some pics from this leg of the trip
The de-icing station. Oh-I feel much better now
A view from the plane on the way to Atlanta
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Lessons learned
When I went to the US Nationals in 1998, my mother and I had tickets way up in the stratosphere. We could look down and see that there were empty seats below, so each day we found our way down to a better seat.
The same thing happened on Friday night-I was up higher than I wanted to be, though it wasn't terrible. Clearly though, down below the seats were not filled.
After the second break, I and many other people made our way down to the lowest section, so that I ended up in row 7 again. Next to me on either side were Canadian couples who knew less than I did, so I gave them tips on what I knew about the event. We whooped and cheered together for the Canadians, and commented about costumes.
What you don't see on tv is the entrance to the arena. After an easy train and bus ride, I arrived at the entrance to the walkway to the arena. Along the way were dozens of volunteers, a marimba band, some funny blue haired 'judges' some other street theater, an a capella group and a guitar player all to greet us.
I'm also learning about tickets. There are dozens of people outside the arenas-what I'm hearing is that just before the event, tickets are actually cheaper as the sellers try to unload. I'll see if there are any tickets to speed skating -it would be great to see Apollo Ono.- or possibly the Canada/US hockey game.
The same thing happened on Friday night-I was up higher than I wanted to be, though it wasn't terrible. Clearly though, down below the seats were not filled.
After the second break, I and many other people made our way down to the lowest section, so that I ended up in row 7 again. Next to me on either side were Canadian couples who knew less than I did, so I gave them tips on what I knew about the event. We whooped and cheered together for the Canadians, and commented about costumes.
Ice dancing Tango Romantico
the edge of a blade, the arch of a back, the turn of a head, and the precision of line. 24 couples each intricately and intimately connected, dancing the same routine virtually to the same music twice around the rink, with a creative flourish at the beginning and the end. 3 short minutes of grace and discipline.
There are 6 groups, starting with the pairs that generally get 25-30 out of 50 points, half for technical merit, half for artistic. Of course, even the first groups are lovely, and watching them gives me a chance to learn the routine.
There are half circle glides, tango inspired footwork and head snaps, unison leg lifts, and dramatic placing of skates on the ice. One step is very telling. The man places his right foot slightly out to the side and the woman places it on the inside of his foot. How close the feet are, how seamless the move, seemed to this judge to be one distinguishing factor.
On figure skates there are two edges which provide the ability to turn and lean. The first French team leans deeply into the edges to produce a gorgeous line on the ice. The take an early lead with 43 points. The next French team invokes that tango with sharp snaps of the head and decisive placement of the feet with the music. They soon become the leaders.
It is the last 4 pairs, however, who put all of this together. Look for the statuesque Russian team, who are currently in first place.
But of course, we are all Canadians for the night. Every time a Canadian pair comes on the ice, the arena is festooned with Red and White and maple leaf flags. In the final grouping, the Canadian pair is greeted with wild applause.You might not see this on tv, but the man skates onto the ice, hands spread wide, head arched back reveling in the applause. I think it is one of the most thrilling moments of the evening.
They have a different softer style than the Russian team, and even the costume amplifies that. She wears a plum colored dress that drapes softly down her legs. Their turns and glides are like butter on the ice.
The final standing in the compulsory-Russian, Canada, US. The original dance is tomorrow night.
There are 6 groups, starting with the pairs that generally get 25-30 out of 50 points, half for technical merit, half for artistic. Of course, even the first groups are lovely, and watching them gives me a chance to learn the routine.
There are half circle glides, tango inspired footwork and head snaps, unison leg lifts, and dramatic placing of skates on the ice. One step is very telling. The man places his right foot slightly out to the side and the woman places it on the inside of his foot. How close the feet are, how seamless the move, seemed to this judge to be one distinguishing factor.
On figure skates there are two edges which provide the ability to turn and lean. The first French team leans deeply into the edges to produce a gorgeous line on the ice. The take an early lead with 43 points. The next French team invokes that tango with sharp snaps of the head and decisive placement of the feet with the music. They soon become the leaders.
It is the last 4 pairs, however, who put all of this together. Look for the statuesque Russian team, who are currently in first place.
But of course, we are all Canadians for the night. Every time a Canadian pair comes on the ice, the arena is festooned with Red and White and maple leaf flags. In the final grouping, the Canadian pair is greeted with wild applause.You might not see this on tv, but the man skates onto the ice, hands spread wide, head arched back reveling in the applause. I think it is one of the most thrilling moments of the evening.
They have a different softer style than the Russian team, and even the costume amplifies that. She wears a plum colored dress that drapes softly down her legs. Their turns and glides are like butter on the ice.
The final standing in the compulsory-Russian, Canada, US. The original dance is tomorrow night.
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