Tara Lipinski talks about her hip injury on Spotlight Health

[jcspkbfan]

I don't recall Tara talking about her injury in such detail before:

http://www.spotlighthealth.com/dvt/celeb_story/tlipinski_story.html

[loveskating]

Thanks. She cleared up a lot of speculation in this article.

I'm so sad that it took so long to properly diagnose...and so glad she is able to skate well.

[icenut84]

Wow. I never realised it was so bad. I'm glad she's been able to get through it.

[CMc]

I hope more people, and especially more skaters, are going to be much more cautious to this scenario. It sounds like Tara had the worst days of her life during this period. She ignored the problem at first, and that's why it escalated. It bothers me that she still feels pain, but maybe that's normal. She didn't really have a choice, but I'm just glad she finally did something about it.

[Yazmeen]

...that was very well written. For those who didn't check out the other stories, the overall emphasis was on the risks of DVT, or deep vein thrombosis, which not only causes problems in the limbs but can cause pulmonary embolus (blood clots to the lungs) and stroke by sending clots to the brain.

I'm glad Tara is OK, and this should give some food for thought to those who complain about how she "doesn't do many triples" anymore. Its simple: She really can't. She may even be a bit optimistic about have a "long career to look forward to" in skating, because that hip will always be a problem for her. She's very lucky that she was able to finally find the right specialist before it got any worse. I think its also good that she is looking into acting and other options for her life, too. She seems pretty level headed about this whole thing, and its good of her to share her story with others. And I definitely agree: This should be a cautionary tale to all those little girls out there and their parents who want to go for Olympic gold at all costs. Tara got her gold, but at quite a cost. She's managed to do pretty well despite the injury, but not everyone may be as fortunate. Tara is a lucky young woman.

[AxelAnnie22]

[color=darkblue:d19a575dd2]What an interesting - and sad - article. I hope it gives skaters pause-------we really don't need that quad!

Elite atheletes are used to working through a certain amount of pain. If they couldn't push through, they wouldn't make it to the top of their sport. And with doctor's telling her to go ahead - there is nothing wrong, I can't really fault Tara. What kid at 15 is going to think there is something seriously wrong with her, especially in the absence of medical evidence? I think we are lucky that Sasha was diagnosed so quickly, and dealt with her injury immediately.

I have always thought Tara was a very level headed young lady. I now hope people who branded her with unkind epiteths after she turned pro, will reasses their judgment.[/color:d19a575dd2] 8)

[Dragonlady]

I realize that people are far more aware of the risks of over-training now than when Tara was skating as an elligible competitor, but I still have to wonder why no one questioned the idea of a 12 - 14 year-old training for 10 hours per day. Even as an actress or other "professional" child, her work hours would have been restricted to 20 hours per week in total. When would she have time or energy for school work, or just "normal kid" time?

This whole scenario is unhealthy from the get-go and it's no wonder she ended up with serious injuries. What were her parents thinking to allow this?

[md2be]

I have the same problem as Tara. I have been skating 21 years and 3 years ago, i experience the same hip pop and numb leg on a double loop. I have not had surgery. I stretch and do yoga, and although I know there is arthritis in there as well as tissue damage, it is a conscious pain I live with everyday. Skating is an addiction, and I still do those doubles, and I still live in pain.

On the side, isnt heparin a pretty standard treatment for DVT's? I mean, isnt the risk well known and pretty preventable? I guess I am just surprised that there is a whole society dedicated to it. Good for them.

[Debbie S]

[quote:70c867fbdb="Dragonlady"]I realize that people are far more aware of the risks of over-training now than when Tara was skating as an elligible competitor, but I still have to wonder why no one questioned the idea of a 12 - 14 year-old training for 10 hours per day.[/quote:70c867fbdb]

I'm not sure that number is correct. I read in Jenny Kirk's new diary entry that her daily routine is three sessions, which means slightly less than 3 hours of skating time, and one hour of off-ice workouts. I remember from the various fluff pieces done on Tara prior to the 98 Olys that her schedule seemed pretty much the same. I do think, though, that her estimate of 20 3/3s is about right. I think I read a quote from Tim Goebel once where he said he was doing about 50 quads a day prior to his knee injury right before 2001 Nats.

