Michelle Kwan delivered the opening address at Champs Camp, then posed for pictures with U.S. champions Caydee Denne y and John Coughlin, and Ashley Wagner.
SENDING A MESSAGE
Kwan: ‘No one was going to outwork me’ by BARB REICHERT
Just hours before embarking on the serious business of Champs Camp,
Ashley Wagner was chatting in a downtown alley between photo shoots. “You know,” Wagner said casually to a reporter, “I want to treat my fans
like Michelle (Kwan). She’s amazing. She’ll stop on the concourse and sign autographs for every little girl. And she’s such a class act. There is no one like her.”
A few short hours later, Wagner was sitting with Team USA when the
surprise keynote speaker was introduced by Mitch Moyer, senior director of athlete high performance. “She won nine U.S. Championships …” Immediately, smiles broke out across the room accompanied by whis-
pers of “Michelle!” “… and fi ve World Championships.” Wagner, the 2012 U.S. champion and winner of the 2012 Michelle Kwan
Trophy in a SKATING magazine fan vote, sat up higher to see over the front row.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Michelle Kwan.” Michelle Kwan, the most decorated fi gure skater in American history, re-
cently inducted into the U.S. and World fi gure skating halls of fame. Michelle Kwan, pop icon turned U.S. diplomat. Michelle Kwan, legend. When asked to speak at this year’s Champs Camp, Kwan was hum-
bled at the thought of addressing skaters, some of whom were her peers. A sought-after speaker, she wanted this to be more intimate, focused on real-world experiences, both good and bad. “I’ve never been to Champs Camp,” she said breaking the ice, “so this is a
new experience for me.” Kwan, 32, shared her history, recalling a time when at age 11 or 12, she
admitted to her father, Danny, that she was a bit intimidated by some skaters in the rink. “My dad turned to me and said, ‘Yes, some of these skaters are a lot more
talented than you, but that’s why you have to work that much harder.’ “I’ll never forget that conversation. It changed the way I approached
training and competing. It changed my whole way of thinking about where I wanted to go and how I was going to get there. It was so simple: No one was going to outwork me.”
Her message echoed the sentiment of the Muhammad Ali quote embla-
zoned on the offi cial Champs Camp T-shirt: “Champions are not only made in the [rink]. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” But unlike boxing legend Ali, who famously declared, “I am the greatest
of all time,” Kwan did much of her work quietly off the ice. She encouraged today’s athletes to focus beyond their skating talent. “There’s a big diff erence between good athletes and great athletes,”
Kwan said. “The great ones focus on every detail: diet, sleep, weight, training habits, and, on top of it all, the strength of character to keep their eyes on the prize. It can make the diff erence between winning and everything else.” Kwan ended her presentation with a candid question-and-answer ses- sion, a unique opportunity for skaters to get answers from the very best. When Kwan stepped off the stage, she posed for pictures with skaters and offi cials alike. Among those smiling for the camera was Wagner. “Please make sure I get a copy of that,” she said as she grinned at the
photographer. SKATING 13
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