Michelle Kwan honoured by Figure Skating in Harlem

NEW YORK ( AP) — As Michelle Kwan chats with members of Figure Skating in Harlem, she sees a whole lot of herself in the young girls.

And those girls hope to emulate Kwan.

The nine-time U.S. champion and five-time world winner has been active with the inner-city club almost since its inception in 1997. She was honoured Monday night at the FSH gala for inspiring the hundreds of young girls who have been in the program.

“Michelle is the perfect role model for our students with the way she conducts herself as a person, as an athlete, as an employee of the state department,” FSH founder Sharon Cohen said. “Her career and life show where hard work and perseverance and talent can take you.”

Kwan, a two- time Olympic medallist , now serves as a senior adviser for public diplomacy and public affairs and as an envoy at the Department of State. Her husband, Clay Pell, is running for governor of Rhode Island.

Kwan’s success in and out of sports didn’t come easily, and she can recall times when she was in a similar situation to some of FSH’s students.

She received grants from U.S. Figure Skating and from the Women’s Sports Foundation during her formative years as a skater — at a time when Kwan and older sister Karen weren’t sure they could continue in the sport.

“These underserved young girls get an opportunity to skate they otherwise might not have,” Kwan said. “My personal background, both Karen and myself ... our parents were not well off. To be able to afford a used pair of skates and hand-me-downs in costumes and other stuff, I remember that vividly. “Imagine if one of those times you have to tell your kids, ‘ We can’t afford it.’ I can relate to that.”