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They're reading here too

A few days ago I posted my confusion about why there's been no pieces on the Shroud of Turin during all the hours & hours of Olympics coverage and local color pieces. Well, on Sunday's NBC wrapup of the games they did a very nice piece on it, which was quite well done.

As often happens with my summertime site Hamsterwatch.com, which keeps up with the shenanigans seen on the 24/7 feeds from inside the "Big Brother" house before it's edited down to what's shown on CBS, I'm going to believe that the staff is reading me and filling in their gaps accordingly.

Hey, it's my fantasy - don't ruin it.

(And if perchance it isn't fantasy, I wish the TV producers - or anyone else reading - would please hire me for something.. I need a job.)

2.26.06 @ 5:28 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

And then it went out

The Olympic flame was extinguished about ten minutes past 10pm Torino time. The city's webcams only refresh every few minutes so it was that much more dramatic to see it burning bright one minute like it has for the past two weeks, and dark the next.

It's always sad to see the flame go out, but the stadium burst into light again a few minutes later and the 20-story tall tower that held the flame was lit up again for a moment, and decorated with sparkle from the fireworks.

Inside the stadium were clowns, acrobats, brides, ballerinas, human tarot cards, Andrea Bocelli and Avril Levigne, and the usual pomp & circumstance was accompanied by masks on the spectators and clown noses on the athletes, all in keeping with Italy's Carnevale which takes place this weekend. The crowd roared when the final gold medal was awarded to Italy's own Giorgio di Centa for the 50k cross country race, the "Snow Marathon". The view from afar shows that the closing ceremonies had their share of dazzle, light and color, even after the flame went out. It should be a good show when it airs tonight.

By all accounts Torino was an excellent host for the 20th Winter Olympics and most everything went smoothly. There was this brief interruption during the speeches at the closing ceremonies, when a protestor jumped onstage and grabbed the mic from the head of Torino's organizing committee. NBC has plenty of time to edit him out before air-time tonight, but they might leave him in for dramatic effect since he was hustled away before he got a chance to voice his gripe - whatever it was - to the world.

Even though I watched the games from the other side of the world, I felt like I was there for much of it, and I felt welcome. Thanks to all the athletes, committees and crews, and grazie per ospitarli, Torino!

2.26.06 @ 1:47 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

But wait, there's more

In a stunning Saturday night double-header special, short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno pulled out all the stops and ended the night with two new medals around his neck, one gold and one bronze. He barely qualified for the 500 meter final and the race had two false starts that set nerves on edge, but on the third Apolo came out flying and was in the lead and on point for the superfast sprint in the sport that seems to defy the physics of gravity. He crossed the finish line ahead of Canadians Francois-Louis Tremblay & Eric Bedard and his long-time rival Ahn Hyun-Soo of Korea, who came in fifth/last, shutting him out of an individual short track gold medal sweep.

This was Apolo's second gold medal, but he got his first in Salt Lake City because the winner was disqualified. Tonight's was undeniably earned, and the guy with the best name and best game face at these Olympics showed that he also has the most contagious joy. Afterwards he said "I've been searching my entire career for the perfect race and that was it."

Not long after, still high on his win and adrenalin, Apolo anchored the US team for the 5,000 meter relay race, one of the most chaotic events in sports. Five teams, twenty skaters trading off every two laps and shoving & jostling in very crowded small spaces made for mass confusion to us non-experts but it sure was exciting. Apolo passed in the last lap to land the bronze along with Alex Izykowski, Rusty Smith and J.P. Kepka. This time Ahn & his teammates got the gold.

All was not perfect on the short track ice tonight though. 20-year-old Kimberly Derrick of Michigan was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 1,000 meter women's race. Her grandfather had come to Torino to watch her skate but had died suddenly the night before from an apparent heart attack. She was barely fighting back tears minutes before her race but she went for it anyway.. I'm sure because her grandpa would have wanted her to.

So on the next to last day of competition, I'm giving Kimberly a 2Cents Gold Medal Spirit Award for giving her all when all felt impossible. After her race she said, "This was the most emotional day of my life. I'm proud to be at the Olympics and at the same time, my heart hurts so much. When I got onto the ice I was overcome by emotions, but I knew I had to race." I'm sure Lindsey Kildow won't mind sharing this little blog's podium with her.

Meanwhile Bode Miller failed to medal again in his fifth and final event today. The press is having a field day bashing his losing streak but hey, they're the ones who hyped him up as the golden boy expected to win everything.. at the same time as they were poking at him for being an individual and not always saying what they wanted him to. Bode responded to it all by saying he had a great time at these Olympics and that "the expectations were other people's."

NBC had the oddest Bode wrapup tonight, talking him up as a failure but making his losses a top story. They even pulled Tom Brokaw out of retirement and sent him out to Bode's trailer for the interview. It wasn't special or controversial and held no surprises, but afterwards Bob Costas ripped into Bode for no apparent reason. It was vicious, ugly and seemingly unprovoked. Ehhh, there's always somebody who has to spoil a terrific Saturday night party.

Costas must be losing it. He later said "Ohno will retire as the sole patched face of this sport".. whatever that means.

2.26.06 @ 3:25 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

It's a wrap, almost

A few events are still to come but things are definitely winding down in Torino. Closing ceremonies will air Sunday night and should be spectacular if the opener was any indication. The theme will be Carnivale and lots of circus themes & acrobats are promised. Check out the stadium webcam starting around 11am Pacific/2pm Eastern on Sunday for a sneak peek at the lighting and fireworks, and to watch the Olympic flame be extinguished. (I think they should let it continue to burn at each host venue, but I don't get a vote.)

It's easy to become jaded from the constant OD of emotionally edited, violin-laden backstory pieces that TV brings us about these athletes, but let's face it, the Olympics are about personalities and individual triumphs & failures as much as they are about speed & talent. That's why they appeal to me, and to many.

Personal style adds a lot also and reminds us these are all somebody's brother or sister, son or daughter, parent, cousin, co-worker, neighbor.. they're just like us in most ways, but they have something special that the rest of us don't. Martin Rettl, an Austrian skeleton racer, showed his colors with his hair. American skier Resi Stiegler was forbidden at first to wear her signature tiger ears but then allowed. Her teammate Julia Mancuso didn't wear her trademark tiara during her gold medal giant slalom run, but she wore it atop the podium.

I'm sorry an injury prevented Virgin Islands' Anne Abernathy from racing and we didn't get to see 52-year-old "Grandma Luge" fly down the track in her red helmet, homage to her membership in the Red Hat Society for women over 50 who like to have fun.. in red hats.

