from the pure skating, maybe because there was more attention to the basics? For all these reasons i find Michelle's programs even more exhilarating to watch years later, because there is this contrast with what you see today.
well and it's all relative what 'progress technically' means.. what, is it all about jumps only? How many more turns are they going to add - 4, 5.. at some point there's a limit to what's humanly possible anyway. In other ways I wouldn't say the sport has progressed anywhere, and in some ways has deteriorated in quality, so....
I agree....and why do people seem to think that the only thing important thing a skater can do is "progress the sport"? In my mind, "progressing technically" is far less important in the end than what Michelle did, which was provide us all with wonderful memories of her beauty, consistency, joy, and vitality.
So great to hear from her. I loved Michelle Kwan the first time I saw her skate which was the '93 Nationals. She grew into one of the finest figure skaters ever. Skaters today could learn a lot from the way she carried herself on and off the ice.
Michelle is still very relatable. The simple fact she’s trying with these two is compelling. Michelle for all the accolades she’s gotten never let that get to her. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for doing this interview. I have been a Michelle fan since 2001 or so and I have never heard her say more than a few sentences. It was nice to hear her speak. She was so honest. What a woman!
Thank you to all 3 of you for making this happen. Michelle will always be my favorite. A true legend and inspiration!
Fantastic interview. Michelle Kwan will always be a legend in this sport.
Legend in figure skating that Deserves Tara lipinski Olympic gold medal.
@@RainbowDave009 The ISU raised the age limit to 17 NOW, which means Tara Lipinski didn't deserve to win and she should go to the kid's Olympics. 😁
@@RainbowDave009 Tara was a kid, she skated good just like Peter Pan.......but she never be a legend.
@@RainbowDave009 So many years, so many people thought Tara didn't deserve the Olympics gold......it's a big problem.
I want to go home sick from work for the rest of the day so I can watch this over and over!!!!!! Can't wait until I get home!!!!!! YAY!!!
guys what makes her so great was her attitude and personality on the ice. she thrive on giving the best performance for the crowd and not the judges. her working hard everyday comes from her upbringing with hard working immigrant parents.
Amazing job, guys! It's so great to see Michelle Kwan interviewed at this point in her life. She seems so at peace with herself and with the past (not to mention that she looks really beautiful), and she has some really interesting insights. Like any good politician, she answers questions very politely and tells stories are perfectly consistent with everything that Frank and others say of her. She's always been an amazing role model for everyone and it's so great to hear her reflections on her skating career and see her enthusiastically pursuing a new dream in her life. I personally would have loved to hear more gossip too, but it's totally not like Michelle and I think Dave and Jenny were really smart to be very respectful of her really clean image and mindset (and also avoid some of the more negative aspects of her career or competitors). I wish there were another few hours of this interview!!!
Bombastic but I would place MK on the Mt Rushmore of iconic, transcending athletes - Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, M Ali & Michelle Kwan. Her impact beyond a niche sport was and is massive.
Exactamundo. Agreed. I would add Tiger Woods and Jack Dempsey to that illustrious list. Dempsey is not as well known, but he practically help a lot of Americans get thru the great depression.
Great to hear from Michelle, sharing her thoughts and experiences while she was in the sport, one of the legends. Such a class act and seems a lovely person. I admire Michelle for continuing in the sport when many retire after one Olympic cycle. The Taj Mahal and Dream of Desdemona programs go down as some of the best!!
Very happy to see a good interview w/one of the best ever. Miss the days Michelle skated. So happy to close out this day w/this vid 😃
I LOVED the Red Violin. That was actually my favorite program of hers!
John Seals that was a special one. Her worlds performance of that program was fantastic.
Mine too
Same
Agreed. My favorite.
Michelle Kwan will never fades because she is the Best Figure Skater of All time, Olympic, World and National Champions.
THANK YOU Jenny & Dave, THANK YOU!!!
+Kevin Jewell No, thank you Count Ronald!
Wow this didn't even seem like an hour long! And this barely scratched the surface, which means another MK interview in the future?! (I can dream right) :D Thank you guys for doing this! I feel like you guys played it a little bit safe here with MK though. I kind of miss the triple split screen action with the real meaty in depth questions, and the first thoughts of random people at the end, etc., and I was for sure that we were finally going to find out the real true reason why Michelle left Frank?! Anyway, don't mean to complain, just my random thoughts. Have a great one!
