Debi Thomas 1988 Olympics SP

[@etherealtb6021]

It is a shame how she's being erased from skating history, even when discussing important diverse skaters, because of her current issues. She's still the first African-American of ANY sport to win a Winter Olympic medal! DO NO FORGET DEBI!

[@metsdudenj]

No one is erasing her, only racist black people who think she wasnt black enough.

[@hollyjolly2066]

@@metsdudenj Lol...what would have made her "black enough?"

[@hollyjolly2066]

Why is she being erased? I'm not familiar with her, but I'm curious. She had a good program.

[@metsdudenj]

@@hollyjolly2066 some idiots on other posts said she denied her blackness and criticized her current condition, which is idiotic. Debi is a fine champion and role model who will never be erased from history.

[@hollyjolly2066]

@@metsdudenj I hope not. I just watched her long program, and loved them both. She's very talented and charismatic. How heartbreaking that she slipped up on a couple jumps in the long program. I wish she could have gotten gold. I've read she even became a medical doctor - what a super impressive life!! 💜

[@Scarcro1]

This performance was kick ass!!! The entire theme of this short program was unique and refreshing to watch. While she was attending medical school in Chicago, she was always volunteering her time teaching underpriviledged children how to ice skate. Although she did not win the gold, she earned the bronze and that's something she can tell her grandkids.

[@candancefoster4082]

She will always be my favorite ice skater forever why because I remember being young and watching her and she inspired me.

[@TheAverycross]

Same here! She will always be an inspiration to me. It's been a little over thirty years since I watched Debi Thomas' amazing and medal-worthy performance on the ice. And watching this moment again on KZbin has me cheering and clapping for her again. I hope, too, that she gets better.

[@etherealtb6021]

She was so good. Better than Witt, IMHO!

[@hollyjolly2066]

@@etherealtb6021 💖!

[@lj1671]

She skates at my rink in Orlando. She is amazingly humble and very sweet. It’s an honor to know her and to skate on the same ice as her! God bless!

[@JuneBug_87]

She is at RDV ? No way!

[@HISBestLifeCoach]

Loved the energy, power, sharp execution of the moves! She was enjoying it.

[@lifeofalady]

You could always feel her passion on that ice. I miss her but it's nice to have these memories. awesome

[@gregpoorman4269]

33 years ago today. I come back to visit this performance often. The exhilaration of this, juxtaposed with the anguish of the Long Program was hard for me to take then( still?). I truly believed in Debi. Thanks for this moment, Debi. For me, but much more for you. Im glad you had/have it, and I hope it means something to you. You were of the highest quality.

[@janettripper3132]

Cleanest program ever.

[@MrOu83]

@gheefreak - She was an undergraduate and then medical student, and of course, an olympian. She is now an orthopedic surgeon.

[@LolitaStClair]

I enjoyed watching Debi Thomas skating. Thank you.

[@MJ-om5go]

don't tell me that Bipolar people can't do anything. this is #livingproof hope she gets better.

[@williamhempsted5705]

i totally agree! i think alot more people have this disorder then diagnosed. you can be real successful living with Biopolar disorder. well look at Debi Thomas for one. Debi just needs some help to get back on her feet.

[@Ravenspell3]

God bless Debbie

[@dorothytaylor7830]

GREAT PERFORMANCE Debi Thomas. 😂👏

[@kamwrites]

It was after watching this Olympics that I was inspired to start skating. I now coach. : ) Thanks, Debbie!!

[@NamasteBitchy]

My hero then, today and tomorrow. I LOVE YOU, Dr. Thomas!

[@cuttingquick]

I love Debi Thomas! That was a smashing program!

[@jhecht424]

Great music choice by Debi, so energetic and contemporary. Kudos to her for thinking outside the box and not going with the typical artsy-fartsy classical piece or corny showtunes.

[@gloss26]

One of the all time greats... period.

[@TaushaTW]

Her spins are great. Few elite skaters can spin in one spot these days

[@jaquen1977]

I had a huge crush on her as young boy. She is a phenomenal skater, and so very gorgeous.

[@Syria_Straff]

The music is something in my house by Dead or Alive

[@Davethreshold]

OM GOD! I first became a Figure Skating fan in 1992, so I did not see this at the time. What a spectacular performance! I am now following her on Face Book, under my real name, Dave Smith. I am posting this, there right NOW! ❤🤍💙

[@FilPol-yu1es]

Love Her..One of my Favorite Skaters.💥

[@jhecht424]

True, but I think those of us who were and still are fans of her can be proud in the fact that she reached her dream of becoming a doctor.

