1/31

I mentioned earlier that The Insider, an entertainment news show, would possibly be doing a piece on Michelle for their 2 week "Queens of the Ice" feature, with Nancy Kerrigan. Well, on Monday's show, they showed a promo for Tuesday's show, and it included Michelle! They show a clip of Michelle from practice at 98 Nationals, and then they show Nancy showing a text from Michelle after her test skate. Here's a screencap of the text message! It's a very brief clip, so I uploaded it to my site rather than uploading elsewhere, check it out! I will of course make a clip of the actual piece on Tuesday's show as well.

The Insider is syndicated, so you can check your local listings to see when it airs in your area.

aethera typed up a transcript for Michelle's Post Olympic-Test Press Conference on January 27. Check it out! (Thanks aethera!)

MICHELLEmyBELLE posted on the MK Forum that Michelle is in the February 6, 2006 issue of In Touch Weekly! The article is on page 86 and asks if this is finally her Olympics. Along with the short article are two pictures, one from her victory lap at 2003 Worlds, and one a spiral during Tosca. (Thanks MICHELLEmyBELLE!)

Here are a few more video clips about Michelle that I haven't posted here yet. I made SO many clips this weekend of various shows talking about Michelle. I'll double check if there's any I haven't posted here and add them in the next day or so. All clips are large size wmv files that I made and uploaded to megaupload:

1/28

Another woohoo for Michelle being officially announced to the Olympic team! For full recaps of Michelle's test skate, check out the reports from the pool reporters who were there: Helene Elliott's Notes and Nancy Armour's Notes.

Also, check out the following pictures of Michelle arriving & leaving her rink for the test skate, and of the press conference, where it was announced she is officially on the team:

I was able to make video clips from several TV programs that talked about Michelle's test skate and being officially named to the Olympic team. The first two listed are from my local Philadelphia stations (all video clips are wmv files):

In addition, have most of the audio from the press conference, but I haven't had a chance to upload it to a permanent link. Once I do, I will post it here.

Also, ESPN News aired some of Michelle's press conference, as well as an interview with her after. I don't get that station, but skatefan20 from the MK Forum captured the video. I've uploaded it, so if you missed it, you can download it as well! (Thanks skatefan20 for the files!) :

Fore more information, check out the following articles:
1/27

Michelle's going to the Olympics!! Congrats Michelle!!

Check out the article Kwan OK'd to compete for U.S. in Turin and some pictures of her arriving and leaving the test skate. I will update more later, including some audio and video about the decision.

As soon as there is word on the decision after Michelle's test skate, I will post the information here. It should be sometime after 6:30pm EST, since that's when the press conference will be.

Here are some quotes from Michelle's agent, Shep Goldberg, from the article Today's the day for Kwan's solo Olympic trial:

"I'm hearing there'll be a lot of different evaluations," said Kwan's agent, Shep Goldberg. "Her health, her program, anything to determine she'll be healthy and ready to skate well in the games."

<snip>

Goldberg said Kwan's spirits are "fine" and that "she's been skating better every day."

<snip>

Goldberg said he is optimistic that Kwan will be on the team and that the decision will be accepted as a fair one. "I hope everybody realizes that a healthy Michelle is a healthy Michelle," he said of the nine-time national and five-time world champion.

In the meantime, here are a few more articles about the test skate Friday:
1/26

Some more information on Michelle's test skate on Friday, January 27. It will take place at her training rink, East West Ice Palace. According to the LA Times, she will be expected to demonstrate various jumps and spins during a practice session Friday before she performs her short program, Totentanz. She will be allowed to rest before she performs her long program, to Rachmaninov's "Prelude in C-sharp minor."

The monitoring test will be conducted by U.S. Figure Skating international committee chairman Bob Horen, technical controller Charlie Cyr, world judge Paula Naughton, international judge Lorrie Parker, and athlete representative Brittney Bottoms. Two pool reporters will also be at the test skate, and allowed to describe what happened.

A press conference will be held at 3:30 pm PST at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel to discuss the decision.
The press conference will take place in the Bel Air room, and it will also be available as a teleconference for those not able to attend. So, around 6:30pm EST, we should know whether Michelle will officially be going to Torino!

For more information, check out the following articles:

1/24
David e-mailed me that the January 19 edition of Women's Wear Daily has Vera Wang's sketch of one of Michelle's Olympic costumes! Check it out! Also, here's the short article that accompanied the sketch. No idea if it's for the short or long program, but it looks cool either way! (Thanks David!)

Because of Skating with Celebrities, Nancy Kerrigan will be on The Insider, an entertainment news show, for the next 10 days (all of this week and next week) doing a feature called "Queens of the Ice." When showing the preview, they showed Michelle a few times. I hope this means they will feature her one of the days! They also will be talking to Scott Hamilton tomorrow about the Olympics, and they also showed clips of Michelle then, so she will probably be mentioned. The Insider is syndicated, so you can check your local listings to see when it airs in your area.

There is an article about Nationals, that of course mentions Michelle, in the January 23 issue of Sports Illustrated. Included with the article is a small picture of Michelle smiling after Bolero at last year's Nationals. (The article itself isn't too positive about Michelle, so it's not anything to run out and buy, in my opinion.)

1/19

The January 23 issue of Star magazine has a feature on Glamour magazine's Olympic preview that I wrote about earlier. It contains the same picture of Michelle from Glamour magazine, though you can see her shoes in this version of the picture (in Glamour magazine, they were cut out of the picture.) TwinnerA scanned in the picture, check it out! (Thanks sw3 and TwinnerA!)

Not related to Michelle, but I'm starting to post some of my pictures from Nationals. Sadly I was really sick most of the week, so I only attended a few of the events. You can check out the pictures I've posted so far, hopefully it won't take me too long to finish!

1/7
Check out a full transcript of Michelle's teleconference, which was held shortly after Michelle was put on the US Olympic team. (Thanks JBlanch!)

