With only a few weeks until the Summer Olympic Games in Rio,
the sports community is going abuzz with news of the Russian doping scandal,
which they know has been going on since at least 2014. Some believe it began
before that. With that, I decided to get smart on it. Here are some key
takeaways I have found thus far:
1.The ISU is considering banning Russia from
hosting the 2016 Rostelecom Cup.
The Rostelecom Cup is one of 6 events in the Grand Prix of
Figure Skating. These Grand Prix events allow the skaters to compete
internationally. Doing well in these events enables skaters to improve their
world standing and ranking within the sport. Skate America is the first event
in the series, and this signals the beginning of the new figure skating season.
The Rostelecom Cup is usually the third event in this
series. I have only seen one reference mentioning the banning of Russia for
hosting the Rostelecom Cup. No official word has come from the International
Skating Union (ISU) as of yet.
2.Evgeni Plushenko has already spoken out
regarding his innocence.
He has stated in a few sources that he took no doping and
has always competed fairly.
3.There will continue to be fallout from the
2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
There was so much discussion following the Olympics of
possible judging scandals and controversy. This stemmed mainly from the Russian
skaters’ personal relationships with the head of the Russian Skating
Federation, which (surprise, surprise) was one of the judges on the panel. And
with the IJS Rules, the judging was anonymous, so they could score whatever
they wanted and no one could say a damn thing. They have just recently removed
this anonymous judging, a change which I greatly welcome. These judges need to
be held accountable. The atmosphere at this Olympics was different than any I
had seen in the past. Instead of the hosting country being more of an
objective, unbiased spectator, as we have seen in previous games, the tone was
strongly pro-Russia throughout. There is nothing wrong with having pride in
your country (‘Merica!), but the blatant favoritism in the building for all the
Russian athletes seemed inappropriate on an Olympic stage. This is just my
opinion, and I’m wondering if anyone else noticed it.
All of this drama involving the judges was not ruled as a
scandal by either the ISU or the Olympic Committee. However, it did raise some
suspicions as to what transpired during these games.
Russia won the first ever Team Event in figure skating, and
I believe they won that fairly. Their overall group of skaters was collectively
stronger than the other teams. Where I, and many others, disagree with the
decisions, is in the Ladies’ event. I have remained silent on this matter for a
long time, and that was because I didn’t see the events until today. We had a
thunderstorm come through with tornado warnings, and our satellite went out
just as Carolina Kostner was taking the ice. The day after this event, I saw
many of my friends discussing this issue, and how Kim Yuna was robbed. I had to
admit, I thought she would have won it. Adelina Sotnikova wasn’t even the
Russian skater anyone was talking about at these games. What the hell happened?
This all sounded like a bunch of crap to me, and I wasn’t really interested in
seeing what happened. That whole Olympic experience was jacked up, with the
exception of Meryl and Charlie bringing home the Gold for Ice Dance.
I’ll put the performances here, and you guys can judge who
should have won here:
Kim Yuna
Adelina Sodnikova
In my mind, the clear winner here was Kim. Their jumping
passes were similar in difficulty, although Adelina had a bit more spring in
her jumps. Both had a small bobble on one of the jumps. However, Kim’s overall
program had much better flow and cohesion along with all the elements. Adelina’s
arms were flailing about throughout most of the program, which did not create a
very good posture or line.
And there’s one more lady in the mix here:
Carolina Kostner
Carolina Kostner went away with the bronze medal for this
lovely rendition of “Bolero”. This was a risky choice given the still iconic
performance from Torvill and Dean in the 1984 Olympics. She made it her own and
had great musical interpretation.
Here’s how I would have placed them:
Gold- Yuna
Silver- Sodnikova
Bronze- Kostner
So you may ask: What does this have to do with the doping
scandal?
Hang on, I’m getting there.
