I have changed the title and appearance of this blog, to better reflect my change in status. I've decided to change my career focus to freelance writing, and I want to use this blog to talk about that. So instead of this blog focusing on figure skating, like in the past, it now focuses upon my new career and what it's like to be a newbie freelance writer.
That doesn't mean, though, that figure skating is off limits. Actually, nothing is off limits on this blog. That's been what's going on here from the very begining, anyway. For example, in January, I will be attending the US Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, and I will blog about it, just as I did the last time the nationals was in Spokane, in 2007. I will most likely also discuss television, parenting my beautiful developmentally disabled children, and my Catholic faith.
Again, very little has changed about this blog. I'm just changing the title to better reflect what it's been about all along, and to give folks an idea about what I'm about and "how I can fulfill their writing needs."
Showing posts with label Nationals 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nationals 2007. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Men’s Free Skate
At the World’s figure skating championships this year, Canada’s Jeffrey Buttle found himself in the same position as Johnny Weir at the U.S. Nationals.
Skating after a performance that blows the roof off the house is always difficult. Weir, the defending U.S. champion at the time, found himself skating his long program after Evan Lysacek made his first quadruple toeloop in competition, and Buttle had to skate after the momentum of three other spectacular performances at Worlds.
Switzerland’s Stephane Lambiel, the wild card of the competition, skated third in the final group of male skaters. The two-time and defending world champion has admitted to being burnt-out after last year’s intense Olympic season and only recently decided to come to Worlds, but he landed a quad-double-double combination jump and fully rotated a second quad. He stumbled out of the second quad, but came from sixth place after the short program and earned enough points to win the bronze.
Lambiel had a marvelous free skate, charming the crowd and rattling the nerves of Brian Joubert, who skated next. Joubert was in first place after the short program, and recognized what he was up against. “Stephane did a great performance, which made it more difficult,” Joubert said. “I didn’t want to win the program. I wanted just to do a good program and win the title.”
Joubert did end up winning the gold, but points-wise, his free skate came behind Lambiel’s. Joubert nailed his opening quad-toeloop, and then a triple flip and a triple Axel. Instead of risking a second quad, the European champ and first Frenchman to win the Worlds since 1965 went for a triple toe-triple-toe combination, three more triples, and two level-three step sequences. His flying sit spin and sit spin, however, were downgraded to a level one.
You could say that Joubert “skated smart.” I’m very tired,” a triumphant Joubert said. “I didn’t attempt the second quad because I wanted to give the audience a clean program. I worked for this gold. It’s been a great season, and I gave it everything I had tonight.”
This in spite of coming back from a serious injury; in late February, Joubert spiked his foot with the blade of his other foot, causing him to miss crucial training. As a result, he wasn’t up to the form he was earlier in the season. At the Cup of Russia competition in November, he produced four quads. Out of any male skater in the senior circuit, Joubert understands the importance of the quad jump, especially for the future of the sport of figure skating.
Fortunately, he enjoyed a huge lead after the short program, which was a good thing regarding Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi’s performance immediately after Joubert’s. Takahashi overcame the pressure of skating at home and captured the home audience with his exuberant and emotional free skate.
Other than putting his hand down on his opening quad toe loop that seemed to relieve the pressure, Takahashi’s performance was flawless. He subsequently reeled off two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toeloop), a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop, and three more triples. He seemed tired towards the end of his program, but the audience’s support gave him new energy to complete his final straight-line footwork.
“Before I went out to skate, I was so nervous, I almost cried,” Takahashi said. When he finished, he couldn’t stop sobbing with relief and joy while the crowd erupted into a standing ovation. “I’m very happy and full of joy,” he added.
Then it was Buttle’s turn. He was in second place after his short program, but his free skate placed eighth, putting him in sixth overall. He stepped out of a triple axle and fell twice, first on a quad toe loop (which was downgraded to a triple) and his first triple Axel. In spite of these mistakes, however, he produced five more triple jumps. Buttle also made level threes in his complicated and expressive footwork and spins.
And so, like Weir at the U.S. Nationals, Buttle failed to take advantage of a great opportunity. His coach, Lee Barkell, chalked it up to a season of injury and the lack of a consistent quad jump in Buttle’s arsenal.
As far as skating after Takahashi’s pivotal performance, Buttle admitted that it made a difference. “Obviously, it has an effect,” he said. “You can’t ignore that kind of volume and response.”
Sources:
Associated Press. Figure Skating: Joubert’s quad and 7 triples suffice to win men’s title. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/22/sports/skate.php
Cole, C. Joubert wins world figure skating title, Buttle sixth. http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/story.html?id=a12cc65c-3d00-42d8-a32c-effea1f2116f&k=43993
ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2007 Tokyo (JPN) Day 3. http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/news/0,10869,4844-131973-133281-18886-268038-news-item,00.html
Kaye, R. 2007 World Figure Skating Championships: Men's Free Skate Highlights. http://goldenskate.com/articles/2006/032307_ml.shtml
Smith, B. Joubert wins men’s world figure skating title. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070322.wsptskate22/BNStory/Front
Skating after a performance that blows the roof off the house is always difficult. Weir, the defending U.S. champion at the time, found himself skating his long program after Evan Lysacek made his first quadruple toeloop in competition, and Buttle had to skate after the momentum of three other spectacular performances at Worlds.
Switzerland’s Stephane Lambiel, the wild card of the competition, skated third in the final group of male skaters. The two-time and defending world champion has admitted to being burnt-out after last year’s intense Olympic season and only recently decided to come to Worlds, but he landed a quad-double-double combination jump and fully rotated a second quad. He stumbled out of the second quad, but came from sixth place after the short program and earned enough points to win the bronze.
Lambiel had a marvelous free skate, charming the crowd and rattling the nerves of Brian Joubert, who skated next. Joubert was in first place after the short program, and recognized what he was up against. “Stephane did a great performance, which made it more difficult,” Joubert said. “I didn’t want to win the program. I wanted just to do a good program and win the title.”
Joubert did end up winning the gold, but points-wise, his free skate came behind Lambiel’s. Joubert nailed his opening quad-toeloop, and then a triple flip and a triple Axel. Instead of risking a second quad, the European champ and first Frenchman to win the Worlds since 1965 went for a triple toe-triple-toe combination, three more triples, and two level-three step sequences. His flying sit spin and sit spin, however, were downgraded to a level one.
You could say that Joubert “skated smart.” I’m very tired,” a triumphant Joubert said. “I didn’t attempt the second quad because I wanted to give the audience a clean program. I worked for this gold. It’s been a great season, and I gave it everything I had tonight.”
This in spite of coming back from a serious injury; in late February, Joubert spiked his foot with the blade of his other foot, causing him to miss crucial training. As a result, he wasn’t up to the form he was earlier in the season. At the Cup of Russia competition in November, he produced four quads. Out of any male skater in the senior circuit, Joubert understands the importance of the quad jump, especially for the future of the sport of figure skating.
Fortunately, he enjoyed a huge lead after the short program, which was a good thing regarding Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi’s performance immediately after Joubert’s. Takahashi overcame the pressure of skating at home and captured the home audience with his exuberant and emotional free skate.
Other than putting his hand down on his opening quad toe loop that seemed to relieve the pressure, Takahashi’s performance was flawless. He subsequently reeled off two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toeloop), a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop, and three more triples. He seemed tired towards the end of his program, but the audience’s support gave him new energy to complete his final straight-line footwork.
“Before I went out to skate, I was so nervous, I almost cried,” Takahashi said. When he finished, he couldn’t stop sobbing with relief and joy while the crowd erupted into a standing ovation. “I’m very happy and full of joy,” he added.
Then it was Buttle’s turn. He was in second place after his short program, but his free skate placed eighth, putting him in sixth overall. He stepped out of a triple axle and fell twice, first on a quad toe loop (which was downgraded to a triple) and his first triple Axel. In spite of these mistakes, however, he produced five more triple jumps. Buttle also made level threes in his complicated and expressive footwork and spins.
And so, like Weir at the U.S. Nationals, Buttle failed to take advantage of a great opportunity. His coach, Lee Barkell, chalked it up to a season of injury and the lack of a consistent quad jump in Buttle’s arsenal.
