Michelle is one of 10 finalists for the Women's Sports Foundation 2003 Sportswoman of the Year Award! She was also a finalist in 2000 and 2001, and won the award in 1998. Other finalists for the 2003 Sportswoman of the Year Award are Cheri Blauwet (Track & Field), Natalie Coughlin (Swimming), Regina Jacobs (Track & Field), Janica Kostelic (Alpine Skiing), Courtney Kupets (Gymnastics), Barb Lundquist (Triathlon), Annika Sorenstam (Golf), Serena Williams (Tennis), and Nadia Zulow (Equestrian). The winner will be announced at the 24th Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards dinner in at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, N.Y., Oct. 20. For more information, check out the article Michelle Kwan Among Finalists for Women's Sports Foundation 2003 Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Laura, who runs a wonderful Eva Cassidy site, forwarded me the following e-mail with a Michelle Fields of Gold sighting (Thanks Laura and Anne!)

More on Michelle's visit to Hong Kong. Check out a picture of Michelle with Mickey and Minnie Mouse from August 18. The caption read "World Champion figure skater Michelle Kwan of the US (C) stands with Mickey and Minnie Mouse after performing in Hong Kong, 18 August 2003. Ms Kwan, an official spokesperson of the entertainment company Walt Disney is in Hong Kong to promote the Disneyland theme park which is currently under construction in Hong Kong and is due to be completed in 2005/06." LOL that they had to point out Michelle was the one in the center!

An article about Michelle's final day on 8/19, as loosely translated by luenatic (Thanks luenatic!):

PattyL123 posted the following on the MK Forum about a Michelle mention in ESPN magazine. (Thanks PattyL123!)

Info on Michelle's visit to Hong Kong this past weekend! Her itinerary, translated from an article by luenatic:

8/16 (Sat) -- Michelle will be in Central Library 2/F to host "Story Telling" session for children.
8/18 (Mon) -- 2:45pm, Michelle will be in Tai Koo Shing Skating Palace for a skating exhibition.
8/19 (Tue) -- 10:15am, Michelle will be in Tsim Sha Tsui Ocean Terminal for a sneak preview of HK Disney Land.

An article about Michelle's day on 8/16, as translated by luenatic:

luenatic's friend was able to see Michelle skate (and tape it!) on Monday. Here's her report from the MK Forum (Thanks luenatic!):

Here are some pictures from Michelle's visit to Hong Kong:

• Laughing wile reading to the kids
• Reading with a child in Hong Kong
• Having fun
• Goofing around
• Small picture of Michelle reading to the children
• Spiral while on the ice

Speaking of Michelle's appearances in Hong Kong, wingheartsong posted the following Michelle mention on the MK Forum (Thanks wingheartsong!):

In the Sunday, August 17 edition of the NY Times, there was an article, Michelle, Ma Belle, written by fashion designer, Benjamin Cho, who is a big Michelle fan. He was able to shoot Michelle in one of his creations. Check out a picture from the photo shoot. The author talks about writing another article about Michelle in the past. The article he mentions appeared in the Feb/Mar 2002 issue of A. Magazine.

Michelle visited Hong Kong in December for Disney. She will be back in Hong Kong this weekend (and skating on Monday) as part of "Welcome Day", organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The following was in the Tuesday, August 12 edition of the USA Today, accompanied by a small head shot of Michelle on the podium at Worlds:

In addition, Jane e-mailed me the following: (Thanks Jane!)

I posted earlier about Michelle appearing in the July 2003 issue of Biography magazine. Michelle was one of the magazine's "15 amazing women" Well, in the September issue, there are two letters in the "Readers Write" section complimenting the magazine's selection of Michelle. Along with the two letters were a smaller version of the picture of Michelle in the original article as well as one of her on the ice. The first letter is from MKFer cglandrith! Thanks to Lady Duckie for the second letter. (Thanks cglandrith and Lady Duckie!)

MKtimmyfan posted on the MK Forum that Michelle is in the September 2003 issue of CosmoGirl. Michelle is pictured as part of their Project 2024 (CosmoGirl's project started to encourage girls to occupy leadership roles in the year 2024.) Some of the other girls include Hilary Duff, Alyson Hanigan, Jessica Biel, Sheryl Swoopes, Kelly Clarkson, and Julie Foudy. Check out the picture (you may have to cut and paste the link for it to work)! (Thanks MKtimmyfan!)

