Ice Skating Redux - Tonya Harding

[nevets88]

There's a lot written about Tonya Harding (Harding Price, Price, not sure) lately because of the movie, I, Tonya. Now that it's been about 25 years, have your thoughts changed on Harding? Or the same? What about the media and TPTB that run a sport? Do they impose impossible/hypocritical standards still? I have mixed feelings. I felt the press and public and the skating association were too hard on her. On the other hand, she did have some influence over her actions and life. And with all the time that's passed, don't feel any wiser or have much to add.

Warning - there are I, Tonya spoilers in the Slate.com piece

https://slate.com/arts/2018/01/i-tonya-toxic-masculinity-and-the-messiness-of-victimhood.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/10/movies/tonya-harding-i-tonya-nancy-kerrigan-scandal.html

 

[iacas]

If she was unaware of the incident, banning her for life from even coaching skating is too harsh a penalty, IMO.

But I haven't ever looked into it enough to know. I remember it being all people would talk about back then, though.

My mom and I would watch a lot of figure skating together. A lot of sports, really.

[nevets88]

The ban from competition, I originally thought that didn't include stuff like The Ice Capades or exhibitions but that's under the auspices of the United Skating Federation or whatever. That really sucked.

 

[Eric C]

No, my thoughts have not changed one bit.  Though not convicted of being an accessory, she was convicted of a felony for not reporting after-the-fact. I never believed that she didn't know about the plot hatched by her ex-husband in the first place, and she's never accepted any of the responsibility.  She only ever whines about nobody listening to her side of the story. I remember watching all of this coverage at the time, and it was well known that she and Nancy didn't like each other.  I also remember not being surprised all that much that she would be involved with kneecapping a competitor to get ahead.  For lack of a better expression, I always thought Tanya was pretty rough.

[iacas]

I do plan to watch the movie at some point. I missed it in theaters.

[mcanadiens]

Like a lot of sordid stories, there is some gray in there. 

The circumstances of her childhood sound horrible and she got mixed up with some awful people. Obviously, that can never justify what she admitting to doing. If her role actually extended to planning it, that would be even more damning. With what we know, it's entirely possible that she got herself into a really bad situation with the people that were around her. To me, she's someone that was clearly in the wrong, but with circumstances that deserve some amount of understanding.

Hopefully she's largely been able to straighten her life out. 

Edited January 10, 2018 by mcanadiens

[Papa Steve 55]

She wants us to believe she is a victim, I have a hard time with that.

[mchepp]

She frequents the skating arena that my daughter goes to. So I have spoken to her a couple of times. Not detailed and of course not about the incident or anything to do with it. 

In my opinion, she's been through a lot and has had zero training or coping mechanism to deal with it. She made a mistake and quite frankly she has paid her debt to society for that mistake. It is time for everyone to move on, including her.

[GolfLug]

42 minutes ago, mchepp said:

She frequents the skating arena that my daughter goes to. So I have spoken to her a couple of times. Not detailed and of course not about the incident or anything to do with it. 

In my opinion, she's been through a lot and has had zero training or coping mechanism to deal with it. She made a mistake and quite frankly she has paid her debt to society for that mistake. It is time for everyone to move on, including her.

I agree except someone decided to make a movie now and rekindle the flame. 

So yeah, not a question for you directly but why now? 

[dennyjones]

This isn't a movie that has any interest for me.   meh...(can I preface this with a double bogie?)

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

This isn't a movie that has any interest for me.   meh...(can I preface this with a double bogie?)

This topic isn't about the movie.

[wannabe]

(off topic - I saw the movie - birdie.  Some really great performances, and a well told story.)

I don't remember much from that time beyond the basic headlines.  I remember getting the impression from the stories that she was lower class, worthy of disdain, and capable of such acts.  I remember basically thinking she got what she deserved.

Now I'm not so sure.  A life sentence is a long time.

[nevets88]

One thing you can't take away from her, she was the best pure jumper for a bit there. Wonder if she ever tried to swing a club, she definitely got the GRF. 

[amishboy51]

It's been a long time, and I haven't seen the movie, but IIFC, the police found a note, in her handwriting, listing the address of Kerrigan's practice rink. Some speculated that Harding was aware that "something" was going to happen, but she didn't know "specifically" that her ex-husband and his friend planned on knee-capping Kerrigan. If true and/or I remember accurately, this might have been some of the reason for the lifetime ban.

[mchepp]

13 hours ago, amishboy51 said:

It's been a long time, and I haven't seen the movie, but IIFC, the police found a note, in her handwriting, listing the address of Kerrigan's practice rink. Some speculated that Harding was aware that "something" was going to happen, but she didn't know "specifically" that her ex-husband and his friend planned on knee-capping Kerrigan. If true and/or I remember accurately, this might have been some of the reason for the lifetime ban.

I know this thread isn't about the movie, but you should see the movie. That topic is addressed.

15 hours ago, GolfLug said:

I agree except someone decided to make a movie now and rekindle the flame. 

So yeah, not a question for you directly but why now? 

I don't know for sure, but if I was guessing I would say it has something to do with the MONEY.

[nevets88]

@mchepp, what did you think of the movie?

[mchepp]

12 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

@mchepp, what did you think of the movie?

I really enjoyed it. They maybe went a bit overboard with the mother character but I liked the style in which they decided to tell the story.

[nevets88]

1 hour ago, mchepp said:

I really enjoyed it. They maybe went a bit overboard with the mother character but I liked the style in which they decided to tell the story.

I think I judged the movie a little harshly, it's really an impossible task to tell it.

The mother's bit on the triple axel was funny.