My Effect on my Sport and Others

As I progressed through my skating career, I became famous and well-known. The president at the time, Bill Clinton, wanted to meet with me but my busy schedule wouldn't allow it! I was very ashamed to have turned down our nation's leader! I was the youngest skater in history to get the most amount of perfect marks in my programs. My record is still standing. People invited me to skate in their shows, tours, and public and private events. Finding time to just relax and have some "down time" was very difficult.

Review of Book

Michelle Kwan: Sports Heroes and Legends was a great biography to read about none other than Michelle Kwan. It gave me information and details, but was very upbeat and interesting at the same time, unlike some biographies. This genre of book is my least favorite, but I found myself enjoying it. I rate the book 5 stars and would without-a-doubt read another one from the series. The series includes athletes Barry Bonds, Michelle Kwan, Lou Gehrig, Ichiro Suzuki, Mickey Mantle, and Tim Duncan. This book was written by Anne E. Hill, the copyright date is 2004, and the publication is the Lerner Publishing Group.

Obstacles and Risks I Overcame

Rising to the top of my sport wasn't easy. Many things came up and I just had to be strong and push past them. Some of them were minor, some major and life-changing. Here is a list of some of them.

1. I injured my toe right before Nationals, the competition that could be my golden ticket to the Olympics. Yes, I performed great despite me painful injury.

2. On a skating tour, my friend, Harris Collins died of a heart attack while I was skating. We may have been 30 years apart in age, but I was still devastated.

3. I have never achieved my main dream: winning a gold medal at the Olympics. I have every color but gold. (silver and bronze)

4. As I grew very mature in skating, I was upset to realize that I didn't need my beloved coach, Frank Carroll anymore. We grew to be great friends and great teammates. Letting him go was very emotional for both of us. Even though we stopped working together on the ice, he still cheered for me and communicated with me.

5. When Frank Carroll has visited a coaching conference before my 12th birthday, I went into Los Angeles to take the senior test. (senior is the highest level of skating) Frank hadn't agreed to let me do this, but I went behind his back anyway. (I passed the test...) Surely, he was furious with me and ignored me for several days, but didn't give up on me.

Special/Interesting Facts About Me

You may find many things in my life to be "interesting", but if you want to know every detail about me you must know a few things:

1. I started skating when I was 5 years old at a shopping mall's skating rink. The skates were brown and very uncomfortable but I always had too much fun to care.

2. When I started getting serious about skating, I had to attend morning lessons. I would sleep in my skating outfit (itchy tights and all), to make it on time.

3. When I was young, my Grandmother gave me a necklace with a Chinese dragon charm on it for good luck. I NEVER take it off!

4. I wrote an autobiography called Michelle Kwan: Heart of a Champion, a book about my life, skating and struggles.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Michelle Kwan and I'm a figure skater. I was in the Olympic games twice in my life, so far. My love of skating started when I was young, and has only increased. There have been many things in my life that have slowed me down, but never brought me to a stop. Please read about me, my life, and my skating career. Enjoy!

My Childhood

I was born on July 7,1980 in Torrance, California. I was born in the Chinese year of the monkey. People who are born in this year are said to be artistic, witty, and successful. My mother's name is Estella, my father's Danny. For a living, my parents owned and operated a Chinese restaurant called the Golden Pheasant. I have two older siblings- Karen and Ron. All through my childhood, Karen has skated with me. What may surprise you, is that my Chinese name is Kwan Wing Shan and my American name is Michelle, named after the Beatle's song "Michelle." I am very close to my family and visit them often despite my very busy schedule. They have made so many sacrifices for my passion and career of ice skating.