XPost: alt.fan.tonya-harding, alt.skate.figure

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The Portlandian, the Internet's premier source of Tonya News

April 18, 2020 Edition -
(C) 2020 Portland Ice Skating Society
http://www.pdxiss.org *****************************************************************

Welcome to another edition of The Portlandian. We hope everybody
had a great Easter, even if the bunny didn't manage to always get
through with his eggs this year. Oh, to return to 2019, when
viruses were things that affected computers.

Like most of us at the moment, Tonya isn't doing much (unless
she's got something in the can she hasn't mentioned). But just
because you can't go out doesn't mean that there isn't plenty for
the quarantined Tonyaphile to see, hear, read and do. For
instance, you can:

- watch "I, Tonya" again;

- watch all of Tonya's skating videos on YouTube;

- watch "The Price of Gold" again;

- watch "I, Tonya" again;

- watch Tonya on "Dancing with the Stars";

- read Sarah Marshall's "Remote Control" article again, and
listen to her podcast on Tonya;

- watch "I, Tonya" again;

- read "Fire On Ice" and "Thin Ice", two quicky books from 1994
about Tonya that have been reissued as e-books a couple of years
ago;

- watch the "Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story", the 1994 TV movie;

- watch "I, Tonya" again;

- watch "Breakaway", Tonya's 1996 action flick;

- watch Tonya win "Worst Cooks" again;

- watch "I, Tonya" again;

And if that lot isn't enough to keep you going, we've got a pile
of things we've found online to keep you busy, including some new
photos, old news items, some of Tonya's skating music, an
analysis of her boxing career, a rare appearance at a wrestling
match, and the usual roundup of Tonya fan art. Because who needs
to binge on Netflix when you've got T-Flix instead?


NEW TONYA DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FUNDRAISER PHOTOS

Readers will recall that bit over a year ago, Tonya spoke at a
fundraising event for the Domestic Violence Clinic at the
University of Oregon in Eugene. Some pictures of the event were
posted on Tonya's Instagram account.

Now someone who attended has sent us some more pictures of Tonya
at that event which have not been seen before:

Tonya speaking:

http://pdxiss.org/images/Tonya-DomesticViolenceFundraiser-EugeneOR_2019-03-14_speaking.png

Tonya in a selfie with some of the organizers:

http://pdxiss.org/images/Tonya-DomesticViolenceFundraiser-EugeneOR_2019-03-14_selfie.png

Tonya with an autographed skate:

http://pdxiss.org/images/Tonya-DomesticViolenceFundraiser-EugeneOR_2019-03-14_skate.png

Our benefactor says:

"I thought you might enjoy the attached photos, some of which
are of Tonya, which are from the presentation she gave last
year at the Domestic Violence Clinic at the University of
Oregon. I attended Tonya's presentation. It was a bit of a
drive as I live in Washington state, the same state where
Tonya now lives. I made the drive, though, both because I'm a
fan of Tonya's and because domestic violence is an important
issue that affects many families, including my own."

We would like to thank him for his generosity in sharing these
with us.


OLD NEWS - REAL AND FAKE

More and more Tonya-related news footage has emerged from the
archives in recent years. Here's some of it:

- this site has a few short but rare news clips from Portland
stations like KGW and KATU relating to Tonya, including the
triple axel. Because as Tonyaphiles, we're honorary Portlanders
anyway:

https://bangpdx.com/fpo/category/tonya-harding/


- a 70 minute compilation of news reports about you-know-what
from Detroit station WJBK - this reporting won them an award:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avU45jfHIAU


- part of Shawn Eckardt's interview with Diane Sawyer that was
recreated in "I, Tonya". Yes, he really was as out there as
portrayed in the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR-ZhuLLUiQ


- Tonya reinstated? Fake news unfortunately, done as a school
project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oClS1cX4KE


TONYA'S SOUNDTRACK SKATES AGAIN

One of the memorable features of a lot of Tonya's programs was
her unique choice of music, often going for rock and pop at the
time when classical was the favored genre for skating.

