Michelle Kwan
Encyclopedia : M : MI : MIC : Michelle Kwan
| Michelle Kwan | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Country : Federation |
United States of America : USFSA |
| Status | Olympic Eligible (Amateur) |
| Skating Club | Los Angeles FSC |
| Residence | Torrance, California |
| Coach | Rafael Arutunian |
| Former Coaches | Frank Carroll, Scott Williams |
| Choreographer | Tatiana Tarasova |
| Former Choreographer(s) | Lori Nichol, Nikolai Morozov, Sarah Kawahara, Peter Oppegard, Karen Kwan, Christopher Dean |
| Olympic Games | |
| 2nd Place | 1998: Nagano, Japan |
| 3rd Place | 2002: Salt Lake City, USA |
| World Championships | |
| 1st Place | 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003 |
| 2nd Place | 1997, 1999, 2002 |
| 3rd Place | 2004 |
|
| |
| National Championships | |
| 1st Place | 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| 2nd Place | 1994, 1995, 1997 |
|
| |
| Personal Best Records | |
| Short Program + Free Skate Scores | 175.20 : 2005 Worlds |
| Short Program Score | 61.22 : 2005 Worlds |
| Free Skate Score | 113.98 : 2005 Worlds |
| Career Total 6.0s | 57 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Kwan as a character in the TV show The Simpsons
1999-00 Season
1998-99 Season
1997-98 Season
1996-97 Season
1995-96 Season
1994-95 Season
1993-94 Season
1992-93 Season
1991-92 Season
Other notable championships
Other notable championships include competitions that were sanctioned by the ISU but not considered one of the "canon" championships. In past seasons, they included competitions with professional figure skaters, but in recent seasons have only included Olympic-eligible figure skaters. These include competitions such as Marshalls and Campbells International Challenge, Ultimate Four, Hersheys Kisses Challenge, etc.
Other Notable Singles Competitions
Other Notable Team Competition
Awards and accolades
These includes awards such as the Sullivan Awards, Polls, etc.
Other Notable Awards and Accolades
- 2005 CCTV-Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Honors for "Athlete kids in China most admire"
- US Sports Academy "Athlete of the Month," January 2005
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," January 2005
- Finished 2nd in the balloting for the 2004 US Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year
- 2004 Citizenship Through Sports Alliance Award (USOC)
- Nominee, 2004 American-International Athlete Trophy
- US Sports Academy "Athlete of the Month," January 2004
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," January 2004
- 2003 USOC Sportswoman of the Year
- 2003 USOC Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year
- Finished 2nd in the balloting for the 2003 US Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year
- Finished 6th in the balloting 2003 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
- Nominee, 2003 Women's Sports Foundation individual Sportswomen of the Year
- Named IFS's Most Influential Name in Figure Skating for the 2002-03 season
- 2003 Edi Award for "Best Performance at US Nationals in the long program" from PSA
- 2003 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," March 2003
- 2003 Kids' Choice Award for "Favorite Female Athlete"
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," January 2003
- 2002 Cosmogirl! of the Year
- 2002 Teen Choice Awards for "Choice Female Athlete"
- Part of the exhibit, "Passion to Skate," at the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame, which honors Michelle and Dick Button, the only figure skaters to win the Sullivan Award
- Named to IFS's 2001-2002 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List
- 2002 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- 2002 Kids' Choice Awards for "Favorite Female Sports Star"
- Received a Gold Record for Eva Cassidy's Songbird album, in recognition for the part she has played in bringing Eva's music to the attention of the world after skating to Fields of Gold
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," January 2002
- Winner of the 72nd Annual James E. Sullivan Award (for 2001)
- 2001 USOC Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year
- Finished 7th in the balloting for the 2001 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
- Finished 3rd in the balloting for the 2001 US Sports Academy Female Athlete of the Year
- 2001 Smart Ones Smart Moves Award
- Nominee, 2001 Women's Sports Foundation individual Sportswomen of the Year
- 2001 Edi Award for "Best Performance at US Nationals in the Ladies Category" from PSA
- 2001 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- Named to IFS's 2000-2001 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List
- Nominee, 2001 Kids' Choice Awards for "Favorite Female Sports Star"
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," March 2001
- 2000 USOC Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year
- Nominee, 2000 World Sports Awards, Winter Sports Category
- Nominee, 2000 Women's Sports Foundation individual Sportswomen of the Year
- Wax figure made by Madame Tussaud's Studios
- Named to IFS's 1999-2000 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," April 2000
- US Sports Academy "Athlete of the Month", April 2000
- Named to People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People List in 2000
- 1999 USOC Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year
- 1999 Outstanding Achievement in Sports from Museum of Chinese American History
- Named to IFS's 1998-1999 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List
- 1999 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- 1999 Edi Award for "Best Performance at US Nationals in the Ladies Category" from PSA
- Named to A. Magazine's 1998 25 most influential Asian Americans
- Nominee, 1998 Wide World of Sports "Athlete of the Year"
- Finished 4th in the balloting for the 1998 USOC SportsWoman of the year.
