What figure skating needs—an enforcer

By Charlie Gillis - Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 3:40 PM - 0 Comments

Andrew Tolson; NHL/Getty Images; iStock/ Photo Illustration by Lauren Cattermole

In his playing days, Georges Laraque was known to issue verbal cautions. Keep up the guff, he’d tell a misbehaving opponent, and you’ll get your head pounded. And by pounded, Laraque meant like Omaha Beach in 1944: until he retired at the end of last year, he was the unofficial heavyweight champ of the NHL. This fall, Big Georges’ warning goes out to figure-skating fans, and lucky for them it is more in the vein of public service. “Don’t drink hot beverages while watching me skate,” he says, chuckling. “You’re going to laugh so hard you’ll spill it on your lap.”

He’s only half kidding. At six foot four and 270 lb., Laraque is the largest hockey player yet to lace up for CBC’s hit reality series, Battle of the Blades, and while his heft served him well in his role as enforcer for the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, it won’t in this competition—a strangely absorbing spectacle in which retired hockey stars are transformed into the on-ice consorts of seasoned female pairs skaters.

Continue…

Olympic aftermath, The man with the ‘golden arm’ and did Tea Partiers scald David Frum?

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 2, 2010 at 9:00 AM - 24 Comments

Olympic aftermath Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir ended their storybook season in Turin by winning their first World Championship last week. Virtue, 20, and Moir, 22, whose fiery on-ice chemistry does not extend to a romantic relationship away from the rink, say they’ve yet to decide if they’ll compete next year. In another graceful move, John Furlong, the head of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, travelled to the mountain village of Bakuriani, Georgia, to attend the memorial service for Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old luger killed in a training crash on the Whistler track. Furlong said he saw hundreds of condolence letters from Canadians and others when he visited the family. Nodar’s father, David Kumaritashvili, said during the service his son’s death shouldn’t discourage others from practising luge.

The man with the ‘golden arm’ James Harrison of Australia received a life-saving blood transfusion as a 14-year-old. Since then, he’s returned the favour in spades. Now, age 74, he’s approaching his 1,000th blood donation. He earned his “golden arm” nickname because his blood contains a rare antibody that can save babies with Rhesus disease, a deadly form of anemia. His blood was used to develop a vaccine called Anti-D. Health officials estimate that Harrison has saved some two million babies from death or brain damage.

Did Tea Partiers scald David Frum? The fallout continues after Toronto-born conservative commentator David Frum was shoved last week from his right-wing perch at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think tank in Washington. The firing came after the one-time speech writer for George W. Bush blogged that the Republicans blew the health care debate with hysterical rhetoric and a refusal to negotiate compromises with the Democrats. “We followed the most radical voices in the party and the movement and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat,” wrote Frum, who blames Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the likes of the hard-right Tea Party faction for marginalizing the party. Frum says pressure from donors forced the AEI to end their seven-year association—a charge denied by the institute.

Toronto girl wins a logomachy L-o-g-o-m-a-c-h-y (a dispute about words) is just one of the puzzlers 11-year-old Laura Newcombe had to spell to win the Canwest Canspell National Spelling Bee for the second year in a row. Laura credits her knowledge of Greek and Latin root languages with helping her win the $15,000 education award. She and 11-year-old Scott Xiao of Burnaby, B.C., bested 250,000 students to make the finals in Ottawa. The two duelled for nine rounds before Scott stumbled on “normancy” while Laura correctly spelled “lidar”—a radar-like system that uses laser light.

Invasion of the body scanners A female security officer at London’s Heathrow Airport has proven privacy experts right: the controversial full-body scanners that “see” through clothing to look for weapons are open to abuse. Jo Margetson, 29, says a male colleague took her picture as she walked through one of the machines. She says John Laker leered at her and made lewd comments about her body. “I’m totally traumatized,” Margetson told Britain’s Sun. She is considering a lawsuit. Laker was given a harassment warning, and may face further discipline.

Earth Hour was the cat’s meow Barry Penner, B.C.’s ever-earnest environment minister, set the stage for a romantic Earth Hour dinner with his wife, Daris. Electric lights were off in the spirit of the energy-saving event and the house flickered with the glow of candlelight. All went well until their five-year-old cat, Ranger, brushed against a candle. “Suddenly there was a poof of smoke,” and a very “disgruntled” cat, Penner told reporters. Ranger suffered no serious damage. “His hair is a little bit singed and his pride is somewhat affected,” says Penner. The couple opened windows to rid the house of the smell of burnt fur. Using an electric fan, of course, was out of the question.

You’re offside, Mr. Rogge International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge better keep his head up and his stick on the ice. His doubts about the future of women’s Olympic hockey raised the ire of former governor general Adrienne Clarkson. Hours before Canada’s gold-medal win in Vancouver, Rogge questioned if women’s hockey can remain an Olympic event if Canada and the U.S. are the only teams in serious contention for the championship. Clarkson, who created the Clarkson Cup championship to foster the women’s game, says the sport needs more time and resources to grow outside North America. She said that, and more, in a letter mailed to Rogge. Rogge didn’t respond to Clarkson’s “shot across the bow,” as she put it, so she wants Canada’s ambassador to Switzerland to hand deliver her missive to IOC headquarters. The future of women’s Olympic hockey can’t be decided in a closed meeting of a committee of the male-dominated IOC, she says. “This cannot be just a one-sided announcement. There has to be dialogue.”

Math is its own reward Reclusive Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman has won a US$1-million prize for solving the “Poincaré’s conjecture,” one of seven fabled math problems that have eluded experts for a century. If the conjecture—a complex piece of abstract mathematics dealing with shapes that exist in four or more dimensions—is beyond the comprehension of, well, almost everyone, so is his response to the prize money, offered last week by the Clay Mathematics Institute in Cambridge, Mass. Perelman has so far refused to accept the money, even though the unemployed former researcher at the Steklov Mathematics Institute lives in a tiny apartment with his mother in St. Petersburg. The 43-year-old has also turned down all math-related job offers over the past four years. Leave self-promotion to those who seek it, he told London’s Telegraph. “I do not regard it as a positive thing.”

School’s tree policy is barking mad A woman who rescued a five-year-old boy stranded for 45 minutes in a tree at the Manor School playground in Melksham, U.K., wound up in trouble with school authorities and the local police. Kim Barrett, 38, a part-time cleaner, was chastised for trespassing on school grounds after seeing the boy safely back to class. Head teacher Beverley Martin said health and safety rules prohibit tree rescues. “Our policy when a child climbs a tree is for staff to observe the situation from a distance so the child does not get distracted and fall.” Barrett says no one was watching the boy. “When I took him in they had no idea he was missing.”

A former press baron takes on the Globe Fallen press baron Conrad Black, whose current address is the Coleman Correctional Facility in Florida, lashed out at the Globe and Mail on Saturday for claiming he and his wife, Maclean’s columnist Barbara Amiel, have lost their Palm Beach mansion. The property, assessed at US$32 million, was transferred to Black­field Holdings, a Connecticut-based investment firm, to settle an $11.6-million mortgage on the property. It is for sale at an undisclosed price. Black used his column in the National Post to “rebut almost all” of the Globe story. He called Blackfield the “technical owner,” but “I retain an interest in the house and full flexibility to sell or reassert that interest.” The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on the appeal of his convictions for fraud and obstruction of justice.

This diva’s not for dissing Did Justin Bieber, the 16-year-old international pop sensation from Stratford Ont., really insult überdiva Mariah Carey? For a brief time, Britain’s Sun quoted the baby-faced singer as saying Carey is past her best-before date. “I don’t love her new music. It’s not the same,” he allegedly lamented. “It’s like Michael Jordan coming back to the NBA. She is past her best.” Two things suggest the quotes were too juicy to be true: 1) they’ve been hauled off the Sun’s website; 2) Carey hasn’t ripped out his tonsils.

‘Purple Rain’ man bleeds red ink Prince, the musician formerly known as a taxpayer, is listed as a tax delinquent in Carver County, Minn. Officials estimate that Prince R. Nelson and his company, PRN Music, owe US$450,000 to state and other government bodies. He’s also on the hook for the equivalent of US$3 million in damages after a Dublin judge held him liable for cancelling a 2008 concert on short notice. The Purple One lived in Toronto’s tony Bridle Path neighbourhood after marrying Manuela Testolini of Don Mills, Ont., in 2001. He returned to the U.S. when the marriage ended five years later.

A hard day’s night, says the nanny Heather Mills, the ex-wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, is back in a courtroom, and the experience is proving as unflattering as her divorce proceedings. She is being sued by Sara Trumble, a former nanny to the estranged couple’s daughter Beatrice. Trumble claims that Mills was “rude and horrible” to her staff. “I wasn’t the only person who felt that at that time,” she testified. “It’s just that nobody else will stand up.” She said Mills was a generous employer who grew angry and demanding after the marriage breakup. Trumble’s duties included blow-drying Mills’s hair and giving her “nude spray tans,” she said. She was once called in from her maternity leave and ordered to tell a video crew “how wonderful Heather was,” she said. Trumble returned after that leave to find she’d been reassigned to a cleaning job. She is suing for sex discrimination, unfair dismissal and changes to her employment terms. Mills has yet to testify. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” an angry Mills whispered to her lawyer.

Thérèse Rochette (1954-2010)

By Kate Lunau - Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:39 AM - 4 Comments

Thérèse Rochette was born in Lanoraie, Que., a town 60 km northeast of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River, on June 6, 1954. Her father, Arthur Guèvremont, was a lumberjack; mother Antoinette stayed home with Thérèse and her brother Michel, who was older by four years. Michel remembers Thérèse as a determined child who, “once she had a goal, had to succeed.” She loved being outside, and skating was one of her favourite activities: every winter, when parts of the St. Lawrence froze over, the Guèvremont family would take to the river, which Michel calls “our skating rink.” But it was dangerous, he adds: the ice could crack, and sometimes, people drowned.

As a teenager, Thérèse struck up a relationship with Pierre, a local boy who was friends with Michel from school. The two fell in love, and talked of marriage, but their plans were cut short when, in 1975, Pierre was killed in a car crash. “She had a very hard time,” Michel says. To comfort herself, Thérèse would listen to Édith Piaf’s L’Hymne à l’amour, a song of love and loss.

It was about a year later that she met Normand Rochette, a kind-hearted man from nearby Île Dupas, Michel says. The two were married, and settled in Normand’s hometown; Thérèse took a job working with the elderly in a senior citizens’ home, and Normand, in construction. “We grew up along the St. Lawrence and we’ve never been able to leave,” says Michel, a welder, who now lives in Berthierville, just over the bridge from Île Dupas and up the river from Lanoraie.

Continue…

The risk of aiming high

By Ken MacQueen with Nancy Macdonald, John Geddes and Jason Kirby - Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 11:00 AM - 1 Comment

Throughout this premature Vancouver spring, The Question has preoccupied Canada’s sporting press: can this country still “own” the Olympic podium by topping the medal count? The medal performance anxiety issue is raised daily, in all its variations, to the increasingly tense executive of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), and to the frustration of some athletes.

On Sunday, an exasperated COC president Michael Chambers said this, in steering the question into more favourable winds: “We’re going to win more medals. Canadians aren’t all mathematicians or accountants, they’re not just counting up medals. They’ve embraced the wave of the Games.”

By Monday, after a disappointing weekend—a men’s hockey loss to the U.S., and unexpected medal shutouts in men’s ski cross, men’s speed skating, and men’s short track—reality set in: top spot was impossible. Canada entered competition Monday tied for fourth—four gold, four silver and one bronze—15 behind the leading U.S. Our ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir added a gold that night, and Ashleigh McIvor won another on Tuesday in ski cross, but Canada was still far back of the U.S. “We are going to be short of our goal, I readily admit that,” said Chris Rudge, the former Quebecor executive who serves as CEO of the Olympic committee.

Continue…

Ladies' figure skating: Rochette wins the bronze

By Scott Feschuk - Friday, February 26, 2010 at 1:01 AM - 14 Comments

The gold medal in ladies’ figure skating belongs, wholly and authoritatively, to Kim Yu-Na of South Korea – but at the Pacific Coliseum tonight, the crowd belonged to Joannie Rochette. Completing her program to thunderous applause, Rochette skated a small circle and blew a kiss to the sky as flowers fell to the ice from above.

On Sunday, Thérèse Rochette died from a heart attack at 55. Tonight, her daughter Joannie won bronze at the Winter Games. “I’m so proud,” Rochette said later, touching the medal around her neck. “I know this: My Mom was with me every step of the way tonight.”

Fifith in Turin, Rochette had been waiting four years for tonight’s four minutes. Competing to Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns, the Canadian skater took to the ice attired in something blue, skimpy and sparkly – basically, what a girl would wear in a rap video had rap been invented by Liberace. Rochette wasn’t flawless, but her athletic and casually energetic performance gave her Continue…

What I learned at the ladies’ free skate

By Scott Feschuk - Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 9:45 PM - 2 Comments

I am at the big Olympic final of ladies’ figure skating, because when push comes to shove you definitely want to turn to the guy whose expertise in the sport consists in its entirety of having seen Blades of Glory on an airplane.

But I learned something at the ladies’ free skate, apart from the fact the women in my life don’t wear near enough sequins or eyeliner: I learned that at figure skating competitions in the Olympics, you can for $20 buy a small radio and earpiece that enables you to hear real-life “figure skating experts” analyze each program as it is taking place. No more having to nudge mean European journalists to inquire, “Is that a triple lutz?” – which is especially awkward when the answer is, “No, it’s a single Zamboni.”

As a veteran of precisely zero figure skating competitions – not counting the ones in my dreams where Johnny Weir and I skate a doubles program against Optimus Prime and a Siberian tiger (we lose, but it’s tough to beat that kind of chemistry) – I thought, hey, earpiece, good idea. And it was! You could even email questions to Continue…

LIVE BLOG: Ladies' free skate

By Cathy Gulli - Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 7:45 PM - 13 Comments

7:45pm
The final round of ladies figure skating will start in 15 minutes. It’s airing on TSN. At the risk of sounding repetitive (see Tuesday’s skate live blog), forget hockey. This is where the drama will unfold.

7:55pm
To set things up: Yu-Na Kim of South Korea, who is coached by living legend Brian Orser, is in first with a world record-breaking score.

Arch rival Mao Asada is in second—she landed a triple axel on Tuesday, the second woman ever to do so at the Olympics (first was countrywoman Midori Ito in 1992).

Also from Japan, Miki Ando is holding forth, another serious contender for a medal tonight.

And in third is Joannie Rochette, who stole the show on Tuesday with an emotional, stunning display of grace and power after her mother died of a heart attack on Sunday.

There are 24 skaters taking the ice tonight. These heavy weights are in the last flight.

8:02pm
First glimpse of Kim and Rochette. Both wearing blue costumes.

8:05pm
Canadian skater Cynthia Phaneuf is competing as well, in the 7th spot.

8:06pm
Black just spilled beans: apparently RBC provided tickets for the parents of Turkey’s Karademir to attend the Olympics. They weren’t able to get them online…

8:07pm
Speaking of Karademir, she’s up. In a black and blue dress. Missed the double toe loop in her combination jump, and then fell.

8:09pm
Singled the next jump, then doubled what should have been a triple. Mama and papa will still love her.

8:11pm
This is a loooong four minutes.

8:12pm
Pops is smiling, and Mom is waving the Turkish flag.

8:14pm
Karademir is sitting lady-like, legs crossed, while awaiting score. Shaking her head. Total score (TS): 129.54.

8:15pm
Spain’s Sonia Lafuente is on. Wearing all white. Big fall on her first jump. Should have been a triple flip.

8:16pm
Recovers with a triple loop. Fancy footwork follows.

8:18pm
That’s never been done before in skating. She just “wiped the dust off” her hip. Like Jay-Z does with his shoulder.

8:20pm
Triple toe in the second half of the program, rather than at the start, means more points. They value effort at the Olympics.

8:21pm
Blows kisses with a purple skate guard in hand. Pulls coaches sitting on either side of her in for hugs. Score: 83.77 (missed the total score). No love from the judges.

8:22pm
China’s Yan Liu is on. Wearing red. Why red? Why not? Her music is “Why are the flowers so red?” Why not?