I suspect that Tara didn't write the article herself, and since the purpose is to raise awareness of deep vein thrombosis, I'm sure the author wasn't too concerned about the details of her pre-Oly training. Some other errors that I noticed were her statements that she first seriously injured her hip a month or two after the Olys (it was actually late in the summer, after COI was finished) and that she was misdiagnosed for four years following that point. In fact, she had her hip surgery in the fall of 2000, so it was about two years. Not to bash Tara, but I've noticed that some details about her injury have changed throughout her various retellings. Of course, Tara's main concern has been to get herself healthy again and to hopefully avoid chronic joint pain, so perhaps she doesn't exactly remember everything as it happened. That's OK.

Based on newspaper articles, TV fluff pieces, and comments/observations from people on the Net, I've always felt uncomfortable with Tara's parents, particularly her mother, and their "quest" for Tara's success - Jacketgate aside. Does anyone else remember reading that Richard C. tried to get Tara from obsessively overtraining her jumps, but her mother would always want her to do 5 perfect ones in a row, or something like that? Of course, the Lipinskis (and any other parents) would never have wanted their child to suffer injuries, but I hope Tara's story gives parents, skaters, and coaches pause about the dangers of pushing one's body too hard, and at an early age, for an elusive goal (Oly gold) that statistically is not likely to come true.

[Dragonlady]

There's a public service ad which appears in magazines last summer which quoted Tara as saying she trained 40 hours per week for the Olympics starting at age 10, so the 10 hours per day is not out of line. This would include on-ice sessions, as well as off-ice, dance and strength training. It's still way too much for a young child.

[AxelAnnie22]

[quote:393645cc12="Dragonlady"]I realize that people are far more aware of the risks of over-training now than when Tara was skating as an elligible competitor, but I still have to wonder why no one questioned the idea of a 12 - 14 year-old training for 10 hours per day. [/quote:393645cc12]

[color=darkblue:393645cc12]It is my understanding that all of this time was not on-ice training. However, Tara was known for not leaving the ice until she had accomplished everything she set out to do. A double edged sword that got her to the level of technical brilliance and consistency she achieved, but also left her damaged. It is further my understading, from reading her books, that Mr. Callaghan (sp) made her cut down on the number of jumps he would allow her to do per day. Prior to her move to Detroit, she jumped and jumped, and jumped, until she got it right.

I think all of these kids trade their "normal kid" activities for the chance to follow their passion as far as it will take them. I don't know that I would fault the parents as much as I would the trainer and doctors who kept telling her she was ok.

I think you have to be really old (like me!) to understand that you are the only person who can judge just how much punishment your body can take, and how to put your goals into any kind of perspective.[/color:393645cc12]

[HotIce]

I disagree. When you are that young it is the parents responsibility to make sure you do not overtrain to the point where you are endangering your body.
They could have said no.
I blame them for the condition she is in.

[momslovelove]

I have read many interviews with Tara and she has stated she has no regrets, it was all worth it. I think she knew and made that choice, it may be a little more difficult to live with as time passes. Choices have conseqences. I think it was a sad story of blind ambition that will get you everytime. Only time will tell if it was worth it, like 15/yrs down the line. It is a wake up call to the skaters to use common sense and make common sense decisions. We the demanding fans arent beating up our bodies and wont live with the lifetime pain because it wont go away.

[nits]

How sad for Tara. I wonder if she looks back with regrets. Hopefully her hip stays healthy.

[Schmeck]

I wouldn't be surprised if 16/20 yrs down the road, at some distant Winter Olympics celebration, Ms. Lipinski attended, but was walking with a cane, or even in a wheelchair. That hip isn't going to get any better as she gets older, unless she stops stressing it out now. Pain is usually your body's way of telling you to stop doing what you're doing...

And there's no way she can be an example about how to take it easy - that gold medal she craved is too much of a prize. That's like when her mother traveled to the ice clinics to talk to other skating families about the tragedy of splitting families apart for the sake of the skating child :roll:

Schmeck

[Hannahclear]

I think Tara paid too high a price for her glory. She was a child at the time, the adults in her life had a responsibility and they failed in that responsibility.

[AxelAnnie22]

[quote:17b7086805="HotIce"]I disagree. When you are that young it is the parents responsibility to make sure you do not overtrain to the point where you are endangering your body.
They could have said no.
I blame them for the condition she is in.[/quote:17b7086805]

[color=indigo:17b7086805]You are correct, of course. But, if the medical professionals - the experts who should have known much more than a parent could know - gave her the green light, why would they say no? The Lipinski's, I am sure, had their daughter's well being at the forefront of their mind.