The LA Times had a great article about Michelle in their August 1 edition. It discusses Michelle's future plans, including college. Plus, while the only event she is committed to is the Campbells event in New York in early October, she says that she does have a short and long program for next season! Check out the article, Between College and Premieres, Life Is a 6.0.

I posted earlier that Michelle would be involved in Yahooligans Book Club. Though she was originally listed as the July celebrity, she ended up picking the book for the month of August. The book is titled "Esperanza Rising" by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Michelle said she chose the book because, "Esperanza Rising is a great story that teaches many of life's great lessons. Through a family's hardships, this book teaches character, strength, determination, love and perseverance." Check out a summary of the book. Also, check out Yahooligan's bio on Michelle. You can buy the book through Amazon.com if you are interested. (Thanks CaraMora!)

Michelle received a plaque from LA's Board of Supervisors commemorating her accomplishments on July 29. IzzyS posted the following information on the MK Forum:

The meeting was show on the local LA station. MKFers michellesmom and IzzyS both saw it:

The board's site says this about the presentation:

skater23 posted on the MK Forum that Michelle was at the Dave Mathews Band concert on Saturday night (July 26) in Los Angeles. skater23 heard Ryan Seacrest mention this on his radio show. (Thanks skater23!)

The Teen Choice Awards took place Saturday August 2. I haven't found out whether Michelle won the category she was nominated for yet, though (Choice Female Athlete.) I will let you know when I do. The awards air on Wednesday, August 6 on FOX.

I wrote earlier about Michelle appearing at Kristi Yamaguchi's Passage to Paradise event on June 27 in San Francisco. Check out kspirit100's pictures from the event! (Thanks kspirit100!)

Michelle met with the 2003 winners of her Chevy REWARDS scholarship program this past weekend at Disneyland’s California Adventure in Anaheim, CA. For more information, check out the article Chevy Teams With Michelle Kwan to Give 10 College-Bound Women "REWARDS". Also, check out the following pictures of Michelle with the winners:

• With the scholarship winners in Disneyland
• Closeup of Michelle from above picture
• Michelle (front right) and the scholarship winners on a roller coaster

This probably took place around the same time as the Chevy event, but Michelle learned from skateboarder Tony Hawk on Saturday, July 19, 2003, at the X Games Xperience at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim. Check out a picture of Michelle and Tony.

I just received my August/September 2003 issue of Skating Magazine in the mail. Here are the mentions of Michelle in the magazine. (This magazine is only available by subscription, but you can order back issues of the magazine.)

• Ad for the Campbell's International FS Classic event. Includes 2 pictures of Michelle, one from Fields of Gold and another doing a layback during Aranjuez...page 2
• Pictue with Carol Heiss Jenkins at the Governing Council in the table of contents...page 3
• Article about the MKF presentation, which includes 2 of my pictures from the presentation, Michelle holding the check and Michelle's reaction to the check. It was a really nice article, and they even had a quote from me about the project. Check out a scan of the article...page 7
• Several pictures from the Governing Council, including the following 3 pictures of Michelle: With Carol Heiss Jenkins, signing autographs, and with Governor's School of Art students...page 63
• An edited picture of Michelle backstage before her Worlds free skate...page 72
• Ad for 2004 Nationals with a picture of Michelle skating to Aranjuez...pages 81
• Ad for ABC Sports coverage of figure skating that has two pictures of Michelle from Worlds. One is from Aranjuez, and the other is of Michelle with her gold medal...back cover

(Thanks to kwanette and LaTasha for the scan of the presentation article and back cover.)

I wrote earlier that Michelle would be working with young skaters at a camp in Arizona on July 10. The Arizona Republic wrote two articles about Michelle at the event, Figure skating star Kwan shares time, autographs and Kwan teaching, learning, skating here and now. The articles have two big pieces of news regarding Michelle. One of the articles says, "Kwan flew to New York on Thursday afternoon to start working on her choreography." Does this mean she will be competiting this season? So far she isn't on the roster for any Grand Prix event. But, she could do the same route she did this year, meaning only Nationals and Worlds. I guess we'll see, but at least we know she's working on some new program!

The same article later says, "She will return to summer school at UCLA on Tuesday." Great to hear that she will be continuing her education, even with her busy schedule! The articles state that Michelle spent three hours teaching and giving autographs. Included with one of the articles is a picture of Michelle working with the students at the Phoenix Coyotes' High Performance Figure Skating Academy at the Alltel Ice Den.