As far as skating after Takahashi’s pivotal performance, Buttle admitted that it made a difference. “Obviously, it has an effect,” he said. “You can’t ignore that kind of volume and response.”
Sources:
Associated Press. Figure Skating: Joubert’s quad and 7 triples suffice to win men’s title. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/22/sports/skate.php
Cole, C. Joubert wins world figure skating title, Buttle sixth. http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/story.html?id=a12cc65c-3d00-42d8-a32c-effea1f2116f&k=43993
ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2007 Tokyo (JPN) Day 3. http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/news/0,10869,4844-131973-133281-18886-268038-news-item,00.html
Kaye, R. 2007 World Figure Skating Championships: Men's Free Skate Highlights. http://goldenskate.com/articles/2006/032307_ml.shtml
Smith, B. Joubert wins men’s world figure skating title. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070322.wsptskate22/BNStory/Front
Sunday, March 04, 2007
More Johnny Weir
Brandi in Texas in my combox has requested that I give my opinion about Johnny Weir's performance at the Exhibition after the Nationals. (I've also been intending to write this article since the Nationals.) I just re-watched it this week, and was pleased to see that someone had uploaded it on YouTube. Life got in the way of commenting on it before, as well as the computer guy who did such a good repairing my laptop I wasn't able to view any videos until my hubby fixed it.
It's a beautiful program, of course, something that Johnny brought back for the Nationals. It also gives credence to what I've said all year about Johnny's lackluster performance this season.
I've said in previous posts to this blog that I believe that Johnny has been confused this season. He has gone on the record regarding his desire to change his image, and both his short and long programs have been his attempts to accomplish that goal. I believe these attempts are part of the what cost Johnny his fourth Nationals title. There are other reasons as well: his inconsistencies throughout the season, injuries, not enough practice time, Evan Lysacek learning from past mistakes. I understand that it had to be difficult to focus after Lysacek's near-perfect long program at Nationals, especially with the audience's reaction, but for someone at Johnny's level, that's no excuse.
I can also understand when an elite athlete (or any successful person, for that matter) gets burnt out. It takes an enormous amount of work and commitment to be one of the best figure skaters in the world. I can understand why Johnny would want to stir things up a bit for himself, to ensure his longevity, prevent longevity, and to make it more fun.
That being said, though, I will state again that I believe that with the changes this season, in a way Johnny has lost himself. He's wanted to be more "masculine" (and I'll say it again--whatever that means). However, that's just not who he is, and in spite of the changes, there were contradictions in his attempts. All season, for example, he's worn the costume shown below during his Jesus long program.
I think it's obvious that Johnny's statements about changing his image and style contradict what the above costume portrays; it's very similar to other costumes he's worn in the past. Like his skating up to now in his career, it's flowing with long lines. I also think that instead of taking my advice, he attempted to go even further at the Nationals, as the below photo shows. (Sorry for the quality; it's the best one I could find.
I maintain that it's obvious that Johnny's attempts to change his image this season have failed. I also maintain that the reason for that, as I've also stated before, is that he's trying to change who he is. And Johnny, being the kind of person who has to be who he is, has struggled. I believe that his exhibition performance after Nationals--well, exhibits that.
First, it's a program he's done before--before the change-in-image attempts. So it does a good job at showing what Johnny does best--the fludity, the long lines, the liquid gold. I hate the song "Imagine," but Johnny does a good job interpreting it--another thing he excels at.
The audience at the Exhibition thought so, too. As I said initially, most of the skaters received standing ovations because of their performances earlier in the week. I believe that the ovation Johnny received was genuine--yes, given because we felt bad for him, but also because it was an outstanding performance. He gave us a performance that was typically Johnny Weir, and it was his best one (technically as well as artistically) he gave all week.
It's my hope that Johnny will learn from the experience of this season. He has said that every competition is a learning experience for him. I hope that he figures out that he needs to be true to himself. I believe that this is true for all of us--we are happier when we figure out who we are and stick to it. It's when we try to be someone other than who we are that we fail.
It's ironic that Johnny was chosen to portray Christ this season, because I believe that Jesus shows us what it's like to be fully human. When we're like Jesus, we're the most human. I believe that when I try to be someone other than who I really am, that's when I'm least like Jesus.
So my hope and prayer for Johnny Weir is that he realizes that he skates best when he's true to himself. As a figure skating fan, it's what I want to see.
It's a beautiful program, of course, something that Johnny brought back for the Nationals. It also gives credence to what I've said all year about Johnny's lackluster performance this season.
I've said in previous posts to this blog that I believe that Johnny has been confused this season. He has gone on the record regarding his desire to change his image, and both his short and long programs have been his attempts to accomplish that goal. I believe these attempts are part of the what cost Johnny his fourth Nationals title. There are other reasons as well: his inconsistencies throughout the season, injuries, not enough practice time, Evan Lysacek learning from past mistakes. I understand that it had to be difficult to focus after Lysacek's near-perfect long program at Nationals, especially with the audience's reaction, but for someone at Johnny's level, that's no excuse.
I can also understand when an elite athlete (or any successful person, for that matter) gets burnt out. It takes an enormous amount of work and commitment to be one of the best figure skaters in the world. I can understand why Johnny would want to stir things up a bit for himself, to ensure his longevity, prevent longevity, and to make it more fun.
That being said, though, I will state again that I believe that with the changes this season, in a way Johnny has lost himself. He's wanted to be more "masculine" (and I'll say it again--whatever that means). However, that's just not who he is, and in spite of the changes, there were contradictions in his attempts. All season, for example, he's worn the costume shown below during his Jesus long program.
I think it's obvious that Johnny's statements about changing his image and style contradict what the above costume portrays; it's very similar to other costumes he's worn in the past. Like his skating up to now in his career, it's flowing with long lines. I also think that instead of taking my advice, he attempted to go even further at the Nationals, as the below photo shows. (Sorry for the quality; it's the best one I could find.
I maintain that it's obvious that Johnny's attempts to change his image this season have failed. I also maintain that the reason for that, as I've also stated before, is that he's trying to change who he is. And Johnny, being the kind of person who has to be who he is, has struggled. I believe that his exhibition performance after Nationals--well, exhibits that.
First, it's a program he's done before--before the change-in-image attempts. So it does a good job at showing what Johnny does best--the fludity, the long lines, the liquid gold. I hate the song "Imagine," but Johnny does a good job interpreting it--another thing he excels at.
The audience at the Exhibition thought so, too. As I said initially, most of the skaters received standing ovations because of their performances earlier in the week. I believe that the ovation Johnny received was genuine--yes, given because we felt bad for him, but also because it was an outstanding performance. He gave us a performance that was typically Johnny Weir, and it was his best one (technically as well as artistically) he gave all week.
It's my hope that Johnny will learn from the experience of this season. He has said that every competition is a learning experience for him. I hope that he figures out that he needs to be true to himself. I believe that this is true for all of us--we are happier when we figure out who we are and stick to it. It's when we try to be someone other than who we are that we fail.
It's ironic that Johnny was chosen to portray Christ this season, because I believe that Jesus shows us what it's like to be fully human. When we're like Jesus, we're the most human. I believe that when I try to be someone other than who I really am, that's when I'm least like Jesus.
So my hope and prayer for Johnny Weir is that he realizes that he skates best when he's true to himself. As a figure skating fan, it's what I want to see.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Sick Computer
My computer is sick. I did something to it last week that caused it to freeze up, so at the current time, it's in the shop. I hope that it's fixable and that I will get it back in the next day or two. It's been there for almost a week; they tell me that the guy who's working on it went out of town over the long holiday weekend.
As a result, I haven't been able to access e-mail, work on my YouTube videoes, play any of my games, or blog. Being without internet access hasn't been as hard as I thought, but after a week of it, I realized that I needed to check-in with some of my activities. So I'm currently using the computer at the Moscow Public Library.
In figure skating news, I watched the Nationals Expedition on ABC. Funny story about that: Sunday evening, I started up the Tivo recording and mentioned to my mother-in-law, who was at my house helping us with the kids that when my husband entered the room and saw it, he'd say something like, "You've already seen it!" Of course, that's exactly what he did!