[@kerstinrieck3648]

Sie vergessen, dass sie das schon sehr lange nicht mehr ist.

[@metsedudenj]

Nice use of the arms to enhance the choreography, it really makes the music work with the moves

[@matthewjameshall2145]

Great combination. Perfect double axle

[@Karlinberlin1]

I like how McGowan sort of booed the scores. Like to see more honest reactions. Everyone so cautious these days.

[@douglasbrown5671]

Thank the MeToo and Cancel culture bullshit for that.

[@shihlin1]

No matter how much a coach disagrees with the scores, he certainly didn't gain any favor among the judges. This is why you DON'T show your displeasure with the judges or scores. It doesn't change a damn thing and may actually make life miserable for your protoge. Do you honestly think judges overlook your reaction to their scoring? Think again. This is why coaches usually sit there stone faced. Not too smart of Coach McGowan.

[@avonee1976]

She was such a fantastic skater! So strong, such extension, such height! She was nailing those edges like she was walking in the park. I'm sure that if she hadn't fumbled in her LP, she would have been the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold for figure skating.

[@asheeasmith]

that was amazing!

[@lifeofalady]

YES YES YES YES! Muah muah! I'm praying for you sister.

[@faeryquene]

This is one of my all time fave SPs. I loved Witt's too. And Kira's. RIP. :(

[@HattieLovesCattie]

That was such a good number.Loved the song too.

[@hardsam68]

Beautiful Debi

[@LolitaStClair]

I enjoyed all the figure skaters past and present. Good luck to you all and thank you all so much.

[@JUNGLEJIMY123]

We will always love Debi. !!!

[@akimbohr]

5.8/5.8 forThomas. 5.7/5.9 for Witt in my book. And Thomas as the winner of SP.

[@mkinn1]

Debi Thomas, Surya Bonaly, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Denise Bielleman were the only reasons I would watch ice skating back in the day.

[@devatiriya]

Wow!!! I saw this when it was televised live... to skate in jeans,no less, and to skate with so much power, control and grace...and ,of course, heart...Wow!!!

[@sloams]

Loved Debi's short program!! If only she had had this type of energy and focus in her Long Program!! Interesting side note: towards the end of the video, they show Debi's mom, to the right of her is Kristi Ness---Kristi Yamaguchi's Coach, who of course won the Gold Medal 4 years later. :-))

[@46foryounger]

Her technique is impeccable Beautiful pointed toe in the sit spin amazing position and suspension in the air with her jumps and that killer footwork section just impeccable execution and this program fits her. I just have to wonder how they coincidently her coach picked Carmen like Witt I think it was a set up. That caused a media frenzy the fact that they both skated to Carmen. I never liked that coach.

[@bmbutler2]

I loved watching her.

[@mollypicklesimer5906]

I need this song in my hype list

[@vellem7527]

Skating was not her whole world...unlike many skaters she had a plan for the future, not wondering "what I'm I gonna do when this is over".

[@Nohandle1125]

You're right. The Olympics is pretty much for kids. There are very few Olympians over 25 let alone their 30s. It's like people forget that once it's over, it's over. I think it's one of the MOST amazing achievement to place at the Olympics and then become a surgeon. Yet we NEVER discuss Debbie Thomas during black history month. Pfft

[@Qistexas]

+Meredith C because she a damm alcoholic and homeless

[@Tripster60]

+Quq Spearman mental illness and not homeless

[@vellem7527]

+Quq Spearman Where are u getting your information from??????

[@susancanty2017]

Oprah Winfrey did a segment on her an everything came out.

[@OnyxDavid11]

She was..phenomenal....

[@shihlin1]

After Debi's skate while the judges were compiling scores, I suddenly remembered Katarina Witt rink side. Witt is reknown for lingering rink side during her opponents' skates, usually with the intention to intimidate them. No other top skater lingers around rink side after their skate except for Witt. She's done it at every major competition against Debi. And ABC's Olympic telecast did not disappoint me, showing Katarina several times after Debi's skate. They must be onto something too about Witt, same what I've suspected all along. HA, Ha, Ha 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kerstinrieck3648]

Katarina wollte nie irgendjemand einschüchtern, wenn sie etwas absolut nicht wahr, dann ist es „berechnend“. Sie ist ein durch und durch freundlicher Mensch. Sie sollten nicht alles glauben was amerikanische Journalisten lügen.

