Soon it will occur. I hope the judges will be more generous with Nobunari Oda, this time. For pure skating, he has so much to offer, and I have a huge soft spot for him. Men's figure skating is changing into showbiz, and I suppose there is no stopping that. It seems that more points are given for audience reaction than for actual skating skills, but to please a general TV audience, perhaps that is what it takes, showbiz flair as compared to fine artistry. Who knows what will become of men's skating? The ISU seems to be looking for money, which means a large TV audience. I think most people are more interested in figure skating when their country has "winners", especially now that the judging system is both arcane and well-hidden behind judicial anonymity. If the crowd has trouble following the evaluations, they will go for the flair. This is not pole vaulting, after all. But I, and others like me, shall miss the thrill of great male athleticism, and the puissant takers of big risks. To set up for a really clean 4-3 combination jump leaves little room for ornamentation, and the same is true of a classically performed triple axel. When I want more ornamentation, I go to an ice show. When I watch Olympic competition, I want the big thrills. I want to see male power and courage. I also love to see true artistry. Best of all, I love to see a combination of all these things, but that is not happening so much lately. The Age of Yagudin in international competition will not come again; I have to accept that. In the poll, I registered as excited by all the disciplines, and I am; but the men's has long been my favorite. I can see, sadly, that is likely to change, given the current trend with its insistence on transitions above attempts to realize the impossible dream. I salute the risk-takers, and I think that Plushenko did not really mean that he and Joubert had *no* transitions, only that they had fewer transitions, because the big jumps make that necessary. I like a little mustard on my hot dog, but I do not want just a bun with a lot of mustard, and no meat. The jumps are the meat.
thanks though.