I've also watched the pairs long program from the Four Continents competition broadcast this past weekend. Of course, it included coverage of the horrific accident of Canadian pairs team Davison and Dube'. As horrible as the accident was, I'm so thankful that Jessica Dube' is all right. No one can tell me that figure skating isn't a dangerous sport.
As a result, I haven't been able to access e-mail, work on my YouTube videoes, play any of my games, or blog. Being without internet access hasn't been as hard as I thought, but after a week of it, I realized that I needed to check-in with some of my activities. So I'm currently using the computer at the Moscow Public Library.
In figure skating news, I watched the Nationals Expedition on ABC. Funny story about that: Sunday evening, I started up the Tivo recording and mentioned to my mother-in-law, who was at my house helping us with the kids that when my husband entered the room and saw it, he'd say something like, "You've already seen it!" Of course, that's exactly what he did!
I've also watched the pairs long program from the Four Continents competition broadcast this past weekend. Of course, it included coverage of the horrific accident of Canadian pairs team Davison and Dube'. As horrible as the accident was, I'm so thankful that Jessica Dube' is all right. No one can tell me that figure skating isn't a dangerous sport.
Monday, February 05, 2007
John Hughes interview
At Nationals, I interviewed Emily Hughes' father and published it in on this blog until it appeared on Emily's webpage. It's deleted from here now, so here's where it is now:
http://emilyhughes.com/blog/?p=40
http://emilyhughes.com/blog/?p=40
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Super Bowl Weekend
I spent this weekend not watching the Super Bowl. I'm just not a football fan, in spite of having three athlete brothers and a dad who coached. I watched some figure skating--the Nationals recap on ABC and the women's long program at the European Championships on ESPN. I also learned how to edit Wikipedia entries. It's kinda complicated, but loads of fun for this control freak and perfectionist.
I re-created the article about Terry Gannon, and added some stuff about Emily Hughes.
I re-created the article about Terry Gannon, and added some stuff about Emily Hughes.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Something in the Water
Last week at Nationals I theorized that I was in the middle of viewing some of the best figure skating of my life. Now that I’m home, recovering from my vacation, and have reliable internet access, I’ve been able to research that theory.
Mind you, I didn’t bother to look at the scores of every skater; that would more time than I have and desire to devote to, but the cursory research of senior-level scores I have done has proven my theory correct. If I did a more complete survey of the scores, I’d bet good money that many (or perhaps most) of the figure skaters who competed in Spokane this year skated the best they ever skated.
Below is a relatively small list of the senior skaters who broke records—who improved their personal best, and by how many. Of note is Evan Lysacek’s marvelous free skate. He broke all records; not only did he make his personal best (169.89) by over five-and-one-half points, he broke Eveny Pleshenko’s all-time highest score (167.67).
Like I said, there was something in the water at Spokane.
Kimmie Meissner
Short program: 5.52
Beatrisa Liang
SP: 1.62
LP: 5.62
Emily Hughes
SP: 4.90
LP: 3.70
Katy Taylor
SP: 1.46
Alissa Czisny
LP: 9.81
Evan Lysacek
SP: 5.57
LP: 17.31
Ryan Bradley
SP: 9.14
LP: 36.78
Rena Inoue / John Baldwin
SP: 0.46
Naomi Nari Nam / Themistocles Leftheris
SP: 4.97
LP: 2.20
Brooke Castile / Benjamin Okolski
SP: 5.78
LP: 30.23
Meryl Davis / Charlie White
CD: 1.78
FD: 6.56
Kimberly Navarro / Brent Bommentre
CD: 4.87
OD: 7.27
FD: 10.36
Melissa Gregory / Denis Petukhov
OD: 0.84
FD: 3.80
Mind you, I didn’t bother to look at the scores of every skater; that would more time than I have and desire to devote to, but the cursory research of senior-level scores I have done has proven my theory correct. If I did a more complete survey of the scores, I’d bet good money that many (or perhaps most) of the figure skaters who competed in Spokane this year skated the best they ever skated.
Below is a relatively small list of the senior skaters who broke records—who improved their personal best, and by how many. Of note is Evan Lysacek’s marvelous free skate. He broke all records; not only did he make his personal best (169.89) by over five-and-one-half points, he broke Eveny Pleshenko’s all-time highest score (167.67).
Like I said, there was something in the water at Spokane.
Kimmie Meissner
Short program: 5.52
Beatrisa Liang
SP: 1.62
LP: 5.62
Emily Hughes
SP: 4.90
LP: 3.70
Katy Taylor
SP: 1.46
Alissa Czisny
LP: 9.81
Evan Lysacek
SP: 5.57
LP: 17.31
Ryan Bradley
SP: 9.14
LP: 36.78
Rena Inoue / John Baldwin
SP: 0.46
Naomi Nari Nam / Themistocles Leftheris
SP: 4.97
LP: 2.20
Brooke Castile / Benjamin Okolski
SP: 5.78
LP: 30.23
Meryl Davis / Charlie White
CD: 1.78
FD: 6.56
Kimberly Navarro / Brent Bommentre
CD: 4.87
OD: 7.27
FD: 10.36
Melissa Gregory / Denis Petukhov
OD: 0.84
FD: 3.80
Monday, January 29, 2007
Day Eight
10:40am: After checking out of the hotel, went to try and find a church for Mass, but was never able to find it, due to faulty directions from a hotel clerk. (What a huge surprise that was.) So we parked way early at the Arena and walked across the street to the Ticket for our final meal in Spokane.
11:30am: Lunch. I’m glad that our last meal in Spokane was at the Ticket. It really is a fun place, with great service and reasonably-priced, tasty food. Audrey and I ordered tea and Bailey’s coffee, and when we admired the cups they served them in, the waitress sold them to us for a buck each. That epitomizes the friendliness and beyond-the-call-of-duty service we got everywhere we went in town. Spokane should be proud.
12:35pm: Walked across the street, but found that they weren’t letting people in until 1pm. Yeah, it was cold, but the people in line were good-spirited about it, in spite of the nippy weather. As my mother-in-law would say, “Gotta dress for it.” Again, we met some neat, friendly folks.
1pm: Found our seats. It felt strange to be in different seats than we were in all week, but they were better—not so nosebleed section-like. Actually, our seats weren’t all that bad.
2pm: Watched the Exhibition. Great fun, and a great way to end the week. Everyone who earned a major medal skated. Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu were darn cute.
I’ll briefly say something about Johnny Weir now, and when I have more time and after I’ve recovered from my vacation, I’ll write more extensively about him. For now, Johnny’s performance at the exhibition was marvelous. The last group of skaters, all biggies, received standing ovations, mostly to congratulate them for doing well at the competition. Johnny’s ovation, however, was sincere, because he was being true to himself—finally. More about that later.
5:30pm: Got on the road, since we had decided to leave early. Lots of fog, but got home safety about 8:00. The kids were asleep, but I arrived home to a big surprise—my wonderful hubby had done some much-needed home improvements while I was gone.
Going to the Nationals was the most fun I’ve had in a long, long time, but I’m glad I’m home. I’ll probably write more as I review the re-broadcasts.
11:30am: Lunch. I’m glad that our last meal in Spokane was at the Ticket. It really is a fun place, with great service and reasonably-priced, tasty food. Audrey and I ordered tea and Bailey’s coffee, and when we admired the cups they served them in, the waitress sold them to us for a buck each. That epitomizes the friendliness and beyond-the-call-of-duty service we got everywhere we went in town. Spokane should be proud.
12:35pm: Walked across the street, but found that they weren’t letting people in until 1pm. Yeah, it was cold, but the people in line were good-spirited about it, in spite of the nippy weather. As my mother-in-law would say, “Gotta dress for it.” Again, we met some neat, friendly folks.
1pm: Found our seats. It felt strange to be in different seats than we were in all week, but they were better—not so nosebleed section-like. Actually, our seats weren’t all that bad.
2pm: Watched the Exhibition. Great fun, and a great way to end the week. Everyone who earned a major medal skated. Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu were darn cute.
I’ll briefly say something about Johnny Weir now, and when I have more time and after I’ve recovered from my vacation, I’ll write more extensively about him. For now, Johnny’s performance at the exhibition was marvelous. The last group of skaters, all biggies, received standing ovations, mostly to congratulate them for doing well at the competition. Johnny’s ovation, however, was sincere, because he was being true to himself—finally. More about that later.