In 2012, Carolina Kostner’s boyfriend was found guilty of
doping and was banned from the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In 2015, Carolina
was brought to trial and was found guilty of covering for him and lying on his
behalf. She was banned from figure skating for 16 months, a ban that just
recently has been lifted. Oh yeah, and she broke up with that guy. Bye Felicia!
Some also speculate that this scandal could end with Kim
Yuna retroactively receiving the gold medal for those Olympics, which many
thought she rightly deserved.
4.What will happen to the Russian sport
officials involved in the doping scandal?
If the Russians come out of this doping scandal unscathed, a
situation that even their government knew about and secretly condoned, that
would be a complete injustice and utter bullshit. Given the punishment that
Carolina Kostner received, there should at least be a ban for some time for all
involved.
I will make no accusations that the Russian athletes in the
2014 Games were using performance enhancing drugs. No one knows that yet, and
it has yet to be proven.
Welcome to my first of a series of write-ups on my favorite
skating programs. The first post will cover Ice Dance, and I will do separate
posts for Pairs, Men’s and Ladies. These are my personal favorite performances
from both competitive and exhibition events. As an artistic and dramatic
skater, I look for a lot of drama in ice dance performances, as well as
technical excellence, musical interpretation, and the connection between the
partners. I also enjoy being surprised by what comes next in the dances! I
recommend watching the videos in “Full Screen” to get the full effect. Without
further ado, let’s get to it!
#10. Oksana “Pasha” Grishuk and Alexander “Sasha” Zhulin
(RUS): “Smooth Operator” by Sade
Well, well, well…this duo certainly stirred up some drama
and controversy in the 1990s! They both had skated with other partners for the
1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympics, Grishuk with Evgeny Platov (RUS) and Zhulin with
his partner and wife Maia Usova (RUS). Pasha and Sasha had a long ongoing
affair in this time, which blew up after the 1994 Olympics, with great
animosity and resentment between the two ladies. Grishuk and Platov continued
to skate together until the completion of the 1998 Olympics, and then parted
ways.
Well enough on that. We are here to talk about the
performance.
This is a program they did for the 1999 World Professional
Championships. Knowing the little tidbit above, it’s obvious to see they have
great connection and chemistry. What I loved about this performance is the
passion and sensuality they bring to the program. They also have a lot of
unique elements and it does have a fun feel to it as well. As the commentators
mentioned, they are very artistically compatible. You can see this in their
shared speed and unison.
Can we talk about Pasha’s outfit for a minute? That thing
just screams 1999, but she looks great in it. Hell, I might wear something like
that if I was in that good of shape.
One more bonus on this one: There are several videos that
talk about the “Pasha and Sasha” scandal. Some are informative, some cast blame
on one or the other, and some are downright ridiculous. If you’re into drinking
wine and watching YouTube after a long week of work, definitely add these to
your watching list.
#9: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (CAN): “Stay” by Rihanna
Another good example on partnering here. They have everyone
believing they are together, when in reality, they are not dating (I looked it
up). As you can see in this 2013 Stars On Ice performance, they have skated
together since they were children, which may be how they have developed their
unique style and unison. I have seen a lot of their competitive programs as
well, but they really shine in an exhibition environment. Their skating is a
lot freer, and they are a little more dramatic while also being relatable to
the audience. That split lift was AMAZING! Yowza! I loved all of the acting and
emoting on the ice too. You have no idea how hard that is! I would just love to
have a picture from one of my performances where I am not doing my
“concentration face”!
#8: Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov (RUS): “Carmen” by
Bizet
Yes, I realize Carmen is one of the most overplayed skating
songs of all time, but this program really stood out to me. I stumbled upon
this gem when I was searching for all the Carmen programs on YouTube. It’s a
skater thing. I guarantee you I’m not the only one who’s done this.
Krylova and Ovsiannikov are another Russian ice dance team
that completed in the 1998 Olympics, and their rivalry with Grishuk and Platov
was INTENSE. There was a lot of bad blood between the two teams. Krylova and
Ovsiannikov really wanted to win this one against their rivals, and it is very
evident in this performance. I’m just going to come out and say it: I think
this free dance should have won. It had much more energy and connection between
the partners than Grishuk and Platov’s performance. This was certainly not the
same Carmen performance that the audience and judges had seen tons of times.
