Miracle in Vancouver -- Evan Lysacek Gets the Gold in Men's Figure Skating!

For the first time since 1988, a Russian did not win the gold medal in men's figure skating at the Winter Olympics, and the American, Evan Lysacek, stood at the top of the medal's podium at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

This is not quite like the Miracle on Ice, a theme I have written about, when the US men's hockey team received the gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, but close!

I had written earlier in this blog about Lysacek's coach, Frank Carroll, who had coached such Olympians as Michelle Kwan, but whose students had never, until now, received a gold medal at the Olympics. I liked Carroll's quote, that you are only as good as your last student. Now, Carroll, the coach, and Lysacek, the figure skater, are clearly at the top of their careers

According to The New York Times, when the final scores were posted, Carroll turned to Evan Lysacek and said: My God, you’re the gold medalist! You are the Olympic champion! They hugged. Congratulations to both of them for their incredibly hard work, discipline, dedication, determination, and for believing that technical mastery and artistry would yield the top prize in figure skating!

Kudos also to Johnny Weir who skated beautifully and who earned 6th place.

Yes, Evan Lysacek, despite not doing a quad, got the gold, and Plushenko, of Russia, got the silver. Takahashi of Japan was the bronze medalist.

Time to celebrate the comeback of US Figure Skating!

A Mom with a PhD who Can't Watch her Daughter Skate in Competitions

Finally, someone understands that I am in "good company." USA Today reports that several parents of Olympic figure skaters can't bear to watch their child compete in events and that includes the mother of Evan Lysacek, who is second in the 2010 Winter Olympics after the men's short program in figure skating with the finals taking place today in Vanouver. I plan on watching him compete against Plushenko of Russia, who is in first place after the short program and against Johnny Weir, whom I have written about in an earlier post, as well as the other amazing skaters from around the world.

In the USA Today article, it is noted that even Michelle Kwan's dad used to leave the rink when she competed (and as you may know she is now a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts and is reporting on these Olympics for Good Morning America).

I may have a PhD and have given talks to hundreds in audiences in different countries around the world with maybe only a few butterflies in my stomache, but there is something so surreal and challenging about figure skating that when your own child is doing those jumps and spins in the air that I just don't have the courage to watch. Luckily, my husband is tougher so he sometimes videotapes and takes photos. Needless to say, the other skating moms get a kick of me leaving the rink at those times.

Plushenko trains in St. Petersburg, Russia, a magical city, which I had a chance to visit when I was there for a conference and gave an invited talk a few years back. Plushenko has gotten a lot of TV coverage and media press for his quad jump and his return to competitive skating after a few years "break." He managed to place first (but it's not over yet) last Tuesday after eating only a banana all day, he said, to stay fit and to be able to compete against the "younger ones."

The drama of figure skating competition will continue tonight with the men's finals in Vancouver!

I congratulate all the US gold medalists: Lindsey Vonn in skiing (despite her shin injury which was even treated by a special cheese from Austria), Shaun White in snowboarding, and Shani Davis, an African-American speed skater, as well as all the medalists at these Olympic Games!

As for the fashion police (yes, academics sometimes need a break from their seriousness and their research, teaching, and service), they seem to be taking note of the figure skating costumes at these Olympics and noting the fashion "dos and dont's." Even one of our local newspapers in Massachusetts has been picking out some "doozies," which can't help but bring smiles. These skating outfits on a skating pair remind me of polyester Burberry lederhosen. Perhaps, it is best to just stick with "uniforms" but those just might detract from the originality, artistry, and much more of what makes figure skating so special (of course, there are those snowboarding outfits at the other extreme, as well).

For those of you who think that I am the only mother of a figure skater who is also an academic, in fact, you are mistaken. My friend, Dr. Zelda Zabinsky, a scholar in global optimization, even used to design and sew figure skating dresses for her daughter, who is now pursuing her own PhD!

Congratulations to Canada on its first gold medal in a Winter Olympics in Canada

Finally, Canada did it and acquired its first gold medal ever in a Winter Olympics in Canada! Canada has been the site of several Winter Olympics from Montreal to Calgary and now Vancouver but until yesterday it had never won a single gold medal in a Winter Olympics that it had hosted.

The Canadian gold medalist who yesterday made history for Canadian sports is Alexandre Bilodeau who won the gold in mogul skiing.

The New York Tmes reports on this wonderful, and much deserved, victory (my family was breathless when we watched on television as Bilodeau skied in the finals).

As some of you may have heard, Bilodeau said that he was skiing for his older brother, who has cerebral palsy, and who managed to learn how to walk and even ski despite many odds. What an uplifting, Olympic story and victory!

Congratulations to Alexandre Bilodeau, to his family, and to Canada! All great things are worth waiting for.

I am cheering for many countries and all athletes at these Winter Games. Having been born in Canada, I can't help but feel a closeness to Canada and its majesty of scenery, size, and specialness.

Ohno, Oh Yes -- Speed Skating at the Olympics!

I was contacted by teamusa.org to blog about the Olympics, an invitation that I did not officially accept, but a topic that I cannot resist to be following and writing about. In today's world, what is local is global and vice versa.

Yesterday, we dined at one of our favorite restaurants in the Pioneer Valley, Mr. Kim's (Gohyang) Restaurant in Hadley, which is a Korean restaurant. It is owned by a family whose father has a PhD in sports management from UMass Amherst and whose daughter attends my daughter's fabulous school, Deerfield Academy. The dad also has a faculty position in South Korea but was visiting his family while on break so we got to chat with him.

After dinner and some walking to digest the delicious Korean meal, we proceeded to catch up on the 2010 Winter Olympics events. Apolo Ohno did it again, and received a silver medal (tying his record number of Winter Olympic medals with Bonnie Blair) and he did it with his amazing athleticism, flair, and drama. The New York Times had a terrific article on this event which resulted in two American athletes standing together on the awards podium, along with the gold medalist from Korea. Yes, there was a roller derby type of crash that took place at this event but it is these kinds of unexpected events that make the Olympics so fascinating to follow!

As for another UMass connection, Michael Corey, a UMass Amherst grad from 1999, who is also the voice of the University of Delaware, has been announcing the speed skating Olympic events.

For those of you who have been wondering how a local Western Massachusetts bus company has been doing at the Olympics in shuttling the athletes (something I wrote about in an earlier post) I am pleased to report that Travel Kuz has been doing great in Vancouver and there was recent coverage in the Springfield media. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, as well, the grandson of the owner of this bus company and my daughter were classmates for years at the terrific elementary school, The Bement School, in Deerfield, Massachusetts. He continues to play hockey and my daughter to figure skate, among other numerous activities.

These Olympics, however,were marred by a tragedy, the death of the luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, from Georgia, at age 21, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and coaches. Georgia is a country that borders Ukraine, where my parents came from, and my first language is Ukrainian, which I learned growing up as a child in Canada. The Georgian Olympic delegation received a standing ovation at the Olympic opening ceremonies as they marched in wearing black armbands to commemorate the untimely, tragic death of their luger during a training run.

The Olympic torch and let the 2010 Winter Games begin!

Today the 2010 Winter Olympics Games begin in Vancouver, Canada. Our dear friends, the Wassermans, sent us the above photos of the Olympic torch which went by just 2 blocks past their home the other night in Vancouver. They are celebrating the beginning of these Winter Olympics as is the rest of the world!

We wish the athletes, their coaches, family members, and supporters a terrific Olympics with athleticism, friendships, harmony, spectacle, and beauty!

Thank you, Canada (my birthplace), for hosting these Olympics!

Let the 2010 Winter Olympic Games begin!