Funny but even though Hughes is the newest O/Champ. you hear [Archive]

Mistyeyed

06-09-2002, 09:51 PM

very little, and I guess that I am making comparrisons with after Tara L. was an Olympic Champion, about her. By this I mean where is all the media blitz? Tara was discussed like, forever after she won the Gold. It was practically screamed from the mountaintops and Tara had all these shows and specials she was in. She was introduced to us all as the newest Ol. champion. She had books written about her ect., While, Hughes has just accepted her role so graciously and almost quietly almost as if she doesn't need all the bragging rights that come with the new territory. Here we have this new and lovely little champion who continues to be a regular teenager. Is it just me are does anyone else see this too. Perhaps, I have just not been as involved in Ice Skating since the olympics but this is what it seems like to me at least.

Lee

06-09-2002, 10:27 PM

Tara had a PR machine in place after the '98 Oly's, designed to take advantage of every possible opportunity. Also, Tara had turned pro -- was trying hard to make hay while the sun shone. Sarah's staying eligible -- she'll be more 'visible' in the fall -- two different young ladies, two different sets of priorities.

CMc

06-09-2002, 11:05 PM

Sarah is doing right by not riding too much of a media wave after the Olympics. She DID have certain opportunities to do a few luxurious things like appear at the Grammys and visit the set of the upcoming Tom Hanks movie, but they've had to turn down Jay Leno & SNL and stuff like that, and I'm kind of glad in a way, because even though many of the folks outside of the sport and the mass public in general were gracious and respectful towards Sarah, the media just HAD to find something to "dish", and they sort of did so with the ganglion cysts on her legs that people at the Grammys noticed (Quite frankly, they don't look THAT bad to me!), and this is what you saw Inside Edition and the tabloids focusing on. But after that died away quietly, they left her alone, thank goodness, so I'm glad she doesn't get over-exposed.
Sarah's going to keep her life between her schoolwork and her skating well-balanced (As a fellow fan puts it, she's keeping "all her ducks in a row";)), and at the same time, she's going to do some admirable work with GE and their projects, not to mention the forthcoming TV specials! So I'd say that's really all the "PR" she needs! :wink:

HSF

06-09-2002, 11:17 PM

I have to agree with both of you.

Lee, you are right on target. "Two different young ladies, two different sets of priorities."

Mistyeyed, I also agree "We have this new and lovely little champion who continues to be a regular teenager."

Apparently Sarah and her family have their feet firmly planted on the ground and they have elected to pick and choose very wisely how much "hooplah" Sarah can handle and still maintain a balanced lifestyle. My hat is off to them for the decisions they have made.

HSF

HSF

06-09-2002, 11:23 PM

Oops, CMc. I also agree with you. You apparently posted before I hit the "refresh" key and I didn't see your post. :-)

HSF

mikey

06-10-2002, 02:21 AM

The cynic in me wants to respond that the difference is that Tara was a wonderful flash in the pan, and milked it for all she could, whereas Sarah probably sees it as another step in building a long, wonderful career... I loved Tara's skating to death, but really, who retires at that age? I am still not over that... But hey- different strokes for different folks...

To add a slight twist to the discussion- what interests me more is that there was so much discussion after the Olys about how the Olympic gold medal is not a lifetime achievement award as so many were hoping, and yet the last 3 women's Oly gold medalists sort of came out of nowhere to win... and each one handled the situation SO differently...

Scott

06-10-2002, 07:04 AM

Mikely, I am in agreement with you. Sarah is definately looking at this experience as something to build on and is not looking for all the glory of a professional career. Quite frankly I would take Sarah Hughes any day over Lipinski. Tara's carreer is probably close to being over because all of the current crop of skaters when they hit the professional circut are going to blow her out.

AxelAnnie22

06-10-2002, 09:10 AM

I respectfully disagree. Sarah has made the rounds, just as Tara did. However, Sarah is not nearly as interesting as Tara, and her win not nearly as controversal. (Remember, Michelle fell - elilminating any "she was robbed" stuff).