Quite a few magazine mentions to post about!

I wrote earlier that the February 2006 issue of InStyle magazine would have a feature on "At Home with Michelle Kwan in Los Angeles." The magazine should appear on stands around January 20, but subscribers have started to receive the magazine in the mail. TwinnerA sent me the scans of the 8 page spread. I've uploaded both the high quality versions she sent me, as well as smaller versions (basically regular sized) if you have a slow connection:

Definitely check out the magazine once it hits the magazine stands! (Thanks TwinnerA!)

There is also a 4 page article about Michelle in the February 2006 issue of Elle magazine! berthesghost posted on the MK Forum that there is a full page picture of Michelle on page 136, and then 5 small pictures on a following page: podium at 94 Nationals, Lyra Angelica at 98 Nationals, crying in K&C with Frank after Lyra at 98 Olympics, falling in SLC, and sitting in K&C with Danny in SLC. pookybear19 scanned in the full page picture of Michelle, check it out! (Thanks berthesghost and pookybear19!)

I posted earlier about Michelle appearing in the February 2006 issue of Glamour magazine. KeithB scanned in the pictures from the magazine: Table of Contents picture & the Main Picture with the article. (Thanks KeithB!)


Charmed One posted on the MK Forum that Michelle is in the February 2006 issue of Disney Adventures magazine! It's an Olympic preview, and it has a picture of Michelle from Spartacus at 2005 Nationals. She scanned in the picture, check it out! (Thanks Charmed One!)

Iteach2 posted the following on the MK Forum about Michelle in the February 2006 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids: (Thanks Iteach2!)

I received our classroom issue today with the Winter Olympic preview. On page 42-43 it has Kimmie, Sasha, and a Head-to-Head with Michelle vs. Irina. It states Michelle's artistic expression and grace are legendary. For Olympic Outlook it says she needs to add more difficulty to earn points in the NJS, a hip injury kept her from competing, and she may be rusty. It lists Irina as the favorite for the gold in Turin.

There is a small Michelle mention in the January 16 issue of Sports Illustrated. On page 5, there is a small picture of a spiral from Bolero at 2005 Nationals, and it says:

Twelve years ago Michelle Kwan lost her spot on the US Olympic team to an injured Nancy Kerrigan, who had been given a medical exemption by the US Figure Skating Association. This weekend a committee will decide whether Kwan, who has a right groin injury, deserves an exemption herself for the Turin Games. Get analysis of the vote and the results of the US Figure Skating Championships at SI.com/Olympics.

1/15

Quick update, Michelle has been named to the Olympic team! From the USFSA article:

The International Committee made their decision based on the 2006 U.S. Olympic Athlete Selection Procedures and the information submitted in Kwan's petition. They considered all of the relevant information at their meeting following the conclusion of the ladies free skate Saturday night, including the information submitted in Kwan's petition. In the petition, Kwan stated:

“I would be pleased if representatives of USFS attended and observed my practice session in Los Angeles, California on or about January 20th and a run through of my short and long programs, again in California, on January 27th or 28th. The purpose of the latter would be to assure the USFS observers that my programs contain the technical elements necessary for an Olympic level performance, and to give further assurances to the USFS that my prior injury will not prevent me from being physically ready to compete at the highest level at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games on February 21, 2006. Should those USFS representatives, after observing my short and long programs on January 27th or 28th, determine, in their sole discretion, that my programs do not contain the technical elements necessary for an Olympic level performance, or that my prior injury will prevent me from being physically ready to compete at the highest level at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games on February 21, 2006, I will withdraw from the team. Thank you for your consideration.”

The committee granted the petition on this basis: U.S. Figure Skating will name a five-person monitoring committee that will have sole discretion and make a final determination on Kwan's status no later than Jan. 27. The petition states she will withdraw from the team if the monitoring committee determines she is not ready to compete. The final submission of the entire 2006 U.S. Olympic Team roster must be made by the USOC no later than Jan. 30.

Also considered by the committee was a two-page letter by Dr. Ronald S. Kvitne of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif., who rendered a second opinion on Kwan's physical fitness on Thursday, Jan. 12. He was selected to render a second opinion of Kwan's condition by U.S. Figure Skating. The letter stated that in his opinion her recent injury would not “prevent her from participating in the upcoming Olympic program.”

The monitoring committee will include Horen, 1 athlete representative from the International Committee and three international judges, one of which must be a technical controller or technical specialist.

Michelle said in a statement :

"I am very happy that U.S. Figure Skating approved my petition to be nominated to the Olympic Team. At the same time I can empathize with how Emily must be feeling because I was in a similar situation in 1994," Kwan, who was in California, said in a statement.

"I appreciate the faith that U.S. Figure Skating has placed in me. I am confident that I will be fully ready to compete at the Olympics and look forward to representing the USA in Torino."

I'll have more updates & article links once I come home from Nationals, but I wanted to post this. Yea Michelle!

1/7

GoldenMichelle posted on the MK Forum that Michelle is in the February 2006 issue of Glamour magazine! Here is what she posted about the magazine mention:

I just got my February Glamour in the mail and there in the table of contents is a pic of Michelle with the blurb "meet Michelle Kwan and 10 more Olympic stars."

On page 185 is a full page pic of MK in a white Vera Wang dress. I can't scan in the pic (cause my scanner is busted) but here is what it says.

The Legend
Michelle Kwan, 25,
figure skating

Former Olympian and figure skating commmetator Peggy Fleming has seen Kwan win countless competitions, but one medal ceremony stands out in her mind: As Kwan took her victory lap, she spotted a girl by the rinks edge who appeared to have just finished chemotheraphy. "Michelle took one look, stopped, and gave the girl a hug, " says Fleming. "With all the chaos of what was happening in the big arena, she noticed this girl. She always thinks of others and never takes anything for granted." Along with artistry and athletecism, Kwan brings the same warmth and soul to every performance, and this combination has made her the winningest figure skater in U.S. history. Keanu Reeves once famously told her, "The world needs more grace and beauty like you." But don't let all that grace and beauty fool you; as friend and costume designer Vera Wang once said, "She's not afraid to be a warrior."

