2006 Turin Winter Olympics Blog

Emily Hughes is busy today. She needs to practice her Olympic routine. She needs to pack. And she needs to catch a plane for Turin. After being summoned to Turin as a late replacement for Michelle Kwan, Emily (the 17 year old sister of Olympic champion Sarah Hughes) will leave tonight for Turin. The women’s competition begins on the the 21st. We wish Emily and all the other U.S. skaters all the best.

Last night Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao won silver after a horrible fall. It was one of those moments that makes you wince and say “ow” half a world away. So, that leaves me torn. On the one hand, they clearly violated my “you fall down, you don’t get a medal” rating system. True, they were attempting a move that hadn’t been tried before, but the Americans did that in the short program without falling down. But this fall was so bad, they had to leave the ice for five minutes. My Olympic dreams would have ended right then because there’s no way I would have gone back out there. But Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao returned to the ice and finished their program, to thunderous applause. For that, I have to give them respect and an exception to my rating system. So, here’s the new rating system: If you fall down, and it makes me say “ow, that must have hurt” and you continue skating, you can still qualify for a medal. But if it’s just a namby, pamby sit on your rear, no medal for you.

Gold Tatyana Totmiyanina and Maxim Marinin Russia
Silver Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang
Bronze Xue Shen and Hongbo

Nobody really expected the Americans to medal here (they finished 7th and 14th). I’ll have to update later, after I see the skating to let you know whether I can agree with these medal choices. Unlike the races, where you win or you lose, and it’s pretty cut and dried or snowboarding, where I know nothing, I always think my opinion of figure skating is as good as the judges’. I may not know what’s good, but I know what I like.

Citing stiffness in her groin injury, Michelle Kwan withdrew from the Olympics earlier today. The team doctor recommended the withdrawal, as her injury had worsened.

Emily Hughes (younger sister of gold medal figure skater Sarah Hughes) has already been placed on the team. I thought alternates usually travelled with the team, but apparently not, since Hughes is snowed in in New York, due to heavy blizzards.

Michelle Kwan will leave Turin to avoid being a distraction.

Okay, I must admit, I don’t fully get the new figure skating scoring system (I’m going to have to start watching the one hour show that they’re showing each evening on USA). Teams that I thought were boring, at best, are doing much better than teams that I thought did great.

Of course, I’m biased. Your hand touches down when you’re landing a jump? Minus 50 points. You fall on your rear? No medal for you. Trip on a toe pick? A one year suspension.

Dick Buttons is having a cow over the fact that none of the pair skaters know how to do a proper sit spin. Something about that makes me laugh.

Americans Rena Inoue and John Baldwin landed the first throw triple Axel in international skating. I thought they did a great job, but the end of the short program found them in sixth with 61.27 points.

The top three skating pairs going into the long program are Russia’s Tatyana Totmiyanina and Maxim Marinin, China’s Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, and Russians Maria Petrova and Aleksei Tikhonov.

Hey, don’t shoot the messenger! Her injuries are bothering her. She’s had bad practices. She has mentioned that she may withdraw if she’s not healthy enough. We’ll just have to watch and see. I don’t know how many days it will be before she comes to a final decision, but I’ll keep you informed.

Most of us have seen figure skating. It’s not what it was once upon a time… Remember when there were compulsory figures that had to be skated? Remember how Americans were notoriously bad at this until Scott Hamilton skated it perfectly?

Well, the figures of figure skating are no more. We’re left with the short program and the long program (or free skating) and a new scoring system.

In the Olympics there are four Figure Skating events: ladies singles, men’s singles, pairs, and ice dancing. I’ve already covered ice dancing separately, so we’ll just concentrate on the other disciplines.

The short program consists of eight prescribed elements such as jump combinations and spins. In the long program, skaters perform an original arrangement of techniques to music of their choice.

Pairs also perform a short program and free skate. The couple works as one unit, demonstrating overhead lifts, throw-jumps with the man launching his partner, and other maneuvers.

Now, let’s talk about this new scoring system. Don’t expect to see any 6.0 scores in the 2006 Turin Olympics. You can expect, instead, to see scores like 189. And you won’t be able to curse the French or Russian judges, either, because the scores are posted anonymously. There’s a little less suspense in the “kiss and cry” area, since the score is posted as one total, instead of the slow unveiling of each of the scores separately.

There are points for jumps, spins, footwork and artistic elements. Complete a triple? You get a certain number of points. Fall down? There’s a mandatory deduction.

There are now 12 judges. 9 of the judges’ scores count. Which 9 is chosen at random. The highest and lowest scores for each element are dropped, and the rest are averaged. The averaged marks for each of the elements are then added together to give the total score.

Points fall into two areas: technical and program components. Technical points are awarded for jumps, spins and footwork. Program component points are awarded for skating skills, transitions, performance and execution, choreography and interpretation. And, yes, there is now instant replay in skating.

The technical score adds the score from different elements. There is a limit to how many of each element an athlete can perform. For singles, the short program has three jump elements, three spin elements and two footwork elements (or a spiral sequence for women). A men’s long program can have eight jump elements. Women can have seven. Men and women may perform four spins and two step sequences.

Each element has a point value based on level of difficulty. An execution scored, based on how well the element is performed, is then added or subtracted from the base value.

For example, a triple axel has a base value of 7.5 points. To that point value, the judges may add or subtract up to 3 points, depending on how the jump is performed. A fall earns a mandatory minus 3.

The five program component scores range from 0.25 to 10.0 to reflect very poor to outstanding. These scores evaluate overall skating quality; difficulty and quality of steps linking the elements; style and originality.

