so... what did everyone think?
I was a little disappointed...

-Mike

Mike is always disappointed

I actually liked the Russians better. I wouldn't presume to say "they should have won" because I'm no judge of complexity, and they were skating slower than the French... but... I just... liked them better. I thought the French were choppy (intentionally, but still) and trying too hard to be dramatic and meaningful. I also really liked the Italians and Canadians (sans falls) 'cause they made me want to dance! I could see the hustle in the Italians' routines

Natalie

[ 02-19-2002, 02:47 PM: Message edited by: Natalie ]

But wait, there's more:

http://www.globeandmail.ca/olympics
BY BEVERLEY SMITH
Globe and Mail Update

Salt Lake City ? The Lithuanian Skating Federation launched an official protest over the results of the Olympic ice dancing competition to event referee Alexander Gorshkov late Monday night.

Lithuanians Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas finished fifth in the ice-dancing event, won by French team Marina Anissina and Gwendal
Peizerat.Russians Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh finished second, while Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio of Italy won the bronze medal, in spite of a fall during their diagonal footwork sequence.

Canadians Shae-Lynn Bourne of Chatham, Ont., and Victor Kraatz of Vancouver finished fourth after both fell at the end of their program.

The Lithuanians, who have often been undermarked in the past, are concerned that judges did not make the proper mark deductions for mistakes and illegal moves made by three teams ahead of them. The Lithuanian protest also challenges the unchanging order of finish among the top eight teams in the ice-dancing event. Even though ordinals were scattered throughout all four portions of the event, the actual order of finish remained rigidly same through two compulsory
dances, the original dance and the free dance.

Lithuanian federation president Kazemeras Sparkavicus handed Gorshkov the letter concerning the protest soon after the ice dancing final
Monday night. Gorshkov, a Russian, is required to investigate the complaint. He is also the head of the ice dancing technical committee for the International Skating Union.

The Lithuanians feel that the Russian team should have received deductions for three illegal moves. Averbukh did two dramatic single Axels during the free dance routine Monday night, although jumps are prohibited in ice dancing. And the Lithuanians believe one of their lifts is illegal, because Lobacheva is balanced on the top of Averbukh's head.

Ice dancing rules prohibit the male dancer from lifting his partner above his shoulders.

Its never been the same since Torville and Dean stopped skating.

yes, i noticed the russian skaters were doing some unusual jumps with a spin. i thought those types of things were illegal also. if so, they should be penalized or at least points deducted for purposely cheating by breaking the rules.

Someone in another newsgroup has pointed out that about three years ago the rule were changed to allow single-revolution jumps. However, it was also pointed out that Ilia Auverbuch was doing an Axel, which is technically a 1 1/2 revolution jump. No one has said yet if the Axel was okay because it is basically a "single" Axel (it starts at 1.5 revolutions and goes up by single revolution increments from there, so that a triple Axel is really 3 1/2 revolutions).

MSNBC just rebroadcast all three ice dancing medal winners' free dances, mercifully without commentator blather. It was close between Lobacheeva & Auverbuch and Annisina & Piezerat: A&P (the French) won on a 5-4 decision.

Laura