Every four years Olympic figure skating shoots to the headlines to further bring non-skater's interest and opinions as well as others into a conversation that ultimately usually ends up in a heated debate. What would any Olympics be without debate!
The scoring changes a few years ago has left most skaters and non-skaters shaking heads anyway. The quad fest has put a whole different meaning to how many times can you spin and still land on one foot.
This year's figure skating team for me has been interesting to watch. Due to prior placements the pair's only had one team eligible and for me knowing ahead of time that they probably wouldn't place individually but glad that all America's figure skater's were able to pull off a bronze medal this time was pretty impressive. I am still a little on the fence about this team competition category (just for me personally would rather see synchronized skating added, more on that later).
It has definitely been a skating marathon of highs and lows of epic proportions. Once a skater, always a skater. Growing up at ice dance sessions it was probably one of the most exciting events since Torvill and Dean. To actually see some trips and falls is really a rare sight but let me tell you not surprising.
If you have watched any coverage on the NBCSN channel each night hopefully you have been educated by Scott Hamilton, Tanith White and others. They have provide a great insight to the actual world of all the discipline's that really have not been touched upon before. All skates and skaters are definitely not created equal.
Figure Skating Olympics 2018 was exciting it was also somewhat disappointing for me as well. Ice Dancing has definitely come leaps and jumps from what it was. I learned pattern dances like the Dutch Waltz, Fiesta Tango and 14 Step. The original dances have been transformed into a ballet of sorts but one thing that hasn't changed; is the blades. They still are much shorter than figure skate blades and one teenie tiny position change backward or forward can mean doom. Even the top contenders can have that oopsy moment and boy they did.
The "Shibsib" journey has been exciting but as some of my non-skating friends have also stated, "boy it must be creepy to dance with your sibling". That I never did but I will say most of the time personally when I did ice dance and went to dancing sessions I skated with much older men that frankly wasn't a picnic either. Guess that is why I kept to single skating much of my life.
I think every skaters' dreams of skating pairs, yes I did but one facet of skating I never attempted. The American team was a Romeo and Juliet story and although they did not reach the individual pair medal standings, the skating/personal story they presented was beautiful and inspiring.
All expectations were directed to the Men's Skate. With three men's hopefuls; Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon and Vincent Zhou speculation was on how many quad's would be hit on all the programs. Actually, in the end it didn't impress me how many they did but whether or not the program's in the end were the full package. Great debate among skater's and arm-chair skater's was abound. Stories of how the men keep their bodies just slender enough so that the 4 or more revolutions can be met is mind blowing. Debate on whether it is/isn't a sport was answered in one interview by Vincent Zhou. The articulate, young skater's response to one report was priceless. In the final outcome, the men placed in the top 10 which for skating; is a good thing for the future competition year.
The last figure skating event last night was yet again, completed jumps or pop-outs. And too many pop-outs made for a sad showing for the American women. Although the Russian's not surprising the little forces in the skating world didn't disappoint it was noted in commentary that none of the top Russian's from the previous Olympics are even skating today. Win and run or be tossed aside for the next generation of power princesses? Yes, it is sad but true.
I hope if what they say around the water cooler is true that by 2022 Synchronized will be included in the figure skating events. I think a petition should be started for at least televising it on the regular sports channels or else I may have to fish out my old team tapes for any one's viewing pleasure.
Is figure skating a sport? My long answer is; Yes, skating is a sport. It is a lifestyle. It is a job. It is costly. It is beautiful. It has highs, lows and it can make a person or break a person. Weak ankles, mind, spirit and bodies can materialize at any given time. You skate through sickness, health, wardrobe malfunctions, you name it I have seen it happen on the ice. I never had the dream of going to the Olympics, but I had some pretty amazing experiences that only the sport of figure skating could bring.
Hopes that the U.S. will go back to basics and fuel the minds of skater's as well as the bodies. That would be the complete skating package for 2022 in Beijing.
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