Tara had won Nationals, Worlds, Oly Gold, and was the youngest to win any of those. She turned pro - a very smart decision on her part, (even though we might have like her to stay eligible - she did what was right for her).

Sarah was everywhere for weeks. Remember, she was so busy she couldn't go to Worlds (a decision, I applaud, btw). But, remember, Sarah has won only two events in her career. Add to that the fact that the nation is in a different place after September 11, than it was in '98, and then remember that the biggest story of the Olympics was not Sarah's win, but rather the judging controversy......and IMO you have more insight into a perceived difference between the two.

Also, look back at Kristi, and Oksana, and you will see that Tara's year after Nagano was not any different, in terms of hype.

Sarah has managed to stay at home and train. She is being "touted" as a "normal" teenager. I promise you, she is not. She flies all over the world, competing at the top level in a very glamorous sport. Sure, she may fly in for her prom, but none of this is "normal".

I mean no disrespect to Sarah or her family. But I do not agree with your assertions that Sarah doesn't need to brag - she just goes simply along her way, hardly noticing her glory or fame, just ignoring it all for home and hearth. NOT.

Yazmeen

06-10-2002, 09:14 AM

I have always had the impression that Sarah Hughes has not only been a skating star, but also, in her lifetime has had to do dishes, take out the garbage, has been grounded for not following the "house rules", etc.-- in other words, been a normal teenager!!! I don't think her parents ever raised her to believe that the earth rotated around the sun because she was on it!!--And that's exactly what I like about her. She and Michelle have both handled their Olympic outcomes with great sportsmanship and graciousness. Its obvious in both cases, that while their paths may differ they both want to continue to grow in their skating, their educations and as human beings. That's more meaningful to them than just being a big star and in the public eye.

I think one of the biggest differences between Tara and Sarah is that Tara's main goal was to "be a star." (That's not a slam, folks--that's a quote). There is nothing wrong with that--she seems to be trying to accomplish that through other avenues than skating (such as acting). Sarah seems more concerned with her education and continuing to grow as a skater and a student. Different goals, different ladies. Personally, I prefer Sarah's choices as I think they will serve her better in the long run. I've always felt both Sarah and Michelle were and are smart for putting so much emphasis on education in their lives. It will be interesting to see where all of these ladies are five years from now.

pittypat

06-10-2002, 09:28 AM

Pat Lipinski isn't running Sarah's "career", either. This can only be a good thing. :D

loveskating

06-10-2002, 11:50 AM

I don't think any of these young ladies have as much control as most of you are giving them... :idea: The real control lies with the USFSA, the networks, skating related corporations, the public response and the elite in general.

Since we've all seen Tara's injuries since 98, I must say that find it rather mean spirited for people to continue to criticize her decision to turn pro...in hind sight, it was certainly the right thing for her to do for herself and in any case, I don't think anyone has the right to second guess a skater's personal choices.

Additionally, personally, I MUCH prefer what Tara and Ilia Kulik did as I get quite bored with skaters who rack up the medals but do nothing in their actual skating to improve very much. Both of them were in the public eye since 1996, and both improved enormously from 96 to 98, when they very rightly won Olympic gold medals. Then they both went on to pro careers where each has improved in the area of artistry -- Tara quite siginifcantly. [b:99f28f6d64]I enjoy that...far more than I enjoy seeing essentially the same "consistent" skating year after year after year. [/b:99f28f6d64] Holding 3 places for U.S. ladies is important to me, but none of the rest of the medals thing impresses me, for I adore the actual skating.

My wish for Sarah, since she is staying in, is that her skating improves a lot.

Mayra

06-10-2002, 01:48 PM

Both did the rounds. Both at the grammys, both skipping Worlds because of all the hoopla after the Olympics and both with T.V. specials in the fall. A big difference is that when one, won Olympic Gold she had already accomplished everything there was to in skating, and the other has not. Had Sarah turned pro, she would have been pegged as a one hit wonder, two if you count Skate Canada. One is healthy and the other has had back and hip problems that would have prevented her from being in top form for another two years, let alone four. If you know you skated the best you could at the BIG ONE and chances are you are never going to skate like that again, you aren't going to improve technically...why stay eligible if you have nothing left to give?