This one had a spark to it and a special energy. In particular, a certain
aspect stood out to me as original and groundbreaking. In ice dance and pairs,
the focus has always been on the lady. The male partner’s role is to provide
support and do everything to showcase her in the best way. With this program,
the lady was still showcased, but he had a lot of great moments and elements
all on his own. You could tell they were both in it together. And now to shift
our focus to the lady…
That dress is fierce! It was
very dramatic and unique, with a lot of cool styling elements. Her facial
expressions in the program were dynamite, and as the commentators stated, they
were acting for the audience in the back of the arena, much like in theater.
Not only that, but her resting bitch face game is STRONG! Almost Herculean, in
fact. It’s definitely going in the top ten. Hey, there’s an idea! “The Best
Resting Bitch Face Poses of All Time”. Let me add that to my list of blog
ideas.
And let’s talk a minute about
the death scene. When she pulled the scarf out, there was an element of
surprise. What was really neat was that he “died” without laying down on the
ice, which was very innovative. As an aside, there is a YouTube video from the
90s.
That last guy is my personal favorite. Apparently, after
Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean’s iconic “Bolero” performance at the 1984
Olympics, everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon on dying on the ice. I even
did it myself! My friend and I, having seen this video, decided to be like the
last guy and encourage the crowd to cheer on our “death” scene.
If there’s one key takeaway from their performance, it’s
this: The motivation to win is much stronger when you hate your competitors. Go
ahead and let the hate flow through you…
#7: Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko (RUS): “The
Brides” by Wojciech Kilar, Bram
Stoker’s Dracula Soundtrack
I discovered this gem a few weeks ago. I’m not really sure
where they did this performance but it certainly is a treat. Its excellent
choreography by Tatiana Tarasova is filled with theatricality and exquisite
lifts. Their ballet training is evident, as they are aware of their body
position in every lift and transition. And to add to all the wonderful
technical elements, the couple also had great artistry and musicality. They
stayed in character without being over the top. I have always admired this team
for creating beautiful programs and making it about the skating, and not about
themselves seeking the spotlight or causing drama. The costuming and makeup
added some important artistic elements to the program. Everything they did with
the cape, skating under it, and especially in the bounce spin, were very
impressive. Hats off to them for staying upward that whole time and not
tripping on the cape or crashing into the boards! This would make an amazing
program for a Halloween skating show, which I have always wanted to see and
perform in. As a final note, this is the second entry where the couple “died”
on the ice. Will it be the last? You’ll just have to wait and see.
#6: Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko (RUS): “Romeo and
Juliet” by Tchaikovsky
I will start off my commentary on this one with a
disclaimer: I’m not really a big Romeo and Juliet fan as far as the play goes.
The whole idea of getting married as a teenager and then dying is not something
that one should shoot for in romantic relationships. It does, however, make for
some damn good skating performances, like this one.
This is where we really start seeing the high-impact,
heavy-hitting performances. I went back and forth on where to rank this
performance from the 1995 World Professional Championships and the “Dracula”
performance in the last section. This one edged out because of one thing that
made it special: passion. I have seen this performance live at the Champions on
Ice tour. Marina and Sergei captivated the crowd with their beautifully
artistic and dramatic performances. I love the transitions on the lifts,
particularly on the lift at the climax of the program. This one definitely has
more impact with the dark lighting and spotlights, where they can hold the
candles. They perform to the fullest, and you really believe they are the
star-crossed lovers that ended in tragedy. Marina really played dead well too.
They have such an exquisite style and elegance that you don’t see a lot in ice
dance today. I really miss that.
#5: Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov (RUS): “You’ll See” by
Madonna
This is another performance I saw live, that was full of
passion. It was so cool to see her just chuck the jacket at him at the end.
