I love Johnny's skating great, mediocre, or poor. For me, the guy's just got the kind of movement and flow quality that works for me. But I'm thrilled he did so well and I love his male interpretation of "The Dying Swan." Urmanov did a "Swan Lake" program years back, but it just didn't do it for me. Johnny's did.
Also love Matt Savoie's quality. It's understated, but it has such a strong core.
Rohene Ward reminds me of another US skater whose name escapes me who was on the scene for years and though he had a gorgeous movement and skating quality, he could never get the jumps under his belt. I hope Rohene doesn't follow that same pattern because he too is just too gorgeous for words. Plus, some of the most innovative choreography of the night, along with...
Michael Weiss! Surprise and great for him! ITA with Dick Button that the music and choreography really worked for him and brought out his best qualities. Was glad to see Mike do well in what is probably his last USN short program.
Evan Lysacek: Somehow the shoulder pads on this costume emphasized Evan's round-shouldered posture. Not a good skate for Evan, but he also looked as if he hadn't grown in his skating, kind of the way Tim Goebel was stuck in that bad posture/poor presentation rut that he had practically right up until the '02 where he won the bronze medal.
Tim Goebel: It was very sad to watch Tim do so poorly after '02, when it seemed he'd finally found his presentation skills and was really going to have a great career. Guess you can never tell.
I thought the placements were fair and didn't have any problems with the judging. Though with the COP system, I can never really tell until the detailed scoring sheets are up.
Right now I think the Oly team looks as if it will be Weir, Savoie, and either Weiss or Lysacek. But anything can happen during the long. Wow, what a treat to watch it live on TV instead of a week later.
Rgirl