Remember, we are looking at this with the information we have 5 years later. They didn't have that information. They had a kid whose hip hurt from time to time, doctors who said she was just fine, and coaches who figured it wasn't serious. I am not sure that, in 1998 any of us would have made a different decision had it been our child, and we had only the information available to the Lipinskis.

Also, remember, athletes at this level work through a certain amount of pain. It goes with the territory. All the grownups simply followed the recommendation of the doctors. And, yhou know that kids will tell you "it isn't bad" when there is something they really want to do!

BTW - Sasha would have competed at Nationals if the doctor hadn't put the kabash on it!

Hopefully, the sport is better for Tara's injury. Hopefully adults and skaters alike will be a good deal more cautious. [/color:17b7086805]

[Hannahclear]

I just don't believe that they could have been that ignorant of the condition. Some things just don't add up here and this is one of them. I think what may have happened was hearing what you want to hear.

[Dragonheart97]

[quote:cc7917db42="Schmeck"]I wouldn't be surprised if 16/20 yrs down the road, at some distant Winter Olympics celebration, Ms. Lipinski attended, but was walking with a cane, or even in a wheelchair. That hip isn't going to get any better as she gets older, unless she stops stressing it out now. Pain is usually your body's way of telling you to stop doing what you're doing...

And there's no way she can be an example about how to take it easy - that gold medal she craved is too much of a prize. That's like when her mother traveled to the ice clinics to talk to other skating families about the tragedy of splitting families apart for the sake of the skating child :roll:

Schmeck[/quote:cc7917db42]

You don't have to be a skater to have this type of hip degeneration. I was born with my hip dislocated and malformed. During my childhood, it continued to wear away as Tara's had begun to, and I suffered the same pain. There is nothing left of my hip now, but when I was growing up (more than 30 years ago), there was no such thing as hip replacements, or this type of surgery, and there was nothing that could be done for me. I'm able to walk because there is scarring that holds what is left together. But with technology as it is today, I can have my hip reconstructed, which is something that is heartening and scary at the same time. I'm facing that probably within the next 5-10 years.

Yes, maybe if she hadn't been misdiagnosed, more care would have been taken, and it might have changed the course of her career. But what's in the past is past. Yes, there's a chance she may need a hip replacement someday. But with the advances in technology and reconstructive surgery, she has more of a normal life that I was able to experience. I am sure she's taking more care now, and learning to know her body and its limits.

I have to say I envy her... if I'd had the second chance she had, you can bet I'd be "stressing out" my reconstructed hip. You go girl... live it up. You don't know how lucky you are.

[AxelAnnie22]

Thanks so much for sharing with us.

[Patty]

[quote:d83e44d524="AxelAnnie22"][color=darkblue:d83e44d524]What an interesting - and sad - article. I hope it gives skaters pause-------we really don't need that quad![/color:d83e44d524][/quote:d83e44d524]

I agree, especially in Sasha's case, since she has her artistry. The less artistic, more athletic ladies skaters might be more apt to need it, but I don't want to see them risking severe injuries either.

I somewhat doubt we'll see any of the ladies landing the quad in competition or the men going much furthur up the quad ladder until there are equipment changes. Did any of you see that NBC news story about the skates that give more in the ankles? They are purported to prevent or lessen the occurrance of injuries. I don't know why someone in the ISU or one of the federations isn't at least bringing up the issue of trying out these new skates or some other new skates that may be out there.

[LilRedRidingHood]

[quote:e8c29b60d9="AxelAnnie22"]
Remember, we are looking at this with the information we have 5 years later. They didn't have that information. They had a kid whose hip hurt from time to time, doctors who said she was just fine, and coaches who figured it wasn't serious. I am not sure that, in 1998 any of us would have made a different decision had it been our child, and we had only the information available to the Lipinskis.

Also, remember, athletes at this level work through a certain amount of pain. It goes with the territory. All the grownups simply followed the recommendation of the doctors. And, yhou know that kids will tell you "it isn't bad" when there is something they really want to do!

