'We're all stronger than we think,' says Nancy Kerrigan
Sep. 14—"I've always been very logical, which might have gotten in the way of a little fun when I was younger," Nancy Kerrigan said. "But it kept me out of trouble."
Kerrigan, the Olympic figure-skating medalist, spoke Tuesday night at Indiana State's Tilson Auditorium, but earlier gave a brief press conference during which she contemplated her career, both on the ice and as a motivational speaker. She revealed that she had performed a figure-skating show earlier this year, "Which I'm a little too old to do."
Her speech Tuesday evening concerned adversity and getting through tough times.
"Especially right now — everybody's going through something, all at once, which is really unique," she said.
Kerrigan said she has lived by the motto "We are all stronger than we think we are" and extolled the virtues of teaming up with others. "Even though I was on the ice alone, I didn't get there alone," she said.
When she was a competitive skater, she said, "My coach came up with my choreography. She would disappear for the spring to pick music and was a master at editing. I had this one piece that had a minute of drumming, the crash and the bang and the ding and everything. I was doing what I was told for a very long time."
By contrast, when she became a professional and toured with her own shows, "I did it on my own. It was super-intimidating to live up to her standards."
But, Kerrigan said, "I liked the challenge of finding what I liked. Back then, we were lucky that we were on TV every week. My friends were doing the same program week after week after week after week. I was a little bored, but every week, when I went on those shows, I was doing something fast and fun and upbeat, and then I would do something dramatic, and then romantic.
"It was changing week after week. I wanted to stay relevant and interesting so tried to do something new all the time."
Even people who don't follow figure skating know Kerrigan due to her being the victim of an attacker who struck her knee with a police baton just before the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She still managed to compete — and win a silver medal — in the '94 Winter Olympics.
Tonya Harding, a competitor, was connected to the attack — her now ex-husband pulled it off. The incident was immortalized in the black comedy "I, Tonya," which was nominated for three Oscars.
"I did not see the movie, so I can't comment on it," Kerrigan said. "I have no knowledge of — well, obviously, I lived through it — but I don't know how accurate it was. I guess it's good I didn't see it. I have nothing to say about it."
Kerrigan said she never considered herself at a summit.
"I don't think we should ever think that," she said. "Even now, as a performer I can't do the jumps and all the tricks that I used to do. So you have to find another way to be entertaining, you keep striving. You have to find other ways to keep it interesting for yourself."
David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.