5:30pm: Got on the road, since we had decided to leave early. Lots of fog, but got home safety about 8:00. The kids were asleep, but I arrived home to a big surprise—my wonderful hubby had done some much-needed home improvements while I was gone.
Going to the Nationals was the most fun I’ve had in a long, long time, but I’m glad I’m home. I’ll probably write more as I review the re-broadcasts.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Day Seven
10am: Arrived at the Arena. Late morning, but continuing difficulties with the internet connection in our hotel.
10:40am: Watched the women’s long program. Good for Kimmie Meissner! Too bad for Emily Hughes. Things were so close, there was less than one point separating them. And if it weren’t for Emily’s fall, she would’ve won by the slightest of margins. I guess it’s true what they say—skating a clean program often is what makes a difference. I’m happy for Kimmie, though; she needed this win after a so-so year after winning the World’s last year.
Oh, I found out my pressing question from this week. Peter Carruthers interviewed Kimmie after it was over, and she explained that it was her teammates from Delaware who were yelling it out. She said it was “our thing.” And it’s “Yeah, you’re hot!”
2pm: Late lunch at a trendy place called Twigs at the River Park Square. I was craving tuna, so I had their sashimi appetizer. Yum-o, as Rachael Ray would say.
7pm: Or there-abouts, since they started late. Watched the men’s long program. Man!
One of the best things about being here is that we’ve seen some amazing skating, live and in person. It’s been such an honor to be here for it. I can say that I saw history being made, and not just once. It’s been an incredible experience. Watching Evan Lysacek skate the program of his life was beyond description. Being so far away, I didn’t know until his interview that he had made a quad-triple combination! But the audience erupted afterwards, and was with him the entire time he was on the ice. I stood up with everyone else, and I’m sure that if I were alone, the tears in my eyes would’ve become weeping. Man!
And poor Johnny Weir, coming in mere third after three National titles. He fell once, and popped two jumps. I hate to say this, but I feel somewhat vindicated. All season, I’ve complained that Johnny hasn’t been true to himself. I believe that, along with the fact that he hasn’t trained like he should this season, is the reason he lost so badly. He even changed his costume to continue the change in his image he tried this season. It didn’t work. I continue to maintain that Johnny needs to be true to himself. This season, not being true to himself has been disastrous.
Yeah Ryan Bradley! He was over the top in his excitement about beating Weir, the National Champion, and coming in second. The audience loved it, though, and so did I. His program was very well choreographed, and loads of fun. He was sexy and charismatic and full of energy. It was a pleasure to watch him explode like he did. We’ve tended to ditch out before the awards, and Ryan was so fun, I felt that we had to stay for it.
I’m really glad we did, because Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano participated in the ceremony. It was great seeing them. I’m sure that there was a great party going on last night at the Davenport. We’re old ladies, so we went back to the hotel for bed.
So it’s over. All that’s left is the Exhibition. Part of me is sad about that, but I miss my kids and I’m looking forward to seeing them.
I was able to answer another pressing question that came up this week. Figure skating does have a patron saint—Saint Ludwina, who lived in Holland in the fourteenth century.
10:40am: Watched the women’s long program. Good for Kimmie Meissner! Too bad for Emily Hughes. Things were so close, there was less than one point separating them. And if it weren’t for Emily’s fall, she would’ve won by the slightest of margins. I guess it’s true what they say—skating a clean program often is what makes a difference. I’m happy for Kimmie, though; she needed this win after a so-so year after winning the World’s last year.
Oh, I found out my pressing question from this week. Peter Carruthers interviewed Kimmie after it was over, and she explained that it was her teammates from Delaware who were yelling it out. She said it was “our thing.” And it’s “Yeah, you’re hot!”
2pm: Late lunch at a trendy place called Twigs at the River Park Square. I was craving tuna, so I had their sashimi appetizer. Yum-o, as Rachael Ray would say.
7pm: Or there-abouts, since they started late. Watched the men’s long program. Man!
One of the best things about being here is that we’ve seen some amazing skating, live and in person. It’s been such an honor to be here for it. I can say that I saw history being made, and not just once. It’s been an incredible experience. Watching Evan Lysacek skate the program of his life was beyond description. Being so far away, I didn’t know until his interview that he had made a quad-triple combination! But the audience erupted afterwards, and was with him the entire time he was on the ice. I stood up with everyone else, and I’m sure that if I were alone, the tears in my eyes would’ve become weeping. Man!
And poor Johnny Weir, coming in mere third after three National titles. He fell once, and popped two jumps. I hate to say this, but I feel somewhat vindicated. All season, I’ve complained that Johnny hasn’t been true to himself. I believe that, along with the fact that he hasn’t trained like he should this season, is the reason he lost so badly. He even changed his costume to continue the change in his image he tried this season. It didn’t work. I continue to maintain that Johnny needs to be true to himself. This season, not being true to himself has been disastrous.
Yeah Ryan Bradley! He was over the top in his excitement about beating Weir, the National Champion, and coming in second. The audience loved it, though, and so did I. His program was very well choreographed, and loads of fun. He was sexy and charismatic and full of energy. It was a pleasure to watch him explode like he did. We’ve tended to ditch out before the awards, and Ryan was so fun, I felt that we had to stay for it.
I’m really glad we did, because Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano participated in the ceremony. It was great seeing them. I’m sure that there was a great party going on last night at the Davenport. We’re old ladies, so we went back to the hotel for bed.
So it’s over. All that’s left is the Exhibition. Part of me is sad about that, but I miss my kids and I’m looking forward to seeing them.
I was able to answer another pressing question that came up this week. Figure skating does have a patron saint—Saint Ludwina, who lived in Holland in the fourteenth century.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Day Six
Man, there was some good figure skating today! When I have more time, I intend to verify it (yet another item on my expanding to-research list), but I suspect that most skaters this week have made their personal bests. Like I said yesterday, there must be something in the water here in Spokane. It’s like this little town has spurred the skaters onto excellence. I know this sounds hokey, but I’m honored to have helped out in just a little way.
10am: Arrived at the Arena for the junior men’s free skate. To be honest, I wasn’t as impressed with these guys. Perhaps my expectation of the skating is higher now than it was earlier in the week. I’ll look up their scores later, probably after I get home.
12:50pm: Things were pushed together this week, and the arena is starting to get really crowded. I was barely even able to grab lunch! The pairs free skate was worth the price of admission for the entire week. I’m still amazed at the outcome—these skaters from Michigan that no one has heard of, Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski, actually won the whole thing, by the slimmest of margins (.25 of a point). They competed in sectionals this season, and didn’t even win them. And they came in eighth at last year’s Nationals. Absolutely amazing.
I feel bad for Inoue and Baldwin. They fell twice; I thought that one of the falls was during one of their attempted throw quads (which they missed in their short program), but the newspaper stories (“The Spokesman Review”) I read this morning didn’t report that. They did report on something I missed, though, because we hadn’t gotten back in time for it. Vise and Trent, during their warm-up earlier in the evening, successfully accomplished a quad throw Salchow, something that’s never been done before in competition. They attempted it during their long program, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do it. Something in the water!
In between groups, we were treated to the induction of Charles Schultz to the Figure Skating Hall of Fame. (He was a huge supporter of the sport.) Scott Hamilton gave the award to Schultz’s widow. The audience gave him a standing ovation. Man, I love that guy. He’s so brave, and talented, and still cute as heck.
5:30pm: Dinner at the Sawtooth Grille in the mall in downtown Spokane. Adequate food; their calamari was a little rubbery. The fun part about out break was the shuttle trip to and from. We were lucky enough to sit next to a novice pair skater, Casey Sullivan, from Oregon. I think I’ll write it up as an interview at a later time. It was like sitting through a mini-lecture on what it’s like to be a young skater, given by a very articulate young man. On the shuttle trip back, we were entertained by the bus driver. Here’s the joke she told over the intercom:
“If ya get thirsty over there at the Arena, you should be fine; I hear there’s lots of ice.” The entire shuttle groaned, and then, in the spirit of Johnny Carson, she made us laugh, anyway.