We're still waiting for another MK to emerge and give the US women a top contender like we'd had for 40 yrs. The tricks are definitely much harder than they used to be even 10 or 15 yrs ago but we just haven't had a truly consistent skater since Michelle. I was hoping Alisa Liu was going to pick up the mantle but she decided to retire at 19 rather than carry on. The mental pressure is just enormous and standing up to that ma have been MK's greatest skill. I'll never believe she wasn't robbed of the gold in '98 by Lipinski and the judges. I know her 3F was a little tight but Tara on her best day isnt within 2 tenths of Kwan in the 2nd mark. If their skating positions had been reversed and Kwan skated after Tara i firmly believe she'd have won. Great interview with a great, great athlete
Tara skated good ......however, she had no artistry more than Peter Pan, she should go to the kid's Olympics with her Disney Cartoon program.
Tara's flip and lutz would be called out for under rotation today. Tara's triples were cheap. Tiny, rushed jumps.
Under the new system, Tara would be a loser.
Thanks, Jenny and Dave! Great interview! Michelle, you strive for the very best in all you do! You are a wonderful role model.
Fabulous interview Jenny and Dave! Michelle Kwan is the greatest female skater of all time and second only to Dick Button as figure skating's finest ambassador ever!
+Philip Drexler Greater than Kristi Yamaguchi as a female skater?
Yes, both because of her longevity as a competitive skater and her transcendent artistic style.
Philip Drexler Well, Michelle didn't get gold and had to quite because of an injury so I don't know.
Yes, but she should have won one in 1998, she could have won another in 2002, and she certainly might have made a run at another in 2006, if she had not been hurt. And she was 26 years old in 2006! If she had the heart to do so, she could have tried to make an unprecedented fifth Olympic appearance in 2010. Not even the great Sonya Henne did that!
she won a silver in 1998, as she should have. 2002, she had inflated marks in the short and long and should not have been on that podium. 2006, yes injured but he couldn't do a triple triple to save her life at that point in her career so she would not have had a chance in torino. 2010, lol, other women had the beautiful artistry and technical skills, two triple triples, triple axels, lol, 2010 I know she was thinking abot it but than god she didn't make an ass of herself by coming back.
Great interview ---- good questions ----- you two are real pros and have opened up the world of figure skating for myself and lots of others........Thanks! My only suggestion is this: when conducting really good interviews like this make sure you have the best, most warm sound/audio possible....test your microphones before hand with each other in the space where you will be interviewing.........maybe use wireless clip mics in some instances because the room warrants. Great interview --- sound could have been better.
+Katy Keenan Agree about the sound.
Michelle's layback in 2005 SP was so much improved. Goes to show she was consistently trying to up her game even if she was injured.
We need a part 2!
Thanks for a great interview! Fantastic young woman. I feel I have seen her grow up! I'm glad the interview was more about her skating and politics careers and not so much dirt or scandals. Folks can learn more 'dirt' with TSL's interview with Frank Carroll. His interview is worth a view.
+Michel Sennett Is there any dirt on Michelle or Kristi Yamaguchi? I would love to hear.
+tigertank06 I don't know any dirt about Kristi with Frank's interview. TSL has just done an interview with Kristi ( very good BTW). All I can remember about Frank and Michelle's split was some conflicts betweem Frank and Michelle's Dad ever agent fees. Her Dad really steered her career, maybe a little more than one would believe. Watch Frank Carroll's interview! Good stuff about Linda Fratianne!
Michel Sennett I saw Kristi's interview. I'm so glad that they finally got to interview her. I wonder how they get these interviews. I was pretty shocked to learn that they interviewed Scott Hamilton and Frank Carrol. I mean, those are some big time names. Now they gotta do Mirai Nagasu and the Shibutani twins. Lol.
Do you know of any dirt on Michelle and Kristi outside of Frank's interview?
+tigertank06 Sorry, I don't know anything outside of these interviews. I just know that both women today have fantastic careers and lives. I've been a loyal fan of TSL since they began in 2013 and they have developed and grown so much with sponsors and donations and a lot of passion! Welcome aboard!
Michel Sennett I stumbled upon them a few years ago back when I was looking up stuff on Yuna Kim. They had a video where they discussed her. There's also a video where they talked to a skater who had skated with Yuna on tour which was interesting. Yuna stayed in the U.S. for a while after winning her gold.
