winter olympics

The Top Five–Figure Skating Routines

The cold weather we’ve been having for the last week or so has me thinking back over previous winters, and when I think of winter, invariably one of my favorite memories is the Olympic Games I’ve watched over the years. One of my very favorite parts of any Winter Olympics is watching the figure skating, and I’ve come up with a list of my “Top Five” figure skating routines since I’ve been watching the Winter Games. In no particular order:

  • Sasha Cohen: “Romeo and Juliet”–I have never seen anyone with as lovely a spin as Cohen, and while she may not have performed up to all of the hype of the 2006 Torino Olympics where people thought she would win gold (she “only” won silver), this is still one of my favorite routines of all time. Yes, she fell, but it was a beautiful and emotive performance in spite of that, full of the grace and elegance she was known for.
  • Jamie Salé and David Pelletier: “Love Story”–The figure skating competition at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics was rocked by scandal, and Salé and Pelletier were right in the center of it. Their long program was beautiful and full of emotion, and their chemistry was undeniable. The haunting music and simple costuming just highlighted their skill as performers. This was a gold medal winning performance, even if it did take the powers that be some time to sort that out.
  • Katarina Witt: “Robin Hood”–Witt was my favorite skater when I was child…one of my earliest Olympics memories is watching her skate at the 1984 Winter Games. The routine that really stands out to me, though, is one that did not win her any medals…she skated to music from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at Lillehammer 1994. I remember this one so well because it was the first time Germany had a united team for the Olympic Games after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and because I loved the music she skated to.
  • Sarah Hughes: Ravel and Rachmaninoff–Another memory from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics is Hughes’ gold medal winning performance. She wasn’t expected to win (that was the year everyone though Michelle Kwan was finally going to win gold), but Kwan, Irina Slutskaya, and Sasha Cohen all made significant mistakes in the free skate, and while Hughes’ routine wasn’t completely clean, it was challenging and well-executed, and in the end thrilled the world with one of figure skating’s biggest upsets. I will always remember the look on her face as she finished the routine, a joyful look that said she realized the gold was hers, and it was beautiful.
  • Johnny Weir: “My Way”–At the Torino 2006 Olympics, Johnny Weir was a hopeful to medal for the US, but he left the Winter Games without standing atop the podium. In spite of that, as a fan favorite, he performed at the Champions’ Gala, where he skated to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” Skating to Sinatra was absolutely the perfect choice for him, and his artistry and elegance were an impeccable fit for the song, which was itself the perfect description of how Johnny Weir approached skating. His camel spins across the ice are unparalleled and just demonstrate his exquisite form and grace.

Do you have a favorite figure skating memory?

2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Wrap-Up

Beijing 2022 certainly did go by quickly! We can never dedicate as much time to the Winter Olympics as we can to the Summer Games, either in school, or just watching for fun. We did try to fit in as much Olympics as possible though, which always begins with trying new recipes that reflect the cuisine of the host nation, starting with our dinner for the Opening Ceremony and continuing through the events with special meals here and there:

  • Scallion pancakes
  • Sticky ginger shrimp with scallion rice
  • Bok Choy
  • Don tot
  • Mango pudding
  • Congee with mustard greens
  • Chinese crullers
  • Xiao long bao
  • Chinese snowflake cake (raspberry and coconut)
  • Potstickers
  • Chinese noodle soup
  • Nai Wong Bao

We also managed to fit in a few crafts…Chinese plum blossoms, unique medals for the Winter Olympics, and an adorable dragon made out of cupcake liners:

Here’s a look at our completed medal chart…I was really hoping that by some miracle, Jamaica would win one medal, but no such luck! At least every other country we were following made it to the podium.

This was a complicated Olympics, and I’m left with a feeling of ennui about the whole thing, but I think we still managed to enjoy ourselves, and I know we liked trying new foods! I will say that I hope this is the last Olympics I see competed in front of empty arenas…here’s hoping for better from Paris 2024!

Images of the Olympics

There have been many great and memorable moments from Beijing 2022. John Shuster, a curler, carrying in the US flag at the Opening Ceremony. Erin Jackson’s history-making skate. Keegan Messing waving the Canadian flag everywhere he went. Shaun White’s final ride. Iivo Niskanen waiting for every skier to cross the finish line after winning the 15km Classic. Nathan Chen’s coronation as quad king when he won gold in men’s figuring skating. The bagpipers at the Ice Cube. Germany sweeping the podium of the two-man bobsleigh. Matt Hamilton’s hair. The home couple winning gold in pairs figure skating with a beautiful and redemptive routine. Any moment involving Bing Dwen Dwen.

The images I will remember most, however, are the ones surrounding the controversial women’s figure skating event:

  • Kamila Valiyeva, the child…yes, child…at the center of the doping controversy will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Watching her fall to pieces in an event she never should have been permitted to compete in was bad enough, but watching her crumble further following her disastrous routine, and receive no support or concern from the people who should have been protecting her will be indelibly etched into the minds of all who were watching. While I truly believe she should have been barred from competition, she is not the villain in this story…that distinction goes to every adult involved in her training, who should all be subsequently banned from the sport for life.
  • Aleksandra Trusova will most likely be remembered for throwing a fit upon learning that her teammate won gold, which left her to settle for silver, instead of for her repertoire of quad jumps. This unsportmanslike temper tantrum was unlike almost anything I’ve seen at the Olympics, and while it was appalling, I still felt badly for her, because she was competing under extreme pressure in very unusual circumstances, with little support, and with the same terrible coaches Valiyeva depended upon.
  • Anna Shcherbakova should be remembered simply as the gold medalist of one of the favorite events of Beijing 2022. But she had no one to celebrate her victory with her…no teammates screaming with her, no coaches cheering her on, no one hugging her and sharing her excitement. It should have been the highlight of her young life, instead, in her own words, she felt “empty inside” as she sat alone and downcast following the competition.
  • Kaori Sakamoto, the one bright spot in the competition, will possibly remembered more for being completely overcome with emotion at the realization that she made it to the podium, which she was not expecting, instead of for winning bronze in a highly contested event. Her tears of joy may have looked similar to the emotions expressed by the athletes representing the Russian Olympic Committee, but it was a relief knowing at least one of the medalists was thrilled with the outcome of her performance.

