Spectacular Spectating – Vancouver 2010
February 26, 2010
What an incredible two weeks of Olympics viewing. From my futon, I gasped, I cried, and I applauded. This is the most fun I’ve had watching the Olympics in a long time. What now? I suppose we can all resume our former routines and at least be happy to catch some more zzzs. Sure, those four-minute, backloaded, bonus-heavy programs take a lot of stamina, but surely not as much as this late-night spectating.
As excited as I was to watch Ladies Freeskating, I really started to fade while waiting for that last group…I know many of you were feeling the same. A skating friend came over to be my viewing buddy since the Hubs was out of town. We were both frustrated with the fact that we were yawning, so to try and revive ourselves, we dropped to the floor and each did ten push ups. This indeed woke us up. Then we did another 10 (okay, on my part, only four) after marveling at Joannie Rochette’s strong and beautifully-sculpted arms.
I keep saying that the next time these things roll around I’m going to take two weeks off work, so I can properly focus and rest-up for optimal viewing. But the truth is that it was fun to be at the rink, compare notes with fellow coaches, and see what the kids thought of everything. There has been a buzz in the air and a little extra enthusiasm.
As much as I’ve been impressed with the actual skating over these two weeks – the fluidity, the velocity, the beauty and innovation combined with aggression – I think I’m most in awe of the composure we have seen. Not only did these skaters expect a lot from themselves, they carried the expectations of many others: entire countries were watching and hoping. To perform, to focus, and to excel in those circumstances is exactly remarkable as all the sappy, Costas-narrated montages claim. I think these athletes have brought us all a some perspective and probably a lot of inspiration.
And so, as I am already feeling a bit of a void and anticipate some post-Olympics withdrawal coming on, I hope to draw strength from what I have witnessed. I hope my skating students will do the same. I hope we all will.
Now where is that book I was reading way back before Vancouver took over my brain?
***
Thank you, as always for reading. If you’d like add your own innermost feelings on the Olympics or make fun of me for waxing so sentimental, please leave a comment below.
Coming up in the near-ish or distant future on CSOM:
Ice Castles Review: Old and New
Why women’s ice hockey shouldn’t be discontinued from the Olympics despite the disparity between the North American teams and the rest of the world. (And despite the Canadian’s overenthusiastic partying on the ice.) (I played for a while, have a great deal of respect for the game, and will regale you with my misadventures.)
Why it’s a shame that ice dance compulsories are probably going to get phased out of the Olympics/high level competition.
The Cutting Edge on the Family Channel. (Futon, here I come, again…)
Etc.
Free Dance – Vancouver Insta-blog
February 22, 2010
by Jocelyn Jane Cox
(Best read from the bottom. )
12pm: Virtue and Moir: Dreamy. Floating. Strong but graceful. She has gorgeous posture and he compliments her perfectly. I am enchanted. Not at all surprised that they are winning. Surprised only by the point spread.
Belbin and Agosto: Demonstrating that it’s tough at the top – it’s so much easier to be the underdog. (Or I guess that’s kind of what they are tonight….) Beautiful performance! Hope they can hold off DomShab.
Tanith was born and raised in Canada and has dual citizenship. Can’t help wondering if it’s awkward to perform in front of her home crowd representing the U.S. Also wondering if they’ll go to Worlds and if not, my fingers are crossed that Kim and Brent a.k.a. NavBom will.
DomShab: Looked a little forced and lethargic. And the ropes on the costumes do seem a bit unfair. And…they’re on the podium.
Wishing it had been Tanith and Ben in that third spot…but kudos to them for a long and great career.
And it was was another awesome night of skating.
Good night.
(I think my coaching schedule i.e. late lessons/early lessons will prevent me from insta-blogging for Ladies Short Program, but maybe I’ll do a post-game analysis, or get insta again for the Freeskate…)
________________________________________________
11:20 ish. Charlie and Meryl! Twizzletastic! Way to throw down! Couldn’t take my eyes off them, same as in the OD. I think they may have brought me back onboard the Phantom train (in previous posts I have lamented its overuse). Nuanced and Mesmerizing. And talk about complicated lifts.
One of many the things I love about Charlie White is that he continued to play hockey for a long time while also competing in ice dance. In fact, he and Meryl had to sit out much of 2004 season because he broke his ankle playing. Loved the footage of young Charlie getting interviewed in his hockey gear and the anecdote of he and Moir playing against each other in a game when they were kids.
________________________________________________
11pm. Great showing from Samuelson and Bates. Very solid and technical. Looking forward to them pushing the artistic envelope more over the years.
Love that the Kerrs skated to Linkin Park. A little off on their twizzles and had one or two other wrinkles. But the fact that she lifted him delights me, to say the least (and obviously thrilled the live audience as well.)
Pechalat and Bourzat: Excellent “Time” theme. Never seen anything like that before. The tick-tock motions with their arms worked well. And I liked the twizzle entrance into the spin and the split-twist-like entrance into one of their lifts. Unfortunately, I looked down at my laptop when they did their “signature lift”. Will have to catch that On Demand.
Delobel and Schoenfelder: They once again win the award for most elaborate/theatrical entrance onto the ice. Very playful. Costume tricks! I’m noticing these more, lately. This team keeps their free legs confusingly low on their first twizzle. Sounds like this is it for them. All good things must come to an end, I suppose.
Thumbs up to Tracy Wilson’s explanation of how lilting knees create flow, and, earlier, noting how good footwork curves in and out with edges. 
Firebird! Khoklova and Novitski. Exciting and exotic but died a bit around the 3/4 mark.
