Well, it's Sunday afternoon here, I'm back to school tomorrow, and I should
be planning schemes and schedules and lessons and First Communion -
instead, I'm sitting in front of my computer, thinking about worlds. And I
don't even feel guilty! Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't take detailed
notes on elements and who did what and so on, so this is just my
impressions of the event - sorry it's taken so long!

First, the pairs.

Well, there's not a whole lot to say about this one. If you were watching
the event, and got to see the Chinese skate, you probably know that most of
the arena thought that they had won. I was actually in the middle of
changing film roles when they were skating, but even then, I got to see
most of it, and I thought they were far and away the best. I even fancied
that I could hear Simon and Chris doing Eurosport commentary, raving on and
on about the first Chinese gold medal. When I saw the marks, I was shocked.
I was so sure they had it. And I was one of the many who booed loudly about
it. (All those nights at Rent mooing during "Over The Moon" finally paid
off. Nora was quite shocked) I thought B&S were good, they had a smoother
style and all that, but bottom line, the Chinese skated clean. FYI, Elena
fell right in front of us, and I swear right before she went into the
double axel that some idiot in the stands right opposite us took a flash
picture, just when she was setting up for it. People around us were all
saying later that it must've been close, like 5-4 or something. But a
French girl sitting near us was taking the marks and totting them up as she
went along, and she told us that only the French judge had the Chinese in
first place.Most of the rest of them tied them on points and then broke the
tie with the artistic mark. Mind you, I remember being a little miffed in
the short, because the Chinese had a hand down on the throw and were ahead
of Sargeant and Wirtz and Zagorska and Siudek. Guess that's skating.

Speaking of the Poles, I was converted to their cause at Europeans. I
really enjoyed their routines and thought they should have won in Prague. I
was even more impressed by them here. They went to all their practices and
looked so good in everything. They were my outside shot for the gold. My
heart went out to poor Dorota after she slipped in the death spiral - she
thought she'd blown it! But their reactions when they realised they had the
bronze - oh, I just love these two! She seems really nice, and he's just a
teddy bear. They were around all the time, you were always spotting them in
the stands, and you could probably see them with the huge Polish flag.
Well, you could see Mariusz, Dorota kinda got lost behing it!

The other two Russian pairs - eh! I don't remember that much about
Totmianina and Marinin at all. Petrova and Tikhonov I remember liking, but
I can't remember how they did. I gather from Eurosport that there was some
feeling that they should have gotten the bronze, but as you've figured out
by now, I love the Poles, so I didn't really care.

Kris and Kristy - I love this pair! Just adore them, as my practice stories
may have made clear. Their short program was just stunning, and I was
raging that they weren't placed higher. The whole thing is just so sweet
and endearing - there's this bit in the spiral sequence where they're both
in the spiral position and they're facing each other, and Kris just mimes
giving Kristy a kiss, and this was done right in front of us.....Nora and I
actually, simultaneously, unplanned and uncontrived, went "aaaaaaaah!" We
got some very indulgent looks from those around us. The long program I
predicted. As I said to Nora, they'll go up or down, but they won't stay
fourth. Well, unhappily I was right! I'd love to see this routine skated to
it's full potential, because I really do love it. I think this pair have
come along so far in the past couple of years, and I really want to see
them move up. And I think they have the wherewithal to do it too, they just
need to skate two clean programs!

Saurette and Fecteau - never seen them before in my life, but holy smokes,
what an introduction. They were fantastic! I love love love their short
program. Not everyone can wear leopardskin, but she gets away with it. This
girl is stunning. I saw her later on with her hair loose, she's even more
stunning. I hate her. But seriously......short program, oh wow! There was
this moment when they were doing their last tough element the throw, and
when she landed it perfectly and came out of it, she was facing the large
Canadian group, and they were roaring, and she just gave them this look, as
if she was saying "what do you think about that?!" Nora and I were beside
ourselves - I had my little Canadian flag (yes, I am that sad) and I was
waving it for all I was worth. Knowing all the while that they were going
to be screwed by the judges. And they were. 10th? Behind Swartz and Muller
and Ina and Zimmerman? Ahem! Their long didn't go as good, but Carmina
Burana really suits them. I loved them! Kinda makes me want to see Sale and
Pelletier - if they;re better than these two, they must be something else.

