Middle School
Worksheets
Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan
Reading Comprehension for July 7
Michelle Kwan was born in Torrance, California, on July 7, 1980. She loved to watch her brother play hockey. Her older sister, Karen, was also a skater. Inspired by her older siblings, at the age of five, Michelle began to skate. Once on the ice, her talent became obvious. At age 6, she entered her first skating competition -- and won!
In 1991, her parents moved to Lake Arrowhead, California, to work with Frank Carroll, who would be Michelle's coach for many years. When she was 12, Michelle took a test to become qualified as a senior level skater - against her coach's wishes. With this qualification, she began to enter senior level competitions. Her first title championship, the World Junior Title, became hers in 1994. Later that year she finished second at the U.S. Championships, eighth at the World Championships, and went to the 1994 Olympic Games as an alternate.
Her career continued to blossom. She won the 1996 U.S. and World Championships. Then, she met Tara Lipinski in competition. The younger skater upstaged Michelle in 1997, taking both titles away from her. Undaunted, Michelle worked harder and returned to recapture these titles in 1998. Next, her dream was a gold medal in the Olympics. However, this was not to be. Again, Tara out-skated her and won the gold. Michelle had to settle for the silver.