[@EMD-xd4qm]

IMHO, THIS was THE VERY BEST short program and costume in US Olympic figure skating history. Get it Debi. You knocked them on their derrieres with this one. Witt's face looked like, double, double, toil and trouble. Debi wiped the smugness out of her and across that blue showgirl plumage. However, Kat fired back with a long program for the ages, the best in overall history, when it counted most. Carry on....🎉❤🎉❤

[@kerstinrieck3648]

Die Selbstgefälligkeit war Thomas Problem. Deshalb hat sie ihre Zulassung als Ärztin verloren. Katarina war nie selbstgefällig.

[@jlcmsw]

It’s hard to stop watching this because her technique on all her elements was exquisite, absolutely textbook. The 5.7’s for technical merit were a joke.

[@vellem7527]

The US skaters of today are certainly no stars, I couldn't name one to save my life. Ohhhhhh Michelle Kwan how I miss u!

[@svetaswan]

The stereotyping in these comments is unfortunate. Just because she decided to go with a certain style in her short programs doesn't mean that she has to be "locked" into that style - or that she should seen as only capable of that style. Her skating basics were very strong, so she was well-suited for classical, graceful programs - she had more versatile capabilities than some of you are giving her credit for.

[@mcbrion1951]

You can see her saying to herself "Just DO it"t 5' 16". She was psyching herself up. This was a very exciting program to watch back then.

[@valmacclinchy]

Yes, and this was before the Nike trademark of "Just Do It"

[@MrOu83]

@wph1966 - I guess that's why her tecnical merit marks were so high? If any skater was overrated during her era it was Katarina Witt and her over-the-top antics and costumes. Witt was on her toes during most of her 88 Olympic short program.

[@kerstinrieck3648]

Dafür ist Debi wie ein Stück Holz gelaufen, technisch sehr gut, künstlerisch eine Katastrophe unmusikalisch, nie im Takt der Musik usw. ….

[@126mandi]

Oh the good ole' days when you could have doubles in your programs at the olympics.

[@figureskatingcommentator9162]

mandi remember when you could still wi the worlds if you were not Russian?

[@ScoobyDooakaleila]

She is my Idol for Ice skating... :)

[@silvershadow7655]

Amazing!

[@candancefoster4082]

And her marks were not high like they should have done 5.9 5.9 5.9 all across to me .

[@wheresbaby7783]

Debbie Thomas just has a very good way of interviewing and she’s very calm and polite and I really like her it’s it’s just odd that she ended up living in a trailer if you seen that and like being completely broke

[@debraenderle4737]

If Debi had skated to something like this in her LP instead of Carmen which didn't suit her at all, she'd probably could have won the gold.

[@GIOJL]

+Debra Enderle True but I think if she landed all her jumps she would've won too. Her level of difficulty in jumps was much higher than Witt. All she had to do was land them. She looked unsure from the beginning. If you look at her with her coach beginning of short and long programs you can see she looked very nervous LP. She really could've beat KW. I remember watching this and was totally bummed she didn't win:(

[@lifeofalady]

She was amazing and as usual the crowd fed off of her beautiful energy!

[@MrOu83]

GIOJL You are correct. Debi didn't need powerful, hard-driving music to beat Witt. The music from Carmen worked well for Debi (see 1988 U.S. Nationals). She was much more refined and artistic entering the Calgary Olympics after having worked with George Pena, American Ballet theater and the world-renowned ballet dancer and choreographerMikhail Baryshnikov. I saw her at the 1988 U. S. Nationals and told her as much when I say her close-up at the Skaters' Ball later that Saturday evening. Based on her LP program, I also told her that I was confident that she could beat Witt, to which she replied something to the effect that the could, but you never know how the scoring may go, and that certain countries try to "shield" Katarina. Had Debi cleanly landed all of her jumps, starting with opening triple to- triple toe combination, along with her superior technique to Witt's, in concert with her improved artistry, she would have beaten Witt.

[@spartyutube2020]

Holy moly compare the height on her double axel compared to Tara's 10 years later!

[@MrOu83]

@tella23 - No, the judges placed Debi 2nd and Katarina 1st in this SP. Debi placed 2nd in compulsory figures, Witt placed third in figures. Debi moved into the overall lead following the SP and Katarina was 2nd entering the LP.