But helmet art was everywhere and often said a lot about its wearers. These belong to Didier Cuche, Swiss alpine skier; US hockey goalie Rick DiPietro; and Jeff Pain of Canada, who won silver in skeleton:

These games have had a good amount of controversy, which makes it all more fun. The deadly glare and icy silence backstage between Italian ice dancers Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio was the best soap opera going, and although the Shani White versus Chad Hedrick feud was largely fueled by the media, it was still a good bout to watch unfold. In my opinion, Shani was the clear winner of that one.

The late night drug raid on the Austrian team followed by a high-speed chase, car crash and arrest were great drama, but some other moments were good too. While it isn't unusual to see a Golden Palace human billboard anywhere, it was a little unsettling to curling fans when this guy stripped down to his chicken and streaked the bronze medal match. When he was being hauled away he cried "Please will someone bring me my clothes?"

Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin of France was fined $3800 and sent home after flipping off race officials. He'd been in the lead of the Super-G when it was postponed for bad weather. When the race was restarted later, from scratch, he missed a gate and was disqualified.

I've done my share of making fun of some of the figure skaters' outfits while marveling (or shuddering) at their performances, but Yahoo has taken on Mr. Blackwell with their Worst Skating Outfits slideshow.. check it out for a good laugh.

Amid all the hijinx, it's easy to forget how deadly some of these sports can be. There were some spectacular and very serious crashes over the last couple of weeks. These are only three of them but I think they kind of sum up the terror felt watching someone crash at speeds of 60, 70, and 80 mph. Left to right, Nethlerlands' two-person women's bobsled flips over mid-course; Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin wipe out on doubles luge; and men's slalom favorite Giorgio Rocca of Italy's crash today:

I didn't follow cross country events much but I was always floored by the body-count carnage at the finish lines. Like all of these sports, they make it look so effortless that it's easy to forget how utterly grueling these events are. The photographer here also points out how much in-your-face the press gets - it's not surprising that some of these athletes get fed up and blast them now and then. It is surprising that more don't.

For pure heart, I have to give the 2Cents Gold Medal Spirit Award to skier Lindsey Kildow, who came back from a huge crash that would have put most of us away for months to compete in three more events, finishing 7th in Super-G and 8th in Downhill. You go, girl!

Runners-up for this made up but heartfelt award include Phillip Boit, left, Kenya's sole athlete in Torino, and Ethiopia's Robel Teklemariam, right. They finished the men's 15k cross country race 92nd and 84th respectively. Behind them Arturo Kinch finished last and Prawat Nagvajara just in front of him. Both live in the USA but skied as their native countries' sole athlete at these games. Kinch is 49 and represented Costa Rica; Nagvajara is 47 and skied for Thailand. They both paid their own way to the games. These guys all finished the race a full half-hour after the winners, but they finished.. and that's what the Olympics are about.

All in all, it's been a great Olympics.

Thanks to Associated Press, IBS, Getty, Reuters, and everyone else whose terrific photos I've borrowed for these pages, and thanks to everyone who's visited this site.

2.25.06 @ 4:23 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

One last Kwan

In the end, nobody much missed Michelle Kwan, who was last seen wiping a tear as she departed her final Torino press conference. Her excuses for her poor practice session that led to her bowing out of competition included an old injury flare-up, a new injury (allegedly sustained after her first fall), forgetting to bring her music to practice, having to fly across nine time zones, and sitting out in the cold during opening ceremonies. It all sounded pretty flimsy at the time, and even more so now compared to some of the against-all-odds stories that unfolded over the last couple of weeks.

All this after she failed to qualify for the team in the first place, and had a private judging session to appeal the decision, after which she was accepted. What did all that cost contributors to the US skating team and the Olympics?

Kwan was a good skater who had a good run. Her future's wide open with options and she's far more financially secure than most of us. It was time for her to go, but once she was gone NBC made as big a deal about her as they did for Princess Diana's and Pope John Paul II's deaths. Within a day or so a local reporter let slip the reason for the overblown eulogies: NBC had offered her a job, asking her to stay in Torino and report on the skating events. When she declined (Disney had already called her) NBC suddenly let it drop and the attempted bribery-by-adoration became clear.

Kwan has an online fan club who call themselves "Michelle Kwan's Guardian Angels" who go around defending her in chat rooms and deleting criticism from message boards. I figure it says a lot about Kwan that she doesn't ask them to stop, that criticism can be a healthy and constructive path to self-improvement.. but no, it doesn't work that way for this diva and her rabid fans who subscribe to the see-no-evil/hear-no-evil school of self awareness.

Meanwhile thanks to Kwan finally getting out while the getting was good, Emily Hughes got the opportunity of a lifetime and a big fat dose of priceless experience to help her future career, and she was a joy to watch.

2.25.06 @ 4:11 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Podium report, or "Dick Button's Lament"

I said that Shizuka Arakawa might sneak up and shut out both Sasha Cohen & Irina Slutskaya, and she did just that. In doing so, she won Japan's first medal in these Olympics, and its first skating gold medal ever. She's going to be such a superstar when she gets back home. I'm so pleased for her.

But overall Thursday night's skate finals failed to impress. Not because Sasha Cohen or Irina Slutskaya didn't win - I was rooting for them both along with Arakawa and a half dozen others - but because the whole night just fell flat after the triumphs of the short program. It showcased the pressure these kids are under and the fact that we expect impossible feats from them over and over again, and it also showed us the flaws of the new judging system in that virtually every program was the same, with the same moves and the same style (or lack of). Most of the skaters in every discipline are merely doing tricks now to earn judging points, and filling the spaces between with very little that's enjoyable to watch. Dick Button has complained about this stuff for two weeks now, and he's 100% right.

Aside from staying on her skates while most of the others bounced, Arakawa's routine included this unique backbend move, which may or may not have helped put her on top. The only other thing that was different by any of them was one of those very, very fast blur-spins by one of the girls. We used to see those all the time. Now it just seems to be about trends: everyone does the same moves, the same spins, the same spirals, even after they've completed whatever elements they're all required to do. That gives us non-experts an easy way to compare one to another, but something's missing.

Arakawa & Cohen were really the only ones who showed grace and elegance along with their powerhouse jumps and intricate spins, and that's too bad. All that seemingly effortless beauty is one of the reasons women's figure skating is the premier event of the Winter Olympics. It's clear to me that most of the skating coaches and trainers are overlooking something that used to be an integral part of a world class skater's curriculum: ballet training.

Nobody expected both Sasha and Irina would bounce, but that's how it goes. As amazingly talented as both are, it just seems like something's wrong when these are the silver and bronze performances:

If skating's only going to be about technical tricks and powerful jumps from now on, let's just ditch the music and sparkly costumes. Turn it into a purely athletic event and stop pretending it's something else. Or split it up into different disciplines like other sports do: have a jumping competition, a spinning competition, an artistic competition (keep the music & some sparkle for that, but hope it doesn't go where ice dancing's gone), and then maybe an all-around. Maybe the officials - and we viewers - are just asking too much of these kids by expecting that each of them can do everything, and we really have no right to be disappointed when they can't fulfull every aspect of this demanding sport. The talents it requires are just too many and too diverse, especially when every breath they take makes world headlines.. after all, they're just kids.