8:24pm
Solid triple toe loop.

8:25pm
Triple salchow-double toe, nice. Black: “She is landing everything here!” You’d hope. Don’t jinx.

8:26pm
Jinxed: singled a triple!

8:27pm
Commentators say she is too “business like” between the jumps. Smiles to finish.

8:30pm
Double wave from Liu. Her coach has one hand on her back. TS: 143.47.

8:31pm
Estonia’s Elena Glebova is on wearing red, pink and black. Won’t see as many triples from her, we’re hearing. Way to set expectations nice and low, commentators.

8:32pm
They really rub it in too: “Well executed double axel.”

8:33pm
Planning a triple triple mid-way through, which is rare, they say. Why? No clue. But she does it! “Beautifully!” commentators concede. Take that.

8:34pm
Glebova gets too hot to handle: Fall on the triple salchow.

8:35pm
Skates off with hands on hips.

8:38pm
Blowing kisses, double waves. You’d think choreographers would come up with creative moves for this awkward time waiting for scores. TS: 134.19, for second. Liu is still in first.

8:39pm
Uzbetkistan’s Anastasia Gimazetdinova is on. In purple. She’s the oldest skater tonight: 29. On Tuesday she was referred to as a “grande dame.”

8:40pm
Landing jumps with flare. Despite her “age” she is finally able to express music well, we hear. Like a fine wine, better with time!

8:42pm
Nearly slips on a landing. Saves it. Fighter. But oh! Falls on the circular sequence. Silver lining? No chance of brittle bones at 29.

8:45pm
Smiling, waiting and blowing kisses alternately. Pecks coach on the cheek. Biting lower lip. TS: 131.65. Rolls eyes, shrugs. In fourth.

8:46pm
Coach pats Germany’s Sarah Hecken on the hand before she skates off to start her routine.

8:47pm
Wearing dress with splatters of blue, like it’s been hit with paint balls. Sticks her triple toe-triple toe.

8:49pm
Her face doesn’t display “the nuances of the music” as well as the next skater. Oh the comparisons! Can’t she have her own moment here?

8:50pm
Big smiles, landing jumps. There’s that facial expression!

8:51pm
Music just turned orchestra-techno. Like symphonic with a pop beat. And Hecken ends with a fist pump!

8:53pm
Phaneuf is next. Doing squats to warm up. Wearing a green dress with LOTS of BIG amber jewels on it.

8:54pm
Hecken’s TS: 143.94 for first place! She’s delighted, smiling, shrugging. Commentators impose own take on what she must be thinking: ”To say one time—one time—I was the leader at the Olympics.” Read: This won’t last long.

9:00pm
An aside: Just learned that the Canadian women’s hockey team took gold! A good omen for the Canadian figure skaters. Now, with that distraction out of the way, here is Phaneuf.

9:02pm
She is gorgeous. Her music has some Cleopatra theme. Explains the centre-parted hair.

9:03pm
Nails her triple toe-double axel. But falls on her next jump! Lands the others.

9:04pm
Commentators say she made a mistake. Can’t specify what. Then singles an axel.

9:05pm
Choreography is being called a “masterpiece.” Dramatic, anyway. So were those solid jumps.

9:06pm
Finishes. Looks to the ceiling.

9:07pm
Hugs her coach as she skates off. Doesn’t look happy. Seems to reject someone offering a teddy bear. Not a fair substitute for a medal?

9:08pm
She too is sitting with legs crossed awaiting the score. Her coach lifts up Phaneuf’s chin with one finger. Chin up! Phaneuf sticks out her tongue and smiles. TS: 156.62, for first! For now.

9:10pm
Finland’s Kiira Korpi is on, landing high, powerful jumps.

9:11pm
Her dress: blue sequins bodice, black skirt, red capped sleeves.

9:12pm
She is the most sought-after endorsement athlete in Finland. That’s because she’s so pretty, we’re hearing. Seems believable.

9:14pm
Finn finishes with a grin!

9:16pm
Korpi’s TS: 161.57, to steal first from Phaneuf.

9:17pm
Aussie Cheltzie Lee, a former gymnast, has only been skating for six years, and Black says that’s “ridiculous.” Wearing purple and black.

9:18pm
Huge jumps go off without a hitch. But she’s only doing two types of triple jumps. Later we’ll see four or five types, apparently. But how many of us could tell the difference?

9:21pm
She falls. And doesn’t scramble to get up. Slides and pauses there, legs outstretched in front of her on the ice. Only had 40 seconds left to go. That must hurt.

9:23pm
She’s saying hi to Gabby, Brian…? Smiling, rubbing her thighs. Winces at her score: 138.16. Gets a hug from coach.

9:25pm
Switzerland’s Sarah Meier making sure her laces are tight before taking the ice. Wearing all white. Her routine is a version of Romeo & Juliet.

9:26pm
Lands triple lutz-double toe. But doubles what should have been a triple flip. And then does that again.

9:28pm
Commentators called her “underachieved” and “slow.” But she’s smiling, which is more than others have done so far.

9:30pm
She can spin!

9:32pm
Her coaches are with her, rubbing her arm and back. They’re smiling, but she’s not. Seems to be angry. Rolling her eyes. TS: 152.81, for third. Expressionless.

9:33pm
Hungarian Julia Sebestyen is on, wearing vibrant royal blue dress. Slips on the landing of her first jump.

9:35pm
Recovers with a high triple flip. Commentators wishing she had more expression.

9:37pm
Her routine was “front-loaded” with jumps, slow ending.

9:39pm
Seeing Asada come in, iPod in ears. Was it her who, while awaiting her score on Tuesday, thanked someone for making sure she didn’t forget to bring it with her that night?

9:40pm
Double waves from Sebestyen. TS: 151.26. Coach kisses her head.

9:41pm
Min-Jung Kwak, 16, from Korea. Black calls her “mini Yu-Na”. Wearing a black and turquois dress. Skating to Les Misérables. Sticks her triple lutz.

9:42pm
Misses her double toe on a triple lutz.

9:45pm
Crowd is loving her spins.

9:46pm
Huge applause. Black calls her “the future” of skating.

9:48pm
Kwak couldn’t be happier. Has her hands in prayer pose. Squeals and puts her hands on her cheeks, like Home Alone at her score: 155.53 for third!

10:09pm
We’re back after a 15 minute break. I just did a little math, and I bet this could be done in 2.5 hours rather than 4.5 hours if only there were fewer breaks. Just saying.

10:10pm
Rochette is in the building! She’s walking in. Her dad is here too, in the stands. Both composed. Imagine what they’re feeling.

10:11pm
Russian Alena Leonova is on. In black and royal blue. She’s skating to the sound track of Chicago. Stumbles coming out of two jumps. Nice triple flip-double axel.

10:14pm
Slowing down.

10:15pm
Speeding up.

10:16pm
Finishes with a big fist pump, and woah, pulling her hair. Wow. She’s pumped.

10:18pm
Blowing kisses. Seems that one hand is gloved, one not. She is still excited! Speaking Russian really fast. So it sounds. TS: 172.46, for first. Double thumbs up and a stuck out tongue!

10:19pm
Japan’s Akiko Suzuki doing West Side Story in a red dress. Nice three jump combination.

10:20pm
So light on her feet.

10:21pm
Big smile with a side of spiral.

10:22pm
Doubled a triple flip. But pulls off a great triple lutz. She’s got fans in the stands.

10:23pm
Music change and a burst of energy. Some arm twirls at her side. And quick steps. Peanut gallery says it looks like the Elaine dance on ice. But elegant!

10:24pm
Wow, she is moved to tears as she finishes. Overcome with emotion, covers her face with both hands. The crowd is excited!

10:25pm
Double wave from Suzuki. She’s regained her composure. TS: 181.44! That’s first! Eyes bug out, big smile to her coach.

10:27pm
Italian Carolina Kostner is up, also in blue. Lots of blue! Blue is the new black. Bach is on.

10:28pm
Ooh. Slips on her first jump.

10:28pm
Like we heard on Tuesday, she moves too fast into her jumps. Falls again!

10: 29pm
Gets the next jump. Black says she struggles with consistency. Yes.

10:30pm
Oh again! Falls. These are big, hard falls. And again! Oh my.

10:31pm
Lands the next jump. Thank goodness for inconsistency.

10:32pm
Wow, finishes with her her head in hand, and slow glide bent over. Stands up, bonks her forehead with her hand. But smiles at least!

10:34pm
Kostner holding back tears. Throws her hands up in the air: 151.90, for seventh.

10:35pm
Laura Lepisto of Finland, taking her full minute to settle onto the ice. Starts off time of the music. Oh no, the wrong music played or something. Rolls her eyes! Justifiable.

10:36pm
Wearing red, skating tango. Huge triple combination.

10:39pm
“Crisp and powerful” and “effortless” jumps. Indeed. Smiling, very expressive face.

10:40pm
Finishes with a self hug. She’s happy.

10:42pm
We see Rochette walking with coach, she’s in black tights, grey t-shirt. Seems strong.

10:43pm
“Woah!” says Lepisto. 187.97 for a big first!

10:44pm
Russia’s Ksenia Makarova is on. Wearing royal blue, with a little orange thing on one hip, like you’d have in flag football.

10:45pm
Lands her triple combination. Solid jumps. Striking lay back spin. Tad unsteady spiral.

10:47pm
Nailing jump after jump! But slips on a spin. Finishes with fast spin sequence.

10:50pm
Waiting for score, yelling lots of things into the camera, some in English such as “all my schools”…? TS:171.91, for fourth.

10:51pm
Georgian Elene Gedevanishvili is on, in bright red with a bit of gold. She’s a “fireball on the ice” we hear.

10:52pm
Big fall on her first jump.

10:53pm
Regains footing with triple toe-triple toe-double toe.

10:54pm
Crowd clapping to the beat of the music. But she has lost enthusiasm.

10:55pm
Finishes with a look of disappointment.

10:56pm
We see the glittery back of Rochette.

10:57pm
First air heart of the night from Gedevanishvili. She’s smiling. TS: 155.24, putting her in eighth. Mouths, “Woah.”

10:59pm
Rochette is on the ice, warming up along with the other five skaters left to show us their stuff. The crowd is roaring. She is wearing a turquoise dress with sequins.

11:02pm
Rochette tightens the lace of one skate. Her right one. She always puts her left skate on first. Coach says something to her, she nods, skates off.

11:03pm
We are seeing the commercials that air in Korea of Kim, and paparazzi around her.

11:05pm
We’re hearing that American Rachel Flatt is the “dark horse” tonight, a real threat because she is so consistent.

11:06pm
Rochette has left the ice.

11:07pm
Flatt is up, 17 years old, wearing red with gold sequins. She’s in fifth right now. Lands a solid double axel. Then triple flip-triple toe loop. Effortless.

11:09pm
Smiling. Apparently she spins slower than Kim and Asada, but she can land jumps like nobody’s business.

11:11pm
Commentators call her “Miss Consistency.” Finishes with a huge smile and a “Yes!” Blacks says: “Flatt out great!”

11:13pm
Wow, no idea what she’s motioning with her hands, looks like a C and an O. TS: 182.49, for second spot. Triple jumps were “downgraded.” Seems disappointed, but taking it in stride. “Okay,” shrugs. Commentators stunned.

11:14pm
Ando of Japan is skating to Cleopatra music. Wearing turquoise and gold dress and cuffs. Lands her triple combination. Apparently she’s been upping her routine all day. Her hair is half down, very Cleopatra.

11:16pm
Lands her second triple lutz. We’re hearing she appears cautious.

11:17pm
Smiles are nowhere to be seen. Not even after an amazing jump.

11:18pm
Finishes with slow smile, but not before shutting her eyes hard.

11:20pm
Waiting for score. Here it comes: 188.86, for first. Double wave, “thank you” and throws her head back. Relief?

11:21pm
“Queen Yu-Na Kim” as Black referred to her earlier is on now. Wearing royal blue. Apropos. Skating to Concerto in F.

11:22pm
Sticks her triple lutz-triple toe. And then a triple flip, with a smile to boot.

11:23pm
More magnificent jumps. “She is just ON.”

11:24pm
She moves with captivating ease.

11:26pm
Before she’s even done, Black can’t hold back: “One of the greatest free skates in Olympic history! It doesn’t get better!”

She’s crying. Skating slowly, folds in half, hands on her knees. Orser is smiling, raises his eyebrows. The crowd is hysterical.

11:27pm
Black isn’t sure anyone can match Kim’s performance. Not even Rochette?

11:28pm
Orser is so happy sitting next to Kim, his face is bright red. She is wiping her face with a tissue. Breathing heavy. Smiling. Score comes and Kim mouths “Oh my God!” 228.56! A NEW WORLD RECORD. She stands up and waves, and Orser lifts his hands in victory too!

11:30pm
Japan’s Asada is not to be outdone. She lands her triple axel, a stunning, rare accomplishment. And then does it again, in a combination. The crowd roars.

11:31pm
She is wearing a black and red dress, with black gloves. She moves with tremendous speed and grace. A lot of emotion in her face.

11:32pm
“These girls are here to fight it out tonight.” But then, a couple of stumbles, one going into a jump.

11:34pm
Finishes without much joy in her face. “She knows she gave some points back,” say commentators.

11:35pm
We see Rochette’s father in the stands. She takes the ice.

11:36pm
Double wave from Asada. Huge bouquet of red and white roses beside her. TS: 205.50, for second. She hasn’t moved her face and her gaze has been straight ahead.

11:37pm
Rochette’s name is announced. She is fixing her laces again. Wiping the snow from her blades. Nods to her coach. And she is settling on the ice.

11:38pm
Nails her first jump: triple lutz-double toe-double loop.

Oh, but steps out of her next jump.

11:39pm
Her eyebrows are furrowed.

11:39pm
She is gliding in a spiral.

The crowd is cheering spontaneously, emphatically.

11:40pm
Sticks her jump. And again.

11:41pm
Crowd is clapping to the beat of the music. Clapping to a symphony. She nails another jump, and bites her lower lip in determination on the landing.

11:42pm
The music isn’t even done, she’s still skating, and the crowd is thunderous. Her father is clapping. She is emotional, smiling, but composed. Taking bows in every direction, and the crowd is on its feet. Flowers are raining on the ice. She picks up a stuffed Olympic mascot and waves it to the crowd. Hugs Perron, who hands her pink skate guards.

11:44pm
She is speaking French to the cameras. Has her hand on her heart. Perron is hugging her tightly. TS: 292.64, for third. Rochette and Perron embrace, you can’t even see their faces they are so close together. They are both holding back tears. She waves to the crowd, and nods slightly.

11:45pm
Last skater of the night. If anyone will disrupt the medal standing now it’s her. American Mirai Nagasu. She is wearing a red dress with black sequins. Her second double toe is “iffy” say commentators.

11:47pm
The “best lay back of the competition.”

11:48pm
“A first-class spiral”

11:49pm
Lands yet another solid jump. And then the triple toe loop too, the last jump of her performance.

“She did everything she had to do here” says Black.

11:50pm
Finishes with a triumphant arm in the air, and a “Yes”.

“It will be very close” Black muses.

11:51pm
Nagasu saying hello to her mom and dad, among others, into the cameras. Drinking water. Saying more hellos and thank yous. Scores are not coming quickly. She seems happy, smiling for the cameras. Commentators very perplexed by the delay. Finally, the TS: 190.15. For fourth.

11:54
ROCHETTE gets bronze!

Rochette’s father is getting a huge hug in the stands. He is clapping.

Rochette “is a true Canadian Olympic hero!” proclaims Black.

11:55pm
Nagasu takes fourth with admirable grace and joy. She stands up and waves to the crowd and smiles huge. That is remarkable sportsmanship.

11:59pm
“I can’t believe it, and I’m really glad that I became Olympic champion,” says Kim in an interview. She is clearly emotional and still wrapping her head around this epic win.

12:00am
We are watching a replay of Orser as Kim did her performance and it is entirely endearing. He is bursting with pride, and almost mimicking her movements from outside the ice.

12:02am
The Mounties—and the medals—are on the ice!

