- Joined
- May 25, 2014
I was so happy for him when got a silver at Canadian Nationals and achieved his dream of going to the Olympics! It was also heartwarming to see what a genuinely nice guy he is and what a sportsman he is when he offered such heartfelt appreciation and congratulations to Elladj Balde and Elladj's coach Bruno Marcotte after Elladj's triumphant skate at Nationals even as he was preparing for his own skate! Being a long-time fan of both skaters (and Bruno), it was wonderful to see!
Keegan first captured my interest when he skated to "The Incredible Hulk" in a bright green and black costume at U.S. Nationals. He skated a little wildly but passionately, and there was obviously some talent. Something about him, even though rough around the edges, made you want to watch him and cheer for him.
Unfortunately he didn't get a lot of support from the U.S. fed and, I believe, they were pressuring him to leave Alaska to pursue skating. I admired him greatly for staying true to himself. If you ever check out his Instagram, you'll see many posts of him enjoying the beautiful outdoors in Alaska, and it is clear that he loves his home. While we in the "lower 48" (most of the U.S.) have some special places, Alaska is unique. I can't blame him for wanting to stay there and not have to choose between that and the sport he loves. He's also been with the same coach, Ralph Burghart, for many years. So I can only imagine that it was a difficult decision for him to change skating countries and skate for Canada, which he can do since his mother is a Canadian citizen, but what he felt he needed to do to pursue his skating career.
I was saddened a while back to read some negative commentary about that. Prior to reading that commentary, I had seen such support for Keegan from both U.S. and Canadian fans - and I'm sure from other countries as well. I never thought of him as "country shopping" or just changing countries on a whim to continue skating. I respect those who have that opinion, of course, but I clearly don't agree with it.
It is great to see so many nice words about Keegan in this thread!
Keegan first captured my interest when he skated to "The Incredible Hulk" in a bright green and black costume at U.S. Nationals. He skated a little wildly but passionately, and there was obviously some talent. Something about him, even though rough around the edges, made you want to watch him and cheer for him.
Unfortunately he didn't get a lot of support from the U.S. fed and, I believe, they were pressuring him to leave Alaska to pursue skating. I admired him greatly for staying true to himself. If you ever check out his Instagram, you'll see many posts of him enjoying the beautiful outdoors in Alaska, and it is clear that he loves his home. While we in the "lower 48" (most of the U.S.) have some special places, Alaska is unique. I can't blame him for wanting to stay there and not have to choose between that and the sport he loves. He's also been with the same coach, Ralph Burghart, for many years. So I can only imagine that it was a difficult decision for him to change skating countries and skate for Canada, which he can do since his mother is a Canadian citizen, but what he felt he needed to do to pursue his skating career.
I was saddened a while back to read some negative commentary about that. Prior to reading that commentary, I had seen such support for Keegan from both U.S. and Canadian fans - and I'm sure from other countries as well. I never thought of him as "country shopping" or just changing countries on a whim to continue skating. I respect those who have that opinion, of course, but I clearly don't agree with it.
It is great to see so many nice words about Keegan in this thread!