I wish the best to all of them, especially Irina Slutskaya & her mother; and Tugba Karademir, Turkey's first-ever Olympic skater, whose parents couldn't even afford to go to Torino to watch their girl skate in the Olympics after giving up everything to get her there.

2.24.06 @ 9:42 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

A shrouded mystery

Maybe it's just me, but I think it's peculiar that we haven't heard much about the Shroud of Turin among all the Olympics coverage. Before all the skis, skates & sleds came to town, Torino/Turin was best known for the cloth inside the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist that's said to have covered Jesus in his tomb.

I don't watch every minute of Olympics coverage and I don't always pay close attention even when it's on, but I've seen an awful lot of it along with pieces by local news reporters camped out in Torino and the occasional Olympics piece on entertainment or magazine shows. So far out of all the back-story and local color pieces, the only (sort of) in-depth piece I've seen about the Shroud was from one of Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" idiots. Ross the Intern's Torino reports are way better than anything that guy has to offer.. but I digress. The only other reference to it that I've heard was a mention by Bob Costas, and that was in passing.

Are NBC and the other broadcasters afraid of getting into religious territory and that's why they're ignoring this world-famous relic? That didn't stop them from reporting on Pope John Paul II's death and funeral, which were awesomely impressive whether one's Catholic or not, or even Christian or religious at all. So I don't understand why they're ignoring the Shroud: it has the same secular and universal interest, and there are more than a few authentication controversies that could be built into a piece to be sure it stays properly PC.

Meanwhile, I've seen at least a dozen pieces on Torino's chocolate tradition, chocolate makers, and confection shops.

2.22.06 @ 6:42 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

It's on

After Tuesday night's short program, only 3/100ths of a point separates leader Sasha Cohen, left, from Irina Slutskaya, right.

One glance and it's obvious even to someone who hasn't a clue what figure skating's about that they're total opposites, which is what will make Thursday night's final interesting and unpredictable.

Let's take a non-expert look at what each has going for and against her:

Age & experience: Sasha is 21, about the average age for these skaters and possibly at her prime. Irina is a relatively elderly 27 but has more experience in the high-pressure world of international competitions and has held more titles.

Obstacles: Sasha has had a series of disastrous showings at big competitions. Irina has been fighting vasculitis for several years and tires quickly from it and the meds she takes for it. She also takes care of her seriously ill mother.

Men's silver medalist Johnny Weir & coach seemed less than impressed Tuesday night

Style: Sasha's the artistic one and Irina the technical, but each delivers a total package that's more than competent. Sasha can pull off the jumps and spins but can also stumble. She's a beautiful skater in the old school style and although nearly all the girls did the pose Sasha's doing in the pic above, she's the only one who makes it look remotely pretty. She's got a winning smile and flashes it constantly, and she puts a lot of effort into the details of her hair, makeup and costume. Irina's less colorful but more powerful, and she completes each move more thoroughly. She usually seems serious but has a cute grin and an impish quality when she loosens up. She's more about dazzling us with her solid skills than with her looks.

Tradition: If Irina wins, it's a Russian figure skating sweep in these Olympics which would be a first. But an American woman has medaled in every Olympics since 1968, five of them gold. Sasha may have the cultural edge though, since her mother's a former Ukrainian ballerina.

Extras: Sasha skipped both practice sessions today, giving birth to any number of rumors. Her coach is John Nicks, the grouchy judge on "Skating with Celebrities". Irina said the past couple years of her & her mother's illnesses have taught her that "Life doesn't begin and end on the ice rink."

I say it's a draw between the two.. but they aren't the only girls in town. Japan's Shizuka Arakawa and Fumie Suguri are right behind in third & fourth place and are very much in medal contention. Arakawa may burst ahead of both Cohen & Slutskaya since she has all the best qualities of each. If she does, she'll go home a national heroine: Japan has failed to medal at all so far in these Olympics. And although the other Japanese skater, Miki Ando, is in 8th place now after faulty landings and almost colliding with the boards, she's the only one who's going to attempt a quadruple jump in Thursday's final. She's done it before - she's the only female who has done it successfully in competition. She's coached by 1960 gold medalist Carol Heiss.

The new kids did good too. Kimmie Meissner, 16, finished fifth and late arrival Emily Hughes, 17, is currently in seventh place. Both had solid routines with difficult jumps and if they don't medal here, they're certainly both on their way to future success. 16-year-old Elene Gedevanishvili of Georgia also had a strong performance that landed her in sixth place. Scott Hamilton can't stop gushing about her, and he's someone who knows what good skating is.

But never fear, bounce-watchers, it's not all perfection. The short program had its share of spills and Thursday's finals are sure to provide more of the same. If nothing else, it reminds us how difficult this stuff really is.

In the end, the real one to watch - or listen to - is commentator Dick Button, who holds little back when somebody does something less than stellar. Even while the crowd ooh's and ahh's he's reminding us that a particular stance is ugly or that a music choice is atrocious. His pet peeves (terrible layback spins & incorrect sit spins) have company this year: he's tired of all the grab-foot moves that are currently in fashion, and virtually every routine features several of them.

Any way you look at it, Thursday should be good watching.

2.22.06 @ 5:17 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Whew, glad that's over

The weirdest figure skating soap opera since Tonya & Nancy thankfully came to an end Monday night, but it was touch and go there for awhile. After their fall in the original dance competition and the icy staredown that freaked out anyone who saw it, Italian ice dancers Barbara Fusar Poli & Maurizio Margaglio took to the ice for their free dance. Skate-watchers everywhere wanted to know what the chemistry would be like between them but nobody expected what we saw in backstage glimpses before they went on: they hadn't spoken and weren't even acknowledging the other was there! Even those in the know said they'd never seen anything like it.

They hit the ice and did their spins, fancy footwork and awkward-looking lifts like ice dancers do, in elaborate veils and gaudy velvet. Not only did they not fall, but they did extremely well and didn't seem to have any tension between them at all. It was like they were having angry makeup sex on international tv. But it wasn't over.

When the music stopped it was back to bizarre, as she seemed to debate whether to get up or not. Would it be another staredown on center ice? He reached out to help her.. she rejected him.

Finally she got to her feet and reached out to him - a truce perhaps? But he wasn't having it. Eventually, tentatively, they finally embraced, and by the time they got to the kiss 'n cry area to await their scores they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

They didn't medal. Later, backstage, he was bawling like a baby - but that was when they were still in first place. I hope these two go back to retirement.. their dramatics are too exhausting to watch.

