Michelle Kwan and Bode Miller: Beauty and the Boozer

Jan. 12, 2006 — -- While one U.S Olympic star is on the mend, another is mending fences.

Nine-time national skating champion Michelle Kwan has skipped this week's national championships in St. Louis because of a groin injury and has formally petitioned the U.S. Figure Skating committee to be placed on the women's team for the Turin Winter Olympics. For Kwan, 25, this could be her last chance to compete in the Olympics. Champion skier Bode Miller apologized for comments he made to "60 Minutes" indicating that he has competed drunk, prompting officials to mull booting him off the team before the start of the Winter Games next month.

First, to Bode Miller's mea culpa.

"The most important thing is that Iwanted to come straight out and apologize to mostly my family and friends. Butalso we have a lot of people who supported me along the way, through my team," he said. "Even just my family and friends who have supported me for a long time who Ithink are subject only to what the media puts out in America. Because of the wayI made those comments, in the '60 Minutes' interview, you know, that caused alot of confusion and pain for all those people. Obviously, that's not somethingI want to do."

Perhaps more interesting than Miller's apology is what he didn't say. He didn't deny skiing drunk, even in competition. He didn't say he would never again take to the slopes sauced. He didn't even throw in the obligatory "you kids out there shouldn't be like me."

Why? Perhaps he just doesn't care. Or maybe, just maybe, Bode Miller is cultivating an image. Ski hard, play hard. And sometimes fall hard. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Miller has a reputation for frequent and spectacular crashes. Miller's party-boy-on-the-edge persona is just what his agents, sponsors and NBC (which televises the Olympic Games) are counting on to draw curious eyeballs to his high-speed trip down the slopes in Turin.

Will he win?

Will he medal?

Will a high-altitude hangover send him flying into the retaining fence?

But Miller's "look ma -- no sense" interview went too far.

Forget about all the "role model to kids" stuff that has long since left the job description of sports icon. How about a role model to full-grown adults?

Drunken skiing -- believe it or not -- is a serious problem on ski slopes from Vermont to Vail. Twenty-somethings careening down the slopes after a few brewskis at lunch cause serious injuries to themselves and others. All these yahoos need is a booze-hound hero.

And let's not even get into Bode's "it's like driving drunk only there's no rules about it in ski racing" comment. Note to Bode: wise up, sober up, ski fast and win.

Perhaps Bode can take a lesson from Michelle Kwan, one of the classiest athletes of her generation.

Kwan, who most American skating fans thought had missed her last chance at Olympic gold when she faltered in Utah four years ago, filed a petition Wednesday to be placed on the women's team in Torino next month. Kwan can't skate her way onto the team in this week's national championships due to a groin injury. If she is selected, she will likely take the place of the third-place finisher at the nationals.

Kwan deserves one more chance at gold. She has been the picture of grace since 1994 when, ironically, she was bumped from the Lillehammer Olympic team when Nancy Kerrigan was handed a slot after the Tanya Harding gang kept her from skating in the nationals.

Only 13 at the time, Kwan didn't complain, and she didn't file for an injunction. She waited her turn.

Maybe one more chance is all Kwan will need to finish her career on the ultimate high. No Bode, not that kind of high.