Let me just take this moment to exclaim: Dance Lifts have come a long way, baby! Pair overhead lifts are risky and daring, but these are equally so. All these complex position changes make them like gliding games of Twister. Some think IJS lift requirements have made lifts crazy to the point of spastic/frantic, but they sure are fun to watch (glad I don’t have to do them…)
Looking forward to the final group…but it’s getting late…slipping further and further down on the futon. Hoping I can make it.
________________________________________________
9:35 Crone and Poirier of Canada: Nice straight line lift in the middle – perfectly timed to the music for maximum impact. These two should get extra points for also competing in Singles. This kind of multitasking is rare and admirable.
Speaking of multitasking, I’m not going to “Be The Judge” tonight. I can only do so much. Already have about 45 tabs open in my browser…
Must say, this aerial ski jumping mystifies me! How do they do that? I like how the coach yells out instructions right before the landing.
________________________________________________
9:20. Waiting patiently and eating salad. Arugula and Ice Dance: can’t ask for much more on a Monday night.
________________________________________________
Free Dance is tonight. Will we have a North-American sweep? Frankly, I think it’s unlikely, but it’s certainly never been more possible. I’ll start posting my two-cents as soon as the festivities get started.
Whatever happens, it’s pretty cool how figure skating is on the tip of everyone’s tongues and splashed across websites and print publications around the world, “eh?” It’s downright impossible to keep up. Here’s one blurb that caught my eye today. On yahoo, there’s an article called, “Big Hockey Win Inspires Davis, White” To read, click here. It’s mostly inoffensive, but one part….stood out to me (read: rankled, angered, annoyed, entertained.):
“The American duo of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, along with the USA’s Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, will never have a fraction of the aggression possessed by a prized bunch of U.S. hockey heroes, yet this pleasant bunch of fresh-faced toe-tappers have the ability to inflict even more punishment on a battered Canadian national psyche.”
A fraction of the aggression? Toe-tappers? Ouch. This makes me feel the same way I did back when hockey players used to line up at the rink door, waiting for their practice, snickering at my brother and I: “I’d like to see you try this!” (Of course, most male skaters unfortunately have to contend with this silliness…my brother was a champ at ignoring it.) Anyway, I know first-hand that skating is a ridiculously challenging sport and have the utmost respect for it. Of course, at the end of the day, it serves as a form of entertainment for viewers (just like hockey and basketball and all other sports.) And skating is highly entertaining.
I contribute in my own way to all the skating brew-ha-ha on Slate.com. I think I have outdone myself with self-deprecation and sarcasm on this one. Intended to be funny so please read with a grain of salt. And for the record, I don’t even own yellow socks, ha! To read, click down here:
To see Timothy Goebel’s fantastic response to Elvis’s Quad rant, scroll down or find it under “recent posts” off to the right.
As always, thanks for reading.
Original Dance – Vancouver Insta-blog
February 21, 2010
By Jocelyn Jane Cox
(To read Timothy Goebel’s excellent response to Elvis Stojko’s Quad-centric rant, scroll down to the previous post!)
(For best results, read this post from the bottom.)
(Here’s just one more set of parentheses.)
11pm: Davis and White: Phenomenal! Their twizzling is terrific – Imagine moving your arms that much while spinning, not losing your balance AND maintaining synchronicity. Very impressive, innovative and fun to watch. In case I’m not being clear, here: I loved it. I like this more than their FD. They beat DomShab! Bravo! And speaking of Bias with a Capitol B…My score: 80.5, Judges: 67.10
Pechalat and Bourzat: Great speed. Dig the pigtails and the cowboy boots. I admit it, I’m having trouble watching, typing, judging, and drinking rootbeer. Me: 62.2, Judges: 60. But maybe I’m getting better at the scoring.
The Zaretskys: Good country/folk dance. Stuck to their heritage. Expressive and aggressive. Me: 55.7, Judges: 55.25, my closest yet!
Virtue and Moir: So sharp, so crisp, so complex. Imagine the nerves…performing in front of your home audience. They are incredibly composed. Their scores trump Charlie and Meryl. I am disappointed in this but I can’t say it’s entirely off-base. Me: 75.7, Judges:68.4.
Tanith and Ben: Did they keep up with the music? Are they as quick and intricate as the young whipper snappers? Sadly, it doesn’t seem like it. They are obviously still amazing, but watching them this season feels a bit like seeing a balloon deflate. Good lifts, strange boot covers. Fourth place. Me: 67.7, Judges:62.5.
So here it is: 1.Virtue/Moir, 2.Davis/White, 3.Domnina/Shabalin, 4.Belbin/Agosto.
The way I scored it (and I’m not saying I actually agree with this) (In fact I clearly have no idea what I’m doing…I’m more of a qualitative than a quantitative person, anyway.) (Okay, no more prefacing.)
1.Davis/White 2.Virtue/Moir 3.Belbin/Agosto 4. Samuelson/Bates 5. Pechalat/Bourzat 6. Domnina/Shabalin.
What have I learned tonight? Bias is difficult to avoid on the judges stand…and on the futon. Give “You Be The Judge” a try…it’s pretty fun (and humbling…) If you missed the event, or want to enjoy the OD’s again, you can see them On Demand at this site: click here.
Good night.
_________________________________________
10 pm: Delobel and Schoenfelder: I forgot to be the judge! I was distracted by the fact that she had a baby *less than 5 months ago*. Big fan of the floofy pink lace under her skirt and the cartwheel he turned over her at the end. Not super-crisp, but admirable, all things – like recent Childbirth and Shoulder surgery — considered.
