“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop writing about you,” I said to Tonya Harding when I met her at the premiere of Michael Teoli‘s and my rock opera based on her and Nancy Kerrigan’s skating scandal.
Tonya– who cheered on the show then partied with the cast, playing video poker in the bar– told me matter-of-factly: “You got some things wrong but that’s OK.”
Though I’ve never met Nancy Kerrigan, I felt as if I knew her when I heard the terrible news this week of the death of her father and arrest of her brother. Another bizarre and violent twist in a life that has had more than its share. Her family asks for privacy regarding this death. I have nothing to add beyond the sad facts already known. But aside from expressing sympathy, I did want to say a few words about ‘my’ Nancy.
As I can testify to firsthand– having written librettos for both a chamber opera and rock opera about Nancy’s skating scandal, both shows headed for new productions this year– the fascination with Nancy Kerrigan’s story lives on. While I focus more on Tonya in the plays, it was Nancy’s plight that first captured me in 1994.
Nancy came from Stoneham, a town near ours in Massachusetts, and I believe I once glimpsed Nancy on the Minuteman Bike Trail in Arlington, MA: an auburn-haired vision on rollarblades. I remember kneeling by the radio speakers in our home listening breathlessly from Lillehammer as Nancy Kerrigan, under unimaginable pressure, skated her nearly flawless nearly gold-medal performance.
Nancy’s grace and grit captured everyone’s attention and infuriated some. Many folks have told me over the last few years how they couldn’t sympathize with the reserved and disciplined Nancy. Many believed mistakenly that Nancy came from money, when really her blue-collar family double-mortgaged their home to pay for Nancy’s skate lessons.
There seems to be an outpouring of sympathy this week. Maybe that same strength Nancy found during her knee-attack ordeal will carry her through this tragedy. And no matter what, some of us will not be able to stop watching.
(photos: people.com, commons.wikimedia.or, womens’history.org)
The whole skating world is so surreal, it’s that much more tragic when something all too real happens.
My heart’s out to you, Nancy and family.
Thanks Litotes:
As always, you say it best. My heart’s out too
and I appreciate your company on the blog tonight–
Elizabeth
Thanks to CAITLIN for this link, which I added in the post, about fellow skaters supporting Nancy:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/01/26/kerrigan.father.death.ppl/index.html?hpt=T2
Ice princesses aren’t cold people. They have feelings and families, too. Nancy is in tremendous pain right now, according to reports. I’ve read that skater friends like Paul Wylie are supporting her. I’m glad to hear that.
So true, Caitlin. Back in the knee-attack scandal, I thought Nancy’s calm and reserve were held against her too much.
Thanks again for the link about her fellow skaters–
good to see them rallying around one of their own–
Sounds like Nancy’s father was popular as a father figure to many of them–
I always recall how Nancy’s dad was the one to carry her away from the knee attack…
even tho i was never a big nancy fan, this story made me sad. i was glad to read this appreciation of nancy and i hope she gets thru this latest curve ball her life has thrown her.
Hi Livvy:
Always good to hear from you– yes, I think even people who weren’t fans of Nancy feel for her at this time.
So true that life has thrown a lot of curve balls at this straight-arrow kid who always said she ‘just wanted to skate…’
HEY, I LIKED NANCY ALL ALONG
SHE KICKED ASS AT THE OLYMPIX AND
GOT ROBBED OF THE GOLD
Hi AntiStar–
Good to hear from a longtime Nancy fan!
You have a point about that Gold Metal– technically, Nancy’s program was more error-free than Oksana’s. Oksana had the edge on ‘artistry’– but you can’t help wonder if winning the gold at such a young age was a bit of a curse for Oksana, who’s had drinking, DWI and other woes. Maybe it would have been better for her to have had some more years of training and discipline under her belt before she hit the fast lane…
Anyway, yep, Nancy did kick ass at the Olympics and she’s the one who’s still remembered and still skating today…
I think you should honor her request for privacy regarding her father’s recent death–it was probably a heart attack according to a report I read. Let them rest in peace.
Hi Barb–
I agree that the family deserves privacy about the father’s death– I don’t have anything to say here about the details of the death and I’m not planning to write about it.
I just wanted to say a few words about Nancy herself as a writer who’s written works inspired by her story. Hopefully for her the story will die down once the autopsy report is given. Interesting to hear that you read it was in fact a heart attack. I heard the full report may take some weeks to come in. In any case, I’ve been following Nancy’s story for years and will hope she gets through this as she has gotten through other crises…
i think it’s good in a way to talk about this incident. in the boston globe today it triggered a helpful article on families dealing with alchoholic or violent adult children. abuse of elderly parents is a problem and sometimes people will only notice problems when they fall upon a star like nancy k.
not easy for her family but they are a family that worked to put nancy in the spotlight where i suspect she will always be, like it or not. so we might as well have a useful discussion about some of these hard issues the kerrigans faced. maybe other families will realize they have to act before something terrible like this happens to them.
i like the description here of nancy and her strength. she will get through this.
Very thoughtful comment, Livvy, and I agree that maybe this will trigger awareness of some of these terrible problems, painful though the exposure is for Nancy’s family.
And yes, having studied Nancy’s life, I really do see her as very strong– Always good to hear from you– E
Yes, it’s very sad to read about what’s happened to her family. I hope that it can open discussion about the struggles of living with a family member with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as well.
But I’ll take any opportunity to talk about figure skating:
Nancy skated an epic program at the Olympics. (So did Yuka Sato). For my mind, Oksana’s version of The Swan was STUNNING (one of my all time favorite programs)! But she looked flimsy and false in her long program. And her styling was horrible with the bangs and pink poofs…. (then again, it was hard to touch Nancy in the styling department, she’s always classy!)
I think both Nancy and Oksana are still skating…
I am working on version of TONYA AND NANCY: THE OPERA, performing in Minneapolis and St. Paul concurrent with the Ladies Program at the Winter Olympics (February 23rd and 25th)… It will be an opera / figure skating evening!
–Scotty Reynolds
Check out our link:
http://www.mixedprecipitation.wordpress.com
Thanks very much, Scotty and I am going to add your link to our sidebar– I linked the show in my post as well. I am thrilled that the chamber opera is being done in MN, with a preview on ice!
So true that Nancy skated a (nearly) flawless and unforgettable long program under unbelievable pressure. I loved Oksana’s skating as well; she was like a hummingbird on ice.
Agree about the bangs and too-fussy dress, but she was so young– only 16? Glad to hear Oksana is still skating; I’d gotten the idea she was out of the game for a while. But yes, Nancy’s style really set the bar for skaters for years to come.
Can’t wait to hear and see more of your show and Break a Leg out there this weekend– ELizabeth (your librettist…)