I had the most awesome time watching the Men's Olympic Ice-Skating program yesterday night. I couldn't keep my eyes off the skaters and their brilliant performances. They looked so free; so beautiful on the ice. I was gushing about most of the skaters throughout the entire program.
Though I am only a beginner skater, I knew plenty about ice-skating. I watched Katerina Witt (of Germany) performed in the early 1990s, and I was so inspired then that I wanted to take up ice-skating myself, but my parents refused because it was too dangerous. Still, even though I didn't learn to skate until late last year, I really love the sport - both as a beginner and as a spectator. In fact, I loved it so much that every time I come home from my lessons, I researched on the web for tips to improve on the techniques. I love being on the ice. I don't care about getting bruises from falling; I just want to skate, skate, and skate.
I was rooting for Todd Elgeridge. Even though I knew he won't be on the Olympic podium because he placed 8th on the short program, I think he did a wonderful performance. I was also playing the judge. Last night, I was watching the program, listening to him skate gracefully to the music, and taking it all in. The music struck a chord with me and I commented to my brother that I knew the music. After a moment's pause, I exclaimed, "it's from the Lord of the Rings!" I've only seen the movie once, so I was surprised at how quickly I remembered it. As if to confirm what I said, the commentator said only seconds later that the music was from the movie 'Lord of the Rings'."
(By the way, Lord of the Rings has 11 nominations. I liked the movie, but I didn't think the plot or the characters were as well-developed. The movie definitely deserves the Best Picture - it has breathtaking scenery - and Best Original Score nominations. I am faily confident that it will win or at least should win in those catogories.)
I was also a darn good judge yesterday too. I was in awe of Timothy Gaebel (representing USA)'s quadruples because he did them with such ease, as such, his nickname "Quad King" was well deserved. I commented that he would get high technical marks, but mentioned (rather disappointingly) that his presentation was lacking. Unlike the Russian competitors, there was something missing from his performance. I said he could possibly take the lead, but it's more likely that he would take second. And so he did. The last skater was Alexi (representing Russia), who was the leader after the short program. His performance was marvelous; he didn't do quads like Gaebel, but his triples and other elements were clean, strong, and consistent. Halfway into the program, I knew he won the gold. His technical marks were bound to be solid, and his presentation was even better. And so he did, with four perfect 6.0s for his presentation marks - and also became the Olympic gold medalist.
It. was. just. amazing.
Next week is the Ladies' Figure Skating competition. Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, and Sarah Hughes are representing the USA team. I like Michelle Kwan for her artistry; I like Sasha Cohen for her power/energy, and I like Sarah Hughes for her grace. If Michelle Kwan skates as well as she did in the Nationals, then she has a good shot at winning (although she has a tough Russian rival to beat). Sasha Cohen is a powerful skater; she also has the same type of energy as Tara Lipiniski. While her jumps aren't always perfect and her artistry might not be as strong as Michelle's, no one doubts that she has a good shot at winning. Then there's Sarah Hughes, who I think also has a good shot because she's very graceful and her skating and jumps are very consistent.
I just can't wait to see. :)
Though I am only a beginner skater, I knew plenty about ice-skating. I watched Katerina Witt (of Germany) performed in the early 1990s, and I was so inspired then that I wanted to take up ice-skating myself, but my parents refused because it was too dangerous. Still, even though I didn't learn to skate until late last year, I really love the sport - both as a beginner and as a spectator. In fact, I loved it so much that every time I come home from my lessons, I researched on the web for tips to improve on the techniques. I love being on the ice. I don't care about getting bruises from falling; I just want to skate, skate, and skate.
I was rooting for Todd Elgeridge. Even though I knew he won't be on the Olympic podium because he placed 8th on the short program, I think he did a wonderful performance. I was also playing the judge. Last night, I was watching the program, listening to him skate gracefully to the music, and taking it all in. The music struck a chord with me and I commented to my brother that I knew the music. After a moment's pause, I exclaimed, "it's from the Lord of the Rings!" I've only seen the movie once, so I was surprised at how quickly I remembered it. As if to confirm what I said, the commentator said only seconds later that the music was from the movie 'Lord of the Rings'."
(By the way, Lord of the Rings has 11 nominations. I liked the movie, but I didn't think the plot or the characters were as well-developed. The movie definitely deserves the Best Picture - it has breathtaking scenery - and Best Original Score nominations. I am faily confident that it will win or at least should win in those catogories.)
I was also a darn good judge yesterday too. I was in awe of Timothy Gaebel (representing USA)'s quadruples because he did them with such ease, as such, his nickname "Quad King" was well deserved. I commented that he would get high technical marks, but mentioned (rather disappointingly) that his presentation was lacking. Unlike the Russian competitors, there was something missing from his performance. I said he could possibly take the lead, but it's more likely that he would take second. And so he did. The last skater was Alexi (representing Russia), who was the leader after the short program. His performance was marvelous; he didn't do quads like Gaebel, but his triples and other elements were clean, strong, and consistent. Halfway into the program, I knew he won the gold. His technical marks were bound to be solid, and his presentation was even better. And so he did, with four perfect 6.0s for his presentation marks - and also became the Olympic gold medalist.
It. was. just. amazing.
Next week is the Ladies' Figure Skating competition. Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, and Sarah Hughes are representing the USA team. I like Michelle Kwan for her artistry; I like Sasha Cohen for her power/energy, and I like Sarah Hughes for her grace. If Michelle Kwan skates as well as she did in the Nationals, then she has a good shot at winning (although she has a tough Russian rival to beat). Sasha Cohen is a powerful skater; she also has the same type of energy as Tara Lipiniski. While her jumps aren't always perfect and her artistry might not be as strong as Michelle's, no one doubts that she has a good shot at winning. Then there's Sarah Hughes, who I think also has a good shot because she's very graceful and her skating and jumps are very consistent.
I just can't wait to see. :)