Thank you guys for another great interview! You can really feel the good vibes between the three of you! Thank you Michelle! Would love to see Tara interviewed one day! Cheers!
Tara already talked about Michelle somewhere : Michelle Kwan is an idol of mine .One of the best skaters all the time was making me work harder and harder.
What?!? You guys interview THE Michelle Kwan? How did I miss this? What an amazing interview!! Another one with Michelle please? ☺️
Michelle is such a beautiful soul and beautiful woman. Her skating reflected her: exquisite.
Never the loop in exhibition! What a champion!
Great Interview from BOTH sides of the table!
I think this is a very very very well done interview the likes of which we don’t get often. You should all be proud for it!
and what I love is how you gave her space to talk
She's just lovely :)
Very nice interview, and she looks great!
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! Loved it!
What a cool show! Will be watching more!
I’ve always, always loved Michelle🥰
Me too!!
I enjoyed this thorough interview. Twenty years later she is still a legend who made an impact on the sport. If there was anything to add I would have loved to hear more about her future career goals and plans for future involvement in skating. For feedback the audio could have used improvement. Michelle's voice sounded muffled and there was much echo in the space. Also the people walking behind Michelle (on the other side of the glass) were a bit distracting.
Parabens! Amazing achievement to score this interview!
Great interview. You can see that 2002 still pains her a little bit. It's interesting, too, that she says she thought she was going to fall on her flip in 1998. Maybe that is why her flip--usually a very reliable jump for her--became her Olympic nemesis.
idolfan9495 yeah the solo loop was after that and that jump was always here worst jump.
Iconic!
You both are so well informed and do such great work. So parabens! But, Dave, I do feel you sometimes stick a little rigidly to your notes. I would like to have heard her talk more about bearing the weight of her parents' sacrifice, and the expectations of a nation. How difficult was it to be the best skater in the world but lose those two golds? Does she think about that much as an adult? What does she think of the current crop of skaters now? etc.
Good points. I think they have to balance being complimentary and not being too aggressive I guess ;) would have liked to see her thoughts on those two but might be hard also
The male interviewer is asking some incredibly rude questions. Questions like “did you lose your spark?” There’s a way you can ask a question that addresses criticisms of her programs in a more professional way. You notice Jenny Kirk being an ACTUAL high level skater didn’t ask those types of questions because she knows they’re inappropriate.
People say Michelle Kwan didn’t push herself technically, but she did triple toe-triple toe combination and I saw her attempt a triple lutz-triple loop combination at Skate Canada I believe in 1997-98.
Actually, Michelle did triple triple combo since 1995 ~ 2004 ( not every time ), which means her technique was stable and better than the other skaters like Tara Lipinski had triple triple combo just for 2~3 years.
Michelle did triple triple combo from her 96 classic National long program " Salome ".....
Unfortunately, Michelle got hurt ( her toes ) before the 98 Olympics so that she couldn't make triple triple there.
That's why some people thought Michelle couldn't make triple triple combo . ( They are wrong )
awesome interview. she seems like an amazing person.. my wish list for interviews= Alexei Yagudin. I'm sure that's impossible but I'd die. Also Yuna Kim would be amazing. Language barriers would be rough but perhaps there would be a way to get around them? I dunno.
I've never seen a remotely interesting (Korean, subtitled) interview with Yuna... She is a phenomenal sportswoman but she seems like a bit of a robot, which perhaps helped her rise to the constant pressure. She's not very chatty nor reflective and she breaks out a lotta "I dunno"s. Never seen a Japanese interview with Asada, so I dunno how she'd "perform." I have, however, seen a Japanese interview with Suzuki, who's freakin awesome, and has a lot to say about her career, her struggles with disordered eating (and the social disease of eating issues in aesthetic sports), as well as other women's issues (e.g., menstruation) in athletics. Gotta be intuitive and reflective, like Michelle is here, to make an interesting interview!
+Jules Mekler Oh, I totally agree about Akiko. She's not as tentative as an interviewee as other Japanese skaters and she also does a good job as a commentator. Her appearance with the bubbly, insightlful Kenji Miyamoto in a variety show is especially precious.
