Grumblin' Gumbel

I still hope to do a Torino wrap-up with my final general thoughts on all of skating in the past fortnight and the Olympics in general. But before getting around to that I read this post by Ruvym and saw Bryant Gumbel's rant about the Winter Games. (This website has good links to the rant in several different formats (additional video format here); there's also an excerpt of the rant in text format if you can't/don't want to watch the clip. Full text of the rant is available here. It's not very long, so I recommend reading that before continuing reading this post.)

As I remarked in Ruvym's comments, I disagree with Gumbel both in his general sentiment and many of the specific statements. But I want to go a bit more in depth here, in something of a point-counterpoint fashion. (Just as a note: I'm a big fan of free speech, and I in no way mean to suggest that Gumbel doesn't have the right to make any of his remarks. I'm simply exercising my right to disagree, vocally, with those remarks.)

"Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing."

Okay, so the ancient Greeks didn't have many of the sports that comprise the Winter Games. So what? Most of the events in the Summer Games weren't around back then either. The Olympics have grown far beyond the scope of the Games held by the ancient Greeks. These are the modern Games.

"So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention."

It's true that there aren't as many black athletes in the Winter Games as there are in other sports. But that doesn't mean that those competing are not the worldn's greatest athletes. Without getting into the "Is it a sport?" question (we'll get back to that one), does Gumbel really mean to suggest that the Olympians are not the world's greatest athletes in their respective events, in part or whole because there aren't many blacks competing? I'm sure there's been discrimination in some sports -- Shani Davis's experience in speed skating comes to mind. And beyond specific acts of discrimination, there are certain financial or socio-economic barriers that may effectively discriminate against blacks. But that's certainly not specific to blacks, and I imagine it's not the full story. Many countries have specific strengths when it comes to the Olympics. We don't see many winter athletes from Australia, but they make a strong showing in the Summer Games, especially swimming. And the Scandanavian and Alpine countries, which often dominate some of the winter events, don't show up in the same record numbers for the summer events. So while I can respect any movement that seeks to break down the barriers that stand in the way of anyone who wants to participate, let's not disparage the athletes that are competing and suggest that they are not among the world's greatest.

But maybe Mr. Gumbel meant to suggest that the problem is more within our own country than the world in general - that really it's the lack of African-Americans that questions the legitimacy of ranking Olympians among the world's greatest athletes. But what about the lack of African-American athletes in hockey? Some people have pointed this out, but would Mr. Gumbel ever make similar comments about the racial inequities of the NHL? It also raises a question of how many African-American athletes are even attempting to enter sports like hockey or Winter Olympic events. (Admittedly, this becomes thornier if one contends that a culture of discrimination disuades such attempts.)

"Try not to point out that something’s not really a sport if a pseudo-athlete waits in what’s called a kiss-and-cry area, while some panel of subjective judges decides who won."

Now we come to a very common debate on whether events like figure skating are actual sports. I could (as many others have - to see both sides of the debate, I'd suggest these two articles that I recently came across) go on at some length to defend figure skating as a sport. Maybe I'll devote a future post to discuss this more. But sport or not, how could you not consider figure skaters athletes? Competitive skaters go through training regimens that are just as (if not more) strenuous than those of just about any non-pseudo-athlete Mr. Gumbel would care to mention. If performing triple axels and death drops do not qualify one as an athlete, then no offensive lineman or outfielder deserves the distinction of athlete either.

There are plenty of events in the Summer Olympic Games that have equally subjective judging. Are gymnastics and diving also non-sports engaged in by mere pseudo-athletes? Subjectivity is found in just about every sport; maybe not to the same extent as skating, but you have referees and linesmen that can have a large effect on the outcome. How many questionable on-the-field rulings have ultimately "decide[d] who won?"

And does it even matter whether the event is truly a "sport?" The Olympics are about the spirit of competition, and it doesn't have to be a sport to be competitive. After all, these are the Winter Games -- an event does not have to be a sport to qualify.

"And try to blot out all logic when announcers and sportswriters pretend to care about the luge, the skeleton, the biathlon and all those other events they don’t understand and totally ignore for all but three weeks every four years."

Maybe the announcers and sportswriters don't care about these events. But just because these events get attention only once every four years or so doesn't make these events less important -- especially to the athletes who compete in them. These events may not be as popular. They're certainly not promoted to the same extent as the activities Mr. Gumbel considers sports. But what's wrong with letting these athletes get a share of the limelight every once in a while? Perhaps Mr. Gumbel would rather just forget about most Olympic events. But maybe with a bit of coverage these events would be better understood and not ignored.

"Face it — these Olympics are little more than a marketing plan to fill space and sell time during the dreary days of February."

This is perhaps the most hypocritical statement of the bunch. Sure, the Olympics are marketed by television studios. And they have become commercialized. But does Mr. Gumbel contend that it's not the same or worse with any number of other sports in the United States? College football. March Madness. The World Series. The Superbowl. They're all about ratings and money too. And the stars of these "real" sports can look forward to lucrative paychecks and endorsements. What monetary reward is there for gold medalists in most Olympic events? They may get a tour on the late night talkshows, and if they're photogenic enough, maybe they'll pick up some endorsements. But most fade into obscurity shortly after the closing ceremonies. If any athletes are in it for the love of the sport, Olympic athletes are; at least far more so than any "real" athlete Mr. Gumble is likely to name.

So I wholeheartedly agree with Mike Wise when he writes, "Gumbel has a right not to like the Winter Olympics. He can trash curlers, lugers and snowboard-crossers all he wants. But who made him arbiter of all things culturally diverse? Superimposing your own idea of diversity upon athletes from 80 different nations, essentially equating diversity with only race, is just inane." It's entirely Gumbel's prerogative to dislike the Winter Games. He doesn't have to watch them, or report on them. (One has to wonder if he thinks any less of his brother for anchoring CBS's Winter Olympic coverage in the early 1990s.) But I think this rant is in bad taste, not only in what he says but in how he says it (I recommend watching one of the videos to get the full effect). There may be some valid points in there worthy of serious discussion, but much of that is lost in Gumbel's overall tone and rhetoric.

Finally, Gumbel needn't denegrate the athletes competing in the Games just because he doesn't appreciate the sports they pursue. No matter my personal preference on college basketball, I wouldn't attack the players. Why can't those of us who appreciate the Winter Games have a few weeks, every four years, to enjoy them? So let us have our games, Mr. Gumbel, and you can keep that March Madness you're so obviously fond of.

UPDATE: ESPN columnist Gene Wojciechowski has an article that takes a similar view of Gumbel's statements. Thanks to commenter JB from Brendan's blog.

Olympic Recap: Ladies' Long Program

Sorry this post is a little late, but I wasn't able to see the ladies freeskate as quickly as I had originally intended. I'm sure it's a bit anticlimactic since I'm sure everyone knows the results (how could you miss them?), but I'll share some of my thoughts all the same.

