Congratulations Sarah!!!

[cupcake728]

Congrats to Sarah for getting accepted to Harvard! She'll make a great doctor!:)

[rack]

Hear Hear!

Or as my father used to say:

Gold* and silver may wither away
But a good education will never decay.

*except for Olympic gold that is

Okay, so my father never said that part about Olympic gold.

Congratulations Sarah!:D

[amethyst]

That's great, congratulations to Sarah! She really has a lot going for her - Olympic Gold, acceptance to Harvard, a great family and most of all she seems like a genuinely nice and well-rounded young lady. I wish her the best both on and off the ice.

[nits]

Good for Sarah.

[CMc]

Very awesome, even though she didn't come in first at the Whitestrips Challenge, I'm glad she doesn't have to agonize over college now!:D
I was SO pleased to hear the news!!

[michele]

Major kudos to Sarah - she definitely seems to deserve it. :) I wonder if she might still apply to Columbia, or will this be it? I have a tough time imagining her staying in eligible competition while at Harvard. But whatever she decides, I wish her the best.

btw CMc - I very much liked her new Tania Bass LP dress! :D

[CMc]

Michele, thank you, I wasn't sure if this was one of Tania designs (If you're reading this again, Tania, it's a sweet dress!)

I'm a little melancholy right now about Sarah, if anyone doesn't mind me saying so, because first of all, I'm not used to seeing her hair the way it is (It's going to take some serious getting used to from me because she's had it short for close to 3 years now), she just lost to Cohen (I won't get started on that here, but I just thought I'd mention it), and I'm worried especially after reading one of the new articles online that she was thinking about NOT going to Nats.

I think there was possibly some more stuff going on behind the scenes (like when she had that wrist injury a couple of years back) that would indicate Sarah's having a change of heart about the skating career, and to be honest, I think I would understand if she decided to stop, but it would be hard for me. I don't think it has anything to do with the Harvard thing (She doesn't have to start that until next fall, does she?) and please don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for her being accepted into such a wonderfully reputable institution for medical studies.

I HOPE to God I'm wrong, because skating would NOT be the same for me without her.

[kwanette]

Ah....again I do know how you feel...But Sarah is a bright girl...and if she does give up eligible skating, she is intelligent enough to come back and commentate...An improvement to be sure over some of the people we heard today.

[Layback]

unless i misunderstood, i thought sarah was just accepted Harvard to pursue a Bachelors, not accepted into medicine. i didnt think it was possible unless you had a few years of undergrad under your belt (then again, im only familiar with the canadian university system). can anyone clarify?

[michele]

Sarah was "only" accepted to undergrad, but obviously Harvard opens lots of doors and a higher chance of getting into a top med school eventually. :) She'll have lots of resources for sure (excellent opportunity for research experience, etc).

CMc, DianeO said on MKF that it was a Bass dress - I assume her info was accurate!

[Gingi]

Also during the Hallmark broadcast the commentator remarked that accorinding to Sarah's dad, when she is in school she feels guilty about not training, and when training she feels guilty about not being in school.

Regardless of what path she chooses in life, she will be succesful. Sarah is smart, articulate, and appears to be very grounded. The difference between her and Tara Lipinski (IMHO), is that Lipinski seemed to sacrifice school for skating and then (right or wrong) cashed in as quickly as she could. Today she has chronic hip problems and is not doing as much as she would like to be doing career-wise. Sarah on the other hand I think will be a successful regardless of whether or not she continues to skate.

[CMc]

Thanks Gingi, Layback and Michele--I really needed to hear input from another person because I thought I was losing it tonight!8O

I guess it's just that I didn't want to see Sarah walk away from skating so soon (assuming this is what she's thinking of doing--we don't know for sure yet). I know she needs to do what she needs to do. She knows schooling's the thing that's going to fulfill her goals in life, and if she's that set on it, I don't know how I can even begin to say she should put that on hold for another year of competition--It makes me sound selfish. Basically, If she stops, I'm going to miss her:cry: :)

But I know she knows what's best for her, so I can't say she shouldn't go to college. As for me, I'll survive somehow!8-)

[quarkiki2]

CMc, everyone will miss Sarah. Watching her yesterday reminded me how much I miss seeing her compete. I simply LOVE watching the best competition skating their best. Although Sarah isn't my most favoritest skater, I enjoy watching her skate and listening to her interviews. I think that the depth of talent at Crest and at Hallmark was terrific and I enjoyed watching them all skate well. When any of these skaters give up competing, the landscape of skating will forever change and the unique color each skater adds will be gone.

That being said, the very best reason to leave eligible skating is to pursue personal growth. I am saddened by the way Oksana Bauil left skating. I am saddened by the injuries Tara and Alexi have. I am NOT saddened by Sarah's goal of an education -- I am tremendously proud of her and support her efforts totally. GOOD FOR HER!!

[thvudragon]

Yes, Congrats to Sarah! I hope she's happy if she decides to go. Good luck to her.

TV

[JDC1]

I never doubted she'd get in, good for her. I hope she does whatever she wants to do and doesn't worry about other's perception of her. I think leaving skating to pursue academics at one of the best Universities is FABULOUS. She has the Gold medal an amazing memory and moment that no one can ever take away so if what she wants is school she should go 100% and move on with her life.

[spiralsrfun]

Good for her...a great accomplishment! :)

[md2be]

Um, Harvard has a rink, plus boston/cambridge have a rink on every corner. I dont think she will quit skating or competing.
She may take 2006 off to train for olys, but college shouldnt hinder her skating.

[Emanfan]

I understood that Sarah hadn't accepted (yet) the invitation to attend Harvard. I also thought she still had some applications outstanding and had heard one of the commentators say she was leaning toward Cornell.

[michele]

But what coach could she have right in Boston? Robin Wagner already stated that relocation isn't an option due to her family. Harvard is virtually closing the door for that reason alone. If she wants to keep competing, it seems Columbia will be her choice, although I suppose Cornell would be just as feasible (or maybe even Yale, not sure how close New Haven would be to Hackensack).

[Itsirk]

Cornell is not close to NYC/Hackensack-- it's in upstate New York. Columbia (or NYU- obviously not Ivy League though) would be the most convenient as far as location goes (for figure skating's sake).

[michele]

My bad - I was thinking of Cornell's med school then. :) I didn't know the undergrad institution was so separate.

[CMc]

OOPS, I forgot to thank you too, for your words of healing!:D

[chrisa]

Yes, congrats to Sarah. She is a very dedicated student and athlete and it's hard to juggle both. Even before she got accepted I had no doubts she'd be accepted because of who she is. I"m not saying she wouldn't be accepted anyway, but Harvard would be stupid to not accept another high profile student. It makes them look better too. So, it's a win-win situation for both. She'll do well wherever she goes, so I just wonder where she'll decide on going.