Run, Karla, Run!

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are over. It’s been a week now and I’m going through withdrawal. And it’s no wonder. The games were 17 days of adrenaline pumped action, jaw-dropping performances and perhaps the best climax in Olympic history.

I think Graham Watanabe, who competed for the U.S. in Snowboard Cross, summed up the excitement of the games best:

“Try to imagine Pegasus mating with a unicorn and the creature that they birth. I somehow tame it and ride it into the sky in the clouds and sunshine and rainbows. That’s what it feels like.”

I honestly couldn’t have said it better myself. Read the rest of this entry →

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–This has got to be my favorite night of the Winter Games—the Figure Skating Exhibition Gala. The competition is over, the medals have been doled out and the winners get to strut their stuff in fancy-free routines to music people actually like (hopefully). The top five skaters or couples in each event will skate tonight. No labored movie scores, no required elements—just unabashed skating like nature intended.

The lights are already dimmed in the Pacific Colisuem, and a blue light is shinging on the ice. So sit back, relax and enjoy the sparkles and spangles in the Olympics’ most carefree event.

4:30 pm: The lights are dim and the evening starts with a group skate (not the Olympians) skating to Olympic Fanfare. The teeniest tiniest little boy is on the ice. Super cute! Read the rest of this entry →

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—It’s ladies’ night at the Pacific Colisuem. What will it take for any of the other skaters to dethrone Korea’s “Queen” Yu-Na Kim? Nothing short of an anti-monarchy revolution. In other words, a miracle.

The reigning world champion delivered a show-stopping performance in the short program on Tuesday night that put her nearly five points ahead of Japan’s Mao Asada. Short of a total meltdown, which would be unprecedented—Kim has won every competition she has entered this season—the Olympic crown is hers for the taking. She simply needs to skate like she usually does. And with record scores in both the short program and free skate, it shouldn’t be hard for her to do. Read the rest of this entry →

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—It’s the most exciting Olympic men’s figure skating final perhaps since the famous Battle of the Brians in Calgary in 1988. American Brian Boitano came out on top. Will the USA be that lucky again? It’s certainly possible. With only .6 points separating the three leaders—Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko, USA’s Evan Lysacek, and Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi—they might as well be tied. It’s any man’s medal going into the free skate tonight.

And not to be ruled out are Nobunari Oda of Japan, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland and Johnny Weir of the USA, who sit in fourth, fifth and sixth place. If any of the three leaders fall apart tonight, one of them could move into medal position.

There’s going to be drama, funky costumes and odd music choices for sure. But there’ll also be some darn good skating. So stay tuned for the Men’s Figure Skating Free Program! Read the rest of this entry →

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–The media tribunes are packed. I hear the constant click of camera shutters in front of me. And that can only mean one thing: Some Olympic magic is about to be made.

I’m live at the opening night of the men’s figure skating competition. It will be a battle for the ages in one of the most competitive fields in recent memory. Defending Olympic Champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia will go skate to skate with reigning World Champion Evan Lysacek of the U.S., U.S. National Champion Jeremy Abbott and former U.S. Champion Johnny Weir, among a bevy of other heavy hitters. Read the rest of this entry →