Tonya vs Nancy special on ESPN 1/16/2014

[axelwylie]

My husband just told me about a new "30 for 30" documentary that ESPN is airing on Thursday, January 16 at 9pm ET. This marks the 20th anniversary of the Tonya/Nancy saga. There is a press release on the ESPN website if you want to read a synopsis.

[Rachelsk8s]

Oh yay this should be interesting!!! I remember earlier in the year ESPN was supposed to air this documentary but I never heard anything about it. I'm glad I didn't miss it.

[icedancer]

Oh man, can't they just leave this ALONE already???

Ancient history.

[Query]

The press release

does not say there will be an interview with Nancy.

Good for her.

[Isk8NYC]

A few older posts:

During the 2014 Winter Olympics, NBC will air their own documentary about the scandal.

http://www.tvguide.com/news/nancy-kerrigan-tonya-harding-documentary-nbc-espn-1068354.aspx

NBC to air Kerrigan interview during Olympics AP - BETH HARRIS July 27, 2013 3:49 PM

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A new documentary on former Olympic figure skating rivals Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding that includes an exclusive interview with Kerrigan will air during NBC's Winter Olympics coverage in February.

Mary Carillo will interview both women on the 20th anniversary of their dramatic showdown at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

NBC's program will air three months after ESPN's "Tonya and Nancy" documentary, set for Nov. 5. That film includes new interviews with Harding, although ESPN Films said earlier this week it is still trying to persuade Kerrigan to grant an interview.

Both documentaries will recount the Jan. 6, 1994, incident in which Kerrigan was clubbed on the knee after practice for the U.S. championships in a plot masterminded by Harding's ex-husband. At the Olympics, Kerrigan won a silver medal and Harding finished eighth.

In the NBC program, Carillo interviews both Kerrigan and Harding about what they learned and where they are now.

Kerrigan has shunned the spotlight since retiring to focus on raising her three children. Harding is married with a child and has participated in several sports and reality shows.

As my dh would say, "everyone gets a souvenir foam crowbar!"

11/5/2013, 8pm -- ESPN Documentary on the Kerrigan-Harding scandal:

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 8pm: "Tonya and Nancy" (Director: Nanette Burstein)

American hopes for a gold medal in women’s figure skating at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway rested on two very different but equally fascinating personalities: Nancy Kerrigan, the elegant brunette from Massachusetts, and Tonya Harding, the fiery blonde from Oregon. On January 6, 1994, after a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Kerrigan was stunningly clubbed on the right knee by an unknown assailant and left wailing, “Why, why, why?” As the bizarre “why” mystery unraveled, it was revealed that Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had plotted the attack with his misfit friends to literally eliminate Kerrigan from the competition. Now two decades later, Tonya and Nancy takes a fresh look through revealing new interviews with the Harding and Kerrigan camps at a unique worldwide spectacle.

[Query]

Oops. Didn't realize Nancy is apparently only abstaining from one of the two networks' documentaries.

[Query]

Let me add one last comment:

When I think of Tonya Harding, I think of lost opportunities.

Imagine that the assault of 1994 never happened.

Tonya already had a spectacular competitive skating career, and would likely would still been a two-time Olympian.

She could have skated in the professional circuit, doing many shows.

A positive role model is one of the most important things a successful athlete can be. She could still have been a reasonably positive role model for athletes without the advantages of particularly high economic class that so many figure skaters have. Like Nancy, she could have raised money for charitable activities. She could have continued to appear in the public eye in many positive ways.

Perhaps she would have made a good coach and/or sports commentator, or she could have created educational materials related to figure skating, as Nancy has with her book, Artistry on Ice.

Many ladies hate it when high profile women appear in public thinner than most women can realistically hope to achieve in a healthy fashion through diet, but Nancy's continued participation in the sport and continued appearance in the public eye may have motivated her to stay in good athletic condition, something that should always be encouraged.

After the events of 1994, Tonya was only able to appear before the public in a very negative way, playing the bad girl in many contexts. Celebrity boxing must have been tough on her body and her mind. I don't know whether her reported instances of delusions were always there, but it is tempted to think it may have been influenced by boxing or other unhealthy behavior. In later years, she appeared less in the public eye, and apparently had less motivation to stay in good athletic condition.

Think of what might have been.