Michelle Kwan Bailey W B 1B 5 2013

Michelle Kwan Bailey W. B 1/B 5 2013

Before Fame • Born July 7, 1980. • Michelle has a sister named Karen. • She watched her brother play ice hockey as a youngster. This encouraged her to skate too. • She is the youngest of 3 children.

How She Became Famous • She was qualified to skate in the upcoming Junior National Championships. • She was given scholarships to attend the Ice Castle International Skating Center in Lake Arrowhead, California. • She earned a bronze medal at the Pacific Coast Sectionals. • Michelle Kwan finished eighth in the 1994 World Championships at the age of 13.

Obstacles She Faced • In February 2006, she was forced to withdraw from the Olympic games in Torino, Italy, due to a severely strained groin. • 1997 was the hardest year for Michelle because she was having trouble with her confidence. • During the World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, she fell multiple times. • She fired both her choreographer, Lori Nichol, and longtime coach, Frank Carroll. This made it hard for her to make up routines.

Major Accomplishments • She had 3. 9 grade-pointaverages in her senior year. • She captured the world title in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003. • She took third in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. • She tried out for the 2006 Olympic ice skating team.

Personal Life • She enjoys swimming, biking and bowling. • She likes all different kinds of music. • Her parents are from Hong Kong. • Her sister also skates.

Other Interesting Information • • She is 32 years old. In 1998 she signed with the Walt Disney Company to star in four television specials. She suffered a stress fracture in the second toe of her left foot. In the U. S. Nationals opened in January 1998, she skated so beautifully that some judges were moved to tears.

Bibliography • Michelle Kwan. " Michelle Kwan (Biography Today) (2010): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. • A+E Networks. "Michelle Kwan Biography. " Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, n. d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http: //www. biography. com/people/michelle-kwan 11919948>. • "Michelle Kwan - Biography. " Biggest. Stars. com. Version 2004 -2008. Biggest. Stars. com, n. d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http: //www. biggeststars. com/m/michelle-kwanbiography. html>.