Next in our continuing coverage of the Olympics: ice dancing. Last night (Tuesday) we managed to watch the already tape-delayed Monday showing of the final ice dancing competition from Torino 2006.
I liked the skating done by two of the couples, the Bulgarians (Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviyski) and the Americans (Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto). The Bulgarians especially had a pretty skate. Well, and then the frosty-but-I-love-you-I'm-so-sorry-I-will-cry-now Italians were entertaining too, though not for their ice dancing.
But they really can't hold a candle to Torvill and Dean's performance from the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. A video of that performance is out there on the Internets (though not on the Web, if you know what I'm talking about), and it still holds up, even twenty-two years later. Don't get hoodwinked by their performances in 1996, when professionals were allowed back into the Olympics. You're looking for the 1984 video, complete with 80's-era television graphics.
Well worth the hunt, to see what real ice dancing was, and probably won't ever be again.
The wife and I were quite surprised by how many couples didn't appear ready for their big day. I'm with you on the Belbin/Agosto team. I can understand why Canada was so sorry to see her go.