The 2009 US Figure Skating National Championships were held this last weekend. As I watched, I was reminded of some of my past favorite figure skating champions.
Michelle Kwan, in her long skating career and with all the events she has won, is definitely a champion. As I watched her "Tosca" long program routine from the 2004 Nationals, I was once again swept up with the emotion and beauty of her skating. At the end, when she went all out during the footwork sequence, that bursting of emotion only added to the power of the routine. And, of course, there was her 1998 Nationals Rachmaninoff Short Program.
When looking at the international skaters, I would say Alexei Yagudin is one of my favorites. His 2002 Olympics "Winter" short program and "Man in the Iron Mask" long program rank up there as two of the most amazing figure skating routines I have ever seen. They were definitely Gold Medal-worthy programs. He had mentioned that he might be training for the 2010 Olympics - it would be great to see him competing again.
I have such great admiration and respect for these champions because, not only are they skilled in all aspects of their sport both technically and artistically, it is clear how hard they worked and how much strength and determination under pressure they had. True champions inspire and motivate others, no matter how much time has passed.
Michelle Kwan, in her long skating career and with all the events she has won, is definitely a champion. As I watched her "Tosca" long program routine from the 2004 Nationals, I was once again swept up with the emotion and beauty of her skating. At the end, when she went all out during the footwork sequence, that bursting of emotion only added to the power of the routine. And, of course, there was her 1998 Nationals Rachmaninoff Short Program.
When looking at the international skaters, I would say Alexei Yagudin is one of my favorites. His 2002 Olympics "Winter" short program and "Man in the Iron Mask" long program rank up there as two of the most amazing figure skating routines I have ever seen. They were definitely Gold Medal-worthy programs. He had mentioned that he might be training for the 2010 Olympics - it would be great to see him competing again.
I have such great admiration and respect for these champions because, not only are they skilled in all aspects of their sport both technically and artistically, it is clear how hard they worked and how much strength and determination under pressure they had. True champions inspire and motivate others, no matter how much time has passed.
No comments:
Post a Comment