Olympics 2002 - one year later ... memories, thoughts, feelings?

[Overr8ed sk8er]

After almost one year - when you think about figure skating in Salt Lake City, which thoughts, memories and feelings, no matter which kind of, come up first in your mind and heart? Which "images" will stay with you forever? Or has something changed in your view of things since then and you see some occurences different with a one year distance?

Like always I'm a pretty curious girl and I'm just keen to know ... :)

[Gaela]

Well, I just checked my appointment book for last February (I'm self-employed) and realized that I pretty much took the whole Olympics off. I checked off the planet during the figure skating scandal.

It was exciting, as all Olympics are--the usual tension and excitment of FS competitions escalate 10 fold at the Olympics.

The highlights for me were mostly the men's skates, particularly Plush's Carmen and Takeshi Honda. Yags was great, but I expected him to--it was his destiny. Seeing Sarah Hughes win the Gold was neat, but in retrospect I realize that what made her skate so exciting was not that she is a particularly memorable skater among the greats, but that she landed the 3-3s. Women's skating has been in a slump technically, and I hope that changes--last few years, including Olympics, have been about technical stagnation IMO.

Of course both B&S and S&P were great. The on-line debates were a blast, but in the end, I am very disappointed that the truth never came out. I still wonder what happened, the full story, but it is unlikely we will ever know. Even if Mr. T. is found guilty of fixing the games, many questions about scheming and deal-making in FS remain.

[in2sk8n]

Honestly the first two things that pop into my head when the 2002 Olympics are mentioned occured at the exhibitions (I think :) ). Michelle Kwan's fields of gold really moved me, and I'm not even a Michelle fan. Then I immediately think of the cameras catching Alexei Yagudin changing backstage (yummy!).

I suppose of the actual Olympic competition the highlights for me were Ina and Zimmerman skating wonderfully and with such obvious pride and enjoyment. Also Sarah Hughes and her joy at winning. The pairs skating scandal really didn't leave a lasting impression in my mind, other than that it was handled REALLY BADLY by the press and commentators.

[Flatfoote]

My first thought is.....Cripes! It's been a year already? Certainly only seem like a couple of months. Where has the time gone?

[kwanette]

The first thing that pops into my mind, well it is probably always there, is Michelle's not winning the gold medal. The second thing is her amazing..."rise from the ashes" performance to Fields of Gold.It ranks up there, in my mind anyway, as one of skating's most poignant and memorable moments. The next thing is the entire judging controversy which tainted both the pairs and the dance, and possibly the ladies event.

[Berry Bear]

In no order of importance:

1. Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze's "Lady Caliph" SP. The best in the competition. Had they skated as the last team (instead of 3rd in the group), I'm sure there'll be 6.0s.

2. Michelle Kwan's LP, my heart dropped with that fall on the jump. I was rooting so hard for her to win the elusive Oly gold.

3. Sarah's win ~ that night was hers to hold forever.

4. The judging scandal ~ 2 wonderful pairs team being twisted around the finger by dishonest judging. And the overly biased media and commentary. Both pairs displayed great sportsmanship and dignity. They were wonderful.

5. Michelle's Field of Gold exhibition, :cry: really made me cry silly in front of the telly. Irina's "Cotton Eye Joe" ex (she was really enjoying herself). Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze's "The Kid" (shows a different side to their personality and their usual classical styles) :)

[iceskater2]

Wow, great topic.

Sitting front row for Ice Dance. The pride I felt when L&T skated there freedance and received a standing O. The fact that for as long as I live I will always remember my Olympic Dream there freeskate and music.

Of course with the good there is the bad, the tears I shed for days that Michelle did not win gold. And of course who will ever forget, Michelle skating to fields of gold, her ending pose with the tears running down her face.

[twinsmom]

Because I was fortunate enough to volunteer at the Olympics (I was an ice patcher), I have so many wonderful memories. But here is my absolute favorite . . .

