Michelle Kwan

This is Michelle Kwan, a figure skater. ( ())

Figure skating had been her whole life. Her dream was to go to the Olympics and win the gold medal, but not everything went the way she wanted it to go. A figure skater named Michelle Kwan, had this dream of going to the Olympics. Her goal was to get into the teams, give a wonderful performance, and win a gold medal. But she was able to fulfill only two of these three goals. Michelle Kwan was a well-respected and admired figure skater, causing many athletes to look up to her. Michelle was able to give excellent performances and was able to become my hero. Michelle was born on July 7, 1980. Her parents lived in China and had traveled to the U.S. in 1970. Michelle started skating at a young age and her coaches could see she had a talent for skating. When Michelle was able to participate in the Olympics, she got hurt and had to wear a cast. This prevented her from competing in the Olympics and made her disappointed. After a while, she went back to figure skating again and entered the U.S. Championships. There Michelle competed and won a gold medal. This was an important event for her because she really liked figure skating. A hero must possess courageousness, honor, and be positive. They must have courage because they can't achieve anything without it. They cannot do anything great without courage because everything great begins with bravery. They must be honorable because they have to be respected and well-admired to be a hero. They need to be positive because the positivity will stick on people and inspire them. If they are positive, then they could do anything if they tried. This would inspire others to try their best and stay positive too. Michelle Kwan is a hero because she is courageous, honorable, and always stays positive.

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Michelle Kwan was courageous because she was able to get into the Olympics even though others said she wouldn't be able to. Michelle showed that she had the talents and could get into the Olympic teams. Michelle had gotten into the Olympics team, but there were still some obstacles she had to overcome. She got on the team and competed, but the judges thought it wasn't good enough. "In overcoming her losses at the Olympics and emerging as an even more popular personality, Kwan has seemed to transcend her sport." (Michelle Wing Kwan). Michelle went to compete in the Olympics, but she didn't get a gold medal. This made her sad, but she was also happy she got this far. The Olympics was a like competitive show and for her to get to compete in it was a miracle. Michelle was brave enough to go compete in the Olympics, even though others thought she wouldn't be good enough. Michelle proved them wrong by getting into the teams and competing in the Olympics. She was courageous because she was able to show her talents for the world to see and she didn't lose confidence when she lost the gold medal. The judges wouldn't want to take her seriously, but Michelle wanted to show she was worthy of their attention. "...she would quickly be dismissed by the professional judges. But Kwan was determined to show that she belonged in the senior ranks." (Michelle Kwan). Michelle wanted to show that she had the talent to skate. She wanted to prove she was a wonderful skater, even though some people might think otherwise. Michelle wanted to get the judges' attention and show them her wonderful performance for them to acknowledge her. This shows she is courageous because she could show everyone that she can skate, even though they are saying negative words about her. Michelle isn't afraid of the negative comments and keeps doing what she loves to do, figure skating. Michelle showed her courage by continuing to figure skate and competing at the Olympics. She proved to everyone that her talents for skating were good enough for her to get into the Olympics. She received many negative comments, but that didn't stop her from chasing her dreams.

Michelle is posing after ice skating. ( ())

Michelle Kwan was honorable because she didn't lose sight of her dream of figure skating. Michelle also didn't lose the feeling on having fun while skating, making her an admirable athlete. She didn't let the desire of winning take over the excitement of figure skating. Michelle loved figure skating. She entered competitions to show others her talent, but she also had fun on the ice too. Michelle hurt her ankle while skating at the Olympics, but she wanted to finish her turn at the Olympics. "A model of graciousness in her defeat, Kwan earned praise for the way she handled her disappointment at the Olympics." (Michelle Wing Kwan). Even though Michelle's ankle's was injured, she still finished her turn at the Olympics. Michelle didn't win first place, but she didn't complain about it. She was happy being able to finish her skating for that round. Michelle was sad she didn't get a gold medal, but it was enough for her to compete in the Olympics. This made her honorable because she was able to get over her disappointment and not throw a tantrum over it. Michelle had also wanted to finish her turn at the Olympics, even though she was hurt. She didn't want to leave the competition without doing anything in it yet. Michelle entered the U.S. Olympics Festival and competed against other figure skaters. She had an outstanding performance, leaving others speechless. "It was the competition that got crushed, as Michelle went out and won four of the six events she entered. At the U.S. Olympic Festival, she took the ice before the largest crowd in the history of figure skating and calmly landed six triple jumps. The audience was on its feet when she finished, and tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of everyone who knew her." (Stewart). Michelle surprised everyone by winning most of the events in the competition. Since she was still young, many people thought she wasn't going to win any events. But Michelle proved them wrong and showed that she did have the talents to be able to compete. This made Michelle honorable because she was able to keep her word and complete the competition. She performed well and got good scores. She showed that she could win the competition. Michelle showed that she was honorable by keeping her word about winning the competition. She also competed in the Olympics, even though she hurt herself. She didn't want to walk away from her chance of performing in the Olympics.

