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Michelle Kwan In the midst of the 1994 controversy between Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, one skater walked into the Lilehammer arena undetected. Young Michelle Kwan, chosen as an alternate aftering winning the silver medal at the US National Championships, had been picked as an alternate to the US team. Though she did not participate in those Olympics, the world would soon come to know her name...well.Kwan began skating at the age of five, She became interested in the sport while watching her older brother play hockey. Together with her sister, Karen, Kwan moved to Lake Arrowhead, California where she began working with skating coach, Frank Carroll. Her talent became evident early and in an act of twelve year old defiance against her coach's wishes and behind his back, persuaded her father to allow her to take the test to move up to senior competition level. The youngest competitor in her field, Kwan was faced with judging obstacles because of her age. In 1996, she and Carroll strove to change her perception by creating a more mature routine and look for the blossoming skater. Gone was the pony tail of old replaced by a bun and make-up. Their work paid off and Kwan took home the gold medal at the 1996 National and World Championships. Expected to repeat the same victory in 1997, she had a shaky start after a couple of falls at the US National Championships. With her confidence shaken, she lost first place in the competition as well as the World Championships to Lipinski. As is their habit, Kwan and Coach Carroll, began evaluating the cause for her distress. As the 1998 US National Championships approached, Kwan was also battling a stress fracture. There was speculation that she would repeat her less than perfect performances of the previous year or not be able to perform at all. Instead, Kwan performed the most artistically legendary programs of her life earning seven perfect 6.0's and regaining her US Champion title. Michelle entered the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, as the Ladies favorite. Artistry and maturity had always been factors in past judging events and knowing this, she skated a more reserved free skate which did not contain as many triple jumps as Lipinski's. In a startling upset, she lost the Olympic gold medal to Lipinski, but reclaimed her World Champion title from Lipinski two months later. She has dominated the Ladies field, winning every event she was entered except for the 1999 World Championships where, stricken with the flu, she lost the title to Maria Butyrskaia. With her "never say die" attitude, she regained her World title at both the 2000 and 2001 Championships. As we enter the 2002 Olympic season, Kwan still strives to the best. In a controversial move she fired long time coach, Frank Carroll, and Choreographer, Lori Nichol. Her action has left fans and fellow skaters alike in shock. Kwan, however, assures the skating world that she is strong enough to handle the change - striving for independence. In the fall of 1999, Kwan became a freshman at the University of California at Los Angeles, California. Never afraid of a challenge, this premier woman of the ice, has attended classes while keeping up with the frantic pace of skating competitions. She is also a great humanitarian, devoting her time and celebrity to the Children's Miracle Network as well as the American Library Association's Childrens Programs. She is a role model for all young people, on and off the ice. QUICK FACTS... DOB: 07/07/1980 Place of Birth: Torrance, CA, USA Parents: Danny Kwan College: University of California, Los Angeles (currently attending) Photo � Leah Adams |
Copyright � 2001 Vicki Bennett
