Yesterday I watched the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. It was great and it was reminiscent of those medieval stories where kingdoms compete with each other and have elaborate ceremonies to welcome the participants and to show off the host's kingdom.
It was nice to see people from different countries walk in and mingle peacefully with each other. The commentators were great. They gave cultural background about Italy and mini-blurbs about some events happening with different countries.
Snow boarding, skiing and other winter sports are awesome. However the main thing I'm 'rooting' for (excited about) is figure skating- especially women's figure skating.
Commentators have been talking about that this will most likely be Michelle Kwan's last olympic. At the age of 25), she is considered a veteran already. In spite of this I don't sense regret in her. This is going to be her third olympic and her last chance perhaps to capture the gold. She has a silver and a bronze (which are achievements too).
This is one of the most competitive season for women's figure skating because there's so many great women figure skaters. Russia's Irina Slutskaya is a tough competitor and she continues the legacy of Russian Champions. For a very long time Russia have been dominating these sport in all its aspect: men's and women's singles, pairs, ice dance, etc. Technically she's consistent. She can do triples and double with her eyes close. She's also great at combinations, spins, and foot work. She knows how the new scoring system works, and she can easily adapt to situations/problems that may occur in her program. She knows how to get extra bonus points by upgrading her skill level after the halfway point of her program. She has great stamina.
In the artistic side, she's not bad but not great. She's somewhere between good and great. She's in this range because her lines or extensions are not as straight or graceful as Sasha Cohen or Michelle Kwan. But what adds to her artistry is the joy she emits when she's skating. Her posture is good and she has her nerves under control. When the audience see the confidence shining through the skater, an emotional connection of some sort is felt which makes the program more entertaining.
The Japanese and American women figure skaters are waiting to dethrone Russia's traditions of ice queens. Shizuka Arakawa, Miki Ando, and Fumie Suguri are up and coming. They have the technical skills and they've greatly improved on their artistry. The one that comes to mind who can be considered their leader (the well rounded skater) is 2004 World Champion Shizuka Arakawa. She definitely have the artistry and 'soft' knees which make her landings look natural, smooth, and effortless. However she's not as consistent as Slutskaya. If she's not "on," she let her nerves get the best of her. She starts popping jumps, and downgrading her level by turning triple jumps to doubles. She ends up not "selling" her program. As Dick Button would say the illusion (facade) of the performance is destroyed.
The American women are making a name for themselves. If Sasha Cohen can master consistency then she'll be the power house. She has the technical skills of Slutskaya and more (because she's more flexible), and an artistry that can equal Kwan if she were to skate with her heart instead of anxiety. All's left for her to master is her ownself- her nerves. Young skaters, Kimmmie Meissner and Emily Hughes are learning from Kwan and Cohen and continuing to build American women's reputation.
Lastly but not least (save the best for last), there's Michelle Kwan. In this Olympic, she's considered the underdog. She's coming off from a recent injury. In fact she didn't have a chance to defend her U.S. title last year because she suffered from a groin injury. Nonetheless the officials gave her a spot in the U.S. olympic team. Also she's not as familiar with the new scoring system as Slutskaya (this new scoring is in her advantage because there's a chance to earn bonus points which in effect will give her a chance to right the mistakes she made early in the program). She should take into perspective that this might be her last olympic. With that said, she should lighten up (not let her nerves get to her), trust her skills (her experience: 3rd olympic, 9 or 10 U.S. titles, World Champions), review her program and see how it figures in the new judging system, and enjoy skating (allow her heart to win the gold).
I'm rooting for all of them for different reasons. If Slutskaya wins, she'll get money to help pay for her mother's medicine bill. Also this season, she has been the one who's consistent (it will be an awesome prize for season of hard work). If Akawara wins, she will inspire more women of non-western background to try and reach for their own dreams. If Cohen wins, it will be a great victory in defeating her own self (you know what they say "you're your own worst enemy). If Kwan wins, it will be about time, third's a charm, she's been beaten twice by two teenagers Lipinski and Hughes (who are both retired now from the competitive world of figure skating). There's a possibility that this can happen a third time with Kimmie Meissner. There's many more figure skaters but these are the ones in the current spotlight.
Journey to gold will be difficult for Kwan for various reasons:
1. New Scoring system (she hasn't been competing a lot in the Grand Prix season so she hasn't time to get use to it)
2. Post-injury (she's not as fit as Slutskaya)
3. Tons of Competitive skaters (Slutskaya, Cohen, Arakawa, Meissner and more)
4. Self-doubt (speculation- this is my third time "I'm too old")
This will be an exciting winter olympic, let the games begin (schedule)!
Posted by Michael Diezmos at February 11, 2006 12:31 PMIrina rules :)
Posted by: koral at August 9, 2007 9:36 PM