The day after the men's short program, Todd and Elvis were in the same practice group for long. They came onto the ice together and were talking--it actually looked like they were commisserating about their hard shorts--Elvis had his arm around Todd's shoulder. Then they both laughed and went their separate ways to warm up, etc. Later in the session as the skaters' music was being played, Elvis went and sat on the boards next to his coach and was just watching the other skaters. Todd's music was next and he started his program and did a gorgeous 4T-3T. Elvis started clapping, jumped off the board and went and shook Todd's hand. They talked for another minute and Todd went on with his run through. It was the greatest moment among two great veteran/champions who couldn't quite pull it together one last time. It's the first memory that always pops into my mind whenever I think about the Olympics.

[mskater13]

The first thing that comes to my mind is the look on Sarah Hughes and Robin Wagner's face when Sarah won the gold medal.. I don't think I'll ever forget that. Also, Sarah's two triple-triples were awesome! Definitely her night.. I also remember how much I wanted Kwan to win and when she fell, it was kind of like a shock to the whole arena, even watching from the TV you could hear their surprise. A few things I won't forget..

[Fliple Trip]

Alexei. He was just magical the entire Olympics through. First his two competitve performances: It is true, he didn't skate them with his usual passion, but with so much determination, will and an unbelievable "So-who's-coming-second?"-attitude. They're brilliant and majestic in their very own way. Then his emotional outburst in the KnC after it was finally done. You really got the impression this meant EVERYTHING to him. I'm still getting goosebumps watching it on tape after all this time! And, finally!, last but NOT least, the pretty sensual "Overcome"-performance at the Gala, and his very own "exhibition" after that ... awww! ;)

[lemondrop]

Has it been a year already? Although I was so heartbroken for Michelle, Sarah's reaction to winning just made me laugh out loud. I'm not a huge fan of her skating, but what a sweetheart....and she really did steal the show with her performance that night. I also remember being impressed that Sasha had done so well with so little international experience.

IMO, both pairs were wonderful and you could make a case for either one of them winning the gold. I just felt that it was such a shame that both pair's Olympic experiences were tainted by a scandal that they had no part in creating.

Didn't pay much attention to the dance, but Alexei's programs were a joy to behold....and it was wonderful to see him win the gold!

Can't wait until 2006!

[Flatfoote]

A lot of good moments already posted. Don't think I've seen anyone mention Robin Wagner taking Sarah her by the shoulders, turning her around and making her look out to the audience, and take in "her moment." I really like how she seems to want to make sure Sarah experiences her career.

[Mandera]

Ah yes... The Salt Lake City Olympics.

In Edmonton, we had a teacher's strike. I had to go to school for all of one day during the Olympics (the day of the Canada-Belarus game, which my science teacher snuck the whole class into the photo-copy room to watch). So, of course, I saw everything. The TV did not turn off for three weeks at my house. This was the first Olympics I ever followed, and I simply fell in love with it. It was also one of the first times I sat down and watched figure skating.

What can I say about pairs? I was furious that Sale and Pelletier didn't win. But by the end of the games I had fallen in love not only with them, but the Russian pair (not going to attempt spelling their last names - but I do know them!) as well. I laughed so hard at David playing the tambourine during that show thing with the Barenaked Ladies.

Dance... I clearly remember the household moan/laugh/cringe at B&K falling in the dying seconds. Personally, I thought their fall made the ending of the program cool.

Ladies I watched, but didn't necessarily enjoy at the time. That discipline took a while to grow on me. But I thought Michelle Kwan's exhibition performance was sooo beautiful.

And then there's mens. It was Yagudin's short program that got me hooked on the sport. I was getting bored, sitting there, but then HE came on. When he cried after his long, he completely won me over. And then he had his amazing exhibition performance... All the other men are kind of a blur to me, except that Plushenko doing the Beilman (sp?) just FREAKED me out. Guys should not be able to do that.

[dbell]

What I still remember most:

Alexei kissing the ice (after Scott botched the LP commentary).

Marina on the medal stand. Hated the LP commentary there too! :P

Robin turning Sarah around after her LP skate. Great moment. :)

Plush falling in the SP. Not a good memory. I felt so bad for him when he was waiting for the scores and Mishin was edging closer away.

