Enchantment

So I settled in yesterday to actually watch Stars On Ice. It used to be a tradition for me. It used to be videotaped & rewatched until the tape died. It used to be something that I traveled up to Lake Placid, NY over Thanksgiving weekend to see the opening show each year.

Used to be.

It was the greatest thing, hands down, on ice every year. Then it tanked a bit. I realized how absolutely phenomenal the cast had been & how amazing the pair, dancers & group numbers were- once they kind of sucked. I took it for granted as normal until it became mediocre & then I missed the previous awesomeness.

I used to see the show twice. Years on end I saw it in Lake Placid & then somewhere in PA. I think the last time I went was 2002, maybe.

So yesterday I sat & watched, deflated by the fact that even the television broadcast has been sliced. It used to be 2 hours & now a two hour show with 14 skaters gets an hour of time not counting commercials.

So I watched, kid & dog both on my lap. Micheal Weiss...ick. Todd Eldredge...ick. Ina & Zimmerman...GOOD!...Chinese pair...GOOD!...behind the scenes footage of group numbers that I'll just so want to see...eh maybe...concept- Live And In Color!...ok I guess. The idea is that tv is nothing compared to being in the rink & seeing the speed, feeling the wind even up high as skaters fly past...yeah that does work & it's true. Live is nothing like tv. I really had no expectations at all. I watched to see if maybe I'd want to go & see it live in March.

I definetly do. If for nothing else, then to see this:



I kind of remember liking Sasha Cohen a long time ago. She is clearly the selling point this year, even for someone like me that usually sleeps thru ladies skating. This was amazing. She's basically a ballerina in slippers being carried all over the ice by three pair skaters. The lifts are just amazing and I have to shoot it. Amazing stuff & I'm really thrilled to find it. I love when I have no expectations for something & then end up surprised & excited by it!