Also, billob posted on the MK Forum a transcript of Michelle on the local news in Arizona on July 10. (Thanks billob!)

On Michelle's birthday, July 7, Michelle was mentioned on the ESPN show, Pardon the Interuption. At the end of the show, they mention athlete's birthdays, anniversaries, etc. The regular hosts were on vacation, so David Aldridge and Michelle Tafoya filled in as the hosts. Here is what they said about Michelle:

Aww, so nice! While talking about her, they show clips of her skating to Song of the Black Swan at 2001 Nationals and Rachmaninoff at 2002 Nationals. I missed it when it originally aired, but nits posted about it on the MK Forum, and I caught a repeat. I had a rough transcript from tveyes.com, but on the forum, Chance filled in the blanks. (Thanks nits and Chance!)

On a related ESPN note, apparently Michelle's ESPY ad has started airing (the ESPYs air on July 16, so I guess it had to start airing soon!) I watch a ton of ESPN, and have seen 3 other athlete's commericals for the ESPYs. Still no Michelle! But several on the MK Forum have spotted the commercial. Hopefully I'll catch it soon, and you will too!

I wrote earlier about the MKF medal presentation for Michelle in May. Well, Grace finished the site for the "platinum project", which explains the history of the project, and has all of our pictures of Michelle at the presentation, as well as backstage after the show. Check it out!

Happy birthday Michelle! Michelle is 23 years old today, July 7, 2003. Check out my birthday page for Michelle.

Michelle will be working with young skaters in Arizona on July 10. The following is from the Arizona Republic article, Kwan set to appear at camp:

Vote for Michelle as the Super Singles skater on Blades on Ice's site. The 10 ladies and men will be in a full color centerfold in BOI's 14th anniversary issue. Go Vote!

I added more information (especially pictures!) about Michelle attending the premiere of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl last week. Check out the Celebrity Schmoozing section of the site for more. Also, check out Kate's report on the MK Forum. (Thanks Kate!)

As I posted earlier, Michelle attended the premiere of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Saturday, June 28 in Disneyland. Check out 6 pictures of Michelle at the premiere

I wrote earlier about the pictures of Michelle and Kevin Garnett during a taping for a "ESPN/NFL Promo with "Raider Nation" Fans." The pictures are actually an ad for the ESPYs! I've seen some of the other "We're all fans" ads the last few days, but not the Michelle one yet. Judging from the others, the Michelle one looks like it will be adorable! The July 7, 2003 (date ring a bell, LOL?) issue of ESPN Magazine has an ad for the ESPYs using a picture from the commerical. Check it out! (Thanks to mkfan87 for posting about it on the MK Forum, and to La Tasha and kwanette for the picture!)

Michelle will be attending the premiere of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Saturday, June 28 at Disneyland. For more information, check out the press release.

For the 7th time, Michelle has been named to International Figure Skating Magazine's 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List, this time for the 2002-'03 season. The full list is in the July/August 2003 edition of the magazine. For the first time, Michelle is named the most influential skater of the year! The profile of Michelle is on page 21. I typed it up, check it out.

Several other Michelle items in this issue of the magazine:

• Letter to the editor that asks what "Michelle Kwan has to do to get a page" in the magazine, since IFS didn't write much about her winning Nationals and Worlds. The writer says "Michelle Kwan has balance, consistency, grace and calm for over a decade"...page 10
• Full page article about Michelle titled, "Legendary Accomplishments." It's a nice article, and part of it can be found on IFS's site (just scroll down a bit on the link.) Included with the article are 2 pictures from Worlds, one of a layback during The Feeling Begins, and a spin during Aranjuez...page 15
• Michelle on 25 Most Influential List. Includes a picture of Michelle bowing at the end of Aranjuez at Nationals. Also, Nikolai Morosov, one of Michelle's choreographers, is on the most influential list. The profile of Nikolai quotes him about Michelle "Michelle is one of the best skaters. It didn't take a long time to choreograph the program." It also has a quote from Michelle about him "He has a lot of spark, to say the least. He has a vision."...pages 20-33
• Since it's the magazine's 50th issue, IFS looked back on the subjects of their 5 best selling issues. The first one they show is Michelle's January/February 2002 cover. The profile about Michelle is along the lines of what they wrote in the article about her, and the most influential profile, earlier in the magazine. Her last quote is "But there's a good chance that I'll be competing next year." Included with the article is a picture of Michelle at the "Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves exhibit"Pages 38-42
• Article about Worlds. Includes a picture of Michelle skating to Aranjuez at Worlds...pages 58-59

I posted earlier that Michelle is nominated for the favorite female athlete for the 2003 Teen Choice Awards. Voting is still open, so be sure to vote if you haven't already! You can vote online at teenpeople.com. To use the link, you have to either have to have an AOL screen name, or from the link, click on Newsstand and then type in SUMMER03. The awards air on FOX on August 6.

