Michelle Kwan Biography

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Michelle Wing Kwan (; born July 7 1980), is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. She has remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history.Athlete bio at usfigureskating.org, accessed September 8, 2006. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on iceA&E Biography Video at YouTube, accessed from YouTube, originally aired 2004., she is widely considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time despite having never won an Olympic gold medal. For Americans, lots of medals but a 'faceless' Olympics, by Mark Sappenfield, staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, accessed September 6, 2006.Video Spotlight - Michelle Kwan, Asian Media Watch, accessed September 6, 2006.People in the News Spotlight - Michelle Kwan, CNN People in the News, accessed October 8, 2006.

Personal biography

Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan, Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture of Cantonese and English at home. In addition, she also speaks some conversational Mandarin. Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of five when she followed her two older siblings (ice hockey player Ron and figure skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when Michelle was about 8 years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3am to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate again. Paying for their increased rink time led to financial hardship for Kwan's working class family. Her mother took on a second job and her father started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees. Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still wasn't enough to finance the skating. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by another member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating ClubThe Winning Attitude: What It Takes to Be A Champion by Michelle Kwan, 1999; Publisher: Hyperion PressMichelle Kwan, Heart of a Champion, ISBN 0590763407 that allowed them to train at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California. During competitions, Kwan always wears a gold dragon necklace that her grandmother gave her.

Kwan was homeschooled starting at the age of 13 and finished her high school education with an "A" average. After graduating from Rim of the World high school in 1999, she attended UCLA for one year. In 2005, Michelle Kwan's family opened the EastWest Ice Palace, touted as "the home of Michelle Kwan." The ice rink houses many of her skating medals and memorabilias City of California, EastWest Ice Palace, City of Artesia, California, accessed October 8, 2006.. In the fall of 2006 she transferred to the University of Denver with the intent to major in political science with a minor in international studies.

Many of Kwan's costumes were designed by famed wedding dress designer Vera Wang, who herself was a figure skater. These costumes cost a minimum of $20,000 to make.Kwan, Wang bring high fashion to Olympics, Olivia Barker, Gannett News Service, South Sound Living, February 21, 2002, accessed September 6, 2006.

Personal activities

Kwan has guest starred as herself in "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass", an episode of The Simpsons, and in the Family Guy episode "A Hero Sits Next Door". She also made a guest star appearance in children's cartoon TV show Arthur, and the TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She provided the voice of a shopkeeper in the Disney direct-to-DVD sequel Mulan II, and she and fellow figure skater Brian Boitano appeared as announcers in the film Ice Princess. She has performed in numerous figure skating programs, and has cameo appearances in various other television series. In 1999, she appeared in the Michelle Kwan Figure Skating computer game.Michelle Kwan at the Internet Movie Database, accessed September 9, 2006.

Kwan wrote an inspirational book for kids titled, The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion. She also wrote an autobiography, Heart of a Champion, at 17. She is a co-owner of the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.

Kwan dined with U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao during President Hu's 2006 state visit to the United States.Hu's Visit: Bush's Chinese Diplomacyâ??Lost in Translation, accessed September 9, 2006.

The Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship program was established by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in cooperation with Kwan. The scholarship is awarded annually to 10 outstanding female high school graduates from across the United States who are involved in athletics. Each scholarship provides a $5,000 award payable over four years: $2,000 for the freshman year and $1,000 per year for up to three additional years, contingent upon maintaining minimum eligibility criteria each year.Michelle Kwan's REWARDS scholarship program, accessed July 14, 2006.

Kwan starred in a 2006 television commercial for Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing, which features her at home improvising a salad out of various contents of her refrigerator to the tune of "Otto's Journey" by cutting-edge Scottish electronica artist Mylo.

