http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-figure-skating/
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-figure-skating-athletes/
February 18, 2010
17:00 - Men Free Skating

February 16, 2010
16:15 - Men Short Program

thanks gis

It's starting to get really close now

Thanks Gis.
I wish there were 2 medals in Figure skating disciplines: FOR THE SP AND FOR THE FP!!!! That would be much more FAIR!

Precisely because of that, nerves become the winning factor and sometimes we end up with some OGM, who have never done great before or after. I always want to see a good skater glorified following his/her past successes.

Another guy leaves out the quad.....

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=411208.html#lysacek+ditches+quad+fears+injury

Thank you ladies for the pieces of information.

thanks sheena

Thanks for the link, Sheena.

In many ways this is an interesting, albeit, short article. What strikes me as most interesting is that Evan is not willing to put out what he has, in terms of ultimate effort, to have the chance at that elusive gold medal. I realize that some people will look at me in shock that I would say this, lol, but this is Olympic sport, not the GP Series and not World's. In the Olympics an athlete pushes to the ultimate level to gain that gold medal. The rest of the time athletes work to protect their bodies from debilitating injury---so that they will have the chance at the next Olympics to make their country's team and compete for that ultimate medal. If Evan is not willing to push himself to the ultimate limit, why bother to compete, at all?

Look at Yagudin, for instance, who pushed his body to the ultimate level (competing in undisclosed pain from his congenital hip condition) and gaining that prized gold medal. Also, look at Plushenko with at least one badly damaged knee who is doing quad jumps, regardless of whatever pain it will cause him, to have the chance to get another Olympic gold medal. Now, both of those examples are perfect instances of competitors who pushed the limits of the bodies to gain Olympic gold, and that is what Olympic sport is all about and what it should be about. Both of those skaters availed themsleves of what modern medicine has to offer to alleviate pain or, in Plush's case, fix damaged body parts, to permit their bodies to hold together long enough to compete in the Olympic forum. On the other hand there are skaters like Evan who, for whatever reason, are unwilling to push their bodies to the ultimate limits to gain an Olympic gold medal. At least, to me, it seems Evan, and those like him (Chan, for instance), are dumbing down what figure skating at the Olympic level has always been---pushing past injury and going all out, producing the ultimate Olympic performance to gain a gold medal. In the long run, if figure skaters wish to be regarded as athletes they have to act as athletes, otherwise what they do can't really be considered as sport.

Mary C.

Beautifully said, Mary. Of course, none of us sitting on the couch at home can tell someone to give their all and risk injury, perhaps permanent damage, but isn't the ultimate Olympic moment somethign like Kerry Strag (was that her name?) landing a vault on a broken foot to give her team the gold in Gymnastics?

The moment I remember the most from Nagano Olympics is Elvis finishing his free program strong, then immediately clutching his thigh and grimacing, telling his coach in the K&C "I could do no more".

Of course, I never expected Evan to go for a quad in the first place. I have no doubt he WAS injured last year, but I think that is not the reason he is avoiding the quad. I think whoever has not tried a quad this year, and probably whoever tried but could not land one this year, will skip it alltogether and skate clean.

Plushy's return has pushed the top skaters to try the quad, and for that I am happy with his return, but those who have neglected this element because "they wanted to focus on their transitions" have found out for the most part that they could no longer land it.

Assuming Plushy will win gold unless he has a meltdown or Brian/Lambiel skate clean and brilliant, the others will be fighting for bronze (silver if Brian and Stephane can't do it). Going clean would be key for them, and they would not risk a quad. This is, of coutrse, my very humble opinion.

Lonnie

The first photo of Brian at Vancouver !

http://tweetphoto.com/11289164

Héhéhé this pleases to see Brian from a distance, lol!