I don't know much more about this yet, but wireimages.com has posted pictures of Michelle and Kevin Garnett during a taping for a "ESPN/NFL Promo with "Raider Nation" Fans." The pictures are adorable. Check it out!

Michelle was at game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 2. Not only was she shown at the game, but she was interviewed by ABC during the game. She said she was "still on cloud nine" from Nationals and Worlds this season. She was rooting for her Anaheim Mighty Ducks. They won that game, but lost the series in 7 games. At the Anaheim stop of Champions on Ice, Michelle wore a Ducks jersey in the opening, and during intermission when she sat in the Chevy car. In an article about the game, the writer said about Michelle, "When you look at Michelle Kwan, she has that kind of countenance that makes you less stressful and happier." Aww, so true!

Many, many magazine mentions!

There is a beautiful picture of Michelle and her father in the June 16, 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated. The issue has a Father's Day section of athletes and their dads. There's also a small article about what Michelle and her dad have done for past Father's days, and possibly this Father's Day. LaTasha posted the picture on her site. Check it out! (Thanks graciesfriend, kwanette, and LaTasha!)

Also, in the July 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids, Michelle's birthday (July 7!) is listed on its monthly calendar. It says "Figure skater Michelle Kwan turns 23." Next to that is a caricature of Michelle in her red Scheherazade dress. (Thanks graciesfriend!)

tteller posted on the MK Forum that Michelle is in the July 2003 issue of Biography magazine. Michelle is in a one page article on "15 amazing women" Her name is even listed on the cover of the magazine. tteller says that "she is pictured in a hips-up view that is quite flattering! Blue fitted top and black hugging pants." Mgrifn e-mailed me that there is a beautiful full size picture of her on page 52, and a small one of her skating. Minutes later, Josh e-mailed me that the picture is of Michelle leaning against a wall, and the skating picture is of her spiral during Aranjuez. (Thanks tteller, Mgrifn, and Josh!)

Michelle is on the cover of the May 2003 issue of Skating Magazine. Here are the mentions of Michelle in the magazine. (This magazine is only available by subscription.) If you can, I really recommend ordering back issue of this issue.

• Cover
• A cropped version of the picture that's on the cover...page 3
• Article about Worlds. Includes a picture of Michelle laughing on the podium (almost a full page picture), and a picture of Michelle during Aranjuez...pages 10-13
• USFSA.org ad, which contains a picture of the main picture on their home page...page 69
• Ad for ABC Sports coverage of ABC Sports International Figure Skating Classic, which has a picture of the Nationals podium...back cover

I also just received my June/July 2003 issue of Skating Magazine in the mail. Here are the mentions of Michelle in the magazine.

• The letter from the editor is titled "The Kwan Trophy," and is about Michelle her receiving her 7th Readers' Choice Skater of the Year Award, and why they decided to rename the award after Michelle. The editor writes that the trophy will have "Michelle Kwan Trophy" etched on it, and "while we expect to see her competiting for years to come, we felt now was the time to honor her this way." Michelle won't be eligible for the award in the future, and they "hope that there will be years when she will present the award to the recipient."...page 4
• Article about Michelle receiving her 7th Skating Magazine Readers' Choice Skater of the Year Award. Once again, the article mentions about the USFSA renaming the award after Michelle. Includes this picture of Michelle receiving the award from Amy Partain, the magazine's editor. Also, on the bottom of the page is a small box with the heading "Other Accolades for Michelle Kwan," which writes about Michelle receiving the Kids Choice award and USOC athlete of the month for March...page 6
• Picture of Michelle's Readers' Choice Skater of the Year Award, with her name etched in it...page 7
• Article about the ABC Sports International Figure Skating Classic. Includes a picture of Michelle skating to Aranjuez at the competition...pages 20-21
• Ad for ABC Sports coverage of figure skating that has two pictures of Michelle from Worlds. One is from Aranjuez, and the other is of Michelle with her gold medal...back cover

I received my May/June 2003 issue of Blades on Ice recently. The Michelle mentions in this magazine:

