Why Don’t These Skaters Retire?
Why won't Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen and Emanuel Sandhu retire? Okay, I can see the temptation for Sandhu to hang on for the Olympics in his hometown, but the US ladies must know that their time has come and gone, especially after what happened in Turino.
Sasha Cohen registered to compete in this year's US Figure Skating Championships and says she's planning to compete through to 2010. Kwan is reportedly "taking the season off," but hasn't officially retired.
Here's my thought… after years of international accolades and successful careers, why not join the show circuit, tour the world performing in front of packed-out crowds and learn to enjoy the sport, not just the competition high. My fear for both these ladies is that they're already burnt out, and the next three years will be a disappointing downward spiral. Or perhaps they'll have to quietly drop out of the race. By the time they actually retire to show skating they'll have lost their love of the sport and their audience appeal, and they won't get to benefit from all the years of hard work.
As for Sandhu… I don't think there's too many skating fans who want to be on that rollercoaster for another three years.