European Figure Skating Championships (part 2)

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This time with added pictures (all clickable thumbnails) because I managed to get the distance right(ish) on my camera by the time the Ladies Free Programme began.



Group 1:

Had two separate Swiss skaters in, plus the only time during the two days I was there that I heard repeated music, with Weinzierl and Popova both skating to Scheherazade, I think. It also contained Karina Johnson of Denmark who had what is called a 'mere. Popova was the days biggest mover, starting 6th in first group and finishing somewhere in the top half of the teens. She deserved it. It was a really nice routine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO4YRRA0ets

Group 2:

Group 2 had the Brit in it so we heard probably the loudest audience reaction, not that the Finnish Turkkila fans weren't trying be louder. I have my suspicions about those fans, mind you, since they all also had Swedish flags when the Swedes skated. It's a pan-Scandinavian plot I tell you.

There was ice resurfacing, which lead to the showing of the ISU's 'History of Figure Skating' female version. Unfortunately, much like the male version, it's showing it's age with at least two of the skaters who are supposed to be bringing in a shiny new age of figure skating having been retired for a couple of years.

Group 3:

Bonus picture because I like both of the French skaters and because I love Yretha Silete's dress.

Starting this group was Polina Korobeynikova, this year's edition of the baby Russian, seeing as how she's 15. And making me feel old, not least of all because I loved Viktoria Voltchkova, her coach, back when she skated http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsDNrx1hM3w

This group also had Joshi Helgesson, the younger Helgesson sister, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIwjcqVwjw or rather, the point where the Finnish fans were all suddenly Swedish.

A wave of excitement ran through the section of the arena I was in during this group because Samuel Contesti (of terrible outfit and enormous charisma fame) decided to sit down about four rows above where I was sitting. He was suddenly deluged by skate midgets who were, I swear, all terrifyingly tiny and blonde (and wearing the horrible shade of turquoise blue that was the colour of the championship). Other than that, Florent Amodio also got flooded by said skate midgets, and Robin Cousins passing by. He looks a lot fresher in RL than he does on TV.

Anyway, on to the more important business of group 4:



whose warm-up lead to my favourite of the photos I took during the weekend -

An absolute accident but it turned out well.

First up was my beloved Kiira Korpi - (Photo also from the warm-up)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYnsjQXvDnE

Then came Alena Leonova - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkUD_HuVhec who seemed to take one heck of a knock to the knee when she fell.

She was followed by Elena Gedevanishvili - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTKEeBLKqk8 Who managed to not get drowned out by her music (Phantom of the Opera) which is amazing because she's tiny and it was big music.

Then came Carolina Kostner - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=futg9MNkP2I

And Ksenia Makarova - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkPTUOiQAPU - skating to what the friend I was meant to meet up with called 'her unfortunate Marilyn Monroe thing' which is probably the nicest thing that can be said about her outfit.

While all that was going on Joshi Helgesson appeared somewhere behind us, making us all automatically Swedish for her sister's performance. She was really excited, and snapped a lot of photos of said performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puvPDIMOBxs Viktoria Helgesson also went with Andrew Lloyd Webber, but Sunset Boulevard, and again, she made it work. The only time all day that the audience complained about the judging was for her mark. The entire audience became Swedish for the duration, the audio on the video does not lie.

Anyway here's a shot of the podium -

As I said, Gedevanishvili is legit tiny, to the point where even on skates, on a podium, she was shorter than the lady handing out the medals. Also she has the most lovely smile.

Carolina Kostner's interview was also adorbs, she said the usual things about thanking the crowd, and when the interviewer asked what her favourite thing was about Sheffield, she said the cathedral, because the light had looked so lovely through the windows when she'd visited with her mother.


As you may have been able to tell, I enjoyed the women's more than the men's. I think it's the one that really does benefit from seeing it live, way more atmosphere.

So the skating finished for the day, quite literally the minute my last possible train home left Sheffield, which left me in a pickle, because I still hadn't made contact with the person whose floor I was supposed to be on.

But, I think, I have been to this part of Sheffield before, there are two hotels, right in the vicinity, and most of the people watching the skating won't be staying there surely. I was wrong, mostly because there was also a boxing match on. This leaves me without anywhere to stay on a bitterly cold night. I think on my feet. My old housemate D lives in Sheffield, she'll put me up on her sofa (I have incredible awesome ex-housemates). Unfortunately, due to the phone hi-jinxs, I didn't have her number. I did however have the number of one of her other old housemates (who is also a friend of mine). So I ring Z, ask her for D's number, which she gives me and I ring D, who is kind enough to give me sofa room in exchange for the silly story of my tribulations. She also lets me use her computer so I can get M's number and text her to promise I'm okay. Thankfully, M is very understanding.

All in all, I probably got more sleep on the sofa than M did, and it meant I could catch up with D, which is something I'd meant to do for a while.