I try to forget the Pairs controversy. We were away in Baltimore the week it all exploded and what I hated was it took the focus off everything else at the Olympics.

Exhibitions: Michelle's tears after FOG, Alexei backstage (Scott was funny with the comments about 'changing his coach, his training, his clothes' :lol: ), Plush getting out a sick bed just to skate and be chacked by NBC, Irina's Cotton Eyed Joe and B&S's Chaplin number (magic).

[icenut84]

I can't believe it's been a year! Doesn't seem that long. Well, there are quite a few things I'll remember from the Games. Shown live over here in the UK, it was on at something like 2am 8O and then repeated in the early evening the next day. I thought about staying up to watch it live but I knew I really couldn't (I was getting up at 6:30am some days), so I recorded it and watched it first thing in the morning as I was getting dressed. I remember watching the pairs LPs and afterwards feeling really strange, kind of disappointed that the first event had ended like that. I was totally flabbergasted when I heard they'd be giving 2 golds, I never thought that'd happen. And I loved Ina&Zimmerman's performance in the LP.

Mens - I loved Takeshi Honda in the SP! Especially his expression and his circular footwork. :) Liked Yags, Plush and Tim G too. (I wasn't a big fan of Tim's skating before, but I liked both his programmes.) I loved Plush in the LP too, and Alexei's reactions when starting his straight line footwork, on-ice while taking his bows, and in the Kiss n Cry with Tatiana Tarasova. And I loved Takeshi's exhibition - Robin Cousins said he should keep that for his SP for this season and ITA! It was great.

Dance - I liked Drobiazko&Vanagas, Bourne&Kraatz, and Lobacheva&Averbukh most among the FDs. I loved A&P's and L&A's ODs, and liked the others too, but I think L&A's is my fave. I was shocked when Fusar-Poli&Margaglio fell, and thought B&K were a lock for bronze after that till they fell too. Kudos to Shae for the way she acted afterwards, but I felt so sorry for Victor, he looked crushed.

Ladies - I thought beforehand that it would be either Michelle or Irina for gold, and that nobody else would realistically have won it. I watched the SPs interested to see Sasha because I'd read so much about her on the net beforehand, so much hype, and was curious to see what was so great. I really enjoyed her programme and thought her skating was really nice. After Sarah's LP, I got a lump in my throat because I just couldn't stop thinking that that must be the best feeling in the whole world - to skate your best like that in the Olympics and to get such a reception, and the look on her face topped it off. I was kinda shocked when Michelle fell in the LP. After Irina's marks, and when it said her LP was in 2nd place, I thought Michelle had won it (because after Michelle's skate she was still in first, because it was overall). That would have meant the results were the same as at 01 Worlds. I was just thinking about that, when the camera went to Sarah screaming her head off on the floor and the commentator said "And there is the winner!" My mouth dropped open, lol. I couldn't help smiling at her reaction though, it was so cute. And I loved Sarah's, Irina's and Michelle's exhibitions.

[duane]

what pops in my mind (in no particular order):

sarah's free-spirited LP, and the reaction of her and robin when they realized sarah won the gold.

seeing the "old" (literally) rivals--todd and elvis--on the ice.

plushenko's fall in the SP (i was SO devastated!!!).

plushenko's simply amazing 3axel/.5loop/3flip jump sequence!

scott hamilton's awful commentating. one, him saying that yagudin was conceding the LP to plushenko, and may possibly even place below tim! anyone--skating fan or nonskating fan--could see that yagudin's LP was the best of the event (tho the 6.0's were generous).
what i really took offense at was him fanning the flames of the pairs "controversy". i think, as a commentator, he should have educated the more casual fans of how one simple mistake by b&s--one that didnt at all disrupt the flow of the program--didnt make s&p the "clear" winners. instead, scott continued to rant and rave, while showing the mistake over and over again--ad-nauseam--as proof that b&s didnt deserve the win.