Competitive biography

Summary

Kwan has won five World Championships (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003), the most by anyone in the ladies' division since Carol Heiss (1956 - 1960), with whom she is tied for the most wins by an American. She has won nine United States Figure Skating Championships (1996, 1998-2005), tying the record for most set by Maribel Vinson-Owen (1928 - 1933, 1935 - 1937). Kwan's eight consecutive U.S. Championship titles (1998-2005) and 12 consecutive U.S. Championship medals (1994-2005) are both U.S. records. She is the only woman in figure skating history to reclaim the World title three times (1998, 2000, 2003).Athlete bio at usfigureskating.org, accessed September 8, 2006. She has also won a silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Among her many accolades, Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious Sullivan Award, which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. Kwan has received a combined total of 57 6.0s (perfect scores) from her National and World competitions throughout the years. At the U.S. Nationals alone, she holds the record for most 6.0s. Because figure skating is no longer scored on a 6.0 scale, Kwan's records will stand indefinitely.See ISU Judging System, which replaced the 6.0 system in 2004.

Early competition

In 1991 Karen and Michelle began training with Frank Carroll, a leading figure skating coach. After one year of coaching by Carroll, 11-year old Michelle placed 9th at the Junior U.S. Nationals. At the age of 12 in 1992, Kwan passed a test to become a senior-level figure skater despite the disapproval of her coach. In 1993, Kwan finished sixth at her first senior U.S. championships and later that year she won the 1994 World Junior title.

In 1994, Kwan finished second to Tonya Harding at the U.S. championships, which ordinarily would have earned her a spot on the U.S. team to the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. That place, however, was instead given to 1993 national champion Nancy Kerrigan, who had been sidelined by an assault and battery (eventually connected to Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly), after a practice session at those championships. The 13-year-old Kwan went to Norway as an alternate but did not compete. Kerrigan and Harding both dropped out of eligible competition before the 1994 World Championships, where Kwan competed and finished eighth.

At the 1995 U.S. Championships, Nicole Bobek captured the gold medal, while Kwan again placed second after struggling with her lutz jump in both the short program and free skate. She advanced to the 1995 World Championships, where announcers and media called her a "jumping bean"; during her performances, she landed 7 clean triple jumps--more than any other skater--but placed 4th.

Artistic development and 1998 Olympics

Following 1995, Kwan and her team thought that she should transform herself from a "jumping bean" to a figure skating artist in order for her to emerge as an Olympic champion hopeful. This transformation manifested itself in her new competitive programs, "Romanza" (short program) and "Salome" (free skate). Perhaps more critically, she improved her speed and her jump technique, and performed more difficult choreography. In 1996, Kwan won both the U.S. Championships and the World Championships. In the latter event, she edged out defending champion Lu Chen from China in a very close competition in which both competitors garnered two perfect 6.0s for Presentation in the free skate.

In the 1996â??97 season, Kwan skated to "Dream of Desdemona" (short program) and "Taj Mahal" (free skate). It was during this year that Kwan debuted a change-of-edge spiral, which is still considered her signature move. However, in this season, Kwan struggled with her jumps because of a growth spurt and problems with new skating boots which she wore for an endorsement contract with the manufacturerSee The tragedy of turning 20 by Christine Brennan, July 12, 1999, USA Today accessed October 9, 2006.. She fell twice and stumbled once in her free skate at 1997 U.S. Nationals. She also lost the Champion Series Final and World titles to Tara Lipinski that season. At the World championships, she won the free skate but a step-out in the short program had left her too far behind to take the overall title.

Kwan regained her U.S. title from Lipinski at the 1998 championships, in spite of competing with a toe injury. Many people consider her performances of her Rachmaninoff short program and free skate set to William Alwyn's "Lyra Angelica" at the 1998 U.S. Championships to be the high point of her career from both a technical and artistic standpoint.1998 Nationals: Lipinski Fall, Kwan wins with 6.0sCBS Sportsline The performance earned her eight perfect 6.0s and left one judge in tearsJudges in TearsUSA Today, 1998 accessed October 13, 2006.

Although she was the favorite to win the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, the gold medal was awarded to Lipinski, then 15, with Kwan winning the silver medal and Lu Chen winning the bronze medalKwan vows to fight until 2002CBS Sportline, Feb 1998 accessed October 13, 2006. Lipinski and Chen both dropped out of competitive skating shortly after the Olympics, while Kwan went on to win the 1998 World Championships.

