It was a very disappointing night for women's skating. Yes, if Kwan skated a clean program, she might well have won. After all, if Slutskaya had been at home, we would have been saying, boy it would have been easy for Slutskaya to win the gold tonight. At first, I thought Slutskaya would still win the silver, but probably failing to do her first combination jump cost her enough technical marks that Sasha's stronger components score put her over.

Does anybody else think Siguri should have won a medal? What was wrong with her program?

As far as Sasha never putting together a clean long program, I think she just doesn't get enough height on her jumps (maybe cause her legs are too skinny), so it's just tougher for her to land them than Slutskaya or Arakawa.

Maybe by 2010, the ladies will be able to land triple-triples. There is that 13-year old Japanese girl who does triple axels out there. I don't understand why the women's jumping skills aren't any better than they were fifteen years ago, while the men's have improved so much.

I think Fumie's performance was the one that brought up the most questions. No obvious issues, but nothing too spectacular either. She seemed to lack some crispness last night and did not produce anything to really draw better marks. But I did hear some commentary questioning her final positioning.

I too wonder how we have not evolved as much on the women's side. Midori Ito and Tanya Harding were going for triple axles back in the early 90s. Now, you rarely see it, except for the fresh face from Japan who may very well dominate the sport for a while. There was one quad attempt last night that came up just short.

That is why Kwan continues to be a great skater. Nobody can dust her with over the top jump marks, and she eats them for lunch with all the other elements.

Tracy Wilson showed a nice breakdown of marks between Sasha and Irina last night. Sasha scored better in every category except jumps. And her component marks were considerably better.

I played millipede on my atari...who won?

Would that be the 2600, 5200, or the very high-tech 7600?

Kristi Yamaguchi did a triple-triple back in '92 in response to the Ito/Harding triple axels threats. Come on, that's 14 years ago.

Not only were there no triple axels last night, no one landed triple-triples (in the top group) in the long program, either! And the quad attempt was a bust.

A few Japanese ladies can do triple axles, and Meisner landed a triple axel at Nationals this year. And these same ladies have triple-triples as well. Just not in the Olympics, it seems. So in the 92 Olympics, Yamaguchi lands a triple-triple, and Ito lands a triple axel (in her second attempt, at the end of her program!...she fell on the first attempt) Fast-forward ahead to 2006, and you have neither of these elements?!?

Maybe we've hit a technical ceiling?

Kwan's 98 would have definitely won, and her 02 may have been a silver. Too bad, if she were there and stoop up, she probably would have won gold. This whole "she doesn't have the technical" is BS. Last night, neither did the others.

I personally wouldn't have been upset with Suguri taking the silver and Cohen taking the bronze. That's the way it should have panned out, IMO.

[edited to say, at least Meissner landed a triple-triple in he short program]

[ February 24, 2006, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: Tennis Guy ]

CHILLY the atari classic from QVC. Best $25 Christmas present the hubby ever gave me. I'm addicted

Well, Cohen did not stab herself with her lover's dagger and fall over dead at the end of her program, so it turns out Bezic was wrong.

Very cute! Perhaps Sandra needs to think about re-enacting that scene herself. Not that she is that hateful.

Who tried the quad? I know Arakawa has threatened to do it--as did Surya Bonaly in what seems in retrospect the golden age of women's jumping).

Why is it that all the top skaters currently try to start their combinations with the most difficult jump? Would a triple loop-triple toe be scored lower than a triple lutz-double toe?

Isn't that thing great? I got the Atari 2600 Flashback II--much better than the Flashback I!!--for my brother for Christmas, and we had a blast. It's amazing to see how raw the graphics were, too.

And I still can't get very far in Pitfall! :mad:

[ February 25, 2006, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: MIB ]

Miki Ando tried the quad in her long program.
Miki Ando is coached by Carol Heiss Jenkins.
wink

Was watching some of the figure skating gala performances and was jolted awake by Roman Kostomarov's (and Tatiana Navka) bare-chested Tarzan-like costume. Oh my!

He is sort of a hottie isn't he?

I saw an interesting article in the NY Times today. The article compared the performances of the past 6-7 gold medla winners in women's skating. It compared their jumps in the winning program and how those would stack up against each other with the new scoring format.

Not surprisingly (see previous commentary) Kristi Yamaguchi's performance in Albertville would have had the highest jumping scores of all the programs. She was considerable better than some and definitely better than all.

We talked earlier about how little progress there has been in the women's programs, and the analysis seemed to confirm this as well.