[LTM]

twinsmom, I love your SLC memory. That must have been so cool.
For me, outside of Yagudin's LP and Sarah Hughes LP, SLC figure skating left me not even sure I wanted to bother with this sport any longer. It's taken me watching Canadians a couple of weeks ago to
get back into it again and frankly I'm still pretty jaundiced. I guess time will tell.
On the other hand, there were lots of other highs. I loved the Austrialian
guy winning the short track event, Marc Gagnon winning his two gold medals, and of course the hockey games.
I also impressed with how well the games seemed to running and how
everyone couldn't say nice enough things about the games hosts.
SLC and Utah citizens I hope you are still patting yourselves on the back

[Alexeiskate]

Favorite moments that I can watch over and over again:

- Yaguding's short program
- Sarah's long program. Her 3-3 had never been cleaner.
- MK's FOG. That was one of the most memorable exhibition performance that I have ever seen.


Moment that I cannot watch again:

- MK's long program. I wanted her to win so bad, and it was there for her to take it.

[Charis]

skating is a joke and they can't hide it anymore.......the upset in ladies' didn't redeem anything for me.......disappointment for Todd, I would have been happy with two good skates, even if he didn't win a medal.....B&K laying on the ice after their free dance and Shae-Lynn tenderly kissing Victor's forehead, I thought that was very sweet......

[Anjelica]

I will remember the Opening and the Closing ceremonies; all of the Mega-Security at the Games; seeing Pres. Bush; watching the US team march onto the field during the Opening Ceremonies; all of the joy everyone felt at being there; Naomi and Peter's FD and the standing ovation they received from the crowd and hundreds of yellow roses thrown on the ice after they skated; Sarah's LP and expression when she won; poor Michelle crying; the nonsense of the double gold medals awarded at the Pairs event; all the falls during the FD, the AT&T Family Center and the wonderful services they provided for the US Olympic team family members, the beautiful Olympic flame in the cauldron at Rice-Eccles Stadium!

[CanAmSk8ter]

My favorite experience of the Olympics was being interviewed on TV. After the pairs fiasco, I think the day before the second gold medals were awarded, the local news station came to the rink to interview some of the skaters. A couple of my friends and I got to be interviewed on camera, and they took some footage of me skating that they used too. Everyone at school kept coming up to me the next day and telling me they saw me on TV. So that was pretty cool :)

I had just started training at a new rink part-time last year, and the Olympics came at a great time because they helped me make firends with some of the kids at the new rink. I remember watching one of $peedy's press conferences in the rink lobby one afternoon and he made some asinine comment, and one of the other girls, an ice dancer who actually has competed internationally several times, looked at me and we both just said "Yeah. Right." Then, like I said, a few of us were interviewed on TV. After the dance competition, we were all able to commiserate over how crushed we all were for Shae-Lynn and Victor, and how a lot of us thought they should have been third anyway.

I learned a lot during the Olympics though. As upset as I was at what happened to Shae-Lynn and Victor, their reaction taught me a major lesson about keeping your head up, doing what has to be done, and just dealing with it until you're not in front of an audience- things I've struggled with in the past. The fact that after that they went on to skate great at World and to commit to another season reminds me of the importance of not giving up when things don't go well. When I have days like yesterday, when I can't do anything right, or like Wednesday, when my coach criticized for forty-five minutes straight, that's what I think of.

And of course, the shot of Alexei half-naked wasn't half bad either ;)

[Toeloopy]

My mom's best friend's husband got an Olympic calendar from his credit union and passed it along to me (really sweet gesture!). It had fun stickers with the mascots and little medals. Even though I'm old enough to remember watching Dorothy Hamill win in '76, I loved "playing" with that calendar, putting the little medals on their pages and decorating each day with relevant stickers. My mom and I did our big mother/daughter Olympic bonding by watching almost every moment that was aired, including the Today Show. Even my :twisted: HR boss at work let me have reduced hours for two weeks so that I wouldn't miss any coverage.