LAV audio productions have re-created the music edits from a
number of famous skating programs, including three of Tonya's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUbc5rBMgeI (93/94 SP - Much Ado
About Nothing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4KMM0QB3VQ (93/94 LP - Jurassic
Park)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkG8c5aqc20 (91/92 SP - People
Are Still Having Sex - complete with the original clunky edits)

Somebody's also done the same for Tonya's 1990/91 LP music
(Batman) - albeit in mono:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8FTOqhOt4o

and also Tonya's 1991/92 LP - Robin Hood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-IMVVaG4I0


Meanwhile, back in August 2014 at the Skate Houston Invitational,
12 year old Catherine Gooch decided to have a go at re-using
"Jurassic Park":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Aj3XuyqGM


Finally, it was probably inevitable that someone would do this:
they've synced up Tonya's 1991 Nationals triple axel performance
to "The Passenger" by Siouxsie and the Banshees in a replication
of the end credits of the movie. What's interesting is that it
actually works quite well. Pity it's also not in stereo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVTldN-90W8


We're still waiting for somebody to skate again to "People Are
Still Having Sex", particularly now that vocals are allowed in
competitions.


TONYA BOXES ON ON YOUTUBE

One aspect of Tonya's life that is often overlooked is her short-
lived boxing career of the mid-2000s, which, if it's remembered
at all, is generally not viewed very favorably. If you've ever
tried to find any footage of it on YouTube, you'll know that
there isn't much out there, and it's often only short clips, but
here is what we've managed to dig up.

First up is the thing that started it all - Tonya fighting Paula
Jones on "Fox Celebrity Boxing" in 2002, albeit with Round Two
truncated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8CD-tlV7hE

Next is Tonya's pro boxing debut, against Samantha Browning at
the Memphis Pyramid in February 2003 (ignore the sound, it's from
something else):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWDG1o7A1Y

Then we've got a very short clip of Tonya vs Amy Johnson on June
25, 2004 in Edmonton, Canada. Team Tonya protested the result,
saying that the fight should have been stopped by the referee in
the second round after Johnson was knocked down, and also
complained of other unfair tactics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdx7vdEq9vo

Interestingly, womenboxing.com (WBAN) sided with Tonya, agreeing
that the bout should have been stopped and given to her, saying:

Beside the fact that the fight "obvious" to most should have
ended in a second round TKO for Harding the winner, it was
truly bewildering that the referee of the Harding-Johnson
fight, did not honor the fact that Johnson waved her hands to
quit (similarly to how refs wave their hands when they stop a
fight), and taking her own mouth piece out of her mouth
wanting "no mas". To add insult to injury, it appears that
the ref did not seem to pay attention to the fact that Johnson
was smearing and (lacing) her gloves in Harding’s face.

WBAN later awarded Johnson its "Dirty Fighter" award for that
year, saying "This cannot go to none other than Edmonton's Amy
Johnson. WBAN was in disbelief when we viewed the fight tape
and watched Johnson fighting Tonya Harding with dirty tactics
as trying to lace/scrap with her gloves on Harding's face."

http://womenboxing.com/NEWS2004/news081904hardinghearing.htm

http://www.womenboxing.com/awards2004.htm

In the wake of the release of "I, Tonya", it seems that celebrity
boxing promoter Damon Feldman decided he could milk more money
out of her. He sold this footage to TMZ of a knockout punch by
Tonya in a bout with pro-wrestler turned boxer Brittney Drake in
January 2005. Not surprisingly, Tonya won this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMJACG30ZJI

In a more light-hearted vein is this match against Doug Stanhope
on Comedy Central's "The Man Show" in May 2004:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egc_TCbREyo (training)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmN3PvcEYD8 (weigh-in)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG8MGeX-Rdc (fight)

Our report on the match at the time can be found at

http://pdxiss.org/port59.htm - back then we wrote:

Early in May Comedy Central aired the episode of "The Man
Show" that Tonya recorded back in March. In order to promote
the show, Tonya embarked on an ambitious media blitz that saw
her doing dozens of radio interviews over two days in late
April involving stations from across the entire country. In
addition, a clip from the match was broadcast on the "Tonite
Show With Jay Leno" on NBC in early May during an interview
with one of the show's hosts.

