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Skating

Hip better, Kwan makes return today

The nine-time U.S. champ, however, won't get another chance to compete under the new scoring system before going for No.10.

Associated Press
Published December 11, 2005

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BOSTON - Michelle Kwan will unveil a new routine today as she prepares for the U.S. championships.

The practice she really needs, though, she won't get.

The U.S. Figure Skating Challenge at Boston University's Agganis Arena will use an American Idol-style, phone-in voting system to determine the winners.

That means Kwan, who has missed the past two months with a strained ligament in her right hip, will go to nationals next month with just one competition under the new scoring system adopted in the wake of the Salt Lake City Olympic judging scandal.

"The new system is a big enough challenge," Kwan said Saturday. "I'd rather have that as my main focus."

Instead, the five-time world and nine-time U.S. champion will have to worry about her new routine and injury.

"It's manageable," Kwan said of the hip. "It's not 100 percent, but I'm getting better. So I'm optimistic ... I can push as hard as I can to nationals. I'm being very gentle."

Kwan's injury forced her to withdrew from the Oct.6 Figure Skating Classic in St. Paul, Minn. She had hoped to return for the Cup of China in Beijing but missed the entire Grand Prix season.

To get used to the scoring system, which abandoned the traditional perfect score of 6.0, Kwan had judges come to practice to tell her what she was doing right and wrong.

"But unfortunately, I didn't compete," she said. "You deal with what you have. It's never a good time (to be injured). I would like to have competed in the Grand Prix season."

Kwan won't get any experience with the new judging system today. The event will allow television viewers to vote by calling a number or text messaging. Fans at the arena will be able to vote at their seats.

"It's a good opportunity for me to get out there," Kwan said. "It will be nice just to go out there for my own good; see where I'm at."

Kwan's last serious injury was a stress fracture in her foot before the 1998 Olympics.

This time, the injury wasn't just a problem when she skated. Even walking was a problem.

"It wasn't like I could avoid the triple Lutz or a certain jump because everything hurt," she said. "It was getting frustrating. You sit back and watch the competitions go by, going through the programs in my head."

Two months ago, Kwan, 25, could be on the ice for only about 30 minutes at a time. When her training is in full swing, it's more like three hours.

"I was thinking, "Thirty minutes on the ice? Is this a joke? You're supposed to be training for the Olympics,"' she said.

Building back up to a regular training schedule "was so gradual. I would have to go by how I felt."

Still, Kwan is optimistic she can be ready for the U.S. championships.

"I've done this before," she said, noting that at Christmas 1998 she was still having trouble with the double Axel.

"The thing is just making sure I don't have any more setbacks."

Kwan will skate her short program to Totentanz by Franz Liszt, the same music used by Irina Slutskaya.

"Everyone has their own interpretation of the music, so it's no big deal," Kwan said.

"It just happened that we picked the same music."

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]