First off, kudos to Shizuka Arakawa. Japan's been having a rough Olympics in Torino, and Arakawa has pretty much turned it around. Japan leaves Torino with one medal, but it's a big one - the gold in the Games' marquee event. Arakawa also owns the distinction of being Japan's first gold medalist in Olympic figure skating. (Midori Ito was Japan's last great skater, who earned bronze at the 1992 Albertville Games and is famous for being the first woman to land a triple axel in competition.) Arakawa will certainly receive a hero's welcome when she returns to Japan. Apparently the country is rolling out golden doughnuts for the occasion.

In a field rife with errors, Arakawa had one of the few clean skates. Though she wasn't perfect - she did pop one triple into a double - she was solid where it counted and never lost her artistry or flow. Technically speaking, it was a bit cautious, but it was enough. Arakawa displayed a maturity and elegance that most of her rivals lacked. She was far and away the best skater of the night, which was reflected in her nearly eight point margin of victory.

A lot of the media focus has been on Sasha Cohen and how she let the gold slip through her fingers. True, she was leading after the short program (by the slimmest of margins), and was America's best hope to continue a 3-Games streak of winning the event. Sasha's hopes of Olympic gold were dashed after falls on her first two jumping passes. Considering those substantial errors, she's lucky to have placed second. But while she did get some help from the rest of the field, she earned her silver by bouncing back from her program's rocky start to end strongly. As her coach told Sasha as she left the ice, "you didn't start the program, but you finished it." She looked shaky on warmup, and after two big mistakes it would be easy to let the program get away. But she fought back, nailing every element for the rest of her skate. Even her artistry and choreography did not seem affected. While it's unfortunate that she wasn't able to skate cleanly throughout and hopefully take gold, the greater tragedy is that Sasha Cohen was again unable to put together two clean programs in one competition. This is a demon she's been wrestling with for some time, and one she'll have to conquer if she wants to stay at the top of the ladies' field.

Irina Slutskaya was the last to skate in the ladies' long program. Since she was in second place by only .03 in the short and Sasha had made key errors, it looked like Irina's gold to lose. And unfortunately, lost it she did. Irina turned in a somewhat disappointing performance and finished with bronze. Her jumps looked off; her landings weren't as solid as they've been in the past and it looked like she had to fight more than usual. Though she opened her program without much difficulty, Slutskaya suffered costly falls and errors during her jumping passes in the second half of her program. Her program also lacked artistry and spark. When the judges marks came back, Sasha's spins, footwork, and artistry were enough to keep Sasha ahead of the Russian veteran.

Fumie Suguri, who placed fourth, also turned in a strong program. But with a lower level of difficulty and less artistic expression, she was unable to capitalize on the shortcomings of Cohen and Slutskaya. Joannie Rochette of Canada skated well, and even got the second highest technical marks of the night. And while lyrical and enjoyable to watch, her artistic scores were not high enough to get her to the podium; she finished fifth. Americans Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes placed sixth and seventh respectively. Full results here, long program marks here, and detailed results here.

The Joy of Skating award goes to Silvia Fontana. Although she finished 22nd overall, she was a pleasure to watch and really seemed to be enjoying herself on the ice. She wasn't expected to medal, so she probably did not experience some of the same pressures as the other skaters, but she got to end her Olympic career by skating well in front of her home crowd.
Runner up: Emily Hughes. Emily also came out and skated a great program and really seemed to enjoy every moment out there. Michelle Kwan's withdrawal from Torino made Emily an unexpected Olympian, and every time you see her she just looks thrilled to be a part of it. We'll probably see more of her in the years to come.

The scoring system doesn't seem to be having the same effect in the ladies' event as it has in other places. While the pairs and dancers seem to be pushed to execute harder elements and the men have exhibited greater creativity and more transitions between moves, the women are still doing mostly triple-doubles and are still telegraphing their jumps. After the Nagano Games in 1998, it looked like triple-triple combinations were going to become the new standard in the sport; the triple axel was certainly not materializing as some had expected. And while there are still rumblings about who will be the next woman to incorporate the triple axel or even a quad (Miki Ando did attempt one this time around), there hasn't been a big push to up the level of difficulty.

I think part of this may be due to how the new scoring system rewards putting difficult elements in the second half of the program (those elements skated after the half point mark get a 10% scoring bonus); maybe skaters are holding back some difficulty in the beginning of their programs so that they can try more in the second half. But I'm puzzled as to why there isn't more connecting footwork in the skating between elements. Many of the competitors are still doing basic stroking between jumps and spins. The top skaters - particularly this Olympic's medalists - are the exception, for the most part. And maybe it will be somthing that comes in time. But I don't know why the men seem to be ahead on this one.

Scoring aside, it's been another surprising Olympic free skate for the women. For the fourth times in as many Olympics, it's been something of a surprise finish in ladies' figure skating. In 1994, Oksana Baiul stole the spotlight from the Nancy and Tonya debacle. In 1998, Tara Lipinski leapfrogged Michele Kwan to capture the gold. The 2002 games saw Sarah Hughes skate the program of her life to surpass Kwan and Slutskaya. And this year, when everyone was expecing a showdown bewtween Cohen and Slutskaya, Arakawa bested them both. In one freeskate, Arakawa ended the U.S.'s golden streak in the event and denied Russia an unprecedented figure skating golden sweep. It just goes to show that you never know how things will end up until everyone's skated.

Still to come...

Recap of the Ladies' Long Program. I haven't seen the skating yet, so I'll post my commentary on the ladies' final skate late tomorrow afternoon. I'm also hoping to post some final thoughts on this Olympic's skaging in general, maybe this weekend.

If you're looking for final standings of the ladies' event, click here.

Olympic Recap, Day 11: Ladies' Short Program

Last night, the women turned in some stunning performances in the short program. The top five competitors all turned in clean, dynamic skates.

Sasha Cohen leads after the short. She skated an exceptional program full of grace and confidence. Her jumps were solid. Her spins were centered. Her footwork was quick. And her spirals were fantastic. It was a dynamic program, and Sasha really sold it. Her showmanship was first rate. Her program component score, similar to the artistic marks under the old system, was the highest of the night.

Irina Slutskaya is a close second - she trails Cohen by only .03 points. Her program was light and lively and filled with athleticism. She skated faster and jumped higher than the rest of the field. Irina turned in the highest element score in the ladies' short.

Shizuka Arakawa from Japan skated to third place. She displayed a natural elegance throughout her program, and cleanly executed each of the required elements. I liked her music - Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu - though the piece seemed a little faster than she could handle. (In all fairness, the fast portions of that piece are probably faster than any skater could handle.) I also felt she could have displayed more emotion and expression; her footwork sequence in particular seemed a bit flat. But Arakawa is hot on the heels of Sasha and Irina, less than a point behind.