12:03am
Rochette is back on the ice. Bowing. Smiling. She is beaming. Her father is too. He is holding back tears. She skates to the podium. Isn’t sure which one to take. Redirected, she hops on.

12:04am
Asada skates out, “Miss Triple Axel” as commentators call her, bows.

12:05am
Kim skates out, the crowd is still on its feat. She is smiling, and bowing. She hugs Rochette and Asada and takes the top spot. Clenches her hands at her sides and then releases.

12:06am
Rochette is named the bronze medallist. Big sigh, smile, wave to the crowd. The medal goes around her neck. She looks at it, holds it, says wow, shakes her head. The flowers are given to her. She is holding back tears. She raises the flowers, salutes the crowd. The tears have started. She wipes her eyes. She waves.

12:07am
Asada is given the silver medal, she smiles. It is around her neck, and she says thank you. She is pursing her lips. The flowers come. No smiles, she looks like she will cry. She looks at the silver medal. And then back to the crowd.

12:08am
Kim is announced as the gold medallist. She smiles, waves. Orser is clapping alongside Perron. She looks at the gold medal around her neck, picks it up and waves it at the crowd. The flowers are waved. The Korean anthem is playing.

12:10am
Kim is singing, with her hand over her heart. Rochette is still holding back tears, smiling through the moment.

12:11am
Kim is crying now, wiping her cheeks. The three medallists are all on the top podium, smiling. No tears for that photo.

12:12am
Rochette has a Canadian flag draped over her shoulders, Kim the Korean flag, Asada the Japanese. They smile. Cameras flash like lightening in the dim arena.

A massive sign in front of them says “Go Go Joannie.” Did she ever.

Joannie Rochette's grace under pressure

By Ken MacQueen - Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 1:11 AM - 7 Comments

Grace under pressure is how Ernest Hemingway described “guts.” He was more of a bullfight fan than a figure skating guy, but in an arena in Vancouver Tuesday night his definition came to life, wearing a sweet black costume, glittering with sequins.

The crowd at Pacific Coliseum was cheering for Joannie Rochette the moment she traded hand-slaps with her coach and skated onto the ice. From that moment on, she must have felt their warm embrace, their goodwill and their sympathy.

There was no attempt at a pasted-on smile, in a sport full of false smiles. Her mother Thérèse had died of a heart attack in Vancouver just two nights earlier; there was nothing to smile about. The only note of cheer was a vivid red flower that crawled up the back of her costume on a winding green stem. One imagines Thérèse telling her daughter how beautiful she looked in this costume,  for indeed she did.

But her mother was not in the seats, not beside her father Normand, to share this moment. There was only the program to carry her, and the music: La Cumparsita, a tango at points jaunty and wistful and sad. Sometimes, goes the bumper sticker, life is just about showing up. Rochette did so much more than that. She launched into her triple lutz-double toeloop combination. It was clean and solid and brave, and if she was relieved, there was no hint of it. She carried on: flying sit spin,  double axel, and on and on. There was no attempt to sell the program to the audience or to the judges. It was obvious by being here how much this meant to her. It ended with a spin. Her composure cracked when the music stopped and the crowd exploded in applause, and the real world came back into focus. She shuddered with emotion and grief.

Floral bouquets rained down from every corner of the rink, and young girls recruited from local figure skating clubs flashed across the ice to gather them. One hopes their coaches and parents were there tonight to tell these girls to savour this moment, to remember its grace. Rochette skated off the ice into the arms of her coach Manon Perron, and the tears flowed. She composed herself in the place known as the kiss and cry zone. It’s a tiny place; just room enough for a skater and a coach, and 11,700 members of the audience.

The marks came: 71.36, her season’s best. There were marks for skating skills, for transitions and linking footwork, for choreography, performance and interpretation. There are no marks for showing up. Her skate put her into third place, far above Miki Ando of Japan in forth, and well behind first-place Yu-Na Kim of Korea. She looked up into the stands and blew a kiss.

Later, after leaving the ice, she was asked about the support of the crowd. “It was hard to handle,” she said. “But I appreciate the support.” She was asked how she is doing. She said: “Words cannot describe.”

She skates her free program Thursday. Until then, she is surrounded by good people. The Canadian team here has pulled together as family, and the skating community is smaller still. It can only have buoyed Rochette’s spirits to watch her Olympic village roommate, ice dancer Tessa Virtue, and her partner Scott Moir, skate to gold a night earlier with their fluid, interpretation of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.

Earlier, Rochette and her coach posted a message thanking Canadians for their support. “We have received so many emails and texts and we wanted people to know that we read everything you are sending. We also wanted everyone to know these are helping us get through this. We are going to do it with Thérèse.” And so,  together Tuesday night, they skated, mother and daughter, bound by a lifetime of memories.

LIVE BLOG: Ladies Figure Skating Short Program

By Cathy Gulli - Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 7:15 PM - 7 Comments

7:15pm
The competition will start in 15 minutes.  Forget hockey. This is where the drama will unfold.

7:22pm
Sportsnet is broadcasting the ladies skate, uninterrupted.

7:30pm
It’s on! Rochette, whose mother died of a heart attack on Sunday, is the talk tonight. She’ll take the ice late, 26th; there are 30 skaters vying for gold. Canadian Cynthania Phaneuf will also compete, she skates 15th.

7:33pm
The hype is that South Korean Yu-Na Kim will win gold. She’s coached by Brian Orser. Another favourite is Miki Ando of Japan. Between Rochette, Kim and Ando there is a real rivalry. Update: Also favoured is Mao Asada of Japan.

7:36pm
Rod Black just said the arena is “growing on” him.

7:39pm
Spain starts off, Lafuente. Black sequins costume, tango-y music. Type-casting?

7:40pm
No falls. No smiles either. Commentators say she’s unpolished.

7:42pm
Spain’s score: 49.74—which puts her in first! For now! A personal best.

7:44pm
Slovakia’s Reitmayerova is on. She’s wearing, um, a black sparkly costume…let this not be a theme.

7:46pm
Gorgeous spins, and the music is lovely—like you’d hear in a sappy movie.

7:48pm
We’re hearing spinning is what makes a great skater.

7:50pm
Slovakia is crying before she gets the marks. 41.something. That is sad.

7:51pm
Austria’s Ziegler is on. She’s 15! And wearing a black…flashy…costume…with her hair in a bun…just like the skaters before her…

7:52pm
She is flexible! Oh, she’s stumbles on her double axel.

7:53pm
And she out of sync with the music.

7:56pm
She is tiny. And unhappy. Score: 43.84. Wow, that’s higher than the Slovakian. Commentators don’t think that’s right.

7:57pm
Oh! We have colour: a little hem of purple on the BLACK SEQUINS costume of Jurkiewicz of Poland.

7:59pm
Commentators saying that skaters have to be insanely flexible these days. No kidding. And coordinated. And good on skates.

8:01pm
At the risk of losing readers, the Canada-Germany game score is 1-0. (Commentators say so.) No idea who is winning. Who cares? The ladies are skating!

8:02pm
Jurkiewicz’s score: 36.10. Ouch.

8:04pm
By the way, she’s wearing a black and purple sequins costume. Her music is a sultry fiddle. Yes, sultry fiddle.

8:06pm
She rotates in the opposite direction of most skaters—clockwise. Commentators said she was strong, good.

8:09pm
Aussie’s Lee scores 52.16. For first! Another personal best too. She is smothered with kisses from her coach. Big smiles.

8:11pm
While waiting for the next flight of skaters to take the ice, I’ve reread my comment from 10 minutes ago. Was I being presumptuous? Someone is watching skating, and reading this blog, right? (Family members do count.)

8:13pm
Or at least reading this blog, if not watching skating?

8:15pm
No matter. The live blog must go on. China’s Liu is about to take the ice. The other skaters in this flight are warming up too. Lots of colorful costumes.

8:16pm
One skater, unsure who (she was wearing black sequins), just blew her nose right into the camera. Unintentionally, no doubt. But really funny.

8:19pm
Liu of China is on. She’s wearing a vibrant turquois costume. We hear she’s light on her feet. Seems so.

8:22pm
Commentators saying we’ll seem some skaters wearing beige gloves. I have no idea why. Oh, it’s too protect their hands when they have to hang onto their blades while spinning, etc.

8:23pm
Liu’s score: 51.74, for second. Personal best.

8:24pm
Commentators saying that Turkey’s Karademir, who’s on now, looks just like Jennifer Robinson, who is broadcasting with them. I can’t tell if there’s a resemblance, but this reminds me of my favourite episode of King of Queens (that’s not the funny part) when Carrie is told by coworkers she looks just like the new girl that was hired. Only the new girl isn’t pretty. Hilarity ensues!

8:25pm
Karademir is wearing a beautiful red costume with gold flash. She skated nicely to an exotic tune.

8:29pm
Rod Black is talking about “good people” giving her parents tickets to watch tonight…?

8:30pm
Karademir’s score: 50.74, in third.

8:31pm
Commentators saying the crowd would watch 60 skaters if they could. Really? I think 30 is enough.

8:32pm
Russia’s Makarova lands a stunning triple-triple combination jump. She is wearing an equally stunning purple and pink costume.

8:34pm
She didn’t end with her music. Should lose points for that.

8:36pm
Makarova’s parents are Olympians. Crazy. Victor Petrenko is sitting with her. Score: 59.22. Takes first!

8:37pm
Korean Kwak is on, wearing a pretty one-strap costume in purple, white and black, which fade together like a water-colour. She is being compared to a competitor, a “mini Yu-Na”.

8:42pm
Replay: Her head was on the small of her back in one spin. Imagine that. Wow.

8:43pm
Kwak’s score is 53.16 for second place! The Korean cameramen have been staked out since 4 a.m. Korea loves skating.

8:44pm
“Solid double axel” for Brit McCorkell, and landed her triple lutz double toe. Costume isn’t so impressive: black sequins. Missed a double flip.

8:46pm
Her music was dramatic, a lot of sounds like a clock (Big Ben?) dong-ing repeatedly.

8:49pm
She looks disappointed, head in hand, eyes cast downward, head shaking. Score: 40.64. Woah. That’s why.

9:10pm
Canadian Phaneuf is in this flight of five skaters. They’re warming up now.

9:12pm
American Nagasu is up. She’s wearing a black and gold number. Smiles. First notes sound like music box.

9:14pm
Commentators say no one does the lay back better than Nagasu. Beautiful. It always reminds me of a water lily.

9:16pm
Nagasu finished with a stunning spin. Outstretched arms as music ended. Soft smile. Camera close up reveals nose is bleeding. An indication of her speed and the altitude of her jumps?

9:18pm
She just thanked someone making sure she didn’t forget her iPod. Her score: 63.76 for first! She shed blood for that, people.

9:20pm
Now this is a unique take on a black sequins number. Belgium’s Pieman is wearing a unitard—like the men do, only hers has a white sparkly band across the chest. Maybe some men do that too, actually. Her music is jazzy. Big smile for a solid skate.

9:25pm
She made a heart in the air, and yelled “I love you, Canada.” She’s not even representing this country. Score: 46.10. The judges didn’t love her.

9:26pm
Slovenian Postic just blew her nose and threw the tissue recklessly outside the rink before starting her program.

9:27pm
She’s wearing white and turquoise. OH! First fall of the night on a jump. Collective groan from the crowd.

9:30pm
Meek smile, double hand wave. Avoiding looking into the camera. Nearly speechless while awaiting score. 43.80. That’s what happens when you fall.

9:32pm
Gimazetdinova of Uzbekistan (do I get a medal for spelling that right?) is on. Wearing black and white flashy number. Commentators saying she’s better than ever. But how good?

9:34pm
Forward inside edge on her camel spin is apparently very difficult.

9:36pm
Canadian Phaneuf is next! Gorgeous ethereal costume.

9:37pm
Gimazetdinova held her hands up like in a prayer. Score: 49.02. An unanswered prayer.

9:39pm
Crowd is pumped for Phaneuf. She is landing her jumps, face is expressive. Her costume is glitterly soft blues, grays, greens, like she stepped out of the ocean.

9:40pm
OH NO. She slipped. Her mouth agape, she rebalanced. As stunned as anyone else. And more disappointed, surely.

9:41pm
Lovely spin to end. “It was going along so well,” says Black. WAS. She smiles to the crowd, but shakes her head.

9:42pm
Gets off the ice with her eyebrows raised, probably signally “What the hell just happened?” to her coach in their secret code.

9:43pm
She’s blowing kisses to the camera. Head in hand again, and seems to be laughing about it. Score: 57.13, for third. For now.

9:52pm
We’re halfway through the 30 skaters. Next is Georgian Gedevanishvili. Wearing black sequins. Jazzy tune…”You give me fevah!” Solid triple lutz.

9:54pm
She’s spunky! Lots of energy, and smiles.

9:55pm
She finished with a huge grin, threw her arm down (which she had across her forehead, like she had a fever) and hollered, “YES!”

9:57pm
She says “Hi everyone” and made a heart in the air. That’s a popular move. She is spunky. Score: 61.92, for second. Just before that was announced it sounded like she said, “I’m happy.”

10:00pm
Meier of Switzerland, who we hear is a “wonderful spinner”, is on. She’s wearing bright yellow and pink and skating to the samba. She’s nimble for a 25 year old.

10:01pm
With 40 seconds left in her program she stepped out of her double axel. Boo.

10:04pm
Meier is stoic while waiting for the score: 56.70. She cocks her head to the side, shrugs.

10:05pm
Estonian Glebova is on. Wearing a bright green checkered number. Like a picnic blanket. I don’t mean that to be pithy.

10:07pm
She slipped on a jump. But landed a double axel.

10:11pm
Glebova is also stoic while awaiting her score. 50.80. Purses her lips.

10:12pm
Finn Korpi falls out of her first jump, a triple lutz. But looks fab doing it in a bright green and sparkly costume.

10:14pm
Pardon me. Commentators not fans of the costume. One said, “Outside of the glowing costume, she does have a wonderful presence on the ice.” Touché.

10:16pm
Korpi’s father was an Olympian. She looks like a doll. Double wave, forced wide smile, deep breaths. Coach just said something and showed two fingers, and they laughed. Score: 52.96. Definitely not second place.

10:19pm
German Hecken on. Wearing fuschia and black costume. Smooth triple triple.

10:20pm
She singled what should have been a triple jump. Music changed, sounds like pots banging and clanging, make it stop.

10:22pm
Skates off ice, shaking head, hands on hips.

10:24pm
Hecken looks like she will cry any second. Score: 49.04.

10:40pm
It’s down to the last 10 skaters, among them the best and most captivating.

10:43pm
In an interview earlier today but airing now, Brian Orser said his best advice is to “Trust your training.” And anticipates that “It should be a good show.” Indeed.

10:45pm
Bar graph showing how skaters compare. No idea how, exactly. But Yu-Na is “off the charts” and Rochette is second best.

10:47pm
Lepisto from Finland is on. Wearing purple glitz. Took her time getting settled on the ice to start, say commentators.

10:48pm
She doubled her second triple jump. Lots of expression, and speed.

10:51pm
“Sophisticated” performance say commentators.

10:53pm
Smiling Lepisto earns 61.36, for third. Swigs water in response.

10:54pm
The heat is on. Japan’s Asada takes the stage in a red burlesque-inspired number. AMAZING combination jump.

10:56pm
Big smile! while gliding.

10:57pm
She’s the second woman ever to land a triple axel at the Olympics! Crowd goes wild as she finishes. Standing O! She jumps for joy on her toes picks! Update: Midori Ito did it for Japan in 1992.

10:59pm
Asada: 73.78 for FIRST! Wow, it is game on. She seems stunned. Joyfully stunned.

11:00pm
The pressure is on for South Korean Yu-Na. She is taking the ice, in a gorgeous black costume with colorful sequins. Imagine the intensity of this moment for her. She needs the triple axel.

11:02pm
She nails her triple triple!

11:03pm
Lots of facial expressions. The music is James Bond. Amazing spins.

11:04pm
She’s finished. Amazing. Blacks says, “Holy smokes!”

11:05pm
She smiles, waves, and as she lifts her arms up to salute the crowd the fans erupt in cheers. She picks up a purple toy animal from the ice. Orser hugs her. She says, “Yay!”

11:05pm
Black says she melted the ice.

