the mens' olympic short program figure skating was sensational and dramatic this past week. did you see? 
first evgeni plushenko injured his back during warm-ups, so he was forced to withdraw. the russian crowd was devastated. this was to be the final performance of his olympic career. you can read more about that HERE.
then, as if things could get any more dramatic, the next skater on the ice, american jeremy abbot, fell hard on his hip and crashed into the endboards. how he managed to drag himself up and continue his program is far far beyond my non-athletic mind. the cheering supportive crowd, who don't usually make so much noise when non-russians skate, probably helped. i loved them for that.
then teenager yuzuru hanyu from japan comes along and wins the gold. riveting must-see tv!
that's how my saturday's shaping up so far. sochi olympics figure skating catch-up. sketchbook play is next up on the agenda. it's a 3 day weekend. i'm ready to make the most of every second.
No other performance moved me like the Russian pair skating to Swan Lake on Day 3. I gasped at the first lift. SO beautiful.
the other sad thing about Plushenko is that he did not win the National Championship – the other sportsman shuold represent Russia but officials decided differently – I feel sorry for Plushenko but I feel more sorry for the guy from whom Plushenko stole the chance to participate….
And yes, the crowd is very friendly and supportive!
Hanyu was great. So much pizazz and flair. And at 19 years old. Good for him.
i haven’t been watching much of the olympics this time, i can’t really get into it for some reason. but i have always been an avid skating fan (i pretty much grew up at a roller rink doing the dance thing and some figures and so did my kids. never been on ice skates though.) i felt so bad for plushenko when he gave his interview. these skaters (and other athletes) devote their whole life to their sport and it can be gone in an instant
enjoy you long weekend mary ann. create some beauties to show us.
mary
p.s. is sister ok? her web site doesn’t seem to be working. i always enjoy checking in on her and angie. my mom passed from dementia 8 years ago and i am discovering through carol that i have compartmentalized a lot of that away. reading about angie has helped me step back and take a look at some of those thoghts and feelings. i so know what all of you are going through. they are really tough times. my love and prayers to all of you.
You got that right! Talk about drama and agony of defeat. It was really heart breaking to see some of those guys take such spectacular falls when everything was riding on how they performed. They work so hard and it is a real shame to see things fall apart for them when it’s time to show what they can do. I was really glad to see Jeremy Abbott pull himself together and finish his program. It showed real class and strength to do that.
My heart went out to Plushenko because I’ve had my own issues with my back and had surgery for a disc problem. So when he fell and experienced that first hint of pain, he knew what that meant. You could see by the look on his face that he knew deep down what it meant. I appreciate him giving it a short try but once you’ve had back issues you know when you need to stop. He admitted he almost cried when he had to drop out of competition. He probably didn’t know it, but there were many of us around the world who cried for him.
LOVE the skating and a lot of the other stuff too…there is nothing better than watching the world come out to play together in the snow and on the ice…I couldn’t agree with you more about the skating, I was watching too…I was warmed through and through at all the cheering going on for Jeremy. Way back in my teens and twenties I enjoyed down hill skiing and while I was not amazing, I could hold my own and even went up against moguls in my prime…now, well I could probably roll just fine and make a good snow ball if nothing else. 🙂
I LOVE the skating. I’ve been a big fan of ice skating for about 50 years now. My husband just rolls his eyes, but knows the T is off limits to him during the Winter Olympics, at least until I’ve seen all the skating. That young Japanese skater, Yazuru Hanyu’s short programs was among the best I have ever seen. I was shrieking and standing up after his performance.
No. No, I can’t even stand up in skates. It is just that it seems a perfect blend of great athleticism and graceful dance that appeals to me. A good performance raises the hairs on my arms and makes my heart beat extra fast. I wish I could skate, but I’ll happily settle for just watching.
I could, however, do with a few less sequins….