Olympic bound Hughes?

Emily Hughes - Sarah's sister - was designated as an alternate for the figure skaters from the US.



[www.usolympicteam.com]

I remember when Emily came to skate for the Lynah Faithful at a game a few years ago. She was quite good, even then. I think she was 10 or 11 at the time, and she performed with a cane and top hat if I remember correctly. I actually kind of hope Kwan doesn't recover fully so Emily gets the shot, though I feel horrible for saying that.

Sorry but you are not allowed to discuss Cornell Hockey in this forum. Any mention of Lynah or her father is prohibited.

Big skating show on NBC this afternoon with the above title. I have to admit I enjoyed her more as a competitive skater than a "personality."

Kwan is being evaluated today.

Didn't both the Hughes girls wind up at Harvard in the Paul "I Am SOOOO Much Gayer Than You Are" Wylie endowed skater program?

Um...hm. Well, I think the Paul Wylie scholarship to which you are referring is meant to fund training, Sarah chose Yale, and Emily is 16. Their older sister went to Harvard though.

Looks like there's still a possibility Kwan may drop out, opening the door for Emily.

[www.nbcolympics.com]

i'm rooting for kwan...i hope she gets her gold, she deserves it.

ESPN is reporting that Kwan will drop out and Hughes will take her spot.

Jason L
i'm rooting for kwan...i hope she gets her gold, she deserves it.

Why does she deserve it any more than (or 'then,' if you're from Colgate) any of the other women who have worked very very hard?

I don't really care about figure skating. I'm more curious about fan psychology and why people tend to feel one team/athlete "deserves" success over others. To me, the only people who "deserves" championships are the ones who actually win them.

Kwan is world famous, a multi-millionaire, and has achieved an astounding amount of success in her sport. Trying to force her way in for that last jewel in her crown is a sort of crummy. OTOH, this competition is to determine who is the best, so had she been able to back that up, then isn't that what it's all about?

I guess we'll never know now. Best of luck to Emily. Both in getting out of the NYC blizzard and on the ice in Italy.

so whenever you watch a game (cornell hockey or whatever), you never root for one team or another? She was the one who got bumped so nancy kerrigan got to compete after tanya harding gave her the beatdown. Are you saying nancy kerrigan shouldnt have been able to particpate either? She has been the figurehead of US Skating for the last 10 years. I dont think anyone who knows figure skating, including Emily Hughes, would have argued w/ Kwan getting the medical bye. She's given so much to both the sport and the US as a whole

RichH

Jason L
i'm rooting for kwan...i hope she gets her gold, she deserves it.

Why does she deserve it any more than (or 'then,' if you're from Colgate) any of the other women who have worked very very hard?

I don't really care about figure skating. I'm more curious about fan psychology and why people tend to feel one team/athlete "deserves" success over others. To me, the only people who "deserves" championships are the ones who actually win them.

Kwan is world famous, a multi-millionaire, and has achieved an astounding amount of success in her sport. Trying to force her way in for that last jewel in her crown is a sort of crummy. OTOH, this competition is to determine who is the best, so had she been able to back that up, then isn't that what it's all about?

I guess we'll never know now. Best of luck to Emily. Both in getting out of the NYC blizzard and on the ice in Italy.

Jason L
so whenever you watch a game (cornell hockey or whatever), you never root for one team or another? She was the one who got bumped so nancy kerrigan got to compete after tanya harding gave her the beatdown. Are you saying nancy kerrigan shouldnt have been able to particpate either? She has been the figurehead of US Skating for the last 10 years. I dont think anyone who knows figure skating, including Emily Hughes, would have argued w/ Kwan getting the medical bye. She's given so much to both the sport and the US as a whole

Also, as pointed out by NBC's human interest heavy programming, it was Kwan's performance in the World's last year that guaranteed the third spot for the US (that Kwan/Hughes had/has).

Jason L
so whenever you watch a game (cornell hockey or whatever), you never root for one team or another?

Uh...what? Since when is rooting equivalent to this concept of "deserving winners" that I brought up? This makes so little logical sense that I don't even know where to start.

I'll spell it out. 2003 Frozen Four. You might say that Cornell deserved to win because we had a great team with great fans, some who have waited upwards of 33 years for a championship. I say we weren't deserving because we failed to win the games. Tell me I wasn't rooting my heart out for them, and I'll tell you that you're an idiot.

The White Sox deserve to be World Series Champions not because of 88-years of suffering by their fans, but because they were the best team in the 2005 World Series.

If we just awarded things to people who "deserved" them the most, I guess there's no reason to play the games.

[q]She was the one who got bumped so nancy kerrigan got to compete after tanya harding gave her the beatdown. Are you saying nancy kerrigan shouldnt have been able to particpate either? [/q]

First, I never said Kwan or Kerrigan shouldn't have been placed on their respective teams. There are channels that both went through to make the team. No problem there. I'm refuting your claim that Kwan "deserves" the Olympic gold because "she's given so much."

Kerrigan didn't deserve the Olympic Gold medal in 1994 because Oksana Baiul was judged to be the best skater at the Olympics.

As Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven, "Deserves got nothing to do with it."

[q]She has been the figurehead of US Skating for the last 10 years. I dont think anyone who knows figure skating, including Emily Hughes, would have argued w/ Kwan getting the medical bye. She's given so much to both the sport and the US as a whole[/q]

Give her the medical bye because she's one of the best this year. Not because of her past contributions. Not because she got bumped in 1994. And certainly not because she has been the figurehead of US Skating for the last 10 years. You can give her a "lifetime achievement award" or something if you want to honor that.

eLynah: Where Men Fight About Figure Skating

haha...no, i just have a great deal of respect for her. She could have gone off like every other ice skater after 1 Olympics and done something like Stars on Ice or something else equally stupid.

I also respect her for her choice to step down. She could have continued on and probably ended up with a poor finish. Instead, she said gave up her spot so someone else would have a better shot at a medal for the U.S.

Short program down. She looked good. Could've had some better matching of choreography with the music, but I don't blame her for that.

Maybe it's just me but I think all the skaters could use some more speed.

judy
Maybe it's just me but I think all the skaters could use some more speed.

And a puck.

Figure skating is in the midst of a regime change, of sorts...the old guard is on the way out and the new players are on the way in. This Olympics probably marks the end of the line for the big girls like Kwan (ok, definitely there) and Slutskaya. Cohen, at 21, will be one of the oldest contenders at the next Olympics if she stays in the sport for four more years. So that's why maybe figure skaters look slower and possibly less crisp this year. Also, in the short program, the skaters are just trying to nail 8 elements cleanly, they're not "going for it" -- so the performances are less likely to be exciting. That said, figure skating looks much slower on TV than it does live.