The rest of the ice dancers did well - nobody bounced - but for the most part it was a stupid display of ridiculously overblown costumes and ultra-angsty expressions to portray tragic storylines. And in a new trend, several of the guys wore gauzy skirts over their pants.

Most of the skating itself wasn't even pleasing to watch. Most of them seemed to be doing difficult stuff to please the judges but failed to do much to appeal to the audience, and most of them just looked dopey. Clumsy-looking lifts, pretzel spins, and crotch displays were the order of the day. The crotchiest couple, Russia's Tatiana Navka & Roman Kostomarov (top left in the following group) won the gold. They did several variations of this display.. err.. pose.

Among the most questionable looks were this stripper ensemble, complete with swinging fringe pasties, and this.. well, I don't know what's going on here, but it was apparently intentional.

And then there was this oops.

Ice dance costumes have definitely gone over the top lately, but I think some of them aren't properly road testing their outfits for the variety of body positions they go into.

This Russian skater seems to be having a bit of a slippage problem.. a "costume malfunction" if you will. Janet Jackson didn't show this much nipple, and look what that turned into.

Largely thanks to falls by most of the front-runners the night before, Americans Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto broke a 30-year ice skating medal drought and landed the silver. Not only did they have the least ridiculous costumes (they fit with their flamenco routine anyway) but they were the only couple whose routine looked like a dance, and they were the only ones who seemed to be enjoying themselves. She wants to consider ditching the striped hair though.

Belbin was Canadian until a few months ago - she became a US citizen largely to be able to skate in these Olympics for Team USA. It's a good thing they medalled or we would probably have to hear all kinds of debate about the sanctity of the citizenship process for the next few months.

I'm just glad the ice dancing is over.. the Italian couple's soap opera was fun, but the rest of it just left a bad taste in my mouth this year.

2.21.06 @ 8:08 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Oops times five

Ice dancing isn't known for falls, and it isn't known for girl-throwing either.. until Sunday night, that is.

No less than five - count 'em, five!! - couples crashed during their original dance, the second of three rounds of competition for the event. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I love to see a beautiful, cleanly-skated routine full of grace and impressive moves.. but I can't help chuckling when they bounce.

Natalie Pechalat of France, above, went down first. Then it turned into a body count event as the medal contenders hit the ice. Pretty soon it didn't look so much like an elegant ice dance event so much as it looked like a hockey game.. with plumage.

Margarita Drobiazko of Lithuania opted to pull her partner & husband Povilas Vanagas down with her, which proved to be a popular falling style for the evening.

Italian team Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali had the crowd behind them, but it didn't help. She too did a pull-him-down-with-me maneuver when she went down.

Was it nerves? Pressure? The added tricky bits thrown in for the first time to appeal to the new points-based judging system? Maybe all of those, but I suspect it was as much bits of stray glitter, sequins and feathers as anything.. there were more of each of those than a Mardi Gras or Gay Pride parade.

Dick Button put it best: "What's going on?"

The other Italian team, Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio, had the funniest spill because of what followed it. They were in the lead going into the event and were doing great until they went down. When the music stopped they had a staredown that was more chilling than the surface of the ice.

But the most spectacular and least funny crash came from Canada's Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon. She was wrapped around him as he was spinning when she lost her grip and went flying. She landed HARD on her hip.. the centrifugal force of the spin didn't help.

Dubreuil was in visible pain as Lauzon helped her off the ice, and she was taken out by stretcher to hospital. Nothing was broken, but they've withdrawn from tonight's finals.

On yesterday's "Push Dick's Button", the viewer mail portion of USA Network's "Olympic Ice" program, someone wrote in that her kid enjoyed watching the figure skaters fall. She sounded a little distressed by this and probably wasn't comforted by Button's answer that yea, it can be funny. He went on to say that there probably wouldn't be many falls in the evening's ice dance competition, as it just doesn't happen often like it does in the pairs and singles. I hope the kid wasn't discouraged by that answer and that he or she watched (and enjoyed) last night's many bounces.

2.20.06 @ 4:08 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Crackling good TV

One of the best treats of these Olympics is an hour-long show that airs daily on the USA Network called "Olympic Ice" that focuses on figure skating & ice dancing. It's hosted by Mary Carillo, an unusual he-she who knows very little about skating, but don't let that put you off: co-hosts and regular guests include gold medalists Dick Button, Scott Hamilton, and Jamie Salé & David Pelletier, along with superstar pairs coach Tamara Moskvina and big name skating guests daily.

Each day's show features analysis of the previous night's skating (if any) along with previews of what's coming up, but they have a lot more in-depth info & back-stories than NBC's primetime coverage offers us, and they do it with a sense of humor. They also show us some of the practice sessions for what's coming up, and the practice rink often serves as the backdrop for their pieces. They tell us what and who to watch for, and let us know who might do better or worse than expectations.

But they don't just reel off names on this show. Today's installment for instance highlighted the upcoming ice dance competitions, and to illustrate what ice dance is about they showed British champs Jane Torvill & Christopher Dean's entire "Bolero" piece from the Sarajevo games, including the unprecedented slate of perfect 6 scores that followed it. Sadly, they told us not to expect another Torvill & Dean in the next few days of ice dance at Torino, and lamented the fact that there would probably never be another Torvill & Dean.

The show's guests today were 1956 silver and 1960 gold medalist Carol Heiss, and "flamboyant" Johnny Weir who won silver the other night. "Olympic Ice" came closest to coming right out and saying what everyone thinks and no media will say out loud by titling his segment "Weir Eye for the Skate Guy" - it was about skating costumes. They talked about the trends, the ridiculousness, and the outright horrible ideas some of these skaters have when choosing what to wear.

One of the best things about the show is Dick Button. The guy who said on NBC that Russian medalist Evgeny Plushenko won because his "bamboozling arms" distract the judges takes it further on "Olympic Ice" by saying things like "figure skaters need to expand their horizons beyond Puddlepoop, America." There's also a daily feature called "Push Dick's Button" where viewers send questions to the two-time Olympic gold medalist. The questions are predictably inane, but his answers are hilarious. One viewer asked him what a "rusty hoot" is, which sent Button into hysterics.. he couldn't even speak.

Even though they don't have the broadcasting experience and expertise that Button & Hamilton do, Pelletier & Salé are a great addition to the show. They're the Canadian pair who were at the center of the judging scandal in Salt Lake City that caused the entire skating judging system to be overhauled. They called all that "the poop upstairs" on "Olympic Ice" and have added a fresh perspective and lots of inside info about intricate skating moves as well as the politics and personalities involved.

