I have been watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi and it’s just not the same for me.  I don’t know any of these people.  I’ve been out of the game so long.

Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, Kristy Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Oksana Baiul, Scott Hamilton, Victor Petrenko, Surya Bonaley, Tara Lipinski…. Sure, throw Tonya Harding in there…

I would say that Michelle Kwan was my all time favorite.  I watched pretty much everything that she did.  Maybe it was an age thing, we were around the same age and she was just so spectacular.  Nancy Kerrigan and Kristy Yamaguchi were women I could look up to as a little girl, Oksana Baiul was so delicate looking, yet so strong.  I loved watching her perform “The Swan”.  By the time Michelle came along, I cheered her on like a would a best friend that I would see the next day at school!

Tara Lipinski seemed to be in and out so quickly, we are the same age, AND she trained in Detroit, so I should have seen her as a hometown hero, but it was all about Michelle Kwan and for me at the time, Ms. Lipinkski seemed to rain on her parade.

The Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding incident happened in my hometown, Detroit, so needless to say, it was even more scandalous and awful.  Bad enough that Tonya did what she did, but Detroit… really.  The city didn’t need anymore negativity, Ms. Harding… Thanks.

I had pretty much stopped watching by the time Johnny Weir came on the scene, but I did see his documentary and would definitely add him to my list.  He’s a pretty funky guy and a phenomenal athlete for his generation as well.

My daughter seemed to enjoy it when I turned it out and started spinning around the room.  Since she loves dancing, Figure Skating and Ice Dancing was definitely fun for her to watch!

So while it’s time to cheer on another generation, nothing beats the forever stars in my heart like my Figure Skating Olympic Champions.

What are your favorite Olympic memories?