<snip>

the pics were taken exclusively for Glamour. In the article the dress is a sleevless v-neck. Its fitted all the way down the body and there is rouching all the way down. Then the bottom has a little flounce at the bottom. Its hard to describe. I wish I could scan it in for everyone.

GoldenMichelle later posted the other athletes in the article: Lindsey Jacobellis (snowboarding), Angela Rugiero, Natalie Darwitz, Tricia Dunn-Luoma, Kelly Stephens and Krissy Wendell (ice hockey), Vonetta Flowers and Jean Prahm (bobsled), Jennifer Rodriguez (Speed Skating), and Emily Cook (freestyle aerial skiing.) (Thanks GoldenMichelle!)

scootie12 posted on the MK Forum that Michelle was featured on Yahoo's main page on January 6, because she is listed high on Yahoo's Buzz list. As stated on Yahoo's site, "A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week." On January 6, Michelle was #3 on the Sports Movers Chart, up 327.6% from the day before. On the complete chart, she was also #18 on the Sports Leaders chart, with a gain of +11 from yesterday. Check out the Sports buzz list as well as a short article on Yahoo's site about it! (Thanks scootie12!)

I've had several people email me asking how to send Michelle a get well message. You can write to Michelle at the first address listed on the Contact Michelle section of this site.

1/5

Even though Michelle will not be competiting at Nationals, it looks like we at least know what her long program music is. Sylvia posted on the MK Forum that the Nationals program lists Michelle's LP music as Prelude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. (Thanks Sylvia!)

1/4

Bad news. Michelle has withdrawn from Nationals due to a pulled right groin muscle. She plans to submit a formal petition to the U.S. Figure Skating International Committee for one of three ladies spots on the 2006 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team. She sustained the injury during practice on Dec. 17 and, at her doctor's request, has limited her ice time and skating activities since that time. She is expected to resume her normal training schedule on Friday, Jan. 13.

Michelle said the following in the press release about withdrawing from the event:

I am deeply disappointed that I will not be at nationals. It's always been my favorite event, especially in an Olympic year, and I was really looking forward to competing. I had been skating very well before the injury, and both my doctor and I feel that I can get back to that level and be completely ready for the Olympics. For that reason I am petitioning for a spot on the team.

An AP article about the injury quotes her further:

The last month has been really frustrating for me. After skating in the Marshall's competition (in early December) I felt I was heading toward the right track and would be able to skate at nationals. After about a week of skating, I pulled my groin and I just haven't been the same since. I haven't been able to spin or jump since the 19th.

But the good news is that my hip is feeling well and that I feel I'm capable of being 100 percent for the Olympics. That's why I put this petition in. I have a chance to win (at Turin).

If they say, `OK, Michelle, you're ready to go,' and I don't feel I'm 100 percent, I will pull myself out of the team, because I want to be 100 percent at the Olympics

The doctor treating her said, "This is a very common injury among athletes and is unrelated to the strained ligament in her right hip that Michelle sustained in September, which is now doing very well. I examined Michelle last Friday (Dec. 30) and found that the condition of the groin pull has greatly improved. There have been no complications, and there is no reason why it shouldn't fully heal. I have recommended that she not return to full skating activities until Friday, Jan. 13. At the current rate of improvement, I feel that she will be completely recovered by that time, and I'm confident that she will be in top physical condition for the Olympics."

For more information, check out the USFSA's press release.

Poor Michelle. *hugs to Michelle* Hopefully this injury heals completely, and she can skate well at the Olympics. We're pulling for you!

Charmed One posted on the MK Forum that the January 9 issue of People magazine contains a Nationals ad with pictures of Michelle & Sasha. Charmed One scanned it in, check it out! (Thanks Charmed One!)


Another magazine mention! There are several Michelle mentions in the January 9-15 issue of TV Guide. On page 49, there is a preview article on Nationals, titled "Gateway to the Olympics." This picture from Totentanz at Marshalls is included. (There are also pictures of Sasha, Alissa, Kimmie, Johnny, and B&A, though only the ladies are mentioned in the article.) Nothing new in the article, just that she's the sentimental favorite, that people think she's older than 25 because she's competed for so long, still seeking an Olympic gold, but she's injured, etc etc. On page 75, there is a full page beautiful ad for the Nationals coverage, the same ad that is in People magazine. (This is first time I've been happy that the mag is a full sized magazine!) On page 83, there is a paragraph in the Sports Highlights for Saturday. It mentions that Michelle & Sasha "are expected to square off for the umpteenth time in tonight's ladies final." Also, in the various listings for Nationals, they mention Michelle a few times.
12/30

Michelle posted on the MK Forum on December 29! Check out the thread: Happy Holidays. Thanks so much for posting Michelle!!

12/29

LouAphn posted on the MK Forum with a link to another NBC commercial with Michelle. This time it's also a music video! NBC has chosen Flipsyde's "Someday" to be the theme song for the Olympics, and Michelle is featured in the video/commercial for this song. A shorter version has aired as a commercial on NBC. The band said that the commercial was shot in June. Check out the video (From the link, select the 2nd video listed "Flipsyde (director's cut) of the song 'Someday' featuring Olympic athletes!" then click play.) (Thanks LouAphn!)

12/27

Michelle has a new endorsement deal, this time with Coca-Cola! She will be the lead Olympian in Coke's 2006 Olympic advertising plans, which include television commercials as well as a major in-store Coke promotional effort. Her image will be stamped on promotions for 14 Coke brands, including Dasani and Minute Maid.