11:06pm
Score for Yu-Na, who is calm and composed. 78.50—a WORLD RECORD, for first place. Orser looks like his head is going to pop off, his face is so red.

11:08pm
Pressure much? Japan’s Suzuki touches the ice with her hand on her first jump. She is wearing black and red, skating to a tango or flamenco.

11:11pm
Suzuki is smiling, double waving, seems happy while waiting for her score. Holding orange Gerber daisies. 61.02, for sixth spot. She nods and smiles.

11:13pm
Russian Leonova, wearing red and gold. Folk music, crowd clapping to the beat. Lovely spins. Smiling, commentators say she always “turns it on” and “brings the house down.” Let’s see. Fun, anyway.

11:17pm
Finishes with an enthusiastic fist pump at her hip.

11:18pm
Watching Rochette tie her skates, prep to hit the ice next. Wearing a stunning black costume with red sequins in the shape of a rose.

11:19pm
Leonova is smiling wide. Score: 62.14. So so.

11:20pm
Rochette is next, right after a quick warm up. She’s taking the ice. The crowd is going crazy. She is speeding around the rink, gliding, swinging her arms. Bells are ringing.

11:25pm
Six-time Canadian champion, Rochette, warming up with a solid jump combination.

11:26pm
She is alone on the ice now. “She will skate for the first time without her mom watching,” says Black.

11:27pm
The crowd is cheering like crazy. She swigs water. The coach is talking o her. She is nodding, breathing deeply. We see she is holding back tears.

11:28pm
The crowd quiets, except for a few hollers of her name. The music starts, a tango-type. She nails her first jump. And her second. She spins quickly. And her third.

11:29pm
Her face is full of emotion, her eyebrows are furrowed.

11:31pm
Gorgeous spins. She is finished. She cries. She is crying. She bends over and glides. Puts her hand to her mouth. Her hand to her chest. The crowd is cheering and bouquets of flowers shower the ice. “One of the bravest young ladies,” says Black.

11:32pm
She rushes into her coach’s arms, Perron, who is a second mother to her. You can hear her muffled sobs.

11:34pm
She is crying, and touches her heart. Score: 71.36, ranked third, and a season’s best. She is in a spot to take a medal. She stands up, nods, cries, blows kisses to the crowd.

11:35pm
Hungarian Sebestyen in bright red or hot pink costume. Fumbled.

11:38pm
We see Rochette with her coach, sitting and sobbing. As Perron says whatever to her, Rochette nods.

11:39pm
Sebestyen is soft-spoken, double wave, seems emotional too, rubbing her thighs. Score: 57.46.

11:40pm
American Flatt in hot pink. Head toss, and the music starts, “Sing, sing, sing.”

11:41pm
Solid triple flip triple toe wows the crowd. Lots of smiles. Double axel. This program is too fun to watch. Pumps both fists as she finishes.

11:45pm
Flatt, who goes to Stanford, is a serious contender, say commentators, gutsy. She is smiling wide. Score: 64.64, for fourth. She says “WOW!”

11:47pm
Italian Kostner is up, in a pink, red and black costume.

11:48pm
Hand down on a jump. Commentators say she goes too close to the boards, carries too much speed.

11:51pm
Kostner is putting her skate guards on in the kiss and cry area. That’s different. A good way to get out of those forced smiles and double waves. Score: 63.02, for sixth.

11:53pm
WHEW! Last skater of the night. Japan’s Ando, wearing a flowy red and black costume, with a sparkly cross down her chest. Lots of pink eye makeup. She is all business.

11:54pm
Lands combination jump. And next jump. Very fast. She “attacks” her programs, say commentators.

11:57pm
Ando, finished, smiles for the first time since taking the ice.

11:59pm
She is expressionless while awaiting her score. Big, deep sighs say it all. Ando’s score: 64.76. For fourth.

Rochette is still in third. Thursday, all that may change. For tonight, she stole the show.

Virtue and Moir take the gold

By Katie Engelhart - Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 4:40 PM - 0 Comments

Canadian ice dance duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took home the gold medal with a stunning 221.57-point program. The pair inched ahead of their American rivals (and best friends) Charlie White and Meryl Davis, who took second place with 215.57 points. In the ice dance world, the win is a historic one. Since the sport was invented in 1976, no North American team had ever won gold. Virtue and Moir began skating together when she was seven and he was nine; they were so small that Tessa was able to lift Scott on the ice.

For more on Moir and Virtue’s unusually friendly rivalry with Americans Charlie White and Meryl Davis, click here.

You’re wearing that!?

By Jason Kirby - Monday, February 22, 2010 at 5:00 PM - 3 Comments

In the lead-up to the Vancouver Olympics, the question on everyone’s mind when it came to figure skating was: will there be another scandal? Yes, it turns out. Only this one is solely of the sequined, frilly, spandex variety. Forget about how the judges scored so-and-so’s triple Salchow. Who let him out of the house dressed like that?

When the Ukraine’s Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov, clad in skin-hugging shiny blue jumpsuits, took to the ice for the pairs figure skating short program Sunday night, one might have wondered whether a couple of metallic Smurfs had just skated across the TV screen. Either that, or some blue-skinned cat people had escaped from James Cameron’s Avatar and made their way to Vancouver. As CTV commentator and former gold medallist David Pelletier, of Salé and Pelletier fame, remarked: “There’s just one word for this—wrong. Or maybe two words—wrong and wrong.”

Outlandish costumes have long been a part of Olympic figure skating, but at these Games they seem to be getting even stranger. At the same time, we’re also seeing a new level of cattiness from the broadcast booths and online. “I’m sorry, but you just can’t show up at the Olympics dressed like that,” Pelletier also said of the blue outfits. “This is a sport, not a carnival.”

Continue…

Canadian ice dancers gunning for gold

By Nancy Macdonald - Monday, February 22, 2010 at 10:07 AM - 7 Comments

UPDATE: Canadian ice dance duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir took home the gold medal with a stunning 221.57-point program. The pair inched ahead of their American rivals—and best friends—who took second place with 215.57 points. In the ice dance world, the win is a historic one. Since the sport was invented in 1976, no North American team had ever won gold. Virtue and Moir began skating together when she was seven and he was nine; they were so small that Tessa was able to lift Scott on the ice.

*****

On the ice, they’re fierce rivals; off-ice, they’re the best of friends. Last night, Canada’s ice dance team, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue faced-off against Americans, Charlie White and Meryl Davis. The two teams train together at the same Canton, Mich., rink, Arctic Edge; they also share the same Russian coaches, Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband. Both Moir and White are ex-hockey players, and fierce fans of the game, who relax together with video games during competitions.

But last night, they were all business, as Virtue and Moir vaulted into first, heading into tonight’s Free Dance final at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum; they’ve got an almost three-point lead over their American pals.

The beautiful Canadian duo—who’ve skated together since they were seven and nine—danced a flawless, fiery and emotional flamenco program; with it, they set the stage for Canada’s first figure skating gold medal at the Vancouver Games.

It would mark a major moment for the sport; no North American team has won an Olympic gold since ice dance was introduced in 1976. Russian teams, in fact, have taken seven of the nine gold medals. Russians Maxim Shabalin and Oksana Domnina—the reigning world champions, and gold medal favourites—sit in third, with 106.60 points, almost five points behind the Canadians.

The Russian dancers had grabbed an early lead; last night’s program, however, fell flat. It was met with a kind of stunned silence from the audience at the Pacific Coliseum (with the odd boo ringing out from some corners of the rink). They were dancing a program that won them global infamy last month; at the European championships in Estonia, they took to the ice in tribal-themed outfits, and danced an “Aboriginal-inspired” program.

They’d toned it down last night—to make it “more authentic, and less theatrical,” Shabalin explained to reporters afterward. He, for example, had lightened the hue of his skin suit, and they wore fewer leaves, and had less white paint on their faces, arms and legs; the haunting drumming, meanwhile, had been removed from the music. Shabalin said he still couldn’t understand why it was seen as offensive, and very much liked “this unique culture.” The program ended with a nose-to-nose greeting, a so-called “Eskimo kiss.”

The North American pals, who shared warm embraces after tonight’s skate, were clearly happy with the placement. “Man, I’m glad it’s the four of us in first and second,” said Moir. “That’s the way it should be.” “We train with them—we see them every day,” added White. “They’re our best buds—it’s awesome.”

Moir and Virtue’s performance brought smiles to Canada’s figure skating squad, who’d suffered through a dark day; yesterday morning, they learned of the sudden death of the mother of teammate, Joannie Rochette—Virtue’s roommate at the Athlete’s Village. “It’s devastating,” said Virtue, fighting back tears, after skating last night. “I feel so much for Joannie. We’re all here to support her.”

A shadow over 'Super Sunday'

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 6:43 PM - 0 Comments

LIVE BLOG: Ice dancing original dance

By Rachel Mendleson - Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 6:34 PM - 8 Comments

6:30 p.m.
Live blogging the original dance begins in 42 minutes. It’s going to be, like, so much better than hockey. Trust me.

7:30 p.m.
Turns out this event actually starts at 7:45 p.m. But speed skating (which is on now) is pretty cool. Wonder how they’d feel if we made them wear sequins, too?

7:36 p.m.
Okay, so I know I’m supposed to be focusing on ice dancing, and all those lovely pairs, but I just came across this from resident sore loser Evegeni Plushenko (the Russian figure skater who emerged from retirement to compete in the Olympics, but failed to clinch top spot). Apparently he’s not done quite yet. As he told media: “I want to continue to compete, I want to skate in Sochi in Russia in 2014.” Won’t he be, like, 40 years old by then?

7:43 p.m.
I take it back. The Internet tells me that Plushenko will only be 31 by then. But still…

7:57 p.m.
Oh no! Apparently this event is already underway. CTV says “don’t worry, we’ll get it all to you later,” but I’m worried. They say they’re going live to the Pacific Coliseum now. Sorry for the delay!

8:00 p.m.
Hungary’s Nora Hoffmann and and Maxim Zavozin are on the ice. They’re dressed like Hansel and Gretel. But unlike many of the other competitors, they’re not actually brother and sister.

8:01 p.m.
Apparently this year’s theme is folk and country. Which explains the costumes.

8:03 p.m.
The announcers just said that those gathered at the stadium tonight are a “dance crowd.” As opposed to the people who normally watch figure skating?

8:05 p.m.
The Hungarians are behind the Italians (Anna Cappellinni and Lanotte Luca) who skated before CTV started coverage on this channel.

8:07 p.m.
Americans Emily Bates and Evan Samuelson are skating to the Dixie Chicks. He’s dressed like a cowboy, and she’s dressed like…are cowboy groupie?

8:09 p.m.
Wait-a keep that cowboy hat on for the whole routine.

8:11 p.m.
Emily and Evan are all smiles. Their cowboy number was good enough for first.

8:13 p.m.
Russians Ekaterina Obrova and Dmitri Soloviev are cute, little twizzling sailors. The identical costumes help with that whole unison thing. Or at least the illusion of it.

8:15 p.m.
Ooooh. Exciting lift! And she finishes by whipping off her sailor cap to reveal her long, blond mane. Hot!

8:17 p.m.
Okay, commercial break. I’ll take this opportunity to admit that I know very little about ice dancing. To be honest, I have a few burning questions. For one, are they jealous of the figure skaters? Or are the figure skaters jealous of them?

8:18 p.m.
The Russians take fourth. (For now.)

8:22 p.m.
Bad things are happening with Olympic coverage. Seems ice dancing is not popular enough to be shown live. I now seem to be watching something from “earlier today,” which I imagine means during the speed skating medal presentation. Please bear with me.

8:28 p.m.
It was Canadians Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier. They were cute. He’s so young sounding! (Now being interviewed by CTV.) Apparently that happened earlier. But now the network is doing some kind of Olympic roundup. I’m confused.

8:32 p.m.
I fear we may have to take what we can get in terms of coverage…checking to see if it’s streaming online.

8:35 p.m.
They’re about to start another “flight,” which means I think we’ve gone live again. So sorry for the pairs we missed. It was nothing personal.

8:40 p.m.
I’m annoyed that this whole thing wasn’t shown live. I feel marginalized.

8:43 p.m.
Germans Christine Beier and William Beier (yes, sister and brother) are skating to a Hawaiian dance. This should come as a shock: they’re dressed the part.

8:44 p.m.
The announcer just said “It might be a little difficult to see this at home, but they’re not perfectly parallel.” To me, they look like they’re so parallel that it’s almost as if they have the same DNA. Ooooh, snap!

8:46 p.m.
And they’re in sixth spot. Not great Hawaiian wannabes. Not great.

8:48 p.m.
Next up, Americans-turned-Japanese, Cathy and Chris Reed. Yes, another incestuous pair. Seriously, what’s the deal?

8:49 p.m.
Apparently, it’s tough to twizzle with a Japanese fan.

8:50 p.m.
Family dinners must be really awkward when the screw up.

8:53 p.m.
That’s some crazy make up on lady Reed. They look happy, despite their fifth place ranking.

8:55 p.m.
Chinese pair Xintong Huang and Zheng Xun are, in the words of the announcers “a Chinese couple skating a Greek folk dance.” Need I say more? I can’t stop giggling. And their bright turquoise, white and sequin costumes aren’t helping.

8:57 p.m.
They say dancing to another country’s music shows “great acting.”

8:59 p.m.
Eighth place. They look crestfallen.

9:01 p.m.
Ukraine’s Anna Zadorozhniuk and Sergei Verbillo are skating to a Ukrainian folk dance. That seems to make a bit more sense.  

9:02 p.m.
I like her red bootie things. They’re fabulous.

9:03 p.m.
My personal peanut gallery is marveling at the fact that “they don’t kick each other in the shins by accident.”

9:05 p.m.
They’re from Odessa. I want to go there.

9:06 p.m.
They’re not looking so happy with their third place ranking.

9:07 p.m.
British skater Emily Coomes and Nicholas Buckland wave funny. Maybe it’s because of the Queen. She waves REALLY funny. They’re doing an Irish folk dance.

9:09 p.m.
Oooh, I like their Riverdance stuff. I’m such a sucker for Michael Flatley, and all things Flatley-like.

9:10 p.m.
They look happy with their performance.

9:11 p.m.
Okay…hold the phones…they just showed the Russians getting ready for their “aboriginal” dance. She’s attaching a crown of leaves to his head. This promises to be even more offensive to First Nations than Avatar.

9:13 p.m.
Oh, the British only rack up enough points for 10th. Too bad.

9:15 p.m.
Whoa! Those aboriginal costumes (to be worn by Russians Oksana Dominina and Maxim Shabalin) are CRAZY. Apparently the outfits and dance are meant as a tribute to Australian aboriginals, but they’re totally cringe-worthy.  The announcers are not impressed.

9:19 p.m.
But first we have another pair of Russians, Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski, doing far less offensive things.

9:20 p.m.
She’s got amazing bright orange/red hair, and is wearing a cute green dress. He has on traditional pants that billow at the thighs. Their antics are getting some laughs and cheers from the crowd.

9:24 p.m.
I like it when they talk to the camera in the “kiss and cry” area. It’s endearing. And the Russians edge into first.

9:26 p.m.
French pair Isabelle Delobel and Oliver Schoenfelder are skating to a French can-can. 

9:27 p.m.
They’re former world champions who, if I heard the announcers right, are making a comeback after having a baby. That’s amazing.

9:28 p.m.
That was pretty awesome. The insane amount of pink fabric under her black skirt made it way more fun to watch.

9:30 p.m.
He just mimed that he was hanging himself with his scarf when he saw the marks. Eek.

9:32 p.m.
British pair (and siblings) Sinead and John Kerr are doing American country. Dancing to Johnny Cash, who is currently rolling over in his grave.

9:34 p.m.
My peanut gallery observes that Sinead, who has tied up her plaid shirt to expose her midriff, has a “tramp stamp.” We’re wondering if it’s part of the costume?

9:35 p.m.
That was a lot of touching for brother and sister.

9:36 p.m.
The country siblings are in currently in second. Next up: Italians Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali.  

9:38 p.m.
Apparently they’re one of the only pairs that are doing a “level four” in difficulty (whatever that means). I appreciate that their dance and costumes have a lower degree of cultural appropriation.