For all the talk about Sarah being "normal" and having a good "head on her shoulders", Tara Lipinski has done nothing IMO to give the impression that she is abnormal and some kind of wild child girl who goes on drinking binges or that she is bad role model in general. What is "normal"? Is going to school for an hour and spending the rest of the day at the skating rink "normal"? Is having half a dozen brothers and sisters any more "normal" then being an only child? Is being on the Wheaties box and getting endorsments from GM anymore normal than getting endorsments from DKNY? How many "normal" kids get to visit the President?

One wants to be an actress, the other wants to be a lawyer. A lawyer can just as easily fall from grace as an actress. Both paths are different but if the result is a semi-balanced human being*lets face it, how many of us are all that balanced to begin with*, then it doesn't matter how you got there, so long as you got there. IMO

olivia

06-10-2002, 02:49 PM

Not only are we talking about two different skaters (w/ different credentials going into the Olympics), but we're also talking about a different professional figure skating climate today vs. four years ago. I know Tara made her decision to go pro for many different reasons, but I'm sure the fact that the pro fs world was fairly strong at that point in time helped her make her decision. Would she make the same decision today if she was 15 and had won 2002 Olympics? I betcha if Tara's hip was fine, she would have stayed in the eligible side of the sport like Sarah has chosen to (not in 1998, but in 2002).

One more comment: The "just a normal teenager" spin is as much PR as anything else. What's wrong with being an extraordinary teenager? Absolutely nothing, IMO. And, I really would argue that Tara (as a teenager) and Sarah are nothing less than extraordinary. I believe they have a lot more in common than it may appear from what we read in the media.

O-

donnamarie

06-10-2002, 03:52 PM

Let's be fair - no matter how you feel about Tara turning pro so young, we now know that she had a serious injury. Apparently she really didn't have any other choice.

Beyond that, Tara and Sarah are very different people. I don't think their paths in life will be similar at all, beyond both winning an Olympic gold medal so young.

Sarah was in the news a lot after Olympics ... now things have died down ... I think they died down for Tara too. I don't really see the point of the comparison.

Mayra

06-10-2002, 05:28 PM

Funny enough, I was jus watching PTI on ESPN where they wished Tara Lipinski a happy birthday and mentioning her accomplishments. Then going off on what a bad career move retiring so young was, with Kornheiser saying something along the lines of, who's heard of her lately? Wilbon then goes on to question what the heck she was going to do for the next 60 years of her life. Which had Kornheiser responding..."Thats why I perfer Sarah Hughes" Something about her thinking about the future with plans to go to college and maybe going to med-school. So I guess comparisons are bound to happen.

They were later corrected/updated saying Tara skates in Stars on Ice and had a recurring role in the Young and the Restless.

ILoveAllSkaters

06-10-2002, 05:34 PM

Michelle Kwan is always MY two-time Olympic champion. :D

:arrow: [i:c8ff066d48]Topic moved to General Skating Chat. Let's try to keep to the topic of discussion too. Thanks.[/i:c8ff066d48]

SJ82

06-10-2002, 07:33 PM

Tara's life is based on winning and what she accomplishes. For Sarah, the medal is only one part of who she is.

CMc

06-10-2002, 09:38 PM

[quote:fc448d011c="Mayra"]
One wants to be an actress, the other wants to be a lawyer. A lawyer can just as easily fall from grace as an actress.[/quote:fc448d011c]

Actually, Sarah is more interested in medicine--She did express a temporary interest in law because her father is a lawyer, but when her mother suffered from breast cancer, she became more interested in medical care while visiting her mom in the hospital.

CMc

06-10-2002, 09:56 PM

[quote:9b1839f684="AxelAnnie22"]
Sarah has managed to stay at home and train. She is being "touted" as a "normal" teenager. I promise you, she is not. She flies all over the world, competing at the top level in a very glamorous sport. Sure, she may fly in for her prom, but none of this is "normal"...I mean no disrespect to Sarah or her family. But I do not agree with your assertions that Sarah doesn't need to brag - she just goes simply along her way, hardly noticing her glory or fame, just ignoring it all for home and hearth. NOT.[/quote:9b1839f684]

Sarah KNOWS it's not normal, hence her own admission that she refers to her "normalcy" only in quotations as we do here, but is any other skater balancing her schoolwork and her practices the way Sarah does it? Sarah at least WANTS her life to be normal during the off-time when skating isn't taking place--She definitely has lots of quality time with her family and aces all her classes in school, so I think the "normal" part is at least what a normal kid that aces in his/her school work experiences.