More great quotes from the article Even With No Gold Medal, Michelle Kwan Is Golden to Marketers :

This year, Coke began shopping for athletes to represent the brand during the Olympics, and they began by researching the candidates' popularity. Among women aged 24 to 49, Kwan ranked the third most appealing sports asset to women. The first was the Olympic Games; the second, Lance Armstrong.

Part of Kwan's commercial success can be traced to a reputation rare among young, famous women her age. Her name does not surface in gossip columns or police reports. She has never posed for Penthouse or made an appearance on Celebrity Boxing. What most of her fans know of her personal life is usually limited to her family and California background.

Kwan's status as a favorite daughter of figure skating may also be attributed to her visible longevity as a skater. Her fans have been watching her perform since her major debut in the 1994 United States Championships, where she finished second to Tonya Harding, and since then have seen her transform from a gawky 13-year-old to an assured young woman.

<snip>

Beatriz Perez, vice president for media, sports and entertainment for Coca-Cola North America, said they looked carefully for an athlete with appeal as broad as their customer base. She also cited Kwan's achievements as a silver medalist in 1998 and a bronze medalist in 2002 as a major part of the decision to choose her. Though one Coke ad depicts a triumphant Kwan in her skating uniform waving to the crowd, but with her medal cropped from the picture.

"She's a sentimental favorite for Turin because it could be one of her last Games," Perez said. "When you put her values on top of that, that makes it a holistic decision where you know you're going down the right path."

With the New York times article is a picture of one of the print ads.
12/22

I've posted some pictures from Marshalls that I was sent by Sarah and Googoo. Check them out: Totentanz and You Raise Me Up.

12/18

The December 19 issue of Sports Illustrated has 2 pictures and a short article on Michelle at Marshalls. In the pictures section towards the front of the magazine, there is the large picture of Sasha, and then the inset picture is Michelle in a layback during You Raise Me Up. The caption basically says that the 100,000 fans awarded first place to Michelle 59% to 41%. This is on page 10-11

Then, on page 20, there is a short article about Michelle at Marshalls with this AP picture of Michelle doing a spiral during You Raise Me Up.


TwinnerA posted on the MK Forum that the February issue of InStyle magazine will have a feature on "At Home with Michelle Kwan in Los Angeles." This was reported in the current issue of the magazine. (Thanks TwinnerA!)
12/12

Congratulations to Michelle for winning her first competition back from injury! And thanks to everyone out there who voted for Michelle! Here are some pictures of Michelle at the event:

Also check out the following articles, all of which include quotes from Michelle:

12/11

Michelle will be skating her short program, Liszt's Totentanz, as her first program at Marshalls on Sunday. If she advances to the second round, her second program will be You Raise Me Up. Here are some pictures from the press conference and practice on Saturday from Marshalls:

Also, check out the following articles from the press conference, where among other things, Michelle talks about her injury:

Also, at the press conference she confirmed that her sister, Karen, had another baby, Sophia. So Michelle is an aunt again!


debbwin posted on the MK Forum a link to the making of the NBC commerical that shows Michelle. Check out the press release. You can watch the video on Ring of Fire's site. You can also directly download it here.
12/7

Michelle's agent has confirmed in the LA Times article, Boitano Says He's Pulling for Kwan, that Michelle will compete at the Marshalls competition on Sunday. Woohoo!! Be sure to read the article, it has several nice quotes from Brian about Michelle.

Just a quick note that the Marshalls competition, which airs live in most of the country will not air live in the following cities: Philadelphia, Detroit, LA, Milwaukee, Charlotte. Since the competition is voted on by fans watching live, information on how to vote (the phone numbers, etc) will be posted in this thread on the MK Forum. So if you won't be seeing the event live (like me, grr), you'll still be able to vote for Michelle, if you wish!

Here is the format of the competition, from the USFSA's site:

Voting during the event will take place by five different methods:
  • 1-900 dial-in calls (75 cents per call) – numbers will be posted on air during the ABC broadcast
  • 1-900 text messages (75 cents per text) – numbers will be posted on air during the ABC broadcast
  • Online voting at www.usfigureskating.org
  • In-arena voting for 2,000 select fans based on seating locations
  • Panel of experts (Dick Button, Peggy Fleming & Peter Carruthers)
The format for the event and live ABC broadcast will be as follows:
  • The men will skate in reverse order of placement at the 2005 State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships
  • The top two men advancing will be announced
  • The ladies will skate in reverse order of placement at the 2005 U.S. Championships
  • The top two ladies advancing will be announced
  • Men's final (new exhibition programs performed)
  • Men's winner announced
  • Ladies final (new exhibition programs performed)
  • Ladies winner announced


11/28

Still no real news out there about Michelle's injury, or whether she will compete at Marshalls. Phil Hersh wrote an article in the Chicago Tribune (scroll down to "Kwan quandary"), though it's mostly speculation. The last paragraph reads:

"Michelle has every intention of competing at nationals," insisted her agent, Shep Goldberg. If Kwan makes a third Olympic team and decides she needs more Code of Points experience before the Winter Games, she would go to the Four Continents Championships beginning Jan. 23 in Colorado Springs.
11/12

Just a quick note to post that the Michelle Kwan Forum has moved from ezboard to a new domain! Check it out! I appologize in advance for any broken links to MK Forum posts that you find on my site. I'll slowly be updating all the links.

11/11

If you are interested in the getting the Maxxis poster I wrote about earlier, you can check out the information I posted at the MK Forum.

mroulston posted on the MK Forum that Michelle was on the USA Today crossword puzzle on November 8. The clue:
58 Down - Olympic Skating Medalist Michelle (Thanks mroulston!)