Kerr and Kerr: I like how he does a lot of the tricks, like leapfrogging over her, swinging across her etc. Reminds me of Paul Duchesnay. I scored them 5 points higher than the judges did…
Faiella and Scali: NBC just showed all those ice dance falls in the last Olympics, including theirs. Glad there haven’t been any falls yet (at least on the broadcast…) (Then again…all those falls during the last Games were pretty entertaining.) I actually got these scores almost right. Me: 58.6, Judges:60.2
Drumroll…here is DomShab: The costumes are indeed (and thankfully) lighter, with slightly different markings than before and no face paint. Still greenery, though, and I’m finding the dangling, red loin cloth distracting. From what I can tell, the choreography doesn’t look like it has been changed much since Europeans. Wouldn’t it be strange to have to go out and do that dance after all the criticisms? In a word: Awkward. My score: 61.7. Judges: 62.85. Average of other You Be the Judge players: 50.7! Not so easy to leave your emotions and biases off to the side, eh?
_________________________________________
8:25 Okay, NBC just showed Emily Samuelson and Evan Bate’s cowboy/cowgirl OD to the Dixie Chicks medley. Well done! And in chaps, no less. I liked everything except their final lift (but the crowd seemed to like it). Woops, I guess I scored them just a smidge too high on my first go-round of You Be the Judge. Me: 63.2. Judges: 54!
Since NBC has switched back to skiing, I’ll take this opportunity to write that I have been watching Emily and Evan since they won Intermediate at the 2002 Junior Championships. They represent something I’m really psyched about right now: partnership longevity. They’ve been together something like 10 years. (Likewise, did you catch the priceless footage the other night of Charlie and Meryl when they were wee skaters?) Staying together for a long time and building mileage (and therefore unison and a partner-connection) is one of the many reasons U.S. ice dancers are doing better internationally than they used to. (And the opposite is true of pairs – note 18 month partnership for Americans versus 18 YEARS for Chinese.) This also explains why sibling teams are doing well here and abroad – notice that there are 4 bro-sis teams competing in the Olympics. I don’t know if that’s an unprecedented number, but I don’t remember there ever being that many before. Of course, there are other challenges for bro-sis teams. Today, the Wall Street Journal had a video piece about siblings having to perform romantic dances. Click here. I can attest that this is tricky. My brother and I had to skate a Blues OD and a Samba OD in our day…suffice it to say, we managed to make these extremely UN-sexy!
More to come…of course leave a comment if you are so inclined.
_________________________________________
Getting pumped for the Original Dance, shortly. In case you don’t know, the skaters are supposed to perform a Folk/Country dance. Some of the couples will do something from their own heritage, but most will not. The Russian couple, currently in first, will be skating their much-publicized Aboriginal dance, but supposedly with new costumes.
I am going to Insta-blog (or at least post right after the event) and also give “You be the Judge” a try on the NBC website. Click here. Looks like you can choose basic mode or expert mode… Apparently you can compare your scores with the actual results, and with other people who are playing. I have claimed several times in the last week that I am no Technical Specialist (and, likewise, I am no judge) – so this should be interesting. I have a ton of respect for the good people who have gone through that training (no easy feat!) and give their time to this sport.
That being said, we’re of course all entitled to our opinions so I’ll announce here that I agreed with the results of the Tango Romantica on Friday night. Domnina and Shabalin’s dance was sharp, seductive, and looked like it had a lot of flow. She turned so fast, she was a blur. I got a kick out of them draping those Canadian aboriginal blankets across themselves in the Kiss and Cry as a consolation/olive branch for the Aboriginal offense. I thought Tessa and Scott from Canada (in second) were excellent and I’m glad that two American teams, Meryl and Charlie (in third) and Tanith and Ben (in fourth) have a chance to medal (likely only one team will, but this scenario does increase our chances.) I also got a kick out of Delobel and Schoenfelder: they took the ice in a crazy theatrical manner – he with his jacket over his shoulder and she primped a little. They put on a good show…or shall I say Schoe…?
To be continued….
Timothy Goebel responds to Elvis Stojko’s Rant
February 21, 2010
I was interested in what Timothy Goebel, 2002 Olympic Bronze medalist, thought of the scathing article Elvis Stojko wrote about the Men’s results, called “The Night they Killed Figure Skating”. (To read it, click here.) Tim sent me this rebuttal:
“In my last season of competitive skating my coach, Audrey Weisiger, had a great quote: “Adapt, or die!”. Referring to the new judging system, she was noting the importance of being able to make changes to a program mid-season, in order to maximize points.
Evan, and many of his peers, have done just that. They have adapted. While I do agree with Elvis that the current system fails to appropriately encourage and reward risk, there are improvements the new regime has brought to the sport, as well. The most important, perhaps, is the importance placed on quality. Evan did not do a quad. Elvis is correct in saying that Evan’s jumps weren’t close to the techinical ability of Evgeny- they far exceeded his. Plushenko gave a gritty performance, and is a phenomenal competitor, but the jump quality was lacking. He barely hung on to his solo triple axel, and although Evan had a slight break in his axel combo, it was better. Lysacek did a beautiful triple lutz-triple toe, Plu barely squeaked by on his solo lutz, and did a scratchy triple lutz-double toe. Grade of execution counts for a lot, as it well should, and in every case Evan’s execution was stronger.
Another positive step the new system makes, is rewarding a well balanced program by giving bonus to difficult elements late in the program. Plushenko has one of the best triple axels in the business. He could easily do it in the bonus, but he elected not to. He front-loaded his program, and Evan spread his difficulty throughout. I appreciate how difficult that is- in the Salt Lake City Olympics, the second quad sal in my long was around the 3 minute mark. It requires a lot of training to make the big tricks happen late in a program, and Evan did so with ease.