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Michelle was able to stay positive, even though she received a lot of horrible comments about her. She didn't let what people say get in the way of reaching her dreams. Michelle heard she wasn't going to be competing in the Olympics and was disappointed.  But she was still able to stay positive. "...Michelle was devastated by the news that she probably would not compete. The best she could do was to put on a smile and say the right thing. "I think it's fair," she told reporters. "What I've gotten already is incredible." (Stewart). Michelle couldn't compete in the Olympics, causing her to be disappointed. She was close to her dream, but it slipped away from her at the last second. She told the reporters that it was okay because having the experience and having fun was the most important thing. Michelle showed that she was able to stay positive by tell the reporters she was glad to get the chance to be an alternative for the Olympics. She made it far and it was good enough for her. She didn't let the desire of getting into the Olympics team get the best of her. Michelle finally had her chance to compete in the Olympics. She was happy, of course, but things didn't always go the way she wanted them to go. ""I didn't open up; I didn't really let go. I knew this wasn't going to be a piece of cake, but I can walk away and be happy. It might not be the gold medal I wanted, but I'll take it."" (Phillips). Although Michelle got to compete at the Olympics, she didn't get to fulfill her dream of winning the gold medal. This disappointed her, but she was able to get over it. Michelle had aimed for the gold medal at the Olympics, but after getting the results back she was still happy to win a silver medal in 1998 and a bronze in 2002. She didn't have to get a gold medal. This showed that she was able to stay positive and not get angry over her loss. Michelle had gone to the Olympics with goals, but wasn't able to fulfill that goal. Her goal was to get a gold medal, but she wasn't able to get one. She was still able to stay positive, even though she hadn't reached her goal.

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A hero like Michelle Kwan was courageous, honorable, and had a lot of positivity. She is a well-respected person and admired by many people. Michelle is a hero that inspires others to try to follow their dreams and never give up on the dreams. Michelle Kwan was courageous because she was brave enough to perform in front of many people, even though she might not win. Michelle was brave enough to fall from her jumps and still get back up, instead of sitting and thinking of how she already messed up. She was honorable because she kept her goal of winning the competition. Michelle was happy to be able to compete in the Olympics, even though she didn't win the gold medal. She was able to stay positive because she had many people supporting her. Even though she didn't get into the first Olympics team or get a gold medal, she was able to stay positive and not get too sad. Michelle loves figure skating and she will continue to ice skate because that is her dream. Michelle doesn't want to give up this dream and wants to keep chasing it. She says you should chase after every chance you get or you might regret it. This inspires me to keep following my dreams, so I won't regret anything either. She also inspired me to not let what other people say get to me because it might change me. Michelle did change a bit after trying so hard to get noticed by the judges, but she realized that she figure skated because it was fun, not because she had to win the competition. Michelle Kwan was an important figure skater. Michelle is well-respected and admired by many athletes. She was able to enjoy figure skating to the fullest. Michelle went through tough times to compete in the Olympics, but that made her stronger. People didn't believe she would be able to make it onto the Olympics team, but she proved them wrong and worked harder to get on the team. Michelle was an inspirational person and I'll never forget what she said one time in an interview. ""Maybe the biggest lesson I've learned from my parents is that regret is a terrible word," she later said."It's the number-one thing to avoid in life. When you have an opportunity, you have to take it. You can't let yourself be lazy or afraid, or else you'll end up looking back, saying, 'If only I had worked harder, I could have made it.'"" When Michelle said this, it made me want to go after every opportunity like she did and not regret anything.