Photo copyright Jenny P. |
Michelle Kwan is no stranger to the figure skating world. Kwan started skating when she was five and won her first figure skating competition when she was seven. She won her first National and World titles in 1996, when she was only 15. Since then, she has won six National titles and is the current World Champion. At the 2002 National Championships, Kwan earned two perfect 6.0's bringing her total to 27--the most won by any skater at Nationals. Kwan is also no stranger to the Olympics. She competed in the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, where she won the silver medal. After the '98 games, Kwan decided to stay amateur and pursue her Olympic dreams in 2002. Currently ranked second in the world by the ISU, Kwan is a gold medal favorite. Sasha Cohen started out in gymnastics when she was five, but made the switch to figure skating two years later. At the 2000 U.S. Nationals, Sasha was in first place ahead of Kwan after skating her short program. She finished second overall, and set the stage for a very promising future. Unfortunately, a back injury kept her out of competition for the 2000-01 season and she had to undergo physical therapy to regain her flexibility. Cohen returned to competition at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia, where she finished fourth. Cohen has been working on the quadruple salchow in her practices, and wants to become the first woman to complete the jump in competition. Sarah Hughes began skating at age 3 when she saw her two older brothers and sister skate. She won the 1998 U.S. Junior Championships at age 12, and placed fourth at the 1999 U.S. Senior Championships. Hughes has been steadily rising to the top, and won the bronze at the 2000 U.S. Championships behind Kwan and Cohen. She also won bronze at the 2001 World Championships behind Kwan and Irina Slutskaya of Russia. Family is important to Sarah, so she trains with coach Robin Wagner in Hackensack, N.J., close to her hometown of Great Neck, NY. Despite the demands of her skating schedule, Hughes maintains a regular school schedule and takes honor classes at Great Neck North High School. Kwan, Cohen, and Hughes will be competing for the gold February 19 and 21 in Salt Lake City. To see the complete broadcast TV Schedule visit NBCOlympics.com Copyright © Kristen Koester. All Rights Reserved. This article and any accompanying pictures, photographs, or line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. Kristen Koester is a writer, webmaster, musician, and small business owner. To learn more about Kristen, please visit the Editor's Bio. |
Photo copyright © Andrea "Hoo" Chempinski |
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Photo copyright © Andrea "Hoo" Chempinski |
Introducing...the 2002 Olympic Team--Kwan, Cohen, and Hughes by Kristen Koester |
Michelle Kwan is no stranger to the figure skating world. Kwan started skating when she was five and won her first figure skating competition when she was seven. She won her first National and World titles in 1996, when she was only 15. Since then, she has won six National titles and is the current World Champion. At the 2002 National Championships, Kwan earned two perfect 6.0's bringing her total to 27--the most won by any skater at Nationals. Kwan is also no stranger to the Olympics. She competed in the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, where she won the silver medal. After the '98 games, Kwan decided to stay amateur and pursue her Olympic dreams in 2002. Currently ranked second in the world by the ISU, Kwan is a gold medal favorite. Sasha Cohen started out in gymnastics when she was five, but made the switch to figure skating two years later. At the 2000 U.S. Nationals, Sasha was in first place ahead of Kwan after skating her short program. She finished second overall, and set the stage for a very promising future. Unfortunately, a back injury kept her out of competition for the 2000-01 season and she had to undergo physical therapy to regain her flexibility. Cohen returned to competition at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia, where she finished fourth. Cohen has been working on the quadruple salchow in her practices, and wants to become the first woman to complete the jump in competition. Sarah Hughes began skating at age 3 when she saw her two older brothers and sister skate. She won the 1998 U.S. Junior Championships at age 12, and placed fourth at the 1999 U.S. Senior Championships. Hughes has been steadily rising to the top, and won the bronze at the 2000 U.S. Championships behind Kwan and Cohen. She also won bronze at the 2001 World Championships behind Kwan and Irina Slutskaya of Russia. Family is important to Sarah, so she trains with coach Robin Wagner in Hackensack, N.J., close to her hometown of Great Neck, NY. Despite the demands of her skating schedule, Hughes maintains a regular school schedule and takes honor classes at Great Neck North High School. Kwan, Cohen, and Hughes will be competing for the gold February 19 and 21 in Salt Lake City. To see the complete broadcast TV Schedule visit NBCOlympics.com Copyright © Kristen Koester. All Rights Reserved. This article and any accompanying pictures, photographs, or line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. Kristen Koester is a writer, webmaster, musician, and small business owner. To learn more about Kristen, please visit the Editor's Bio. |
Photo copyright Jenny P. |
Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, and Sarah Hughes skated their way onto the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team at the National Championships in January. All three have strong technical and artistic abilities that will make them tough competitors to beat at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. |