Arakawa's teammate Fumie Suguri is fourth after the short program. I really enjoyed her program. It had a fluidity and grace that I liked better than that of Arakawa. I felt she really sold her program through the choreography. But her program elements were not as difficult as those of the top three skaters; many of the elements were only level 3 instead of the highest level, level 4. As a result, her base mark was lower than that of Cohen, Slutskaya, and Arakawa. Still, Suguri is less than five points off the leader, so she's still a medal threat.

Kimmie Meissner, the sixteen-year old from the U.S. is currently fifth. Although she did well enough at Nationals last year to qualify for Worlds, since she was only fifteen she was ineligible to compete last year. She was one of the first to skate last night, and her program set a high standard. She skated clean and with passion. She lacks the maturity of the top skaters, but could still contend for a medal with a strong freeskate.

Emily Hughes, the bronze medalist at U.S. Nationals last month who took Michelle Kwan's spot after Kwan had to withdraw with a groin injury, skated a good program with only a minor bobble on her footwork sequence. Although she is not expected to medal, her seventh place finish in the short still gives her an outside shot at the podium. Full results here, detailed results here.

I was surprised that there weren't very many triple-triple combinations attempted in the short program. I'm sure we'll see a fair number attempted in the long program tomorrow night, but I thought there would be more in this round. I think spin quality has improved under the new system, and there are some interesting positions. But there are also some things that seem to be overdone - particularly Biellmann spins and changes of edge in spins.

Costume-wise, there was nothing particularly unusual or scandalous in the short program. There were only a few music selections that bear separate mention. Yelena Liashenko of Ukraine skated to a somewhat avant garde piece that included chirping birds and reminded me of some of Surya Bonaly's stranger numbers. Canadian skater Joannie Rochette chose an instrumental version of Madonna's Like a Prayer, which was interesting. Finally, Susanna Poykio of Finland skated to a piece that incorporated music from Austin Powers. I don't think any of these music selections were bad, just different. And the skaters even made them work to an extent, though they did not display the same artistry exhibited by the top skaters.

Tomorrow, tomorrow...

I haven't forgotten about the ladies' short programs. I didn't get to see all the skaters tonight, but from what I did catch, it looked like a good round of skating. Luckily, Alina was kind enough to tape the skating and hopefully I'll be able to watch it sometime tomorrow.

Look for a new post with my thoughts tomorrow afternoon after I've had a chance to see the full event (or at least all that NBC televised).

If you're just looking for results, though, check out this webpage.

Hey, that music sounds familiar...

No, I'm not talking about the music of tonight's free dances, but rather a little tune that played during the award ceremony - the Russian National Anthem.

If you thought it sounded kind of like the old Soviet National Anthem, it's because, well, it is. It's the same music anyway; the lyrics have changed. For more, check this out. (Thanks go out to Adam for pointing out the Wikipedia site.)

The Russians have already taken gold in three of the figure skating events. Will Irina Slutskaya make it a clean sweep? The ladies skate their first round - the short program - tomorrow night.

Olympic Recap, Day 10: Free Dance

Belbin and Agosto win the Silver Medal!!!

Okay, now that that's out of the way...

After the excitement in the original dance round last night, tonight's free dance was a bit anticlimactic. There was no movement in the final standings among the top five couples. Russians Navka and Kostomarov won gold, Americans Belbin and Agosto took silver, and the Ukranian team of Grushina and Goncharov won the bronze.

In the free dance, the couples can pretty much skate to any piece of music they desire. It should have a dance or dramatic character. The routines typically fall into one of three categories: traditional (clear dance rhythm, closest to ballroom), dramatic (balletic "story pieces" like Romeo and Juliet), or modern (avant-garde stuff).

Navka and Kostomarov skated a stylized Paso Doble to Bizet's Carmen. It had great energy and expression at the start, but lost a little something as it progressed. The crowd really got behind the music, and their program had some nice dramatic moments, but they didn't sustain the energy. Carmen is a very powerful piece, full of potential. I didn't feel that their rendition capitalized enough on that potential. Kostomarov had an opportunity to ham it up a little and really own this free dance - a Paso Doble is one dance which lets the man express and be more of the center of attention than the lady. Still, it was a well-executed dance full of difficult elements. It was the best dance of the night and the Russians certainly earned their gold medal.

Belbin and Agosto skated to a flamenco medley that flowed well. Though technically demanding, the Americans made it look easy and carefree, giving the dance a playful quality. Belbin and Agosto related well to each other on the ice, but they could have been even more expressive. I would have liked to see some more dramatic leans during the slow section, and I felt they could have lifted their heads a bit - at times they seemed focused too much on the ice. They did have good speed throughout, and did a good job of adjusting their skating to changes in the music's tempo. There were a few small mistakes (including an uncharacteristic touch down by Belbin during a twizzle), but they were still able to score enough points to hold onto the number two spot.

Grushina and Goncharov skated a solid program to Peter Gabriel's The Feeling Begins. It was a little slow, and looked like they skated cautiously. Given the recent slips and falls by many competitors last night, it's understandable; still, it lacked the attack that many of the other couples had in their free dances. Their performance wasn't particularly captivating, and it seemed that the crowd had difficulty getting behind the music or the program. Grushina and Goncharov's program was clean, if not inspiring. But Grushina wins tonight's award for absolute worst costume. The commentators remarked that she was "pushing the envelope" in the costume department. But as Honor puts it, they didn't push the envelope - they tore up the envelope and then burned it in effigy. And please, stop wearing headbands. Goncharov's outfit, while more decent, definitely doesn't win any fashion awards; it looked like something out of the back of Siegfried and Roy's closet.

Delobel and Schoenfelder of France and Denkova and Staviyski of Bulgaria rounded out the top five. Fusar Poli and Margaglio, the Italians who led after the compulsory dance but plummeted in the standings after a fall during their original dance, wound up in sixth place.

The other two American dance couples, Gregory and Petukhov and Silverstein and O'Meara, finished fourteenth and sixteenth respectively.

Dubreil and Lauzon, the Canadian team who suffered the worst in the original dance, did not skate tonight.

Full results here.

With the exception of Grushina, most of the costumes were more reasonable tonight. But black and red seemed to be the predominant theme. In the final flight of skaters, four different dance teams wore costumes combining those two colors.

The worst music choice for the night goes to Chait and Sakhnovski of Israel for choosing to skate to Ravel's Bolero. Not that there's anything wrong with the music per se (though it is a difficult piece to skate to), but it is the piece to which Torvill and Dean skated a groundbreaking performance (perfect 6.0s in artistry across the board) to win their gold medal in 1984. By choosing Bolero, the Israelis immediately drew comparisons to one of the most memorable ice dance performances of all time, skated by one of ice dance's all time greats. Though they skated a good program, the music selection set unrealistic (and quite unnecessary) expectations in the minds of most viewers. For more on the music used for the free dance by tonight's competitors, click here.

