Before I start this review of the World Figure Skating
Championships – Ladies’ Free Program, let me point out something important. I
am not, nor will I ever be, a figure skater. In fact, the last time I wore skates
at the age of 8, I ended up with a broken wrist after completing the highly
difficult move of STEPPING ONTO THE ICE!
I am, however, a figure skating fan, although more for the
artistry of it, than for the technical aspects. I have to be honest – I don’t
know a lutz from a sow cow from an axel when I see them, but I do know when a
performance moves me vs. when it just seems like a series jumps strung together
into something robotic. I also know that if I fell as hard as some of the women
I watched last night at Budweiser Gardens, I would still be on the ice moaning
and possibly crying, waiting for some sort of sympathy ice cream cone or
something.
I was excited to be chosen as the #BGreviewer for this final
competition of the World’s, not only because of my love of figure skating, but
because curiosity was starting to get the best of me as to what was happening
in our downtown. Was it really alive with excitement? Were thousands of
tourists really checking out the shops and restaurants that I take for granted
daily? What did they think of Canada’s London? And what was this light show all
about?
I need to thank Bud Gardens for allowing me to explore the
answers to these questions, because in doing so, I came away with a new
appreciation for my city and what we can accomplish when given the opportunity.
First though, let’s talk about the ladies’ final. There were
24 skaters vying for top spot, representing 17 different countries and it was
clear from the looks on their faces that each one was in it to win it. The top
two tiers (each tier had six skaters) took to the ice and performed lovely
routines that drew cheers from the supportive crowd. But when tier three got
underway, it was clear the level of difficulty was beginning to ramp up. Jumps
were more difficult, falls were harder, spins were faster and that gracefulness
that only comes through experience was obvious.
At the close of this tier, it was clear that something big
was about to happen. Chatter among audience members got noticeably louder. Flags began
appearing around the arena for USA, Japan, Italy, Canada and Korea. And in a
move that delighted my tech loving husband, iPads began popping up out of
nowhere. Apparently if you're a figure skating enthusiast, you come prepared to
follow every aspect of a skate, right down to watching the judges scoring breakdowns
in real time as they’re posted online. Who knew? I didn’t. The row of 12 women in
front of me clearly did!
Our seat mates to the left from Rochester, NY – who up to
this point we hadn’t really chatted with – began filling us in on some tidbits
of information on the upcoming skaters. Mao Asada from Japan was apparently going
to attempt a quad, Yuna Kim of Korea who was currently in first place after the
short program was looking hard to beat. I tucked those tips into my back pocket
and resolved to watch Asada closely in case the quad materialized – hoping I
would recognize it if it did. We didn’t chat with our seat mates to the right
due to language difficulties, but the rapid pace of their chatter during the
fourth tier warm up led me to believe they were getting excited for this final
group.
I could tell you about each skater in this tier...who got
the loudest cheers...who fell multiple times...who had the coolest outfits. But
instead, the one thing that stands out for me that I want to share is the
determination and spirit of one woman – Carolina Kostner of Italy. It was
obvious during warm up that something was wrong. Carolina was skating around
with her head tilted back, skating over to her coaches from time to time before
heading out to warm up a little more. As it came time for her performance, the
audience has started to figure it out – Carolina’s nose was bleeding...a lot.
But it was her slot to perform, and I imagine when it’s your time, you have to
just get out there and do your best. It seemed there were no time outs allowed
in this competition. Well, to the amazement of the packed crowd, not only did
this brave young woman skate, but she skated almost flawlessly. Blood drops appeared
on the ice as she flipped and spun through the air as if nothing was wrong.
Moans of sympathy and amazement filled the arena when Carolina performed a
complex set of spins flawlessly, all while pinching her nose, head tipped back
to try to slow the flow. A well deserved standing ovation followed this brave
performance, as the young flower girls were sent out on the ice to clean the spots before the next performance.
That brave performance earned Carolina Kostner a silver
medal. As our new pals from NY predicted, Yuna Kim did, indeed, win the gold,
and Mao Asada (who incidentally did not attempt the quad) earned the bronze.
Canadian Kaetlyn Osmond, who went into the free program in fourth place, fell
to eighth spot after a few unfortunate falls.
The medal presentations quickly followed the event, and I
was pleased to see that most people remained in their seats for the ceremony,
regardless of what skater they were cheering for. I had read stories during the
week of the wonderful Amabile choir learning over 30 national anthems for the
week, but still gasped a little as the spotlight was turned onto the group all
dressed in flowing white, and they began singing the Korean national anthem as if
they had known it for their entire lives. Kudos Amabile singers – you did London
proud this week!
We wrapped up our night outside Bud Gardens watching the
final “Tree of Light” show which really was a sight to see. We stood shoulder
to shoulder with hundreds – perhaps even thousands – of Londoners and tourists
from around the world watching images of figure skaters then and now, mixed with
highlights of Canada’s London. If you missed your chance to see it in person,
you can watch it
here
although I guarantee it won’t be as exciting as standing under a light snowfall,
listening to the oohs and aahs of the crowd.
As my husband and I returned home, we chatted about how glad
we were that we had the opportunity to be part of this once in a lifetime event
in our city. We had started the week with a resolve to stay away from the ‘craziness’
that we expected downtown, but now realize that had we done that, we would have
missed being a part of London’s shining moment.
Well deserved kudos need to go to:
Budweiser Gardens
– not only for allowing us this opportunity, but for consistently making London
a better place. I remember a time not that long ago where I would lament all
the ‘cool’ shows going to Toronto, and wishing that London had that kind of
excitement. Well, we do now, and this was just one more shining example!
To Londoners for
showing the world that we are a classy, hospitable city which was worthy of
this event. I know that local businesses and restaurants didn’t see the
huge bump in business that they were hoping for this week – and after being ‘on
the inside’, I can understand why with very short breaks in between
competitions – however, I have no doubt that some of those heading home today
will leave with an intention to return to London one day. There will be a
return on this investment - I’m sure of
it.
To the London Police
Service – last night I watched thousands of fans pour out of Bud Gardens,
as hundreds more gathered for the Tree of Lights and still hundreds more
gathered outside downtown bars to starts their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations
early. This could have been a recipe for disaster, but instead it was a calm,
orderly evening and that’s because of you. Our visitors thank you and so do I.
I have never crossed a downtown street easier than I did last night!
To our visitors from
far and wide – I hope you enjoyed your time in London and are taking back
good memories of your time here. We can sometimes forget how big this world
really is as we go about our day to day lives, but this week, you reminded us
that there’s a whole world out there to explore, as you explored our little
city. We look forward to hosting you again as visitors and as new friends. Don’t
be strangers.
To all the naysayers
– if you were speaking this week, no one could hear you over the music, and for
that I am thankful. Our city isn’t perfect – no city is – but when we have a chance
to shine for the world, we owe it to ourselves to put our best foot forward.
There are more great things about London than there are negative. If there
weren’t, none of you would be here. Continue to stand up for what is right – we
owe ourselves that too – but don’t forget that it’s ok to celebrate when London
does something right. And boy, did we do something right this week.
PS – covering this event didn’t come without regrets. Not
being brave enough to speak to Toller Cranston and Joanie Rochette as I walked
past each of them, not seeking out Kurt Browning to tell him he’s the reason I
love figure skating the way I do, not getting a soft pretzel even though they
looked so yummy, not asking my seat mates to teach me how to say “hello”
in Japanese so I could confuse friends and family...the list goes on. I guess
these will have to wait until London hosts another international skating event –
except the pretzel – that’s going to happen sooner – I guarantee it.
さようなら – Sayōnara – goodbye world!
