A Winter Olympics Glimpse Into Greatness

Over two weeks and three weekends, the Beijing Winter Olympics will fill our hearts and television screens with plenty of excitement. For my household, much of it will take place on the Olympic figure skating ice.

Mixing colorful costumes and loud music with a mixture of elegance and athleticism, there’s bound to be plenty of thrills along with a few spills and disappointments, but enough flash and panache to make it all seem worthwhile. 

Thanks to the 13-hour time difference between Beijing and the U.S. east coast, we’ve tuned in to watch figure skating following our nightly dinner – during prime time – and the just-completed team competition kept us up past our bedtime the past few nights. Sometimes, we watched on our living room TV and other times on my iPhone while laying in bed. Learning about the human side of many of the Olympic figure skaters who are competing as well as gaining an appreciation for what drives them to excel on ice has been fascinating. 

Sunday night (Monday morning in Beijing), during the final day of the team skating event, we had the pleasure of watching 15-year-old Russian phenom Kamila Valieva become the first woman to land a quadruple jump in Olympics competition. She landed a quadruple Salchow as her opening element during her free skate program performed to Ravel’s “Bolero.” 

While making history, the Moscow resident Valieva helped lead the Russian Olympic Committee team to a gold medal in the team competition by finishing first in both the short program and the free skate.

“I believe that I am coping with this pressure,” Valieva said afterward. “And sometimes it even pushes me forward. It helps me.”

The images of the five-foot-three-inch Valieva lifting her arms above her head as she spun, accented by her blurred red gloves, seemed effortless. Yet, it’s obvious she’s put a lot of time and dedication into perfecting each element – each quadruple jump – of her routine. To her credit, Valieva proved human – and not just a jumping machine – after she fell to the ice when she attempted her third and final quadruple jump. She shook off the mistake, put it behind her, and continued her program. Her score was more than 30 points higher than second-place finisher Kaori Sakamoto of Japan. 

It’s nice to learn from newspaper reports that Valieva sometimes giggles during her interviews with Olympic media. The other day, she entered the media area following her short program clutching a stuffed animal. Remember, she’s just 15. However, it’s been her dream to be an Olympic champion since she was about three years-old. 

After practicing gymnastics, figure skating and ballet as a child, Valieva liked figure skating the best. She once said that “gliding on the ice and the speed are awesome.”

With Valieva’s goal of becoming an Olympic figure skating champion coming into the spotlight, no doubt she will draw plenty of attention next week when the women’s individual competition takes place. It won’t surprise me if Valieva wins the gold medal and stands on the top step of the medal podium at Capital Indoor Stadium. Winning gold seems to be a Russian tradition among women’s figure skaters – and to her credit, Valieva exudes a winning combo of brains and brawn.

In her own words: “I believe that my next dream will come true, too.”

Screenshot photo courtesy of NBC Olympics video.

To watch highlights of Valieva’s team competition performance: https://youtu.be/hda3vvmqQHQ

A Winter Olympic memory that brought joy and heartbreak

Russian silver medalist Evgenia Medvedeva /
She created brilliant figure skating moments.

Over two weeks and three weekends, the PyeongChang Winter Olympics filled our hearts and television screens with lots of excitement. For my wife and I, much of it took place on the Olympic figure skating ice.

Sometimes, it was colorful and loud, oftentimes it was elegant. There were plenty of thrills and excitement, just a few spills and disappointments, but enough flash and panache to make it all seem worthwhile.

Because of the 14-hour time difference between South Korea and the U.S. east coast, we tuned in to watch figure skating following our nightly dinner – and, occasionally, it kept us awake past our bedtime. Sometimes, we watched online. Because we cared, learning about the human side of many of the Olympic figure skaters competing as well as about the sport's history was a real treat.

During the final two nights of figure skating last week, after the excitement of the team, men's and ice dance competitions, we had the noblest pleasure of watching the 18-year-old Russian Evgenia Medvedeva make her Olympic individual debut in the ladies' singles event. Performing to "Nocturne" by Frederic Chopin, Medvedeva performed her short program, which included a triple flip/triple toe loop combo, triple loop and double Axel, flawlessly. Her score of 81.61 points placed her second behind her Russian teammate Alina Zagitova, who scored 82.92.