I know I'm behind on some magazine mentions, but hopefully I can catch up! In the November 14 issue of Sports Illustrated, there is an article on the Olympics. On page 71, there is a sidebar titled "Battles to Watch", with the subheadline "These pre-Olympic encounters could provide almost as much drama as the Games." The first one is about ladies figure skating at Nationals. Included is a small picture of Michelle doing a spiral during Spartacus at Nationals, as well as a picture of Kimmie Meissner. This is what it says about Michelle:

Michelle Kwan vs Sasha Cohen and the Young Guns

 The US has five outstanding women's skaters fighting for three Olympic berths. All have medal potential -- and question marks. Michelle Kwan, 25, who has won five world titles but only silver and bronze at the Olympics, has not significantly upgraded her program and must adapt to a new scoring system that emphasizes difficult jumps and spins.

It then goes on to write a sentence each on Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, Emily Hughes, and Alissa Czisny.

11/2

Michelle is listed as one of the competitors for the Marshalls US Figure Skating Showcase. The event takes place in Boston, where the skaters will perform an exhibition program. The audience at the arena and at home (via telephone) will vote, and the top two men & ladies vote getters will skate another exhibition program. Then there will be another vote to determine the winner of the competition. The event will air live on ABC on December 11. For more information, check out the USFSA press release about the event.

Maxxis has put out another poster of Michelle, check it out: "Outlasting, Outshining" Poster (you can select a download size at the bottom of the page.) Previously, Maxxis has posted the "Control in Motion" Poster on their site.
10/26

Michelle has been cleared to resume her training, but her injury will keep her out of the Cup of China. From the USFSA press release:

Five-time World and nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan, off the ice the past two weeks with a strained ligament in her right hip, has been cleared to resume skating. Complete recovery is expected to take up to one month, so Kwan has withdrawn from the 2005 Cup of China, Nov. 3-6, in Beijing, China.

“There has been significant improvement in Michelle's condition over the past two weeks and she is ready to start back with limited on-ice activities,” said Dr. Leisure Yu of Loma Linda, Calif., an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. “Over the next weeks she will continue the rehabilitation process and gradually increase her ice time as the injury continues to heal.”

Once again, here's to a speedy recovery. Get well soon Michelle!

iloveskating posted on the MK Forum that Michelle received two awards as voted by the subscribers to International Figure Skating Magazine. She finished first under "All Time Favorite Olympic Female Medalists" and won "Best Ladies Performance in Competition for the 2004-05 season." This appears in the December 2005 issue of the magazine, which also has a picture of Michelle skating to Bolero from the 2005 Marshalls US FS Challenge. (Thanks iloveskating!)

10/21

A fun update. I'm attending Skate America this weekend, and, of course, Michelle will not be there due to her injury. I was hoping to get some good pictures of her at the event. Since that won't happen now, I thought I'd post some pictures from last season that I hadn't put on my site yet. The pictures are from 2005 Nationals, by Leah Adams. Check out her Bolero pictures and Podium pictures.

I'll have a few more things to update to the site after Skate America this weekend. And just because, I'll throw in another Get well soon Michelle!

10/7

Bad news. Due to a strained ligament in her right hip, Michelle has withdrawn from Campbells and Skate America. She still hopes to compete in the Cup of China. From the USFSA press release:

Her injury will require two weeks off from training followed by gradual resumption of skating and rehabilitation that could take up to one month. She hopes the injury will be healed in time to compete at the 2005 Cup of China in Beijing, China, Nov. 2-6, 2005.

"Of course I'm very disappointed, but I see this as a temporary setback," Kwan said. "I intend to follow the doctor's orders, get well and be back competing as soon as possible."

Kwan is being treated by Dr. Leisure Yu of Loma Linda, Calif., an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. "This is a very painful injury, but with the prescribed rest and treatment I anticipate a full and complete recovery," Yu said.

Also, from an article in the Chicago Tribune, Michelle also will not attend the US Olympic Committee media summit this Sunday and Monday in Colorado Springs:

According to Kwan's agent, Shep Goldberg, orthopedic surgeon Leisure Yu of Loma Linda, Calif., advised her both not to skate and not to travel in the next two weeks. Kwan has not ruled out competing at the Nov. 2-6 Cup of China in Beijing.

Goldberg said Kwan began experiencing "low-level pain'' two weeks ago but it became intense Saturday. After a Monday visit with Yu, she tried vainly to skate Monday and Tuesday before deciding to stop.

Her agent also said the following in an article in the LA Times:

"This is not career-threatening or career-ending," he said in a telephone interview. "She just needs time to heal…. She already started therapy and there'll be a gradual building back up and exercises so it doesn't become chronic."

He said Kwan, the silver medalist at the Nagano Games and bronze medalist at Salt Lake City, had felt soreness for a few weeks while skating and that it intensified last weekend. She was examined and diagnosed on Monday by Leisure Yu, an orthopedic surgeon in Loma Linda.

Goldberg said Kwan skated Monday and Tuesday and felt more pain before she agreed to stay off the ice. "Her spirits are pretty good," he said. "The key thing is for her to get better."

Here's to a speedy recovery. Get well soon Michelle!

Michelle was named the female athlete that kids in China most admire at the CCTV-Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Honors held two weeks ago in Beijing. The inaugural CCTV-Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Honors, which follows the successful U.S. Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, will reach over 300 million households in China. Check out a picture of Michelle being slimed at the awards, as well as a short article from the USFSA's site.

I wrote about earlier about Michelle's designing a Mickey Mouse statue for Mickey's 75th anniversary. Check out a picture of Michelle's "Peace and Love" statue, if you don't remember. The statue was originally at Disney World, then went on a tour of several cities. On September 27, all 75 statues were auctioned off by Sotheby's for the charity of the artist's choice. Michelle's charity was the Children's Miracle Network. Michelle's statue went for $20,000, which was the 5th highest bid of all the statues! Congrats to whoever bought the statue!

The only statues that went for more were Elton John ($52,000 for "Music Royalty"), Al Konetzni ($45,000 for "Back to School"), Lori Tyminski of Disney Publishing ($29,000 for "Funny Pages") and Tuck Morgan of Disney Consumer Products ($21,000 for "Mickey Through the Years.") The next price after Michelle's statue was designed by Tom Hanks, which went for $15,000. In total, $614,500 was raised for over 50 charities.