I do not like to see the quad being such a rarity in the sport these days, and I do think that the system needs a major overhaul to encourage athletes to take risk. However, athletes must adapt to the system that they are competing under. With the help of Lori Nichol and Frank Carroll, Evan constructed a program that uses his strengths to maximize his points. He did what he needed to do to be successful within the constructs of the current system, and delivered two of the strongest programs he could possibly skate under a great deal of pressure. And that is the sign of a true champion.
In order to help the sport move forward, I would like to see a dialogue open between the ISU and former athletes who have performed multiple quads in competition. Elvis, myself, and many of our peers have invaluble competition experience for understanding the difficulty in executing these jumps. I agree that the system needs some major adjustments. Working together with the ISU, I am confident that we could come up with a point spread that would encourage and reward athletes to attempt more difficult elements, and do so without turning the sport into a jump contest.”
Thank you, Tim. Well put.
This week, on Slate.com I think I have officially outdone myself, as far as self-deprecation and sarcasm: Click down here:
To read a riff proposing some, ehem…other Olympic Sports, Click down here:
Happy Olympics!
Men’s Freeskate: Insta-Blog
February 18, 2010
[Best read from the bottom, up.]
9:40 Friday morning
This Olympic-viewing is hard work! A little bleary-eyed (can barely see through these bags that have inflated on my face), but digging the post-game interviews with Evan. Very gracious, well-spoken and appropriately in awe of the honor and the accomplishment.
On the flip side, just read a scathing analysis of the results by Elvis Stojko on yahoo called The Night They Killed Figure Skating. Ouch. Click here.
Am liking the sizzling NBC commercial for Ice Dance: “Cold winter nights just got hotter.” Pumped for Tango Romantica tonight – I don’t plan to insta-blog. I may do so for OD and/or FD. If you’d like a little guidance on tonight’s compulsory event, check out my article on Ice Skating International. Link at the bottom of this post.
_______________________________________________
12:15
Lambiel, Lambiel. Your name rolls off the tongue. I had such high hopes. You remind me so much of my high school star-crush Robert Sean Leonard (of Dead Poet’s Society and now House).
[The Hubs dozed off but he’s sitting back up again…]
Takahashi is fluid. Like water on skates. Way to come back from the Big Quad. Disagree with the pundits that it sucked the life out of the program. Likewise, way to come back from injury.
Weir: The Fallen angel flies again. Gotta hand that one to him. Great performance. And a beautiful ring of roses around his head.
Plushenko skated shaky. The marks are up–
Evan wins!! It comes down to Grade of Execution. Quality over Quantity. That is awesome. Go USA.
And now. To. Sleep.
Thank you for reading.
_______________________________________________
11:34
Viva Lysacek!! Great performance. Not easy to skate first, but he got out there and got it over with…now the waiting game. Prefer the snakes to the feathers. Looked a tad slow and walky in the middle, but Bravo! Sounded like Hamilton almost slipped up at one point and almost said Petrenko instead of Plushenko.
Oda vaults into the air. Looks like his legs are made of rubber and his knees have springs. Call me a Nationalist, but the Chaplin medley just reminds me that Ryan Bradley didn’t make it. And I don’t like to think about that.
Oops, technical difficulties. Thought he tore a muscle but it was just his lace. He should be awarded a lightening bolt superhero costume (like little Lysacek’s) for how quickly he fixed that. Mixed things up a bit.
_______________________________________________
11:10
Florent Amodio: I missed his short the other night but heard a lot of buzz about him. This Amelie/marionette program was cute. Nice to see a lighthearted Long Program since they usually skew serious.
Patrick Chan: Phantom of the Opera is a gorgeous piece of music and very evocative. Chan skates beautifully to it, but I am so Tired of this song. (And/or maybe I’m just tired.) He has a great smile – look forward to seeing it again next time around.
Michal Brezina: Gene Kelly on skates. Like it. An American in Paris? No, A Czech in Canada.
_______________________________________________
10:40
Well, so much for my predictions that Jeremy Abbott would climb up from 15th to win… way to climb uphill within the program, though.
It seems that Kozuka loves the electric guitar. If he wants to keep skating to this for all of his future programs, I am comfortable with that. When they zoomed in on his sit spin I realized the benefit of (and perhaps theory behind) these wacky boards: it looks a little like they’re skating outside in a cartoon world.
Denis Ten: 16 years old, wow! Couldn’t keep up with his music medley – traveled across more borders and decades than I could keep track of.
I don’t know the football stars they just showed, but I do love that they are not only watching figure skating but doing so in public.
_______________________________________________
9:50
To my friend who suggested I host an Olympic party: well, this is it! Online and On the futon. Welcome.
Ahh! The suspense. They’re not even going to start showing the skating until after 10. (I am enjoying the snowboarding, though.)
In the meantime, check out this analysis of The Quad in the NY Times, put together by longtime friend Archie Tse, former pair skater turned graphic guru. Off to the right, you’ll see each skater’s success rate with the Quad – I appreciate all the facts and figures, but I especially like seeing how all that rotational pull contorts their faces…..Click here.
_______________________________________________
Here comes the showdown: Feathers, Tassels, and Tears vs. the Swinging Sword. I’m going to type commentary as soon as I get home from the rink tonight.
I know some people were offended by Blades of Glory, but let’s face it, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder nailed it. It’s almost as if the men’s figure skating event is acting out that plotline to a T. I’m looking forward to watching Freeskate but would also really like to see Plushenko and Lysacek make amends then perform a “Very Original Dance” later this week.
