- Joined
- Nov 24, 2006
I've been watching 94 Olympics over again, and I was fascinated by the non-American commentary. I was watching I think Debbie Wilkes and Brian Orser or the BBC commentators and it's amazing how differently skaters are perceived by non-Americans.
1. When Baiul went out to skate her SP, Debbie Wilkes said she was pretty much the star of the event.... lol. Don't tell NBC that!!!! I understand Baiul's win a lot more. Her SP won her the entire event. It was light years ahead of anything else in the ladies' event. A weak LP wasn't going to stop her. I was in the ABN camp (anyone but Nancy) but I raised my eyebrows when Baiul beat her. But outside of the US Baiul was just seen as the one to beat. Kerrigan needed to step up and be heads and shoulders above Baiul. Unfortunately she couldn't due to her awful Mary Scotvold programs.
2. The men's event was just such a mess. The LP was the epitome of bad judging. If you are not in the final group, you won't get the marks. How Viktor Petrenko did not win this LP is beyond me. How Urmanov and Stojko could be placed ahead is crazy.
3. Dance? Well, I found it the height of hyprocrisy that judges felt they HAD to deduct T/D for an illegal lift, but let Grischuk and her partner have several time separations with no deductions. I remember at the time a judge said something to the effect is "If I'm being entertained why would I hold a stopwatch?". Again, bad judging. I was Team T/D
4. Pairs. Yikes. Scottie's blatantly biased commentary and Katia kiss-up attitude was so obvious. He could barely say something nice about M/D and even then it came across as uncomplimentary or tepid at best. Calling Mishkutenok a "big girl"???? Yeah, she's not 90 pounds like Gordeeva. Oh well, a judge said it correctly when she told Artur "You should have won, but you just didn't skate well all week".
1. When Baiul went out to skate her SP, Debbie Wilkes said she was pretty much the star of the event.... lol. Don't tell NBC that!!!! I understand Baiul's win a lot more. Her SP won her the entire event. It was light years ahead of anything else in the ladies' event. A weak LP wasn't going to stop her. I was in the ABN camp (anyone but Nancy) but I raised my eyebrows when Baiul beat her. But outside of the US Baiul was just seen as the one to beat. Kerrigan needed to step up and be heads and shoulders above Baiul. Unfortunately she couldn't due to her awful Mary Scotvold programs.
2. The men's event was just such a mess. The LP was the epitome of bad judging. If you are not in the final group, you won't get the marks. How Viktor Petrenko did not win this LP is beyond me. How Urmanov and Stojko could be placed ahead is crazy.
3. Dance? Well, I found it the height of hyprocrisy that judges felt they HAD to deduct T/D for an illegal lift, but let Grischuk and her partner have several time separations with no deductions. I remember at the time a judge said something to the effect is "If I'm being entertained why would I hold a stopwatch?". Again, bad judging. I was Team T/D
4. Pairs. Yikes. Scottie's blatantly biased commentary and Katia kiss-up attitude was so obvious. He could barely say something nice about M/D and even then it came across as uncomplimentary or tepid at best. Calling Mishkutenok a "big girl"???? Yeah, she's not 90 pounds like Gordeeva. Oh well, a judge said it correctly when she told Artur "You should have won, but you just didn't skate well all week".