[/quote:e8c29b60d9]

Maybe they didn't have the right information.... but they knew [i:e8c29b60d9]something[/i:e8c29b60d9] was wrong. From what I have read, Tara's hip didn't hurt from time to time. She began to LIVE with pain. Not just on the ice.

According to interviews and articles Tara herself has said, she was in severe pain prior to and at the Olys. Pain as in can't get out of bed. I would certainly hope that her mother "might" have noticed something was wrong. Maybe they didn't have the correct diagnosis, but as a mother, if I saw my child in that much pain, I would have moved Heaven and Earth to get an ACCURATE diagnosis. Common sense seems to suggest that a strained/pulled muscle doesn't hurt for YEARS. *Unless, I had my head buried in the sand because I felt I'd be a better "mother" if I allowed my child to pursue her "dream" - no matter what the cost.*

I hope you're right AA. I hope others DO learn from Tara's horrible experience. That gold medal was life altering - in several ways. I wish the best for Tara.

[Octavious]

[quote:190e26617a="Dragonlady"]I realize that people are far more aware of the risks of over-training now than when Tara was skating as an elligible competitor, but I still have to wonder why no one questioned the idea of a 12 - 14 year-old training for 10 hours per day. Even as an actress or other "professional" child, her work hours would have been restricted to 20 hours per week in total. When would she have time or energy for school work, or just "normal kid" time?

This whole scenario is unhealthy from the get-go and it's no wonder she ended up with serious injuries. What were her parents thinking to allow this?[/quote:190e26617a] :evil: [size=9:190e26617a][/size:190e26617a][size=7:190e26617a][/size:190e26617a]

No offense Dragonlady, but get off your high-horse. Who are you to be so judgemental? I'm sure you have never made a mistake in you life, right?

Anyway, I am glad that Tara is able to share her story for all skaters who seem to think triple loop combinations are the way to go. Although, it does explain why she was always so consistent, especially when you compare her consistency to skaters of today, who *supposedly* don't train as much or as hard.

In regards to 10 hours of training, I am sure she meant at the most she would train on and off the ice for ten hours. Spending a huge amount of the day doing what she loves? That's not so unheard of for high school aged kid.
When I was in high school I would have school from 7:25 to 1:55, soccer/basketball/track practice until 4:00 or for a game 6:00, go to jazz band, marching band, pep band, or wind ensemble until 8:00, and then fill in any other time with practicing my clarinet or piano, and work on the year book and its insane deadlines. Sometimes I wouldn't get home until 10:00 at night. But you know what?
I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.


Sorry for my rant. I am just sick of comments like DL's that go unchallenged simply because it is a message board (excuse), instead of a public debate. 8O

[Lee]

[quote:16fd3a0234="Octavious"]
No offense Dragonlady, but get off your high-horse. Who are you to be so judgemental? I'm sure you have never made a mistake in you life, right?

(middle part snipped)

Sorry for my rant. I am just sick of comments like DL's that go unchallenged simply because it is a message board (excuse), instead of a public debate. 8O[/quote:16fd3a0234]

[i:16fd3a0234]The comments in the first paragraph quoted above are completely uncalled for and and good example of how NOT to disagree with someone else's opinion.

There are plenty of opportunities for 'public debate' on these boards, and there are appropriate ways of carrying out that debate. The above is not one of them ~Lee[/i:16fd3a0234]

[AxelAnnie22]

LilRedRidinghood wrote:
[quote:478ca49e32]Maybe they didn't have the right information.... but they knew something was wrong. From
what I have read, Tara's hip didn't hurt from time to time. She began to LIVE with pain. Not
just on the ice.[/quote:478ca49e32]

[color=darkblue:478ca49e32]Everything I have read about Tara indicates that her pain prior to the Olympics was intermittent, and not horrid. It was the kind of pain that we have all had..........you know, when you go on anyway.

The heartstopping pain didn't come until months later.

I am not an Olympic athlete, but if I stopped doing things because my back or leg hurt (both of which have been injured), I would never get out of bed. LOL!

