Sports Page Editorial
February 13, 2006 - 12:18 p.m.
Michelle Kwan has decided to withdraw from the Olympics, and it�s being regarded as a huge tragedy. I�m not unsympathetic, but I�m not crying about it.
The poor thing will just have to settle for the two medals (bronze and silver) she already has. That�s two more Olympic medals than -- what? -- 99.999 percent of the population?
Sure, it sucks whenever an athlete spends years training and then suffers an injury at or shortly prior to The Big Game. I�m not completely unfeeling, you know. But let�s remember that in any given event, there is ONE gold medal awarded every four years. That means a lot of top athletes go without. Kurt Browning, a four-time world champion and the first to land a triple Axel, competed in three Olympic Games and won NO medals. Sometimes it happens that way.
I loathe this whole mentality about finishing second or third and viewing it as �losing the gold.� How about �winning the silver/bronze?� I�m sure the fourth (or fortieth) place finisher would be happy to be able to say that. How about feeling fortunate to compete in the Olympics? How about doing your best and being satisfied with that?
No one can lose the gold medal. It is not awarded in advance and therefore cannot be lost. Right?
Michelle wasn�t even a gold medal favorite this time around. And that was before her pre-Nationals groin injury. She hasn�t competed all season. The new scoring system probably isn�t to her favor, and she has little experience skating under it (a fourth place finish in last year�s Worlds). Not winning an Olympic gold medal doesn�t mean she isn�t a good skater. It just means she didn�t win an Olympic gold medal.
Lastly, I read something about the Michelle Kwan/ Hughes sisters irony. The irony is supposed to be that had Michelle won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002, and not Emily�s sister, Sarah, Michelle likely would not have vied for a 2006 Olympic berth, and Emily�s third place Nationals finish would have put her on the 2006 team as a competitor (as opposed to alternate). So, Sarah�s victory indirectly cost little sis an Olympic berth. Not so, I say. The logic is flawed.
Let�s say Michelle won gold in 2002, and then 16-year-old Sarah won silver, bronze, or no medal. It would be likely, then, that the 2006 team would be Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meisner, and SARAH Hughes. Get it? (I truly doubt that a 16-year-old would retire from competitive skating -- unless she�s already won the ultimate competition.) So stop saying that Sarah�s 2002 gold medal indirectly kept sister Emily off the 2006 team.
Michelle, I�m sorry for your ill-timed injury, but you�re still a great skater who medaled in two Olymic Games.
That�s not so tragic, is it?
Autumn
Trick or Treat - November 02, 2007
Autumn Has Left the Building - July 19, 2007
The Nail - June 04, 2007
Ungolding - June 01, 2007
Bollocks - May 29, 2007