Evan and Michelle
Courtesy of Lois Elfman/Icenetwork.com
A few weeks ago, on February 17, 2011, the documentary "RISE" was screened nationwide on theatre screens everywhere. It was supposed to be a one time event, but was so popular that a March 7th, 2011 screening was added.
RISE documents and honors the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating team whose lives were lost due to a tragic plane accident on their way to Prague for the 1961 World Championships. Michelle, along with other famous U.S. figure skaters such as Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano were on the red carpet on February 17 to celebrate the release of the documentary and several of our members were lucky to be in attendance at the New York City screening.
Michelle and other related skaters being interviewed on the red carpet:
Here is an excerpt of Michelle talking about Maribel Vinson, who coached Frank Carroll:
After the screening in New York City, there was an interview segment that included Michelle, Brian Boitano, Peggy Fleming, Scott Hamilton, and many other skaters in a session by Matt Lauer. One can view the pictures from the event here: RISE: Multimedia
Michelle is a member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, and the Council's 'Let's Move!' initiative is celebrating its one-year anniversary today (2/9)!
The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is a committee of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about opportunities to develop accessible, affordable and sustainable physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition programs for all Americans regardless of age, background or ability. The Council’s mission is to engage, educate and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition. For more information about the Council and its members, visit www.fitness.gov.
In addition to its presidential advisory role, the Council promotes and maintains the President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards program (President’s Challenge) which encourages all Americans to include physical activity – 30 minutes per day for adults and 60 minutes per day for youth – in their daily lives. For more information about the President’s Challenge programs, visit www.presidentschallenge.org.
Michelle attended the 31st Annual Women's Sports Foundation Awards Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City this past Tuesday. Her life having changed due to their donation of $1000 that enabled Michelle to have custom figure skates when she was very young, Michelle
...
Over the October 1-2nd weekend, Michelle co-headlined with Korea's Yuna Kim for the All That Skate LA show that took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Having spoken with several MKF members, it seems as though the show was a hit. Having personally been there, I can honestly say it was one of the best ice shows I have seen, I would say, since Stars on Ice, 1997. In large part it was due to the stellar cast that included Michelle (of course), Yuna Kim, Olympic champions Virtue & Moir, Shen & Zhao, World Champions Savchenko & Szolkowy, Belbin & Agosto, Stephane Lambiel, Johnny Weir, and Patrick Chan.
At the ice show last weekend, Michelle and Yuna Kim held a Q&A session with members of the audience who had paid for a VIP ticket. Michelle was clearly overjoyed to be there, and I noticed that Michelle got emotional at many points in the show. With her huge group of friends and family watching her skate (in addition to a fairly large fan contingency in which I would hope she considers us her family in an abstract way), I'm sure Michelle felt the love. There was so much joy simply pouring out of her, and each move was finished from her fingertips to her toes, something that we've been graced with in the past.
It was broadcast-ed on NBC over the weekend, and though it did not completely show the full classiness of the ice show, it was much better than some of the more recent broadcasts that I have seen in which some of the skating shows had singers and other celebrities, and the focus was torn away from that of the skaters.
If you missed some of the broadcast, someone uploaded terrific videos of the broadcast, and here are a few that included Michelle:
In Boston, Olympic Medalist and 5-time World Figure Skating Champion Michelle Kwan will be putting on a skating clinic for Special Olympics athletes and Unified Partners. The event will be held at Allied War Veterans Memorial Arena in Everett, Ma. The clinic will take place on Saturday, September 25 from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. There will be a short reception/party afterwards that will include lunch. The event is free-of-charge.
Michelle and Yuna skated to Mariah Carey's "Hero" last month, bringing tears to some fans' eyes. Like the previous year for "Ice All Stars", the Korean press took a ton of photos, and several fans took some videos of the the performances throughout the
...