Actually, all this bravado, the boustier, and the masterful skating made the Vancouver Short Program on Tuesday night the most fun I think I’ve ever had watching a men’s event. I laughed, I (faux) cried and I marveled. I know I should be applauding all the jumps (and they were incredible), but I think the fact that there were two footwork/step sequences made it very entertaining. Favorite footworkers: Lambiel, Takahashi, Abbott. Least favorite footworker: Plushenko a.k.a. Clod the Quad (and, by the way, weren’t his jump landings rather shaky?) Favorite overall program: Kozuka to Jimi Hendrix. Biggest heartbreak: Abbott. Biggest surprise: obviously Joubert. Best twizzler: Lysacek.
Big shout out to The Hubs for today’s artwork and his unique talent to put skates on just about anything for the purposes of CSOM. To see more of his non-skating but incredibly graceful work, click here.
And…check out these other Olympic-y pieces I’ve been working on. Special thanks to Vicki Merten, Wendy Mliner, Cheryl Demkowski-Snyder, Cathy Reed, Brad Cox, and Liz Leamy for advising me on the article about the Tango Romantica. Click down here:
Thanks for reading and thanks for all your comments on those previous insta-blogs both here and on FB – makes it really fun. 
Pairs Freeskate – More Medals, More Pretzels
February 16, 2010
[FYI- this works backwards, so read from the bottom then back up, if you'd like. I intend to insta-blog again for Men's Freeskate on Thursday night...I'll sign in as soon as I get home from the rink!]
Midnight:
Shen and Zhao: Well, tanked on a lift, but did lots of high ticket elements late in the program. AND: did a old -school pull-through, but into a lift! Fourth Olympics. Five points ahead after Short. First Place.
NBC didn’t even show or mention the American’s final placements (10th and 13th). But I agree with Dick Button for once: “It was a wonderful evening.” Lots of strong skating and no disastrous falls. Phew!
Good night!
____________________________________________________
11:45
Kavaguti and Smirnov: I am uncomfortable watching women this thin on the ice. I felt the same way about Sasha Cohen this year. (I am also uncomfortable commenting on other people’s weight, but I fear for their safety and health and fear for young girls they might influence.) (Well, honestly, I fear for these pair girls at any weight.) (But this is just my paranoia.)
Savchenko and Szolkowy: Love Out of Africa. Thumbs up on the spread eagles into the Throw Triple Sal. Likewise for the Spread Eagle/Plank-ish ending to that lift. (Wish the commentators would tell us the name of some of these newer lift positions/ and lift exits. If they need help coming up with names, I volunteer my services.)
Pang and Tong: Woooo hooooo! Only team that prompted me to applaud here from the futon. They’re like ice dancers. Gorgeous. Notice, when he throws her, how much air he takes, himself.
One more to go…
____________________________________________________
11:15 Time for tonight’s serving of pretzels. And to wonder who on earth named it a “death spiral.” 
It’s probably the least scary and dangerous of all the elements we are seeing tonight.
My little friend Wiki tells me Potopopovs attempted to change it up in the 60’s, calling the Back Inside a “Cosmic Spiral,” the Forward Inside a “Life Spiral” and the (all too rare) Forward Outside, a “Love Spiral.” I think any one of these would be better than the current name. What do you think? Leave a comment below if so inclined.
____________________________________________________
10:55 Zhang and Zhang: That fall on his elbows did not look fun. The Hubs gives a thumbs up to their ending position, though.
On Sheherazade: it is a beautiful piece of music, but can we take a break from it? Maybe just take this and Phantom of the Opera and put them in the vault for a while? Maybe just a few decades. In fact, a lot of this music is tired.
On typing while trying to watch the TV screen: challenging.
Mukhortova and Tarankov: The Hubs admits that this is the most he has ever watched any Olympics and any sporting event, period. He says: “Is it a new thing that the guys are wearing such normal outfits? He looks like he just got off his shift at the Banana Republic.” Yes, it is a new thing – seems like lots of teams are following in the footsteps of Sale and Pelletier. ( I believe this is their same music.)
Dube/Davison: “And this guy is from the Gap! That’s just a long sleeve T-shirt and Dockers!” (…maybe I’ll get him in figure skates, yet!)
I’m sad D/D didn’t have a better skate. Was rooting for them ever since the camel spin accident. Can’t imagine doing another one after that and the PTSD she must have had. She looks awesome, though. Still wondering why their scores are so high…? Perhaps my local technical specialist will enlighten? Or perhaps he is asleep, preparing for an early-morning skate.
Also wondering why all the Death Spirals look so slow – possibly because they are trying to hold them for so long.
____________________________________________________
10:31 Bazarova and Larianov. I dig the one-sided collar. The Russian Jackets are cool. Is it true that they are required to put them on in the Kiss and Cry for promotional purposes?
The back story on Yao Bin: inspiring or heartbreaking? Both, I suppose.
The Hubs on Langlois and Hays: “She’s so little.” Yup, that’s one of the main requirements of a girl pair skater. Liliputian. That, and nerves of steel. Not to mention biceps of steel.
____________________________________________________
10:03 Evora and Ladwig just skated. Mark is to be commended on his spirals. He is doing his species proud.
Bezic: (approximate quote) “Evora and Ladwig have been together for eight years and never been on the podium at Nationals [dramatic pause] until this year.” I am a sucker for this kind of stuff.
Enormous Throw Triple Loop. And their One handed Reverse Lasso etc etc etc lift: excellent.
Notice how Costas and Co. are suddenly pushing the “personal best” notion since, in this case, the Americans are nowhere near medal contention. I approve and request more of the same. The constant focus on medals is tiresome. (Thank heaven Canada finally got a gold on their home turf – the commentators can now stop harping on this.) I like that the rink announcer is mentioning when the scores are a team’s personal best. This does bring some perspective and context. Then again, every event has different judges and different callers…
____________________________________________________
9:25 Okay! Just got home from the rink two hours later than expected – dead battery in the parking lot, got a jump, tossed up a salad, now ready to see the skaters jump….
