Figure Skating

[smokey the elder]

I remember seeing the Rodnina and Zaitsev on Wide World of Sports, which carried a lot of figure skating back in the day.

The new system is kind of lame; it has good intentions but fails in the execution, IMO. Skating is nothing more than "tricks on ice". It might as well be half-pipe snowboarding.

[Momto4FemaleFelines]

The new system is kind of lame; it has good intentions but fails in the execution, IMO. Skating is nothing more than "tricks on ice". It might as well be half-pipe snowboarding.

I agree about the scoring system.
Even as the choreographers, coaches and skaters start learning to put some "moves in the field" in the programs, there isn't enough time to hit all those point making moves AND do a lovely classic spiral or Ina Bauer move.
And I hate that catching the foot on spirals and death spirals garners more points...some of the positions the pairs ladies were using to get into the death spiral were down right ugly in the pairs competition. A catch foot here & there with a spin or spiral is okay, but not seeing, especially a female, skater glide across the ice in a beautiful spiral position(i.e., Cohen, Bobek, Kwan, Hughes) takes away from the programs, IMO.

[Momto4FemaleFelines]

Congratulations to China, Zhen/Zhao and Pang/Tong!
What a night for pairs skating!
Zhen/Zhao didn't skate a perfect program but were still wonderful to watch and the work they put into returning to Olympic eligible skating paid off. They have realized their dream of an Olympic Gold Medal.
Pang/Tong were wonderful. Had they not been in 4th going into the long program, they would've easily over-taken Zhen/Zhao. Pang/Tong are SO improved over their earlier years of skating...they now have the grace, beauty and emotion to go with the technical aspect.
The Russian Reign in pairs Olympic Gold Medals is finally at an end. (not that many of the Russian skaters didn't deserve their medals, it's just nice to see a different country be victorious)

[Bonny]

The pairs skating is done now the mens short program is tonight. I hope I can stay awake. I get so relaxed watching the skaters & the music puts a person to sleep. LOL! I think it is old age creeping up on me & during the day I take the dogs out & snowshoe for a good 2 hour run to wear them out & I get wore out. I wonder if my husband will notice the required elements tonight? He was at the hospital today getting his blood checked & they had the Olympics hockey game on. He said he saw a player slam another one into the wall & into the penalty box the player went. The puck had already been passed onto another player so the slam was after the fact. Hockey is a kill get killed game, maybe that is why they are padded from head to toe.

[Momto4FemaleFelines]

Although I am not a hockey fan, I remember the days in the 1970's when the Philadelphia Flyers were hot-hot-hot. They didn't wear any helmets back then!

I sometimes fall asleep during the skating as well. I took a short nap today so will hopefully make it up for the whole mens event. We can catch up on sleep Wednesday night when there is no skating events on. (Why couldn't Thursday be the night no skating is on, I wouldn't have to tape Survivor!)

I am NOT looking forward to seeing Evegeni Plushenko, and I know it sounds mean, but I really hope he makes mistakes and does not win. I'd love to see one of our American men on the top of the podium. Go Evan Lysacek!

[Bonny]

I fell asleep & would wake up to watch the skaters & fall back to sleep that was my evening of watching the men skate. I am fighting a cold to so that didn't help matters either. Tonight I probably will be wide awake. Ugh!!! With no figure skating to watch. I hope Lysacek gets the gold. Johnny put on a dramatic skate but doesn't include those jumps for points. He is a crazy guy & fun to watch he puts on a good show. I did get to watch the abandonded Brazilian who was adopted by a French family & has been training with his coach since he was four years old. He was a powerhouse on the ice. As far as Plushenko goes he wants two golds like Uncle (Gramps) Dick Button has. Plushenko had lots of upper body hand arms,movement & seemed strung out. Maybe it is his lanky build? Hubby went to get his hair cut so missed the whole thing.

When I was in high school, hockey was a big deal in Minnesota. We attended all the games & they were rough & tough. Fights would break out on the ice & sometimes even with the fans watching the games. There were times the penalty box was full of players from both sides with only 2-3 players out on the ice per team playing. It was wild!

I plan to have two TV's on Thursday night one in the sunroom which will reflect Survivor up on the windows & the other TV is in the livingroom room to watch the Olympics. I can sit on the couch & watch both the Olympics & Survivor. LOL!

