Support Michelle Kwan's Right To Fall Down

We're not going to get in the habit of talking about figure skating around these parts, but we will confess, we taken much interest and, yes, enjoyment, in the plight of Professional Face Of Figure Skating Michelle Kwan.

Yesterday, Kwan announced that she's skipping the U.S. championships because of an injury, and since those usually are how one, you know, qualifies for the Olympics, she's petioning to be included. And why is it so vital for Kwan to make it into this particular Olympics? Two reasons:

1. She's very old. Well, she's 26. In women's figure skating years, that translates to about 2,384. 2. She always chokes in the Olympics.

No, seriously. In any other sport, Michelle Kwan would be known as the biggest choke artist around. This is a woman who has been at the absolute top of her field for nearly a decade, yet every time the Olympics comes around, she gags and blows it. The last Olympics, jeez, the judges were begging her to win; all she had to do is not fall down. And, whaddya know, she fell. (And even that probably would have been OK had Sarah Hughes not come around.)

If figure skating had the rabid, bloodthirsty fans of other sport, Michelle Kwan would be Bill Buckner combined with Rick Ankiel. Therefore, we support Kwan's bid to return to the Olympics; we love it when skaters fall down. That's the only part we like, actually.

Kwan's Move A Big Gamble [ESPN]