2006 Winter Olympics

Transitional phase. That's a diplomatic way of putting it. This was a sad, sad olympic for the US, where figure skating was concerned. Gone were the super star of yesteryear. Micheal Kwan made a hearbreaking exit from the figure skating world. Sasha Cohen is not sure if she's coming back in 4 years. And what we are left with are the likes of Kimmie Miessner, and Emily Hughes, neither of whom has the experience nor the grace of Sasha or Kwan. I think it will be many years before the united states can make another strong showing. I thought both Emily and Kimmie's programs lacked spark. But then they are young, and early on they tend to focus more on their technical elements. The artistic aspects will come later.

This is definitely gonna be a new generation of skaters, skating to a new standard. IT's almost fitting that the old judging system is retired around the same time that all of the old guard like Kwan and Cohen and Hughes are stepping off the stage, and making way for the next wave of skaters. I still remember fondly the days of watching greats like Brian Boitano, Kristy Yamaguchi, Paul Willie, Kurt Browning, and Katarina Witt skating their heart out. Things are definitely changing...


I don't really think it's that sad, honestly. I'm excited to see some new faces in the skating world, and honestly I felt that Kimmie and Emily did excellent jobs all things considering. I was especially impressed with Kimmie's performance, but both girls just have such great personalities and attitudes when it comes to skating.

I'm really looking forward to watching them in the future.


As far as the Olympics go in general, I was rather disappointed this year. I'm definitely a bigger summer Olympics fan, but I always enjoy the winter as well. There was just far too much drama this year, and some of it rather ruined the whole experience for me. Bode Miller and Michelle Kwan were all anyone talked about before the Olympics started. Michelle Kwan left two days into it, and Bode Miller amounted to nothing, except racking up a pretty hefty bar tab I'm sure. Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick are both phenomenal speed skaters, but their fued was entirely childish and un-sportsmanlike...plus it undermined their accomplishments on the ice. It was a shame that it received so much air time. Jeret Peterson was sent home after a fight. These events really took away from the spirit of the games. But, there were some really awesome moments. Shaun White and Danny Kass taking home gold and silver in the halfpipe; Apolo Anton Ono winning a gold medal outright without any disqualifications in the final. But most of all, Joey Cheek, who embodied what an Olympic athlete and a role model should be when he donated his medal bonuses to Right to Play. I was so happy to see him carry the American flag in the closing ceremonies, because he certainly deserved it.
 
Bode Miller and Michelle Kwan were all anyone talked about before the Olympics started.
That is correct, but that wasn't the fault of the athlete. That was the fault of the media. I'm not trying to defend him, I'm just throwing this out there. Bode Miller is what he is. And that is an unbelievable talent on a pair of skis, but also an individual who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. To borrow a stupid phrase, he marches to the beat of his own drummer and he doesn't apologize for it. Never has, most likely never will. For someone (like myself) who knew all this going into Torino, his displays, interviews and actions wouldn't surprise you. But for someone who didn't know much about Bode except all the magazine covers and commercials they saw, I'm sure they were shocked, angered and ashamed that he was a representative of our country. But as I said, that's mainly the fault of the media. All the magazine covers and interviews he's had the past few months, not to mention Nike's seven figure endorsement deal. It was all Bode all the time. They banked on a guy who is a World Cup champion, a fantastic skier, but as I said, he also is what he is. And that's someone who doesn't care if he comes in first or forty-first. He has come out and stated that he had a wonderful Olympic experience. It might not have been the experience you or I would have wanted if we were in his shoes, but I guess as long as he can live with that, who are we to tell him otherwise. But it is a shame.
 
That is correct, but that wasn't the fault of the athlete. That was the fault of the media. I'm not trying to defend him, I'm just throwing this out there. Bode Miller is what he is. And that is an unbelievable talent on a pair of skis, but also an individual who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. To borrow a stupid phrase, he marches to the beat of his own drummer and he doesn't apologize for it. Never has, most likely never will. For someone (like myself) who knew all this going into Torino, his displays, interviews and actions wouldn't surprise you. But for someone who didn't know much about Bode except all the magazine covers and commercials they saw, I'm sure they were shocked, angered and ashamed that he was a representative of our country. But as I said, that's mainly the fault of the media. All the magazine covers and interviews he's had the past few months, not to mention Nike's seven figure endorsement deal. It was all Bode all the time. They banked on a guy who is a World Cup champion, a fantastic skier, but as I said, he also is what he is. And that's someone who doesn't care if he comes in first or forty-first. He has come out and stated that he had a wonderful Olympic experience. It might not have been the experience you or I would have wanted if we were in his shoes, but I guess as long as he can live with that, who are we to tell him otherwise. But it is a shame.

Well, yes and no. While it wasn't necessarily Bode's fault that there was an enormous amount of media coverage surrounding him (he never had to give all those interviews), it is his fault that he spent his time partying in Torino. I certainly am not surprised, because I know what his behavior is like, but it's very disappointing. You'd think that when you receive the honor of representing your country in front of the world you could maybe stop the partying for a mere two weeks to focus on the job that needs to be done. It's a shame that he took a slot that could've gone to someone who really deserved it. It's a shame that he didn't focus more on the events that he had, because he is an amazing talent at times....but a loose cannon, he often doesn't finish more than he does. After his behavior the American Olympic Committee has said that they plan on sitting down and having quite a talk with him, and his coach is uncertain whether or not they will keep Bode on the American ski team. Which is really rather sad, because he had the potential to be quite an Olympian.
 
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