Medvedeva's skating maturity and artistic presentation were well beyond her years. From watching her skate and in listening to the comments expressed by the NBC figure skating commentators, it gave us a joy of understanding Medvedeva, both as an athlete and as an individual. Among the things we learned about her: Medvedeva likes studying foreign languages, enjoys drawing, is fond of listening to music (such as K-pop), and loves Japanese culture (such as anime). She may skate like an adult, but she's a kid at heart – and that's the beauty and joy of it all.

Two days after skating her short program, Medvedeva returned to the Olympic ice. She was the last of 24 skaters to present her long program, which decided the gold medal – and was won by Zagitova by the slimmest of margins, 239.57 to 238.26. Medvedeva, skated as Tolstoy's tragic "Anna Karenina" with music composed by Dario Marianelli. 

As she skated, we rooted for Medvedeva, a two-time world champion and consensus favorite to win the gold before she broke a bone in her right foot last fall. As The New York Times wrote, "Medvedeva was forced to confront a sobering reality on Friday at age 18: Experience and artistry and expressiveness did not prevail over mathematics."

Before her final performance, Medvedeva said, "I'm not chasing numbers, I'm chasing feelings."

There was a beautiful, athletic bounce to Medvedeva's skating, a lovely expression on her face throughout her four-minute free skate to a classic Russian story. Medvedeva was Anna Karenina – and she gave it her all. She was mentally tough and she skated brilliantly. It was a perfect, balanced and mistake-free performance – Medvedeva didn't do anything wrong – even if it didn't earn her the gold medal.

What a way to win if you're Zagitova. What a way to lose if you're Medvedeva – even if losing means winning the silver medal.

Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova.

Indeed at age 15, Zagitova became the second-youngest women's skater to win the Olympic gold medal. With shrewd design and stamina, precision jumping and a sense of "youthful certainty," Zagitova landed all 11 of her jumps in the second half of her balletic "Don Quixote" free skate long program, compared to eight for Medvedeva. As The New York Times explained: "This is known as back loading, and is meant to gobble up a 10 percent bonus awarded for each jump beyond the halfway point of a routine, as skaters' legs begin to tire." 

Skating with calm and endurance, Zagitova's strategy – which was within the rules even if it broke the spirit of them – worked to her advantage, even if it wasn't as emotional and captivating as Medvedeva's long program.

The two Russian figure skaters each scored 156.65 in the free skate and Medvedeva was ranked first ahead of Zagitova. Looking back, Medvedeva's technical elements included: a triple flip/triple toe loop combo, a triple Lutz, a triple flip, a triple loop, a double Axel/double toe loop/double toe loop combo, a triple Salchow/triple toe loop combo and a double Axel. Her interpretation of her music was superb. 

"If most skaters skate with their brains," said NBC figure skating analyst Johnny Weir, as he watched Medvedeva perform, "Evgenia skates with her entire soul throughout her performance."

At the conclusion of Medvedeva's performance, NBC figure skating commentator Terry Gannon was moved to say, "I don't know if we just watched gold, but we watched greatness."

As it happened, Zagitova's victory was the second consecutive gold medal won by Russian women. Because they operate in a centralized training facility, unlike in the U.S., the top skaters challenge each other on a daily basis in practice. Thus, Zagitova was challenged by her friend and training partner Medvedeva – and it paid off. 

Looking back, as Medvedeva received the plaudits of the appreciative crowd before skating off the ice after to await her adjudication, she shed tears of joy – maybe of relief, too. Despite facing enormous pressure, she skated marvelously – a season-best performance. In our eyes – and many others, too – Medvedeva was a winner. And, yet, she handled her defeat so graciously. 

"She created brilliant moments," said NBC figure skating analyst and 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lapinski in describing what she had just seen Medvedeva perform. "This was one of the best ever competitions."

After receiving her silver medal, Medvedeva had time to reflect. "It's life and it's a lesson," she said. "Every year, every moment, every day, every week, every month, we must become stronger. ... Today, we proved ourselves here."

Photos: Courtesy of Google Images.

Sochi Winter Games: From Russia with Love

Sochi 2014 / The whole world's watching.

The 2014 Sochi Winter Games are less than a week old. Already, these Olympic Games taking place in this Russian resort town on the Black Sea coast have been all about the host nation, Russia, being buoyantly confident while projecting a sense of pride for the rest of the world to see.

Colorful fireworks light up the
Sochi sky at night.