All in all, the free dance wasn't as exciting or as enjoyable as the original dance round, but it was still entertaining. And Belbin and Agosto lived up to the pre-Games hype to take home the silver. Their achievement ends a thirty year Olympic medal drought in the sport for the United States; the last American team to win an Olympic medal in ice dance was Collen O'Connor and James Millns - they won the bronze in 1976, the same year that ice dancing was introduced to the Winter Olympics. See a list of all ice dance Olympic medalists here.

Olympic Recap, Day 9: Original Dance

It was a night of thrills and spills in the second round of Olympic ice dance.

No fewer than five teams suffered a fall during their original dance. To see the grim examples of these falls, see the NBCOlympics.com gallery appropriately entitled 'Carnage.' Tonight's original dance became a contest of survival among a field troubled with disaster.

But before talking about individual performances, a little background on the original dance. For the OD, each team must perform an ice dance to a specified ballroom style; for this competitive season, the theme is a latin medley. Skaters may choose two or three rhythms from a designated list (cha cha, rhumba, samba, merengue, mambo, and salsa). For more on music selection, check this out. The skaters must weave into this routine five required elements:

• side-by-side (not touching) midline footwork
• diagonal footwork (in various dance holds)
• a dance spin
• 2 different lifts, chosen from: stationary, straight line, curve, and rotational lifts

To score top points, the side-by-side midline footwork should incorporate twizzles (quick, traveling rotation on one foot) as well as good edges, skated with excellent technique and unison. The dance spin should include a few changes of position to get more points. And most couples will opt to do one rotational lift and then either a straight line or curve lift; in a rotational lift, the man rotates while holding the lady, and straight line/curve refers to whether the man skates straight or on a curve while holding the lady.

In general, I like the idea of some required elements. The step sequences in particular are good to see. And the fact that the dancers are limited to two dance lifts is good. I'm not a fan of the dance spin, though. It's a little too close to pairs skating for my taste (although some of the dancers spin better than their pairs counterparts). If the dancers can successfully weave these elements into a dance without it looking like they're merely setting up the next element, I think it really works.

Now on to tonight's original dances:

Russian favorites Novka and Kostomarov turned in the highest score on the original dance and are currently first. They had good expression and well executed elements, but I felt their program lacked flow. They skated a bit cautiously, possibly due to the fact that the previous two teams both suffered serious falls. I probably would have ranked them second in the original dance, but they enjoy a 1.38 lead going into the free dance.

The Americans Belbin and Agosto moved up to second place with a very nice original dance. This was my favorite dance of the night. The Americans had great expression, especially in the upper body. While many eyes were undoubtedly focused on Belbin, Agosto gave a great performance as well. Their expression also fit the music well, making full use of the tempo change to a slower, more sensuous rhumba after a fast start. They did lose a little expression during their midline step sequence, but their footwork was well executed. And after all the falls of the night, it was good to see them come out and successfully attack their program.

Grushina and Goncharaov of Ukraine took the third spot. They skated a clean but cautious program. I felt their performance was a bit uneven, and they were slow on their midline step sequence. I think the judges were a bit generous in their scores for the Ukranian couple, and I don't agree with giving Grushina and Goncharov a higher program component score than Belbin and Agosto.

Delobel and Schoenfelder of France possibly benefited the most from the misfortunes of some of the higher ranked couples. Their high energy dance moved them from seventh to fourth, but it was missing a true "latin feel." But they did have an excellent dance spin.

The Bulgarian couple of Denkova and Staviyski slipped to fifth place. They were skating a good program full of expression, but ran into difficulties on their dance spin. Staviyski missed a grab, and the couple had to fight to maintain their rotation. An awkward lift later in the program also hurt their score. They're lucky to still be in fifth, considering those flaws. See the full results after two rounds here, original dance rankings here, and super detailed OD results here.

That brings us to the big story of the night: the falls. The first victim of the night was Nathalie Pechalat of France (not televised). Then Drobiazko and Vanagas of Lithuania went down when Drobiazko caught a toe pick during their diagonal footwork sequence. Unable to avoid his partner, Vanagas came crashing down on top of her. Both Italian teams suffered terrible mishaps. Failla and Scali took a spill when Failla caught an edge during a step sequence. At this point she should have just let go; instead she held onto Scali, dragging him down. That cost them an extra point, as there's a one point deduction for each skater who falls. The other Italian couple, Fusar Poli and Margaglio (leaders after the compulsory dance), also fell. Their program had gotten off to a great start, but they went down on their last lift.

But the Canadian team of Debreuil and Lauzon suffered the worst fall of the night. During a daring rotational lift, Debreuil lost her grasp and spun out. She fell very hard on her right hip. Without his partner to counter his lean, Lauzon also went down. They managed to finish the program, but it was clear that Debreuil was in a lot of pain. She slowly skated off at the end, unable to take center ice for the customary bows. She was later taken to the hospital on a stretcher. Hopefully the injury isn't too serious, but it doesn't look good at the moment. There's a good chance that they will be unable to perform their free dance tomorrow night.

It's a bit shocking to see so many falls in ice dance, which has always been the least risky - and consequently the least fall-ridden - of figure skating's disciplines. But this is just one example of how the scoring changes have affected the sport. With required elements and specific points available for technically demanding moves, ice dance has gone through a transformation. And overall, this is a good thing. It brings some objectivity to what has always been a very subjective sport. I think the skaters like it too, since there is now a definitive way to distinguish yourself from your competitors. But with each couple's attempt to execute difficult and demanding maneuvers comes the risk of falling.

On a brighter note, the latin medley brought out some interesting costume - meaning a lot of skin from the ladies. Some highlights of the scraps of clothing passing for costumes:

Margarita Drobiazko
Barbara Fusar Poli
Tatiana Navka
Tanith Belbin

(I was hoping to link to more photo's of tonight's scantily clad ladies, but with all the media attention on the falls, there aren't as many pictures to show. My sincerest apologies.)

In addition to all that skin, just a few more observations on costumes. First, the worst outfit of the night award goes to Tatiana Navka for the leopard print dress with neon blue trim and matching headband. The honorable mention goes to Olivier Schoenfelder for the yellow headband. It's latin medley, Olivier, not iron chef.

Hopefully things will go smoother in the free dance, the final round of Olympic ice dance competition. NBC will broadcast the event tomorrow night at 8 pm.

While we're talking about costumes...

Earlier today I wrote about some interesting costume selections, both for a number of ice dancers (see this post, throughout) and for the men's freeskate. In particular I brought up Lambiel's sense of fashion.