Toward the end of each show former Russian skater Tamara Moskvina offers a kooky 60 second piece based on some theme of the day. She coached half the Russian pairs to victory over the years but you'd never expect her to have the sense of humor she does. Her delivery is dry and deadpan, but her wit is funny as hell and she really grows on you. For instance, for the Valentine's Day show she told us about how she used to tutor her skaters to pretend they were in love on the ice - even if they were fighting or hated each other - as that was what judges and audiences really want to see when watching pairs.

2.19.06 @ 6:09 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Shani, Apolo, and Bode

These guys gave us some real good TV Saturday night. I'm on a first name basis with all of them.

Shani Davis made history by being the first black athlete to win an individual winter gold medal when he won the 1,000 meter speed skate. Never mind the other US speed skaters' sour grapes that they lost the team relay event because Shani chose not to skate in it - why should he have to? And never mind that half the media has OD'd on being politically correct to the point of saying he's the first African-American to win a gold - that's technically correct too, but this accomplishment is bigger than that. It's global. It's amazing that no other black athlete has taken an individual winter gold medal until now, the 20th winter Olympics, but Shani did it tonight, and I cheered for him.

He was at the center of a lot of controvery this week because of that relay thing.. Chad Hedrick even snapped at reporters who kept asking him about Shani, "I'm the one with a gold medal - why do we have to keep talking about him?" You can't blame Shani for not seeing Chad as a "teammate" when he's making cracks like that. Chad and the other guys should have just skated faster if they wanted to win the relay so much.

Shani said he didn't do the relay because he wanted to focus on his individual events, and it paid off tonight. Not bad for a kid who grew up on Chicago's South Side and might have ended up running with gangs instead of flying on skates. Way to go Shani!

His win was capped off nicely when NBC sent an apparent rookie reporter (Melissa Stark, I think) to ask the usual stupid questions after he won, like "How did it feel finishing first?" When he wasn't as bubbly and gushy as some, she asked him "Are you mad?" sending the TV audience into hysterics. I bet her boyfriend or husband was cringing.. she probably asks him that at least once a day. After Shani said no he's not mad, he's just speechless, she turned to the camera and made a really dopey "ewww" type face. It was priceless.

On the short track, Apolo Ohno came back from his not-so-great skates earlier in the week and made it to the finals for the 1,000 meter race. Short track speed skating is intense: those guys are flying and they're often inches away from each other, nudging and taking advantage of mere inches to attempt passing. Some countries' skaters act as unofficial teams, with one of them assigned to take care of threats like Apolo while the other gets the win.

Apolo was in the third spot for most of the race, behind Koreans Ahn Hyun-Soo and Lee Ho-Suk. He missed his chance to pass - it's a relatively short race for short track - and finished third. But he doesn't mind so much: added to his gold and silver from Salt Lake City, tonight's bronze nicely rounds out his collection of Olympics medals. And he's got more events still to come in Torino. Way to go Apolo!

Meanwhile Bode Miller didn't win yet another event today but that's ok. After another round of controversy over snow, visibility and second chances for some, Bode went down the hill and had a near-crash with a gate. I didn't like seeing him out of the race but the recovery he made was amazing. He stayed upright even while one foot & ski went out to the side, then behind him, and practically over his head.. it was as impressive as if he'd won the race! It looked like he was going for a new sport altogether: Figure Skiing. Way to go Bode!

2.19.06 @ 1:49 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

What's the deal with curling?

I'm the first to admit I don't get it. I know, I know, it's got tradition and precision but c'mon.. it's also got brooms! It just seems highly out of place compared to all the life & death sports going on elsewhere around Torino.. these guys don't even wear helmets.

But its athletes and devotees are devoted. The Olympian at left even has a tattoo for her sport that peeked out during a competition. I may not get it (and I'm not going to try), but you've got to admit that curling does produce some photos that make it look kind of athletic and almost exciting.

2.18.06 @ 7:23 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Hot dog

Snowboard cross is one of the best things to come to the Olympics in ages. It's like a motocross or BMX on snow, with a touch of roller derby. It's fast, unpredictable, and exciting.

Enter Lindsey Jacobellis. She worked her way through several rounds of 4-person qualifiers and ended up the only American in the final run for the women. She had a good shot at completing a USA gold sweep of the snowboard events, following Shaun White & Hannah Teiter in the men's & women's halfpipe and Seth Wescott in the men's cross.

Canada's Maelle Ricker took a bad spill early in the final - not unusual in this event - and Jacobellis had a nice lead by the halfway point. Switzerland's Tanja Frieden & Canada's Dominique Maltais had their own problems and by the final third, Jacobellis was miles ahead and the gold medal was hers, easily. All she had to do was stay upright.

About 100 yards from the finish line she looked behind her, then decided to show off a bit. She hit the final jump and while in the air she did one of those twisty things they do, grabbed her board, came down and crashed. She got up quickly but not before Frieden sailed past her and finished first.

This would only happen to an American - anyone else would stay focused on the race, and knowing they had it made, they'd make it a point to get cleanly to the bottom. But the arrogant, hot-shot attitude we breed here so easily can lead to things like this. Jacobellis will have to live with it forever.

She won the silver and that's impressive in itself, but she's facing the press with a defensive, almost angry tone and a ton of excuses. She claims she didn't realize what a big lead she had - even though she looked back and saw no one (they're usually on top of each other) - and that she was only "stabilizing" when she did her airborne dip 'n grab.. uh huh. And so she makes her second blunder. If she'd cop to it, laugh, and use the typical snowboarder's "keep it fun" attitude she could come through this unscathed, silver medal in hand, and she'd land far better commercials when all the snowflakes settle. But no, arrogance breeds arrogance, and Jacobellis gets to go home on the sore losers bus now with Michelle Kwan & Johnny Weir.. "it's not their fault" you know.

The truly pathetic part of this episode though was NBC's postscript about it, which they introduced by saying "We've always said it isn't about the medals" .. since when??!!! That's all they DO care about, it's all they show and all they talk about. Their Jacobellis piece was followed by a montage of American medal winners' winning moments so far.

Meanwhile we did see some true Olympic spirit today, when Lindsey Kildow went down the hill in the slalom portion of the women's alpine combined event. Kildow's the one who took that horrific spill the other day on the downhill event and was airlifted out to hospital. She was back on her skis two days later, finishing 8th in her race Wednesday. Today she donned her number jersey again and gave it her best for the slalom. She was still hurting too much though and fell again - luckily not nearly as hard this time - and so was disqualified from the combined event and won't be competing in the downhill portion tomorrow.

But that's ok. As far as I'm concerned she's the star of the slopes this year. She's shown the kind of determination & inspiration that hot shots like Jacobellis can only hope to strive for.. if they ever grow up enough to understand it.

Kildow has made the words "Olympic Spirit" something real and tangible again, and not just an advertising catch phrase.

