How You Became a Sarah Fan
This page is for fans to share their stories of how or when they first became a fan of Sarah's. I became a fan of Sarah's the first time I saw her skate which happened to be in person in October 1998 at An Evening With Champions in Boston. I remember watching her and thinking she had so much poise and grace and couldn't believe she was only 13! Since then I've become an even bigger fan after watching her compete numerous times on TV.
If you would like to share your story of how you became a Sarah fan, just email it to me and I will post it here!
(2-7-03) Carley
Hi. I'm Carley Clement. I first became a MAJOR fan of Sarah's when I saw her at the olympics. After watching her in the short program, I knew she was something special. After seeing the short program, I knew the long was a must-see. On the evening of February 21, 2002, I got the chance to watch Sarah skate the program of her life. I, as well as the whole audience, knew Sarah had just jumped through a very small window of opportunity. After Kwan and Cohen fell and Slutskaya stumbled, I knew the gold was Sarah's. When Slutskaya's marks came up and Sarah had won, I knew I would forever be a Sarah Hughes fan.
(7-19-02) Brian
Hi my name is Brian Arnelien and I am a special olympian and when Sarah won the gold I was very happy. I cried. She is an awesome skater and she is one of my role models and she is one female skater who all Americans can be proud of. As for me she is an athlete who at her young age has won gold and to me that is a dream fulfilled. Way to go Sarah.
(7-14-02) Kathy
My name is Kathy, and I am 32 years old. I first knew about Sarah in 1999
when she placed fourth in Nationals and then improved dramatically in her
presentation before Worlds to place seventh. I have never witnessed such a
huge improvement in any skater in that short of time. It reminded me of How
Shannon Miller in gymnastics improved so much right before the 1992
Olympics.
Anyway, I began paying attention more to who Sarah was as a person after
1999. You see, I am blind and follow skating through the commentary, the
articles, and the interviews. I get behind those who sparkle in the areas I
can access without vision. Sarah shined so brightly there that I was
hooked.
I hurt for her when she placed third at the 2002 Nationals because I
knew she was disappointed, but that ended up being the best thing that could
have happened for her. When she got home, she and Robin worked so hard on
more of those dramatic changes I'd first noticed in 1999. Everything from
costume to hair to music to jumps changed while all of the other skaters
stayed right where they were. But, since this was Sarah, the personality of
genuine goodness didn't change.
I was again disappointed when she was in fourth after the short, but then
I had a huge family crisis. On the day of the long program, I hardly
thought of skating. I walked in a daze of pain from family problems, and I
felt my interest in the evening's event start to fade. Thankfully, I was so
upset by the family situation that I couldn't sleep and actually stayed up
to watch the competition. As it approached, my heart did lift from pain to
some tension and then excitement. I wanted some kind of medal for her,
especially because at least one or two of the skaters above her were much
too full of themselves to wear the true essence of a champion. I wanted her
to do well too for personal reasons: to give me some reassurance that all
things were possible and that hope was not dead.
No one was around me when the competition was happening, so I lived it
just listening to the crowd and comentators. Imagine that! Those of you
who taped the competition, try only listening to it without watching it.
It was the most magnificent, uplifting, inspiring thing I have ever seen
happen in sports! I absolutely couldn't believe that a skater could knock
off jump after jump like that in a way no one else even came close to! When
Scot said she didn't need another jump, my heart cringed because I was
afraid she would fall, having given too much in the program already. When
she hit, screamed, and heard the crowd explode, I knew the color of the
medal couldn't matter ever. An outstanding person had just completed an
outstanding performance that would go down in history.
Did I think she would win then?? I can't say I did because Michelle was
surely going to come through. Did I think Sarah would carry herself with
dignity no matter what? You bet, and I was right on the second count. Once
Sasha, Michelle, and Irena faultered, I was on the phone with two friends to
get some visual play-by-play because I could hardly sit still for the
results. When the screaming started, it was so loud I hadn't heard the
announcer say who won! I thought it was Sarah, but I didn't know!! While
all of you were dancing around your rooms, scaring your cats, and throwing
your tax papers on the floor, I was saying, "Who won? Who won?" When my
friends broke through the chaos with the answer, my first thought was that
Sarah's life had changed forever. Then I remembered who I was talking about
and knew that Sarah's life had changed but Sarah would not.
I wish I could see her smile and the long program performance and the
fire in her eyes. However, I know what the true heart of Sarah is like, and
that is golden indeed.
Page 2
|