For more information, check out the following articles:

9/19

Michelle attended the 3rd Annual Entertainment Weekly Magazine Pre-Emmy Party at the Cabana Club in LA on September 17, 2005!. The party took place the night before the Emmy Awards. Many other celebrities were at the event, including Halle Berry, Eva Longoria, Denis Leary, Glenn Close, James Denton, Jane Seymour, Mariska Hargitay, Hillary Duff, Neil Patrick Harris, Daniel Dae Kim, and Patrick Dempsey. Check out the following pictures of Michelle at the party:

9/11

The USFSA posted that Michelle is confirmed for Skate America. Considering what has happened in the last few years, this still does not mean that she will definitely compete, but hopefully she will. For more information, check out the article Skaters Confirmed for 2005 Smart Ones Skate America.

I was recently in Atlantic City, and stopped by Boardwalk Hall (where Skate America will take place.) They have several small posters in the windows, which show 5 skaters. Michelle (with her gold medal from 2005 Nationals) is in the middle. I had the hardest time getting pictures because of the glare, though. After taking way too many pictures to try to get that one poster, towards the entrance, there is a huge (about the size of the window) banner for SA. This time there's only one skater's picture on the poster...Michelle! I still had a hard time getting a picture of that, again because of the glare, but hopefully these are good enough:

I recently made a Michelle Kwan mood theme for those who use LiveJournal. I'll admit that I made it because I couldn't find one for myself to use, ha! It was very time consuming, but I had so much fun making it, and I liked how it turned out, so I'm sharing it with anyone who wants to use it.

Check out what the theme looks like. All instructions on how to download and use the livejournal mood theme can be found in my livejournal entry. If you have any questions, please post a comment in the livejournal entry.

Redvispa posted the following on the MK Forum about Michelle being a part of a new Starbucks campaign:

I don't know if folks have already seen this, but Starbucks has started a 'paper cup' promotional campaign called "The Way I see it" -- it involves serving coffee in paper cups that have inspirational quotes from athletes or other prominent figures. Michelle Kwan is one of them

Later, Minerva54 posted that she contacted Starbucks to ask about the quote. Here was the company's reply:

The Way I See It #50

When I feel like I'm in a rut, I remember it's the little things in life that are important, like riding a bike with a friend or eating ice cream with my baby niece.

-- Michelle Kwan
Figure skating champion.

Check out "The Way I See It" section of Starbucks's site, which lists has a short bio of Michelle. (Thanks Redvispa and Minerva54!)

I posted earlier about Michelle being on the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and appearing at the council's official launch on June 10 at Disney's California Adventures. There were very few pictures from that event. I recently found a few more, though they are only thumbnail size. But they are still cute!

bagelpuss posted on the MK Forum a few great quotes from Tatiana Tarasova about Michelle from Spotlight on Skating: (Thanks bagelpuss!)

This summer, Tarasova left Simsbury for several weeks to choreograph new short and free programs for nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan at Kwan’s new rink in Artesia, California.

“Working with Michelle was for me like a gift from God. She is an amazing person and an amazing skater. She works like crazy and she skates like a goddess. She is very easy to work with,” said Tarasova, who declined to mention Kwan’s new music. “It is a wonderful rink with a wonderful atmosphere. The whole (Kwan) family works together. It’s open and friendly. The second floor is a wonderful gym. You can work out while you are looking at the ice. I felt right at home. I hope people appreciate these new programs, because she is the most unbelievable person in figure skating, to win the U.S. championships nine times. It is not easy to do that in the U.S. because the judges are democratic here.”

Tarasova added that Rafael Artunian is expected to join Kwan at the rink sometime in September, when his contract at Lake Arrowhead is completed.
8/8

In the August 14-20 issue of TV Guide, on page 4, there are quite a few letters to the editor about TV Guide's "25 Most Awesome Sports Moments" issue a few weeks ago. One letter reads:

I was dumbfounded that you did not include Michelle Kwan's ninth U.S. Championship win.
- Barry Ross Parnell, Palm Desert, CA

There are only 2 pictures with the letters, and one is a beautiful one of Michelle holding up her gold medal at Nationals this year!

I'm going to be away for about 2 weeks, so I probably won't be able to update the site during that time.

7/27

Michelle will be competiting at the 2005 Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic, which takes place October 8 in St. Paul, Minnesota! For more information, check out the following articles:

As I was channel surfing Tuesday night, I stopped on FOX News, which was doing a story on the TV Guide changes. I stopped because one of the two covers they showed next to the anchor's head was of Clay Aiken's latest cover. So I decided to keep watching the story to see if they showed any of Clay's other TV Guide covers, and starting screaming when they ended up showing Michelle's 98 Olympics cover! They actually showed both Michelle's and Tara's from pre 1998 Olympics at the same time. They showed very few covers, and yet they showed 2 of my favorites ever. *g* It was exciting enough for me that I set my computer to try to cap it later tonight. Since I want it, my luck that part won't be repeated though. If it is, I'll upload it tomorrow.

Katty52 on the MK Forum also saw the clip. She took some pictures of the tv screen. Check it out! (Thanks Katty52!)

7/23

East West Bank has a "Michelle's Excellence Club", where bank members will receive an East West Ice Palace skating ticket, a fleece blanket, Michelle Kwan checks, a Michelle savings account passbook, a Michelle debit card, a Michelle poster, and a 2006 Michelle wall calendar. However, to qualify, you must have one 12 month CD account with a $10,000 opening balance in addition to an EastWest checking or saving account. No fair, I want all that stuff. ;) You can find more information about the Excellence Club on the bank's site.