Well, lest anyone think that Lambiel is alone in choosing bizarre, animal print-themed outfits, I thought I'd offer a flashback to a certain gold medalist from the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.

Seriously Ilia, what were you thinking? :)

Olympic Recap, Day 7: Ice Dance Compulsories

Tonight was the compulsory dance round for the ice dance event. Each dance team performed the Ravensburger Waltz. Before I go into my assessment of the individual performances, I want to talk briefly about the Rave.

The Ravensburger Waltz is, under the American test structure, one of the international dances - placing it among the upper eschelon of the compulsory dances. It is one of the most technically demanding dances in the sport. As with all waltzes, the music for the Rave is in 3/4 time. But at the required 198 beats per minute, it is one of the fastest dances in the compulsories. One pattern consists of 41 steps skated in 29 seconds.

I've personally skated this dance numerous times. My sister and I tested and passed the Rave a few years ago. The lady's steps are considerably harder than those for the man. The lady performs no fewer than three twizzles (very fast turns done in a fraction of a second; one of the lady's twizzles is a full revolution, the other two are 1.5 revolutions), as well as a difficult rocker-chocktaw sequence. Comparatively, the man skates easy, stroking-type steps. The main role for the man is to provide support for the lady's difficult maneuvres. However, one of the most difficult sections for both partners is the walkaround section at the very end of the pattern; the sheer speed that the dancers carry into the final corner make controlling those steps challenging. If you'd like to see what the dance pattern looks like, check out these two diagrams; step chart here and here. Note that these things are not the easiest thing in the world to decipher, even for skaters. Seeing the dance actually peformed is, in my opinion, an easier way to learn the dance.

The Ravensburger Waltz is to be skated in Viennese style; according to the USFSA rulebook, "the character of the dance should be lilting, graceful, and executed at an even, controlled pace.... The dance should be unhurried and convey a free, unfettered feeling."

Tonight's skaters each skated the Ravensburger very well. I think that is reflected in how close the scores are. The difference between first and sixth places is less than two points. With two rounds of competition still to go, the field is still wide open.

The Italian team of Fusar Poli and Margaglio (bronze medalists in 2002; they came out of retirement to skate in this year's Olympics) are currently in first. Their Rave was light and freewheeling. Most importantly, they made the dance look easy and their steps look effortless. They had good expression and really seemed to be enjoying their skate. No doubt the home crowd cheering them on helped in this respect. But my favorite expression from this team came when they realized that they were in first place. A quick note on their choice of outfit, though. I don't think their flourescent pink with flourescent green trim (and a very open shirt for Margaglio) was the best selection for a waltz. For a latin dance (cha cha, rhumba, etc) it would work, but not a waltz. Nevertheless, this did not adversely affect their scores. It will be interesting to watch Fusar Poli and Margaglio's progress in the next two rounds. According to tonight's commentators, the compulsory round is probably this team's best round and the Rave plays to their strengths - she's the stronger dancer. I don't expect them to maintain the lead.

In second place is Navka and Kostomarov of Russia. They're considered the favorites, but this round is not their strongest suit. I thought they had a strong skate with impressive lines and good expression. But I also felt that their timing looked just a hair rushed, especially in the first pattern. The second pattern seemed to calm down.

Skating into the third spot was the Bulgarian couple, Denkova and Staviski. I liked this team's Rave a lot. They had considerable speed and power, and their rocker-chocktaw sequence was well executed with good expression. I would probably have ranked them over the Russians, unless I were to dock them points for their costumes - purple with green flowy trim. The costumes didn't really fit the image of a waltz.

The Canadians, Dubreuil and Lauzon, hold the fourth position after their Ravensburger. I was not a huge fan of their dance. I felt that they lacked unison in several places, and Lauzon's extensions could have been stronger. During the first pattern, I also felt their timing was just a bit sluggish through the rocker-chocktaw sequence. But I did enjoy their upper body expression throughout the dance. I would have placed them at least behind Belbin and Agosto, in sixth (as it stands, Dubreuil and Lauzon's score of 37.44 is a mere .08 above the Americans).

Grushina and Goncharov of Ukraine are in fifth, with a score of 37.39 (.05 behind the Canadians and only .03 ahead of the Americans - like I said, the teams are very close right now). This team had excellent expression and flow. In particular, I liked Goncharov's leaning throughout the dance. It added to the cadence and character of a Ravensburger Waltz. They also had nice extensions. Grushina also had one of the more "scandalous"-looking dresses (or lack thereof); that never hurts with the male judges.

The American "dream team" of Belbin and Agosto are currently in sixth. But with the scores being so close, especially among the teams in fourth, fifth, and sixth places, this is not as bad as it sounds. Though I'm probably a bit biased, I always enjoy watching Belbin and Agosto skate. I felt they had great expression tonight, and wonderful cadence on the Rave 3-turns on the opening lobe. They had crisp positions with good flow, which added a floating feel to the dance. But they did seem a little tight in places, particularly the last third of the pattern. Belbin's third twizzle looked just a bit forced, and there could have been a freer feel to the rocker-chocktaw sequence. But I'm definitely happy to see they skated well and had good speed. Speed has typically been a lacking element for American ice dancers.

Two other American ice dance teams are skating in Torino. Gregory and Petukhov are currently in fifteenth, while Silverstein and O'Meara sit in eighteenth. You can see the full standings here. Super detailed results here.

A final word on costumes. As Dick Button remarked in tonight's broadcast, the costumes for the compulsory dance round tend to be more "conservative." I think this is because the compulsory dances are the most like ballroom dance. There's also a tendency to try to make the costumes reflect the type of dance, though there were some exceptions. As I pointed out above, Fusar Poli and Margaglio and Denkova and Staviski wore costumes that didn't really evoke a waltz feel. But the rest of the field was decked out in costumes that could easily be seen in any ballroom waltz competition - right down to tuxedos with tails for the men. Now I like tails - they're pretty classy. I was a bit surprised to see practically everyone wearing them. And I'm not so sure I like them as much for ice dance. As the skaters turn, the tails necessarily spin about - and can be a bit distracting.

All in all, it was a good opening round for Olympic Ice Dancing. The couples will be back to skate the next round - the Original Dance - on Sunday.

Olympic Recap, Day 6: Men's Long Program

The Men's event this year was a bit of a let down. There were some great moments, but perhaps the pressure of Olympic competition left its mark as most skaters failed to skate clean programs. The quad was not quite the prominent feature that many anticipated.

Yevgeny Plushenko turned in a good, but not particularly inspiring, long program. His jumps and spins were first rate, and Plushenko definitely turned in the most technically proficient performance of the night. And in a field filled with some... interesting... costumes, it was nice to see that Plushenko again wore something understated. He skated to a jazzed up version of The Godfather. From the opening bars of the music, it's hard not to compare the choreography with that of Phillipe Candeloro's performance to The Godfather several years ago. Plushenko had some great moments -- in particular, I felt the choreography during his footwork sequences really worked. But there as still a lot of skate, skate, jump, skate, skate, spin, repeat. But the lack of inspired artistry did not hurt him, and Plushenko easily took gold.

