A good friend, who I will call Zorro, has a running debate with me: why is figure skating a sport? He contends that anything with sequins, flaming gay guys (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and corrupt judges can’t be a legit sport.
To which I say – phooey. Yes, skating has had it’s share of drama, to which a steel cage match may well have been the best way to solve things. But you try skating all out for 4 minutes, doing triple and quad jumps, throw in some spins and tricky footwork, make sure your landings are clean, your toes are pointed, your hands are in the correct position, and of course – show the correct emotion to act out the music. Not so easy, huh?
Skating has athletic power, grace, art, and sequins. The judging is suspect, without a doubt. I am a skating fan and I still am trying to boil down the new judging system into one sentence for the outside world.
So I say, Zorro, my pal, give skating a chance over the next few months. I think it will hook you. It’s better than watching the Lions get emasculated in their macho uniforms. Maybe they need to add some sequins to change their mojo.