• Cover
• The Feeling Begins picture from Worlds...page 4
• Article about Michelle titled "Michelle Kwan: Still the Queen of Figure Skating." Includes picture of Michelle signing autographs after her first practice at Worlds...pages 8-9
• Worlds article. Includes a picture of the Michelle, Elena, and Fumie showing off their medals...pages 10-13
• Article about the ladies at Worlds. Includes a picture of Michelle spinning during Aranjuez at Worlds, and a picture of Michelle smiling backstage...pages 32-39
• Small article about Michelle receiving the USOC of the month for January. Includes a picture of Michelle with her medal at Nationals...page 77

I received my May/June 2003 issue of International Figure Skating in the mail recently. Here are the mentions of Michelle in the magazine:

• Editors letter where he mentions the "flawless performance of Michelle Kwan" and then later says that a reporter asked him if she should"report that Michelle got a 6.0 because it might not count" with the new judging system...page 10
• Ad for the company that published the magazine, Ashton International Media. The ad has covers of all the magazines it publishes. Then in the background, there are pictures of the different classes of magazines they publish, such as a teddy bear for their collectible magazines. Anyway, at the top it has this picture lightly in the background under "Sports"...page 13
• Article about Michelle's teleconference before Nationals. Includes a picture of Michelle at the Museum of Tolerance exhibit, "Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves"...page 15
• Ad for book "Frozen Assets" has this picture of Michelle with this quote from her, "People don't know what happened behind the scenes. I understand that people are curious. I get curious, too, but come on"...page 18
• Picture of the ladies medalists at Worlds...page 38
• Article about ISU judging, where they quote Michelle. Includes a picture of The Feeling Begins at Nationals...pages 40-44
• Picture of Michelle, her sister, and Philip Dulebohn at the Nationals banquet...page 46
• Article about Nationals. Includes a picture of Michelle with her medal at Nationals...page 54

The latest issue of Ice Skating Magazine (Volume 2, Issue 1) has Michelle wearing her Nationals medal on the cover. It's actually a double cover. On the other side of the magazine is Evgeny Plushenko. Here are all the mentions of Michelle in the magazine:

• Cover
• Nationals Ladies podium picture and a smaller version of the cover picture...page 5
• News from Skating,Inc writes about Michelle's "awe-inspiring" performance at Nationals, saying she "silenced" her critics that said she was "becoming rusty and wishy-washy." Includes another picture of the cover...page 7
• Note that said Michelle wasn't competiting at the GPF...page 10
• Article about Nationals. Includes a picture of Michelle doing a spread eagle during Aranjuez at Nationals...pages 50-53

So now I'm all caught up with magazine mentions! One more news update for today

marcelo777 posted on the MK Forum that in Mexico, Michelle was mentioned on a show called "The Sexiest Athlethes In The World." They showed a clip of her skating to East of Eden at 2001 Worlds. (Thanks marcelo777!)

I know I'm behind a bit with the updates. I hope this catches just about everything up! I still have to add some magazine mentions. I'll hopefully add those tomorrow.

It appears that Michelle will not be competing on the Grand Prix circuit this year (meaning competitions such as Skate America), just like she planned to do last year. Of course things can always change. Last season she didn't plan to compete at Skate America, but filled in at the last minute for an injured Sarah Hughes. For the full roster for all the Grand Prix events, go to the ISU's site, scroll down, and then click on "Ladies Entries."

Michelle is nominated for the favorite female athlete for the 2003 Teen Choice Awards! She is the only figure skater up for the award. Michelle won this award last year. CaraMora posted on the MK Forum that you can vote online at teenpeople.com. To use the link, you have to either have to have an AOL screen name, or from the link, click on Newsstand and then type in walker03. The awards air on FOX on August 6.

Mary posted on the MK Forum that Michelle will be appearing at Kristi Yamaguchi's Passage to Paradise event on June 27 in San Francisco. It's a Luau reception and dinner, and will benefit Kristi's Always Dream Foundation. Other special guests are Brian Boitano and Peggy Fleming. For more information, check out the following sections of the Always Dream Foundation site: Special Events and Passage to Paradise.

Michelle has received another award. She was named by the PSA as having the Best Performance at 2003 US Nationals for her long program. She also received this award in 1998, 1999, and 2001. Also, the photo of the year was this photo of Michelle during Aranjuez (what a beautiful pic!) You can read this more about it in a post on Skatefans.