Denney and Barrett just punched in a great, redemptive Freeskate. Bravo! Impressive for being together only 18 months.
The above clipart and in fact this entire insta-blog is dedicated to all previous, current, and future pair skating women. I have an insane amount of respect for you.
To be continued…and in the mean time, check out this humor piece about the Olympics:
Medals and Pretzels
February 15, 2010
Okay, pair short program results are in. USA 10th and 14th, room for improvement, but a decent showing. Some of the scoring at the top is cause for pause. I will have to consult with my local Technical Specialist to see what’s what.
NBC just put up the results with some of the countries/flags all jumbled. Oops. Or, in the the words of my 3 year old nephew: Oopalah.
Upwards and onwards for Freeskate tomorrow night. I will have to stretch and digest all these pretzels in order to be ready….
——————————————————————————————-
10:38: Pang and Tong, favorite program so far. “Free and joyous”, yes. Scores lower than I expected, but then again I’m no Technical Specialist…
I really have no right to comment on costumes, considering what I have worn in the past, eh hem, not to mention what I’m wearing right now…but – I vote No for Nude Fabric on guys.
Question: are Split Triple Twists getting more and more lateral?
Better stop clowning around, the Germans are up.
10:35 pm…Trying to decide which is more cute: The two-inch tall Tamara Moskvina standing on a box in order to see over the boards or the adorable Pelletier and Sale all gussied up in the media booth.
Holy Blue Unitard!
Trying to decide: Is the blue/green landscape design on the boards distracting or cool? I like the way it looks but the skaters don’t show up all that well against it…
Am noticing that pair footwork/step sequences are getting a bit more dance-y. Me like. Along the same lines: I like Kavaguti’s longer skirt. I guess that entrance into the Throw Triple Loop wasn’t too shabby either.
Dube just fell on her jump. That’s a shame. The scores are high – very confused.
——————————————————————————————————————-
Scott Hamilton during Bazarova and Larinov: (approximate quote) “They used to call them one and a half pairs because of the difference in the size.” My brother and I used to call them Giant and the Pea couples. (It is possible/valid that they called us the Giraffes.)
I am digging the NBC countdowns “x minutes to figure skating” in the lower right hand corner.
Hannah Kearney, Gold medalist in Freestyle Mogul answering the question, “What events are you going to watch?” “Definitely figure Skating because it epitomizes the Winter Olympics.”
Evora and Ladwig: Sweet Throw Triple Loop!
The Hubs on Mark’s costume: “I like his outfit – it’s so normal.”
——————————————————————————————–
Opening ceremonies, check. Ohno last night, check. Snack food, check.
On deck: Pairs Short.
I am not sure which was better: Shen and Zhao’s beautiful yet strange back outside death spiral just now or my beautiful yet strange husband’s impromptu and passionate “skating” across the hardwood floor. One point deduction for his fall; he crashed and burned against the dining room table.
I personally never made it to the Olympics, though it could be argued that I trained for them…sort of, in an abstract way, well, they were far far off in the distance. I trained alongside Olympians, does that count? I know that when you fall trying just about anything in Pair skating it smarts. Watching these girls defy gravity makes me cringe a bit.
USA’s Denney and Barrett: Awesome Throw Triple Lutz!
It’s strange to watch skating, in PJs from the futon. Am I jealous of these tiny bodies, their flexibility? Yes.
Oh, well, all that’s long over, but it’s nice to eat pretzels.
Sour grapes? No. Sourdough.
Favorite Olympic Moments
February 8, 2010
The time has come to once again catch Olympic Fever. Symptoms include: watching far too much television, envying all that youthful agility and quickness while slumped on your couch gobbling potato chips, and an embarrassing breakout of Nationalism. (After all, it’s only natural to root for your own country.) Fortunately, this affliction comes around only once every four years, and it’s okay to admit to enjoying it.
If you’re anything like me, Olympic Fever will take over your life and you’ll be able to think of little else. Of course, I’ll happily watch all the sports, especially snowboarding, hockey and speedskating, and I’ll marvel at the unique talents of these athletes. But figure skating is and will always be The Main Event. I’ve been thinking in the last few days about my favorite, or at least most memorable, Olympic viewing moments.
The first Olympics I remember watching was the 1980 Games in Lake Placid. As I recently wrote in a piece for Professional Skater Magazine, I distinctly remember watching Tai and Randy pull out of the competition. My brother and I had just started to take group lessons near our hometown in Wisconsin. I didn’t know much about the sport or anything about this pair team, but I was entranced and a little stumped. I watched as Randy did circles on the warm-up and shook out his leg: if he can still glide around like that, then why doesn’t he just compete? I had so much to learn about injuries…and learn I did.
