The Olympics Mens Ice Skating

The field was filled with many talented skaters this year. Canada has the home crowd advantage, then there is the returning Olympic champion who has an edge, and then there are the three Americans.

1. Tony Weir, who has a bronze medal to his name was the first American to take the ice. He took the ice dressed in a black one piece outfit sequined on the torso in the shape of a vest, pink lacing down the chest and back, with a pink tassel on the left shoulder.

His first jump was a combination which he had problems with. He was able to hold onto the clean edges and come out of the jump cleanly. Seconds later came the triple jump, the most difficult in his program. This was accomplished with tremendous ease. The final jump was followed by a sit spin. This went right into his artistic portion of the program. He was expressive and fluid, making it so very fun to watch. A score of 82.10 put him in 6th place after the short program.

2. Evan Lysachek = Dressed in a black outfit head to toe with his black hair slicked down. While his wrists are lined with feathers he wore a sheer black on his hands.

His jumps were flawless. Technically, his program was clean. His ability to land from one jump, perform a little artistry, and set himself up for his next jump was magnificent. He made everything appear easy. This combination of technical and artistry stirred a response from the audience. They fell in love with this American skater. Scoring 90.30 put him in 2nd place after the short program.

3. Jeremy Abbott is a 2 time US Champion. Taking the iced he is dressed in grey pants with a black belt, light purple shirt with a dark purple vest over the shirt. He opened with a great combination, the triple axle to follow was changed to a single axle, the double lutz that came afterward was clean - although it was clearly supposed to be some other jump. He gave the appearance of giving up which made it miserable to watch him. This was also his Olympic debut. His scored was 69.40 which put him in 15h place.

The past four years of hard work, have not put him in the running for a medal this Olympic. While this young man was definitely having an off night, he is a very gifted skater. Yes, his jumps were not there, but the clean lines, deep edges, and expressiveness are some signs of a budding skater. Look for him in years to come.