Plus, her family appears to be super nice (Her brothers were absolutely cool when they greeted me at the IFS event), and maybe not everybody is blessed to have such a loving, caring family like the Hughes's, which one could argue is less normal than having a colder, less close-knit family, but I believe they do everything possible to make Sarah as grounded and as nurturing as one should at her age, so why shouldn't she have that?
And Sarah definitely doesn't need to brag! That's where I come in! :wink: :lol:

mikey

06-10-2002, 11:00 PM

[quote:65c0f34419="CMc"]Actually, Sarah is more interested in medicine--She did express a temporary interest in law because her father is a lawyer, but when her mother suffered from breast cancer, she became more interested in medical care while visiting her mom in the hospital.[/quote:65c0f34419]

LOL! Sounds like you are implying that if next week her dog gets a splinter, she will show more interest in becoming a veterinarian.... 8)

Schmeck

06-11-2002, 05:41 AM

I've always thought of Tara as a one-hit wonder because she's never defended a title...

loveskating

06-11-2002, 07:58 AM

[quote:074e0afab4="Schmeck"]I've always thought of Tara as a one-hit wonder because she's never defended a title...[/quote:074e0afab4]

You are mistaken, Tara did defend a title, 98 Nationals.

Some value and enjoy the actual skating, while others value the medals racked up for town, state and nation...I'm part of the former group, could really care less about the medals most of the time, and I ain't seen any 3/3 loops lately, myself. I loved seeing those 3/3 loops...one rarely sees them....Sarah doesn't do the 3/3 loop anymore.

Blue Ridge

06-11-2002, 09:05 AM

[quote:6f741d9a92="SJ82"]Tara's life is based on winning and what she accomplishes. For Sarah, the medal is only one part of who she is.[/quote:6f741d9a92]

well, I think for most of us our lives are based on what we accomplish. We have different ideas of what is most valuable to accomplish. Tara's goals may be different than Sarah's but they are valid for each. Is Sarah not interested in winning? I don't think she would be where she is in skating if she were not.

I really think that it is true of Tara just as much as Sarah that "the medal is only one part of who she is." She has focused her young career on skating professionally. And as others have said, it seems to have been the right choice for her.

No doubt, with the support of her wonderful family, Sarah will also make the right choices for herself. I admire them both.

Oh and by the way why would ANYONE listen to ANYTHING Michael Wilbon has to say about figure skating????

Sina

06-11-2002, 11:08 AM

You must be thinking of the 98 GPF. Tara never repeated a nationals title.

loveskating

06-11-2002, 01:07 PM

If you mean by "defending" her title, that she had to win, that she had to "successfully" defend her title not to be considered "a flash in the pan", well then Tara lost 98 Nationals to Kwan, she "unsuccessfully defended her Nationals title."

I still can't grasp the logic of the point that somehow not defending a title automatically makes you a flash in the pan...nor the implied notion that repeated efforts makes you otherwise... Eldredge "unsuccessfully" defended his world title MANY times? Urmanov "unsuccessfully" defended his Russian Nationals and Olympic Gold titles numerous times.

Ergo, I don't see how defending or not defending a world title means much. What value does making the effort all those times have in and of itself other than the value given to the fans of those skaters who like to see them skate? Should Tara have stayed in, hip reflexor injury and all?

In any case, Tara was not afraid to meet Kwan on Olympic ice, and there she beat her...hardly surprising since Kwan did not have a 3/3 of any kind in her arsenal in 1998...and Tara had a 3/3 loop, which is one of the more difficult combinations and her presentation was first rate by then.