While this program is loaded with artistry and passion, it still does not skimp
on amazing technical elements. That part where she is in an O shape and slides
down his body leave shivers down my spine. It is so daring and so amazing. They
effortlessly glide on the ice with so much speed, and the music is the perfect
backdrop to bring on the drama and bare their emotions. Also, as the
commentator mentioned, Oksana Grishuk is the “Madonna of the Ice”. Say what you
will about Pasha, but she has a diva like quality that mimics Sonja Henie back
in her hey-day.
For a little fluff piece on this check out “The Tale of Two
Oksanas”. I can understand her wanting to change her name, since no one knew
who she was, in spite of all her accomplishments. But the rest, well, you’ll
just have to see. Pasha is throwing shade (which I don’t like) and attempting
to impersonate Marilyn Monroe. Again, good for a Friday night wine and YouTube
night.
Ah, the 90’s. ‘Twas a much simpler time. Figure skating was
much more popular, and also the topic of celebrity gossip. I’d much rather see
something like this that some nonsense about Taylor Swift and whoever the hell
she’s dating this week. (Yeah, I just through shade there. Whatevs. You were
all thinking it too, don’t lie.)
#4: Shae Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz (CAN): “Riverdance”
Medley
Let me just say: I freaking LOVE Riverdance. And not to put
spoilers out there, but you may be seeing additional Riverdance entries… Many
of you remember Jason Brown’s Riverdance program, which was great, but this is
the original here.
WOW. One of the most amazing performances I’ve ever seen.
Another fantastic showing from the 1998 Olympics. You know, I remember watching
this Olympics as a 15 year old girl. All the focus was on the Ladies’ event,
but the free dances are really what had me glued to the TV and staying up late.
Everyone was giving their all out there, and it could have been anyone’s night.
I love this performance because it shows such a wide range
of styles. And they did Irish step dancing ON ICE!!!! I also had a stint in an
Irish step dancing class, and I can attest, this is no joke. My friend and I
attempted to do some step dancing moves on the ice and stopped immediately due
to fear of skull fractures. It is unbelievably difficult to do. They
transitioned nicely into the slower sections with more lifts and hydroblading.
Just absolutely phenomenal. The costumes were a great choice and it was a bold
move on Victor’s part to wear green pants. That is not a pant color you see a
lot of male skaters wear, but it looked really cool. They skated with a lot of
charm, spunk, and excitement.
#3: Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje (CAN): “Kissing You” by
Des’ree
O.M.G……Cannot get through this program without crying. This
is poetry and art. This was an exhibition program, which are “fluff” programs
for many skaters, but they brought something of real substance and emotion.
BRB, watching it again…
Seriously, Shakespeare himself could not have picked better
actors for Romeo and Juliet. And maybe I like the play more than I’m letting
on. This is just perfection. From the music to the costumes, to the elements,
to the dramatization, I am spellbound. That verse in the song where it says
“watching stars without you, my soul cries” is where my cue is to cry. Works
every time. Their unison was so in sync here, and there were some beautiful
lifts and daring elements. I loved that Andrew had a little spotlight of his
own as well. Like I stated before, the men’s job in ice dance is typically to
make the ladies look beautiful. I like when men have their moment to shine in
dance too. This couple came onto the scene much more dominantly after the 2014
Olympics. I’m hoping they stick around, especially with programs like this.
So, we are almost through the Final Countdown (do do doo do,
do do do do doooo!), so if #3 was that spectacular, numbers 2 and 1 must be
super duper amazing right?? Well, here it is….
#2: Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA): “Scheherazade” by Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov
USA! USA! ‘Merica!! Yeah, that’s right. Meryl and Charlie
earned the USA the first Olympic Gold Medal in Ice Dance, and it was very well
deserved.
This performance was unequaled by any of the other dancers,
and there were some other great performances, most notably by Virtue and Moir.
