First off, for twinks that might still be left in the dark: I, Mr. Giggles, used to be a figure skater; still have my skates; still skate occasionally; and am still 100% thoroughly obsessed with the sport. I know the rulebook inside and out. Used to coach and choreograph. I am better than any commentator you will ever see on television. Still jump like crazy anywhere, anytime.
That being said, you can imagine my profound and utter joy when The Alcoholist offered me the chance to see these paragons of sport and grace in person... at World Championships... the year before the Olympics in Vancouver. I just nearly about died (since I had to remain alive long enough to actually go to the competition and ooh and ahh over every little thing).
So last Wednesday night, The Alcoholist and Mr. Giggles went to the Staples Center to experience all the excitement, heartbreak, breath-taking athleticism, and jaw-dropping amazingness (and no, not for the normal reason we drop our jaws) of the pairs' free skate. I was on the edge of my seat on our drive up, making sure to yell at any car that got in my way that I was going to Worlds (because really, what more important place could they be going? Home? Please, your wife and kids probably hate you - what's the rush? I've got somewhere important to be!). Once we arrived, I remained on the edge of my seat in the suite, watching each and every pair intently, eating up every minute of the glorious experience. Hopefully my random factoids and commentary didn't tick anyone off, least of all The Alcoholist, because figure skating puts me in the zone and there's so much more going on than just what you see on the ice. Don't get me wrong, how you skate during the competition is of utmost importance, but the sport has never been clear exactly on how we determine who's the best (and who thought the code of points would make things clear? Ah, right, the president of the International Skating Union who's NOT a figure skater, but rather a speed skater). In the end, though I really must say that the results for this segment of the competition were fair and correct. The German pair - Savchenko and Szolkowy - are absolutely fantastic and their Schindler's List program (ironic, as The Alcoholist pointed out) was gorgeous - her in a rose red dress and he, all in grey (in pants which The Alcoholist particularly fancied). The suite as a whole had a pretty rocking time watching the event, too, and it was lots of fun dancing to Lady Gaga in between skaters in our vain attempt to attract the cameras to us. The last pair also didn't disappoint as they, one of the Russians - Kawaguchi and Smirnov - attempted a throw quadruple Salchow. Though they've successfully (but not prettily) landed the feat in competitions before, that night the skill did not go as hope with Yuko pretty much smashing her face on the ice. She did bounce right back up though and finish the program nicely - that's the great thing about adrenaline: she probably didn't feel a thing until the day after (Kid, I'm sure could tell us more about adrenaline and its wonders). All in all, it was a fine night of skating and I am ever so grateful to The Alcoholist for allowing me the wonderful opportunity to see this event in person.
Now, since I did not attend the Men's Free Skate wherein Evan Lysacek from the U.S. was crowned the new world champion (first American man in 13 years! Todd Eldredge was the last to win it in 1996), I'll leave that entry up to The Alcoholist, Play, SinnerBoi, or Kid. As for me, I'll move on to part trois in my next entry and tell you all about the marathon session that was the Ladies' Short Program.
Until then!
That being said, you can imagine my profound and utter joy when The Alcoholist offered me the chance to see these paragons of sport and grace in person... at World Championships... the year before the Olympics in Vancouver. I just nearly about died (since I had to remain alive long enough to actually go to the competition and ooh and ahh over every little thing).
So last Wednesday night, The Alcoholist and Mr. Giggles went to the Staples Center to experience all the excitement, heartbreak, breath-taking athleticism, and jaw-dropping amazingness (and no, not for the normal reason we drop our jaws) of the pairs' free skate. I was on the edge of my seat on our drive up, making sure to yell at any car that got in my way that I was going to Worlds (because really, what more important place could they be going? Home? Please, your wife and kids probably hate you - what's the rush? I've got somewhere important to be!). Once we arrived, I remained on the edge of my seat in the suite, watching each and every pair intently, eating up every minute of the glorious experience. Hopefully my random factoids and commentary didn't tick anyone off, least of all The Alcoholist, because figure skating puts me in the zone and there's so much more going on than just what you see on the ice. Don't get me wrong, how you skate during the competition is of utmost importance, but the sport has never been clear exactly on how we determine who's the best (and who thought the code of points would make things clear? Ah, right, the president of the International Skating Union who's NOT a figure skater, but rather a speed skater). In the end, though I really must say that the results for this segment of the competition were fair and correct. The German pair - Savchenko and Szolkowy - are absolutely fantastic and their Schindler's List program (ironic, as The Alcoholist pointed out) was gorgeous - her in a rose red dress and he, all in grey (in pants which The Alcoholist particularly fancied). The suite as a whole had a pretty rocking time watching the event, too, and it was lots of fun dancing to Lady Gaga in between skaters in our vain attempt to attract the cameras to us. The last pair also didn't disappoint as they, one of the Russians - Kawaguchi and Smirnov - attempted a throw quadruple Salchow. Though they've successfully (but not prettily) landed the feat in competitions before, that night the skill did not go as hope with Yuko pretty much smashing her face on the ice. She did bounce right back up though and finish the program nicely - that's the great thing about adrenaline: she probably didn't feel a thing until the day after (Kid, I'm sure could tell us more about adrenaline and its wonders). All in all, it was a fine night of skating and I am ever so grateful to The Alcoholist for allowing me the wonderful opportunity to see this event in person.
Now, since I did not attend the Men's Free Skate wherein Evan Lysacek from the U.S. was crowned the new world champion (first American man in 13 years! Todd Eldredge was the last to win it in 1996), I'll leave that entry up to The Alcoholist, Play, SinnerBoi, or Kid. As for me, I'll move on to part trois in my next entry and tell you all about the marathon session that was the Ladies' Short Program.
Until then!
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