By Rob Moes
A tale about Honey Frosted Wheaties with Kristi on the box!
Date of purchase: 4/01/1998
About once a month I indulge in that deadly sin known as WalMart.
I was shamefully browsing around the cookie aisle, when a vision in blue and red appeared. A Kristi cereal box! Fat Free Honey Frosted Wheaties. Wow! They had three boxes, so I satisfied lust, greed, and soon-to-be gluttony and bought them all.
"Wholesome" it says below her exposed left armpit--considered a naughty bit in some cultures....
Kristi is setting up for one of the spins in her Olympic short program--she's in one of those poses that looks impossible to non-skaters. She's on a deep right back inside preparatory edge, left leg fully extended behind her and ready to step forward into a front spin.
What is most striking to me is how beautifully she holds her arms and her hands--this is where the still shot eclipses anything you see on video.
I didn't appreciate this until I picked up the box, but there's also a silhouette in the blue background of Kristi waving her bouquet on the podium in Albertville. The famous red bow in her hair is the center focal point.
At the bottom it says Winter Olympic Legends with the banner reading Kristi Yamaguchi Figure Skating 1992.
On the back is Kristi doing an arabesque variation in that long-sleeved blue dress (I am sooo bad with costumes) that has the gold and floral sparkly-encrusted breast plates that somehow make me think of Xena, Ice-Warrior Princess :)
"Champion figure skaters successfully blend unique strength, amazing skill and uncommon grace. They match athleticism with artistry and make it look so easy...."
All right, I was starting to feel like heading for the stomach remedy aisle at this point, but I read on.
Stuff about Kristi's impressive resume, the casts on her feet as a child, her mom Carole's sacrifices. Here's something intriguing....
"The eventual rewards included an incredible 14 first place finishes in 21 competitions in the five years leading to the Olympic Games." Hmmm...those other first places went to Jill, Tonya, Midori--anyone else?
First American woman in 16 years to win, blah-blah-blah.
On the bottom is cutout block letters spelling Kristi with photos in different poses--kind of cool actually! Kristi as Juliet with hands raised and pressed outward is the "T."
Who knows which program is the "S"? One of the costumes I don't remember--obviously pro or exhibition. It's hot pink with long sleeves and leggings with nude lycra asymmetric cut-outs along her upper arms and across the stomach. She has what looks like a turquoise and pink silk scarf tied around her waist. Eight photos of her altogether.
Hey, how much fun can one Kristi fan have for two bucks?
Rob
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