I remember feeling very patriotic and proud that not only was the US team doing well, but that my country was able to pull off such a great event only months after 9/11. This was the first time I personally knew athletes competing and it was very weird to have a personal interest in the results, rather than just watching because I love the Olympics.

I cheered and cried for Ina & Zimmerman skating two personal bests. I remember sitting on the couch for ladies and being on the cell phone with a friend who was in SLC holding it up so I could hear Sarah's short program skate because it wasn't being shown live. I had the laptop going with the scores as well, so I could keep track of the skaters not shown on TV. My heart broke for Michelle. I was so happy and proud of Sarah. And Robin turning Sarah to face the ice at the end was a moment that you might think "I wish I had thought to..." much later, but she seized the moment and it was perfect.

I loved watching sports like short track and snowboarding and learning about these newer events. I even liked the fluff pieces on all the athletes.

As much as the big judging thing is what people talk about most, that's not the first thing I think of. I think of pride, of personal bests, and that I feel really, really lucky to be an American.

-Michelle

[sspye]

You may think that I go overboard... But growing up, we always watched the Oly's with 2 TV's going at the same time... US AND CANADIAN coverage. My Dad would set the old 13" black and white with rabbit ears on so that we could watch all of the coverage. We did this for hockey too!!!

Well, now that I am older... I make my husband go and heist our other color TV down so that we can watch 'all of the coverage'. At first he thought that this was strange behavior. Now, it is a MUST for him during the Stanley Cup Finals...LOL

Back to this past Oly's... I think that I chewed my nails down to the quick during the ladies event. Of course, I was rooting for Sarah to medal...but never did I expect the change of events during the LP. I don't think that I took a breath during her LP...it was spectacular!!! My next 3 breaths happened once during Sasha's LP, once during Michelle's LP, and once during Irina's LP. But Sarah winning...that simply took my breath away...again.

I cried full of happiness for Sarah, while my heart broke for Sasha and Michelle.

But, the most significant part of the Oly's for me... When the US flag from the WTC was brought out. I cannot get that vision out of my mind.

Denise

[love2sk8]

I think thats such a good idea to put two TV's in one room, to get all the coverage!! I'm gonna try that in 2006:D

[Canadian Chick]

For me the things I remember most were

1) Jamie and David's fall at the end of their short....I laugh about that now, as do they :)
2) Jamie and David's absolutely perfect LP (and me jumping up and down when they finished)
3) Jamie and David's marks coming up for the long (and me screaming in protest)
4) The support they got when reciveing the silver medals
5) The moment it was decided they were going to get gold (I couldn't stop smiling)
6) When they got the gold medals
7) Seeing them on stage being silly :lol:
8) Seeing them carry the flag in the closing ceremony

*Guess who my favorite skaters are* ;)

[Oracle]

I'd like to thank twinsmom, too, for sharing the Todd/Elvis story with us. That should be included in a book on skating someday!
My 1st thoughts on memories of the Olympics? I was so relieved when they ended. I've been watching them since 1968 & these were the worst for controversies, accusations, cheating that I can remember. Not just in figure skating, it was going on all over the different venues. What a sad reflection on our global society.:(

[love2sk8]

Couldnt agree with you more, Canadian Chick, about Jaime and David:D

[CMc]

Almost a year already!!
It seems to me about this time last year we were talking about who was going to be taking home that gold medal!

I STILL can't believe what happened happened!! Not even ME, the guy that told people in his signature "Sarah Rules" or "Sarah For Gold in 2002"--I didn't even believe we would see Sarah win the gold, as much as I loved seeing it happen!
I got even less sleep than Sarah that night! :lol: And I didn't even have to do press like she did right after!

My friend Susan, who takes the LIRR from her local stop in Long Island to Penn Station, told me the next day when the train stopped in Great Neck, the conductor announced "Great Neck, home of Olympic Champion Sarah Hughes"! The next thing we know, she's everywhere (NYSE, Rangers game puck-dropping, Wheaties, Campbells, Grammys--It was a bit too much Sarah even for ME! :lol: ). The sweetest thing for me was Channel 4 in New York when they did the "Bravo Sarah, you're solid gold!" station bumper that they ran the following weekend!

