Word: ice
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...lift and fly change foot combination spin are as useful as hieroglyphics. The only one that makes sense is the death spiral, a macabre moniker that describes the move in which the male skater spins his partner by a single hand while her body is almost parallel to the ice. Slip up and yes, the results could be fatal. (See 25 Olympic athletes to watch...
...television. At one point, he looked up at his mother and said, "This is so much fun." After hearing that story, I realized he was onto something. When a man summons the strength to lift a woman and throw her in the air while gliding across the ice, that's an amazing athletic achievement. When the woman spins around and lands gracefully on her razor-thin blades, as fluid as a diver entering the water without a splash, that's an even more impressive feat. These skaters all deserve a little "whoa." (See pictures of Vancouver's opening ceremonies...
...back of the pack, their spinning is hardly synchronized. Here, the guy is spinning faster than the gal; there, the gal is out-twirling the guy. During the ol' death spirals, the lesser teams tend to dodge the risky part: the woman's head rests comfortably above the ice. (See TIME's full coverage of Vancouver...
...Another tip: Award points for things the judges overlook. For example, near the end of the routine of Polish skaters Mateusz Chruscinski and Joanna Sulej, Chruscinski fell while simply skating along the ice. For a split second, it looked like he was about to stop what he was doing, grab his hair and yell, "You idiot!" Now there's a reaction to which we can all relate. Who hasn't screwed up something they've done a millions times, blown the easy layup, and wanted to scream? Chruscinski refused to stick to skating decorum and keep smiling for the judges...
...Sometimes my judgment diverged from that of the professionals. For example, Vanessa James and Yannick Bonheur from France riled up the audience with a few daredevil maneuvers, including a sequence in which Bonheur dipped James' head near the ice before pulling her up just in the nick of time. Bonheur, however, made one small - but somewhat serious - mistake in my book. After the routine, the crowd gave the pair well-deserved applause. But just as the fans were quieting down, clearly ready to move on, Bonheur raised his hands in the air one more time. Dude, don't milk...