I had a great time at Denver SOI - so here's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) My first reaction is that the show is as good as ever. I was a bit worried from the TV broadcast because I thought that SOI was maybe going downhill a bit. I was very glad my impression was wrong. I loved the show as usual!

The only thing I did not like were the skaters in the opening swing number mouthing the words to introduce the other skaters. That was too cheesy and it seemed that many of the skaters weren't even bothering to mouth the words half the time. Renee Roca was the only one that really got into it with enthusiasm. Scott Hamilton came out and said that he was so happy because this was the only time of the year he actually gets to drive to work from home. He also said that he had been bragging about Denver to the cast for months and got the audience to cheer really loud. Then he announced that Gorsha Sur had become a US citizen that day. Gorsha got a big round of applause, even from the other Russians out on the ice with him.

Ilia came out all guns blasting with this swing number and did a gorgeous triple axel and triple lutz, among other triples. BTW, I did not take notes as I wanted to enjoy the show so I am only remembering jumps that really stood out to me. I did not want to sit there and tick off jumps. Ilia has improved greatly - I really, really, enjoyed him during the show. The height he gets on his jumps, Russian splits, etc. is totally phenomenal. He really put it out there. His spins, particularly the camel, are still pretty poor, but everything else is fabulous. My friends 12 year old daughter who was with us said she and her friends refer to Ilia as "giraffe boy"!

Tara skated perfectly for every number she did. I think Ilia and Tara must be totally pooped out after each show as much as both of them skated. Tara did a gazillion incredible triple jumps. She has definitely put some muscle in her legs and is getting alot of height, definitely more than Kristi. Tara's Jump, Jive & Wail was energetic and great fun. The only thing I was disappointed with her is that her spins seem to be a bit slower this year - she has always impressed me with the speed of her spins in the past. Maybe it is due to the hip injury and she will get'em revved up next year. She gets such a great low position in the sit.

Stephen Cousins did a fabulous job weaving the muse character throughout. My husband commented several times how much he liked it. I LOVED the short muse number that LuLu and Roz did together...vintage beautiful LuLu. I would have liked to see a whole number of that.

Probably the number I was least enthralled by was Roca & Sur's I Never Loved A Man. It was o.k. I really liked Oye Como Va in the second act through. I thought it was so much more interesting...then I looked at the choreographer and I should have known it was a Christopher Dean program. Renee puts out so much energy in the show every time she is out there. She is such a professional. I also think she has the right amount of sharpness and drama in her movements without overdoing it.

Katia's Fragile was breathtaking and I soaked in every second of it, since I haven't seen much of her skating on TV this fall. I hope we see more of her next year. She hit a gorgeous double axel, doubled all the other jumps. Her flying camel was a vision of perfection for speed, precision and position.

Scott Hamilton's One Week was great in person. I wasn't impressed with it on TV. His footwork is still the best in the business. He is always a little tight when he comes to Denver. He always says it is the hardest stop on the tour for him because he knows so many people here. He fell on the triple toe and very uncharacteristically scratchy on the double axel, but the rest of the number was awesomely done. He has my total admiration.

Tara's I Could Have Danced All Night was very refreshing and lovely. Again I enjoyed this number more in person than on TV. The costume was so lovely in the spotlights and fit the character of the music. I love the single loops she does in combination. Sometimes the simplest moves are so lovely. Another perfectly done program with triple jumps, etc. She really fit in the show so well. You'd never know she was 16 and most of the other skaters have been skating 10-20 years longer than she has. She looked like she is having a ball.

Now to the best performance of the night...Kristi's Violin Concerto was an absolute vision of mature artistry and fabulous technique. A perfect program with a rock solid triple lutz. I only wish she had done World Pro and given Michelle a run for her money (we need some exciting competitions!) I don't know what she has done, but she has arrived at the pinnacle of artistry this year. She looks so mature, professional and happy out there. I want to see this one again! Just fantastic. The review in the Denver Post said this number by Kristi was the highlight too. My husband said he enjoyed watching Kristi and Roz the most.