It just continues to make me feel absolutely special that I was able to see this kid grow up in front of my eyes and metamorphosize from the gangly, brace-faced whiz-kid into this big graceful (Yes, I said it, graceful ;)) bird spreading out her wings and soaring in the air!
It's just unbelieveable to this day!

[bcskater]

wow, the first thing that comes to mind is the absolute joy that jamie & dave gave us when they skated so amazingly. and i also remember that enormous DOWN i felt as soon as their marks came up. i was emotionally drained for a couple weeks after that.
then the ladies was so exciting! sarah skating so well, and for the first time, i actually enjoyed her skating! lol, then my absolute shock that michelle didnt even attempt the 3/3, and then missed the flip :oops: , it was sad but also exciting cuz everything was so unpredictable!
its two weeks of competition that i will never forget, i taped EVERY second of it, so it will never dissapear!

[bleu]

Going into the olympics, I was looking forward to seeing all disciplines but mostly pairs and dance. In the end, I only saw 1 event - pairs and that was it until the exhibition :(

my stomach hurt so much after the pairs event that I couldn't watch the men or ladies. I felt bad about missing the ladies because I was rooting for SH to pull an upset. Dance I tuned out on purpose.

Memorable event - pairs short(S&P's reaction to fall at the end of their SP). As soon as I saw this, I knew they were going to win it unless something happens....and boy did something happen.

Memorable skating moment - seeing Sarah Hughes BIG BIG picture on my morning paper at 5.00 am and going...8O(my reaction to SH)..then :
:((my reaction to MK)...then

OMG...because two things that I predicted happened:

- SH will win.
- S&P will skate cleanly and win but something will happen.

It was a weird olympics.

[Germanice]

Originally posted by Fliple Trip
Alexei. He was just magical the entire Olympics through. First his two competitve performances: It is true, he didn't skate them with his usual passion, but with so much determination, will and an unbelievable "So-who's-coming-second?"-attitude. They're brilliant and majestic in their very own way. Then his emotional outburst in the KnC after it was finally done. You really got the impression this meant EVERYTHING to him. I'm still getting goosebumps watching it on tape after all this time! And, finally!, last but NOT least, the pretty sensual "Overcome"-performance at the Gala, and his very own "exhibition" after that ... awww! ;)

ITA! When I think of last years Olympics, Alexei comes into my mind first. He was the most clear and shining skating Olympic Gold in SLC. Too bad he didn't get the attention and appreciation he deserved because his win was still overshadowed by the pairs controversy. It seemed to me some of the Northamerican media just paid attention to the men's event because they're only waiting for another judging scandal and another "undeserved" Russian win. Unfortunately he refused to do them this favour, so they forget about him very soon. Deserved winning Russians seemed not that interesting!

I almost cried with Irina after her LP. What a heartbreaker! It must have been bitter for her to lose the Gold mostly because of a 2nd place in the SP, which she deserved to win.

Even though I also thought Sale & Pelletier should have won Gold right away, I remember how shocked I was because of some openly hatefilled and anti-Russian posts at FSW. The hysteria then was unbelievable and IMHO out of proportion to what actually happend.

The opening ceremony was (with little, too pathetic exceptions) wonderful. What a great show! I've watched this at night along with some friends and I remember how we all burst out laughing when Mr. Bush really put his people in a spot again. "As president of a proud nation ... gagaga ... I declared ....". We all found this pretty ridiculous and unnecessary. Until then every king, queen, president, and what-do-I-know, yes, even bloody dictators like Hitler managed somehow to keep the historical Olympic opening wording, but not Mr. Bush, of course! :roll:

Anke

[irene2020]

twinsmom, I like your memory and story about elvis and todd the best.
You have more?