Tonya fights three rounds with the show's host, Doug Stanhope.
In radio interviews Tonya gave the impression that lots of fun
was had by all.

Arguably, the chief problem with Tonya's boxing career was simply
that she started too late - at age 32, it was difficult to find
opponents of both similar age and experience, which meant she was
usually fighting women who were either much younger or much more
experienced than her. Nevertheless, excluding gimmick matches
like the Drake and Paula Jones fights, Tonya's boxing record
stands at 4 wins and 3 losses (one of which should arguably have
also been a win). Which, we would submit, is not too shabby, and
far from the complete disaster that many often remember it as:

http://www.womenboxingrecords.com/php/boxer_results.php?boxername=Tonya%20Harding

Perhaps if she had started boxing eight years earlier,
immediately after she was banned from figure skating she would
have made a better fist of it, if you'll pardon the pun, and had
a successful career in this area.


TONYA MEETS THE LOVE MACHINE

Boxing wasn't the first time that Tonya exchanged the rink for
the ring, however. Back in June 1994 she acted as celebrity
"manager" for a local Portland wrestling team, "Los Gringos
Locos", which consisted of Eddie Guerrero & Art Barr, also known
as "The American Love Machine". We've come across some ultra-rare
footage of this one-off appearance that's never been widely seen
before.

The press conference, including some midget wrestlers.
Unfortunately the sound isn't too hot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKmQsWbMOM8

Tonya with Eddie Guerrero and The Love Machine as they enter the
ring:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJmXYfOGK60

The actual wrestling match, at the Clark County fairgrounds near
Vancouver, WA. on June 22nd 1994. Guerrero & Barr teamed with
"Bruiser Brian" for a six-man tag team match against Blue
Panther, Konnan, and Perro Aguayo. We've linked to the point
where Tonya comes into view. She can be seen sitting on a chair
on the catwalk that leads to the ring several other times
throughout the match:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv82e60z0CI&t=230

Los Gringos Locos were regarded as "heels" (bad guys), so they
were clearly trying to trade on Tonya's notoriety with her
presence, for which she was reportedly paid five grand. Tonya
frankly looks completely bewildered by it all, to be honest.
Several days later she would be banned for life from skating.

More info on Barr, who died shortly afterwards, ironically from
the effects of being hit from behind by a fan with a folding
metal chair:

http://irememberportlandwrestling.blogspot.com/2015/07/betelgeuse-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-art.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Barr


CALLAGHAN SKATES FREE - WHILE TONYA REMAINS BANNED

Once again the system screws up - Richard Callaghan has had his
lifetime ban for abusing young skaters reduced down to a three-
year suspension:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/arbitrator-determined-famed-figure-skating-coach-abused-children/story?id=68511217

For those out there who aren't familiar with this story,
Callaghan was a prominent skating coach in the last decades of
the 20th century. Two of his most famous pupils were Tara
Lipinski & Todd Eldredge.

In 1999, one of his former pupils, Craig Maurizi, filed a
grievance with the USFSA claiming that Callaghan had sexually
abused him back in the 70s and 80s. The USFSA tossed the
grievance claim out on a technicality without looking at it
because it wasn't filed within a 60-day deadline. Arguably this
was incorrect as the grievance was filed under a different rule
that didn't specify a time limit. Here's our reports of it from
that time:

http://pdxiss.org/port25.htm
http://pdxiss.org/port26.htm

Fast-forward to 2017: in the wake of the Nassar scandal in
gymnastics, the U.S. government creates the Center for Safe
Sport, a body that has the jurisdiction to investigate these
types of complaints. Unlike the USFSA, SafeSport has no statute
of limitations and can go back as far as it likes, so in 2018
Maurizi refiles his original complaint against Callaghan with
SafeSport.

