Female figure skaters slippery on ice
When it comes to the Winter Olympics, nothing beats women?s figure skating. Not because of the high-flying jumps skaters land, but because of the jumps they don?t land.
Figure skating falls are fascinating much like crashes in NASCAR, wipeouts in skiing and bone-breaking spills in skateboarding.
Fortunately, enjoying figure skating falls is guilt-free since they really don?t have any dire consequences, besides lost medals and humiliation. There?s nothing like the nail-biting drama of watching a female skater speeding up to prepare for a triple sal-cow or double clutz or whatever the hell they call them.
Usually it?s set up with a TV commentator saying something like, ?OK Scott, she is just about to attempt the toughest jump in her program??
With the music playing, everyone in the arena is silent. As the skater takes off, everyone holds their breath. Then the inevitable happens, the skater lands on the wrong edge of her blade and gravity slams her hard onto the ice.
Usually, there are painful groans in the crowd, and the TV commentator proceeds to explain how four years of hopes and dreams have instantly melted away.
While there are groans in the arena, there are usually knee-slapping laughs in my living room. Occasionally, money will change hands, depending on the number of falls in a routine.
Typically, after a spectacular fall, skaters muster the courage to finish their programs and immediately begin to cry when they come to a stop. The entertainment continues as the cameras follow the skaters into the kiss-and-cry room, where the tears continue to flow and the teddy bears get passed around in futile attempts to console.
At the Winter Games in Albertville and Lillehammer, Canada had perhaps the all-time greatest Olympic faller in Jos?e Chouinard. The Montreal-born skater was a favorite to medal, but ended up earning the moniker ?Human Zamboni? for her ability to fall on her ass and polish the ice.
She definitely earned a gold medal in my books. You might think it?s cruel to enjoy this sort of thing, but hey, it?s figure skating. It?s not really a sport, it?s more sports entertainment.
Like professional wrestlers, figure skaters are usually great athletes, but like the WWE, the winners are typically chosen beforehand (remember Salt Lake?).
Consider the women?s competition at the Turin Games, which begins next Tuesday. It?s all but been decided that Russia?s Irina Slutskaya will win gold, not just for her talent but for her heart-wrenching story.
Slutskaya (imagine having that name in high school) won the silver medal at the Salt Lake Games. Not long after the games, her mother, who has kidney disease, became gravely ill. The illness resulted in Slutskaya missing the 2003 world championships.
Then Slutskaya suffered mysterious health problems which resulted in an enlarged heart and inflamed blood vessels. The Russian was forced out of skating for a portion of 2003, and when she returned, it took her months to build back her strength.
After steadily improving, Slutskaya regained her form and is now the reigning Russian, European and World Champion. Prior to the Games, she was honored as Russia?s best athlete by the country?s minister of sport.
Slutskaya is everyone?s (including the judges) sentimental favorite to win gold. For this reason, BetWWTS has made her a massive -450 favorite. At 27, Slutskaya will likely become the oldest skater to ever to win Olympic gold. She could probably take a couple of Olympic spills and still win (can?t wait).
Slutskaya?s biggest challenger will likely be American Sasha Cohen, who is listed at +400. The 21-year-old U.S. champion placed fourth at the Salt Lake Games and was the silver medalist at the last two World Championships.
Unless disaster strikes (I have my fingers crossed), Cohen will likely take home the silver and make it 11 straight Olympics that the U.S. has won a medal in women?s figure skating.
At +500, Japan?s Miki Ando is the darkhorse in the competition. Ando is the only woman to have landed a quad in competition (I can?t wait to see her try one in Turin!).
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
When it comes to the Winter Olympics, nothing beats women?s figure skating. Not because of the high-flying jumps skaters land, but because of the jumps they don?t land.
Figure skating falls are fascinating much like crashes in NASCAR, wipeouts in skiing and bone-breaking spills in skateboarding.
Fortunately, enjoying figure skating falls is guilt-free since they really don?t have any dire consequences, besides lost medals and humiliation. There?s nothing like the nail-biting drama of watching a female skater speeding up to prepare for a triple sal-cow or double clutz or whatever the hell they call them.
Usually it?s set up with a TV commentator saying something like, ?OK Scott, she is just about to attempt the toughest jump in her program??
With the music playing, everyone in the arena is silent. As the skater takes off, everyone holds their breath. Then the inevitable happens, the skater lands on the wrong edge of her blade and gravity slams her hard onto the ice.
Usually, there are painful groans in the crowd, and the TV commentator proceeds to explain how four years of hopes and dreams have instantly melted away.
While there are groans in the arena, there are usually knee-slapping laughs in my living room. Occasionally, money will change hands, depending on the number of falls in a routine.
Typically, after a spectacular fall, skaters muster the courage to finish their programs and immediately begin to cry when they come to a stop. The entertainment continues as the cameras follow the skaters into the kiss-and-cry room, where the tears continue to flow and the teddy bears get passed around in futile attempts to console.
At the Winter Games in Albertville and Lillehammer, Canada had perhaps the all-time greatest Olympic faller in Jos?e Chouinard. The Montreal-born skater was a favorite to medal, but ended up earning the moniker ?Human Zamboni? for her ability to fall on her ass and polish the ice.
She definitely earned a gold medal in my books. You might think it?s cruel to enjoy this sort of thing, but hey, it?s figure skating. It?s not really a sport, it?s more sports entertainment.
Like professional wrestlers, figure skaters are usually great athletes, but like the WWE, the winners are typically chosen beforehand (remember Salt Lake?).
Consider the women?s competition at the Turin Games, which begins next Tuesday. It?s all but been decided that Russia?s Irina Slutskaya will win gold, not just for her talent but for her heart-wrenching story.
Slutskaya (imagine having that name in high school) won the silver medal at the Salt Lake Games. Not long after the games, her mother, who has kidney disease, became gravely ill. The illness resulted in Slutskaya missing the 2003 world championships.
Then Slutskaya suffered mysterious health problems which resulted in an enlarged heart and inflamed blood vessels. The Russian was forced out of skating for a portion of 2003, and when she returned, it took her months to build back her strength.
After steadily improving, Slutskaya regained her form and is now the reigning Russian, European and World Champion. Prior to the Games, she was honored as Russia?s best athlete by the country?s minister of sport.
Slutskaya is everyone?s (including the judges) sentimental favorite to win gold. For this reason, BetWWTS has made her a massive -450 favorite. At 27, Slutskaya will likely become the oldest skater to ever to win Olympic gold. She could probably take a couple of Olympic spills and still win (can?t wait).
Slutskaya?s biggest challenger will likely be American Sasha Cohen, who is listed at +400. The 21-year-old U.S. champion placed fourth at the Salt Lake Games and was the silver medalist at the last two World Championships.
Unless disaster strikes (I have my fingers crossed), Cohen will likely take home the silver and make it 11 straight Olympics that the U.S. has won a medal in women?s figure skating.
At +500, Japan?s Miki Ando is the darkhorse in the competition. Ando is the only woman to have landed a quad in competition (I can?t wait to see her try one in Turin!).
---Perry
BetWWTS.com