Also, pain is relative to the person experiencing the pain. I had knee surgery in May. Big deal surgery. I was rehabbing at the PT, and a man - about my age- was on the bike next to me. He had had arthroscopic knee surgery (little deal surgery compared to mine), in March! He was telling me that he had just been able to go back to work! I didn't tell him that I am already riding my horse and jumping again! And, I am doing nothing my doctor and PT have said not to do. I just have worked hard, and keep working when it hurts. My friend on the bike stops when it hurts. Just different attitudes. I don't know who hurts worse - he, or me, but I it is how we deal with it. I would think, that with the doctors giving the go ahead, Tara kept on trucking.........just like me. And, if the doctor said STOP I would.....but then I am not 15!

But, I do think that if Tara were in the kind of pain you describe prior to the Olympics, her Mom would have stopped her.[/color:478ca49e32]

[loveskating]

I don't think there is any "blame"... its sad, but no judgment or punishment is required. Even the medical profession had a hard time diagnosing the problem...don't see how we could expect Tara or Tara's parents to do so.

Skaters and other athletes (as well as dancers) take a terrible pounding...and have to rely on their doctors. The doctors are also often up against the ballet company, or the sports association, and/or the corporations involved who have CONTRACTS, LOO! So without a very clear medical, professional diagnosis, one cannot even LEGALLY get away with saying, "Hey, I quit."

Also, just in general, I think some folks are way too hard on Tara's parents and its not right. A lot of people were pushing Tara, but most of all, Tara was clearly pushing herself.

[olivia]

[quote:892730c2f4="AxelAnnie22"]Remember, we are looking at this with the information we have 5 years later. They didn't have that information. They had a kid whose hip hurt from time to time, doctors who said she was just fine, and coaches who figured it wasn't serious. I am not sure that, in 1998 any of us would have made a different decision had it been our child, and we had only the information available to the Lipinskis.

Also, remember, athletes at this level work through a certain amount of pain. It goes with the territory. All the grownups simply followed the recommendation of the doctors. And, yhou know that kids will tell you "it isn't bad" when there is something they really want to do!

BTW - Sasha would have competed at Nationals if the doctor hadn't put the kabash on it!

Hopefully, the sport is better for Tara's injury. Hopefully adults and skaters alike will be a good deal more cautious. [/color][/quote:892730c2f4]

ITA! Hindsight is 20/20. Who knows what Tara was even sharing with her parents, coach, doctors about her condition. She may have hid some of the pain for fear she wouldn't be able to compete at the Olympics. The wonderful thing to come out of this is that Tara is telling her story and, hopefully, others will learn from it.

Oh, and regarding Sasha, wasn't it ultimately Sasha and her coach who put the "kabash" on her competing at Nationals? As I recall it, Sasha participated in the official practice sessions and was just in too much pain to continue. She and Nicks talked and they agreed, "no more." Anyway, maybe that was a good thing for people to witness. The season off was a devastating thought for Sasha at the time, but she now knows she was better off for having made the right decision (and everyone out there in the skating world knows it too). Sasha showed you CAN have a successful comeback from a potentially devastating injury if you take care of yourself.

O-

[Dragonlady]

John Nicks has said that he went to Boston under protest. The only reason he was there was because Sasha made it clear she was going with or without him. Nicks pulled Sasha from the event because he could see that she wasn't capable of continuing.

This is another situation where you have to wonder why her parents would have allowed her to go in the first place, especially after the first doctor they went to said she was risking further injury. Making the rounds of doctors until you find one willing to say what you want to hear is never a wise medical strategy.

[olivia]

Thanks for the clarification, Dragonlady.

Seems to me these fiery, young figure skaters have too much determination for their own good sometimes.

O-

[adrianchew]

[quote:8c343db2c4="Dragonlady"]John Nicks has said that he went to Boston under protest.[/quote:8c343db2c4]

IIRC, it took Nicks + 2 parents to convince Sasha not to skate, which she ultimately went along with.

Without fiery determination, these girls might as well hang up their boots and not bother... Michelle took her senior test without Frank Carroll's knowledge, and look where she is today. Tara has long said she wanted to be an Olympic champion (interviews way back in 94-95) before she had the abilities fully in place. Beatrisa Liang turned senior too early (Jenny Kirk, AP, and now Louann Donovan, are getting notice because they won Juniors first).

The killer for the ladies have been hip injuries - as in Tara's case, and similarly Naomi Nari Nam, Deanna Stellato. In all these cases, they've never been at the same level again. Stress fractures can heal given time - and I'm sure Johnny Weir will be fine... but the moment someone mentions a hip injury for any skater, watch out.