[@tranurse]

@MrOu83 i never figured what was so wrong about this costume. she was covered, and since her routine was more of a powerful, for lack of a better word, a little fluffy costume wouldn't have worked.

[@labrujuladeluzderomanruiz9879]

WE LOVE YOU DEBI-----!!! :)

[@izzym6620]

Her coach made her fly back in the middle of the Olympic Games to continue to train. I know this because she is my stepdad'a best friend she came to my parents wedding and I met her.

[@GIOJL]

+Isabelle Michaels That's just plain dumb. smh and might explain why she was burnt out by the final LP.

[@gertieshaw90]

So what happened to her?

[@rubychew6875]

She grew up as a robot and not a child. Her childhood was like a machine and I think this is why she had a breakdown. There was no room in her life for childhood. She was made an adult before she was ready. No matter what your dreams are you have to have a balance. Skating several hours a day and late night studying was too much. People are people not a continuous machine.

[@kjl9960]

Baseless and ridiculous post. Were you there for her daily training? You are only guessing.

[@unincised]

This was the performance where Nike stole her 'just do it' phrase lmao As according to her documentary on Olympic Films😂

[@freddiemercury4evr]

She did say it at the beginning, before the music started..

[@hardsam68]

i thought her Coach didnt make it any easier for Debi

[@mst3kanita]

This is the most awesome thing that ever awesomed. But I can't help but think that if this performance (stretched out to four minutes of course) was her long program she may have won, but I'm not the expert.

[@gheefreak]

....She's a med student and an Olympian. She must never sleep.

[@kamwrites]

Ah...back when skaters understood rhythm and edges...

[@samh.6886]

I think that is Christy Ness, Kristi Yamaguchi's coach, standing next to Debi's mom!!

[@victoriaanaredding8915]

I was on track, and quolified for the Olimpic team at 13......got run over by a car instead. STILL SOOOOOO MAD! I WOULD​ HAVE MADE IT!!!!!! ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!! GOLD MEDALS!!!!!! FOR REAL!!!!!!¡!!!!

[@3LEGIUN3]

A Awesome Display of Dancing (YES DANCING) oN iCE... Such a spectacular PERFORMANCE, Body control abnormal and DEFINING tha Law Of Physic'z Amenably!!! "BEAUTIFULLY DONE BY SUCH A GREAT LOOKIN SCULPTURE!"

[@musiquenonstop]

@DietrichHamilton thanks for reminding me of that performance..! yes..it was great. Have you found it here on youtube..?

[@sqlcomp]

Kristi Yamaguchi’s coach was in the stands!

[@dallastexas5770]

She was definitely under marked on the second mark but they were comparing her to Witt. I would have had her presentation mark at 5.8.

[@bethh.9647]

I also love this Performance. So exciting, exhilarating! She seemed confident, in control and happy. I wonder if selecting Carmen for the long program was a mistake. Wrong program for Debi. I also don't think the 2 skaters skating to the exact same music, Carmen, was a good idea. Made it all about comparing to each other versus each performance on its own merits. I wish Debi's after skating life had turned out better for her. Fate was not kind. But it's going back to moments like this performance that reflect a glorious time for her.

[@jajoy24]

Debi is the best figure skater i've ever seen! To bad she faltered in the LP

[@HattieLovesCattie]

@kangaroosbraun I loved Elvis's music for his short.I accidently taped over a few seconds of it.I think I read it was called Frogs In Space.:)

[@bobbygrey5834]

Midori Ito was undoubtedly superior to all other contenders speaking of athleticism and complexity. But surely it was a pity that her programmes were not as fluent and rhythmic as Katrina’s or Debi’s.

[@Eric0816]

Looks very confident and energetic. What happened in the next 24 hours?

[@TaushaTW]

Some reporter told her to win gold for America. Debbie said that was too much pressure for her to bear. She said made a mistake in the long program and could have recovered but decided to "give up." Even so, Dick Button and others say Debbie should have won over Katarina Witt. Dick Button said Witt did nothing but pose on the ice, there was no skating.

[@lb4585]

@@TaushaTW the lies. She did 4 perfect triples and debbie? Almost fell in all of hers. Pls

[@AT-jm4dl]

Debi gave up after messing up her opening 3t-3t combination. In training Debi would always start the program over whenever she messed up the opening jump; She didn't train to continue the rest of the program as if nothing had happened. So when Debi messed up the 3t-3t at the actual competition, she just couldn't concentrate the rest of her performance.