9:40 p.m.
Their coach has the most orange hair I have ever seen. It’s incredible. They’re now sitting in first, and smiling ever so slightly.

9:45 p.m.
Russians Oksana Dominina and Maxim Shabalin are on the ice, doing their aboriginal thing, and it’s just as offensive as promised. She’s even coloured in her eyebrows, and just mimed a stereotypical yell, by repeatedly bringing her hand to her mouth.

9:47 p.m.
What’s worse: the announcer says they haven’t met with Australian aboriginals to talk about their “interpretation.” The audience is SO not impressed. You could hear a pin drop.  The announcers are taking issue with the fact that they appear to be “semi-nude.”

9:49 p.m.
It was good enough for first, despite their tasteless appearance. Well, in their defense, the original dance is supposed to be original, right?

10:02 p.m.
Virtue and Moir are coming up in the next flight. During the break, we’re watching Canadian skeleton racer Melissa Hollingsworth bawl her eyes out while apologizing to us for coming in fifth. Relax! It’s not like you pulled a Tiger Woods. We forgive you!

10:10 p.m.
Here’s another thing I’ve always wondered about ice dancing: at which point do skaters get siphoned off into the jumpers and the dancers? Is it like hockey and ringette? Or skeleton and luge?

10:13 p.m.
Here come Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Looks like they’re going to attempt something East Indian.

10:15 p.m.
Totally Bollywood.

10:15 p.m.
To the untrained eye, their steps seem really clean and in unison.

10:16 p.m.
Wicked spin! (Yes, that’s a technical term.)

10:17 p.m.
I wonder what Moir and Virtue (their training mates) are thinking. Probably mean thoughts.

10:18 p.m.
First place! Big smiles.

10:20 p.m.
French skaters Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat are a lot country. She’s turned her skates into cowboy(girl?) boots. 

10:22 p.m.
Not sure why she didn’t opt to have her ruffly orange skirt cover her entire bottom.

10:23 p.m.
The thought of how many times they’ve had to listen to that horrendous song makes me feel crazy.

10:24 p.m.
Fifth place for the French cowboys.

10:26 p.m.
Israelis Alexandra and Roman Zaretsky (sis and bro) and skating to a Jewish folk song. 

10:27 p.m.
And it’s not just any old folk song, it’s Hava Neglia. For those who’ve never been to a Jewish wedding or bar mitzvah, this is the one where the couple (or bar mitzvah boy) gets lifted up in chairs, and everybody else dances around in a circle.

10:29 p.m.
Canadians Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue are waiting in the wings…

10:30 p.m.
The Israelis are in eighth.

10:32 p.m.
And the crowd loses its collective mind as Moir and Virtue take to the ice.

10:33 p.m.
The announcers are not saying a word, which is really unhelpful. They…um…look pretty?

10:34 p.m.
They’re both making the same super-dramatic open-mouth face. But they seem to be doing quite well.

10:35 p.m.
The announcers just offered a rhetoric, “How good was this?” I guess that was great. Perfect, even.

10:36 p.m.
But will it be enough for first?

10:37 p.m.
YES! Three cheers for a Canadian team that’s almost actually done what the pre-Olympics commercials promised!

10:39 p.m.
I’m not sure who’s dancing now. In the meantime, I’ve looked up the definition of “twizzle.” I know this is coming a little late in the game, but according to Wikipedia (source of semi-reliable information) it’s “a multirotational one-foot turn.”

10:41 p.m.
If the announcers would…um…announce, I could tell you who this is. I think they might be American, but they’re dressed in crazy outfits, so I’m not sure.

10:41 p.m.
Okay, that was an American pair, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto. 

10:43 p.m.
Now the announcers are jinxing the crap out of Moir and Virtue. Honestly, has what happened to Patrick Chan taught you nothing?

10:44 p.m.
The American pair takes fourth.

10:45 p.m.
And that’s a wrap. Tessa and Scott are gushing to CTV about their performance. It really was a good one. Tune in tomorrow night to see if they can bring it home, at home. And don’t forget to check out our live blog.

Figure skating controversy

By macleans.ca - Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 2:22 PM - 3 Comments

Ice Dance

By Shanda Deziel - Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 2:22 PM - 0 Comments

Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko sounds off about losing to American Lysacek

By macleans.ca - Friday, February 19, 2010 at 7:56 PM - 15 Comments

Liveblog: Ice Dancing

By Cathy Gulli - Friday, February 19, 2010 at 6:12 PM - 2 Comments

7:05pm
Okay party people, 40 minutes til the first round of ice dancing starts. To get you even more pumped than you already are, here now is legendary footage of Brits Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s Bolero program from the 1984 Olympics. They won gold—the last 45 seconds sealed the deal, no doubt.

7:40pm
Competition is about to begin. Commentators saying that the compulsory program is about showing off technical strengths. There are 23 pairs skating tonight: Canadians Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier are up in the 10th slot, and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir—the favoured team—are on last tonight. This is an advantage. How big, we’ll see.

7:45pm
The Italians are first, Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte, they’re warming up now. The British and Germans are on the ice too.

7:48pm
Apparently compulsory dance is rarely televised anymore. Unclear why.

7:50pm
Here we go. The Italians are on. It’s Cappellini’s 23rd birthday today. Will the gift be gold? Tango has begun.

7:53
Wow, this really is like ballroom dancing on ice…

7:54pm
Okay, so the first dance is done. Pretty, lots of facial expression and shoulder rolls…commentators saying they look like an Italian version of the Canadians Virtue and Moir…but not as good, right?

7:55pm
Cappellini and Lanotte score 33.13. Putting the Italians in first…because they skated first. Will this last?

7:57pm
Brits Coomes and Buckland are on. Rocking punk rock black and purple sequence numbers. Looking good, not as expressive as the Italians. Commentators saying the unison “isn’t quite there” and lacking speed. They apparently have a great coach. Their performance summed up this way by commentators: “They have a long way to go.” Oooh.

8:01pm
This may be the Brits first international competition. OH! Commentator says that Buckland’s younger brother is a better skater. Wow. Score: 25.68. Italians are still in first!

8:02pm
We have the first of four sibling pairs on the ice: Germans Beier & Beier. They’re each wearing a sexy flamenco number…Um.

8:04pm
Apparently they’re skating too softly and loosely. May appear lazy. Or maybe they’re just being brother-and-sisterly, not like lovers?

8:06pm
Commentators want to see the tango skated “tango-ier”. That means punchier, with more passion. Score: 30.31.

8:10pm
Next four pairs warming up. Russians, Ukranians, Chinese and Georgians.

8:12pm
Russians Bobrova & Soloviev are on. Again with the black and red sequence costumes…a real theme here.

8:14pm
They seem to be skating pretty well. But they aren’t looking like they’re having much fun, or sharing much passion. They’re “showing nerves”, say commentators.

8:18pm
Apparently good and bad ice skaters are defined by how well they do “the twizzle”…a spin while travelling down the ice. Where do the Russians stand? Score says it all: 29.86. Boo.

8:20pm
Ukranians are up, Zadorozhniuk & Verbillo. Swanky costumes (white, black, silver, sequence, lots of feathers), and a “very nice twizzle”. They are doing great, high legs, matching well, lots of eye contact and expression on their faces. Their tango music is sort of 1950s orchestral, less flamenco…Nicely done!

8:22pm
Oh, the Ukranians could take the top spot. He’s making a heart symbol with his hands in the “kiss and cry” area while waiting for their score. Deep breaths. They’ve done it: 33.87. A season best for them.

8:24pm
Huang & Zheng from China…They weren’t ready to start the dance. The ref restarted the music. Who knew they had refs in figure skating?

8:25pm
They are “tall and slender” say the commentators, and match well while skating. Lovely. They too are wearing red and black with sequence. They’re flowing so smoothly, pretty plain expressions, seem to be slowing down. Apparently her edges aren’t as clean as some of the other competitors.

8:29pm
They are breathing heavy. Score 29.22. That’s too bad.

8:32pm
Oooh, the Georgians are on, Reed & Japaridze. In black. Appropriate given their countryman’s tragic death. They are skating too far apart. But smiling and expressive. Lovely. And they gave each other double high fives to finish! That’s spirit.

8:34pm
Wow, Reed’s siblings are also skating in this competition for Japan. Their mom is from Japan. OH! She just wished them luck while waiting for the score. That’s class.

8:34pm
Georgian score: 26.65, ranked sixth.

8:45pm
We’re watching an intimate portrait of Moir & Virtue. Their story; how they came to skate together as kids, where they are now. He says, “Our connection sets us apart from everyone else.” They are a handsome pair. She says the Olympics were always “a distant dream.” No longer.

8:52pm
Next pairs are warming up. Czechs, Hungarians, Japanese and Estonians.

8:53pm
Apparently the compulsory element of ice dance competition is going on the chopping block in the future among senior skaters. Listening between the lines of commentators commentary, sounds like because it’s considered boring.

8:55pm
Czech pair, Hajkova & Vincour. Apparently their accreditation wasn’t in order in time, and they had to practice on their own. Or maybe that of their coach. Anyway, more red and black costumes, a flower in her hair. It’s a tango dance, we get it. Commentators saying their hips are too far apart from each other. But they had a clean twizzle! Oh no: He stumbled. This isn’t going well. Scathing commentary: “Maybe they should have had their accreditation ready and skated with everyone else. Might have helped.”

9pm
The Czechs were shaking their heads. They aren’t pleased either. Their score: 23.19. Woah. I feel bad for them.

9:02pm
The Hungarians are next. Hoffmann & Zavozin. Ooh, she’s wearing long black gloves, that’s tango-y. They apparently have never skated in an international competition together. They are working some passionate facial expressions, kinda angry-sexy. Lots of sharp head tosses. That’s tango-y too, right?  She has a full scowl now. They are getting tired, a little unsteady.

9:06pm
They may have suffered a “brain cramp” say commentators. Uh, okay. So, what’s the score? She’s blowing lots of kisses, and doesn’t seem disappointed at all. He’s cute too. They’re saying things to the camera I can’t understand, but love language is universal. They’re pleased. That is pleasing to watch. Their score: 31.9, a personal best. Puts them in third.

9:08pm
Japanese siblings Reed on now. All black, look sharp. Apparently she skates on blades that aren’t a perfect fit on her boots, they’re a little longer. Don’t know why, but gather this is noteworthy. It looks weird, anyway.

9:09pm
Commentators are dead quiet. What does this mean? They seem to be smooth and matching and expressive. Now we’re hearing they are slowing themselves down by being too much on their toes…

9:11pm
Okay, the Reeds are about to get their score. They look like brother and sister, what a resemblance! Score: 29.49. Ranked sixth. They look disappointed.

9:13pm
Estonians Shtork & Rand are on. This is an international senior debut for them. They are so young-looking, and petite. She’s in bright red, he’s in black, restrained sequence. She has a small smile. They aren’t skating too fast. She is being forced to “skate around him” like he’s “a pole”, we’re hearing, so their unison isn’t great. She looked at the judges, he looked down.

9:17pm
They’re 16 & 17 years old. Wow. So they have plenty of Olympics ahead of them. Which is good news because they aren’t going home with a medal this time. Score: 21.73. They’re smiling though, which is great to see.

9:18pm
Next pairs warming up: French, CANADIANS!!!!!, Americans & Israelis (another bro-sis team).

9:23pm
France’s  Delobel & Schoenfelder are up. She had a baby five months ago. Stunning! They are a gorgeous match; her in all black, just a little colourful sequence at her lower back, him in a black suit. The crowd is pumped.

9:24pm
Oh, they are expressive. They are “high quality” say commentators. Awesome, that was beautiful.

9:28pm
The French are waiting for their score. The Canadians stepped on the ice, and they crowd went wild. Now, for the French score: 37.99! Oohh-la-la! They are in first.

9:29pm
Canadians Crone & Poirier are on, and the crowd is raving mad with enthusiasm. Their costumes are a pleasing change: bright purple. She’s apparently worked on her womanly expression recently, whatever that means. This is the tango, I guess. They are skating great. He’s smiling, and composed. They look terrific, the matching and unison seems in sync. No glitches so far. Commentators are silent; holding their breath, surely. But wow, that was terrific. And the fans are behind them!

9:32pm
Are the judges with them too? Sorta. 31.14, in fifth. Good for them.

9:34pm
Americans Samuelson & Bates are up. He’s in red & black, she’s in red…and…blue. With lots of sequence. Nothing like a tango to mark true U.S. patriotism.

9:36pm
They’re smiling. Looking great, clean movements. Nice movement together. She is making a lot of faces, again that sort of angry-sexy scowl. No real low points in the dance.

9:38pm
Passively snide comment of the night: commentators telling us she once fell flat on her face and knocked out two teeth while bowing after a performance. Score: 31.37, taking the fifth spot from Crone & Poirier.

9:41pm
Here are the Israeli siblings, Zaretsky & Zaretsky. Here we go again with the red and black. Am I asking too much for a little more creativity when interpreting what to wear while doing the tango?

9:42pm
They are skating in remarkable unison, and very closely. She is full of joy! And we’re learning they control their edges effortlessly. They are feeling the music! Fun to watch!

9:44pm
Apparently there is only one ice skating rink in Israel, the Canada Centre. And that’s where they train. Man, they look alike too. They are saying a lot of names into the camera and cocking eyebrows, pointing fingers. Score: 34.38, for second! (Not a personal best though.)

10:04pm
Next four pairs warming up. France, U.S., Russia x 2.

10:05pm
Up first, France’s Pechalat & Bourzat. She’s in a graphic red and black number, he’s in a black suit with red accents. France is working the male skater suit. Nice.

10:07pm
Plenty of smiling from her, and they are dancing closely and with fervor. And they were quick and light on their feet, we’re hearing.

10:10pm
French pair are quiet, smiling, seem nervous. Score: 36.13, for second. Great, but not great enough to beat the other French team. They sighed, seem unsatisfied.

10:11pm
Americans, much hyped White & Davis. They are the team to beat Virtue & Moir. Wow, lots of smiles and drama from them to start. They’re wearing…can you guess what colours?

10:12pm
Terrific speed and unity between them. They seem to be totally at ease. Commentators are impressed with their big movements and smooth transitions. More mention of them in relation to the Canadian gold-medal hopefuls: “This team knows Virtue & Moira. They are rivals.” They train together apparently, and share a coach.

10:15pm
The Americans seem very happy, as do their coaches. He seems to be teasing her. The score: 41.47!!! They nab first from the French. They should be happy!

10:18pm
Russians Domnina & Shabalin. Okay, they too are wearing red and black. They’re skating with lots of flair, and they seem tall and strong. We’re hearing they may be slowing down and not close enough. But “they may have trained to skate that way.” Yeah, stick to that story.

10:22pm
Russian score:  43.76!!! The drama for gold has truly begun. They take first from the Americans!

10:23pm
And now, for another Russian pair, Khokhlova & Novitski. They’re wearing all black. Her hair is bright red. They too have a flamboyance about them. Lots of happy expressions. Nice turns together. Oh, she gave the judges a wave! They may be losing some speed, but they are moving neatly. Commentators saying they may have lost confidence, but that’s hard to see.

10:26pm
Can the Russians take the first spot from the Russians? She’s pulling on her ear. For good luck, maybe. Nope, not this time. Score: 37.18, for fourth spot. They look shocked and put off.

10:28pm
Next four—and last four—pairs warming up: Americans, Italians, Brits & CANADIANS VIRTUE & MOIR.

10:35pm
Americans Belbin & Agosto are up. They are skating in great unison, and they are both really making a lot of angry-sexy facial expressions. They want this, bad. Commentators say that their leg work is unique, didn’t catch the details. They are dramatic.

10:37pm
Quick shot of Moir & Virtue getting ready to take the ice soon. Now the Americans, saying names into the camera, seem happy, giddy, really. She’s wiping her teeth, in case there is lipstick on them. Smart. Score: 40.83, for third. Not happy. Commentators aren’t not happy either.

10:39pm
Italians Faiella & Scali are up. Red and black costumes, yahdah, yahdah. They look like they could have invented the tango though. Lots of fierce facial expression and sharp movements. Commentators saying they show “skill and good partnering”. Moving well, she’s smiling at the judges. They seem to be skating effortlessly. Big movements.