Speaking of Schwartz and Muller, their short was pretty bad. Never seen
them so all over the place. The free was better. It's the domestic violence
thing, which went over my head a little on tv, but worked much better in
person. It's very intense music, very dark and compelling, and live, it's
very affecting. There's so much in the little looks and nuances that tv
misses a lot I think.

The Americans - ooo la la, where do I begin? OK, the Hartsells. Danielle
and "Brad" The short program worked well. Until one of them fell, I don't
remember which. Their free program was a barnstormer, probably the best
they've ever skated, as far as I've heard. This was actually the first time
I'd ever seen them skate, so you can take my views with a pinch of salt,
but for me, they might have the technical, but the artistry needs work, and
a good bit of it. There just doesn't seem to be the chemistry or spark
there that there needs to be in pairs skating, and maybe that's due in part
to the fact that they're brother and sister. The short worked well
artistically, but the free didn't for me. To be totally frank about it, a
brother and sister, skating to Prokofievs "Romeo and Juliet"? This troubles
me.

Ina and Zimmerman. I have a confession to make here. I really liked some of
the stuff Kyoko did with Jason Dungjen. Slaughter on 10th Avenue was great.
And I wasn't really that thrilled with Kyoko when I heard that she dumped
Jason, and how she did it. And I also liked John Zimmerman, the one and
only routine I saw him skate with Stephanie Stiegler, "The Sorceror's
Apprentice." So I was all ready to if not be a huge fan of these two, at
least provisionally tolerate them. It didn't work out that way. It's hard
to describe, and I can't really put it into words, but there's just
something missing. And it's not even that there were mistakes in the
routines, it's more than that. There's just something intangible about
pairs skating, and somehow I don't see it here. Aside from the Jason
stories, I've also heard rumours about Kyoko and John and how she behaves,
that make me not like her so much. To be honest, she sounded like a bit of
a wagon. Which was born out during the free. I don't know how it played on
tv, but I know that myself and Nora could see that she was giving him
dagger looks after some of the mistakes - didn't he fall out of a double
axel sometime? She was smiling her very fake looking forced smile all the
way, but I swear, the looks when she wasn't smiling - it was like "WAIT
till I get you alone!" As I said to Nora, if they were married, John would
be a battered husband by now!

Handy and Binnebose. Splat in the short. Withdrew in the long because he
had stomach flu. From which he made miraculous recovery the next night,
but hey! I saw them in practice enough to know that this pair don't work
for me. Moreover, I could figure out why they don't work. Put simply, Laura
Handy does not smile. She doesn't. In practice, in skating, nada. The coach
had to remind her to smile in practice, because we heard him say it. In
contrast, Paul, as I have said in other places, is a mad yoke. Even when
he's not leading a mexican wave, he has so much personality on the ice, far
more than Laura does, and this is the essential problem they have. He
overwhelms her on the ice, where he should be presenting her.
Unfortunately, that's not something that's easily fixed.

The French, Abitbol and Bernadis. I like these two, even more in person
than I did before. They finally seem to have some chemistry together -
roughly translated, she's looking at him now! She never used to do that!
They had a fall in the short which took the wind out of their sails, and on
a throw to boot, which is rare for them. Their throw double axel is superb,
as behoves a team who as closeasthis to landing a throw triple.

Obertas and Palamarchuk - finished 11th, and I'm predicting great things
for them. He's not so hard to look at, she's cute as a button, and she just
shines.

Pang and Tong, the second Chinese pair. Blessed, or cursed, with the most
awful costumes probably since Bestemianova and Bukin last skated, they have
as much technical oomph as Shen and Zhao. If they get some artistry and new
clothes, they could go far.