Mayra

06-11-2002, 02:06 PM

[quote:9ea277c130="Blue Ridge"]
Oh and by the way why would ANYONE listen to ANYTHING Michael Wilbon has to say about figure skating????[/quote:9ea277c130]

Beats the heck out of me. :wink: My point was that comparisons between Tara and Sarah can and will be made. Most people don't know or care a flying fig about figure skating. I'm not saying I agree with Wilbon, but like it or not, the image that Wilbon has in regards to figure skating is shared IMO by a larger portion of the general population than what is expressed on these boards. SLC did nothing to help the sport.

Blue Ridge

06-11-2002, 03:18 PM

Certainly, the Wilbons of the world play a role in creating a negative view of figure skating, presenting it as though it were something to laugh at. And all sorts of wonderful television personalities pick up on that and perpetuate it. Has nothing to do with the sport itself. Wilbon wrote a very revealing column during the Olympics that made it quite clear how uncomfortable figure skating makes him, too feminine, too gay appearing. People like this are ready to pounce on anything that happens in figure skating to discredit it. There is not much those of us who appreciate figure skating can do if these people perpetuate this stuff. They obviously have an audience of people who aren't going to like figure skating no matter what happens in the sport itself.

Schmeck

06-11-2002, 03:50 PM

Tara was a fantastic skater, and it's a shame that she had to push herself so hard that she pretty much crippled herself for life, and now she skates like a professional skater who is closer to 40 yr old than 20. Hope it was all worth it to her. I certainly wouldn't want that for my child, gold medal or not.

Now that Sarah has made it known that she is injured in some way, I hope that she learns to pace herself appropriately, and that her parents don't let her run the show, ala Tara. It will be an interesting next four years, being able to compare the careers of our last two Oly Ladies Champions. Bet it will be pretty feisty here!

Schmeck

Mistyeyed

06-11-2002, 09:34 PM

[quote:25e0aa8f26="Yazmeen"]I have always had the impression that Sarah Hughes has not only been a skating star, but also, in her lifetime has had to do dishes, take out the garbage, has been grounded for not following the "house rules", etc.-- in other words, been a normal teenager!!!

Well said! This is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you Yaz.
I don't think her parents ever raised her to believe that the earth rotated around the sun because she was on it!!--And that's exactly what I like about her. She and Michelle have both handled their Olympic outcomes with great sportsmanship and graciousness. Its obvious in both cases, that while their paths may differ they both want to continue to grow in their skating, their educations and as human beings. That's more meaningful to them than just being a big star and in the public eye.

I think one of the biggest differences between Tara and Sarah is that Tara's main goal was to "be a star." (That's not a slam, folks--that's a quote).

Once again, I must agree. And Tara did make a wonderful little Star.
There is nothing wrong with that--she seems to be trying to accomplish that through other avenues than skating (such as acting). Sarah seems more concerned with her education and continuing to grow as a skater and a student. Different goals, different ladies. Personally, I prefer Sarah's choices as I think they will serve her better in the long run. I've always felt both Sarah and Michelle were and are smart for putting so much emphasis on education in their lives. It will be interesting to see where all of these ladies are five years from now.[/quote:25e0aa8f26]

loveskating

06-12-2002, 08:25 AM

I think its great whatever someone wants to do with their lives...as long as its productive and not anti-social.

In any case, the thing which has been serving Sarah and Tara (and others) best is their ability to skate...and that ability to skate probably does not indicate other fantastical abilities or qualities, nor does it need to. Few in history are like Leonardo DiVinci!!

Also, where the claims are so constant that they are like a chorus as to certain skaters being so nice and smart, then basically I always suspect an agenda to cast the so-glorified skater as the "good girl" in the media's constant "good girl/bad girl" stupidity...which is, IMHO, designed for the very simple minded and highly judgemental folks who refuse to even consider anything more complex (not to mention anything more interesting).

Blue Ridge

06-12-2002, 09:00 AM

I think loveskating makes a really important point about the good girl/bad girl stuff that the media is always trying to manufacture. We saw them try to do that earlier this year with Sarah and Sasha. Unfortunately, it seems like some fans get into this kind of stuff, too. I think the skaters deserve more respect as full human beings.