+Jules Mekler The problem would be the handlers of both Yuna Kim and Mao Asada especially Yuna Kim. Yuna Kim can speak english, in fact it's very good english, but I think she prefers to speak in Korean.
I think Yuna would never do an interview like this, not because she is 'like a robot'. But because of two main reasons: 1. I think she is very introverted and shy, She looks more relaxed when speaks Korean though. When she spreaks English she only gives shorter interviews, but I think she is quite good at speaking English so she could talk a lot more if she was 'allowed'. I agree with you that she is not chatty, this is typical of someone who is introverted. I also think that she was more 'open' when she lived in Canada, especially in 2009-2010 she looked more relaxed speaking the language, she was very confident there. The very different cultural environment must have affected her a lot.
2. The other reasons is that I think she has a very strict but professional PR team and they decide what kind of interviews are good for her public image. She is very protected in a sense that even her official FB, twitter, or instagram accounts are only used to public engagements/PR stuff and not to private matters. She rarely gives any interviews these days because she has retired from skating. She attends at various events in Korea though.
amazing_butterfly I think the main reason she wont be able to long interviews like this is because of the language barrier. She can speak English like you said but it's more constrained than when she speaks Korean. Now maybe 15, 20, or 25 years from now she'll an interview like because alot of the skaters these guys interview have been retired for a while and they're reminiscing and remembering their competition days.
I'm glad they got to interview Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan. Those were the big two skaters that I wanted to see on here. I'm still in shock that they got to interview the big skaters like Hamilton, Yamaguchi, and Kwan. Usually people like that are so busy that they don't have to time to do interviews.
Michelle Kwan: my favorite ice skater to me of her time!!! I enjoyed her skating because she made me that I was skating with her in as she interpreted and translated of the expression of her 🎵🎶 musical song expression in which she executed and floated on the ice. To me, her skating was effectiveness and effortless, she told a story every time that she skated, Her strength was more artistic, then technical which resonated to me. She won and medalled.
Michelle's artistry is the most difficult technique which Tara Lipinski never touched the level......Tara was a kid, people couldn't ask more artistry of a kid like Tara. Tara skated like herself, nothing more.
@@TT-ee4qp Thank you for your opinion about Tara L... but I was talking about Michelle Kwan only. But since you want to discuss Tara L. , I can. Tara learned from the best of the best, like the rest of the other American skaters, and they emanated and competed with the best of the best - nationally and globally. Tara L improved in her artistry, but she was a better technical skater by doing a triple-triple combination in which had beaten Michelle Kwan of the gold medal 🏅 and unfortunately, Michelle Kwan had to settle with the 🥈 silver medal instead of that Olympics. That was the only time Tara L had beaten Michelle Kwan!!! When Tara L won the 🥇 medal at the Olympics, Tara L retired from competing, and now is a commentator of figure skating with Johnny Wier. When Michelle Kwan was not 🚭🚫 competing at Nationals, Tara L won, but that was the only time that Tara L won because Michelle Kwan won again and again and again!!! She was the best of the best of all time 😂🤣😂!!!
Without a kid's body and weight, Tara couldn't make any triple triple combo. Tara's technique was overrated, she fell again and again by the jumps before the Olympics.😁 Michelle had triple triple combo since 1995 ~ 2005 ( not every time ), which means her technique was stable and better than the other skaters like Tara had triple triple combo just for 2~ 3 years. （∩▽∩）Unfortunately, Michelle got hurt ( her toes ) before the Olympics, so.......😎Anyway, the ISU raised the age limit to 17 NOW, which means Tara should go to the kid's Olympics with her Disney Cartoon program.🤭 Tara's performance was funny and boring because she had the only one kid's style and never changed, her LP and SP had no different......😆 Michelle was robbed. Thank you for answer me.
awesome stuff!!!
Wished someone asked her if not doing a 3+3 jump.pass in '98 was something on her mind or in 02?
WHAT A BEAUTY!!!
Legend.
So good.
I love jenny's shimmies all throughout the interview! hahaha
Yay!!!!!!!
Great interview! It's funny that they didn't directly ask her about her breakup w/ Frank.
To add - I think the most interesting part of the interview is to see how much she's moved on from skating. It's clearly part of her past, and just one chapter.