2.18.06 @ 1:12 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

Matt and Al get cozy

As threatened, Matt Lauer & Al Roker went double-luging on the "Today" show today. It wasn't a pretty sight. The audio guys had fun attaching appropriate songs to the action, but the music ends when they hit the track so we can enjoy their squeals of delight (mostly Al's).. or maybe it's terror.

Here Matt learns he's going to be the bottom, and they assume the position

Understandly, Al has a much better time than Matt throughout the ordeal - Al's only iffy moment is when their trainers use the word "crash".. it's kind of interesting how they stay in double-up formation while they have a Q&A with the trainers

Then they strip down to their aqua fetish suits and pose for each other

Al's still having more fun than Matt when they hit the track, and then they're off.. with a giggle

I'm sure they felt they were streaking along at the 80-85 mph that the real guys slide, but their run was a lot more leisurely, and a lot shorter.. when they finish Al wants to go again but Matt's not so sure - I don't want to know what Matt's trying to say in this last pic

I think they headed off to look at rings afterwards.

Click to watch the video .. but don't say I didn't warn you.

2.15.06 @ 5:39 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

There's always bowling

Things were looking good for Bode Miller today. His brand new skis worked better for him in the downhill portion of today's alpine combined event than they did on Sunday and he finished first, leaning in at the finish line to get that important extra nanosecond. Later he did well in the slalom portion too, except for straddling one of the gates.. he was disqualified.

Teammate Ted Ligety (below left) won the combined event when the favorite, Benjamin Raich of Austria, missed one gate completely and was also disqualified. Ligety's just 21 and jokes about being 10 years younger than everyone else in the sport, laughing as they roll up with their wives & kids in their RVs while he still lives with his parents. He definitely had the last laugh today.

Meanwhile, Bode went bowling with Matt Lauer. Maybe they're each thinking about fall-back careers: Bode hasn't done as well as hoped in Torino, and Matt might need something in case that luge thing with Al Roker doesn't work out.

But enough of all that.. back to today's flights:

2.14.06 @ 11:18 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Princessy Correct

As the men take the ice, it's American Johnny Weir who's getting the media attention, but the pieces have a desperateness about them. NBC keeps showing clips of the arrogant 21-year-old, trying to make him into a Bode Miller with his "I don't care what anyone thinks" attitude, but it feels manufactured: Weir seems to care very much about what people think and goes very far out of his way to pretend otherwise.

Meanwhile the media is going out of its way in a transparent attempt to stay politically correct and avoid saying "gay" or "swishy" even as Weir tells them things like "I am very princessy as far as travel is concerned and having a nice room and things like that. Sorry to say 'princessy' but that’s what we do." He also told reporters about his Torino shopping spree where he bought "Louis Vuitton bags, three pairs of shoes, cute shirts, and some underpants with the newspaper print all over them."

It's actually kind of funny to read and watch the press skirt these kind of elephant-in-the-room comments in hopes of staying gay-friendly (translation: avoiding protests and losing sponsors), but then Weir spoils the fun by being a self-important ass with comments like "People are afraid of me and afraid of what's going to come out of my mouth." I don't know what gives him that idea - designer bags & newsprint undies aren't all that scary. He also claims he's "not out there to be a puppet for anyone" but he's actually being a puppet to a stereotype.. well, at least he admits to being pretentious.

For his short program, Weir skated to Camille Saint-Saëns' "The Swan" in a silver & black feather-motif outfit with sequins and one orange glove as his swan's beak. He calls the outfit "Camille". Before hitting the ice he said "People have touted me as the next American medal hope." His program was pretty and he skated well, but only well enough for second place. Russian Evgeni Plushenko (right) blew everyone away and finished miles ahead of the pack. Half of the other guys missed their quads, doubled their triples, "popped" or bounced.

In other gay news, the "Today" show's Matt Lauer & Al Roker are going to demonstrate doubles luge live on Wednesday's show. They had a learning/practice run on Saturday and reached a speed of about 30 mph. Matt's the bottom and Al's the power top.. make your own jokes.

2.14.06 @ 10:19 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Bang! Crash! Pow!

It was a rough day in Torino. This is American Lindsey Kildow's spectacular crash on a downhill training run. She was knocked out and med-evac'd by helicopter to a nearby hospital. Unbelievably she only suffered a severely bruised right hip, and she became the hospital welcome wagon for the rest of the day.

Defending Olympic champ Carole Montillet-Carles of France also crashed on the downhill and ended up with rib & back trauma and a road-rash'd.. err.. snow-rash'd face. Remember these girls are flying down that hill at 70 mph plus - that's a nasty fall any way you look at it. Canadian Allison Forsyth and Austrian Elisabeth Georgl also went down today: Forsyth tore a knee ligament but Georgl skied down the rest of the hill after catching her breath.

Things were even worse on the luge track, where top racers reach 85 mph. American Samantha Retrosi ran into the wall on a turn, slipped under her sled, and appeared unconscious as she flew down several more turns before finally coming to a stop. She too was med-evac copter'd out to hospital where she was found to have a concussion. She has no recollection of her crash.

Sliders from Italy, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Canada, Slovakia and Argentina also had crashes or near-misses in women's luge runs today but none were seriously hurt. Sadly, the inspiring 52-year-old "Grandma Luge" aka Anne Abernathy of US Virgin Islands didn't go down the track today: she had to withdraw due to breaking her wrist in a training run on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Melo Imai of Japan had a bad fall in women's snowboarding and lost consciousness several times before being copter'd out. Several speed skaters went down on both the long and short tracks, and North Korea's only pairs team had to withdraw from Monday's night's finals after a bad crash in an afternoon practice session.

China's top girl-throwing team Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao (not related) had a horrific crash attempting a first-ever quad throw in Monday night's pairs finals. She didn't finish her rotation, landed on her knee - ouch! - and slid into the boards. Their music stopped, they left center ice, and then in one of the moments that will be remembered most from these Olympics, they returned a few minutes later and completed their program beautifully. Incredibly, they finished in second place, behind Russia's Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin and ahead of teammates Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo.

Totmianina & Marinin's was the 12th consecutive Olympic pairs gold for Russia, quite an impressive record. They had overcome their own serious October '04 crash in which he stumbled while twirling her high overhead. She plunged headfirst onto the ice and was knocked out. She had a serious concussion and was off the ice for 2 months. He suffered worse: he felt guilty for dropping her and had a lot of trouble getting his confidence back. But she stuck with him, and after their music ended tonight and their choreographed bows were over, he thanked her for that in this spontaneous and very touching moment.

Such was the agony of defeat in Torino Monday, and the thrill of victory and near-victory. I wish speedy recoveries to all the injured athletes, and I hope we don't have more of the same in the days to come.

2.13.06 @ 9:59 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Dude!

"Got my slash on, some spray."

