Sarah Hughes on Winning

Kristi Yamaguchi on Training

Figure Skating Folderal on Judging at Sochi

There have been a couple of prominent voices at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics which have been fervently complaining about judging at Figure Skating competition.  There was prior to the start of the Olympics, there was a rumor that there was a backroom deal which would allow for Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White to win Gold for the Ice Dancing discipline while the Russians would again be at the top of the podium for figure skating.

Toronto Star sports writer Rosie DiManno spewed bile at the second place finish of Canadian skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir being edged out of their repeat Gold medal in Ice Dancing by Davis and White.  Dimanno went so far as to exclaim that : “If the fix is not in against Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, then I'm the Princess of Wales."  That seemed like jingoistic jive from the Great White North.

Ashley Wagner, the 22 year old American Figure Skater, placed in seventh  at the Womens’ Figure Skating competition at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.  Yet Ashley Wagner felt “gypped” because of the judging in the individual competition.  Wagner’s scrunched face in the “kiss and cry” after her performance during the Team competition showed confusion at the judging.




Wagner’s overall 193.20 point total was 7.37 points behind Yulia  Lipnitskaia who placed in fifth.  Lipnitskaia seemed like the darling of the Sochi Olympics when her skating lifted Russia to Gold in the Team Figure Skating competition.  But during the individual Womens’ Figure Skating  the 15 year old Russian falling once during the short program  and once during the free skate. But Lipnitskaia had the home crowd behind her and was scored higher than Wagner.

Wagner’s ire may also extend to Gold medal winner Russian Adelina Sotnikova, fellow American Gracie Gold who finished fourth as well as Japanese skater Mao Asada who placed in sixth who also fell during their performances at the Iceburg Skating Palace in Sochi.

Prima facia, Wagner’s rant sounds like it has some credibility.  But several points seem to extinguish the flame of figure skating ire.

Firstly,  Canadian Ice Dancer Scott Moir’s mom told her son when he was starting in the sport that it was a judging discipline which can be fickle.  Wagner’s suggestion of ending anonymous judging at the Olympics might somewhat curtail nationalistic favoritism.  The USFSA associates judges names with scores but it uses all of the scores, whereas international competitons drop the high and low score and have anonymous, randomly selected panels

Secondly, Ashley Wagner barely made US Figure Skating team to Sochi because of her disastrous skates at the US Nationals in Boston.  The US Figure Skating Association chose fourth place finisher Wagner over the US Nationals Silver Medalist Mirai Nagasu.  Some questioned the fairness of Wagner’s selection, even though the USFSA thought that Wagner had a better chance at the Olympics.  A few voices thought that it was racism.  That seems silly considering the prior US figure skating successes of Debbie Thomas ( Calgary 1988), Kristi Yamaguchi (Albertville 1992) and Michelle Kwan (Nagano, 1998 and Salt Lake 2002).   Perhaps it was a choice based on international competition experience along with marketability, good interviews for NBC Olympics up close and personal glossy videos as well as the ability to make headlines.  On the latter quality, Wagner wins a Gold.

Mao Asada jumping

A third compelling counter-argument to Wagner’s competitive cri-de-coeur is the change in Figure Skating judging.  After a Figure Skating judging scandal at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, the scoring system for Figure Skating was revamped.  No longer did judges start from perfection and deduct points, but you needed to earn points, with a full point being taken off for a fall.  There is also a clock for midway through a skater’s program when extra points are awarded for jumps performed at exhausting stages of a skate.

Mao Asada seemed in the zone of Wagner’s criticisms about falling during performances.  But Asada has a very challenging program and was rewarded for that, despite her flaws.  Asada does all six kinds of jumps and is the only female skater to land eight triple jumps at Sochi.  Wagner should not be so jumpy about figure skaters’ scoring well despite falls.  Wagner won the 2013 US Nationals despite having two halls during her free skate.