Sure, during last Friday's elaborate but colorful Opening Ceremonies there was plenty of selective and revisionist 20th century history -- glossing over the bad parts -- going on. One didn't need to be an expert in Russian or Soviet history to realize there was no mention of gulags or, for that matter, Joseph Stalin, either. You know, that big fat chapter of Russia's evil history. I think if I were narrating the Opening Ceremonies, I might have looked the other way during the Stalinist Years, too, and fast-forwarded from the 1917 Revolution straight through to the Communist Cold War Years, filled with cosmonauts and the space race. But, then, that still leaves perestroika, the dissolving of the Soviet Union, which is so 20th century, and its growing pains with democracy in the current 21st century, which sadly has included gay repression.

However, leave it to Russia to always put on a good show when it comes to ballet and music. For me, the Alice in Wonderland-inspired lesson in learning the Cyrillic alphabet and seeing the multicolored onion domes of St. Basil's Cathedral bobbing in the air were nice touches. So, were the tributes to Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." 

For Russia, the show is especially enjoyable when it's ballet and music set on ice.

After all, a dominant nation that's given us so many figure skating champions, especially pairs champions -- the Protopopovs, Rodnina and Zaitsev, Gordeeva and Grinkov, and now Volosozhar and Trankov -- not to mention ballet artists like Pavlova and Baryshnikov, and classical composers such as Prokofiev and Stravinsky, is definitely a nation secure in its own cultural identity. Forget the politics, if you will. Because when you combine the art of ballet and music with the athleticism of figure skating, you stop for a moment, soak it all in, and smile in appreciation.

The soul of Russia is found on ice and it's their vital tradition.

"Figure skating is our tradition," Tamara Moskvina, the longtime figure skating coach who has coached Russian pairs skaters to four Olympic gold medals, said in a New York Times interview this week. "It combines technique and art, and Russia has a great tradition in those fields." 

On Sunday night in Sochi's Iceberg Skating Palace, the inaugural Olympic team ice skating competition reached its crescendo. On the strength of Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who won the short and long programs in ice dancing, the United States won the bronze medal and Canada won the team silver medal. Both countries will be competitive during individual the competitions, which began today.

However, when it was all said and done Sunday night, there were lots of bouquets tossed onto the ice and plenty of applause in appreciation of the "home team." Team Russia had won its first gold medal of these Winter Games, and I'm sure they will win more during the ice skating competition.

It's all about the tradition of artistry meeting athleticism.

While Russia and, before that, the Soviet Union have dominated pairs and ice dancing events, there have been moments of individual brilliance, too.

For instance, Evgeni Plushenko, 31, who is competing in his fourth Games, won the men's long program during the team event in what could be seen as a valedictory performance that was full of perseverance in overcoming numerous injuries. What he may have lacked in technical skill -- he attempted just one quadruple jump -- he made up for by dazzling the crowd, and a world-wide audience, with his enthusiasm and showmanship.

Plushenko now has four career Olympic medals, most in the modern era. He won the men's singles in 2006, and silver medals in 2002 and 2010. Arguably, he may be more popular among Russians than President Vladimir V. Putin, who attended the team figure skating event and, later, congratulated each Russian team skater individually.

Yulia Lipnitskaya / The little girl in the bright red dress. She's
brought joy on ice to an entire country, and she's winning gold, too.

Meanwhile, the ladies free skate portion of the competition turned into a coming-of-age gala for 15-year-old Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya. She brought joy to an entire country, skating poised beyond her years -- and flawlessly, too -- to music from from the Academy Award-winning "Schindler's List." She was the little girl with the ponytail skating beautifully and brilliantly in the bright red dress. And, Lipnitskaya was the same little girl who scooped up a preppy, Russia baseball cap as she skated off the ice. She put it on without hesitating -- it was an age-appropriate thing to do -- and she kept it on her head through the rest of the competition, including the flower ceremony for the medal-winning teams afterwards.

By winning the short and long programs in the women's portion of the team event, Lipnitskaya became the youngest gold medalist since Tara Lipinski of the United States won the women's individual competition at age 15 during the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. (Incidentally, Lipinski was in the arena working as a figure skating analyst for NBCSN during Lipnitskaya's short and long programs.)

When you see Lipkitskaya's flexibility and fearlessness on the ice, not to mention her gravity and emotional resonance in interpreting a serious music score, you realize that you are witnessing something very special. Now, I can't wait to see her perform in the ladies individual competition against the reigning Olympic champion Kim Yu-na of South Korea during the final week of the Games.

