The figure skating competition(s) were entertaining and annoying simultaneously! The entertainment came from the brilliant skating, both in the team competition and in the individual events. The judging was questionable in the Ladies' Final and both Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski were annoying as hell, never shutting up. And Johnny Weir acted more like a cheerleader than a commentator. How many routines (I stopped counting) did he proclaim to be "flawless"? As far as the final event, the Ladies' competition, was concerned, the scoring was incomprehensible and WRONG. Clearly the "stacked" judging panel had something to do with it. there is no way that Russia's skater deserved the Gold. Maybe the bronze, but both Yu Na Kim and Carolina Kostner skated far more skillfully and with more exquisite lyricism. And those things matter. The "secret" judges seem to me to be a total flop!
However, Hanyu deserved the Gold, as did Davis and white. The team medals were awarded accurately.
Now onto my regular kvetching. There were dark roots and dirty skate laces, as well as soiled skates. This is the OLYMPICS kids, and these things ARE important. Feathers and sequins and lovely lacy costumes are wonderful, but good grooming matters!
Finally, MAO ASADA. I have never really cared for her. She has always seemed somehow cold and arrogant to me. However, at these Olympics, she displayed a level of courage and the heart of a champion. After ending up in 16th place after the short program, a result that left her near tears. She came back in the final and skated with courage, skill and pure beauty. it was a flawless performance which left her 20 points ahead temporarily and gave me respect beyond measure.
So now on to the rest of the Olympics!
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