Kwan shows us
how to win and loseWhy any reasonable person would ever want to become a figure skater befuddles me to no end. A lifetime of work and dedication can come crashing down in a millisecond. The pressure is so demented that you're forced to attempt moves that you know you can't complete successfully nearly half the time (or so it seems). And if you don't try them, they call you conservative.
So thank you, Michelle Kwan, for showing us the best side of America in the face of a heart-wrenching defeat. The first words that came out of her mouth when she returned from a mistake-tainted performance were "I didn't give up."
Later, she told reporters: "I made a few mistakes. It just wasn't meant to be." No excuses.
Despite the welling in her tear-stained eyes, Kwan gently and subtly showed gold medalist Sarah Hughes the most graceful way to get on the medal stand. How symbolic.
And throughout, despite being under the gaze of the nation and the world, she displayed sincere dignity and grace.
The games turned ugly. The Russians and the Koreans are complaining loudly. Justified? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't help when some host Americans do have a tendency to gloat and beat their chests a little too loudly when they win.
Kwan showed us how to act when things don't go our way.
--Gordon Y.K. Pang