Ah, the Olympics....that once-every-four-years occasion when it's actually possible to catch figure skating not on sketchy Latvian or Turkish Internet feeds in 240p, but on mainstream media outlets, whether on prime time television or in print. People tune in, figure skating gets its place in the sun for a couple of weeks, it's socially acceptable--or perhaps put more correctly, socially
possible--to discuss figure skating in public with normal people who aren't die-hard fanatics. Fun times!
This year's Olympics saw the inauguration of the team figure skating event, an event that ISU overlord Ottavio Cinquanta (with his infinite wisdom) hoped would add "something spicy" to elite-level figure skating competition. Contrary to Mr. Cinquanta's zesty expectations, however, the team event turned out to be fairly anti-climatic by the end of the first day as it became readily apparent that the top three teams would be Russia-Canada-United States with zero movement among them. A few spots of uncertainty cropped up from time to time--will France make it to the top 5? Which second- or third-string skater will skate the long program? What will Tessa Virtue wear during the free dance?--but as a whole, moments of actual suspense during the team event were as rare as good taste and restraint are during the typical Olympics opening ceremony. Thankfully, however, the team event also featured quite a few great performances, unqualified disasters and interesting scoring patterns--all grist for the mill of any figure skating fan (or blogger, in this case).
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