On Thursday night the biggest event at any Winter Olympics took place - the "Ladies" figure skating final, and as always there was plenty of make-up, "what were they thinking" costumes, jumps and falls, flowers and teddy bears, and of course, a judging controversy. Thoughts:
Those costumes. There were some wowzers, including a couple that sparkled so much I was half convinced the skaters were wearing hidden battery packs to keep the sparkly parts sparkling. It's tempting to bang on about the over-the-top theatricality of the costumes, the hair and the make-up, but that's just how things are in this weird sport.
The teddy bears. Throwing flowers on the ice after a skater's performance is fine, they do that at the opera, but why so many teddy bears? Even at synchronized swimming, which is also a strange amalgamation of athletics and theatrics, no one throws teddy bears into the pool.
The music. Change is coming. Beginning with the next competitive season, skaters will be allowed to skate to music with lyrics. Details here.
The bronze medalist, Carolina Kostner, from Italy, skated her routine to Bolero, a nice shout-out to the Torvill and Dean routine from 30 years ago. I also thought it was cool to see her get a medal at the age of 27, a nice (grown-up) contrast to the teenagers who dominate the sport.
A judging controversy is pretty much de rigueur. Given the complex, subjective and anonymous judging process, it's a wonder anyone ever agrees about anything. This time, a Russian woman won, skating in Russia, with a judge who just happens to be married to the head of the Russian Ice Skating Federation. Fair? Not sure. Resolvable? Almost certainly not. It's just how things are in this weird sport.
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