I posted earlier about Michelle doing radio ads for East West Bank in the LA area. Now, the bank also has a TV commercial with Michelle! Icare posted on the MK Forum that it has aired in California on several ethnic channels. The commercial is mostly in Chinese, with a voice over of Michelle (or someone talking for Michelle, lol, not sure!) in English, with lots of clips of Michelle skating on COI. The ad shows everything you receive by being a member of Michelle's Excellence Club at the bank. The clip also shows a huge poster of Michelle at one of the East West Bank branches, with the caption "Welcome to my bank!" mkjsdp capped the interview, and uploaded it. Check it out! (Thanks Icare and mkjsdp!)

I've uploaded a few screencaptures from the commercial:

Speaking of East West Bank, check out this beautiful picture of Michelle from the East West Ice Palace site.

Ice Princess, the movie that Michelle has a cameo in, is now on video and dvd! You can buy it on Amazon.com: Ice Princess.

I received the June/July issue of Skating Magazine recently, but I was waiting to post about it until I could scan in the ABC ad. (This magazine is only available by subscription, but you can order back issues of the magazine.) The Michelle mentions in the magazine:

  • In the Table of Contents, a closeup picture from Bolero at Marshalls...page 3
  • Ad for Ice Castle's Summer Program, which says "Michelle Kwan trains here...why don't you?" The picture is Michelle's spiral during 2002 Nationals Rachmaninoff...page 10
  • Article about Marshalls Challenge. Includes a picture of Bolero end pose, which is the larger version of the picture in the Table of Contents...pages 20-21
  • Kids Question with Timothy Goebel. Part of the first question says "I've seen many pictures of you and other skaters such as Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan, and I was wondering if all your close friends are skaters." Tim answers, "I am very close with Michelle, Sasha, and most of the other people on tour. I feel very lucky to be able to spend so much time with my teammates on tour. We work out together quite a bit. We have a really good support group, but I do have a few really close friends who don't skate."...page 80
  • Ad for ABC Sports has 2 pictures of Michelle. Main picture is the opening pose from Spartacus. Background picture is of Michelle's layback during Bolero at Nationals. The ad says "Perfection is always a worthy opponent"...Back cover
7/7

Happy birthday Michelle! Michelle is 25 years old today, July 7, 2005. Check out my birthday page for Michelle

UCIgirl posted the following on the MK Forum about seeing Michelle's skates at Disneyland: (Thanks UCIgirl!)

I recently got hired for a job at the Walt Disney Travel Company and for training we had the difficult task of spending the past couple of days at the Disney parks and hotels for "research purposes" which basically means work is all fun and play. During our lunch break today at one of the "inn betweens" where cast members can eat, I noticed sports memorabillia on the walls first the Paul Kariya hockey stick and picture then the Golden Disneyland Hotel Skates with a picture of Michelle Kwan. The picture said something about Michelle giving the skates to the hotel in November 1995, so she was still a little jumping bean back then.

UCIgirl was able to get a picture with her phone during another visit. Check it out!

A few more video clips I made:

Michelle on David Letterman - 11-11-97 (68MB)

Michelle on Today show- 11-10-97 (43MB)

7/1

Michelle is doing radio ads for East West Bank in the LA area. michellesmom posted on the MK Forum about hearing the ad a few times on the radio statoin KOST 103.5. In the commercial, she talks about the pursuit of excellence. Hopefully someone will be able to tape it and upload it so we can all hear! (Thanks michellesmom!)

I've been making a lot of old video clips of Michelle that I haven't been able to find online. I don't even know where to start with uploading them (though I know quite a few I haven't even uploaded yet are on rinkside already.) I'll also be posting clips in the Downloads section at MKF. Here are a few that I have been uploaded to megaupload.com (all clips are large WMV files):

Post Oly98 interview on Jay Leno - 02-26-98 (86MB)

SportsCentury - Michelle Kwan (218MB) Program is 23 minutes long. Originally aired Feb 7, 2002.

Carrying 2002 Olympic torch (13MB) This is a clip of Michelle carrying the Olympic Torch on Jan 15, 2002 in LA, as well as a short interview after. It's from a NBC pre Olympic show, which aired on Feb 3, 2002.

Bud Greenspan Presents - Michelle Kwan (Hour special that aired on ESPN on Feb. 3, 2002. Original clip was about 450MB, so I broke it up into 3 parts. Thanks so much to visaliakid for uploading all parts!)

In the June 24, 2005 edition of USA Today, the winners of the 2005 SAMMY awards appeared in their own milk mustache ad. Along the side of this ad were the same cropped pictures of the Got Milk? ads that appeared in the original SAMMY ad, including Michelle. The ad will also appear in Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine. Check it out!

6/17

Michelle is one of several celebrities on the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Others on the council include Tony Hawk, Julie Foudy, and Lindsay Davenport. For a full list, check out Life in Active CA - About the council.

Michelle appeared at the official launch of the Council on June 10 at Disney's California Adventures. Michelle and the other celebrities spoke as well as riding bicycles to promote physical fitness. Check out a picture of Michelle, Tony Hawk and Julie Foudy addressing the crowd at the event.

Also, you can download a clip which aired on the LA ABC news of Michelle at the event. (Thanks mkjsdp!)

The LA NBC station also talked about the event on the news. lemonade16 posted the following on the MK Forum about what they showed: (Thanks lemonade16!)

I caught some of the NBC 11 p.m. news (in LA) that comes on right before Jay Leno and they did a brief story, maybe 20 seconds long, on the fitness council, Schwarzenegger's appearance, etc. The ONLY athlete they mentioned and showed was Michelle. They said something like, "Several well-known athletes participated, including Olympic figure skater, Michelle Kwan." As they said that, they showed Michelle riding on a bike surrounded by people on either side. She was smiling and waving to the crowd. Very cute!

2006Au4Kwan posted the following on the MK Forum about attending the event: (Thanks 2006Au4Kwan!)