7:50pm: Well, that’s not entirely true. For some reason, they started late. But it was worth the wait, and we have some really fun seatmates.
Ice dancing! Great, great skating. Of course, there was no question who’d end up winning. Belbin and Agosto changed their long program! I’m glad, because the long program they’ve been performing all season just wasn’t doing it for them. They got it together in mere weeks, and it was great. I laughed as the scores were read, they were so high. At any rate, I think this program will suit them well as they go into World’s.
As I end, I have a request to ask my readers, if there are any out there. The phrase I heard for the first time on Thursday was used again yesterday. Is it “Dang, you’re hot!” or “Damn, you’re hot!” or “Yeah, you’re hot!” I must know!
I can’t believe that today’s the last two competitions, men and women’s long programs. Man, it should be good!
10am: Arrived at the Arena for the junior men’s free skate. To be honest, I wasn’t as impressed with these guys. Perhaps my expectation of the skating is higher now than it was earlier in the week. I’ll look up their scores later, probably after I get home.
12:50pm: Things were pushed together this week, and the arena is starting to get really crowded. I was barely even able to grab lunch! The pairs free skate was worth the price of admission for the entire week. I’m still amazed at the outcome—these skaters from Michigan that no one has heard of, Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski, actually won the whole thing, by the slimmest of margins (.25 of a point). They competed in sectionals this season, and didn’t even win them. And they came in eighth at last year’s Nationals. Absolutely amazing.
I feel bad for Inoue and Baldwin. They fell twice; I thought that one of the falls was during one of their attempted throw quads (which they missed in their short program), but the newspaper stories (“The Spokesman Review”) I read this morning didn’t report that. They did report on something I missed, though, because we hadn’t gotten back in time for it. Vise and Trent, during their warm-up earlier in the evening, successfully accomplished a quad throw Salchow, something that’s never been done before in competition. They attempted it during their long program, but unfortunately wasn’t able to do it. Something in the water!
In between groups, we were treated to the induction of Charles Schultz to the Figure Skating Hall of Fame. (He was a huge supporter of the sport.) Scott Hamilton gave the award to Schultz’s widow. The audience gave him a standing ovation. Man, I love that guy. He’s so brave, and talented, and still cute as heck.
5:30pm: Dinner at the Sawtooth Grille in the mall in downtown Spokane. Adequate food; their calamari was a little rubbery. The fun part about out break was the shuttle trip to and from. We were lucky enough to sit next to a novice pair skater, Casey Sullivan, from Oregon. I think I’ll write it up as an interview at a later time. It was like sitting through a mini-lecture on what it’s like to be a young skater, given by a very articulate young man. On the shuttle trip back, we were entertained by the bus driver. Here’s the joke she told over the intercom:
“If ya get thirsty over there at the Arena, you should be fine; I hear there’s lots of ice.” The entire shuttle groaned, and then, in the spirit of Johnny Carson, she made us laugh, anyway.
7:50pm: Well, that’s not entirely true. For some reason, they started late. But it was worth the wait, and we have some really fun seatmates.
Ice dancing! Great, great skating. Of course, there was no question who’d end up winning. Belbin and Agosto changed their long program! I’m glad, because the long program they’ve been performing all season just wasn’t doing it for them. They got it together in mere weeks, and it was great. I laughed as the scores were read, they were so high. At any rate, I think this program will suit them well as they go into World’s.
As I end, I have a request to ask my readers, if there are any out there. The phrase I heard for the first time on Thursday was used again yesterday. Is it “Dang, you’re hot!” or “Damn, you’re hot!” or “Yeah, you’re hot!” I must know!
I can’t believe that today’s the last two competitions, men and women’s long programs. Man, it should be good!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Day Five
If I were to summarize this day, it would be with two phrases: “Dang, you’re hot!” and “There’s something in the water.”
The first phrase is a quote from some girls watching the competitions; when a skater (usually male) would take the ice, one of them would yell out, “Dang, you’re hot!” I’m old, so I never heard it before. I assume it’s an adolescent-thing I know nothing about.
The second phrase is something I came up with on my own. I intend to some research to back up my claim, but I suspect that several personal bests were made.
Anyway, here’s our schedule. I’m writing it on Friday, the sixth day, because we have a late morning today and I have more time. We spent the entire day at the Spokane Arena.
9am: Arrived at the Arena. We drove in, parked, and as we walked in, I found a large copy of the full skating schedule right there. Someone must have dropped it just a few minutes before because it wasn’t even wet or dirty. My mother-in-law Audrey commented that “God must be with us.” That inspired a discussion about the saints, and I decided that I would research if there was a “patron saint of figure skating.” We weren’t sure there was even one, and I wondered how to name one. Hmm, another thing to research.
The real reason we were there, instead of Catholic theology, however, was skating. We caught some of the senior women’s warm-up. I learned something new: skaters at competitions basically have two types of “practice” sessions. The first, one for each program, is called “practice,” and each skater gets to hear his or her music and run through their programs. The second is called the “warm-up,” and it consists of groups of skaters practicing without their music. It looked like the skaters went through their elements and skills.
I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to catch Emily Hughes and miss out on my assignment to interview her. Fortunately, she was there and after her warm-up, asked if I could talk to her. She told me, “I have to take off my skates,” directed me up to her father sitting in the stands, and said that she’d try to join us later.
So instead of interviewing Emily, I got to interview her dad! What a nice man he is. (I’ll write up the interview this morning and send it to Ron Porter for Emily’s webpage.) I got a nice interview with him, and waited for Emily, who never came, probably because she got caught up doing something else. I gave Mr. Hughes my cell phone number, and left to get ready for the next competition. I probably should’ve waited a little longer, but there’s still time to talk with Emily. I’m happy with the interview I got, though.
11:00: Took my seats for the junior pairs free skate. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see their short program. The winners, Keanna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (named for Knute Rockne, I believe), won handily, by almost twenty points over second place. I suspected that it meant that they had an outstanding short program. At any rate, I continue to be awed and impressed by the quality of skating at this level.
I think the week finally caught up with me, because I had a headache and had to go seek out some aspirin from first aid. Lunch, which we caught there at the Arena, also didn’t set well with me. Fortunately, the meds kicked in and I perked up for the afternoon competitions.
2pm: Senior men’s short program. This is when I started thinking that there must be something in water at the Nationals here in Spokane. The audience was great, and it was great to be in a place where the fans and the athletes fed off each other. Lysacek and Weir are basically in a tie after the short program, with less a point separating them.
4:30pm: Dinner across the street at The Ticket. It was packed, so we sat sit with two ladies from Spokane who had tickets for the evening’s competitions. I continue to be impressed with the friendliness of this town.
5:50pm: Women’s short program. More great skating. Again, personal bests….
The scores are close here, too, making the gold anyone’s game. Kimmie Meissner was amazingly good. And there’s less than half a point separating BeBe Liang and my girl, Emily Hughes.
So I’m looking forward to seeing how things turn out. There’s been talk about the lack of “drama” here this year, but that’s fine with me. The skating is dramatic enough. I like that we have no distractions and tire irons this year, because we can focus on the exceptional skating.
The first phrase is a quote from some girls watching the competitions; when a skater (usually male) would take the ice, one of them would yell out, “Dang, you’re hot!” I’m old, so I never heard it before. I assume it’s an adolescent-thing I know nothing about.
The second phrase is something I came up with on my own. I intend to some research to back up my claim, but I suspect that several personal bests were made.
Anyway, here’s our schedule. I’m writing it on Friday, the sixth day, because we have a late morning today and I have more time. We spent the entire day at the Spokane Arena.
9am: Arrived at the Arena. We drove in, parked, and as we walked in, I found a large copy of the full skating schedule right there. Someone must have dropped it just a few minutes before because it wasn’t even wet or dirty. My mother-in-law Audrey commented that “God must be with us.” That inspired a discussion about the saints, and I decided that I would research if there was a “patron saint of figure skating.” We weren’t sure there was even one, and I wondered how to name one. Hmm, another thing to research.
The real reason we were there, instead of Catholic theology, however, was skating. We caught some of the senior women’s warm-up. I learned something new: skaters at competitions basically have two types of “practice” sessions. The first, one for each program, is called “practice,” and each skater gets to hear his or her music and run through their programs. The second is called the “warm-up,” and it consists of groups of skaters practicing without their music. It looked like the skaters went through their elements and skills.