Gold, silver, bronze /
It's all about winning medals.

Undoubtedly, the Sochi Winter Games, believed to be the most expensive Olympic Games in history, have brought bright lights and color to an area of the world that's not far removed from war. The Caucasus Mountains look beautiful and inviting. There's been lots of patriotic flag waving in the arenas, on the slopes, and in the plaza of Olympic Park, too. They have made for good TV visuals back here in the United States (thanks to NBC and the Today show, which desperately wants to see the Americans do well -- and win often). Thank goodness, I've found a reliable Internet link to watch the BBC2's refreshingly enjoyable, commercial-free coverage that is far less pretentious and glitzy than NBC's boosterish -- and, sometimes, boorish -- 24/7 coverage that's full of commercial interruptions every few minutes here in the United States. 

What's important is this: During its first week, the Sochi Winter Games have been about breaking down barriers of age, for which we can thank Plushenko and Lipnitskaya, an old wisehead and a young upstart, among many competing at these Games -- and, for Russia, it's been about restoring a little bit of tradition, too. For better or worse, it's also brought the whole world just a little bit closer together.

Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov /
Continuing a tradition of excellence in pairs figure skating.

A postscript: On Wednesday evening, Tatiana Volosozhar, 27, and Maxim Trankov, 30, won the gold medal in pairs figure skating, beating fellow Russians Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov by 18 points.  It continued a tradition of excellence and their country's dominance in this Olympic sport.  Skating to music from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar," Volosozhar and Trankov presented a challenging free skate program that was steeped in difficulty, and they finished it without any big mistakes. At its conclusion, Trankov triumphantly slid across the ice like an international football player celebrating a goal. Meanwhile, Volosozhar, tearful and standing with her knees bent slightly, buried her face in her hands. It was a celebration in joy. Although there were two more pairs to skate, they knew the gold medal was a possibility.

Photo of Yulia Lipnikskaya courtesy of Reuters/Google images. 
Photo of Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov via BBC Sport/internet image.
Other photos courtesy of Google images.

The Thrill of Giving It Your All

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are only three days old, but already there's been an abundance of exciting action to absorb ~ and knowing that there are so many stories and lasting memories that are yet to unfold.

So far, I have limited my Olympic intake primarily to the opening ceremonies. However, with figuring skating on TV tonight ~ beginning with the pairs competition ~ all bets are off. Even though, as a West Coast resident, I am unfairly subjected to waiting for NBC's prime-time coverage on a three-hour tape delay (while the east and central time zones get to see it live) and I already know the outcome from following a live results feed via the Internet in real time.

After watching the top Chinese pair Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo skate a superior short program that would place them first among 20 teams with 76.66 points, it was soon time for an American pair whom I knew nothing about to take to the ice. And what an impression Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig made on me over the course of their 2 minute, 50 second performance which included seven required elements such as the death spiral. Nice personalities, good skating, inspiring music.

"I think they had a lot of fun with that performance," said NBC skating analyst Sandra Bezic after Evora and Ladwig made their Olympic debut Sunday night in the pair's short program, performing to the "Portugese Love Theme" from the movie Love Actually.

The reaction of the Pacific Coliseum crowd, which included Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, suggested the American couple had done well. Evora and Ladwig showed good chemistry on ice and certainly did nothing to embarrass themselves or their nation.

"I worked hard," Ladwig told NBC's Andrea Joyce afterward. "It was meant to be," added Evora. There was no crying in the Kiss and Cry area as Evora and Ladwig waited for their scores to post.

While their score of 57.86 placed them 10th overall going into Monday evening's long program finale, there is a tremendous satisfaction to be enjoyed in knowing that Evora and Ladwig performed to the best of their abilities. Years of practice produced dividends. It resulted in a cleanly-skated program ~ the thrill of knowing they gave it their all.

"Whether they win a medal or not," said NBC skating analyst and former Olympic champion Dick Button, "they skated a wonderful program and they can be proud of that."

It doesn't matter what happens in the long program ~ or whether Evora and Ladwig medal or not. They've got a Olympic memory of a lifetime from their positive achievement in their short program. A thrill for them, a thrill for the crowd, a thrill for their country.

After all, isn't this what the Olympics is all about ~ the thrill of giving it your all?