[Momto4FemaleFelines]

Bonny, I stayed up for all but one skater for the mens short program...I was in bed and asleep by 11:45 but woke up 1/2 an hour later and was kept awake for the next 2 hours by my Molly. An 11 lb. cat running in the quiet of the night on hardwood floors sounds like a horse! She decided it was party time and went on for 2 hours! And I HAD to be up and out the door no later than 9:30 this morning, so when I got back from errands I took a 2 hour nap.
Thursday I will switch back & forth to Survivor & the Oly's, but also have a tape in for Survivor. On Monday, we managed to see almost every minute of Bachelor and did not have to resort to watching the tape we had in just incase skating was on long enough for us to miss something. The majority of Monday's skating took place from 10:30 til midnight!
Not sure I mentioned it, but Plushenko looks like he's running from and swatting bees. Those flailing movements mean nothing. He's all about the jumps and unfortunately that can win it.
I'm mean, I'm hoping he'll fall at least once in his long program(free skate). I hope Evan skates beautifully and can pull off a win.
Johnny is....well, Johnny! He definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer!

[sparks19]

Hockey is a kill get killed game, maybe that is why they are padded from head to toe.

not a kill or get killed game... it's a CONTACT sport

I was glad to see the married chinese couple win it (I'm sorry I don't know how to spell their names lol)

[Puckstop31]

they had the Olympics hockey game on. He said he saw a player slam another one into the wall & into the penalty box the player went. The puck had already been passed onto another player so the slam was after the fact. Hockey is a kill get killed game, maybe that is why they are padded from head to toe.

What you describe sounds like a interference penalty. Bodychecking ("slamming") is part of the game. You use your body to take an opponent who has the puck, off the puck. As long as you keep the hit low and from the front or side, its all good. Part of the game, its just how its played.

You cannot hit a player who does not have the puck, thus the interference penalty you describe.

Hockey, especially modern hockey has a very undeserved sterotype as a 'violent' sport. Its physical, yes, but violent? We could have a discussion about the role of fighitng in the NHL, but I don't want to hijack any further. LOL Plus, fighting is VERY taboo in the Olympics.

[cassiesmom]

had the Olympics hockey game on. He said he saw a player slam another one into the wall & into the penalty box the player went. The puck had already been passed onto another player so the slam was after the fact.

Is that the game where they had a 5-on-3 power play? And the player who got shoved into the boards plays for the Boston Bruins. I started following the Blackhawks when the Bulls couldn't win a game no matter how they tried. Now the Bulls are starting to win more consistently (finally!) and I am trying to learn more about hockey.

I loved Johnny Weir's short program, because it was more than a bunch of jumps sort of strung together in the first two minutes of the program. Sandra Bezic said that as a skater, he has a lot of respect for the purity of it, which is starting to really show in his programs.

[cassiesmom]

Once again I loved Johnny Weir's program. I thought his score was too low. The commentators said that the problem seemed to be how it was choreographed before and after the jumps. Looked good to me...

But Naperville's own Evan Lysacek got the win! YEAAAAAH! He deserved to win. I liked where they showed him watching the scores and figuring out that he was the winner.

[Grace]

At the age of 71, Frank Carroll has coached his first Olympic Gold winner!!!

And Laurie Nichols, choreographer, had 2 Golds this year - Evan and the Chinese pair

[Momto4FemaleFelines]

Once again I loved Johnny Weir's program. I thought his score was too low. The commentators said that the problem seemed to be how it was choreographed before and after the jumps. Looked good to me...

But Naperville's own Evan Lysacek got the win! YEAAAAAH! He deserved to win. I liked where they showed him watching the scores and figuring out that he was the winner.

Elyse, I couldn't have been more thrilled to see that Evan won! I kept a mantra going in my head all day long "fall, Plushy, fall"...Well, he didn't fall but his landings were shakey and his artistry stinks, so the judges scored things right! I can just imagine what Plushenko is saying now. All that talk about a skater can't win without a quad and he has the quad so he will win. PUHLEEZE!

From what Scott and Sandra were saying, sounds like Johnny Weir needs a new choreographer. They said his program did not have enough transitions and difficult steps going into the jumps. I thought he should've got at least a slightly higher score.