Lambiel of Switzerland placed second, despite some technical flaws. He again had trouble with his triple axel - his nemesis jump, if you will - doubling his planned triple. He attempted a quad, which did net him some points (for completed rotation) despite his fall. The missed technical elements cost him points, but he had enough of a buffer from the short program to clinch the silver medal. I thought his artistry and connecting elements were very good, and he used the music (Vivaldi's Four Seasons) to good effect. But he wins my award for worst costume of the night. Honestly, you have to see it to believe it.

Jeffrey Buttle won the bronze. Though he had stumbles of his own, he attacked his program and really seemed to enjoy himself on the ice.

The story that most people in the media have been running with is the apparent self-destruction of Johnny Weir. He turned in an overall mediocre and lackluster performance. With no quad in his program, he needed a clean skate to keep up with the other competitors. But despite a strong start, Weir had troubles as his long program progressed. He was unable to complete some of his planned combinations due to shaky landings. Weir also did one fewer triple jump than the other skaters, which hurt his score considerably. He ultimately dropped to fifth place. One focus of the media has been Weir's remarks, and some of his final words at the Torino games are certainly a doozy:

"I missed the bus. They changed the schedule. It was every 10 minutes. Today it was every half-hour. I was late getting here and never caught up. I never felt comfortable in this building. I didn't feel my inner peace, I didn't feel my aura. Inside I was black."

Okay, first off, you might want to check the schedule to make sure you don't show up late to one of the most important skates in your life. Second, you didn't skate too badly two days ago considering you "never felt comfortable in [the] building." And your aura?? Just admit it - you didn't skate well yesterday. Don't make crazy excuses.

The other two Americans skated well. After a disappointing short program that left him in tenth place, Evan Lysacek skated an excellent long program which scored a personal best. His score for the long program was third, behind Plushenko and Buttle. He wound up fourth. If he had had a better short program, Lysacek would have secured a spot on the podium. The program didn't have as much technical firepower as Plushenko's, but the expression and artistry was very good. In my mind, Lysacek gave the most impressive performance of the night.

Matt Savoie also skated reasonably well, with a light and lyrical style and great lines. He improved his eighth place finish from the short program to seventh overall. Joubert of France turned in an uneven performance to finish sixth. And I just want to add that my (pirate) hat's off to Kevin Van Der Perren of Belgium, who skated a very entertaining program to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Overall, with the general exception of Plushenko, the men's skating in this Olympics has been a story of surviving - he who makes the fewest mistakes wins. This might be understandable if people were falling on the quad, but there were slips and spills on some of the more basic elements.

Two comments on the new scoring system as it applies to the men's event. I really like the fact that the system rewards more balanced skating, particularly the skating between elements. We're already starting to see more interesting footwork and choreography and more inventive spins. I'm a bit concerned about one thing though. An attempted quad will still garner more points than a clean triple; which I think will decrease the number of clean programs. But at least the points are only given for quads with completed rotation. Perhaps that's the proper middle ground for the issue.

Okay, tonight is the first round of Ice Dancing, which kicks off with the compulsory dance round. Check back later tonight for my highlights and to learn a bit more about the Ravensburger Waltz.

Coming Soon: Men's Long Recap

No, I didn't forget about the Men's Freeskate. But due to bowling, I didn't catch the Olympic coverage last night. Fortunately, Alina recorded it for me so I'll be watching it later today. Be sure to check back for my thoughts and commentary. If you just can't wait, you can get the final results here and NBC's recap here.

Raving for the Compulsories

Just a quick post for a thought on the upcoming Ice Dance competition.

They're actually televising the compulsory dance. The Ice Dance event consists of three rounds: the compulsory dance, the original dance, and the free dance. Compulsory dancing is the closest ice dance comes to traditional ballroom dance. There are a number of specified patterns to specified music. Each team must perform the same dance, which is selected a few days ahead of time. Unlike the original dance (original choreography within given style parameters; e.g., everyone performs something in a tango style, or waltz style, etc.) and the free dance (rhythm and choreography entirely open to the competitors), compulsory dance is rarely televised. To the uninitiated, compulsory dance is boring because all the skaters are doing the same dance. The subtleties of technique and expression are difficult to detect.

I've often lamented the snubbing of the compulsory dance round, which I would gladly watch. The reasons I like this round:
-- I know the dances. The dances that the competitors skate are the same ones that I have learned, trained, and in many cases, passed.
-- Objective comparison. Since everyone does the same dance, it's easier to compare teams. Sure, there are still different interpretive approaches to a compulsory dance, but the steps are the same. One could theoretically compare teams on the execution of the mandatory steps. It's certainly easier than trying to compare one dance team's interpretation of Irish riverdancing with another team's dramatic rendition of Romeo and Juliet. And let's not even throw Bolero into the mix.
-- Nuances. The steps are the same, but how will each team put their mark on the dance? Will the Tango Romantica be skated with dramatic flair and passion, or will they opt for a softer, more sensual dance?

So, I'm excited that they'll be showing the compulsory dance event this year. This is almost certainly due to Belbin and Agosto's shot at a medal; a top American team will draw viewers.

But what dance will be skated during the compulsory dance round? None of the main media outlets seemed to find this bit of information newsworthy -- maybe because it doesn't matter to most people. But I wanted to know! Simply stating that it will be selected (from the Yankee Polka, Tango Romantica, and Ravensburger Waltz) before the first official practice session is not enough. After all, with the compulsory round being held Friday, one would expect the teams have had an official practice or two.

Finally, I located the information: it's the Ravensburger Waltz. For more information on the Rave and my take on the compulsory round, come back Friday night.

Olympic Recap, Day 4: Men's Short Program

The Men's Freeskating event got underway today with the short programs. Yevgeny Plushenko jumped out to an early lead. He skated a clean performance with a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination. His score of 90.66, a personal best, puts him more than ten points ahead of the next skater. I was pleased to see that he chose a simple black outfit instead of the more extravagant costumes he's worn in the past (and similar to those worn by other skaters tonight). I still have a problem with some of his choreography though, particularly some hand and arm gestures that at times seem too over the top and/or ill-fitting to the music. But personal preferences aside, Plushenko was hands down the best of the night -- he was the only skater to turn in a clean program.

In second is Johnny Weir. He turned in a good program, but double footed his triple flip out of footwork. He also chose not to attempt a quad, but his triple lutz-triple toe combination was excellent. His outfit reminded me of what Russian skaters have tended to wear in the past. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise though; Weir has openly admitted his admiration for former Soviet skaters and even practices in apparel bearing "CCCP" logos. A solid performance in Thursday's long program will assure Weir a medal, and if Plushenko isn't careful, America may take the coveted gold.

