An evening at the Xcel.

Make it official!!! The first event of 2008 has happened. We attended the U.S. Figure Skating Spectacular held at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, on Sunday night.
We started off the night by getting some sushi at Sakura. I will have to say, I really enjoy this restaurant. For many reasons…being local, in a great location, and serving up great sushi. Of all the positive aspects, there is one glaring problem. The service needs to improve. This is the second time (out of two visits) that we have be seated in a high traffic area and greeted by sub-par waiters and service. I hate to say it, but I think the next time that I eat Sakura, it maybe from take out.
The showcase of Champions started shortly after 7:00PM. There were 21 scheduled performances from some of the champions and other participants from the week of skating. These skaters performed to a smaller crowd of people (about half of the lower deck of the Xcel was filled).
From the limited knowledge about skating, I was pretty excited to watching it and gain some more in-site of this sport. I did my homework. I read the local paper about the different skaters during the week. In addition to I also watch some of the coverage on TV. I thought this way I would have some idea about who to watch and what to look for. From my observation and findings here is what I learned about skating.
1. There is no skin allowed to show on the women, all parts of the body except for arms must be covered with some kind of fabric.
2. Speaking of fabric the leggings that cover the females skates are done so to make their “line” more appealing.
3. The older the skater, the faster they skate.
4. If you think that the female winner, Mirai Nagasu was small on TV, she is tiny on the ice.
5. Couple pairs are more interesting to watch then dancing pairs.
6. It must take hours of practice, nerves of steel, and countless falls to master the routines of some of the skaters.
7. A triple axel is a jump that the skater takes off from a forward outside edge and spins three times in the air.
8. A lutz jump is done just like the flip (see below), but the takeoff is from a back outside edge of the skate instead of a back inside edge.
9. The flip jump is a move where the skater glides backward on a back inside edge, picks with the other skate, jumps a full revolution in the air, and lands on the back outside edge of the foot.
10. For the scoring…wonder if the subjectivity of it, takes away from the objectivity??
I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend the event (thanks for the tickets Diane!). I have gained a new found appreciation for ice skating and the skaters. Also, I am pretty sure that you won’t catch me on skates or ice any time soon. I really don’t want to break my body…hahahahha