Trophy is Renamed in Kwan's Honor
Kwan is Honored for "Decade of Brilliance"
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| SKATING magazine Editor Amy Partain awards the Readers' Choice Award to Michelle Kwan. The award will be renamed in Kwan's honor. |
Five-time World and seven-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan of Manhattan Beach, Calif., was named the 2003 recipient of SKATING magazine's Readers' Choice Award for Skater of the Year, the seventh time and third straight time she has received the honor. Kwan, who previously won the award in 1994, '96, '98, '99,'01 and ‘02, is the only multiple winner of the award. The announcement was made at the 2003 USFSA Governing Council Meeting, May 10 in Norfolk, Va.
In addition to announcing Michelle Kwan as the 2003 recipient of the award, the USFSA announced that the Readers' Choice trophy would be renamed the “Michelle Kwan Trophy” in honor of her numerous accomplishments over the past decade and to recognize the strong support for Kwan by the readers of SKATING magazine regarding the award. Kwan was the guest of honor and was recognized by the USFSA for her “Decade of Brilliance” at the closing banquet of the 2003 USFSA Governing Council on Saturday evening.
Executive Director John LeFevre made the announcement regarding the renaming of the trophy. The announcement came on the heels of a stirring evening that featured stories and comments about Kwan from some of skating's greatest stars.
"I'm delighted to even be mentioned in the same breath as Michelle," said Carol Heiss Jenkins, the only other U.S. woman to win five World titles. "Michelle personifies everything a great skater is — determination, perseverance, hard work, good training, grace, beauty, poise."
Chevy Champions on Ice tour founder Tom Collins followed with some endearing stories of his own about the first time he saw Kwan, and he recognized her legacy.
"After Michelle Kwan was born, Danny and Estella (her parents) broke the mold," Collins said. "There is truly one and only Michelle Kwan. She is one in a million."
Two videos were shown. The first had skaters from Champions on Ice giving her warm wishes and congratulating her on the "Decade of Brilliance." Those skaters included Elvis Stojko, Sasha Cohen, Timothy Goebel, Irina Slutskaya, Shae-Lynn Bourne, Victor Kraatz, Rudy Galindo, Elizabeth Punsalan, Jerod Swallow and Evgeny Plushenko.
"Remember eating sushi together?" Slutskaya said about her shared memories and friendship with Kwan. "And talking girl talk on the bus?"
The second video featured highlights of the last 10 years — and her complete free skate from the 2003 World Championships.
For her part, Kwan was surprised and very honored to have the award named after her.
"You told me you had a surprise for me," Kwan said to LeFevre."Thank you. I had no idea."
Kwan talked about her 10 years in the sport, reflecting on both the good times and the bad. She mentioned the life lessons that skating has taught her, including things like learning that missing a triple flip is not the end of world. She also remembered everyone who has helped her through the years.
"Even though skating is an individual sport, I think of it as a team sport," she said, thanking the USFSA, which has supported her throughout her career, her coaches, Frank Carroll and Scott Williams; her mentors like Brian Boitano, her manager (Shep Goldberg), and her "boss and friend" — Tom Collins.
"I also have a great family," said Kwan with tears in her eyes. "[I have] a mom who stayed up all night sewing my first costume because she couldn't afford to have one made ... a father who's 'driven' around the world twice so my sister and I could skate, and [a father] who held my hands at the boards in Salt Lake City."
Over the past decade, Kwan has claimed an unprecedented 41 championship titles and this season claimed the title as the most decorated U.S. skater in the history of the sport by winning her fifth World title, seventh U.S. title and seventh Skate America title. Kwan was also recognized this year by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) by earning Sportswoman Athlete of the Month honors in January and March.
Kwan, who previously claimed World titles in 1996, '98, '00 and '01, is now tied for most World titles by a U.S. woman with Carol Heiss who won five straight from 1956-60. Kwan, along with Heiss and Herma Jaross-Szabo of Austria, trail only the legendary Sonja Henie of Norway who claimed 10 World titles from 1927-36.
Kwan also claimed her eighth career World medal, a record for the most medals by any U.S. skater at the World Championships. She also becomes the first woman in the sport of figure skating to reclaim the World title three times.
Her seven U.S. titles are second only to the legendary Maribel Vinson who claimed nine titles during her career. Her six consecutive U.S. titles ties her with Vinson (1928-33) and Gretchen Merrill (1943-48) for the longest winning streak in U.S. history. Her mark of 10 U.S. Championship medals (7 gold, three silver) has only been surpassed by Vinson (11) and Her 10 consecutive medals at the U.S. Championships (1994-2003) is a record shared only by Theresa Weld Blanchard (1914-1924).
Voted on by the readers of SKATING magazine, the official publication of the U.S. Figure Skating Association, the annual award honors an eligible figure skater(s) for their accomplishments throughout the season. The Readers' Choice Award is an original three-piece crystal sculpture created by Crystal Signatures of Bethlehem, Pa. Crystal Signatures has designed many well known sculptures including ESPN's annual Espy Award.
SKATING MAGAZINE READERS' CHOICE FIGURE SKATER OF THE YEAR AWARD
PAST RECIPIENTS
2003 Michelle Kwan
2002 Michelle Kwan
2001 Michelle Kwan
2000 Michael Weiss
1999 Michelle Kwan
1998 Michelle Kwan
1997 Tara Lipinski
1996 Michelle Kwan
1995 Todd Eldredge
1994 Michelle Kwan
1993 Scott Davis
1992 Paul Wylie
1991 Tonya Harding
1990 Jill Trenary
1989 Kristi Yamaguchi
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