Of Cats and Kids

Kwan count 2006

Posted by: Carol Lombardi

Monday, February 20, 2006 11:50 PM

Now that Michelle Kwan succumbed to the pressure of stealing someone else's spot on the Olympic team and went back home where she should have been to start with, all is as it should be in Torino. Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC we get to see ladies Olympic figure skating without Michelle Kwan. Finally.

Michelle was also absent from Nationals last month (where Emily EARNED her spot on the team), but that did not prevent the commentators from mentioning her name - 36 times during the women's coverage, if my daughter's tally marks were accurate. And that was just the word "Kwan" - we didn't even count "Michelle."

I'm not sure my daughter is going to be able to participate in the Olympic Kwan count because the competitions run late on school nights, so I'd like some help from readers. The (new) rules are: one tally mark for each mention of either "Michelle" (where it is obviously referring to Kwan) or "Kwan." Therefore, the term "Michelle Kwan" counts as two.

And no, this is not a drinking game. But it could be.

Also in figure skating: Congratulations to former Canadian Tanith Belbin for helping the U.S. win its first Olympic medal in ice dancing in 30 years. And congratulations to all the skaters who have skated in costumes outrageous enough to provoke an amusing AP commentary, "Who dresses these people?"

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