The reigning World Champion, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, sits in third place after the short. He doubled his planned triple axel, costing him some points; without the mistake he would probably be in second. Brian Joubert of France and Daisuke Takahashi of Japan rounded out the top five. The other two American skaters are still in the top ten (Matt Savoie placed eighth, while Evan Lysacek placed tenth), but will probably not be a factor in the medal hunt. See the full standings here.

Aside from Plushenko's performance, the mens' field was riddled with a variety of mistakes. And in what Scott Hamilton called "a very unforgiving scoring system," any mistake, large or small, can have a devasting impact on a skater's placement. Hopefully the free skate will go a little smoother, but I doubt it will. Many will be attempting quads, which few can land consistently. The lower placed skaters in particular have little to lose, so they'll likely take some big risks. It may be difficult to catch Plushenko, but anything's possible.

The men will skate their long programs on Thursday, which you can catch on NBC this Thursday starting at 8pm.

Olympic Recap, Day 3: Pairs Long Program

Well, tonight saw an emotional and dramatic conclusion to the Pairs competition. There were thrills, there were spills, cheers and tears. The American pair of Inoue and Baldwin skated fairly well, but they were unable to repeat the impressive throw triple axel they had in their short program. Nevertheless, they finished seventh overall.

The German team of Savchenko and Szolkowy climbed a spot to end in sixth place. Their program was not as technically strong as some of the other competitors, but their use of creative interconnecting moves demonstrated how the new scoring system rewards the strength of overall skating.

The Russian pair of Petrova and Tikhonov turned in an uneven performance. Their side-by-side jumps were off, with several "popped" jumps (doubles or singles performed instead of triples). The skating between moves was also on the weaker side.

The other Russian team and heavy favorites for this year's Olympics, Totmiyanina and Marinin, wound up taking the gold with decisive numbers. Their skate was technically proficient and mostly free from error, but lacked a certain spark. They skated conservatively, and their program simply did not look inspired. It's not uncommon for this to happen to the top skater weighed down by big expectations. And they did skate very well; they deserved to win tonight.

But the biggest story is the trio of performances by the Chinese pairs, who finished second, third, and fourth. In fourth place was Pang and Tong. It really looked like they were enjoying themselves out there, and their choreography and musicality to Phantom of the Opera was a joy to watch. Shen and Zhao captured their second bronze medal in as many Olympics. They turned in a good performance, slightly marred by a handful of small errors. But considering Zhao's recent injury, they skated remarkably well.

The most courageous performance of the night came from Zhang (Dan, f) and Zhang (Hao, m), the silver medalists. They had planned the most technically demanding skate of all the competitors tonight, opening with a throw quad salchow. A throw quad has never been completed in competition, but Zhang and Zhang had been exhibiting a 40-50% success rate on the move in practice. But mere seconds into their long program, disaster struck. Zhang Dan did not complete the necessary rotations in the air and went down hard; she was unable to go on. The music was stopped, and China's team physician assessed Zhang Dan's condition. After a few minutes, Zhang and Zhang elected to finish their program, picking up where they had left off. Zhang Dan bounced back, nailing the next move of the program, a double axel-triple toe loop combination. With the exception of a turnout on their throw triple loop, Zhang and Zhang skated a very nice program.

The crowd responded to their performance with a standing ovation. When the scores came up (a personal best for them) earning the team a silver medal, Zhang Hao lifted Zhang Dan in his arms and waved to the crowd. This team showed remarkable fortitude, persevering where many others would have crumbled -- commentators remarked that this was the exemplar of the Olympic spirit. They may not have won gold tonight, but their skate was more memorable by far.

Americans Hinzmann and Parcham finished 13th, and the North Korean team withdrew prior to the long program. See the full results here.

Olympic Recap, Day 3 (Non-Figure Skating)

Americans won a handful of shiny medals in non-figure skating events today:

Joey Cheek won gold in the Men's 500m long track speed skating event.

And following in the footsteps (snowboard trails?) of the men's team led by "Flying Tomato" Shaun White, Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler captured gold and silver in Women's Halfpipe.

The U.S. currently sits third in the medal count, but we've got the most golds!

Olympic Recap, Day 2

I didn't follow much of the Olympic coverage today. I've always intended to focus mostly on the skating events, as those are the ones about which I am most knowledgeable. But there are a few stories that may be of interest to American Olympic fans.

Apolo Anton Ohno had an uncharacteristic stumble today in the Men's 1500m short track speed skating event. This appeared to be the result of a tactical error on Ohno's part as he tried to take the lead. The South Korean duo of Ahn and Lee won gold and silver respectively. Ohno still has three events to go. (I'd also like to offer my condolences to Apolo on what the sports journalists have been doing with his last name when writing headlines to this story.)

The much talked about Bode Miller came up short today in the Men's Downhill. Miller came under fire going into the Olympics for being a bad role model; he's (in)famous for late night partying to excess and making comments about skiing while hung over. He finished fifth. His teammate Daron Rahlves, considered by many to be a favorite for this event, finished tenth.

But it wasn't all bad news for team U.S.A. Shaun White (aka the Flying Tomato) and Danny Kass took gold and silver, respectively, in the Men's Halfpipe.

Kwan withdraws

Michelle Kwan announced today that she will be withdrawing from the Olympics. She had a rough practice yesterday, during which she had difficulty with her triple flip. One of her attempts on the jump resulted in a fall that exasperated the injury that kept Michelle from competing at Nationals last month. The injury was to the adductor muscle in her right hip, also commonly referred to as a groin strain.

Torino was to be Michelle's third Olympics and her last shot at Olympic gold. But she has always maintained that if her injury would prevent her from skating at an Olympic level, she would step aside. During a press conference today, Michelle remarked: "The Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world and what's most important is that the United States fields the strongest team possible. As much as I'd love to represent the United States in Torino, I would never stand in the way of that.”

Taking Michelle's spot in Torino will be the bronze medalist at last month's Nationals, Emily Hughes. She's the younger sister of reigning Olympic champion Sarah Hughes. She is expected to leave for Torino as soon as the weather clears (read: blizzard subsides) in the eastern U.S.

Olympic Recap, Day 1: Pairs Short Program

The Pairs Skating event got off to a great start tonight. The technical elements were solid, and most teams skated relatively clean programs. The Russians and Chinese teams dominated, as expected. The Russian pair of Totmiyanina and Marinin have almost a four point lead over the next team, Zhang and Zhang of China. Totmianina and Marinin are the heavy favorites for this event, especially since one of China's top teams, Shen and Zhao, is coming off a serious injury. Despite that injury, they skated well and are currently in fifth. The throws were amazing tonight.

