Back alive (almost)

Just got back from Colorado Springs. Paul, Anne and I plus the usual suspects had a great time down there....
exhausting but great. Wish we had Doris there as our own personal tech specialist. When I can count myself among the living I might even have a few stories to
tell. For now, I will just say it was great to see Caroline Zhang smiling, Ashley winning, Mao being her
beautiful self, Alissa practicing on the third sheet and hanging with Jeremy, and
Mr. Chan Man's great skate. And its nice to be at a small competition where you are allowed to mingle with the
athletes and coaches and ask questions of the skaters at the small medals ceremonies......and yes, that was me in the front row and
everyone else booing Davis and White's low scores. (And the Shib's). Got a ticket to Worlds 2013
to boot. Time to go hotel shopping.

Chris who now knows why they don't hold Nats in Colorado Springs at 6,000 ft.....the long programs would
kill off half the Juniors and all of the Novices!

CoyoteChris said:

Just got back from Colorado Springs. Paul, Anne and I plus the usual suspects had a great time down there....

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Down there?

Glad you enjoyed CoyoteChris!!! What I got to watch was amazing, if at times difficult with all the altitude issues. It's a personal fantasy of mine to go to a live comp and be surrounded by people like you and Doris!!!

SO, I am so embarrassed to ask this, but....are small medals for the short program?

There are small medals for your placing for the short program, and also for the long program. Considering the regular medals were really small, I've been wondering how small the small medals were?

So V&M would have gotten a small silver for the SD, a small gold for the FD, and the regular gold medal, for example.

Chris, I take it if you were booing D&W's scores that you didn't think they did a bad job?

To you in the stands, was the program significantly worse than at Nationals last week?

And how did you like the SD's this time?

I don't think I would ever go to a competition at CO Springs again. I can't breathe there; I sympathize with all the athletes, particularly with the skaters with respiratory conditions or colds. Poor Nan Song! Poor Alex Shibutani! And Charlie White too!

All had such guts to finish their program.

SkateFiguring said:

Down there?

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Down as in "down south."

Or as in Down-Maine.

Thanks, Doris!

Chris! I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait to hear more details from you. How nice to know that it was a small enough competition that fans could feel a part of it. The only live skating I ever went to was a large arena, and we were all the way up near the ceiling. There was no question of any of us even seeing the skaters close up, let alone communicating with them. Even with the high-up air out there, I am a bit envious of your having taken the opportunity to go to 4CC.

Us Spokaneites say "down there" cause it is quite a bit south and of course a bit east.

Those medals are really really small. I will post some pics later...I was ten feet away.

Everyone booed twice, I think, or perhaps three times. I havent watched it yet on the computer but basically the first time was
when the shibs skated their short and the scores and placement came up and everyone thought , as I did, that they were underscored.
Obviously, most of the locals dont even know as much as I do, which is darned little, and all they see is the wonderful performance, not the
technical aspects. But that was nothing compared to the long dance. In the long dance, what the locals see is V and M's nice little smooth perfomance , just like at the Olympics, and Scot hardly out of breath...they dont see
the technical things that Doris would catch. Then they see the Shibs again and D and W, and they see wonderfully artistic programs
that make them FEEL , like Gene Kelly and Fred Astair make people feel, especially in the age bracket of the fans due to the choice of music, and they see Charlie at the end of the program looking like he is going to faint and drop Meryl and then the music stops and he looks gut shot....and they (and I) cant understand how V and M could possibly win. So what bascially transpired was that us ignoramouses (who think the Die Fledermouse skate and the Glen Miller skate of the Shibs was far and away superior to what VM did) think that the American teams were robbed by crappy / crooked judging. We WANT to see the American type of dances. So the argument is, What is quality? Is the scoring system flawed? The "fans" certainly think so and indeed it was because of the fans that the "figures" and their weight in scoring was dramatically reduced and then done away with. Seeing how the Shibs and DW and before them Tan and Ben effect audiences, and therefore bucks, I would be one for changing the system. You know what makes skating? Bucks. No bucks, no boots on the ice and on TV......the performances and performers that bring people to their feet and screaming for more are the ones that will save skating....