After an in-depth investigation, SafeSport determines that
Callaghan abused a number of skaters physically and sexually,
including Maurizi. Callaghan is then given a lifetime ban from
the sport.

However, Callaghan appeals and an arbitrator is brought in, who
reduces the penalty to a 3-year suspension, with 15 years
probation and 100 hours of community service, citing a now-
repealed New York law which required "corroboration" for certain
sex offenses - a law which the arbritrator himself describes as
"absurd and draconian". This makes Callaghan able to return to
coaching as soon as 2022.

Maurizi’s attorney has slammed the decision, telling ABC News and
ESPN that it contains "glaring errors" and displays a
"fundamental misunderstanding of the law and a willful blindness
as to the nature of Richard Callaghan’s years-long predation
against my client."

This is not the first time that SafeSport has proven itself an
impotent and useless joke. Back in January last year, two-time
U.S. Pairs champion John Coughlin committed suicide after he
received an interim suspension from SafeSport. Christine Brennan
of "USA Today" reported that he was facing three accusations of
sexual abuse, two of them involving minors. However with the
death of Coughlin, SafeSport decided there was nothing left to
investigate and closed its file on the case, despite a host of
unanswered questions about how Coughlin was able to get away with
his predatory behavior for so long.

Fortunately Callaghan is not out of the woods yet - he also faces
another SafeSport investigation and a civil lawsuit filed by Adam
Schmidt, another former pupil, who claims he was also abused.
Worth noting is that Schmidt's abuse allegedly occurred AFTER the
USFSA's dismissal of the Maurizi complaint. The lawsuit also
names the USFSA and Onyx Ice Arena in Detroit, where Callaghan
taught Schmidt, as defendants. The USFSA can also ban Callaghan
independently irrespective of the SafeSport decision, but in
their typical style has dodged the issue, saying "The U.S. Center
for SafeSport has exclusive jurisdiction in these matters," and
"U.S. Figure Skating is required to and will enforce all
decisions of the Center."

Hopefully he'll just get blackballed unofficially like Tonya did
and won't be able to get any work. Allowing Callaghan to coach
your kid is like hiring Roman Polanski to babysit your 13-year
old daughter.


TONYA ARTWORK ROUNDUP

And now it's time for our regular feature of Tonya-related
artwork. First up is a pair of rare Incident-themed works, rare
in that they are some of the few we've come across that feature
Nancy without Tonya.

Molly Steadman recreates the iconic Newsweek cover:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Oac7PhHys/


yoyo.destiny - "Why Me" t-shirt. She says:

"When I was 11, I typed a letter to Nancy Kerrigan on a word
proccessor. It was a page and a half long and the whole gist
was basically how 'when you get better - we gon' run up on
Tonya Harding and beat'er ass.'
Proving, I've always been a writer with a wild imagination and
an insatiable appetite for pop culture."

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B1b0rhzn7Cn/


Annette Rasmussen - poem and triple axel drawing:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B78L4hph9Z9/


acollett748 - an alternative "I, Tonya" poster, perhaps?

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B71y_MXgxU2/


Louisa Esposito has done a rotoscoped animation of the TV footage
of Tonya's 1991 Nationals Long Program - though, unfortunately,
not the triple axel itself:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B7yLeSxh29J/


miss.crepuscular - a couple of skating drawings, one of Tonya's
Jurassic Park program at Lillehammer, the other of her skate at a
Reno hockey match in 1997:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B7tn8USJIGL/


its.tenshi - a pencil sketch of Margot as Tonya:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B7lDsbHJA3s/


_miiyaw_ - another pencil sketch of Tonya:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B7dT_EWlRNv/


marlio.n - a beautiful color portrait of Tonya skating:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B7G1pwtIANC/


angelstururu - the diner scene:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EX2RyKggr/