I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to catch Emily Hughes and miss out on my assignment to interview her. Fortunately, she was there and after her warm-up, asked if I could talk to her. She told me, “I have to take off my skates,” directed me up to her father sitting in the stands, and said that she’d try to join us later.
So instead of interviewing Emily, I got to interview her dad! What a nice man he is. (I’ll write up the interview this morning and send it to Ron Porter for Emily’s webpage.) I got a nice interview with him, and waited for Emily, who never came, probably because she got caught up doing something else. I gave Mr. Hughes my cell phone number, and left to get ready for the next competition. I probably should’ve waited a little longer, but there’s still time to talk with Emily. I’m happy with the interview I got, though.
11:00: Took my seats for the junior pairs free skate. I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see their short program. The winners, Keanna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (named for Knute Rockne, I believe), won handily, by almost twenty points over second place. I suspected that it meant that they had an outstanding short program. At any rate, I continue to be awed and impressed by the quality of skating at this level.
I think the week finally caught up with me, because I had a headache and had to go seek out some aspirin from first aid. Lunch, which we caught there at the Arena, also didn’t set well with me. Fortunately, the meds kicked in and I perked up for the afternoon competitions.
2pm: Senior men’s short program. This is when I started thinking that there must be something in water at the Nationals here in Spokane. The audience was great, and it was great to be in a place where the fans and the athletes fed off each other. Lysacek and Weir are basically in a tie after the short program, with less a point separating them.
4:30pm: Dinner across the street at The Ticket. It was packed, so we sat sit with two ladies from Spokane who had tickets for the evening’s competitions. I continue to be impressed with the friendliness of this town.
5:50pm: Women’s short program. More great skating. Again, personal bests….
The scores are close here, too, making the gold anyone’s game. Kimmie Meissner was amazingly good. And there’s less than half a point separating BeBe Liang and my girl, Emily Hughes.
So I’m looking forward to seeing how things turn out. There’s been talk about the lack of “drama” here this year, but that’s fine with me. The skating is dramatic enough. I like that we have no distractions and tire irons this year, because we can focus on the exceptional skating.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Day Four
We drove into the Arena today, but didn’t get back any later tonight because, true to form, I got lost coming back to the hotel. No trip can be perfect, I suppose.
What is perfect, or nearly so, is the figure skating. It’s been good so far, but as we get further on in the week, it’s getting better and better. Here’s the schedule:
9am: Arrived at the Arena to watch practices. I had unfortunately missed most of the senior women, so I missed Emily Hughes. We did, however, get to watch the senior men practice their long program. Evan Lysacek gave me quite a scare. He was in the first group, and arrived late, so I was afraid the injury that took him out of the Grand Prix finals was going to take him out of the Nationals. I was happy when he showed up.
Watching his practice, I have some real concerns about his chances here. He didn’t have a disastrous practice, but he did miss some of his triples and didn’t have his normal stamina. He’s definitely off his top game, probably because of all the time he missed on the ice healing from his injury.
I also got the pleasure of watching Johnny Weir practice. I’ve heard that most of his skating is about his mental discipline, and that was obvious from his practice this morning. He barely went through his program; instead, he skated around the rink, obviously thinking about his moves. Towards the end of the practice, though, he started practicing his triples (everyone out there was), and I believe he attempted a quad, at least once, but popped it. At any rate, it was very interesting to witness it.
12pm: Lunch. We had plenty of time, so we took the shuttle downtown. I wanted at least one of our meals to be at a nice place, so we stopped at the restaurant at the Davenport Hotel. A little pricy, but excellent food and service. My mother-in-law Audrey and I both had the tomato basil soup, the best soup I’ve had in a long time. I recommend it.
2:45pm: After walking around downtown for a while, we went back to the Arena for the junior women’s short program at 3:30pm. Again, I continue to be impressed by the caliber of the skating at the junior level. It was great fun, mostly because the scores were so close after the short program. Mirai Nagaso won the gold; the top two girls both had scores in the 150s, which is comparable to the scores that many seniors get. I predict that Mirai (and Caroline Zhang, who came in third) will be seniors next year, and I look forward to following their careers.
7:30pm: Opening ceremonies. They kicked us out of our seats between events, so I bought some almonds and wandered around for a while. I’m too short to be able to see the fireworks outside the windows, so I wandered over to the ESPN area. They were broadcasting a short show about the Nationals right there, with Terry Gannon, Peggy Fleming, and Kurt Browning. It was so cool to actually see them in person! And Peggy is so beautiful. I think she’s more beautiful than she was when she was skating.
The opening ceremonies were cutesy, of course, with skaters from Spokane performing and the appropriate politicians giving welcome speeches. The youth orchestra that performed was excellent. A nice touch: the conductor wore ice skates as he performed. I just love those little touches.
8:15pm: Senior pairs short program. What a privilege to witness such exceptional skating. The stars of the show, Inoue and Baldwin and Trent and Vise were off their game a little. Of course, I feel a little ridiculous saying that, since John and Rena came in first. They attempted their famous quad throw, but Rena two-footed it as she landed. I’ve seen them do better.
Vise and Trent had this bizarre fall, so they were way down in fourth by the end of the evening. They also weren’t as good as they’ve been in the past. The scores are tight, though, with only four points separating them from first. The exciting thing is that Nam and Leftheris, who have had an uneven season this year, is barely 0.2 points behind Inoue and Baldwin. I can’t wait until we see how things shake out on Friday night.
What is perfect, or nearly so, is the figure skating. It’s been good so far, but as we get further on in the week, it’s getting better and better. Here’s the schedule:
9am: Arrived at the Arena to watch practices. I had unfortunately missed most of the senior women, so I missed Emily Hughes. We did, however, get to watch the senior men practice their long program. Evan Lysacek gave me quite a scare. He was in the first group, and arrived late, so I was afraid the injury that took him out of the Grand Prix finals was going to take him out of the Nationals. I was happy when he showed up.
Watching his practice, I have some real concerns about his chances here. He didn’t have a disastrous practice, but he did miss some of his triples and didn’t have his normal stamina. He’s definitely off his top game, probably because of all the time he missed on the ice healing from his injury.
I also got the pleasure of watching Johnny Weir practice. I’ve heard that most of his skating is about his mental discipline, and that was obvious from his practice this morning. He barely went through his program; instead, he skated around the rink, obviously thinking about his moves. Towards the end of the practice, though, he started practicing his triples (everyone out there was), and I believe he attempted a quad, at least once, but popped it. At any rate, it was very interesting to witness it.
12pm: Lunch. We had plenty of time, so we took the shuttle downtown. I wanted at least one of our meals to be at a nice place, so we stopped at the restaurant at the Davenport Hotel. A little pricy, but excellent food and service. My mother-in-law Audrey and I both had the tomato basil soup, the best soup I’ve had in a long time. I recommend it.
2:45pm: After walking around downtown for a while, we went back to the Arena for the junior women’s short program at 3:30pm. Again, I continue to be impressed by the caliber of the skating at the junior level. It was great fun, mostly because the scores were so close after the short program. Mirai Nagaso won the gold; the top two girls both had scores in the 150s, which is comparable to the scores that many seniors get. I predict that Mirai (and Caroline Zhang, who came in third) will be seniors next year, and I look forward to following their careers.
7:30pm: Opening ceremonies. They kicked us out of our seats between events, so I bought some almonds and wandered around for a while. I’m too short to be able to see the fireworks outside the windows, so I wandered over to the ESPN area. They were broadcasting a short show about the Nationals right there, with Terry Gannon, Peggy Fleming, and Kurt Browning. It was so cool to actually see them in person! And Peggy is so beautiful. I think she’s more beautiful than she was when she was skating.
The opening ceremonies were cutesy, of course, with skaters from Spokane performing and the appropriate politicians giving welcome speeches. The youth orchestra that performed was excellent. A nice touch: the conductor wore ice skates as he performed. I just love those little touches.
8:15pm: Senior pairs short program. What a privilege to witness such exceptional skating. The stars of the show, Inoue and Baldwin and Trent and Vise were off their game a little. Of course, I feel a little ridiculous saying that, since John and Rena came in first. They attempted their famous quad throw, but Rena two-footed it as she landed. I’ve seen them do better.