10:42pm
Another shot of Moir & Virtue tying their skates. She has a hole in her fishnets. And now for the Italians. They’re blowing kisses. Their score: 39.88, for fourth. That’s too bad.

10:45pm
Brits Kerr & Kerr. They are siblings too. But they have said that when they’re on the ice they like to pretend their not brother and sister. That would help when performing the tango romantica. They’re wearing black sequence numbers. Look great, steady speed. Moving well together. They have stoic facial expressions. No angry-sexy here, nope. Commentators saying not much.

10:48pm
Moira & Virtue are on the ice, and the crowd is celebrating! And they haven’t even skated yet! She looks gorgeous in a burgundy and taffeta, one-strap costume, he’s in black.

10:49pm
Americans are calm, but the score ain’t great: 37.02. Rank seventh.

10:50pm
Moir & Virtue are starting. Commentators: “The drive for gold begins here.” Crowd cheering. They look fantastic. Both moving sharply, very clean edges and dramatic facial expressions. Commentators are quiet. Crowd is going crazy. They have great speed, and huge movements. The crowd is applauding again, this time to the beat of the music. Virtue is smiling, you can tell they’re enjoying this. OH! That is drama. Moir clenched his jaw on the finish. Virtue smiled wide. Virtue’s sister was fanning herself in the stands, Moir’s brother wiped a tear. The pair are smiling. Commentators are gushing: “Fabulous!”

10:55pm
Moir & Virtue are smiling because they know what’s coming: 42.72, for second! It’s a personal best, and “they are only a point back of the world champions—GAME ON!” say commentators. And apparently the free dance is where they excel…which means the best is yet to come.

Plushenko dethroned! Men’s figure skating gold goes to U.S.

By Nancy Macdonald - Friday, February 19, 2010 at 3:42 PM - 8 Comments

Men’s figure skating, with its international intrigues, judging scandals, corsets and divas has reached the point, say enthusiasts, where Blades of Glory seems less like satire, and more like cinéma vérité.

Last night’s U.S.-Russia showdown was no exception.

Before it began, Evgeni Plushenko, Russia’s reigning gold medal champion and the night’s putative favourite, was talking smack, calling out Evan Lysacek’s inability to land the risky quadruple jump.

“Without the quadruple, I’m sorry, but it’s not men,” Plushenko, said Tuesday, shortly after executing night’s only quad, and grabbing an early lead heading into last night’s long program.

Translation: Evan’s not man enough for figure skating (it bears mention that he said this while dressed in a unitard—I do love this sport).

In the end, however, Plushenko’s early quad, though landed cleanly, wasn’t enough to give him the gold. He made small mistakes; his spins were not as fast as two nights ago, nor did he seem to have the same, perfect control over body movement as he did in the short program.

Lysachek’s spins, meanwhile, were faster, more centred; cleaner. Neither, however, skated as well as they did two nights before.

Canada’s boy wonder, Patrick Chan, who started the night in seventh, needed a clean skate to crack the podium. He did not; he fell on a triple axel, and made several, small, but costly errors (as he did two nights ago), yet finished a respectable fifth.

All in all, he did not look like the poised, perfect Patrick Chan who won the Four Continents Skating Championship here, a year ago, at just 18.

“I wish I hadn’t made the mistakes—dumb mistakes,” he said afterward. “My goal was definitely to finish higher.” The crowd, which gave him a standing O was “amazing,” he added, and made him “proud to be Canadian.” He’s looking beyond his first Olympics to Sochi when he’ll be 23.

The Sheherazade, the music Lysacek—a 24-year-old Chicagoan—chose to skate to, is about a battle between a king and a slave—a fitting choice for a dethroning.

Afterwards, a deflated Plushenko refused to let up. “If the Olympic champion doesn’t know how to jump quad—I don’t know. Now it’s not figure skating. Now it’s dancing.”

Let us now begin to overreact

By Scott Feschuk - Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 9:45 PM - 13 Comments

Canada. Hockey. Switzerland. Overtime. Shootout. Whaa???

UPDATE: Crosby!

Meanwhile, figure skating: Patrick Chan is warming up, dressed as the world’s sparkliest Keg waiter.

Question: By what percentage does the very existence of an area colloquially referred to as the Kiss ‘n Cry reduce the number of young males willing to consider taking up the sport? 90%? 130%?

This is going to sound terrible, but you know what I enjoy most about figure skating? The falling down. I’m like a person who watches auto races for the crashes or follows Hollywood for the Lindsay Lohan. And already tonight, as the men slap-fight for the gold, there’s been some quality falling down, including a nice slip by a Japanese fellow who Continue…

Liveblog: men's free skate

By Katie Engelhart - Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 7:01 PM - 3 Comments

7:00 p.m:
T minus one hour. (I’m already giddy with excitement.) Tune in at 8 p.m for live commentary on the men’s free skate.

7:55 p.m:
OK, Canada. Where are we at? What you really need to know is that last night, Patrick Chan – our domestic darling, our medal-ready men’s master – CHOKED. It’s true. He’s starting tonight in 7th place. But lucky us; we’ve got Vaughn Chipeur standing strong in 4th.

8:09 p.m:
Sorry, folks. Some technical difficulties. we’ve got Tomas Verner skating for the Czech Republic

8:10 p.m:

Verner stands in 19th right now. I’m not surprised. This routine is moving through at a snail’s pace.

8:10 p.m:
Although that was a very crisp triple lutz.

8:12:
Wow. That was a face plant, ladies and gents. Nothing dainty about that fall.

8:12:
I’m confused because his vest was so fabuliciously sparkled. And yet, his routine lacked any hint of spunk.

8:14:
Score is not great. Sorry, Verner.

8:15:
But WOW. Check out the love story that drove Verner to the ice.

8:15
Italy’s up. We’ve got the Paolo Bacchini skating to Cirque de soleil.

8:16:
Nasty take off on the triple axel. Flunk.

8:17
This pale, slender boy is lovely. I’m not sure why he’s dancing like a Frenchman to French music. But man oh man can he dance.

8:18
Nailed the triple salchow, triple toe.

8:18
Italians aren’t used to getting men on the Olympic ice. I bet everyone in Italy is watching this right now.

8:19
A smile! I love it when they smile. Why don’t they smile more?

8:19
The audience is going nuts. People are clapping with the beat. Clap. Clap. Clap.

8:20
Confusion. It seemed as though the music just stopped. But Bacchini kept skating. And then the music came on again… slowly. That’s a strange musical choice.

8:22
(Keep in mind that our dear Patrick Chan was docked a point last night for skating after the music had stopped, and thus going over the time limit.)

8:23
This is what Chan said of his show last night: “I’m really lost, I seriously got off the ice and I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I pictured it in my mind just right, every step of the way. . . it’s OK, Thursday will be a new day.” Oh, Patrick!

8:24
Not bad: 177.21 pints for Bacchini.

8:25
We’ve got Viktor Pfeifer of Austria up. I love a man in a white silk shirt.
The commentator just described him as “a super person.”

8:25
Pfeifer is a professional cello player! I feel so untalented…

8:26
Pfeifer wanted to be bold and start of with a bang! (read: a quad). He just fell. Oh well. Go big or go home, I always say…

8:26
Triple salchow, triple toe was flawless.

8:27
Could this routine be slower? The effect of the pale skin, white shirt, black pants & black gloves makes me think of a mime.

8:28
Wow! Triple jump sequence was very nice. I’m half Austrian. I think maybe I’ll root for this guy…

8:29
How many times can you wildly throw your arms up into the air with a pained look on your face – as if to say: dear Lord of the ice arena I present myself, raw and vulnerable, to you….??

8:32:
CANADA!

8:33
I’m so excited. How adorable is our 24th place holder?

8:34
Smokin! Fine, he singled that jump. Rub it in our face, commentators.

8:35
Those are some smooth moves.

8:36:
Pizazzzzz. More spins. And I’ve never seen someone jump quite so high. And look at that toe-pick action.

8:36:
I’m sorry. I’ve developed a debilitating crush. Refocus:

8:36:
This guy is screwing up every major jump.

8:37:
Great jump! And another! Jumping for days! Like it’s going out of style…

8:37:
Another! Dear Lord!

8:37:
Jazz fingers…

8:38:
Self-embrace.

8:39:
Wow. He spins. Jumps in the air on one foot. Lands and continues spinning.

8:40:
Take a bow, good sir.

8:40:
I think he took that literally. This guy won’t stop bowing. Now, he is skate sauntering off the ice.

8:40
Nope. Not yet. One more lap.

8:40:
Fine! He lost 18 technical points for all those weird high, mid-air jolts and ice touch-downs. (warning: made up terminology)

8:40
Did the commentator just say he had “too much energy”? What? He’s supposed to be solemn a la Czech Republic’s Tomas Verner??

8:44
Commercial break. Let’s talk men’s figure skating. Now, I know my fair share of manly men who turn up their nose are these skilled gliding wonders. But men’s figure skating is NOT a soft sport. Just ask U.S legend Johnny Weir.

8:47
This Canadian Tire commercial (for Canadian Tire commemorative coins??) is adorable. The boy teaches his dad to skate. Why does this touch me so? I’m ACTUALLY teaching my own Dad to skate. Get it? Canadian Tire is relatable.

8:49:
Adrian Schultheiss is up for Sweden.

8:49:
OK he’s wearing a straight jacket. Why?

8:50
NO, he’s ACTUALLY wearing a straight jacket. He begins his routine pretending that his hands are bound to his chest and jerking his head sideways as if insane.

8:51
This is funny because the commentators were just talking about what an inspiration he will be to little boys everywhere.

8:51
The music just changed. Is this an 80s rap remix of Jump Around?

8:52
I have NO idea what’s going on. But I know it’s mighty deep.

8:52
Now he’s doing the robot, I think? I do a better robot. Just sayin’…

8:53
Points for boldest musical choice.

8:53
And he’s really working the facial expressions.

8:53
Commentator just said he’s a “real technician.” No, Schultheiss is a MAD technician.

8:53
Triple lutz, double toe will give him 10 extra points.

8:54
Now the music has changed again. I know this song! Either:
1) I played it in concert band. (flute)
2) I danced to it at a bar mitzvah.
Can’t remember….

8:57
200.44 points. A personal best!!

9:01
Apparently the hockey game is tied. Who cares?

9:05
Stefan Lindemann of Germany is up. I would have told you sooner, but TSN decided not to broadcast the beginning of his routine. I bet it was great, though.

9:06
Let’s notice that all the figure skaters are sporting black gloves. Can we say: MJ commemoration Olympics 2010?

9:06
Lindemann has a lot of fancy footwork going on. Not surprising; he’s a 7-time German champion. But I’m finding his routine sort of understated.

9:07
Just doubled his triple axel. Tsk. Tsk.

9:07
Another double…

9:08
And another double. Oh dear.

9:09
This sounds like Lord of the Rings.

9:09
He looks so sad. And strained.
He’s shvitzing.

9:11
His coaches look peeved too. Hows about a smile, Germany.

9:11
Looked like the coach was giving him a comforting back rub. But she just picked a piece of lint of his bejewled t-shirt.

9:12
171.98 points.

9:13
As he wipes perspiration off his face, I see that his gloves are also bejewled.

9:13
Artem Borodulin of the Russian Federation is up.

9:14
Wow. That jump was crazy.

9:14
He’s dancing to Roxanne (Moulin Rouge version). I love love love.

9:14
Two triple axels in a row.

9:14
Was that three?

9:14
As he tosses his head sensually, his shoulder-length blond locks swirl. They look run-your-fingers-through worthy.

9:15
Landed another jump sequence.

9:15
The crazy thing is that Borodulin wasn’t even meant to come to the Olympics! He only got slated last minute because the Russian frontrunner dropped down. And now look at him

9:17
Roxanne has morphed into some kind of ballet music.

9:17
My friend describes his dance as “a flail fest.” Young people these days and their flailing limbs. Sorry excuse for dancing…

9:18
He does look a wee bit tired. Slowing down.

9:21
210.16 points! He’s in 1st right now. Not too bad, for a guy who wasn’t supposed to be here.

9:21
Jeremy Abbott of the United States of America steps onto the ice in a conservative blue button down, black slacks, and a brown corporate hair do.

9:22
My peanut gallery notes that the shirt has detail on the shoulder.

9:22
That was quite a bad fall on his rump. Left a snow mark.

9:23
He almost fell again. He’s got a scared look on his face. Not on to a good start.

9:24
He’s not really letting himself fall into this routine. He seems very reserved. And he’s had a couple near falls.

9:26
I’m bored. This is a boring routine.

9:27
Abbott looks like he is going to weep on the ice. He can barely bring himself to bow. He throws down his upper body with great sorrow.

9:29
218.96.
1st place.
FOUL
FOUL
FOUL!

9:29
FOUL

9:29
What just happened? He was terrible technically. And stylistically pedestrian. I am shocked and appalled.

9:30
Samuel Contesti of Italy.

9:31
Oops. Messed up his first jump and did not finish the sequence.

9:31
I dig the the windpipe music. (Riddle me this, batmen: what is the name of this instrument? Feel free to comment.)

9:31
It takes a certain kind of man to wear a sun embroidered skin-tight blazer over a fluorescent orange undershirt – tucked in to tight (embroidered) pants.

9:32
Sounds like a didgeridoo.

9:33
He just messed up his second triple axel. His hands touched down on the ice. That’s going to cost him technical points.

9:34
Tribal arms. The Italian is doing some sort of aboriginal-themed tribal dance.

9:34
I’m not not dancing along.

9:35
Contesti made his last two jumps, but faltered on both landings.

9:35
He’s a former European silver medallist.

9:36
It’s like he’s saying: Look, I’m going to get a failing grade on these jumps. But I’m going to blind you with my (tribal-themed) spirit fingers.

9:37
Ouch. That’s a no good very bad techincal score.

9:38
187.5 points. He’ll take it.

9:38
Representing Spain: Javier Fernandez. (What a name!)

9:38
Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Delicious.

9:39
Is he breaking the no accessories rule with that dangling tassel thing around his waste?

9:39
Music stimulates fond memories of swaggering Johnny Depp.

9:39
Ouch. A wipe-out on the first jump.

9:39
Epic recovery.

9:40
His spin gets very close to the ice.

9:40
He’s pretending to be drunk, like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Yeah, about that “inspiring young boys and girls” thing…

9:40
He’s in character. I like it.

9:42
Fernandez is only the 2nd man from Spain to ever make it to the Winter Olympics. First one was way back in 1956.

9:42
Now, he’s fake sword fighting with the air. This is precious. Fight on, man. Fight on!

9:44
I’m still angry that American skater Jeremy Abbott is in first. He was like… Republicans on Ice.  Nay! Chartered Accountants Convention on Ice.

9:46
206.68 puts Javier Fernandez of Spain in 3rd.

9:45
Brian Joubert of France is taking the ice. Why I like him:
1) He has TWO quadruple jumps planned. Can you believe it? That’s a game-change.
2) His physique and chiseled cheekbones.

9:47
His shirt is sort of ravaged and ripped and raw. Like shirt, like man.

9:47
He puts a finger in front of his lips and whispers shhhh. We were already speechless.

9:47
GREAT! He wipes out on the first quad. Tragic. He needed this.

9:48
Will he change his mind and triple his second quad?

9:48
Yep. He triples it. Lands it. But triples it.

9:49
There will be another point reduction for faltering on the triple lutz.

9:49
“With this amount of mistakes not, he needs to just skate for himself now.”
“It’s over.”
“Yeah.”
-TSN, saying it like it is.

9:50
French skating chief Didier Gailhaguet has a theory for why Joubert has fared so poorly tonight. It involves him “not working enough.”

9:51
The commentators are right. Overall, an underwhelming evening thus far.

9:52
At least he has his looks to fall back on. Sigh.

9:54
200.22. Joubert is in 5th right now.

10:01
OK. I know I’ve been hard on some skaters for their outfit choice. But that’s nothing compared to the smack Victoria Beckham’s been shouting: “There’s nothing good about those outfits. I wear the feathers in my relationship. If David came home dressed like that – could you imagine? Terrible.”- Beckham, discussing men’s figure skating attire.