Short program and free skate points are added together for a final total.

Well, it’s official. Michelle Kwan will be going to the Olympics. The five member committee unanimously approved her to represent the United States at the 2006 Turin Olympics. Kwan fell on a double axel in the demonstration, but other than that skated a solid program. The committee who watched her skate is optimistic that she can win the gold medal at the upcoming Olympics.

There are AP photos of her leaving the skate center where she skated for five judges. They were taken about an hour ago. She looks happy enough, which would seem to indicate she didn’t fall down. I think, absent a major catastrophe in her program, she will be approved for the Olympic team.

Michelle Kwan will skate for members of the U.S. Figure Skating Commission on Friday to determine whether she is fit to stay on the 2006 U.S. Olympic skating team. Kwan, as we all remember, missed Nationals due to a groin injury, but was given a spot on the Olympic team, as long as the Committee members judged she was fit enough to compete in the Olympics. Kwan replaced Emily Hughes, who finished third at Nationals.

If you’re a fan of Michelle Kwan, I suggest you get prepared to be annoyed and possibly to send email. If you disagree with the decision to place Kwan on the U.S. Figure Skating Olympic Team, you’ll love this editorial. Houston Chronicle writer John Lopez essentially says that the U.S. Figure Skating Federation (well, really the whole international skating community) is a joke and crooked. While he makes some valid points, I think the overall tone of his article is a trifle unnecessary.

Yes, the figure skating community has had its problems, but I don’t think Michelle Kwan’s placement on the Olympic team is a sign of foul play. After all, she’s probably more likely than Emily Hughes to medal, even if she is injured. If Emily Hughes isn’t bothered, why should John Lopez be concerned?

Sasha Cohen was on the Tonight Show last night. I watched a little bit, saw her talk about sitting next to George Bush at the last Olympics opening ceremony, and then I fell asleep. Anyone watch the rest? Was there anything earth-shattering to report?

By the time this post is read, the pairs teams to compete in the Turin Olympics will already be known. One of the hopefuls is Naomi Nari Nam, along with her partner, Themistocles Leftheris.

In 1997, as an 11 year old, Nam won the novice division in ladies skating. Two years later, at her first senior nationals, she finished second to Kwan. She was expected to compete in the Salt Lake City Olympics and, possibly, to medal.

But injuries prevented her from competing in the 2001 nationals. She thought she was suffering from a stress fracture in her hip. It wasn’t a stress fracture. She had popped the hip out of its socket and tore cartilage—an injury like the one Tara Lipinski suffered.

After having the same surgery Lipinski had, Nam found herself faced with a dilemna— what to do abou skating. While she still loved skating, she was unsure whether her body could handle the rigors of singles skating anymore. So, her thoughts turned to pairs.

She has been with her partner since only June. After Wednesday’s short program, they were in third. The top two pairs teams will go to the Olympics in Turin. After this weekend, we’ll update you on whether Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris will be packing their bags to compete for Olympic gold.

Update— Naomi Nari Nam and Themistocles Leftheris barely placed fifth, overall. Considering they’ve only been skating together for a few months, I would say that their chances of doing well in future events is good.

Let the Olympic controversy begin!

The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team was named last night. Many of the names will come as no surprise, as they are the top finishers at Nationals.

Sasha Cohen and Kimmie Meissner took gold and silver at Nationals, assuring themselves of a spot on the Olympic team. Emily Hughes (yes, she is Sarah’s sister) came in third but, in a move that is sure to prove controversial, the Olympic team placed her in an alternate position in order to allow Michelle Kwan the third place on the team. Kwan was not at Nationals due to an injury. Also placed in an alternate position was Katy Taylor, a relative unknown.

The men’s team was a little more straightforward. Johnny Weir, Evan Lysacek and Matt Savoie took gold, silver, and bronze and all three will be attending the Olympics. It will be the first time since 1976 that three newcomers will be representing the United States at an Olympics. Weir is already stirring things up after using a drug reference in an analogy comparing his performace to that of a competitor.

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin will lead the pairs figure skating team in Turin, after completing the world’s first throw triple axel. They are still considered longshots at next month’s Olympics. Inoe is a two-time Olympian in singles and pairs for Japan. They will be joined by Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem.

Tanith Belbin, who was granted U.S. citizenship to allow her to attend the Olympics, and her partner, Ben Agosto were the top ice dancers. Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov and Jamie Silverstein and Ryan O’Meara will round out the ice dancing team.

Melissa Gregory and Denis Pethkhov are a nice story. Petukhov was born in Russian but came to the United States to skate with Gregory, who is now his wife. He became an American citizen last February. His mother, Luba, was with them at nationals, one of the few times she’s seen her son and daughter-in-law skate. I particularly like this story because when I was growing up I thought all pairs skaters and ice dancers were married. Torville and Dean? Married. Tai and Randy? Married. So, it’s nice to know that, for once, my romantic ideal matches up with reality.

So, let us know what you think about the U.S. Olympic figure skating team. Thrilled about Michelle Kwan attending? Outraged? Think Tanith Belbin should have had to wait? Think Johnny Weir ought to wear less flamboyant costumes? Leave us a comment and let us know what you’re thinking.

Sasha Cohen has a solid lead in the U.S. Championships after the short program. Behind Cohen are Emily Hughes and Bebe Liang. Liang, in third, is a surprise contender for the third place on the Olympic team. The person who wins third may be moot, as far as a place on the Olympic team is concerned, if Michelle Kwan wins her bid for the third spot. Whoever wins, it will be the first time in the past eight years that Michelle Kwan has not been the National Champion.