_tractmarks - terrible Tonya (the courtroom scene):

- https://www.picuki.com/media/2246040934310790243


acuriousquirrel (Tessa Sheehan) - smoking Tonya sketch:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B61KvgfjHqa/


sydscribbels (pretty face and portland based) - a triple axel
sketch of the hometown heroine:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B6kISmpJA4S/


princealvy_1 (Alvaro Ramirez) - a skate-shaped Christmas
decoration, from the look of it:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B6KISLZhzx5/


jeanned108 - an alternative movie poster:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B6HURshFUn_/


scorpinelle - Sebastian Stan as Jeff:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lE6YCphlf/


mike_tofanelli - Tonya as a leather-jacketed 50's "greaser":

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B4xpV7RjQWV/


cute_fun_trash (Beautiful Basura) Oakland, CA. Broken shoelace
t-shirt:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B5jxevRhEU2/


Rachel O'Donnell of Los Angeles has done a couple of Tonya
paintings:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B52_ffcF07b/ (broke shoelace)

Broken Laces - the last piece of my @therealtonyaharding mini
series. Measuring 8” x 10”, this acrylic on canvas piece
depicts the broken laces incident during the 1994 Olympics [see
third slide for the video].?? When I first started this series,
I was bracing for backlash but what’s amazing is how the
majority of people now connect + sympathize with Tonya’s
struggles with the deep-seated classism and misogyny of the
80’s + 90’s. I’m also drawn to this huge episode of American
culture as it’s truly camp. It’s rhinestones, sequins and
tears; a truly human drama wrapped up in layers of cultural
absurdity. I love to explore icons with my work + Tonya Harding
is truly an American icon of mythic proportions

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5VhHvTl0bO/ (Olympic practice)

NEW little painting [12” x 8”] of Tonya Harding. For those who
don’t know, she’s the 1st American woman to successfully land
a triple Axel in competition (swipe to see this amazing moment
from 1991). I love to paint complicated figures + there’s a lot
to say about her but I’ll let the work speak for itself - image
inspired by photos taken of her during a practice skate at the
olympics.


A couple of artworks inspired by the mirror scene from the movie:

uncleemily (emily mata art)

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B6is9lLAQO1/


Katrina Macias - melodramatic_melon

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B48Zbz8jmUq/

Game face. Ever since I saw I, Tonya the other day I’ve been
obsessed! (Now if this portrait is ugly to you and a little
unnerving, good that’s the point) I love this scene because you
see Harding getting ready to skate for a crowd of people who
basically hate her and you feel for her. Now this isn’t my best
piece but I experimented and I’m proud of it! Again I loved
this movie, Margot Robbie was stunning as the incredibly
talented Tonya Harding! Expect my next few pieces to be nothing
but fan art for this movie and for this incredible skater! My
next piece will be of the actual Tonya Harding in what I like
to call can you see me now pose! @therealtonyaharding


This next one's a bit R-rated - Big Al's Little Ladies of Chicago
has some drawings of a nude Tonya & Nancy skating as part of a
series of what appear to possibly be temporary tattoos:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vp1YCl6iq/
- https://www.instagram.com/p/B4y5w8pFrpD/


And to finish off, Silja Jocher of Basel, Switzerland has done a
very weird Tonya painting:

- https://www.instagram.com/p/B4QaPEdl-9t/

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VISIT THESE GREAT TONYA WEB SITES:

PortIce - http://www.pdxiss.org
David House - http://www.tonyaharding.org
Charlie Main - http://www.charliesweb.com/tonya/tonya.html
Puppetboy - http://www.usapaul.net/tonya/
Valerie Smith - http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/LilHam.html
Swan Lake - http://members.tripod.com/~TonyaHarding/index.html
Blades of Gold - http://members.tripod.com/tmhfan/index.html *****************************************************************

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