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Photo copyright J. Barry Mittan |
Tara has long been gone from Olympic eligible competitions but Michelle has remained. Would Michelle win the 2004 Nationals or would Sasha Cohen go home with the gold? The last time the two competed was at Campell's this past fall where Cohen won. After the short programs on Thursday, Cohen was in the lead after Michelle had a shaky landing on a double axel. But Michelle had a determined look on their face that said she wasn't going to give up the fight for the gold. After finishing her short program, Michelle told ABC Sports, "I did have my game face, and I was determined to land the rest of my jumps." Sasha looked very calm and confident during her short program and got a standing ovation from the crowd. She told ABC Sports, "I'm so happy with my short program. The audience was great...so supportive." The remaining skaters in the final group all skated very strong performances. Jenny Kirk, who lost her mother to cancer in 2001, skated an excellent program to music from the movie Chicago. Her performance was filled with personality and charm and the judges placed her third after Sasha and Michelle. ABC commentators Peggy Fleming and Dick Button were favoring Sasha for the win, and I was inclined to agree with them because Michelle would be skating an unseasoned long program that she had only competed with twice before. Sasha was the first of the final group to skate her free program. She started off strong, skating to music from "Swan Lake." Unfortunately, her reputation for falling apart under pressure caught up with her. She fell on a triple toe near the middle of her program. Surprisingly, one judge awarded her a 6.0 for presentation, but the rest of her scores opened the door for Michelle. The other skaters seemed shook up by Sasha's fall because the next two skaters, Amber Corwin and Angela Nikidinov, both fell during triple jumps. And then came Michelle. You could see the look of determination on her face as she took her place on the ice. She started off with a solid, clean triple loop. She went on to complete five more triples, each time the crowd cheering her on. By the end, the audience was on its feet. Michelle's performance was so passionate and beautiful that it may go down in history as one of the best performances ever at Nationals. The tears of joy were visible on Michelle's face as she finished and then skated off the ice to wait for her scores. It was a performance worthy of the multiple 6.0's that the judges awarded her. She now has a career total of thirty-five 6.0's, the most of any U.S. skater. Brian Boitano follows at a distant second with a total of 9. When an ABC Sports commentator asked Michelle how she'll look back at this particular performance, Michelle said, "Tonight was a magical moment. Skating in a Vera Wang dress, the music, the crowd, the 6.0's...Someday I'll understand what happened tonight." Well, I think I understand; I think we all understand. When the unique talent and beauty of Michelle all comes together like it should, it's just pure magic. 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. |
Photo copyright © Andrea "Hoo" Chempinski |
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Another Magical Moment for Michelle by Kristen Koester |
Tara has long been gone from Olympic eligible competitions but Michelle has remained. Would Michelle win the 2004 Nationals or would Sasha Cohen go home with the gold? The last time the two competed was at Campell's this past fall where Cohen won. After the short programs on Thursday, Cohen was in the lead after Michelle had a shaky landing on a double axel. But Michelle had a determined look on their face that said she wasn't going to give up the fight for the gold. After finishing her short program, Michelle told ABC Sports, "I did have my game face, and I was determined to land the rest of my jumps." Sasha looked very calm and confident during her short program and got a standing ovation from the crowd. She told ABC Sports, "I'm so happy with my short program. The audience was great...so supportive." The remaining skaters in the final group all skated very strong performances. Jenny Kirk, who lost her mother to cancer in 2001, skated an excellent program to music from the movie Chicago. Her performance was filled with personality and charm and the judges placed her third after Sasha and Michelle. ABC commentators Peggy Fleming and Dick Button were favoring Sasha for the win, and I was inclined to agree with them because Michelle would be skating an unseasoned long program that she had only competed with twice before. Sasha was the first of the final group to skate her free program. She started off strong, skating to music from "Swan Lake." Unfortunately, her reputation for falling apart under pressure caught up with her. She fell on a triple toe near the middle of her program. Surprisingly, one judge awarded her a 6.0 for presentation, but the rest of her scores opened the door for Michelle. The other skaters seemed shook up by Sasha's fall because the next two skaters, Amber Corwin and Angela Nikidinov, both fell during triple jumps. And then came Michelle. You could see the look of determination on her face as she took her place on the ice. She started off with a solid, clean triple loop. She went on to complete five more triples, each time the crowd cheering her on. By the end, the audience was on its feet. Michelle's performance was so passionate and beautiful that it may go down in history as one of the best performances ever at Nationals. The tears of joy were visible on Michelle's face as she finished and then skated off the ice to wait for her scores. It was a performance worthy of the multiple 6.0's that the judges awarded her. She now has a career total of thirty-five 6.0's, the most of any U.S. skater. Brian Boitano follows at a distant second with a total of 9. When an ABC Sports commentator asked Michelle how she'll look back at this particular performance, Michelle said, "Tonight was a magical moment. Skating in a Vera Wang dress, the music, the crowd, the 6.0's...Someday I'll understand what happened tonight." Well, I think I understand; I think we all understand. When the unique talent and beauty of Michelle all comes together like it should, it's just pure magic. 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. |
Photo copyright J. Barry Mittan |
We haven't seen much of Michelle this year in figure skating competitions, so I wasn't sure what to expect at the 2004 Nationals in Atlanta. She has won every single Nationals since 1996, except in 1997 when Tara Lipinski captured the title. |
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