Check out this great recap of Michelle's 2002-2003 season from USFSA.org. It contains several pictures that haven't been posted before.

Michelle is mentioned in an article about Annika Sorenstam and women in sports in the May 26, 2003 issue of Newsweek magazine. The article states that while two women's sports leagues have folded, "Michelle Kwan can still pack a house." With the article is a picture of Michelle doing a spread eagle during Aranjuez at Worlds. (Thanks attyfan!)

I posted my pictures of Michelle from the Atlanta COI stop. This includes pictures of her skating in the opening, closing, and Fallin' program, as well as in the Chevy car at intermission, and backstage. Check it out!

Also, check out a picture I took at Worlds, which Michelle signed for the MK forum.

I wrote earlier that Michelle would be honored at the USFSA Governing Council on May 10 for "A Decade of Skating Brilliance." At the banquet, two videos were shown. One contained messages from skaters on the Champions on Ice tour giving her warm wishes and congratulating her. The second video contained highlights of her career, concluding with her complete long program at Worlds this year.

Also at the banquet, it was announced that Michelle was named the 2003 Readers' Choice Figure Skater of the Year by the readers of Skating magazine! She is the only multiple winner of this award, winning this year for the 7th time (she also received the award in 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002.) Check out a picture of Michelle receiving the award. Then, for a trip down memory lane, check out these pictures of Michelle accepting the award in previous years: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002.

After Michelle was named the winner of this award for the 7th year (and 3rd in a row), the USFSA announced that the award would now be renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy." How amazing! The USFSA said the award was being renamed to honor "her numerous accomplishments over the past decade and to recognize the strong support for Kwan by the readers of SKATING magazine regarding the award." Michelle was shocked when this was announced, and said, "You told me you had a surprise for me. Thank you. I had no idea."

For more information on the banquet and Michelle's honor, check out the article Michelle Kwan Receives 2003 SKATING Magazine Readers' Choice Award

I'm exhausted, so I appologize for not writing much. I'm sure I'll catch up on that soon. The reason I'm so tired? On Tuesday, I was in Atlanta, with a few other members of the Michelle Kwan Forum. We presented Michelle with the gorgeous platinum medal that the forum made for her, as well as a scrapbook (which was the "card") and a check to Childrens Miracle Network for $10,000. It was a wonderful experience. Michelle was so down to earth, and treated us like old friends. I'm sure I will have a full report soon (as well as from the others that were there), but for now, check out the thread Jenny posted after I called her with my report. You can see some pictures of the medal. The medal presentation took place before the Champions on Ice show. We saw the show, and Michelle skated great. Thankfully, unlike when I saw the show in Philadelphia, I got some really good pictures of her skating! We also went backstage after the show. Like I said, it was a blast! I will post my pictures soon. For now, check out the three pictures from the presentation I posted:

• Michelle with the medal
• Michelle holding the check
• Michelle's reaction to the check (absolutely priceless)

More fun stuff from Michelle's appearance on The View! Check out a transcript of the show, done by myself, LaTasha, torialynne, and Sunnyskate. There's still one last segment of the show that hasn't been transcribed (the Bill Maher segment), but hopefully someone can help me with that! Also, ggyy made a real video file of the show (edited so it only includes parts with Michelle), which is housed on Cruella de Kwan's site. The file is 42.2 MB. Check it out!

Also, more fan photos from the taping of The View! Check out Susan's pictures and Livia's pictures.

I hope you caught Michelle on The View on Wednesday! She was great, and she held her own against the other three ladies. I working on a transcript today, and hopefully will have finished the first segement by tomorrow. Several from the MK Forum are helping with the rest of the show, so maybe I can have the transcript up for the whole show tomorrow, too! Check out amethystbatgirl's screencaptures from the interview. (Thanks amethystbatgirl!)

There were 14 memebers from the MK Forum at The View taping, and they were even shown on TV, and talked about by Michelle and the 3 hosts! The hosts kept calling them the "Michelle Kwan Fan Club," but Michelle knew what she was talking about, LOL, and said the "MK Forum!" The forum members even got to talk to Michelle and get some pictures and autographs after the show! Check out several reports from the MKFers in "Our VIEW adventure" thread. Also, check out katializ's fabulous pictures of Michelle at the View. I'm sure there will be many more pictures later on from those in attendance!

Also, while in New York, Michelle attended the After Party for the opening night of the Al Pacino play, Salome. Of course, Michelle skated to Salome when she won her first World title. Check out some pictures of Michelle from the event.