Vise and Trent had this bizarre fall, so they were way down in fourth by the end of the evening. They also weren’t as good as they’ve been in the past. The scores are tight, though, with only four points separating them from first. The exciting thing is that Nam and Leftheris, who have had an uneven season this year, is barely 0.2 points behind Inoue and Baldwin. I can’t wait until we see how things shake out on Friday night.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Day Two
8am: Arrived at the Spokane Arena with my mother-in-law. Watched the senior pairs teams practice. Inoue and Baldwin and Vise and Trent were among the final group, so it was a thrill to watch them. John and Rena’s characteristic intensity was in full force. At first, I thought they might be mad at each other, because during their warm-up they didn’t skate together like the other couples. During their practice, they didn’t go through their entire program, and seemed to do a lot of talking about it.
Someone later on in the day asked me what my favorite part of our long day was. I answered the practice session we watched, because it was the first practice session I’ve seen and it was really interesting. Some couples went through their entire program; others, like Inoue and Baldwin, did not. Some were dressed in warm-up clothes; some wore skating one-piece outfits. It was interesting to get a little glimpse into what might be part of their daily routine. When we got there, I thought that four hours before lunch was going to be a long time, but the time went by quickly.
11:30am: Broke for lunch. We tried to find the shuttle to go downtown, but grew impatient and walked across the street to a sports bar called the “Ticket.” Good food, and we’ll probably go back, since it’s convenient. Met some more old women and had a nice chat with them.
12:30pm: Went back to Spokane Arena. During the practices, seating is open, so after lunch, we decided to “steal” better seats. We picked seats lower and closer to the rink, and when the seat owners came, they kicked us out, made a lame joke about “warming” their seats for them, and moved. It worked out quite well, and everyone was very nice about it. In the afternoon, we moved four times; after dinner, we only moved twice.Watched novice competitions the rest of the day. It was the first time I had seen any novice skate, since ABC/ESPN doesn’t broadcast them. There were some very impressive skaters at this level. That made me, along with some of the people I sat next to, wonder how a skater goes from one level to another. We thought it might be age, but there the ages of the novice skaters ranged from ten to twenty.
The answer was in the souvenir program I had bought. Here’s what it says on page 89:
Within ladies singes, men’s singles, pairs and ice dancing, there are five different competitive skill levels that are based on proficiency tests. Each level draws on similar techniques but adheres to increasingly more difficult skills as well as different rules and guidelines.
There were other questions that came up for me that when I have more time and a better internet connection, I want to research. One of them is about a novice pairs skater named Kurt Weiss. (His partner is Emily Glassberg.) I wonder if Kurt is related to Michael Weiss, one of my favorite male singles skaters. The other question I want to research is about re-surfacing the ice, but that’s another article to write when I have more time.
The friendliness of the town of Spokane continued into the afternoon. We had to move for a woman and her little boy, and ten minutes later, she apologized to us for “inconveniencing” us and told us that she wanted to move next to some relatives she had seen. We ran into this woman and her son as we were leaving for dinner, and when we told her we wanted to find sushi downtown, she offered to drive us there.
6pm: Yummy sushi at a wonderful place in downtown Spokane called “Sushi.com.” I’ve wanted good sushi for about four years, since there’s no decent sushi in Moscow, Idaho. If you’re even in Spokane, I highly recommend Sushi.com.
7:20pm: Back at the Arena for ladies free skate and free dance. The things that struck me have to do with the dancers. For the novices at this competition, they had two compulsory dances, no original dance, and like the juniors and seniors, a free dance. I wonder why that is. (Another thing on my research list.)
The other issue that came up for me surrounds the judging. Every couple last night had at least a one-point deduction. One couple lost five points, and probably would’ve medaled otherwise. I found myself explaining ice dancing to the women sitting next to us, so they asked my opinion. The only explanation I could think of is the time limit on lifts and spirals. I suspect that the judges were cracking down on everyone who went over the time limit. I also suspect that it will occur competition-wide. It will be interesting to see how the judges score the juniors and seniors later on in the week.
11:20pm: After watching the ladies awards ceremony, we decided to call it a night. When we got to the shuttle, though, we were told that the city busses had stopped running. Yikes! We got more Spokanian hospitality, though; the bus supervisor drove us back to our hotel. Tonight, things won’t go as long, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
The day was long, but again, it was loads of fun. When I told people back home in Moscow my plans for this week, some made the statement, “Boy, you’re gonna be sick of figure skating.” My answer was that I doubted it, and it’s turning out to be true!
Someone later on in the day asked me what my favorite part of our long day was. I answered the practice session we watched, because it was the first practice session I’ve seen and it was really interesting. Some couples went through their entire program; others, like Inoue and Baldwin, did not. Some were dressed in warm-up clothes; some wore skating one-piece outfits. It was interesting to get a little glimpse into what might be part of their daily routine. When we got there, I thought that four hours before lunch was going to be a long time, but the time went by quickly.
11:30am: Broke for lunch. We tried to find the shuttle to go downtown, but grew impatient and walked across the street to a sports bar called the “Ticket.” Good food, and we’ll probably go back, since it’s convenient. Met some more old women and had a nice chat with them.
12:30pm: Went back to Spokane Arena. During the practices, seating is open, so after lunch, we decided to “steal” better seats. We picked seats lower and closer to the rink, and when the seat owners came, they kicked us out, made a lame joke about “warming” their seats for them, and moved. It worked out quite well, and everyone was very nice about it. In the afternoon, we moved four times; after dinner, we only moved twice.Watched novice competitions the rest of the day. It was the first time I had seen any novice skate, since ABC/ESPN doesn’t broadcast them. There were some very impressive skaters at this level. That made me, along with some of the people I sat next to, wonder how a skater goes from one level to another. We thought it might be age, but there the ages of the novice skaters ranged from ten to twenty.
The answer was in the souvenir program I had bought. Here’s what it says on page 89:
Within ladies singes, men’s singles, pairs and ice dancing, there are five different competitive skill levels that are based on proficiency tests. Each level draws on similar techniques but adheres to increasingly more difficult skills as well as different rules and guidelines.
There were other questions that came up for me that when I have more time and a better internet connection, I want to research. One of them is about a novice pairs skater named Kurt Weiss. (His partner is Emily Glassberg.) I wonder if Kurt is related to Michael Weiss, one of my favorite male singles skaters. The other question I want to research is about re-surfacing the ice, but that’s another article to write when I have more time.
The friendliness of the town of Spokane continued into the afternoon. We had to move for a woman and her little boy, and ten minutes later, she apologized to us for “inconveniencing” us and told us that she wanted to move next to some relatives she had seen. We ran into this woman and her son as we were leaving for dinner, and when we told her we wanted to find sushi downtown, she offered to drive us there.
6pm: Yummy sushi at a wonderful place in downtown Spokane called “Sushi.com.” I’ve wanted good sushi for about four years, since there’s no decent sushi in Moscow, Idaho. If you’re even in Spokane, I highly recommend Sushi.com.
7:20pm: Back at the Arena for ladies free skate and free dance. The things that struck me have to do with the dancers. For the novices at this competition, they had two compulsory dances, no original dance, and like the juniors and seniors, a free dance. I wonder why that is. (Another thing on my research list.)
The other issue that came up for me surrounds the judging. Every couple last night had at least a one-point deduction. One couple lost five points, and probably would’ve medaled otherwise. I found myself explaining ice dancing to the women sitting next to us, so they asked my opinion. The only explanation I could think of is the time limit on lifts and spirals. I suspect that the judges were cracking down on everyone who went over the time limit. I also suspect that it will occur competition-wide. It will be interesting to see how the judges score the juniors and seniors later on in the week.
11:20pm: After watching the ladies awards ceremony, we decided to call it a night. When we got to the shuttle, though, we were told that the city busses had stopped running. Yikes! We got more Spokanian hospitality, though; the bus supervisor drove us back to our hotel. Tonight, things won’t go as long, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
The day was long, but again, it was loads of fun. When I told people back home in Moscow my plans for this week, some made the statement, “Boy, you’re gonna be sick of figure skating.” My answer was that I doubted it, and it’s turning out to be true!