- 1998 USOC Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year
- 1998 Women's Sports Foundation individual Sportswomen of the Year
- On Life magazine's list of 100 best things about America now
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," August 1998
- 1st Place, Eligible Ladies, 1998 People's Choice Awards for Performance of the Year from Blades On Ice
- Named to IFS's 1997-1998 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List
- 1998 Edi Award for "Best Performance at US Nationals in the Ladies Category" from PSA
- 1998 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," April 1998
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," January 1998
- Winner of 1998 Chevrolet Perfect 6.0 Award
- Winner of 1997 Dial Award
- Finished 10th in the balloting for the 1997 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," October 1997
- 1st Place, ISU Ladies, 1997 Blades On Ice Popular Choice Awards
- Nominee, 1996 Wide World of Sports "Athlete of the Year"
- Finalist, 67th Annual James E. Sullivan Award
- Named to IFS's 1995-1996 25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List
- Finished 7th in the balloting for the 1996 USOC SportsWoman of the year.
- 1996 USOC Female Figure Skating Athlete of the Year
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," November 1996
- 1996 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," March 1996
- USOC "Athlete of the Month," January 1996
- Sports Illustrated For Kids, Hall of Fame, 1995
- 1994 "Readers' Choice Skater of the Year," Skating magazine
- Only multiple winner of the "Readers' Choice Figure Skater of the Year" award given by Skating magazine (she has won the award 7 times). Finished a very close second in 2000 to Michael Weiss.
- In 2003, the USFSA announced that in the future, the "Readers' Choice Figure Skater of the Year" award would be renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy," in honor of Michelle's numerous accomplishments over the past decade, and to recognize the strong support for Michelle by the readers of Skating magazine regarding the award. The USFSA stated that even though Michelle may continue to be an eligible skater, she will no longer be eligible for the Readers' Choice Award for Skater of the Year. "She has proven she is the fans' all-time favorite."
- Has been named the USOC athlete of the month 14 times, which is more than any other athlete, male or female
- Has appeared on International Figure Skating Magazine's "25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating List" 7 times, and was named the most influential skater for the 2002-03 season
- Was the runner up (behind Jennifer Capriati) for the 2001 USOC Sportswoman of the Year
- Only the second figure skater in history to win the James E. Sullivan Award. Dick Button won in 1949.
- Named the 2003 USOC SportsWoman of the Year. Only the 5th figure skater in history to get this honor.
Miscellaneous trivia
- Famed wedding dress designer Vera Wang, who herself was a figure skater, has designed many of Kwan's costumes. These costumes cost a minimum of $20,000 to make.[link]
- In 1999, she appeared in the Michelle Kwan Figure Skating computer game.
- Kwan always wears a good luck necklace (a gold dragon necklace) that her grandmother gave her.
- She finished 11th grade with a 3.8 GPA and 12th grade with a 3.9 GPA, for a cumulative high school GPA of 3.6. She attends the University of California - Los Angeles, taking 5 credits in English composition.
- Her sister Karen also skated competitively at the elite level, finishing 6th at the U.S. Nationals in 1997.
- When she first lived at Ice Castle, she lived in the cabin called "Debi Thomas' Teepee."
- Made a guest appearance in episode "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" as herself in season sixteen of TV show The Simpsons.
- She has written an inspirational book for kids titled, The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion. She also wrote an autobiography, Heart of a Champion, at 17.
- Kwan has a wax statue of herself at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in New York.
- Kwan and fellow figure skater Brian Boitano appeared as announcers in the film Ice Princess.
- She provided the voice of a shopkeeper in the Disney direct-to-DVD sequel Mulan II.
- She also made a guest star appearance in children's cartoon TV show Arthur.
- Her former boyfriend is hockey player Brad Ference.
- She made a guest star appearance in the ''Family Guy episode, "A Hero Sits Next Door".
- Kwan currently resides in Manhattan Beach, California.
- Kwan is a seven-time recipient of Skating Magazine's Readers' Choice Award for figure skater of the year, and in 2003, the trophy that is given out for the Readers' Choice Award was renamed the "Michelle Kwan Trophy."
- In May 2000, Kwan was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People Magazine.
- She is the co-owner of the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.
- Kwan speaks fluent Cantonese as well as some conversational Mandarin.
Scholarship
The Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship program was established by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors in cooperation with Kwan. The scholarship is awarded annually to 10 outstanding female high school graduates from across the United States who are involved in athletics. Each scholarship provides a $5,000 award payable over four years: $2,000 for the freshman year and $1,000 per year for up to three additional years, contingent upon maintaining minimum eligibility criteria each year.[Michelle Kwan's REWARDS scholarship program], accessed July 14, 2006.Quotes
- "As a child, I'd wonder, 'When I die, will people still remember me 1,000 years later?' And without the gold medal... Well, the Olympics are the ultimate achievement in my sport. At times I think, 'Why should I push myself all those long hours in the rink?' But then I think, 'How will I ever know how good I could have been?' I want to be the Michael Jordan of my sport." [Michelle Kwan biography], accessed July 14, 2006
- "Work hard, have fun, and be yourself." - Michelle Kwan's motto, appears on publicity cards.
- I'm not closing any doors right now," said Kwan who missed this year's Olympics with a groin injury. "Since 2002, I've kind of left everything wide open. ... I want to go back to school and finish up. But I think the first thing is to get healthy and feel good about my body and feel, oh, OK, I'm ready."
References
External links
- [U.S. Figure Skating Athlete Biography]
- [International Skating Union (ISU) Skater Biography]
- [Official U.S. Olympic Team Biography] with links to three photo galleries
- [NBCOlympics.com Athlete Biography] with news, results, videos, and photos
- [AAJA statements regarding headline controversy after 2002 Olympics]
- [Michelle Kwan Fansite]
- [Videos of Michelle Kwan's performances at youtube.com]
World Champions in Figure Skating – Ladies' Singles
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