10:07
I just learned this from the commercial break: To hit a triple axel, skates jump 23 inches off the ice. That’s about what NBA basketball players jump to make a slam dunk! Except: the skaters need to land on one foot. Sheesh. Often, during the free skate, skaters do up to 8 of those tricky triples.

10:09
What if Olympic figure skating was in 3D? Wow. Ring, Ring: Calling James Cameron.
Sorry, it’s been a long commercial break…

10:11
The Chan Man is warming up on the ice.

10:11
Oh my gosh. There’s this adorable little girl who is a double amputee (lost both her legs to a disease) whose dream was to be a figure skater. She’s working now at the Olympics. They’re showing her on the ice right now. Tears.

10:12
Chan needs 149 points to get 230 (his season’s best). His personal best is 260. He can do it. I have faith!

10:13
Great picture on Patrick Chan‘s official website. Umm…

10:14
TSN is showing me a bar graph. I mean, skate graph. It’s supposed to tell me something about Patrick Chan’s strategy. I don’t get it…

10:16
Don’t forget: In Turino, Patrick Chan went from 6th after the short program to 3rd (Bronze!). He’s a fighter. Fierce.

10:17
Then again, can you BELIEVE his deduction last night was for going over the time limit. I mean: amateur mistake!

10:18
Takahiko Kozuka.

10:19
At last! Hip hip hoorah for a QUAD!

10:19
Kozuka is slender, dressed head to toe in black with spiked hair.

10:20
Triple lutz double toe at the beginning was just kind of thrown in. He had meant to do a three jump combination. That double sequence will earn him major technical points, though!

10:21
Oh dear. After landing a quad, he fell on a double axel. Yikes!

10:22
My TV is blurring up! Oh no wait. That’s just Kozuka spinning

10:23
You know why I like Kozuka so much? He’s a thinker. He missed the opportunity for a triple jump sequence, so he improvised. And it’s going to pay off. A less experienced skater would have frozen up.

10:25
231.19 points.
That’s a new personal best for Kozuka!
And that puts Kozuka in first.
(For the record: Japan has NEVER medalled in men’s figure skating.)

10:26
We’ve got Ten Dennis of Kazakhstan.

10:26
What a baby-face. He’s only 16 years old: the youngest guy in the competition.

10:26
That was a pretty bad fall on that triple axel. And he’d been hitting them all in practice.

10:26
Come back alert! Nailed the second triple jump.

10:27
And again…

10:27
He’s so tiny and graceful.

10:28
Nice flying camel spin.

10:29
Triple salchow followed by double axel. No big deal.

10:29
And yet, I’m yawning through this routine. The music is dramatic – in a sort of Spanish bull fight kinda way. But this choreography is fairly standard. He’s moving his arms in the right way, but I don’t buy it…

10:33
211.25 points for Denis Ten. He’s in third so far. This teaches me that FLAIR has nothing to do with it at all…
Silly, judges. Technical points are for kids.

10:34
Kevin van der Perren of Belgium. He’s 12th after the short program.

10:34
i’m trying to figure out if those lime green blobs of fabric spattered over his tight, sheer black shirt mean something…

10:35
Um, yeah they do. He’s skating to Robin Hood.

10:35
ALMOST touched down with his hand on the triple axel.

10:35
Might of actually touched down the second time. He’ll lose techincal points for that.

10:35
Triple trip, triple toe loop. apparently, van der Perren was going to do a triple-triple-triple but lost the momentum and only double tripled (aka triple-tripled). Confused?

10:36
The slow, sweet music is somewhat at odds with the very large back tatoo shining through van der Perrin’s sheer number.

10:38
So apparently van der Perren is moving jumps around as he goes, possibly because he’s tired. This is kind of a no-no for Olympic skaters. They’ve practiced for so long. It’s best to just stick with the routine.

10:39
He seems very tired in deed.

10:39
Yawn. That’s some slow spinning.

10:40
I told you to stick with your routine, Mr. van der Perren!
Apparently, he did 3 triple salchows – perhaps in the confusion. Well, only the first two will count. (You can only repeat a jump once).

10:42
189.89 points for Belgium.

10:42
Florent Amodio of France is up.

10:42
Wow, what a life story… LITERALLY abandoned on the streets of Brazil by his parents when he was a baby.

10:43
He attempts the first quad salcow of the night…. (drumroll please!)

10:43
Error. Changes it to a drab double axel.

10:44
Triple axel is rocky at the end.

10:44
Whew. Florent is gettin funky on the ice. Those are some jazzy moves coming from the man in an unbuttoned purple shirt with built-in suspenders.

10:45
Oh wow. Bring on the wind-up-doll moves.

10:45
Nice: triple axel, double toe.

10:45
Triple salchow, double-toe loop. Oh he’s having great fun out there!

10:47
Lost out on that triple jump routine. Won’t be nabbing any extra technical points.

10:47
Intergalactic Planetarium… dadada. Is that really playing?

10:47
No, Katie. No, it’s not. (That’s what 2 hours and 47 minutes of live blogging will do to you). But take my word for it: he’s shakin’ it.

10:48
Adorable. He’s booty-shaking instead of bowing.

10:49
Patrick Chan is on the ice.
His mother is apparently scribbling notes furiously from the stand.

10:50
Florent Amodio’s got 210.30. 4th overall.

10:50
Back to Chan.

The crowd
goes
WILD!

10:50
This is going to be a great routine – choreographed by Lori Nichol.

10:51
Nails his triple axel. We have hope ENCORE!!!

10:52
And again.

10:53
Oh, man. A bit of a falter.

10:53
Hello, commentators? Where did you go?
I think this is a bad sign. The chatter has stopped.
I think this means Patrick Chan blew it for Canada and nobody wants to say it.

10:53
Second triple axel. He is down on his arse. All the way.

10:53
The audience is clapping in a kind of “thanks, but not thanks” kind of way.

10:54
He needed this to be perfect.

10:55
How much do I love Phantom of the Opera. (The Phantom of the Opera is here. Inside my mask… da da da da da).

10:55
He really is picking up such great steam. Wonderfully tight spins.

10:57
He looks so disappointed. Tears, maybe?

10:57
The commentators offer these pearls:
“It was supposed to be his time…ascent to the podium. Vanquished tonight!”
“My heart is just empty right now.”

10:58
241.12
THE CROWD IS GOING CRAZY.
What a smile! What a smile!
He’s in 1st right now.
Oh, Patrick!

11:00
Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic.

11:00
If I ever had a dream about a triple axel, my dream would look like THAT.

11:00
He looks like a JCrew ad. Strolling around the ice in a short sleeved white polo and a pink and brown sweater vest. His sun-kissed (nay, chemically altered) hair positioned ever so casually over his forehead.

11:01
Music is an American in Paris. Pretty.

11:02
Nailed the second triple axel.

11:02
He’s wearing brown sued-ish pants. They don’t even look like skating pants.
True story: male figure skaters HAVE to wear pants. They can’t wear skirts. And they can’t wear tights. Now that doesn’t seem fair, does it?

11:03
Quite the wipe-out on the triple lutz.

11:03
I feel perturbed to see a delicate boy in a pink sweater vest fall so violently.

11:03
The music quickens. Ballet arms joined above his head.

11:03
The music softens, becomes jazzy. He prances lightly into the air before falling effortlessly into a camel spin.

11:04
He looks upset.

11:04
Dear skaters,
Please smile! You always end up smiling when you’re snuggling up to your coaches later. Might as well save yourself the embarrassment of looking like a poor sport now.

11:07
216.17 points for Brezina.
Did I mention Chan’s score was a personal best??

11:14
Evan Lysacek of the United States is kicking off this flight.

11:15
Triple lutz, triple toe loop is beautiful.

11:15
Are y’all noticing that the higher the skater’s rank, the more conservative the attire?

11:16
Triple axel is so flawless. Not a wobble in there. This man is a pleasure to watch. He is big and strong and looks  fully in control of his limbs.

11:16
By the way, this routine is also choreographed by Lori Nichol.

11:17
Manages to land his second triple axel jump.

11:18
This guy is a big deal, people. Class A celeb status. Don’t believe me. Just ask People Magazine.

11:18
“He loves clubbing in L.A. with pals like Nicole Richie and Rachel Zoe.”

11:19
Did you see that? He did a CanCan kick and his thigh almost touched his nose.
Fierce…

11:20
Lysacek celebrates with a self-congratulatory scream. “Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light… tra la la.”

11:22
167.37: HUGE lead into first place for Lysacek.

11:23
Oda Nobunari of Japan.

11:24
Oh he’s wearing a little bow tie. I want to wrap him up and take him home and put him under my Christmas tree.

11:24
Sorry… carried away.

11:24
The thing is, Nobunari was supposed to start with a quad. He’s been practicing the quad all week – and landing it just fine. But last minute, he opted for a triple lutz.

11:25
Fancy footwork here. This is a darling routine.

11:26
Airborne!

11:26
Some quick, perky jump routines.

11:27
This is where the top skaters are really distinguishing themselves. There’s no time wasting here… it’s all moving.

11:27
Oh dear!
A fall and he’s injured! His skate has fallen apart.

11:27
His coach is on the ice and the music has stopped.

11:28
His skate fell apart like it’s 1994!

11:28
He leaves the ice and puts on a new skate. That will be an automatic two point deduction. But….

11:29
The music has resumed. He’s back on the ice. He’s lost his speed, but the audience is cheering him on. What a trooper!

11:30
The music sounds sort of like nutcracker ballet.

11:30
What applause!

11:30
Can you believe his lace snapped? You make it all the way to the Olympics and your f***ing lace comes undone!

11:33:
238.54.
He WOULD have been in second (ahead of Chan), but for that costume malfunction.

11:34
We’ve got Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland.

11:34
Touch down on his first jump.

11:34
And forward again on his second jump.

11:35
It’s coming: the quad. He BARELY hangs on. But it ain’t pretty.

11:35
Nice double jump sequence.

11:36
Heavenly jump into that camel spin.

11:36
Holding his head at artistic angles.

11:36
Like Patrick Chan, Lambiel is a beautiful dancer. Just look at the way he holds his wrist while spinning.

11:37
Don’t you just get the feeling with him that he isn’t wasting an iota of energy?

11:38
Lambiel, keep in mind, is coming back to skating after a debilitating hip injury. Here’s what the 24-year-old said of that: “Last year at this time I couldn’t skate more than twice a week before the hip would start to bother me. At that point, I never could have imagined I’d be here today.”

11:38
Katie Engelhart award for fastest spin of the evening, perhaps?

11:39
Commercial break.
I’m so excited for American Johnny Weir to skate. He is fabulous. His role models include Lady Gaga. Um…

11:41
162.09 for Lambiel. Chan falls to third. Canada: kiss goodbye to our podium chances.

11:41
Daisuke Takahashi of Japan.

11:42
Another wipe-out!
And he didn’t just fall coming out of the jump, he was completely off balance going in.

11:43
That next triple was landed very nicely. A whole lot of speed on that one.

11:43
This guy has major spunk. Did he just look at the camera and make a fierce face?

11:44
He’s one of only a few male skaters to achieve level 4 footwork (the highest level that can be achieved.)

11:44
A tad off balance at the end of that sequence.

11:45
That’s some dainty footwork right there, I’ll tell ya that.

11:45
Gorgeous triple axel near the end of the routine when – let’s not forget – his muscles are probably rip roaring raw.

11:47
Could Japan finally make it to the podium for figure skating?

11:48
Johnny Weir is blowing his nose on the ice in a white sparkly spandex shirt that is flared at the wrists.

11:49
247.93
In second. BUT 10 points behind Evan Lysacek. Whew.

11:50
John Weir!
Weir almost quit last year after placing fifth. And now, he’s 6th after teh short program.

11:50
He’s skating to City of Angels. He says it’s the story of his life.

11:52
Nails te second triple axel.

11:53
Katie Engelhart award for most elegant skate of the night.

11:53
Smooth combination.

11:53
“He’s only lacking in steps that bring the element together,” says the commentator. Are you kidding? He just did four jumps in a row!

11:54
Fact: Johnny jumps clockwise.  Most other skaters jump counter clockwise.

11:55
The music speeds up. The crowd is rooting for him. (I mean, let’s face it. We’ve given up on Chan. And Johnny’s not a bad second.)

11:56
Routine is finished to booming applause. Now here’a smile!

11:56
Some of you may be wondering: How on earth did Johnny wear prepare for such a grueling routine? I know! His roomate, ice dancer Tanith Belbin, leaves him alone to relax: ”She is the best roommate – she stayed away all day today so I could run around naked and watch Real Housewives of Atlanta,” he adds. “I will do the same for her.”

11:58
Are you KIDDING me?
5th place for Johnny Weir?
I give up.

11:58
At least he accepted his results wearing a wreath of red roses around his head.

11:59
Evgeni Plushenko of Russia.

11:59
QUAD!

12:00
Oh he BARELY hung on to that triple axel.

12:00
Legs for days! Look at those puppies…

12:01
“He stands in his place for too long.”
OK now the commentators are trying to hard to find fault. He rubs us all the wrong way. But look at how softly his skates land on that ice.

12:01
Plushenko, darling. Is that comic relief? A funny little jig breaks up the slow music.

12:02
He’s the guy we love to hate. Think about all the hullabaloo he created around his quad.

12:03
Dancing like his life depends on it.

12:04
That quadruple combination is going to give him some serious technical points. But will it be enough?

12:04
If I had two cents to rub together, I think I’d put them on Plushenko.

12:06
Dick Button is the only man to ever win back to back gold for men’s figure skating.

12:06
256.36.
PLUSHENKO loses by… ONE POINT.

12:07
The American superstar Evan Lysacek wins GOLD.
I can’t decide whether or not to celebrate. Let me think about it….

12:08
While I ponder my sleep-deprived emotions, let me recap: Patrick Chan finished 5th.

12:09
Pluschenko had the quad, but it wasn’t enough to match the yankee skater’s chichi. I think I’ll end with a one-liner… one of them sayings that us figure skating ‘insiders’ like to throw out there: “Quality over Quad.”

12:11
Good night readers. Vive les sequins!

Man enough to pull off a quad?

By Nancy Macdonald - Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 6:38 PM - 1 Comment

Men’s figure skating, with its international intrigues, plunging necklines, corsets and divas has reached the point, say enthusiasts, where Blades of Glory seems less like satire, and more like cinéma vérité.

A war of words is being waged heading into tonight’s (likely) U.S.-Russia showdown for Olympic gold.

It’s all about the risky, tricky-to-land quadruple jump. And the manliness of those who can pull it off.

Evgeny Plushenko, the Russian—the putative favourite—had a quad in his short program, Tuesday. Evan Lysacek, the American, and reigning world champion, did not.

“Without the quadruple, I’m sorry, but it’s not men,” Plushenko, said Tuesday, shortly after executing night’s only quad—and grabbing an early lead.

Oh, snap.

So Evan can only triple-twirl. Ease up, I say. The guy took to the ice in a feathered, Vera Wang unitard. That’s balls.

Oh, Patrick! Canadian boy wonder Patrick Chan out of podium picture

By Nancy Macdonald - Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 6:41 AM - 5 Comments

Patrick Chan, Canada’s great hope in the men’s figure skating field, stumbled early in front of a loud and adoring crowd in Vancouver last night; it was the first of three costly errors that pushed the 19-year-old into seventh place—and out of medal contention ahead of Thursday’s free skate (Chan also stumbled in a step sequence, and took a one-point deduction for finishing behind his music in the 2 1/2-minute program).

“I don’t have an answer for it,” Chan said when asked about the early mistake. “I don’t know what happened,” he added—valiantly flashing that trademark, wide-eyed smile. “I’ve been playing it over in my mind.”

All, however, is not lost. Chan, the 2009 world silver medalist, will be a more mature 23 at Sochi. And hey—we’ve got us a great race for gold, come Thursday. The top three—Turin gold-medallist Russian Evgeni Plushenko, U.S. reigning world champ, Evan Lysacek, and Japan’s Daisuke Takahashit—are so close, they’re virtually tied.

Already, some have begun hyping the event as the most riveting figure skating final since the “Battle of the Brians,” at Calgary ’88.

