On the eve of the ladies’ figure skating free skate, my thoughts turn not to Evgenia Medvedeva – who may lose the gold to her younger spitfire of a rival, Alina Zagitova – or Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond, who wowed her way into bronze medal position with a sassy skate to Edith Piaf; or even to why the Japanese women did so much better than the Americans, who haven’t won a medal in this event since Sasha Cohen in 2006. No, today my thoughts turn to Tonya Harding.
Of course, they do. Her knee-whacking rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan, complete with a broken skate lace, made this night in 1994 at the Lillehammer Games appointment TV.
Harding has had quite a year ...
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Read MoreBy now you’ve heard the storyline: The U.S. performance at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang was looking a little, well, lackluster. Blame it on stars aging out of their sports (downhill bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn, skier Ted Ligety), new stars coping with huge expectations (February WAG cover subject Mikaela Shiffrin, figure skater Nathan Chen), poor strategies in the bobsled and cross-country skiing and some tough luck.
But some said, Hold on. Wait for the end of this week. Like a dark horse ...
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Read MoreWe’re in the home stretch of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, and one thing is certain: The United States is number one…in mediocrity.
At this writing, we are tied with France for fifth place in the medal count with 13, behind Norway (30), Germany (23), Canada (19) and The Netherlands (14). This is a far cry from the U.S.’ record-setting 37 medals in Vancouver in 2010. ...
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Read MoreIt’s sturm-und-drang time in figure skating at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, not that there hasn’t already been enough drama with the flameouts, the dark horses, the falls, the wardrobe malfunctions – and Tara and Johnny’s excellent “Will and Grace” adventure.
But tonight begins what for many figure skating fans – and, indeed, Olympic viewers – is the glamour event of the Games, the ladies’ championship. ...
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Read MoreSeventeen people were killed by a gunman in Florida and I feel – nothing.
No, that’s not exactly correct. I feel a certain righteous indignation. The Republican governor of Florida, Rick Scott, thinks FBI director Christopher Wray should resign, because the Bureau got a tip on gunman Nikolas Cruz and didn’t follow it up. Oh, please. The Broward County sheriff’s office got numerous complaints about this guy. Listen, it’s always the same story – young white guy with a disproportionate rage at the world. And it’s always the same result. And the same response. Thoughts and prayers. Nutjob. ...
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Read MoreOne of the things that has always fascinated me as an arts writer and singer is performance anxiety. Why do some people rise to an occasion when others, perhaps more talented, shrink?
Nerves have a lot to do with it and, as with most challenges, only you yourself can overcome them. No one can do it for you. Indeed, others, however well-meaning, may only make it worse.
In the men’s figure skating free program, Nathan Chen – who had turned in disastrous performances in the team competition and short program – put on a skating clinic, executing six quad jumps and earning the fifth highest score in Olympic history. What made the difference? ...
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Read MoreWhen we were casting about for a cover for February WAG, American Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin seemed like a natural. Wine & Dine columnist Doug Paulding, an avid skier, had seen Shiffrin – the best slalom skier in the world – in action at Killington in Vermont on Thanksgiving weekend and agreed with the experts he talked to: This was her moment.
She delivered in the giant slalom – an event she has wrestled with – with an aggressive, technically proficient, come-from-behind victory that is a testament to her talent, discipline and hard work.
But then she failed to medal in her best event, the slalom. Illness, nerves, a combination of both? ...
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