New challenges

Kwan continued to compete as an eligible skater in the 1998-99 season, although she bypassed the fall Grand Prix season and instead chose to skate in a series of made-for-television pro-am events. Her "regular" competitive programs that season were "Fate of Carmen" (short program) and "Lamento D'Ariane" (free skate). At the 1999 U.S. Championships, competing against a weak field, Kwan attained her third title; her free skate included a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, but she fell on her second triple lutz. At the 1999 World Championships, Kwan was battling a severe case of the fluFavoured Kwan stuck in fourth placeSlam Figure Skating, March 1999 accessed October 13, 2006.. She made two major errors in the short program and minor errors in the long program, placing second behind Russian competitor Maria ButyrskayaButyrskaya wins; Russians Sweep Slam Figure Skating, March 1999 accessed October 13, 2006..

Kwan's win at the 2000 U.S. Nationals was controversial to some . She was criticized for planning an easier jump in her short program than her competitors (a triple toe loop rather than a triple flip), and then she fell on this element in the competition. The judges nevertheless placed her third in that segment behind younger challengers Sasha Cohen and Sarah HughesYoung Ballerinas Chases Kwan ESPN, January 2000 accessed October 13, 2006.;however, the placement still kept her in contention for the title. Ultimately, she won the free skate with the best performance of the night, capturing 8 of the 9 first-place ordinalsNo. 2 With a BulletSports Illustrated, February 2000 accessed October 13, 2006Kwan wins Fourth TitleESPN, February 2000 accessed October 13, 2006. . At the 2000 World Championships, Kwan was again in third place after the short program, behind Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya. In her free skate to music from the film "The Red Violin", Kwan landed seven triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, to win that segment of the competition. Butyrskaya lost her commanding lead by finishing only third behind Slutskaya in the free skate, allowing Kwan to win the overall title as wellSee 2000 Worlds Skate Recap Scandal dampens 2000 Worlds, USA Today accessed October 9, 2006..

In 2001, Kwan again won the U.S. Championships, receiving first-place ordinals from all 9 judges in both the short program and free skate. At the 2001 World Championships, Kwan was second to Slutskaya in the short program, skating to music from the "East of Eden" TV adaptation. Kwan won the title with her "Song of the Black Swan" free skate, executing 7 triples, including a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combinationDrumbeats start for Kwan in 2002Christine Brennan, USA Today, March 2001 accessed October 13, 2006..

2002 Olympics

In the fall of 2001, Kwan and Carroll decided to end their coaching relationship. In interviews, Kwan said she needed to "take responsibility" for her skatingKwan dismisses longtime coach SFGate.com - October 2001 accessed October 14, 2006.. Prior to the split, Kwan had had a tumultous season, just narrowly winning Skate America. Coachless, Kwan arrived at the 2002 U.S. Championships in Los Angeles amid the media's scrutiny over her separation with Carroll and her season's inconsistencies. Kwan won the competition with a revived "Rachmaninoff" short program and a new "Scheherazade" program for her free skate, securing a place on the 2002 Olympic team. Joining her on the team were Sasha Cohen (second) and Sarah Hughes (third)Kwan recaptures season and the national crown USA Today - January 2002 accessed October 14, 2006.. The 21-year-old Kwan, along with Russia's Irina Slutskaya, were favorites to win the gold. Kwan led after the short program, followed by Slutskaya, Cohen, and Hughes. In the free skate, a combination of a flawed performance by Kwan (two-footing her combination and falling on her triple flip) and the near-perfect performance of Sarah Hughes, saw Kwan receive the bronze medalSee Hughes Edges Slutskaya, Kwan for Gold Hughes Edges Kwan and Slutskaya to win gold, CNN Sports Illustrated, February 21, 2002 accessed October 9, 2006.. During the exhibition gala, Kwan skated a tearful, bittersweet performance to Eva Cassidy's version of "Fields of Gold." Kwan finished the 2002 season with a second place finish at the World Championships.

Continued competition

While the question of Kwan's retirement to the professional level continued to linger, she continued to compete on the Olympic-eligible circuit. She added three more U.S. championships (2003-2005, bringing her consecutive streak to an all-time record eight and total to a shared record of nine) and a fifth World championship (2003) to her list of victories.

