Figure skating requires a level of sustained perfection that, to me, is unique in the world of sports. There's no second run. There's no round robin play. A free skate for the women is just four minutes alone on the ice, with twelve required elements (each of which has numerous moving parts), elaborate choreography and transitions, bright lipsticked smiles, and the expectation of perfection. I can think of no other sport quite as unforgiving.However, it ain't much of a gala if they don't have Johnny Weir skating to "Poker Face" -- and as of now, he's not invited. Last night;'s performances are all online here, and those with an enhanced sense of Schadenfreude will likely jump to Australia's Cheltzie Lee, who spent more time on the ice after a late failed jump than I've seen from a skater in some time.
And last night, in one of the most thrilling Olympic competitions in years and years, Kim Yu-Na was, indeed, perfect -- both the best athlete on the ice and also the most elegant. Mao Asada's two triple axels were breathtaking; Joannie Rochette was sophisticated; Mirai Nagasu was charming and captivating. But Kim Yu-Na was perfect -- and deservedly the winner.
One final note: if you're sick of elegance and athleticism and would just prefer to see the glory of truly cheesy figure skating routines and costumes, be sure to catch the exhibition program on Saturday night, featuring your platinum medal winner Plushenko. I can hardly wait!
Friday, February 26, 2010
YES, BUT CAN SHE BACKFLIP AND LAND ON ONE SKATE? Gretchen recaps last night's ladies' free skate:
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The exhibitions are always so much more fun than the regular program because the skaters get to be like Brett Favre--just havin' fun out there on the field. Weir's performance on that Youtube must be seen to be believed. I expect that part of the reason they're not inviting him is because they've been trying to make men's skating more "masculine."
ReplyDeleteJohnny Weir is going to the World Championships, though, so there will be more opportunities for us to see him skate. Evan Lysacek, though not retiring from competitive skating at this point, will not be going to Worlds.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I really like skiing as a spectator sport is that the fastest race is still miles from perfection. The skis simply do not stay where they need to be, bodies get worn out and could be conditioned just a bit better, there is always room for a marginal improvement in performance. Whereas ice skating the best performance, as the winner last night, is just shy of perfection. And since my standard for good skating is: look, they are standing on skates and not falling over. I have a hard time appreciating just how it is to do what they do.
ReplyDeleteStill, is it strictly necessary to put the finals results on at well-nigh midnight?
As a west-coaster who can't stay up until midnight to watch every night, I must confess that I have BOTH nights of figure skating still on the DVR with plans to watch this weekend. I've approached this entire Olympics witht he knowledge that the results will be spoiled, so I'm recording most nights and watching the highlights the next evening. Having primetime run from 8-12 is just ridiculous - would NBC suffer so much by moving it from 7-11? Whether tape-delayed or not, that one hour would be a big improvement.
ReplyDeleteHave we previously linked to the Current TV piece on Weir?
ReplyDeletehttp://current.com/items/92224102_thats-gay-johnny-weir.htm
Some inappropriateness for those sharing speakers with children or coworkers.
Not the sure what the Current TV actually is, but people have been sending me Target Women ( http://current.com/target-women/ ) links forever, some of which are great, so I'll plug it here too, though my understanding is that Sarah Haskins has left to write movies.
That's the time when it ran live on the East Coast, FWIW. So they'd have had to re-edit or shift things to make it earlier.
ReplyDelete