[@AT-jm4dl]

@@TaushaTW Debi's LP performance was abysmal. There's no way Dick Button would've said that Debi should still have won over Katerina.

[@InfernoBLK72]

@@TaushaTW Yes she still should have won because even with the slight bobbles on her jumps she had more technical difficulty in her program than Witt. She never fell she just two footed 2 jumps. Witt gave more of a show performance than a competitive performance. Debi wanted to give the performance of her life like Brian Boitano gave in the Battle of the Brians, but got distracted by all of the media attention. Brian was a very close friend who advised her to think technical and nail her program. Being the first African American to win Nationals, Worlds, and competing to become Olympic Champion was a lot to handle when she kept being reminded of being a credit to her race and winning for the country.

[@djs2356]

That required 2 jump combination (in the short program) is crucial!.........If you mess it up, your 99% OUT!

[@MrOu83]

@tranurse - I loved the unitard she wore in this SP. Unfortunately, some of the European judges did not. They preferred that she wear feathers and expose a lot of a*s like Katarina. Ironically, the outfit didn't seem to be a problem for her about a month later at Worlds, as she won the short program over Witt.

[@lilg2300]

It's a skating and not an fashion contest. You don't win or don't win because of a certain dress.

[@yurizivago3641]

Pure athletic exercise with no emotion! So why were people to be so surprised about the low marks in presentation?...

[@svetaswan]

My mistake: it should read: "...or that she should BE seen as only capable of that style." Really - Debi had some nice lines to her skating (i.e. gorgeous layback position) - it's not like she HAD to choose "modern" music all the time to compensate for weak areas.

[@labrujuladeluzderomanruiz9879]

SHE WAS THE BETTER PERFORMANCE AND TECNIQUE. BUT, THE NERVIOUS ARE SO SO BAD... DEBI ARE A PRO SKATER!! I LIKED SO MOUCH-

[@TaushaTW]

Debbie has stated the reporters got to her and put an insane amount of pressure on her. "Do it for America!"

[@AT-jm4dl]

If the judging was correct then Debi would've won the SP at this competition. Katerina's was charming, but her combination was easier and a bit squeaked out on the 2loop part. Debi's combination was sublime. Also Kat didn't have very good extensions like Debi did.

[@InfernoBLK72]

Debi should have won the short. Had she placed first in the short program, she would have won the gold medal even with that shaky long program free skate performance. Katarina had a weak short program that was 4 years behind what was being done in '88.

[@renavogel7114]

Du bist toll liebe Debby. Dein Trainer hingegen ist unmöglich und unrealistisch.

[@vistaprime]

Why did they do double flip instead of a double lutz?

[@MrOu83]

Jeans? She's not wearing jeans. That's a unitary that is most likely made of Lycra or some spandex-like material.

[@faeryquene]

Were unitards allowed in that era? I vaguely recall someone mentioning Debi might have been hit with a deduction for not wearing a skirt (sexist I know). I seem to recall it was officially allowed after skaters like Slutskaya came along.

[@stevebbuk]

Strange how Katarina's music was "a ragbag of Broadway tunes" yet Debi's was "energizing", when in fact it would have been rejected by the producers of detective John Shaft.

[@gjmaztr7]

"This performance" where Debbie uttters some motiviating Words to herself prior to her skating '''she says JUST DO IT"...Debbie herself COined the Phrase and Nike Corp. Had Professional Lip Readers Analyze this video over and over and concluded that 'JUST DO IT' was in fact said. Nike, then Launched their Marketing campaign 10 yrs later during the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls title return. Nike Corp. Never gave Debbie any royalties for this phrase....She should have received over $25,000,000 for coining the phrase. .....SO Nike Laywers were told to "DENY DENY" any ripping off of Debbie Thomas's phrase.. Poor Poor Nike...

[@Cmc995]

Her spins should have been faster to match the music!

[@mlc2005]

I just can't get into these programs because I keep thinking about how royally screwed Midori Ito was. If you watch Ito's short and long, there is no WAY Ito should have gotten anything but first place ordinals. I realize she bombed the figures (tracing shapes on ice), but they should have at least acknowledged her vastly superior free skating. I mean, she put Thomas and Witt in the dust.