ref: density altitude of COS. I dont know if Ashley was kidding when she said she was using the elevators more to save herself, as I am just an old man with COPD but I live at 2500 ft and hike at 9,000 ft. I didnt think it was so bad....but all I had to do was fast walk the 800 yards to Chilis restaurant for double margaritta dinners....these folk had to do 4- 4.5 minute programs at full throttle and it was no wonder many were being treated after leaving the ice....everyone from Ross to Adam and of course Charlie must have been running on pure adrenaline.....then....boom.....they were holding their heads and couldnt move......watching the skaters all week practice (the dancers didnt show up till late for the most part) many didnt do complete runthroughs, maybe out of fear of injury....I am sure Mathman can calculate the actual decrease in O2 levels at COS compared to sealevel....I think they all did an excellent job.....God bless 'em.

dorispulaski said:

There are small medals for your placing for the short program, and also for the long program. Considering the regular medals were really small, I've been wondering how small the small medals were?

So V&M would have gotten a small silver for the SD, a small gold for the FD, and the regular gold medal, for example.

Chris, I take it if you were booing D&W's scores that you didn't think they did a bad job?

To you in the stands, was the program significantly worse than at Nationals last week?

And how did you like the SD's this time?

I don't think I would ever go to a competition at CO Springs again. I can't breathe there; I sympathize with all the athletes, particularly with the skaters with respiratory conditions or colds. Poor Nan Song! Poor Alex Shibutani! And Charlie White too!

All had such guts to finish their program.

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dorispulaski said:

Or as in Down-Maine.

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Or as in Downton Abbey!

I just thought it was a bit ironic and funny to call Colorado Spring "down there" after all these talks about the high altitude. C'est tout. Didn't expect so many reactions. Keep them coming as you please though.

So Chris, did you go downtown while you were down there? I wonder how deep you went!

Hey Olympia, you hit the nail on the head....at a live perfomance, and especially at 4 Cs, you are PART of the event....I dont get too excited anymore about anything/anyone other than my wife, motorcycles , air racing and figure skating events, but when I am there, I am clapping like a mad man and screaming and standing and there is electricity in the air....there are litterally times when I felt faint cause I can hardly breath when I know my favorite skaters are going to try a very difficult trick....when Charlie and Meryl wizz by three feet away from me during costumed practices and you see the beauty and feel the wind....if skating becomes all about the scores then I think I will do something else. Its sitting behind Caroline's coach at practice and seeing her laugh and smile again. Its seeing your friends cry after a beautiful performance. Its going inside the practice rink lobby and seeing Alissa stretch by the fireplace and talk with her friends....its meeting people who come all the way from Japan and sharing little gifts and trying to communicate....its saying hi and giving a big smile to Amanda and getting that back....she will say to you, "Thanks for comming...." How do you answer that? Thank YOU for the memories.....

Olympia said:

Chris! I'm so glad you enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait to hear more details from you. How nice to know that it was a small enough competition that fans could feel a part of it. The only live skating I ever went to was a large arena, and we were all the way up near the ceiling. There was no question of any of us even seeing the skaters close up, let alone communicating with them. Even with the high-up air out there, I am a bit envious of your having taken the opportunity to go to 4CC.

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Blades of Passion said:

Or as in Downton Abbey!

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OT - but when I watched this on Sunday I wondered how long it would be till we saw someone skate to the theme music

SkateFiguring said:

I just thought it was a bit ironic and funny to call Colorado Spring "down there" after all these talks about the high altitude. C'est tout. Didn't expect so many reactions. Keep them coming as you please though.

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The best was Doris' "down Maine" (or if you are already in Maine, down east). Nor'easters blow along the coast of New England, so mariners setting out from Boston toward Maine are sailing down wind.

I LOVE Downton Abbey! On PBS on the 19th here in Spokane, they will do all the episodes of season 2 at once.
I missed the last one.....
Chris who has all the Jane Austen DVDs

Blades of Passion said:

Or as in Downton Abbey!

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CoyoteChris said:

Hey Olympia, you hit the nail on the head....at a live perfomance, and especially at 4 Cs, you are PART of the event....I dont get too excited anymore about anything/anyone other than my wife, motorcycles , air racing and figure skating events, but when I am there, I am clapping like a mad man and screaming and standing and there is electricity in the air....there are litterally times when I felt faint cause I can hardly breath when I know my favorite skaters are going to try a very difficult trick....when Charlie and Meryl wizz by three feet away from me during costumed practices and you see the beauty and feel the wind....if skating becomes all about the scores then I think I will do something else. Its sitting behind Caroline's coach at practice and seeing her laugh and smile again. Its seeing your friends cry after a beautiful performance. Its going inside the practice rink lobby and seeing Alissa stretch by the fireplace and talk with her friends....its meeting people who come all the way from Japan and sharing little gifts and trying to communicate....its saying hi and giving a big smile to Amanda and getting that back....she will say to you, "Thanks for comming...." How do you answer that? Thank YOU for the memories.....

