a skating star retires

Today, I heard the announcement that Michelle Kwan will not be competing in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. She has chosen graduate studies to pursue a career in International Relations which seemed like the perfect 'job' for such an extraordinary young 29-year old woman and skater. I am a huge fan of hers. I was contemplating on travelling to Vancouver again just to see her compete in 2010 but now I am sure I won't be going through with that.

Michelle Kwan is a first-class skater and a genuine human being. I admire her consistency and love for her sport and her graciousness and wisdom. To top it off, I am proud she is a Chinese-American whose parents also hails from Hong Kong. She said today, "Skating will always be a part of me. But, in the bigger picture of my life, I have always wanted to find a career that will allow me to make a positive contribution and difference in the world. Representing the United States as an American Public Diplomacy Envoy the past three years has been very rewarding, and I want to do more. Furthering my education will bring me closer to that goal, and I don't want to wait any longer to continue the journey."

I have followed Michelle Kwan's skating career since 1993 when she was chosen as the alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team because of the Harding-Kerrigan scandal. She went on to win an unprecedented 43 championships, including world titles in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003; nine U.S. championships (eight of them consecutively) in 1996 and from 1998 through 2005; and her two Olympic medals. No American man or woman has won more world or U.S. titles.

So, I am a little sad that Michelle Kwan is retiring from skating. I think she will be remembered as truly one of the greatest athletes who have graced not only the sport of figure skating but in the sports world. She is looking at the bigger picture of her life and that is truly admirable. Most skaters have such a short career-span, so it is wise to think ahead what one wants to do. It is like building another chapter in life, long after skating is over. Even though Michelle never won the Olympic Gold, i believe she already has earned Gold already. She makes me proud to be a Chinese American woman and she makes me love ice skating more than ever! God bless her! Thanks for reading!