Shaun White had a bad first run on the half-pipe and things weren't looking good for the snowboard favorite, but he turned it around in a big way and finished in first place, just like he usually does. Italy loves Socal's Il Pomodoro Volante but after today's performance, and Shaun's delightfully down to earth joy at realizing he's won an Olympic gold medal, the rest of the world is going to love him too.

Just 19 years old, Shaun's been skateboarding & snowboarding since he was 6. He turned pro at 13 and is already a millionaire - definitely making his parents glad they built all those ramps and hauled their little red-haired kid around to competitions and back & forth to the mountains.

Standing on the podium he was genuinely awed and touched, and you could tell it surprised him. "I saw the video footage of the Salt Lake Games and saw people crying, and I didn't want to cry. Then my family came up out of nowhere, and everybody was just crying their eyes out.. I've never felt this way in any other big competition. I wasn't going to cry. It was just tears. It wasn't my fault."

Yea, it was your fault Shaun - and we love you for it.

Catch this guy in an interview if you can: he's the only athlete - and definitely the only gold medalist - who doesn't sound like a pro interview. He sounds like what he is: a 19-year-old kid who's loving life and is making one hell of a ride for himself. The fact that he's the best in the world at what he does doesn't seem to faze him at all.

Shaun's refreshingly genuine and extremely likeable. He told Bob Costas that he's not overly thrilled with his Italian "Flying Tomato" nick, but he doesn't mind it much either. Costas seemed a bit unnerved by him: maybe it was his unslick and laid-back attitude or maybe it was his sheer genuineness.. maybe it was just his glowing youth. The only thing Costas could grab on to was the fact that White had said he'd like to meet figure skater Sasha Cohen and that he "hopes she digs medals" (I'm sure she does). It was great to see a teenager get the best of a well-seasoned professional interviewer simply by being uniquely fresh and unpretentious.

2.13.06 @ 3:53 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

Oh no, Apolo.. and Bode and Daron

Not a good day for short track speedskater and medal favorite Apolo Anton Ohno, although he does still have the best name of the Games this year.

He clipped the blade of Chinese skater Li Ye in the next to last lap of the 1,500 meter race, which was enough to make him stumble out of qualifying for the event that he won at the last Olympics.

Short track is one of those bizarre sports that most of us only see during the Olympics. It's a combination of speed skating and an old fashioned roller derby slugfest. I wouldn't want a steady diet of it but it's fun to watch, especially the team relays. Apolo will be back for one of those, as well as two other individual races.

Things got really weird after that, when the losers had to come back for a skate-off in case everyone in the finals gets disqualified. There are a lot of disqualifications for pushing & interfering in short track but it isn't likely there'd be enough that these guys would get a shot. But that's how they do it. I guess Apolo was maybe looking at it as pointless too, as he was nowhere to be found when the race was ready to start. The racers, the coaches, even his dad were looking all around for him and seemed a little panicky. Apolo showed up then, started climbing over the crash bumpers and the coaches or whoever were grabbing him & holding him back as if he didn't belong and was trying to sneak in! It was bizarre.

Apolo just backed out from them, moved a few yards down, climbed onto the ice and to the starting line. He didn't seem to be into the skate-off race at all, trailing the pack until the last lap or so when he moved up a bit and finished third.

Things didn't go much better for Americans in the downhill but it was another strange one. Outspoken Bode Miller (my favorite) shot down the hill at 75 mph on brand new skis that only came out of the factory two days ago. The commentators were talking like he was nuts - but hey, they always talk about Bode like that. He came in a mere 4/10 of a second behind the leader (which is a staggering idea when you think about it) which put him in 4th place.

Teammate and medal favorite Daron Rahlves was going to use the only other pair of these particular factory-fresh skis in existence but changed his mind at the last minute, maybe after hearing Bode didn't make first place on his. Rahlves was changing his skis literally seconds before he flew out of the gate - it was all just weird by any standards - but it didn't help. Rahlves crossed the finish line in ninth place.

In qualifying runs the other day, almost all the racers put their brakes on before the finish line so they wouldn't finish first and have to ski last today. But the guy who did go last, France's Antoine Deneriaz, showed them all and beat everyone's time, taking home the gold medal and pushing Miller and Rahlves back to fifth & tenth place respectively. Austria's Michael Walchhofer took the silver and Switzerland's Bruno Kernen the bronze. I guess it's only fitting that the premier alpine event went to guys from the Alps.

2.13.06 @ 2:38 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

Faster, higher, farther, better

What is it about the Olympics that's so compelling? Sure, you have all the nations together putting aside political & religious conflicts; you have the pageantry and emotion, the drama at the finish lines & scoreboards; and you have the individual stories of beating the odds and personal challenges to triumph.. or to fail, sometimes spectacularly. The winter games add that battling the elements element, and the new extreme sports add a nice flavor of renegade defiance to traditional excellence.

I don't know what it is, but it's more than all of those things. The Winter Olympics are just special, and magical. These AP photos sum it up far better than I can.

2.12.06 @ 3:51 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Awww Mom, do I have to go??

Barbara Bush accompanied mom Laura to Torino but she really doesn't seem to be enjoying it.

Left, she wasn't nearly as excited about the opening ceremonies as Cherie (Mrs. Tony) Blair and mom were

She didn't seem much happier to be watching the pairs short program (below left) or the 5,000 meter speed skate that fellow Texan Chad Hedrick won, even with Eric Heiden explaining things to them (below right)

You get the idea she'd rather be somewhere else.. anywhere else

2.12.06 @ 4:18 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

Day 1 highlights

Chad Hedrick lived up to his hype and then some on the first day of competition, coming in first in the 5,000 meter speed skate. This is a guy who only started speed skating four years ago after watching the Salt Lake City Olympics from a blackjack table in Vegas. He switched over from rollerblading and now he's got a gold medal. He's got four more events coming up and could potentially tie Eric Heiden's five golds, but he's humble about it. He says it's an honor just hearing his name in the same sentence as Heiden's, and he sounds genuine when he says it. He was nervous before the event - crying, trembling, and he warmed up twice - but in the end he was thrilled to win on the anniversary of his grandma's death.

Speed skating is a strange sport to watch. They look so relaxed, so leisurely.. but you know they're flying and working their guts out. And their suits have an odd ventilation patch or something on one inner thigh that looks like a big hole.

Meanwhile in the girl-throwing event, Rena Inoue & John Baldwin landed the first throw triple axel in Olympic history and had a fabulous short program, but they didn't even place in the top three - the field is that good. Chinese skaters Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue did remarkably well considering Zhao tore his Achilles tendon in August and has only been back to skating since November, and only jumping for a few weeks. He did great - ironically it was his partner who wobbled one jump landing.