A little bit of skating history was made when the top American team, Inoue and Baldwin, completed the first throw triple axel in Olympic history. It was a risk that paid off. It increased their level of difficulty, and they're currently in sixth place. The other American team, Hinzmann and Parchem, sit at 13th. See the full results here.

Now for my personal take on tonight's skating. I was glad to see that the level of skating was very high. Pairs can sometimes be riddled with mistakes to the point that the "least bad" team ends up winning. That wasn't the case tonight. (Nor was it at the last, judging scandal-filled Olympics in Salt Lake City; and of course they had to talk about that debacle during tonight's broadcast.) The Americans skated well. What our teams need is more speed and power. Inoue and Baldwin showed that we can throw up some impressive technical elements, but we still need more creativity and difficulty between moves. Hinzmann and Parchem show a lot of promise. They haven't been together as long as many of the other teams, but they're already exhibiting a grace and elegance that hint at what they could achieve. If they can hang in there for four more years, I like their chances at the next Winter Olympics. On a more personal note, it was nice to see Marcy in the Olympics. She looked incredibly happy to be there, and she skated great. The commentators even brought up Columbus, Ohio, and the OSU Ice Rink. Way to represent, Marcy!

The Russians, especially Totmiyanina and Marinin were fantastic. They're definitely the team to beat. What I found most impressive about this team was the rotational speed in their pair combination spin. Heads and shoulders above the rest. The Chinese are strong as usual. It's sad that Shen and Zhao are coming off a recent injury. They've matured so much over the years and might have given the Russians a good run for the gold. As it is, Zhang and Zhang will still give the Russians a handful.

Finally, I have to comment on the new scoring system. It's been in place at international competitions for a little while now, but I'm still coming to grips with it. It's still hard for me to see a score and know what it means; is 61.27 a good score? (Yes and no; tonight it was good enough for Inoue and Baldwin to get sixth.) I'm sure this will change over time and I get more used to the system. What I do like about the new scoring system is that it rewards good skating, beyond the ability to do one or two tricks (namely, jumps). Spins and footwork get more points and attention. I think this is good for the sport as a whole; we'll start to see (as we in fact already are) more intricate and interesting skating. I also like what the new system means for the long program.

Under the old scoring system, skaters in the top three slots "controlled their destiny" in the long program - if any of the top three teams after the short won the long, they were guaranteed to win the event. Anyone lower than third needed help to win; even if they won the long program, they would need at least one other team to throw in a great performance to knock down the higher placed teams. But the new scoring system has changed things around and keeps it interesting. Since the scores are based on accrued points, rather than ordinal placement, a stellar performance by any skater/team could vault them to the top of the podium.

But there's one thing I really don't like about the new system. Judging has become more secretive and confidential. While computes will randomly select marks from different judges to apply to the score, no one will ever know the marks of individual judges. This means that it is still possible for a judge to "fix" results. It may be less likely because there's only a chance that any one judge's marks will be selected, but it is still possible. And worst of all, no one will know. Maybe the ISU will know, but without transparency and public pressure, there's no reason to hold the judges accountable. After the events of Salt Lake City, I think greater transparency in judging, not less, would be more appropriate.

But I'll stop ranting and get off my soapbox now. Tonight's skating was great, and I look forward to the final. The Pairs long program will be broadcast on NBC at 8pm EST on Monday night.

P.S. For all the people who have been finding my blog searching for the Korean Olympic Team, I'm sorry to report that the North Korean pair team of Yong Myong and Yong Hyok are currently in 20th place after the short.

Exceptional Skaters

I'd like to take a minute to preview some of the U.S. figure skating medal hopefuls for this year's Olympics. We're fielding some good skaters this year, but some have qualified for the event in rather unorthodox ways. As is frequently the case in such situations, there are a number of grumblers and naysayers. But as Stephen Colbert recently noted, "People who are good at something are exempt from the rules." (Go here and click on 'T.O.') In this case, however, it may be more appropriate to say that people who are good at something have special rules just for them.

First, consider the U.S. ice dance team of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. They're the reigning national champions. Belbin and Agosto also won the silver medal at last year's World Championships, America's first world medal in ice dance in 20 years. But until recently they were not eligible to represent the U.S. at the Olympics because Tanith Belbin was not a U.S. citizen (she's Canadian). Although she was in the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship, it would not go through in time for them to compete in Torino.

At least, that was the status of things until a few months ago. In December, during the waning days of 2005, Congress changed the law to speed up the naturalization process. In short, the legislation decreases the waiting period (from five years to three years) for "aliens of extraordinary ability." As a result, Belbin was sworn in as a U.S. on December 31. Now that Belbin and Agosto can compete on Olympic ice under the U.S. banner, America has its best chance at an Olympic medal in ice dancing since the sport's debut at the 1976 Games in Innsbruck. I didn't realize that U.S. Figure Skating had such a powerful lobby in Washington. But based on the timing and speed which this bill was passed and signed, it's pretty clear that the entire intent of this law is an attempt to grab a few extra medals later this month. For more on the inequities of the new law, check out this article.

The other U.S. figure skater who qualified for Torino in an unusual way was none other than Michele Kwan. She's the most decorated skater in history, and has won at every event save one -- the Olympics. Kwan's competed twice in the Olympics, earning silver and bronze medals. She has nine national titles and five world titles. Her mark on the sport may be second only to Sonja Henie. And now she's going to make one last bid for Olympic gold.

So what's the controversy? Michelle didn't compete in this year's nationals, the qualifying event for America's Olympic team, due to an injury. Instead she petitioned to be added to the U.S. Olympic team by what amounts to a medical bye. Usually the top three finishers at nationals will advance to the Olympics; Michelle basically asked U.S. Figure Skating to bump the bronze medalist in favor for placing her on the team. Such medical byes, while not commonplace, are certainly not unprecedented. The most famous example was the medical bye given to Nancy Kerrigan for the 1992 Lillehammer Games. Kerrigan won the silver that year, but success from a medical bye is the exception rather than the rule.

U.S. Figure Skating accepted Michelle's petition subject to a review of her abilities in late January. Last Friday, the five member team met to watch Michelle perform her short and long programs, and they ultimately agreed that she may compete later this month in Torino. I'm sure that being Michelle Kwan didn't hurt her case.

While it will be undoubtedly exciting to see big names like Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto and Michelle Kwan competing for the U.S. later this month, I can't help but feel for the alternates. There will always be people who can say, "That could have been me," but these athletes have a slightly stronger claim to the sentiment.

Just as an interesting aside, I know two of our Olympic competitors. Back when I used to compete, I actually competed against Ben Agosto (who had a different partner at the time). And Marcy Hinzmann, who will represent the U.S. in pairs with her partner Aaron Parchem, used to skate out of my home rink in Columbus as a member of the Columbus Figure Skating Club. Marcy and Aaron have a website that you can check out here.