Plushenko, who came out of a three-year retirement at the behest of his new wife rocketed to the top spot early with a 90.85 score (and a stunning, trademark quad). Lysacek, dressed in a raven-inspired (I think), skin-tight black unitard finished just .55 points behind him. Neither he, nor Takahashit—who came just .05 points behind him—attempted a quad.

“Without quadruples, I don’t know, sorry, but it’s not men. It’s not men’s figure skating,” Plushenko has said, taunting his competitors.

Retirement, clearly, has neither dulled Plushenko’s edge, nor his pizazz. He flirted shamelessly with the adoring crowd, the cameras, even some of the judges. Before leaving the ice, the blond, 27-year-old kissed his gloved knuckles then mimed brandishing a sword high in the air, sheathing it at his left.

Once untouchable, however, he’s facing tough competition for gold tomorrow.

Lysacek—the U.S.’s best hope for a gold since Brian Boitano took it from Canada’s Brian Orser at Calgary—was uncharacteristically emotional following his dazzling short program, pumping his fists, dropping to his knees and burying his head in his hands; as his scores appeared, he fought back tears. He later admitted that he’d been feeling pressure as the reigning world champion, and that he’d had a “little bit of a monkey” on his back, thinking back to his last Olympics, where he “blew” his short program, and had the “worst night” of his life.

The trio will have a day to prepare for the free skate; Plushenko, known as the “Quad King,” will try to become the first man to win repeat gold medals since 1952 with a jump-heavy program tomorrow.

“It’s the Olympic Games, so I will be nervous,” Plushenko said. “But I have a gold Olympic medal and I have a silver Olympic medal. I don’t care about the result.”

LIVE BLOG: Men's figure skating short program

By Rachel Mendleson - Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 7:04 PM - 50 Comments

7:03 p.m.
Who wants to watch hockey when you can see Patrick Chan do a triple axel? Live blogging of the men’s short program kicks off in T-minus 12 minutes.

7:15 p.m.
In a pre-recorded interview, Russian Evgeni Plushenko conceded he was “fat…like, really fat” when he came out of retirement to train for the 2010 Olympics.

7:16 p.m.
But apparently he hasn’t missed a quad all week, so he maybe he was being a little hard on himself.

7:18 p.m.
The announcers have somehow managed to quantify the skaters’ track records with a bar graph. I don’t get it.

7:19 p.m.
It’s the final commercial break before the skaters start doing their stuff. Is it bad that I’m kind of rooting for Plushenko? I think it was his fat comment.

7:29 p.m.
Sorry…technical difficulties.

7:30 p.m.
Okay, I’m back. In case you missed it, North Korea’s Song Chol Ri was first. Apparently, the lowest ranked skaters go first, but he was pretty damn good. And he had on this nifty black and silver number, and landed his triple axle. Even Elizabeth Manly seemed impressed.

7:33 p.m.
Ukraine’s Anton Kovaleski is really sparkly. He won in Albertville, and has clearly still got his skills, as well as a cute little blond hairdo. There’s enough of it for it to move when he jumps.

7:35 p.m.
Gregor Urbas’s hair is even better. Poofier and more floppy. The Slovenian’s music is pretty dramatic, which made it extra scary when he fumbled his triple axle. Not a full fall, per se…but he definitely needed his second foot.

7:38 p.m.
Apparently I misspelled axel earlier. Good thing I didn’t try and spell salchow.

7:41 p.m.
According to the announcers, France’s Florent Amodio was “literally abandoned in the street when he was an infant.” How’s that for a narrative?

7:43 p.m.
Now, THAT’S a triple axel!

7:44 p.m.
He just nailed all his jumps. Maybe it’s the black gloves he’s wearing. And he’s super graceful. Swoon!

7:46 p.m.
The announcers love him as much as I do. I like it when the boys get flowers.

7:48 p.m.
Move over Plushenko, I have a new favourite.

7:50 p.m.
Austria’s Viktor Pfeifer is skating to Moonlight Sonata. How unoriginal. He’s also wearing see-through clothing. Not sure how I feel about that.

7:54 p.m.
He just bent his left arm way behind his head and nearly dislocated his shoulder. On purpose. Weird.

7:58 p.m.
Plushenko is warming up. He hasn’t competed for four years. That’s kind of a big deal.

8:00 p.m.
Elizabeth Manley just said she was “amused” by how intimidated Kazakhstan’s Abzal Rakimgaliev was during warm ups with Plushenko. Well, OF COURSE he’s intimidated. Give him a break, Manly.

8:02 p.m.
Rakimgaliev’s only 17. That’s, like, Patrick Chan young.

8:04 p.m.
He’s wearing this crazy sparkly number with one glove. Looks like a 1980s sun is setting on his chest. He blew his triple axel, but he still looks pretty chill.

8:07 p.m.
He looks sweaty and tired. But considering he’s probably, like, in Grade 11, I’m impressed.

8:08 p.m.
The Polish coach is tiny! Przemyslaw Domanski is like two feet taller than her. He’s skating to the same music Patrick Chan will be using. Is that allowed? Wasn’t there an episode of Glee about that?

8:11 p.m.
He’s inspired me to heat up the perogies in the fridge.

8:15 p.m.
Finland’s Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari just totally bailed. And then fumbled his second jump…a salchow (yeah, that’s right, I just wanted to use the word).

8:17 p.m.
(Disclaimer: That jump might not have actually been a salchow.)

8:19 p.m.
Okay, so I really do think it’s high time for these guys to consider new outfits. As my clever friend just pointed out: “Their pants swoop right into their feet with scant regard for ankles.” Seriously.

8:21 p.m.
Elizabeth Manley is having one of those woulda shoulda coulda moments about how she could totally have done a triple axel in Calgary. Easy to say now, isn’t it?

8:22 p.m.
Canada’s first skater Vaughn Chipeur just blew his triple axel. Kurt Browning (who choreographed his routine) is not impressed. Or so I would imagine.

8:25 p.m.
He is somehow managing to look vaguely manly. I think it’s the tight black T-shirt. The sparkles on the back, however, are not helping.

8:27 p.m.
Fourth. Not so hot, Chipeur. Not so hot.

8:30 p.m.
Plushenko is on the ice. He does look terrifying.

8:31 p.m.
And…he nails the quad. I wish we could have seen him attempt that when, as he put it, he was “fat.”

8:33 p.m.
Okay, so his routine was perfect, bla bla bla, but what about his undershirt? Is that neutral nylon thing really necessary?

8:35 p.m.
And that’s why he’s the best. Because not even setting a new Olympic record is enough to make him smile. After all, this is just the short program.

8:39 p.m.
Pity the fool who has to follow that. Looks like Italy’s Paolo Bacchini drew the short straw.

8:46 p.m.
My efforts to do research on Bacchini have failed. All news stories are written in Italian. Wikipedia tells me he’s a three time national silver medalist. Like I said, pity the fool…

8:52 p.m.
Here’s a fun fact: Bacchini’s hobbies include handball, basketball and reading. What a well-rounded young man.

8:54 p.m.
Wait, is Plushenko kidding? He just described his skate as “Okay.” And now he’s complaining about his sore muscles. He actually looks kind of annoyed. And this is why they call him conceded: “I’m sorry, but without quadruples, it’s not men’s figure skating.”

8:58 p.m.
Bacchini is wearing suspenders on top of his black and red sparkly top.

9:00 p.m.
How does one decide, mid jump, to turn a triple into a double?

9:01 p.m.
I think he should get extra points for following the Russian maniac.

9:04 p.m.
Oh, he’s really cute. He went out the wrong door and had to be redirected to the “kiss and cry” area. Fittingly, he’s now blowing kisses.

9:06 p.m.
Romania’s Zoltan Kelemen wins best (worst?) outfit of the night. The white on the top and black on the bottom are sort of battling it out for spandex dominance. But he’s not half bad on his blades.

9:08 p.m.
And apparently I know nothing. Manly says he’s going to lose a whole whack of points for doing a double-double instead of a triple-triple.

9:10 p.m.
His coaches look kind of nervous. Eleventh place.

9:11 p.m.
According to the announcers, Russia’s Artem Borodulin is Plushenko Part 2. Maybe in looks. But his hair is WAY better. Much longer and thicker.

9:14 p.m.
This guy is good. He’s sticking all his landings. And the crowd is giving him lots of love.

9:16 p.m.
While waiting for his score, he’s holding a stuffed animal with huge red ears. I think it’s a bear.

9:17 p.m.
This kid is SO not Plushenko. He cracked a smile after getting a personal best.

9:18 p.m.
Germany’s Stefan Lindemann is skating to the soundtrack of The Firm. I bet Tom Cruise would have made a decent figure skater. He’s compact and has sufficiently floppy hair.

9:20 p.m.
Lindemann’s been at this for a long time. Just ask his bald spot.

9:24 p.m.
Spain’s Javier Fernandez just fell. I really think their spandex sparkly numbers make the tumbles look so much more brutal. He’s skating to Mission Impossible. Yet another Tom Cruise inspired choice.

9:27 p.m.
Apparently we’re going to have to wait another hour and a half for Patrick Chan.

9:29 p.m.
Fernandez’s coaches are totally stylish. You’d think they’d help him out with his outfits. He just scored a personal best, too. No trace of a smile. Maybe he’s Plushenko Part 2?

9:32 p.m.
Chipeur has qualified to skate on Thursday for the hardware. He’s still gasping for air. This interview must have been recorded earlier. Sneaky CTV.

9:37 p.m.
Manley just called Kazakhstan’s Denis Ten “little.” I don’t think he’d appreciate that.

9:38 p.m.
Apparently he’s only 16, and the youngest male skater competing. Not quite sure why he went with the yellow tuxedo vest look.

9:40 p.m.
At the risk of sounding trite, he’s, like, really good.

9:41 p.m.
The crowd clapped really loud. We Canadians love the underdog. Especially when they’re “little.”

9:43 p.m.
Nothing wrong with second place.

9:44 p.m.
Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi is a favourite. Probably because of his sideburns.

9:46 p.m.
I like his popped collar too. And his jumps and turns aren’t half bad either.

9:47 p.m.
Standing ovation. Take that, Plushenko!

9:50 p.m.
The marks are in: Takahashi’s only six-tenths of a point back from the Russian maniac.

9:52 p.m.
Sweden’s Adrian Schultheiss just landed the quad. But now he looks kind of beat.

9:54 p.m.
Manley says he’s going to get a major deduction for doing a single instead of a double after his quad.

9:56 p.m.
I think Switzerland’s Stephane Lambiel borrowed an outfit from Prince Charming.

9:59 p.m.
He just did a serious high kick. I don’t care if he stumbled a little after his quad-double. He’s fantastic.

10:00 p.m.
He looks happy.

10:03 p.m.
Lambiel loves those stuffed animals. And now he’s sitting in third.

10:04 p.m.
Japan’s Nobunari Oda has just been dubbed an “ice hopper.” Is that like a frozen frog? He sure can jump…

10:05 p.m.
This is a sentence I never thought I’d utter: his slicked back hair is really working for him.

10:09 p.m.
Oda just bumped Lambiel into fourth.

10:10 p.m.
Patrick Chan is in shorts, on his way down from the speed skaters’ “secret training area.” Why is it secret? Is there a password? Hazing ritual? I want details!

10:22 p.m.
Is anyone else getting this cheesy behind the scenes with Patrick Chan spot?

10:24 p.m.
According to Chan, “The quad doesn’t make you a man.” Maybe. But it doesn’t make you a wimp, either.

10:27 p.m.
Chan’s on in 26 minutes. Set your clocks.

10:30 p.m.
Dear Elizabeth Manley: I’m sorry for spelling your name wrong. It will never happen again.

10:32 p.m.
France’s Brian Joubert has taken sparkle to a whole new level. I think those crystals might be lighting up in their own. Sort of like Michael Jackson’s gloves.

10:34 p.m.
The announcers say they’re “shocked” Joubert missed two of his jump elements. Frankly, I’m more shocked when they land them…on one foot…all smiles.

10:36 p.m.
Dreadful! They just said he was dreadful. Poor Joubert.

10:38 p.m.
Eek. He’s in tenth. The announcers are freaking out.

10:40 p.m.
Enter Japan’s Takahiko Kozuka, wearing a flowing silk shirt and skating to Jimi Hendrix. This is my kind of guy.

10:42 p.m.
And he just pulled off a finishing spin for the ages.

10:43 p.m.
(Yes, “finishing spin” is a technical term.)

10:44 p.m.
Patrick Chan in eight minutes!!! (CTV wants you to know.)

10:45 p.m.
Kozuka’s in fifth.

10:47 p.m.
Italy’s Samuel Contesti is wearing overalls. Dirty, denim overalls. I kid you not.

10:48 p.m.
Too bad he fell. I like the Italian hillbilly.

10:49 p.m.
Patrick Chan’s up next. (He’s like, supposed to own the podium, in case you didn’t know.)

10:51 p.m.
Contesti’s smiling, despite his ninth place ranking.

10:52 p.m.
Chan hits the ice, and the crowd goes ballistic.

10:53 p.m.
He bobbles the triple axel. Oh, Chan! Don’t do this to us!

10:54 p.m.
Announcers are uncharacteristically quiet as he lands the remaining jumps. Chan, adorned in minimal sparkles, looks pretty good.

10:55 p.m.
Now he’s got that trademark deer-in-headlights look.

10:58 p.m.
Uh oh. He’s in fifth. That’s not so hot.

10:59 p.m.
Here comes American Johnny Weir, who has just been described by my own personal peanut gallery as “Adam Lambert’s athletic brother.” Those pink tassels are amazing!

11:01 p.m.
Look out, Chan. He’s really, really good.

11:03 p.m.
Apparently he’s been looking for pink bath mats for his room, which would go quite nicely with his outfit.

11:04 p.m.
He’s in fifth place, ahead of Chan. I feel kind of bad for calling it.

11:10 p.m.
Chan’s somehow still smiling. He’s talking “comeback.”

11:12 p.m.
Belgium’s Kevin van der Perren is dressed like a skeleton. A sparkly, athletic skeleton.

11:14 p.m.
I think face paint would have been a nice touch.

11:15 p.m.
He’s happy with his finish. When I was watching moguls I remember the announcers talking about how important it is to sell your performance to the judges. For what it’s worth, I’m sold.

11:16 p.m.
The announcers, however, are not. They’ve criticized him of confusing the Olympics with the Ice Capades. Poor sparkly skeleton.

11:18 p.m.
And the skeleton places tenth.

11:20 p.m.
Hello sailor! The Czech Republic’s Tomas Vernor is wearing blue and white stripes, complete with a red bandana around his neck. But it appears it is he who needs a rescue: he just botched both his opening jump sequences.

11:22 p.m.
Vernor is sitting in 16th.

11:26 p.m.
USA’s Evan Lysacek is tall, dark and handsome. Too bad he’s dressed like a vampire.

11:28 p.m.
His limbs are everywhere! (But I think that’s what they’re supposed to be doing.)

11:29 p.m.
That was amazing. The crowd is on its feet, and he looks like he’s about to cry.

11:31 p.m.
Whoa! He’s sitting in second…five-tenths behind Plushenko! And now he really IS crying.

11:33 p.m.
Here comes another American. Jeremy Abbott is skating to The Beatles. Harper would be proud. And he’s not wearing spandex! It’s a miracle.

11:34 p.m.
There’s something about him I really like. I think it’s his purple shirt and slick moves. The only trouble are his jumps. He’s really screwed up.

11:36 p.m.
He singled his triple axel a la Kurt Browning in Lillehammer. The announcers feel his pain. So long American champion.

11:40 p.m.
Czech Republic’s Michal Brezina is Puttin’ on the Ritz.

11:41 p.m.
He closes out the show with a bang. Maybe it’s just getting late in Toronto, but I thought that was pretty impressive.

11:42 p.m.
His coach’s big red glasses are INSANE. I think they’re for spotting mistakes.

11:44 p.m.
He places ninth, and the final standings are in: Plushenko, Lysacek and Takahashi are sitting first second and third, separated by only tenths of a point. Chan’s down, but he’s not out. Only 48 hours until we find out who will truly own the podium. Thanks for reading!