I had reservations about Beijing 2022 before the Winter Games began, not just because of COVID-19, but also because of issues surrounding the host country. I’m left with even more reservations about how international sports are handled, especially when minors are involved. I hope that the powers that be will take a long, hard look at how the athletes are being treated, and come up with more stringent regulations about training and new, higher minimum age requirements, in an effort to stop using these young people as commodities that can simply be discarded after a single season of competition.

2021-22 School Year–Week Twenty-One

We’re over halfway through February! Since this is always the month of the school year that is the biggest struggle, I consider that a victory!!!

Ladybug worked with 30-60-90 triangles in geometry. She started learning about scientific classification in biology, beginning with bacteria, and learned how to use a biological key. We discussed the Salvation Army in her study of denominations. She read about Ashurbanipal in history. Her astronomy study took her to the moon. We finished Sir Gawain and the Green Knight…Henry V is up next!

Chickadee reviewed fractions in math, and learned how to find the greatest common factor of a pair of numbers. We finished the chapter on crustaceans in science, reading about shrimp, horseshoe crabs, and trilobites. We continued our trip through the midwest in geography. She got to read one of my favorite Bible studies…Jonah’s misadventures. We finished Greek mythology, and next week we’ll start reading The Blue Fairy Book.

We also completed a few Olympics crafts this week. We reimagined the medals for the Winter Olympics, starting with the shape, and also made cupcake liner dragons, which are just too adorable!

Ladybug has been working on some oil paintings in her free time…I’m very impressed with her work!

I imagine next week we’ll feel the full impact of the February blahs because we won’t have the Olympics to distract us, but maybe we can arrange a field trip soon!

Chickadee Thursday

We’re still enjoying the Olympics…Chickadee even bought a figure skating costume for one of her American Girl dolls!

We also had fun reimagining the medals for the Winter Olympics, starting with making them snowflake-shaped…I really like how Chickadee painted hers!

Quote of the Day

“Let us curl, milady. Let us throw and sweep atwain until the heavens themselves drop their jaws in wonder and envy. And afterwards there’ll be beer and cocoa with marshmallows floating in the foam. And if, from now till the end of time, someone should ask what we were doing on the eve of the seventeenth of November, we shall proclaim that we were curling!” Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson on The Simpsons

2021-22 School Year–Week Twenty

It’s so hard to fit school in when the Olympics are on!

We did still have a busy week of school, though. Ladybug did more work with the Pythagorean Theorem in geometry, this time with 45-45-90 triangles. The first subject of the school year has been finished, as she completed the last lesson in vocabulary. We talked about Darwin and the difference between macroevolution and microevolution in biology. She read about Sargon II in history. We started fit four of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Chickadee learned how to calculate perimeter, area, and volume in math. We read about crustaceans in science. She started her study of US geography…we began close to home, with a few midwestern states. She is almost done with her study of Greek mythology…this week, we read the stories of Theseus and Oedipus.

While we don’t have as much time to dedicate to the Winter Olympics as I would like, we have managed to work a few things into our school days. Taking a cue from the Opening Ceremony, which focused on the coming of spring, we did a fun plum blossom craft. In addition to our Opening Ceremony dinner, today we also tried a recipe for congee, a rice porridge, topped with mustard greens…it was surprisingly popular!

We also took some time to recognize the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II this week. In addition to the tea party we had on Sunday, we started working on a fun yarn craft, which will hopefully turn into a bunting we can hang up in the school room:

I have a few more Olympics-themed activities planned to go with our school days next, too!

Tasty Tuesday–Dinner for the Opening Ceremonies

The Winter Olympics have arrived!

Do I feel good about the 2022 Olympics? Not especially. Am I going to watch, anyway? Of course. Can I still use this as a good opportunity for us to learn about another culture? Without a doubt!

I never do as much for the Winter Olympics as I do for the Summer Games, because it’s just so difficult to try to fit it in with everything else we’re doing at this time of year. But I did make a special dinner for the night of the Opening Ceremonies, starting with scallion pancakes served with a tasty rice vinegar-soy dipping sauce, which were definitely the hit of the evening!

We also had sticky ginger shrimp with scallion jasmine rice and bok choy with oyster sauce:

For dessert, I made don tot, which are egg custard tarts, and mango pudding:

I’m hoping to try a few new recipes before the end of Beijing 2022, and keep an eye out for a few fun craft projects, too!

Chickadee Thursday

Today’s Chickadee Thursday is going to be a little bit different, because instead of just sharing a picture of Chickadee, I want to show you what she’s been working on.

She really enjoyed the Winter Olympics, and she especially thought the mascot, Soohorang, a white tiger, was adorable. We have a picture of him hanging up in our school room:

One day, Chickadee was sitting at her desk, drawing, which is in no way unusual for her. But I was surprised when she brought me the picture she had been working on:

I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed that a five-year-old can copy a picture hanging on the wall across the room so well!

Chickadee’s elephant family has been busy this week, as well:

And finally, a picture from our trip to Target on Tuesday…Chickadee loves the Target dog!