Still, no one could stop the power of Meryl and Charlie. They had worked on
some of these elements for years, waiting for the 2014 season. No detail was
forgotten, not even in their costuming and appearance. They looked like a
Disney Prince and Princess, as this Buzzfeed article proclaims:
While there are many who claim that figure skating is on the
decline, and who complain about the IJS rules (myself included), there are some
exceptional skaters that get it right time after time. Meryl and Charlie are
one of those teams. She even clapped back at the critics talking about the
supposed “dire” state of the sport:
Good for you girl, give ‘em hell. I just think these two are
such great role models. They went to college even with their skating stardom,
and are constantly doing things to help the community. Their absence was
greatly felt in these past two competition seasons. This performance was the
absolute best. To draw some comparisons: “Scheherazade” is the modern day
“Bolero”. The torch has been passed from the ice dance greats Torvill and Dean
to Davis and White.
All of this is a great segway into my Number One
performance, which should come as no surprise…
#1: Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean (GBR): “Bolero” by
Ravel
20 years after the British Invasion that introduced The
Beatles to the world, Torvill and Dean had a British invasion of their own at
the 1984 Olympics. The art and sport of ice dance was transformed forever.
There are many reasons that this performance is the literal gold standard of
ice dance, even more so than the several perfect 6.0 scores from the judges.
You search for ice dancing on YouTube, and what comes up? Bolero. What they did
with this performance was so revolutionary and groundbreaking, well ahead of
its time. They are the dancers that all ice dancers hope to emulate. It was
their great artistry and enormous flair for drama that set them over the edge.
Fun fact: a friend of mine told me they started their program on their knees
because the time didn’t start until they were actually skating! Way to fight
the man, Jane and Christopher! The dying scene in Bolero is the first “death”
on the ice, which has been copied by many.
Well, this post has made me learn a lot about myself.
Apparently I like the tried and true “dying on ice”. I just thought of a catch
phrase! “If you ain’t dying, you ain’t trying!”
I could not conclude this posts without mentioning a few
more very memorable programs:
Honorable Mention goes to: Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio
Margaglio (ITA): 2006 Free Dance
Why did I include this? Because it’s freaking hilarious,
that’s why! I normally quit watching the skating videos when the program is
over, but the best part here is when the skating is done. That awkward stare
down and complete disdain. Barbara Fusar Poli will also go into the Resting
Bitch Face Hall of Fame. She’s all like, “you had ONE JOB dumbass!” Then there
was no bowing for several minutes. This is entertainment gold! It’s like
watching a skating soap opera.
A Dishonorable Mention goes to: Oksana Domnina and Maxim
Shabalin (RUS): 2010 Aboriginal Folk Dance
I’m all for skaters getting out of their comfort zones, but
this one just did not work. I applaud their bravery to try something different,
but that’s about it. There are not a lot of complaints on the technical end,
but on artistry and presentation, boy howdy, is this in the Book of Fails for
sure! The costumes, music and acting were poorly chosen by all involved. Domnina
and Shabalin received a great deal of criticism for this program, which many
deemed offensive. However, they were not the only ones involved. The coaches,
choreographers, and costumers all let this happen too. How did that many people
think this was a good idea? To the ice dancers’ defense, however, I do not
believe there was malicious intent, or that they intended to offend the
Aboriginal culture and others. It was simply a poorly chosen idea with a great
deal of ignorance on the culture, and negligence of the rest of their team.
There is but one sound for this performance:
Hope y’all enjoyed it, and I’d love to hear from you! What
are your favorite ice dance performances? Stay tuned for more listings for
Pairs, Men’s, and Ladies!
Hi, I’m Autumn, creator of Icy Trails. If you’re a skating
fan, you’re in the right place! If you’re not, you are still in luck. While I
will be writing primarily about skating, I will have several very interesting
non-skating topics. All are welcome here. My passion is figure skating, and
though I don’t do it for a living, I have a lot of knowledge and opinions, of
which I would like to share with you. Join in on our fun and community!