[adrianchew]

[quote:57388bd2cf="olivia"]ITA! Hindsight is 20/20. Who knows what Tara was even sharing with her parents, coach, doctors about her condition. She may have hid some of the pain for fear she wouldn't be able to compete at the Olympics. The wonderful thing to come out of this is that Tara is telling her story and, hopefully, others will learn from it.[/quote:57388bd2cf]

IIRC - Tara's injury was known before the Olympics, but the decision was made to put off treatment until after the Olympics. Not sure who/how that decision came about, but she did achieve her goal. If she had indeed that much pain to deal with, it makes her accomplishment that much more significant.

I'm sure most of us don't like others telling us how to live our lives. I think we should similarly let the skaters make their own choices.

[flippet]

[quote:7292c8254b="AxelAnnie22"][color=darkblue:7292c8254b]Everything I have read about Tara indicates that her pain prior to the Olympics was intermittent, and not horrid. It was the kind of pain that we have all had..........you know, when you go on anyway.

The heartstopping pain didn't come until months later.

I would think, that with the doctors giving the go ahead, Tara kept on trucking.........just like me. And, if the doctor said STOP I would.....but then I am not 15!

[/color:7292c8254b][/quote:7292c8254b]


I saw Tara about a month after the first tearing injury, in September of 98, at a skating clinic. She's a better actress than many give her credit for---except for that I saw her receiving therapy in between sessions, where she did look like the massage/manipulation was highly uncomfortable, she appeared to be pain-free. Not once did I see her even look like she wanted to complain (except perhaps during the therapy (the location wasn't private at first, but that was quickly remedied)), even though her hip must have hurt like heck. And this was just for a clinic. We all know how determined Tara is...she does what SHE wants to do, and doesn't really care what others think. With so much at stake, I'm sure she didn't reveal the extent of her pre-Olympic pain even to her parents. She doesn't strike me as the kind of person to want to appear weak in any way, or to lean on anyone when she thinks she can do it herself. Add this to a teenager's natural feeling of invincibility, and even [b:7292c8254b]she[/b:7292c8254b] may have been fooling herself as to the real magnitude of pain, let alone injury. I believe her parents had no idea just how bad it was, or how much pain Tara was in, because Tara probably wouldn't let them (or herself) see it. And I doubt that they could have done much to prevent her anyway, short of locking her in her room. (Which I would have agreed with, had they known the extent of the injury. But when the doctors say you're fine...you just chalk it up to the hazards of being an elite athlete (without said hazards, we wouldn't HAVE elite athletes!), and take it in stride.) Wild horses couldn't have kept that kid off the ice.

It certainly is sad, though...I always enjoyed Tara's skating, and it's awful to know that those days are forever gone, and were far too short. I also think she's being awfully optimistic about a 'long' skating career...unless she's talking about some other aspect of the sport. Just another example of nearsightedness and a feeling of 'I can do anything'. I'm afraid that in a couple of decades, even singles may be out of the question for her. Her mother isn't 'pushing' her anymore (if she ever *really* did--there was hardly a need), there's no gold medal at stake, yet she continues to push herself farther than is wise. (Sure, there's the nice paycheck, but she's pretty loaded as it stands...she obviously has reasons for pushing herself other than money.) She's not indestructible...but I'm not sure she'll completely learn that until she pushes it to the bitter end. :( It's just her personality--who she is.

[dbell]

I've got a minor stress fracture in my foot. My ortho. surgeon gave me the option of having a hot, sticky cast for 4 weeks or stop gardening, exercising, bowling, dancing, etc. for 4 weeks until he takes the next xray. I chose the couch potato routine. I have a foot injury that has gotten worse over the past 5 years and the fracture is the simple result of spending 5 hours in the garden and 1 hour bowling over 1 weekend.

I can't imagine the stress Tara put on her hip as she fought through the pain trying to get back her old jumps. But, those of us with nagging injuries work through the pain every day. It took me almost 1 year to find a decent doctor, the others swore there was nothing wrong (then the new doc found a broken bone in the foot!). Olympic Champion or Admin. Asst. - we all have doctor horror stories. Since I had nothing to compare the problem to or anyone around with a similar injury, I thought the pain and the popping in my foot was normal!

I hope the article spurs other people with joint problems to get second, third and fourth opinions. My opinion of Tara just went way up.