Kristi's intro for Ilia's Tango was also beautiful and mesmerizing. Ilia's Tango was great. Again he was really on and even though some of the choreography in this number has alot of crossovers in it, I totally love his music choice and he skated it perfectly. He also hit some gorgeous positions during the number.

Now for the clown group number. I LOVED this number. So interesting, creative, fun, etc. Even the costumes were exceptional. I loved Kristi's big butt costume - a riot! Tara really tugged at my heartstrings with her acting as the clown wannabe who is trying to fit in. Kudos to her. A really funny moment happened when Scott's hat came off when he slid under the group. After the slide he went right into the mirror skating with Tara and I knew from seeing it on TV that he needed his hat especially for that part. I saw the skaters leave the ice with the hat as he and Tara skated.

In the middle of it, Stephen Cousins skated over to Scott and put the hat on him. He turned around and interrupted the flow of the mirror thing, but Scott, Tara and the rest of the cast were really cracking up...especially Tara. Tara was still laughing when they continued. Very funny and handled well. I also loved when they dumped a bucket o' water on Stephen, but then I'm a sucker for slapstick. Total kudos to Christopher Dean. I enjoyed this one as much as the red hat and the Olympic parody from years past.

Roz's After All These Years was great. I think I have enjoyed her in the last few years more than I have ever had and I felt choked up thinking this was her last year. The costume was absolutely stunning in the lights.

B&P's Eva was also lovely. I kept looking at Dennis. He is such a total hunk with such a great physique (I know this has nothing to do with skating). He has such a gorgeous spiral and they are both so strong - yet graceful at the same time. Fabulous throw triple salchow.

I already said how much I liked Roca & Sur's Oye Como Va. I also really enjoyed LuLu's Black Magic Women. This number has got some criticism for being so vampy and it really stands out in that way when skated alone, but in the context of the Santana/Black Magic theme it was just right to me. It was certainly fitting to the music and I thought she was going to do some black magic it was so convincing. She moves so incredibly well. She even hit her triple loop and toe (although slightly two footed). I really want SOI to have her do one of her ice princess solos next year though because that is what I think LuLu excels in.

I also soaked in every second of Meno & Sand as I have missed them very much this year. They still have that great chemistry and I really liked the choreography of this number. Fun to see them do modern style when they are usually classical. Todd looks pretty hunky and muscular too. Jenni's death spiral is about the best I have ever seen.

Another huge highlight of the show was the Russians Four Corners number. Wow was that a vision of speed, power, expression, grace, flow...everything! I couldn't take my eyes off Katia (with a couple of peeks at IIia). She really skates with her soul, especially when she does pairs...and the pair moves she did with Dennis were breathtaking. If Elena wants to retire I would love to see these two skate together. That number was a real hit. Kudos to Bezic and Seibert for that one!

Kristi's Japanese poetry was again a vision of mature artistry and technique. My being a fan of hers really reignited last night. She is on top!

Ilia's Noise was fun and energetic. He was clearly getting a little pooped out at the end with a couple of single axels. He also had to do all that skating at mile high Denver. I would think some of them would be more affected by the altitude here. My friend who is a fan of footwork loved this number.

Tara's Second Element was my favorite number of hers. Beautiful arm and hand movements and interesting modern and flowing choreography. She did the whole number perfectly with several triples. Very impressive - she is on her way in the artistic department. I think she demonstrated here that she has a wide variety of styles she can carry off very well - and at only 16...amazing.

Scott Hamilton got the only standing ovation of the night with this Keeping the Customer Satisfied. He was a vision of fabulous techinque and movement right down to his flying camel. He hit a fab triple salchow and a couple of textbook double axels. I was so in awe that he looks this good at 40 after chemotherapy and ankle surgery, etc. He is a total inspiration. I wish we could freeze him and keep him around forever.

The Face to Face finale did not live up to the past great finale's like the Beatles, Stairway to Heaven and the prom dance. However, it looked like a total gas to skate. It was one big fast and furious, flowing line skate. Precision skaters should take note of that number. I wanted to get down there and get in that line and skate it with them. All in all a great show and I want to see it again!!!! Still I must say Paul and Kurt were very missed, but Tara, Ilia and the others have really stepped up to the plate to fill that void.