1:04:49 is my life motto
Oh selections from Orffs' Carmina Burana would have been a great SP. :)
Would love to meet her followed her career from 1994 until her retirement
Note the slight shade re: Sasha and her "Triple lutz triple toe". Dave making Michelle laugh! ha ha! Love the intv but I wanted to know about backstage gossip! I know that little Brat Tara gave her some side eye back in Nagano!
+wackybrinyc29 I noticed that, I don't think either of them meant to do it, but you have to admit Sasha was not consistent. So to say she 'had' the lutz/toe is pushing it. Agree about the gossip but don't think Michelle would ever gossip. Someone needs to give her a few drinks!! (j/k)
They forgot "...and Jenny had a triple toe-triple toe (Razzano)."
What's the timestamp of her addressing Sasha Cohen?
that was so good! that made the teenager in me squeal!
Epic
Jenny, you look so beautiful!
The sound ?!
OMG, I DIE!!!!!!!
Who's Scott? Never heard of him.
+ManuelPabloArnao Scott Williams.
Scott Williams? Didn't she work with him briefly?
Good for Michele to work for the Clinton campaign! Don’t see Tara doing anything other than for herself
wasn't 1995 worlds michelle kwan got 4th?, and then 1996 won gold after her transformation..
+ompurnam108 I don't think Kwan ever won Olympic gold.
+tigertank06 Read. Distinctly says "worlds".
kamwrites Huh?
So when did Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan compete against each other? The age gap between them seems to be wide enough that they wouldn't compete against each other.
+tigertank06 I think it was a pro-am event in 1996??. If I'm not mistaken, michelle was 2nd in the short, kristi was 1st but Michelle ended up winning the event. There are videos of the said event in here.
MrTurtledove1981 Didn't Kristi retire in 92 though?
That is correct.
Tyrone Branch So it wasn't a competitive event then?
By competitive event, you meant an ISU sanctioned,point-scoring event like skate america?? If that's what you meant, then NO.
It was a pro-am event wherein amateurs and professionals compete with one another. When you gather the greats of the sport, there's always "competition" whether they admit to it or not.
She looks so much like Nathan Chen. not because they are both Chinese origin but because they just look alike, their nose, mouth, eyesl.
What happened between her and her husband? They were so cute.
That guy is commanding far too much attention.
Sob!
Why did Michelle and her hubby get divorced? They were such a perfect couple. 😢
She just didn't do it for me. Two big heavy flat feet , seems like they had magnets on to land her jumps. Heavy, not flexible.
+martha anderson WTF? To each their own, but WTF!!
Why are you here on this interview then? Just to be an ass? Somebody should go to your job and sit in on a meeting and talk about how awful you are.
Well, did your mother know how lol you are ?
I guess some really like her, I always found her programs mediocre at best with nice artistry.
So why are you on here if you don’t like her? Do you go to restaurants you don’t like also?
Btw if you don’t understand art, you won’t understand her. Go watch a football game.
Seriously ? Michelle's artistry is the most difficult technique.........Michelle impacted Tara Lipinski, Sarah Hughes, Sasha Cohen, Yuna Kim, Nathan Chen.
Wow, Michelle is every bit as famous and synonymous with figure skating as Tanya Harding. I'm sure she was absolutely over the moon at being interviewed about her fab career as a skater. Hmmm, yes, 4 Olympics. A freebie, then 1998 when she was blown out of the water by a tiny tornado from Texas who skated like a true Olympian and won the Gold. Then 2002 with a diluted repeat short, simple long and a 'shelly goes boom boom on her behind' moment but still walked away with Sasha's Bronze medal. Sarah Hughes absolutely epitomized what an Olympic champ really is, and she didn't have tutors and all kinds of special accommodations, she was simply a high school student with a love and passion for the sport, nerves of steel, courage and integrity and went out and ***earned*** the Olympic Gold. Oh, and then there was 2006. Yep, adds up to 4 Olympics for Kwan alright. Oh, and for those of you who want another interview, not to worry. Kwan adores the attention, the cameras, and talking about herself so you'll get as many as you want. Where there's a camera, something skating related (or whatever) (even though she never won Olympic Gold ) she'll be happy to dispense advice.
How do you live with yourself? I bet you wouldn’t spend this much of your personal time writing horrible things about Hitler or Ted Bundy or other amoral people. You casually throw this very caring human woman who you are jealous of, in their category. I feel sorry for you because you have some pretty horrible karma.
You deserved to win the Joke Olympics gold lol.