Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic Gold MedalsIn "Edge of Glory" Christine Brennan tells the stories of the world's best figure skaters as they travel through the most intense year of their young lives. Brennan goes backstage at major competitions and behind the scenes at the practice rinks to chronicle the figure skaters' quest for victory at the l998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. The year opens with the 1997 U.S. national championships in Nashville, where the teenage Michelle Kwan, a favorite for the Olympic gold medal, dissolves on the ice during a wrenching four-minute performance. As Kwan bursts into tears leaving the rink, tiny Tara Lipinski arrives on the ice and steals the show. In the 368 days from Nashville to Nagano, other women will vie for the gold, including the unpredictable Nicole Bobek, the lyrical Lu Chen, and even a college graduate, Tonia Kwiatkowski, who would love simply to make the U.S. team. The men's competition has turned into an unprecedented jumping contest, led by Canada's controversial Elvis Stojko. Todd Eldredge of the United States and Russia's Alexei Urmanov and Ilia Kulik are chasing Stojko, as are some youngsters, including America's top jumper, Michael Weiss. On the way to the Olympics, Brennan catches up with the famous and infamous, including Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan, Oksana Baiul, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, Rudy Galindo, and the exquisite Russian pairs. She introduces us to the people behind the scenes: the edgy agents who are never far from their cellular phones; the attentive coaches and choreographers who have devised the intricate moves that will determine who wins the gold and who does not; and the stern judges, who control the sport from their rinkside seats. |
Contents
Seven Minutes | 11 |
A Deer Caught in the Headlights 19 | 19 |
The Quad | 29 |
Copyright | |
14 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic ... Christine Brennan No preview available - 1998 |
Edge of Glory: The Inside Story of the Quest for Figure Skatings Olympic ... Christine Brennan No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
Alexei American arena artistic asked Baiul began Berezhnaia Bezic Bonaly Brian Boitano Champions Series final choreographer coach competition Danny Kwan Davis Dmitriev double axel Elvis Stojko event Fassi figure skating finished Frank Carroll Galindo girl going happened Heiss Janet Lynn judges Kazakova Kerrigan knew Kulik Kwan's Lake Arrowhead landed long program looked Lori Nichol marks men's Michelle Kwan Michelle's Mike Burg minutes Mishin mistake Moskvina mother Nagano never night Oksana Olympic Games Olympic gold medal Olympic gold medalist pairs performance quad reporters Richard Callaghan rink Russian scores season short program Sikharulidze Skate America smiled spin sport talk Tara Lipinski Tara's television thing thought Todd Eldredge toe loop told Tonya took tour triple axel triple flip triple jumps triple lutz triple toe loop U.S. national Urmanov USFSA wanted watched week Weisiger world champion world championships world title Yagudin