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Oh, Chris, it sounds wonderful. Skating is lucky to have such devoted fans as you and the others who made the pilgrimage to CO Springs.

I do have some more thoughts when I can collect them....but no, I didnt go down town. Not much a town person. I live out west and have motorcycle toured through the vast majority of it....missed the World museum
this time and USFSA intergalactic headquarters...and the Broodmoor.....
Next fun filled fact. There is no surface transportation from the airport, ten miles away, to the hotels. Some of the hotels have shuttles,, the rest of us take cabs for $30. Being an organizational man, I suggested three times to the La Quinta help that they set up a sign-up sheet for monday so that us fans could double up on the cabs. The help all said it was a great idea. But No one did anything for us. On Monday morning, they ordered me a cab when I asked and then had the guts to tell me they just ordered another one for a woman still in her room. When I asked her why she didnt tell me she had just ordered a cab for another fan, she said, "Hey, I was just told to order two cabs....." Then MY cab suddenly appeared and I had to leave.....at the airport, TSA was totally overwhelmed by the skaters, coaches and the fans....one half hour wait in line.....like no one KNEW this was goiing to happen? At the Chilis restaurant, there was an exceptionally pretty young girl taking orders for seats...I told her SHE should be at the arena skating (as a joke) and she said she made it to Junior level but didnt know that 4 CCs was going on. (At Nats at the arena hotel, the front desk person asked if there was an old people's convention in town as she had never seen so many old people check in at once)
Skating...the stealth sport
Bon Chance, Amelie....you won the baddle of the blades but when you and Cynth looked at each other, the temperature of the arena went down 30 degrees....burrrrrrr

SkateFiguring said:

I just thought it was a bit ironic and funny to call Colorado Spring "down there" after all these talks about the high altitude. C'est tout. Didn't expect so many reactions. Keep them coming as you please though.

So Chris, did you go downtown while you were down there? I wonder how deep you went!

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Originally Posted by CoyoteChris
Hey Olympia, you hit the nail on the head....at a live perfomance, and especially at 4 Cs, you are PART of the event....I dont get too excited anymore about anything/anyone other than my wife, motorcycles , air racing and figure skating events, but when I am there, I am clapping like a mad man and screaming and standing and there is electricity in the air....there are litterally times when I felt faint cause I can hardly breath when I know my favorite skaters are going to try a very difficult trick....when Charlie and Meryl wizz by three feet away from me during costumed practices and you see the beauty and feel the wind....if skating becomes all about the scores then I think I will do something else. Its sitting behind Caroline's coach at practice and seeing her laugh and smile again. Its seeing your friends cry after a beautiful performance. Its going inside the practice rink lobby and seeing Alissa stretch by the fireplace and talk with her friends....its meeting people who come all the way from Japan and sharing little gifts and trying to communicate....its saying hi and giving a big smile to Amanda and getting that back....she will say to you, "Thanks for comming...." How do you answer that? Thank YOU for the memories.....

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Chris, USFSA should hire you to write their ads for figure skating competitions. Reading your post made me want to hock something and pay for tickets for next year's Nationals or SA or SC or Worlds Right NOW!!!

I'm very thankful to have been able to get to many live events over the years, but now I really can't afford it.

I need a job! Or something.

Doris, go for a govt grant! You are smart enough to write it up.... 2 million for the study of a new type of scooter for us old people to go up and down arena steps and not fall like I saw someone do at 4 Cs. (I want a cup holder on mine)

CoyoteChris said:

Doris, go for a govt grant! You are smart enough to write it up.... 2 million for the study of a new type of scooter for us old people to go up and down arena steps and not fall like I saw someone do at 4 Cs. (I want a cup holder on mine)

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The conclusion of my research on the proposed subject is that it's much more economical with more beneficiaries to use an existing technology such as an escalator or two. I would accept $10K for my work. For $2 million, I could release the study in two years with a 100 page write up.