I remember watching Kitty and Peter Carruthers capture the silver at Sarajevo in 1984. They did a crazy thing called a Hydrant where he tossed her up in the air and caught her on the other side as if she was leapfrogging over him. My brother and I were by this time competing in pair and dance at the Novice level so the fact that there was a brother/sister team at the top certainly resonated. Double click on the arrow to play video…
Torvill and Dean’s Bolero Freedance that year also left an impression – I’d never seen anything like it and I guess no one else had either. Double click on the arrow to play video…
Torvill and Dean paved the way for our eventual faves, the Duchesnays. Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay were another brother and sister duo – they competed in 1988 (8th) and 1992 (silver medal). Double click on the arrow to play video…
By the time we watched Natalie and Wayne Seybold compete in Calgary in 1988, we were training alongside them in Delaware. I was injured at the time with a sprained knee from doing Throw Double Axels. Although by this time I could do that Carruther Hydrant with some confidence, I hated Throws and made sure to say so on a regular basis. “I hate Throws,” was like a mantra, but the negative kind, and sure enough Throws retaliated. Conversely, I always admired Natalie’s tenacity and her ability to not just rotate Throws, but land them. Her position was so tight in the air – she looked like a spinning pencil — try as I did, I just couldn’t seem to emulate her. Double click on the arrow to play video…
The Seybolds were kind enough to bring back a poster for us signed by the legendary Gordeeva and Grinkov, which I still prize to this day. Their long program that year was mesmerizing, their unison incredible. The flowers on her dress and the nuanced way that she moved her head made me realize that pair skating could actually be elegant. When tiny Ekaterina Gordeeva looked into the camera and shyly said, “Hello everybody,” in her stilted English, I did a little math: she was exactly one year older than me and approximately half my size! Double click on the arrow to play video…
In fact, every event at this Olympics was exciting: remember the Battle of the Carmens? My heart sank for Debi Thomas, but I remember that she was very cool and composed in the Kiss and Cry interview. She said, “I’m not going to make any excuses.” Double click on the arrow to play video…
And who could forget the Battle of the Brians? Double click on the arrow to play video…
Of course, many great (and not so great) things happened in figure skating in the ensuing years. I watched the Olympics, but maybe because I was focused on things other than skating at the time, the “moments” didn’t really stick. Of course, there was the Nancy-Tanya debacle and Nancy’s hard-won bronze in Albertville. Kristi landed on top. After that, Tiny Tara trumped Kwan in Nagano.
The next moment I’ll never forget was watching Sarah Hughes win in 2002, Salt Lake City. That was, to me, an amazing Olympic moment…the kind that dreams are made of. Hughes was at the right place at the right time, stars aligned, and she skated well, proving that it’s what you put out there on the day of the competition that matters. This is what makes skating exciting (and also sometimes devastating). Double click on the arrow to play video…
I found Sale and Pelletier’s long program that year to be equally inspiring. Of course, the judging scandal revealed afterwards was less so. Double click on the arrow to play video…
What memories will be made on ice this year? We shall soon know. I’ll be watching closely, rooting for Team USA, and I presume you will be, too.
Here is the NBC broadcast schedule (and there will be a lot of preview/recap coverage on the Universal Sports station):
Pairs Short: Sun Feb 14, 7-11 pm
Pairs Freeskate: Mon Feb 15, 8-midnight
Men’s Short: Tues Feb 16, 8-midnight
Men’s Freeskate: Thurs Feb 18, 8-midnight
Dance Compulsories: Fri Feb 19, 8-11:30 pm
Original Dance: Sun Feb 21, 7-11 pm
Free Dance: Mon Feb 22, 8-midnight
Ladies Short: Tues Feb 23, 8-midnight
Ladies Freeskate: Thurs Feb 25, 8-midnight
***
Thanks for reading/watching! What are your favorite moments from years gone by? I’m sure you have very different ones from mine. Please leave a comment below.
Kiss and Cry Alternatives
January 15, 2010
The 2010 U.S. Championships are underway in Spokane, Washington and the Olympics are right around the corner. In the next six weeks, the sport of skating will reach its graceful tentacles into the minds of millions. During this time, we insiders may be called upon to answer some difficult questions, such as: What’s up with this judging system? And: Why did beautiful so-and-so get beat by that robot who fell twice? Or, one of my favorites: Is there actually such a thing as a “Kiss and Cry” area? Is that what you guys really call it?
Yes, as a matter of fact, this is where skaters and their coaches anxiously await their scores then react to them. This rinkside nook is usually decorated with black or royal blue carpeting and a few fake plants. The term Kiss and Cry apparently originated in Finland in the late 1970’s and was bandied about while they were setting up the rink for the 1983 Worlds. Believe it or not, Kiss and Cry is now an official term utilized by the International Skating Union.
I have mixed feelings about this term. As someone who grew up in the sport and has now made it my profession, I naturally want skating to be taken seriously. After all, we know this is a challenging, rigorous, and sometimes dangerous sport and this terminology makes it sound like fluff.
Then again, as someone who grew up in the sport and has now made it my profession, the term also seems…well, fitting and quite funny. After all, what everyone loves about skating is the human drama – witnessing the reactions afterwards is a big part of the show. Who can forget tiny Tara Lipinski leaping around like a baby kangaroo? Or the shock and awe of Sarah Hughes? I myself cried when the elegant Alyssa Czisny and her coach Julianna Berlin found out she won last year. When a synchro team discovers that they have won, the ensuing jumps for joy in the Kiss and Cry register on the richter scale; conversely, bad news can raise water levels for miles around.
Because the Olympics are looming, the emotions in the Kiss and Cry at Nationals this year will surely be amplified. True, some skaters won’t reveal much (they’ll hold it together until the camera moves onto someone else) and others will let it all hang out.
I’ve been wondering recently if there could be other names for this area and started to do some brainstorming. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far…
• The Hug and Sob
• The Smooch and Sweat (FYI, research has shown that Botox injections can calm down the sweat glands.)
• The Huff and Puff (This moment proves that you either just put in the extra effort, or that you probably should have done a few more run-throughs.)
• The Tears and Tiramisu (Submitted by my husband who I think is onto something: if the scores aren’t good, there should be complimentary tiramisu…)
• The Celebration/Devastation Zone (Doesn’t really roll off the tongue…)
• The Sit Tight-n-Smile (How much of your personality has been dampened by a media trainer?)
• The Squint and Try to See Your Scores (It may be time to get contact lenses.)
• The Land of High Fives and Regrets (I think this will be the title of my novel.)
• The Put Your Guards on Before You Ruin Your Blades Area (Sure, you can be a good girl or boy and put them back on right by the door, but isn’t it easier to do so while sitting down?)
