US Figure Skating Championships
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Savvis Center
St. Louis, Missouri
OK I did go back Saturday and I sure am glad that I did. This was it, the senior women's long program. All the skaters that skated Thursday night were back except for Amy Evidente who for some unknonwn reason had withdrawn.
This time not only was my wife in tow, but my son, too.
I wish I had a lot of time to go into as much detail as I did several days ago, but I don't. So, real quick, here's a list of the hilights.
- Very exciting skating. Stephanie Rosenthal stole the show as far as I'm concerned with a flawless performance. She was royally screwed, asked to bend right over for the great Sasha Cohen (who almost feel twice). Maybe her program was harder. Still doesn't explain why Rosenthal's flawless performance ended up so low on the totem pole when all was said and done, ranking behind other skaters who fell once or even twice. I'm going to try to find a way to email her or something to tell her I thought she should have ranked higher.
- Emily Hughes, my favorite from Thursday night, was also great even though she fell once. I thought she should've taken second, not Kimberly Meissner, who fell twice. Looks like Emily will the the odd man(er, girl) out when Queen Michelle Kwan gets in the Olympics.
- My son actually behaved himself most of the time, except when he threw a nacho (a cheesy one) into the hair of the gentleman in front of us.
- During a special ceremony, all the former US Olympic Gold Medalists from figure skating past, including Peggy Flemming and Scott Hamilton and Sarah Hughes, came out onto the ice. No, they didn't skate, mostly waved. But it's pretty darn nifty that I can now say that I was in the same building as all of them.
- One of the skaters, Megan Williams-Stewart came and sat in our row once she was done! That was kinda cool. (We, and all other media people, were in a special section.)
- Even cooler than that was when Scott Hamilton, after that ceremony, came and sat a row in front of us! I got a good picture of him there.
- Even cooler than that was when I went down to the media work room (using my ultra cool media pass again) after the womens' skating was done and Scott Hamilton was standing right there near the gangway! I asked if he could smile for a picture and he graciously obliged. Later he was actually inside the work room just hanging out, watching the football playoff game. I got a pic of him there, too. There he was, a Regular Guy, enjoying a football game, world-famous Scott Hamilton, and I was a few feet from him. My first real brush with celebrity!
- Being there for the first several minutes of the press conference with Sasha, Emily, and Kimberly was pretty neat. I got some good pictures and video.
- Brian Boitano. Whenever he came out for that ceremony, I couldn't help but think of South Park and that "What would Brian Boitano do?" song.
Overall, it was an experience of a lifetime. Hopefully there are bigger things than that in my future but for now that'll do. I was fortunate to have been a part of the whole championships this year, even though I was a very small part. Even though I wasn't really all that important, hobknobbing with important people made me feel like I was for a brief period of time.
Oh and that Sasha Cohen, she was good and graceful, except where she almost fell, but her scoring so much higher than everybody else and then bowing to each section of the arena after her skate and staying out there way longer than all the other skaters, she can kiss it. All the judges decided she was going to the Olympics even before she took the ice. It's rigged, just so you all know. Take it from somebody who was actually there, watching it with their own eyes, not influenced by the TV commentators and what they were saying during all the performances.