Coached by Scott Williams, Kwan won all phases of every competition she entered in the 2002-2003 competitive season with her programs: "The Feeling Begins" (short program) and "Concierto de Aranjuez" (free skate). She won the U.S. Championships again and regained her World title.

In 2003, she hired noted technician Rafael Arutunian as her coach, with whom she attempted to increase the technical difficulty of her programs. Around this time Kwan was receiving criticism from skating experts who believed her programs were not at the same technical level as her competitors'. While her rivals included the more difficult triple salchow-triple loop and triple loop-triple loop jump combinations, Kwan was wary of even attempting these jumps. However, she did occasionally attempt a triple toe-triple toe in competition. In the 2003-2004 competitive season, she skated again to "The Feeling Begins" for her short program, and "Tosca" for her long program. Again, Kwan won the U.S. Championships. At the 2004 World Championships, after a difficult qualifying round, Kwan was penalized in her short program for going two seconds over time. Then, just as she was about to start her free skate, there was a disruption caused by a spectator entering the ice surface, who had to be removed by security staff. In the end, Kwan placed third at the championships behind Shizuka Arakawa of Japan and Sasha Cohen.

During the fall seasons of 2002 to 2004, Kwan competed in only one Grand Prix event, Skate America in the fall of 2002, which she entered as a last-minute replacement. She won the event and qualified for the Grand Prix Final but chose not to compete in it. Kwan chose to not compete in Grand Prix events in the 2003 and 2004 seasons where the new judging system was being used.

For the 2004-2005 competitive season she skated a long program to the "Boléro" music made famous by ice dancers Torvill and Dean two decades before, and debuted a new short program, "Adagio" from Aram Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus. At the U.S. Championships, she won her 9th title, tying the all-time record previously set by Maribel Vinson-Owen. Interestingly, Vinson-Owen had coached Frank Carroll, who in turn coached Kwan. At the 2005 World Championship, Kwan did not skate her best, falling on her triple salchow and two-footed a triple lutz. She finished fourth by 0.37 points. For the first time since 1995, Kwan finished off the podium at the World Championships. Later, Kwan commented that her lack of experience with the new Code of Points had affected her performance.

Withdrawal from the 2006 Olympics

Kwan looked at the 2005 Worlds as a learning experience in the new judging system. She continued to train and stated that she would attempt to qualify for the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. However, following a hip injury, she was forced to withdraw from her three planned competitions in the fall of 2005. Kwan skated her new short program ("Totentanz") at a made-for-TV event in December, 2005, but her performance was well below her usual standard. On January 4, 2006, Kwan withdrew from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with an abdominal injury incurred in December 2005. One week later, she filed a petition with United States Figure Skating for a medical waiver to be placed on the 2006 Olympic figure skating team. On January 14, 2006, on the same night after the United States ladies' figure skating event, the United States Figure Skating International Committee met and in a 20 to 3 vote approved Kwan's petition under the stipulation that she show her physical and competitive readiness to a five-member monitoring panel by January 27.

Kwan performed her long and short programs for the panel on the stipulated day, and her spot on the Olympic team was established, as the panel felt she was fit to compete. However, on February 12, 2006, the United States Olympic Committee announced that Kwan had withdrawn from the Games after suffering a new groin injury in her first practice in Turin. Kwan remarked that she "respected the Olympics too much to compete.Injured Kwan withdraws from Olympics, Associated Press, February 13 2006, accessed October 8, 2006." The Turin organizing committee accepted the USOC's application for Emily Hughes (who had finished third at the U.S. Championships) to compete as Kwan's replacement. Shizuka Arakawa of Japan went on to win the ladies' event.

Kwan's future

After her withdrawal from the Olympic team, Kwan turned down an offer to stay in Turin as a figure skating commentator for NBC Sports.Kwan Says Thanks, but No, to NBC's Offer, By David Bauder, AP Television Writer, 12 February 2006, accessed September 6, 2006. On February 16, 2006, The Walt Disney Company announced that Kwan will "serve as a celebrity representative and spokesperson for businesses across the entire range of The Walt Disney Company".Figure Skating Champion Michelle Kwan To Serve As Celebrity Representative and Spokesperson for Disney, February 16, 2006, accessed September 6, 2006 This includes participating in advertising, promotions, public service announcements, making guest appearances on Disney shows, and making personal appearances at live Disney events.