• Gateway to the Rest of Your Life (After all, there’s always next year, or college, or coaching, or just some good old fashioned rest and recuperation… It seems like those previous four-ish minutes were the most important of your life, but there’s a whole world out there, and fortunately most of those experiences won’t be caught on camera…)
***
Well, I’m not sure I’ve come up with anything better than “Kiss and Cry” but perhaps you have suggestions? Please click on “comments” below.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all the skaters in Spokane!
If you receive the Professional Skater Magazine, check out my highly-informative article regarding the Olympics on page 11 of this month’s 25th Anniversary issue.
Charlie Brown: The Skater
December 26, 2009
Every holiday season, I re-watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and every year it both warms and breaks my heart. I can’t help it: I love Charlie Brown’s existential woe, his thwarted attempts to direct the Christmas play, his pitiful little tree, and the way his friends pull together at the end to make it all nice.
Of course, I especially like how the whole thing starts with a wintry skating scene. The Peanuts Gang does an impressive synchro-esque splice right at the beginning. Though Snoopy doesn’t have on a pair of skates, he manages a gorgeous spread eagle (or should I say spread beagle?) After a weaving round of crack the whip, Linus’ blanket somehow gets wrapped around Charlie Brown and flings him into a tree trunk. A pile of snow proceeds to plop on his head. Good grief, I just can’t get enough.
So, naturally, I was thrilled when Charlie Brown himself contacted me a few weeks ago for skating lessons. Turns out he has decided to try and make it to the upcoming Olympics. This has presented me with a dilemma: knowing that Charlie Brown isn’t exactly overflowing with self-confidence, I don’t want to be too discouraging…but.
Well, here’s the first draft of my response.
Dear Mr. Brown,
Thank you for contacting me about my coaching services. I am a big fan of yours. As per your request, I have analyzed the skating footage from the opening scene of your iconic holiday special in order to assess your stated goal of making it to the upcoming Winter Games.
The news is mixed. First, let me say that your ability to skate (and even stand up) amid snowflakes the size of baseballs is impressive and demonstrates a great deal of balance. Second, I have noticed that you are a simple man with simple needs, in terms of equipment. Most competitive skaters these days transport their skates in bags specially designed for optimal performance. Many of these bags even have wheels that put on their own laser light show. Your method of carrying your brown skates old-school style with the laces knotted and looped over your shoulder is unconventional yet refreshing. I presume that since you have no guards over your blades, they are in pretty shoddy condition. I like this: it shows that you are not a diva.
Your costume choices are…interesting. The hat with earflaps is an excellent pick, especially considering that it will be pretty cold up in Vancouver. Your yellow shirt, on the other hand, is a bit problematic: you may want to switch out those zig zags for something with softer lines in a color scheme more flattering to your skin tone.
Your musical selection, by Vince Guaraldi, as rendered by Schroeder, is to be commended.
Now to the skating. Your ability to bellyflop then spin on your stomach with that much momentum tells me that you are more aerodynamic than the size of your head might otherwise suggest. Of course, it is more ideal to rotate in a vertical position, but this is something we can work on.
Granted, in skating, as in life, it’s not always about how much you fall, but your willingness to keep getting up. Unfortunately, I noticed that after you careened into the tree, your recovery was inconspicuously absent from the film.
Before this event, I did spot a few split-seconds of competent gliding on your part. Truthfully, though, you would need many more hours of practice, in fact perhaps thousands of hours of practice, in order to make your Olympic dreams come true. This means that you’ll have to give up your extra-curricular activities, namely your role as the unappreciated Director of the Christmas Play. With all the work we would need to do, you simply don’t have time to be out looking for the most pathetic Christmas tree you can find.
Most importantly, Charlie, you’ll have to make some serious changes in your attitude. Your constant claims of depression and bellyaching about the meaning of Christmas will have to cease immediately. Likewise, statements such as, “Good grief, everything I do turns into a disaster” and “Everything I touch gets ruined,” are not indicative of a gold-medal mentality. Furthermore, you’ll have to wipe that worried look off your face; judges prefer smiles. I urge you to discontinue your use of Lucy’s psychiatric services despite her convenient location right in your path and her bargain price of 5 cents. Instead, I can recommend a few excellent sports psychologists.
This brings me to your mother: I can’t understand a word she is saying! And when I telephoned your teacher to see if we could “tweak” your school schedule in order to get some clear, mid-day ice time, I couldn’t understand her either.
Finally, to make it in this sport, you’ll need to abandon your anti-commercialism stance, as you will probably need corporate sponsorship in order to afford my fees. The good news is that right now several companies happen to be looking for a new athlete for endorsements.
Minor detail: the U.S. National Championships start in about two weeks and you have unfortunately missed all of the qualifying events. However, your association with the legendary, late Charles Schulz could hold some sway with United States Figure Skating.
In all, I think your chances of making it to the Olympics are slim, but I’d hate to say that your goal is impossible. If nothing else, I’m sure your skating career will not pan out any worse than your attempts at becoming a kicker for the NFL. (Again, Lucy’s services might not have been the wisest choice.)
There is some extremely exciting news in all this: while your skating talents are really only mediocre, some of your friends I saw skating on the tape look to have great promise. In fact, Snoopy seems like he could be a real podium climber. If he does not already have another coach, please have him contact me so that we can start training immediately.
Best,
Jocelyn Jane Cox
***
Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays! If you have any advice on this letter or any suggestions I can pass along to him, please click on “comments,” below.
If you haven’t already seen it, check out my article on page 30 of this month’s Skating Magazine. It’s about sibling ice dance teams. I know: it’s shocking that I’d report on that subject…