[L] Tara Lipinski [R] Johnny Weir 

As much as one is tempted to criticize Johnny Weir’s flamboyant sense of fashion when covering Figure Skating at Sochi for NBC Sports, he was spot on in predicting where Wagner fell short with her free skate and he anticipated fewer points awarded.  Weir observed that Wagner changed music for her free skate from   Romeo and Juliet   which fell poorly in Boston to a more familiar Samson and Delilah.   Weir’s commentary caught some jumps where Wagner landed on two skates and also kicked up some “snow”.  So simply landing a jump might not cut it for the judges.  These nuances might not be seen by casual fans, but it seems to matter to judges and competitive skaters.

It is easy to understand the disappointment of athletes who worked hard for years to compete on the international stage at the Olympics and who follow short of their potential or expectations.  But short of exposing a conspiracy among judges, this is figure skating folderal.

Ashley Wagner has expressed her intention to compete for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.  If that falls through, she may pursue a career in modeling.  But finishing seventh on the Olympic stage in Sochi does not set her up for as many lucrative endorsement.

Peggy Fleming on Figure Skating

Sarah Hughes on the Olympics

Dorothy Hamill on Figure Skating

Katerina Witt on Figure Skating

Meryl Davis on Ice Dancing Partnership

Meryl Davis was paired with Charlie White to ice dance when she was ten and he was eleven.  After seventeen years of partnership, their athletic efforts culminated in a Gold medal for Ice Dancing at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. 

Rosie DiManno on the Villainy of Ice Dancing

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have been paired together for Ice Dancing for seventeen years, when Virtue was seven and Moir was nine.   While they are Canadian, they travel North through Detroit to train in at the Artic Edge rink in Canton, Michigan alongside their main rivals, Americans Charlie White and Meryl Davis.

Despite Toronto Star sports columnist Rosie DiManno's jaunty jingoistic jibes after Virtue and Moir took the Silver Medal in Ice Dancing with 190.99 points  as White and Davis took the Gold in Sochi with 195.53 score. This is a reverse of the placement at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. 

Vancouver Winter Olympics Ice Dancing Top Two Pairs 

While the Canadian pair was certainly disappointed that they were edged out of the top spot on the awards platform in 2014, Virtue showed more sportsmanship than the cranky Canadian columnist. 

Even Scott Moir's mom realizes that Ice Dancing is a judgment sport, where your fate is decided by a panel of seven judges.



So DiManno's philippic against the prostitution of ice dancing sounds like sour grapes coming from someone not picked for the dance.

As important as performance and perfection is at the Olympics, it also teaches life lessons.  Launching into crude attacks when your favorite does not win in a judgment discipline is the opposite of the beauty performed on the ice. In short, it's losing ugly.  Even more ugly than the Team USA Opening Ceremony Uniforms. They may get a lot of attention, but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it or clothing myself in such bitter bile.

Nancy Kerrigan on Perseverance

Elvis Stojko on Motivation

Paul Wylie on Success

Evan Lysacek on Adversity

Debi Thomas on Life

Scott Hamilton on Mens' Figure Skating

Striking a Pose at the Sochi Winter Olympics?

Johnny Weir's flamboyant style in Sochi as an NBC Olympics commentator seemingly strikes a pose against Russian Federation's Gay Propaganda Law, prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality among minors. 

There have been some mixed signals at the Sochi Olympics on homosexual rights. NBC has somewhat acknowledged the Gay Rights protests amidst its fawning Russo-philic coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Yet during the Opening Ceremony, when new IOC President Thomas Bach addressed the controversy by speaking against "discrimination of any kind", NBC cut that portion of the speech, supposedly for time considerations.

Were these time considerations to squeeze in more commercials in the tape delayed coverage for American prime time? Or is it to make time with their Russian hosts?

 Then there is the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped by the Heineken House to cavort with Dutch athletes celebrating their multiple speed skating wins in Sochi.

[L. in red jumpsuit] Vladimir Putin toasts Dutch athletes at Heinekin House, Sochi, Russia

 Putin congratulated Ireen Wust, the gold medal winner of the 3000 meter race, who is openly bisexual. As the Russian President was leaving the Netherland's athlete compound, Wust gave Putin a quick hug.