During an interview with Bob Costas and Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan said she was not retiring yet. Speculation abounds as to whether Kwan will stay on the figure skating scene until the 2010 Olympics. If she continues to the 2010 games, she will be 29 years old.

After completing the spring and summer Champions on Ice tour, Kwan underwent elective arthroscopic surgery in August, 2006 to repair a torn labrum in her right hip, an old injury which she sustained during the 2004-2005 season. Kwan announced she will be attending University of Denver as a full time student this year as a Political Science major with a minor in International Studies. She will not compete during the 2006-2007 figure skating season. Michelle Kwan To Skip 2006-07 Competitive Season, United States Figure Skating Association, 6 September 2006, accessed September 6, 2006.

Awards and accolades

Among her many accolades, Kwan is a recipient of the prestigious Sullivan Award (2001), which is given to America's best amateur athlete; she was the first figure skater to win the award since Dick Button won it in 1949. In 2003 she was named the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) "Sportswoman of the Year", and is the 5th figure skater in history to receive this honor. She has also been named USOC "Athlete of the Month" 14 times, which is more than any other athlete, male or female, as well as being named "Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year" by the USOC multiple times. She is also the recipient of the USOC's "Citizenship Through Sports Alliance Award" (2004).

Kwan is the only multiple winner of the "Readers' Choice Figure Skater of the Year" award given by Skating magazine (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001-2003). In 2003, the United States Figure Skating Association, which publishes Skating, announced that the award would be renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy." The USFSA stated that although Kwan may continue to skate competitively, she will no longer be eligible for this award. She also appeared on International Figure Skating Magazine's "25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List" seven times, and was named the most influential skater for the 2002-03 season.

On November 9, 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Michelle Kwan as a public diplomacy ambassador. In this non-salaried position, Kwan will represent American values especially to young people and sports enthusiasts and is expected to travel widely.Michelle Kwan named U.S. public policy ambassadorUSA Today, November 1998

Competitive career details

Kwan's competitive history spans over a decade, as she has been competing at the national level since she was 12 years old. This section shows her record in the U.S., World and Olympic Championships, along with the other top skaters she has competed against. The table at the top of this page below serves as a summary of some of Michelle Kwan's major competition results.

Major events

Major events for Olympic-eligible skaters include the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, World Figure Skating Championships, the Olympic Winter Games, and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Kwan's record in these events is listed by season in the tables below.

2005-06 Season

Kwan did not compete in any major events in this season due to injury.

2004-05 Season

The 2005 World Championship was the first time Kwan competed in the new judging system.

2003-04 Season

Kwan competed lightly in this season, withdrawing from her Grand Prix assignments.

2002-03 Season

In this season, Kwan won every competition she entered, as well as all the phases of each competition.

2001-02 Season

2000-01 Season

1999-00 Season

1998-99 Season

1997-98 Season

1996-97 Season

1995-96 Season

1994-95 Season

1993-94 Season

1992-93 Season

1991-92 Season

Other competitive events

Other competitive events include made-for-TV pro-am and team format events sanctioned by the ISU or USFSA, but conducted under non-standard rules and judging.

Other Notable Singles Competitions

Other Notable Team Competition

Quotes

• "As a child, I'd wonder, 'When I die, will people still remember me 1,000 years later?' And without the gold medal... Well, the Olympics are the ultimate achievement in my sport. At times I think, 'Why should I push myself all those long hours in the rink?' But then I think, 'How will I ever know how good I could have been?' I want to be the Michael Jordan of my sport." Michelle Kwan biography, accessed July 14, 2006
  
• "Work hard, have fun, and be yourself." - Michelle Kwan's motto, appears on publicity cards.
  

References

External links

• International Skating Union (ISU) Skater Biography
  
• Official U.S. Olympic Team Biography with links to three photo galleries
  
• NBCOlympics.com Athlete Biography with news, results, videos, and photos
  
• AAJA statements regarding headline controversy after 2002 Olympics
  

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