[Dr. Pangloss]

I will share with you my fondest memory of the most recent Olympics. My wife and I are devoted Yagudin fans. Unfortunately, my wife, who is an opera singer, had to be in rehersal for a new production during the mens short and long programs. I stayed home and watched Alexie dominate the event with not only a great technical skate but the most passionate choreographed set of programs. After he won the short program I called the theater where my wife was rehearsing and asked the stage manager to deliver a note with two words on it, "Winter Wins". Later that night, when my wife (Mrs. Pangloss?) came home she related to me how when she received the note she completely broke down causing the rest of the cast to rush to her side. Through her sobs of pleasure, she was able to assure them she was fine, just thrilled that her favorite skater was in first after the short program. Needless to say, the members of the company, not being skating fans, thought she was crazy! On the night of the long program, Mrs. Pangloss was again at rehearsal. I promised I would not call so as not to distract her from focusing on her work. Well.....naturaly as the night wore on and I realized that Alexie was going to be wearing the gold medal, I couldn't stand it, I called the stage manager again and asked her to deliver a note that said, "Solid Gold". According to my wife, when she read that note she just screamed and hugged the other singers. Her leading tenor just said, "Oh my God, tell me this is not about ice skating again!" Anyway, that stupid, but cute, story is my best memory of the entire event. Naturally I have others but this is the one I keep up front.

[Lee]

Dr. Pangloss, your story and twinsmom's are both fabulous! Love 'em both! Thankyou both so much for sharing them!

[lolat]

1- How elated I was with Sarah finally raising the technical bar for the ladies. It was almost as good as having Midori there to scare hell out of everyone! 2- I remember at first feeling sorry for Jami and David but then as time went on I just got tired of the whole thing. 3- Realizing that if the judging rules were really changed as a result of these Olys that the undeserved skaters could no longer be held up in the future.4- Thinking how differant the future of skating would be from that point on and looking forward to it.

[Lynnet]

Thanks Twinsmum for the touching story about Elvis and Todd. Just goes to show that not all the great Olympic stories happen in front of the TV camera. I'm sorry that the Olympics didn't happen the way either Todd or Elvis would have liked but it's great to hear that they continued to be great sportsmen even in disappointment. (which does not come as any great surprise to me. One of the reasons I have always been a fan of Elvis is that he was always a class act in victory or in defeat and was always great about supporting other skaters.)

[A.H.Black]

Twinsmom always tells me she doesn't post very often because she doesn't have anything to tell --- HA!

I can confirm the story about Todd and Elvis because we (Twinsmom and I) were sitting together when it happened. Elvis was really a kick that morning. Todd, well Todd just had to practice as usual although he did break down a little when Elvis started taking it easy.

I remember before the Olympics started, going up to Logan to watch the Russians practice. We saw all three pairs plus Plushenko. The pairs skaters appeared to be teasing him as he was the only single skater on the ice. They were all relaxed and at their best. I remember being more impressed by Totmianina and Marinin and Petrova and Tikhonov than I had been in the past and more than I expected to be. Mostly, I remember being blown away by Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, especially by Anton. I had remembered reading that the new long program was wonderful but I was so impressed. Mind you I had seen them before and wasn't that impressed, but I surely was that day. I was sure they would win on the strength of the program. (They didn't skate nearly as well in the competition).

After the practice the skaters stood outside the rink signing autographs and having pictures taken. You should have seen all the middle-aged women running for their camera's. It was very fun. The people of Logan were so glad to have them there and the skaters were great in return.

If this thread keeps going maybe Twinsmom and I can share some more memories. I will if she will.

Dr. Pangloss, I love your story about your wife. How did the Opera turn out?

[twinsmom]

Okay, you asked for it . . . Here's another.

Men's short program, we saw pretty much the worst costume I have ever seen. It was worn by Dmitri Dmitrenko of Ukraine. It was a light either gray or tan with flowers sewn on the front, sort of like a scoop neck. But also there was some sort of braiding or something that wound around his leg, up his torso and then around the back of his neck. On closer look, we discovered that this braiding (or whatever it was) had a snake head that was sitting on his shoulder. 8O It was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, and it looked horrible on him. The guy who was in charge of the ice, Denny (he's from Lake Placid and is the nicest guy), was absolutely going nuts over this costume. I didn't personally witness most of what he said because I happened to have a ticket for the event, but everybody who worked that night went on and on about how appalled Denny was about this costume.