CMc

06-12-2002, 03:06 PM

[quote:34c6aba97f="Blue Ridge"]We saw them try to do that earlier this year with Sarah and Sasha.[/quote:34c6aba97f]

Whoa!! When was this done with Sarah?? I don't remember anybody suggesting Sarah was bad. All I know is the media bugged her briefly about the cysts.

Blue Ridge

06-12-2002, 03:27 PM

8O oops, I guess I wasn't clear in what I wrote!!
Gracious, no, I've never seen anyone try to say Sarah was bad! What I was trying to say was that back around Nationals and Olys, the media tried to kind of play Sasha as, well maybe not bad, maybe just not so nice, against Sarah the nice one.

Badams

06-14-2002, 02:04 AM

i think...and this is MY OPINION...that sarah's pr people possiblysaw the way tara was sort of villified after the olympics and stuff and tried very hard to protect sarah. sometimes tara said and did things that people didn't agree with and they took it personally. sarah has been very careful and has chosen her words and actions very wisely.

CMc

06-14-2002, 03:47 PM

[quote:a24e78e634="Blue Ridge"]8O oops, I guess I wasn't clear in what I wrote!!
Gracious, no, I've never seen anyone try to say Sarah was bad! What I was trying to say was that back around Nationals and Olys, the media tried to kind of play Sasha as, well maybe not bad, maybe just not so nice, against Sarah the nice one.[/quote:a24e78e634]
Oh, OK, I think I remember that.
But I think the media tried to say EVERYBODY was innocent compared to Sasha! :wink:

nits

06-14-2002, 07:15 PM

I think Sarah learned from her minor "mistakes" she made during the season...(faces at Skate America, overconfidence that was picked up on etc...) Fans picked up on this quickly and suddently Sarah became gracious. I remember the whole Skate America incident when "someone" burst into the locker room to let Sarah know she should've won, and poor Sarah felt bad for Michelle that this skater would do it. That is one example of making "someone" (later Sasha) in a negative light and Sarah as the polite one. So Sasha's tatics weren't only the media's doing...her rivals coaches seemed to get the ball rolling a bit as well.

CMc

06-14-2002, 11:10 PM

Well, I guess I'm not the only one that needs a thick skin, huh? :lol:

nits

06-14-2002, 11:20 PM

CMc,
Please don't take my posts so seriously and take them personal. I believe I said "Sarah fans" need to develop thicker skin...not that YOU need to. :roll: And I believe it was because Sarah's article was being discussed and some were taking it personal and taking it as bashing. My point was that now that Sarah is Olympic Champion, her short comings will be discussed at length. It happens to the best of them: Michelle, Irina, Maria, Sasha..and now Sarah. Relax!!! :wink:

somechick

06-14-2002, 11:55 PM

[quote:d95dd5b00c="nits"]CMc,
Please don't take my posts so seriously and take them personal. I believe I said "Sarah fans" need to develop thicker skin...not that YOU need to. :roll: And I believe it was because Sarah's article was being discussed and some were taking it personal and taking it as bashing. My point was that now that Sarah is Olympic Champion, her short comings will be discussed at length. It happens to the best of them: Michelle, Irina, Maria, Sasha..and now Sarah. Relax!!! :wink:[/quote:d95dd5b00c]

Nits-Oh, man, that just made me laugh. Please don't take offense to this but I wonder if you realize the irony in that statement? You keep telling us Sarah fans to get a "thicker skin" but you got so offended by what was obviously a joking comment by Cmc. I am sure it wasn't meant the way it came across, but thanks for the chuckle.

CMC--consider yourself with an allie! :lol:

CMc

06-15-2002, 05:17 AM

[quote:659b101886="somechick"]
Nits-Oh, man, that just made me laugh. Please don't take offense to this but I wonder if you realize the irony in that statement? You keep telling us Sarah fans to get a "thicker skin" but you got so offended by what was obviously a joking comment by Cmc. I am sure it wasn't meant the way it came across, but thanks for the chuckle.

CMC--consider yourself with an allie! :lol:[/quote:659b101886]

I'm just doing what the Romans do! :D