Technical Difficulties
My Day One Report of the Nationals was posted late because of technical difficulties. My hotel *said* it had wireless. So I was able to post tonight from the lobby, using their wireless port. It's late, and it's been a loooong day, so my Day Two Report will be posted tomorrow.
Nationals, Day 1
I love the demographic of this event: old ladies.
Well, that’s not entirely true, but as I looked around on the shuttles I rode this afternoon and evening here in Spokane, I’d say about 60% were older Caucasian women. Sure, there were men and young families as well, but the overwhelming majority was of this demographic. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
I’m enjoying it, since I like old ladies and seem to be able to get into conversations with them easily. I suppose I’m like a client I had who claimed, when she was an adolescent, that she got along better with older people. I wonder what that says about how figure skating is marketed in this country. Perhaps it’d be better if it were telecast on Lifetime or Oxygen, instead of on ESPN.
Anyway, here’s what I did today:
7:30am: Left Moscow, Idaho with my mother-in-law.
9am: Arrived in Spokane. We made good time, but I spent a half-hour driving around, trying to find our hotel. Spokane, Washington is full of one-way streets, and that’s exceedingly frustrating for this directionally-challenged chick.
10:15am: Left to drive to Deer Park, to go hear my friend Mark Shea speak. (Left my mother-in-law at the hotel, where she stayed to watch her football.) Got lost again, so I didn’t get there until noon. Fortunately, however, this being a church thing, it started late, so I got there right as Mark was beginning his talk.
Mark is an excellent writer, and he speaks just as well. Man, he hit it out of the park. As I expected, he didn’t remember who I was until I told him that my husband Jon said hello. I wasn’t surprised or insulted, since he’s only met me once, and that was several years ago. He’s actually better acquainted with my husband, through a Catholic/Evangelical e-mail list that Mark (or Jon) isn’t even in anymore. (I lurk.)
But Mark sat next to me during the potluck portion of the meeting. And I was so proud that my question about his up-coming book about Mary precipitated at least a thirty-minute discussion during the Q&A portion. So I’m glad that I went, even though I got more frustrated with driving, and even though I missed some figure skating.
2:45pm: Got back to Spokane relatively easily; went to the Spokane Convention Center to catch the last part of the Novice Pairs short program. The Convention Center is open seating, and crowded and uncomfortable—but close to the ice, which is fun. Although the Spokane Arena is more comfortable, our seats are in the upper section.
3:40pm: Watched the Novice Ladies short program. It was the first time I had seen any novice skaters, and I was impressed. Two things jumped out at me. I think that Carolyn-Ann Alba is the person to watch for in the future. She made an impressive 45.01 in her short program; that number rivals many seniors’ performance.
Victoria Hecht from L.A. was the audience favorite, but the judges weren’t all that impressed with her. Her scores were low, and she only came in eighth. The audience actually booed after they were announced. I did a short exit poll afterwards, and in the words of one older woman, Victoria “was robbed.” However, although Victoria’s a beautiful skater, I think that she missed a lot of her elements. She only did two jumps, and her spins and spirals weren’t as complicated as many of the other skaters. Her program score was high, though, so the judges agreed with another older woman I talked to, who said Victoria was “pretty.” So she was.
6pm: Took the shuttle over to the Spokane Arena. Grabbed a hotdog, called home to check-in, and found my seat to watch the juniors ladies short program. Again, first time to watch the juniors. I decided, after talking to the older woman sitting next to me, that at least during the first part of the week, I’m going to try and fill one of the empty seats below. I’m pretty sure it’s okay to do that, but I’m sure I’ll find out.
Caroline Zhang has become a star in the last season. She won every Junior Grand Prix event she was in this year, including the final. (The amazing thing is that she only came in eighth at the Nationals last year.) She would be in first place after her short program if it weren’t for her bizarre fall. It came after a triple, but she fell after she had completed it.
Caroline’s spins were much better than Mirai Nagusu, who won the short program—again, only due to Caroline’s fall. Mirai, who reminds me a lot of Michelle Kwan, is very cute and personable and relates well to the audience. I’m looking forward to seeing Caroline and Mirai battle it out tomorrow night.
9:30pm: Back to the hotel, without getting lost. More tomorrow—I plan on going to all the Novice finals and some of the practices. So far, I’m having a blast!
Well, that’s not entirely true, but as I looked around on the shuttles I rode this afternoon and evening here in Spokane, I’d say about 60% were older Caucasian women. Sure, there were men and young families as well, but the overwhelming majority was of this demographic. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
I’m enjoying it, since I like old ladies and seem to be able to get into conversations with them easily. I suppose I’m like a client I had who claimed, when she was an adolescent, that she got along better with older people. I wonder what that says about how figure skating is marketed in this country. Perhaps it’d be better if it were telecast on Lifetime or Oxygen, instead of on ESPN.
Anyway, here’s what I did today:
7:30am: Left Moscow, Idaho with my mother-in-law.
9am: Arrived in Spokane. We made good time, but I spent a half-hour driving around, trying to find our hotel. Spokane, Washington is full of one-way streets, and that’s exceedingly frustrating for this directionally-challenged chick.
10:15am: Left to drive to Deer Park, to go hear my friend Mark Shea speak. (Left my mother-in-law at the hotel, where she stayed to watch her football.) Got lost again, so I didn’t get there until noon. Fortunately, however, this being a church thing, it started late, so I got there right as Mark was beginning his talk.
Mark is an excellent writer, and he speaks just as well. Man, he hit it out of the park. As I expected, he didn’t remember who I was until I told him that my husband Jon said hello. I wasn’t surprised or insulted, since he’s only met me once, and that was several years ago. He’s actually better acquainted with my husband, through a Catholic/Evangelical e-mail list that Mark (or Jon) isn’t even in anymore. (I lurk.)
But Mark sat next to me during the potluck portion of the meeting. And I was so proud that my question about his up-coming book about Mary precipitated at least a thirty-minute discussion during the Q&A portion. So I’m glad that I went, even though I got more frustrated with driving, and even though I missed some figure skating.
2:45pm: Got back to Spokane relatively easily; went to the Spokane Convention Center to catch the last part of the Novice Pairs short program. The Convention Center is open seating, and crowded and uncomfortable—but close to the ice, which is fun. Although the Spokane Arena is more comfortable, our seats are in the upper section.
3:40pm: Watched the Novice Ladies short program. It was the first time I had seen any novice skaters, and I was impressed. Two things jumped out at me. I think that Carolyn-Ann Alba is the person to watch for in the future. She made an impressive 45.01 in her short program; that number rivals many seniors’ performance.
Victoria Hecht from L.A. was the audience favorite, but the judges weren’t all that impressed with her. Her scores were low, and she only came in eighth. The audience actually booed after they were announced. I did a short exit poll afterwards, and in the words of one older woman, Victoria “was robbed.” However, although Victoria’s a beautiful skater, I think that she missed a lot of her elements. She only did two jumps, and her spins and spirals weren’t as complicated as many of the other skaters. Her program score was high, though, so the judges agreed with another older woman I talked to, who said Victoria was “pretty.” So she was.
6pm: Took the shuttle over to the Spokane Arena. Grabbed a hotdog, called home to check-in, and found my seat to watch the juniors ladies short program. Again, first time to watch the juniors. I decided, after talking to the older woman sitting next to me, that at least during the first part of the week, I’m going to try and fill one of the empty seats below. I’m pretty sure it’s okay to do that, but I’m sure I’ll find out.
Caroline Zhang has become a star in the last season. She won every Junior Grand Prix event she was in this year, including the final. (The amazing thing is that she only came in eighth at the Nationals last year.) She would be in first place after her short program if it weren’t for her bizarre fall. It came after a triple, but she fell after she had completed it.
Caroline’s spins were much better than Mirai Nagusu, who won the short program—again, only due to Caroline’s fall. Mirai, who reminds me a lot of Michelle Kwan, is very cute and personable and relates well to the audience. I’m looking forward to seeing Caroline and Mirai battle it out tomorrow night.
9:30pm: Back to the hotel, without getting lost. More tomorrow—I plan on going to all the Novice finals and some of the practices. So far, I’m having a blast!
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