Don't forget to watch Michelle as a co-host on The View on Wednesday, April 30 on ABC! Check you local listings to see what time the show airs in your area. I will have a transcript up of the interview, hopefully later that day. Since Michelle will be on virtually the entire hour, it may take a while, though!

I posted in my last update that Michelle would be a speaker at the USFSA Governing Council on May 10 in Norfolk, Virgina. Well, it turns out that the USFSA will be honoring Michelle at the Governing Council's Gold Medal Banquet! The night is being called "A Decade of Skating Brilliance." Carol Heiss Jenkins, the last U.S. woman before Michelle to win five World titles, will also be in attendance. Only Governing Council delegates and other registered participants can attend, but hopefully there will be a report and pictures posted on the USFSA's site. For more information, check out the USFSA's article, Michelle Kwan To Be Honored for a Decade of Brilliance at Governing Council Banquet.

Yazmeen42skater posted on the MK Forum that Michelle will be appearing at the USFSA Governing Council on May 10. Here's what she posted (Thanks Yazmeen42skater!)

cupacopy posted on the MK Forum that Michelle was at the Florida Marlins baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, April 22. Apparently she was there with her boyfriend, Brad, and signed autographs after the game for fans! Check out her thread on MKF to read more about it! (Thanks cupacopy!)

Michelle will be on the ABC morning show The View on Wednesday, April 30. In fact, she not only will be a guest on the show, but she will be a co-host! So it's a full hour of Michelle! I can't wait! Check you local listings to see what time the show airs in your area. In most places on the east coast, it airs live at 11am.

Michelle is the USOC female Athlete of the Month for March 2003! This is the second time in three months that Michelle has been honored by the USOC as athlete of the month. She has won this award 12 times, the most ever by any athlete, male or female! She has also won the award in January, March, and November 1996, October 1997, January, April, and August 1998, April 2000, March 2001, January 2002, and January 2003. Read more about it in the following articles:

• Michelle Kwan Named USOC March Female Athlete of the Month
• Athletes of the Month (March)

I posted earlier that Michelle was nominated for the 2003 Kids Choice Awards in the Favorite Female Athlete category. The awards aired on April 12, and Michelle won! This is the second year in a row that she has won this award. Congratulations Michelle! This award was voted on by nearly 20 million kids. Her award category was not mentioned during the awards broadcast, but they announced that she won during the pre-awards show. Check out all of the Kids Choice Award winners.

Also, I posted a link where you could vote for Michelle as the SI for Kids Athlete of the Week for March 24-30, for her win at Worlds. Michelle finished 3rd, getting 17% of the vote.They wrote on their results page:

Yahooligans!, Yahoo!'s Web guide for kids, has started a book club, where a different celebrity recommends a book each month. Michelle will be the Book Club Celebrity for the month of July! For more information, check out the article Toyota Sienna Sponsors Yahooligans Book Club.

Hopefully you caught Michelle on the Today show on Friday, April 11. Unfortunately, it was raining, so she wasn't able to skate on the Rockefeller ice rink, but the interview was great. Check out a transcript of the interview (Thanks Splits!) Also, you can watch Moyesii's real video clip of the interview, which is about 21 MB. Finally, check out amethystbatgirl's screencaptures from the interview. (Thanks Moyesii and amethystbatgirl!)

Several members of the MK Forum went to the the Rockefeller ice skating rink to see Michelle skate. She didn't skate, but she did come over to the fans that were there and thanked them for coming. Susan said that Michelle joked that she should have skated to "Singing in the Rain." Check out the MKFer's Reports from the Today show rink.

Also, on the Today show on Thursday, April 10, they did a little promo about Michelle appearing the next day. John_3_17 posted the following on the MK Forum about the clip (Thanks John 3 17!):

Don't forget to watch Michelle on the Today show on Friday, April 11. The USFSA's site says that Michelle will have a sit-down interview with Katie Couric between 8 and 8:30 a.m, and, weather permitting, be skating on the Rockefeller Ice Rink between 9 and 9:15 a.m. I will have a transcript up of the interview, hopefully later that day.

Michelle competed in the 2003 ABC Sports International Figure Skating Classic on Tuesday, April 8. The skaters used their long programs for this competition. So, Michelle skated to Aranjuez. As always, I won't post the results until it's shown on TV, which won't be until May. Check out the Competitive Record section to see how Michelle did in the event. Also, check out a picture of Michelle from the competition.

