Kwan takes break to light torch at State Games

Figure skating legend Michelle Kwan will finish her summer school finals just in time to light the torch and ignite the crowd at the State Games of America in Colorado Springs.

Kwan, 27, will kick off the opening ceremony Thursday night at World Arena to start off the largest multi-sport event in Colorado history. The Olympic-style event that hosts more than 10,000 athletes from 47 states runs until Sunday.

“I think this is a great event and trust me, when (people) walk into that World Arena it’s going to be crazy insane,” Kwan said.

The second-year political science major at the University of Denver said the games are about bringing together thousands of people.

“It’s a spectacular event,” Kwan said. “It’s a wide range of athletes from all over the United States. I think that gives (them) a chance to broaden their horizon, to see other athletes, how they train, practice and compete.”

The most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, Kwan has won an unprecedented 43 championships that include five world championships, eight consecutive and nine overall U.S. national championships and two Olympic medals.

She previously attended UCLA and took two condensed courses there this summer, both in political science. Today is her last day of finals.

“There are days when the alarm clock goes off and I’m just like ‘Uh, I want to hit the snooze button and go back to bed,’” Kwan said. “But I make myself get up and I hit the library. ]Last year was like ‘Oh, I have to hit the rink’. Now my priorities are to get good grades.”

Kwan said for many athletes the State Games will be their Olympics. The 1993 Olympic Festival in San Antonio was her version, she said.

I remember when I was 12 and at the Olympic Festival and was like ‘Wow, is this how the Olympics are like?’ I always compared it to the Olympics,” Kwan said. “It’s memories that I will cherish. It was my stepping stone and a great experience for me.”

Kwan, who underwent surgery on her hip last August, said she is feeling better than ever.

For her, life is all about juggling books and ice skates.

“I’m physically the best I have been in a long time,” she said. “The last couple of months I’ve been back on the ice so I’ve had a mixture of hitting the library and the rink. It’s just a balance. I think that’s the key, to be able to balance things as an athlete.”