WINTER OLYMPICS COUNTDOWN

The Winter Olympics will be starting in Vancouver, Canada in approximately 120+ days. The events will take place in a gloriously beautiful setting with all the beauty the American and Canadian Northwest has to offer.

We will be fielding an interesting team. The qualifications for the team have not yet taken place but I think you can expect Alissa Czizny and Evan Lysacek to be on the team along with Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. I hate to be a grumpy old broad, but I really do think Rena Inoue and John Baldwin have gone as far as they are ever going to be able to go and I do wish they would get out of the way and let some other, more promising team take their place on the American team.

I see a great big limb looming ahead of me and I'm recklessly going to scramble out on that limb. The incomparable Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo will challenge strongly for the Pairs Gold and it is my belief that they will win it easily. They are just magnificent skaters, albeit they are somewhat older than most of the field. I just harbor a burning desire to see them with a gold medal around their necks. Their courage and grace and the sheer beauty of their skating makes it a deserved honor.

It won't be long now, folks, when once again I will be in the throes of my favorite obsession which includes watching incredible performances whilst bitching about dirty skate laces and dark roots! Here's a foretaste: It's the Olympics ladies. Get the roots done beforehand and buy some new, clean, laces for your skates!

UPDATE: How on earth did I manage to overlook the shimmering beauty of Yu-Na Kim of South Korea. She is technically brilliant and beautifully trained (courtesy of the extraordinary Brian Orser) and she is lyrical and musical in her presentation - and stands head and shoulders above any of the other female skaters. In the Grand Prix Paris this past weekend, this magnificent young woman was a full 36 points ahead of her nearest competitor, former World Champion Mao Asada!