My friend Susan was at the competition, and she called me during the event to let me know what was going on. I posted the information on the MK Forum. Check out my live posts on the forum, and then check out the following articles about the event:

• Articles (contain spoilers)
  • AP Article
  • USFSA.org article
  • CTnow.com article

Michelle will be on the Today show on Friday, April 11. As long as the weather holds up, she will also skate on the Rockefeller Center ice rink. One of my friends will possibly be there, as well as several members of the MK Forum, so we should hopefully get reports and pictures from the taping. The Today show airs on NBC from 7a-10a, though the skating generally is shown in the 8am hour.

I saw Champions on Ice on Saturday, April 5 in Philadelphia. Right now, I have a very general, and short, review up. Check it out. I will be adding to it soon, but I had to put something up today about Michelle's new program, Fallin', by Alicia Keys. My camera was acting up on me, so I really didn't get any great pictures. I think the best picture I have is of her layback during the program. But, of course I'm posting what pictures I do have. Check out my pictures, which also include pictures of Michelle after the show, by the buses. Unless something changes, the show is not scheduled to be broadcast on TV this year, so if you have a chance, be sure to attend the show!

I'm still catching up after Worlds! It took a while for me to gather all the photo and article links. I'm always up late each night of the competition gathering these links, but now I had to do this for the whole competition at one time! Eek! But I think I should be all caught up for that. Check out my 2003 Worlds articles section for many articles, and my Links to Other Photo Pages section for links to pictures from her programs, practice, the medal ceremony, and more.

Of course, I took loads of pictures. I hopefully can get them up soon. I quickly uploaded 4 of my favorite pictures of Michelle from the medal ceremony. Check them out:

• Michelle bowing when she came out. (She's crying.)
• Michelle showing off her medal
• About to start her victory lap
• Waving the flag during her victory lap

Also, I put together a page for the pictures I took of all the signs for Michelle I saw around the arena. Check it out.

And, before I forget, congratulations to Michelle on her 5th World title! I had such a great time at Worlds. I guess that's why it's taking me a while to get back to real life, LOL! I'm updating more right now, but if I forget something, I hope to be all caught up by Monday. The Champions on Ice tour starts on Friday, April 4. I will be attending the second show of the tour on Saturday, April 5 in Philadelphia. At which point, I'll have even more pictures to add to my site, LOL!

I was sent this by someone who wishes to remain annoymous, but wanted the story to be posted. I just about cried when I read it. It's from someone who was with the ice sweepers for the ladies long program Saturday night:

Awwww! Isn't that the sweetest story? Thanks so much to the person who sent this to me.

In the April 3, 2003 edition of the USA Today paper, Chevrolet took out their 10th full page ad, which congratulated Michelle on her accomplishment at Worlds. The picture was of Michelle laughing on the podium wearing her Worlds gold medal. Towards the bottom of the ad, in bold it said, "You axeled, spiraled and lutzed. And landed in the history books." Underneath that, in smaller print, it said, "Congratulations, Michelle, on winning your fifth World Figure Skating Championship. It's a record that hasn't been matched for over 40 years. We've been proud to be there, and we can't wait to see what's next. " I haven't had a chance yet to scan in the beautiful ad. Check out emilienne's digital pictures of the ad in two sizes: 768x1024 (691k) and 600x800 (80k)! (Thanks emilienne!)

Michelle attended her boyfriend's hockey game on Monday night. Brad Ference plays for the Coyotes, and they were playing against the LA Kings. For more information, check out the article Slap Shot.

A couple of places where you can vote for Michelle! First, as I posted earlier, Michelle in nominated for the 2003 Kids Choice Awards in the Favorite Female Athlete category. The voting has begun, so go and vote for Michelle! You can vote once a day until the awards air on April 12.

Also, you can vote for Michelle as the SI for Kids Athlete of the Week, for her win at Worlds. Go and vote!

Michelle is in the April 7, 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated! On page 24 is the article "Kwan Do." graciesfriend posted on the MK Forum that next headline it says, "Her load lightened by a new coach, Michelle Kwan floated to her fifth world title" With the article is a picture of Michelle doing a layback during Aranjuez. The caption next to the picture says "REBORN The champ isn't ruling out a return to the Olympics" (Thanks graciesfriend!)

graciesfriend also posted on the MK Forum that there is a Fields of Gold "Sports Card" of Michelle in the May 2003 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. (Thanks graciesfriend!)