MICHELLE KWAN
Name: Michelle Kwan
Born: 7 July 1980
Michelle Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is an American figure skater. She has won nine U.S.
championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals. She has
remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater
in U.S. history. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice,
she is widely considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.
Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan,
Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture
of Cantonese and English at home. In addition, she also speaks some
conversational Mandarin. Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of
five when she followed her two older siblings (ice hockey player Ron and figure
skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when she
was about 8 years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3am
to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate
again. Paying for their increased skating-rink time led to financial hardship
for Kwan's working class family. Her mother took on a second job and her father
started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees.
Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still wasn't enough
to finance the skating. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer
afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by another member of
the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that allowed them to train at the Ice
Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.
Kwan was homeschooled starting at the age of 13. Prior to that, she attended
Soleado Elementary School in Palos Verdes, California. After graduating from Rim
of the World High School in 1999, she attended UCLA for one year. In the fall of
2006 she transferred to the University of Denver with the intent to major in
political science with a minor in international studies.
Name: Michelle Kwan
Born: 7 July 1980
Michelle Kwan (born July 7, 1980) is an American figure skater. She has won nine U.S.
championships, five World Championships, and two Olympic medals. She has
remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater
in U.S. history. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice,
she is widely considered to be one of the greatest figure skaters of all time.
Born in Torrance, California, Kwan is the third child of Danny and Estella Kwan,
Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. As a child, Kwan grew up speaking a mixture
of Cantonese and English at home. In addition, she also speaks some
conversational Mandarin. Kwan's interest in figure skating began at the age of
five when she followed her two older siblings (ice hockey player Ron and figure
skater Karen) onto the ice. Karen and Michelle began serious training when she
was about 8 years old. They practiced three to four hours a day, waking up at 3am
to skate before school and going back to the rink right after school to skate
again. Paying for their increased skating-rink time led to financial hardship
for Kwan's working class family. Her mother took on a second job and her father
started working extra hours to finance the rink time and coaching fees.
Eventually the family decided to sell their house, but that still wasn't enough
to finance the skating. When Kwan was ten years old, her family could no longer
afford a coach, but they were offered financial assistance by another member of
the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club that allowed them to train at the Ice
Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.
Kwan was homeschooled starting at the age of 13. Prior to that, she attended
Soleado Elementary School in Palos Verdes, California. After graduating from Rim
of the World High School in 1999, she attended UCLA for one year. In the fall of
2006 she transferred to the University of Denver with the intent to major in
political science with a minor in international studies.