• Welcome
    • About John
    • About Monica
    • About The Art of Really Living
    • Manifesto
    • Topics
    • Clients & Reviews
    • Videos
    • Photos
    • Calendar
    • Booking
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Contact
Menu

John K. Coyle

W3490 Oakwood Dr
Lake Geneva
Phone Number
The Time Guy

Your Custom Text Here

John K. Coyle

  • Welcome
  • ABOUT
    • About John
    • About Monica
    • About The Art of Really Living
    • Manifesto
  • Speaking
    • Topics
    • Clients & Reviews
    • Videos
    • Photos
    • Calendar
    • Booking
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Contact

2014 Sochi Olympic Journal #4: Flashback 20 years - Time With Tonya Harding

January 6, 2014 johnkcoyle
Image
Image

When I first met Tonya Harding, I was naked, and so was she. 

20 years ago today, Tonya Harding's ex-husband hired bumbling wanna-be mobsters to whack Nancy Kerrigan on the knee so Tonya could be assured a spot on the Olympic team. Media was blitzed with the story as well as a video snipped of Kerrigan sitting on the floor sobbing as she screamed, "why!? why?!"

A couple of months later after the story broke and I was at the Olympic village in Lillehammer.  The story continued to hold the headlines as new stories were breaking daily including more and greater suspicion that Tonya may have had a role in the affair. I had met Nancy on a few occasions and was on friendly terms with her, but it seemed impolite to even inquire about the matter. 

The Olympic village is a safe haven with TV's, lounges, food, and even massage and physical therapy available 24/7. After a tough workout I decided to take advantage of the massage and entered the physical therapy area which featured dozens of massage tables in pairs each set facing one TV on a cart. I stripped down into just a towel and laid face down as the therapist began working on my calves and hamstrings. I watched Eurosport coverage of skiing with a bit of glazed indifference and tried to relax. At some pont as I turned my head to the right, I noticed someone had joined me on the second table. I knew it was a girl because of two towels and a pony tail, but had no idea who it was. 

Just then two things happened. First the girl on the table next to me turned her head and our eyes locked - I was staring into the visage of none other than Tonya Harding. Just as that was sinking in another thing happened - on the TV, louder commentary intruded overtop the skiing that caused a hot rush of embarrassment to course through my veins, "Breaking news on the Nancy Kerrigan - Tonya Harding affair - new evidence  has emerged that suggests possible knowledge or even tacit approval by Tonya Harding for the attack on Nancy Kerrigan." I was mortified. For some reason I felt like a voyeur - like I had intruded into someone else's private and embarrassing affair that had made its way into the light of day and I began to subtly turn my head the other direction. 

Tonya had swiveled to see the TV, but the movement of my head caught her attention and she turned back to me, and her eyes moved over to the left side of the TV where the remote control was - just inches from my right hand. Her eyes returned to mine with excitement and not even the remotest hint of embarrassment. What she said next I'll never forget , "Turn it up!  Turn it up! - I want to hear this!"

You can't make this stuff up. That was my time with Tonya. 

Tags Jeff Gillooly, john k coyle, Lillehammer Olympics, my experience 20 years ago, Nancy Kerrigan, sochi, Tonia Harding
← Strengths 2.0 Summit 2014 Sochi Olympic Journal #3: Day Two of Olympic Trials and "How to Watch a Short Track Race" →

Join our Blog!

Register here to follow our blog and join our community

Most popular

  • john k coyle 153
  • john coyle 127
  • cycling 77
  • Apolo Ohno 28
  • criterium 27
  • really living 26
  • art of really living 24
  • experiential time 24
  • strengths 23
  • bike racing 22
  • Superweek 21
  • chronological time 21
  • Speedskating 20
  • criterium racing 17
  • bike cam 16
  • finish sprint 16
  • international cycling classic 16
  • helmet cam 15
  • maximizing the non linear nature of experiential time 15
  • Mike Walden 14
  • crashes 13
  • experience of time 13
  • finding strengths 13
  • john k coyle speaker john k coyle speaking strengths speech strengths speaker 13
  • sprinting 13
  • suffering 12
  • Vancouver Olympics 11
  • does time speed up or slow down? 11
  • field sprint 11
  • flow 11
  • future temporal perspective 11
  • race your strengths 11
  • short track 11
  • sprint 11
  • insiders view into the olympics 10
  • making time killing time time maximization maximizing time 10
  • time 10
  • training 10
  • winter olympics 10
  • Short Track Speedskating 9
  • Torino Olympics 9
  • bike race 9
  • johnkcoyle 9
  • katherine reutter 9
  • oxygen debt 9
  • How does the brain process time 8
  • Speedskating Journals 8
  • andy gabel 8
  • blog 8
  • getting dropped 8