[@faeryquene]

@kangaroosbraun And it's interesting women can now wear unitards. I love this outfit on Debi it suits her frame.

[@HoseaCider]

Debi is so fine.

[@anon1257]

She's a strong, powerful athlete, but judges also want that waiflike, artistic ballerina quality that she just didn't have. There was a black French skater around that time who was also a fantastic athlete. She freaked other skaters out during warmups doing backflips!! But she also lacked that grace and feminine artistry.

[@texaseyeofthetiger]

Surya Bonaly and she had a big attitude problem. That's what killed any chances of medaling at the Olympics.

[@MrOu83]

Goldfinger What in the heck does her attitude have to do with winning a medal? The judges aren't' adjudicating on attitude, it's not a category. Moreover, she did medal at the Olympics: Bronze. Debi was very cooperative with the white establishment to a fault. By the end of her skating career, she had undergone surgery for three nose jobs. It's curious that you named two black skaters as having attitude problems, in keeping with the stereotype of the angry black woman. Debi may have been many things but she was not that. In fact, she immersed herself in white society and seemed to steer clear of blacks. The fact that she is on her third white man sort of speaks to that. I think part, not totally, of Debi's problem today and all that is going on with her is self-loathing as a black woman. It's almost as if she engaged in self-sabotage by moving to a rural, poor white town to set up her medical practice. It was doomed to fail from the start. And now she is engaged to an abusive, alcoholic and good-for-nothing white man. I doubt she would have accepted a black man of similar stature in society to shack up with. SMDH!

[@Nohandle1125]

Goldfinger I did hear that Ms Bonaly had a negative attitude during her skating career, however, it is also my understanding that she underwent a ton of scrutiny and prejudice while aiming for gold and that her attitude was only brought on by her surrounding circumstances. Not implying that it's an excuse for her behaviour, but when everyone around her was constantly putting her down, I'd imagine maintaining positivity was difficult.

[@misina211]

Bonaly never won an Olympic medal. She was closest to winning one in 1994, finishing 4th. She won 3 straight silver medals at the World Championships 1993-95. She also won 5 straight European titles and 9 straight French national titles. But never won an Olympic medal as you stated.

[@Cmc995]

Yes Surya Bonaly was very athletic but very sloppy landings, two footed and only focused on jumps

[@svetaswan]

Just because she used the same music doesn't mean that she was trying to copy Witt. Last time I looked, Witt didn't invent classicism & grace - & didn't hold the exclusive patent on this style of skating. And Debi's "Carmen" was decidedly different than Witt's - it was more straightforward & avoided the frills & dramatics of Witt's. And have you ever thought that Debi wanted "smoother" music for the LP - because skating to an upbeat, percussive number for LP can be too taxing & exhausting?

[@MrMcMusic01]

@mlc2005 Midori Ito was a jumping machine and nothing more. And even her jumping technique was horrible. Figure Skating is about more than just jumps, or at least is should be.

[@julielabelle2907]

Midori Ito had great technical especially triple axel better than Tonya Harding Nicole bobek had great spirals energetic routine same with surya but she had lack of skating skills there’s something about Midori she seemed classical training her artistic was underrated she was my favorite out of the powerful skater great footwork and edges e hibernation with her music spins perfect position

[@sbinsdca]

I didn't realize she was coached by Gene Wilder 3:15

[@goober5151]

One of the best short programs ever. Too bad her behavior at the metal ceremony was so appalling.

[@InfernoBLK72]

Her behavior at the medal ceremony was not appalling. She said she congratulated witt and manley in the dressing room before medal ceremony, was in shock and upset with herself for how poorly she skated, wrecking her dream and letting the country down.

[@jeffrogers5258]

That was great. As a former skater myself and a dance instructor those music cuts were terrible.

[@shihlin1]

I think had Debi been afforded the opportunity to train full time like the other skaters, her results would have been much better. To go to college at Stanford pre-med AND train for the Olympics ?? Uh, I don't think so. Today, it would be unheard of for an Olympian to go to school AND train for the Olympics at the same time. The academics would take a back seat. As a result of cramming too much into a packed schedule, Debi was stretched too thin. Her coach, Alex McGowan, also didn't prepare Debi mentally to deal with competing at the Olympic level, something Katarina Witt and her team did do. Again, it was Debi's packed schedule that precluded her from dealing with the Olympics on many levels.