So we (the patchers) decided that as a sort of going away/remembrance to Denny, we'd try to replicate this costume and give it to him. The rest of the Olympics the ice patchers were on a mission to retrieve every sequin so we could put it on this "costume" for Denny. We got a gray t-shirt, sewed on sequins and flowers, got a fake snake and wrapped it around the shirt, and then we all signed our names to it. The look on his face when he opened it up was priceless. We also made him put it on (which I'm certain he wasn't that thrilled about), but it made for a fun moment for us.

Oh, one more I can't forget (sorry guys, you really got me going now!). I got a huge amount of pleasure watching Laetitia Hubert practice. She has absolutely huge jumps (not always controllable), but a joy to behold when she gets them. She was working particularly hard one practice on a 3z/3t. She kept trying it over and over and over, pretty much unsuccessfully. Right at the end of the practice, she tried one more, fell and then in frustration kicked at the ice with her blade. The most enormous chunk of ice came out at that point (and believe me, there were holes galore in that area because she was using the same spot each time). When we went out to patch, I told everyone that I was just heading straight there to try and repair the damage which I knew would be huge (I think I even filled my bucket even more with ice because I knew what it would be like). I think I used every bit of ice I had in my bucket (a 5 gallon bucket at that!) to try and fill that hole.

[Fliple Trip]

Originally posted by Dr. Pangloss
I will share with you my fondest memory of the most recent Olympics. My wife and I are devoted Yagudin fans. Unfortunately, my wife, who is an opera singer, had to be in rehersal for a new production during the mens short and long programs. I stayed home and watched Alexie dominate the event with not only a great technical skate but the most passionate choreographed set of programs. After he won the short program I called the theater where my wife was rehearsing and asked the stage manager to deliver a note with two words on it, "Winter Wins". Later that night, when my wife (Mrs. Pangloss?) came home she related to me how when she received the note she completely broke down causing the rest of the cast to rush to her side. Through her sobs of pleasure, she was able to assure them she was fine, just thrilled that her favorite skater was in first after the short program. Needless to say, the members of the company, not being skating fans, thought she was crazy! On the night of the long program, Mrs. Pangloss was again at rehearsal. I promised I would not call so as not to distract her from focusing on her work. Well.....naturaly as the night wore on and I realized that Alexie was going to be wearing the gold medal, I couldn't stand it, I called the stage manager again and asked her to deliver a note that said, "Solid Gold". According to my wife, when she read that note she just screamed and hugged the other singers. Her leading tenor just said, "Oh my God, tell me this is not about ice skating again!" Anyway, that stupid, but cute, story is my best memory of the entire event. Naturally I have others but this is the one I keep up front.

What a great story, Dr. Pangloss! I know exactly how you and your wife must have felt then ... do you got any more? :)

[lolat]

There is no-one like Yags. Dr., your story was just great- thanks for sharing it.

[venice]

I would have to say Sarah's amazing performance. It was so magical. She had the best performance of her life on the biggest night of her life. It was the stuff of fairy tales.

[proam]

Originally posted by venice
I would have to say Sarah's amazing performance. It was so magical. She had the best performance of her life on the biggest night of her life. It was the stuff of fairy tales.

LOL Venice, or a big Hollywood movie. You know the kind where the underdog waits until the end of the movie to prove everyone wrong and does the amazing performance, in slow motion no less, to the roar, the applause, and adulation of the crowd.
Ah the stuff of dreams, from the video of a little girl who can’t wait to win the Gold Medal to the same young lady winning of that Gold Medal just a few years later. :)

To me the best of the Olympic was Sarah and the second best was the acknowledgment of many that the Olympics finally got it right.
Sarah will be remembered not only for her amazing performance, but removing some of the stench from that scandal ridden Olympics, quite a feat for a sixteen year old. :bow: :bow: :)

[lolat]

couldn't have said it better myself.