Mastering the Double Axel
The fun thing about Olympic season is that both NBC and The Mothership Herself (She being, of course, The New York Times) are devoting way more timeslashspace to covering winter sports. The Times in particular, it seems everday, has lengthy roundup of the bobsledding and luge and biathlon, etc.
I bring this up because yesterday both of the football games went the wrong way for me. So I was switching away. And in most cases, I was switching to NBC to watch some skating. The US championships, more specifically. With the Olympic slots somewhat on the line. Got to see White and whoever the woman is with the interesting face, unless she's White, set a record score in the dance competition. Not my favorite event, but you watch these two and you have to appreciate what is obviously the best pair in the world. By like a mile.
And I like the woman with the interesting face more after I read an interview with her in which she laughed at what she calls her "ambiguous ethnic makeup." And it's good to be able to laugh about stuff like that.
Then, during the Patriots game -- Lord have mercy, seeing the Patriots run like that puts the fear of God into a person, doesn't it? -- I managed to watch Gracie Gold win the gold and Ashley Wagner blow herself to smithereens. It should be noted that Ms. Wagner spent so much time sitting on the ice rather than skating over it that they should have charged her a rental fee.
Anyway, enough with the meanness of spirit. Are you aware that Daughter #2's middle name is Grace? So I had to root for Ms. Gold. And I've always been fond of Mirai Nagasu, who was once the cutest little kid you could imagine ...
... then lost herself (skating-wise), but who now appears to have found herself again [Cue here Amazing Grace].
Finding oneself is always a good thing, particularly after you've been lost. But because the Olympic experience in general, and ice skating in particular, is a petrie dish awash in ethical toxins, the smart money says that today, as some point, the powers that be decide that our Olympic representatives will be Gold, because she won the championship, that skinny 15 year old, because she came in second, and ... Ashley Wagner because of her total resume.
And my girl Mirai will be left on the cutting room floor.
I bring this up because yesterday both of the football games went the wrong way for me. So I was switching away. And in most cases, I was switching to NBC to watch some skating. The US championships, more specifically. With the Olympic slots somewhat on the line. Got to see White and whoever the woman is with the interesting face, unless she's White, set a record score in the dance competition. Not my favorite event, but you watch these two and you have to appreciate what is obviously the best pair in the world. By like a mile.
And I like the woman with the interesting face more after I read an interview with her in which she laughed at what she calls her "ambiguous ethnic makeup." And it's good to be able to laugh about stuff like that.
Then, during the Patriots game -- Lord have mercy, seeing the Patriots run like that puts the fear of God into a person, doesn't it? -- I managed to watch Gracie Gold win the gold and Ashley Wagner blow herself to smithereens. It should be noted that Ms. Wagner spent so much time sitting on the ice rather than skating over it that they should have charged her a rental fee.
Anyway, enough with the meanness of spirit. Are you aware that Daughter #2's middle name is Grace? So I had to root for Ms. Gold. And I've always been fond of Mirai Nagasu, who was once the cutest little kid you could imagine ...
Finding oneself is always a good thing, particularly after you've been lost. But because the Olympic experience in general, and ice skating in particular, is a petrie dish awash in ethical toxins, the smart money says that today, as some point, the powers that be decide that our Olympic representatives will be Gold, because she won the championship, that skinny 15 year old, because she came in second, and ... Ashley Wagner because of her total resume.
And my girl Mirai will be left on the cutting room floor.
posted by Geoffrey at 9:55 AM
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