Girls in the pairs comp get to wear pants now and several did. A few also got edgy with their music - one Chinese pair skated to an orchestral version of Led Zep's "Kashmir" and it worked brilliantly. But NBC's coverage was lousy for the most part: they talked a lot about the new judging system but never stopped to explain it, and they never ran through the list of required elements of this year's short program. The only bright spot was Dick Button who kept complaining that nobody knows how to do a sit spin anymore and that most of the girls stick their butts out when going into a death spiral.. but he also praised creativity and style when earned, like he does, and he was as thrilled by the Inoue/Baldwin triple axel as they were.

Elsewhere women's moguls were impressive but just watching made my knees hurt.. men's luge (at 85 mph) and men's cross country were amazing and exhausting to watch.. the flyboys on the jump were majestic as always. Michelle Kwan topped off a great day by quitting, citing a mysterious (i.e. bogus) new injury and getting press acclaim as if she'd died. The press asked her easy and obvious questions like "Is this the end of your career?" No, that was a few years ago.

2.12.06 @ 3:54 AM pdt [add 2 cents]

Bode's in

Along with Michelle Kwan, the other pre-Games big name is Bode Miller, the 28-year-old downhill skier who made headlines a few weeks ago when he told "60 Minutes" that he's sometimes been hungover for competitions, and that "it's tough to ski when you're wasted." Big whup.

I don't know why that caused such a commotion. It was a few seconds out of a ten minute piece, and the guy still wins more often than many. And anyway, aren't most sporting events sponsored by beer? American media double standards strike again. Bode put it best, saying he figures it's because people need a focus, something to talk about, since that prevents people from having to think about themselves and most people don't like to do that.

I like this guy.

He's outspoken, brash, and says what he wants to say instead of what people want to hear from him. He did eventually apologize for the "60 Minutes" comments, saying that it had reflected badly on his teammates and trainers, and that his family was getting a lot of flak from it. He didn't retract what he'd said though, and why should he? Is he - or anyone - supposed to pretend that a lot of skiers and snowboarders don't party after spending a day on the slopes?

Bode's like the typical anti-hero in the movies that audiences love. He's even been compared to Robert Redford's character in 1969's Downhill Racer. But for some reason, we seem to want our outspoken heroes to stay on the screen and not show up in real life.

Well, Bode showed up today and flew down an icy Torino mountain at 70 mph or so, qualifying for the men's downhill finals along with teammates Daron Rahlves, Scott Macartney and Steven Nyman. Bode and most of the racers put their brakes on before crossing the finish line so they wouldn't finish too fast and could land a middle spot in the starting order. Rahlves is the favorite and I'm sure he and others from all countries are nice enough guys, but I'm rooting for Bode. We need more anti-heroes.

2.11.06 @ 7:40 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Kwan bounces

Michelle Kwan bounced this morning in practice, and I laughed.. so sue me.

I've followed her progress more or less for years, back to when she was an extraordinarily gifted - and adorable - 13-year-old alternate on the Tonya/Nancy team in Lillehammer in 1994. She went on to compete in 1998 and 2002, winning silver & bronze respectively.. not exactly an improving record despite five world championships along the way.

So why is she back again for her third Olympics? It's not for the "experience" - this is actually her fourth round on that score. It's certainly not for the fame: watching NBC coverage you'd think she was the only US female athlete there. It's not for the money: her skating outfits are designed for her by Vera Wang, her boots are custom-made to her specifications, and she's already got endorsements and ads and a guaranteed future as a commentator, coach or media ice darling.

So what does that leave us with? It can't be the elusive Olympic gold medal: she's repeatedly declared over the years that "it's not about the medals".. yea, right.

Meanwhile, she's again taking up one of only three spots that some other deserving, talented, hard-working young skater will never get to fill. And that's why I laughed when I saw her bounce, and why I was happy to see her go up to her coach afterward with the same pouty, whiney look that Tonya had when she cried to the judges that her lace broke.

At a press conference after her disastrous practice this morning, Kwan blamed having had to sit out in the cold last night for her stiffness today. Wah-wah-wahhh. Odd that none of the other athletes blamed anything on being at opening ceremonies, including those that medaled or qualified in their sports today.

At that press conference she said she may not compete at all now, this after lobbying for and winning her spot in Torino with a special, private qualifying skate before a committee that convened especially for her. Enough pandering already! If she's too injured <koff> or more likely, too proud to go out there and take a chance that she'll come in last, then send her home. Somebody has to come in last, and the girls who aren't up to her standards are going to go out there and give it their all anyway, which is what the Olympic spirit is supposed to be about.

Step aside Michelle, and give somebody else a chance. In this case, that somebody else would be 16-year-old Emily Hughes, sister of 2002 gold medalist Sarah, who would join Sasha Cohen and Kimmie Meissner on the ice on February 21st & 23rd.

Update As of approx. 9am Sunday morning Torino time, there's an "unconfirmed report" that she's quit the team. Unlikely such a story would come out if untrue - we'll know soon enough, and then we put the Kwantroversy to rest and get on with things.

Update Yep it's official, she quit. She started Saturday saying her morning rehearsal was cut short because she didn't have her music, but 24 hours later she's saying it's because of a new injury. Too bad she can't just fess up and admit she's not up to the challenge anymore at the ripe old age of 25, but that's show biz.

Meanwhile, Emily Hughes is packing for the trip of her life. Go Emily!

2.11.06 @ 6:21 PM pdt [add 2 cents]

Let the games begin

Spectacular opening ceremonies in Torino.

The athletes arrived in elaborate designer winter wear and a very odd assortment of hats, accompanied by a very odd assortment of music that included the Doobie Brothers, Donna Summer, and the Village People. NBC anchor Brian Williams and perennial youth poster boy Bob Costas had a lot of interesting tidbits about some of the countries and athletes, but mostly they commented about the countries' alphabetical order being different in Italian than English.

Oddly, they didn't once mention that outside of Italy, Torino used to be called Turin, as in the famous shroud. The Olympic Committee had asked the town and the media to please refer to it as Torino, apparently to avoid religious conflict. I guess we'll hear a lot about that in the next couple of weeks.

Torino put on a good show tonight. Highlights were the 9-year-old girl who sang the Italian anthem, the many Cirque du Soleil-like production pieces, flaming skaters, waltzing cows, the acrobats/water droplets/spiders on strings that morphed into a dove, and those countries represented by a single intrepid athlete. One of those is the US Virgin Islands, represented by Anne Abernathy aka "Grandma Luge" who will fly down the icy luge track in her sixth Olympic appearance. Anne is 52 - an Olympic record. Go Granny, go!

Sophia Loren & Susan Sarandon carried in the Olympic flag, the speakers spoke, the dancers danced, the flame arrived, and Pavarotti sang. And we're off.

2.10.06 @ 11:09 PM pdt [add 2 cents]