There were a lot of cheers when Michelle's name was mentioned. I did take pictures with my SLR camera so it'll be awhile before I post them. When the athletes were introduced they all rode bicycles in front of the stage before going on stage. Tony Hawk was the last to be introduced and, of course, he came in on his skateboard. Both Julie Foudy and Michelle spoke together describing how to incorporate fitness into day-to-day life. Then they danced with the Disney characters while the Block Party Bash Parade did a little performance. I forgot who spoke after them but Gov. Schwarzenegger was the last to be introduced. I have a picture of Michelle riding her bike.

Finally, check out the following articles about the council and event:

beegirllw posted on the MK Forum that Michelle attended a CAA party held in honor of David Beckham's new soccer academy in LA on June 3. Others in attendance were Robbie Williams, Lionel Richie, Thora Birch, Wayne Gretzky, Chris Tucker, Diana Ross, Michael Keaton, Luke Perry, and Tamyra Gray. I haven't been able to find too much about the event, but I finally stumbled across these two pictures of Michelle at the event: (Thanks beegirllw!)

Looks like East West Bank is using Michelle in several promotions. I posted earlier about the Bank having an ad in a Chinese newspaper earlier this month. UCIgirl posted on the MK Forum that there is a billboard for the bank with Michelle as well!. Here's what UCIgirl posted about the billboard: (Thanks UCIgirl!)

I was driving back down from the Bay Area on Friday afternoon and saw a East West Bank Billboard of Michelle in the city of Commerce from the freeway. My picture is a little blurry since my car was in motion. On the Billboard it says " The pursuit of excellence." Michelle Kwan 5 time world champion, 9 time national champion.

Check out UCIgirl's picture of the billboard!

I don't tend to post rumors on my site, but according to pretty reliable source on FSU, Tatiana Tarasova will choreograph at least one of Michelle's programs this upcoming season (probably the long program.)

6/7

Michelle attended the 2005 MTV Movie Awards on Saturday, June 4! Check out the following pictures of Michelle arriving at the awards:

I watched all the entertainment shows today, and while they all showed the red carpet arrivals at the awards, none showed Michelle at all. Boo! MTV has a preshow where they show the arrivals. Maybe they'll show her (*crossing fingers*) The preshow airs on Thursday, June 9, from 8-8:30pm. I'll cap the show, so if they show her, I'll be able to post a video clip of it online later that night. If they show her, I'll post all the times the show repeats (and it's a lot), so you can catch it if you miss it. So I hope they show her!

The awards air on Thursday, June 9, from 8:30-11:30. Again, if they show her during the awards show, I'll post a clip, and post the repeat times.

More info on Michelle's endorsement deal with Visa. Since the full article is no longer available, I'll post some of the direct quotes from Brandweek.com:

VISA USA will pump up its marketing program for the '06 Torino Winter Olympic Games with TV, print and a sweeps starring Michelle Kwan and Bode Miller that sends a winner to the event.

This year, the "Visa Gold Medal Athlete" team includes U.S. Olympic hopefuls Kwan, alpine skier Miller, freestyle moguls skier Travis Cabral, ice hockey's Cammi Granato, speed skater Derek Parra, snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis and Seth Wescott, freestyle aerialist Emily Cook, bobsledder Jill Bakken and Paralympic Games participants Laurie Stephens (disabled alpine) and Manuel Guerra (sledge hockey).

Visa is planning several Olympic-oriented TV spots for the fourth quarter, also via BBDO, with two featuring athletes. Kwan and Miller likely will take the lead roles. Both are prominently featured in the Visa sweeps creative, in which consumers who use their Visa cards in August and September will automatically be entered to win a trip to the February Games or prizes like a 42-inch Panasonic plasma-screen TV. Member banks will issue credit cards with likenesses of various athletes on the Visa team, and will feature them in promotions, statement inserts and other collateral material.

"Michelle Kwan, Bode Miller and Derek Parra already are household names to some degree, and that hasn't always been the case with the Winter Olympics," said Susanne Lyons, CMO at Visa USA. "Everyone likes the Olympics in concept. But the thing that really wins consumers' hearts and minds is when they begin to connect with an individual athlete in full form, suffering their losses and celebrating their victories."

So, looks like Michelle will be featured in print and TV ads for Visa, as well as possibly on a credit card!

daylightsaving posted on the MK Forum that there was an ad for East West Bank with Michelle in the Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese newspaper. Check it out! (Thanks daylightsaving!)

Here is daylightsaving's translation of the ad:

Challenge the limits, the pursuit of excellence Michelle's achievement in international sports is unmatched. In people's applauses and cheers, she challenged her personal best again and again, in pursuit of a more perfect performance. Michelle has brought us endless excitement with a cultural mix of the East and the West. She wears a gold necklace Grandma gave her at all times. Grandma gives her strength, and she shares the experience and honor from competitions. This strong bond touches many of us, just like the relationship between East West Bank and the community. We have been working with communities for more than 30 years, and just like Michelle, we will keep challenging ourselves to strive for better services. On Michelle's picture on the left, the captions is Michelle Kwan, 5-time World Champion, and 9-time National Champion.

6/1

You can now download the Today show interview, where Michelle announced that she will be trying for her third Olympics! Huge thanks to John 3 17 on the MK Forum for sending me the tape of this interview so I could cap it!

I made two different clips. One is the full interview of all 9 Visa Olympians. The other is just an edited version of most of the Michelle stuff, including, most importantly, when she confirms she is going to try for the next Olympics. The full interview contains some other glimpses of Michelle, but I made the smaller clip in case people were on dialup, or if there was another reason they just wanted to download a smaller file.

I'm only uploading the smaller, edited version to my site. If you want the full interview clip, you can find it at the MK Forum, in the Downloads section. Hopefully MaryJo can host it on her site soon, and then I could link to it here.

Download the clip of Michelle on the Today show!

I took some screencaptures as well. I'll upload a few more tomorrow, but, for now, here are 3:

I'll work on a transcript later (unless someone wants to help me out with that? :))

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Last updated April 6, 2006

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