Is the rainbow protest a cause celebre which is full of sound and fury signifying nothing? Or are the hosts manipulating the world's perception of a less tolerant regime by tailored coverage and empty gestures?

Yulia Lipnitskaia on Sochi Team Figure Skating Performance

Yulia Lipnitskaia, the fifteen year old figure skating phenomenon from Yekaterinburg, Russia, put in a sensational performance to help her nation win the Team Skating Gold at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Lipnitskaia's technical prowess, youthfulness and home team spirit may make Lipniskaia as the sweetheart of Sochi entering into the Individual Womens' Figure Skating competition.

Drama with the US Womens' Olympic Skating Team– Go Figure!

[From L to R] Polina Edmunds, Gracie Gold, Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner (photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Figure Skating fanatics who watched the U.S. Championship in Boston this weekend may be scratching their heads at the selection for the U.S. Womens’ Figure Skating squad.  At the competition, Gracie Gold glided into a first place finish, with 15 year old Polina Edmunds coming in second and Vancouver Olympic veteran Mirai Nagasu took third.

Two time national champion Ashley Wagner fell twice her long performance in the U.S. Championships and came in fourth. The 22 year old Wagner, a graduate of West Potomac (MD) High, was so chagrined at her routine that she mouthed “I’m sorry.”  as she left the ice. Wagner labeled her performance in Boston as being a “tearful little wimp out on the ice.”   Yet when the U.S. Figure Skating Association announced its selections to represent the United States in the XXII Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia Federation, Wagner made the team and Nagasu did not.




Before the selection committee’s decision, the 20 year old Mirai Nagasu emoted:

 Hopefully, they pick me to the team. I haven’t always been the most consistent skater, but I know I’m always good under pressure – most of the time. The only thing I can brag about now is I’m the only person with Olympic experience. I’ll have to respect any choice that they make.

Nagasu had a few factors which worked against her.  She finished fourth in the Vancouver Games, and she came into the U.S. Championship without a full time coach.  After learning her fate of not making the Olympic team, Nagasu free skate was filled with tears.

Mirai Nagasu Free Skate routine at 2014 U.S. Championships

USFSA President Patricia St. Peter explained that the selection decision making included the most recent nationals but was not ruled by that competition.  The USFSA considers performance over the last year.  St. Peter said: “If you look at Ashley Wagner’s record and performance, she’s got the top credentials of any of our female athletes.”  Wagner finished fifth in the 2013 world championships and won a Bronze medal at the Grand Prix final.

Ashley Wagner

In reaction to being named as part of the Sochi Olympic squad, Wagner said: “"I'm happy that my federation was able to see beyond one bad skate.”  This was after a sleepless night with Face Time, a big glass of wine and watching the film “The Seven Year Itch”.  It was a marked contrast to Wagner’s  pre-nationals statement that:

 "I don’t want to feel like I am taking away an Olympic spot from someone.  I want to earn it.  That’s my goal here. For me, I need to get in the top three to really feel good with myself being on the Olympic Team."

Figure Skating is renowned for being an art as much as a sport, and there certainly are elements of drama associated with it.  Some disappointed Nagasu supporters have proffered that racism drove the decision to exclude Nagasu from the Olympic squad. I am highly skeptical of this charge, but I do think that marketing may have in part drove the decision.

At the XXI Winter Olympiad, the US Womens’ Figure Skating Team was kept off the dais for the first time since the Innsbrook, Austria Games of 1964.  So the USFSA wanted to hedge their bets with a stronger overall prospect rather than a “fluke”.  And Nagasu not having a full time coach might have hurt her in backroom negotiations.


 However Ms. Wagner, with her string of recent wins (aside from the 2014 US Nationals) may be easier to market rather than Ms. Nagasu, who Tara Lipinski noted had a hard year and was not expected to do well.   With US Woman Skier Lindsey Vonn not participating in Sochi due to injuries, having another marketable woman's star would be useful for NBC to hype it's $775 million investment for broadcasting 1,500 hours of the Sochi Olympics.

The wisdom of the USFSA inclusion of Ashley Wagner will soon be evident when the Olympic Games kick off in Sochi on February 6th.