Brought to you tape delayed, thanks to a science fiction day and the miracles of videotape…and I'm completely spoiler free for this, aren't you proud of me? Not a thing did I look up

Montage to start of the people behind the camera…and the stats of the Eurosport guys. And Hendrik Schamberger gets interviewed! Man I used to love him skating…

And here we go with some skating.

Flags of nations being carried around to "The Winner Takes It All" as Chris yammers on about the Russian dominance… special praise for the French contingent in the arena, and Chris congratulates the British team… how many times can these girls skate along with those flags? Live singer with Irina Slutskaya after a chat at the skaters party? Really? Who? Chris praises the organisation… and we're just about ready he says.

Stephane Lambiel

Crimson shirt, black top and trousers,,magic stradivarius is the music…starts with steps and back shoot the duck…. Very violiny as you might expect… crowd are clapping as he does footwork…triple flip….into sit spin with cariation…. And butt ugly butt spin…changes into sit spin…. Much waving of the arms… slide along the ice… steps and turns on one foot…butterfly into spin… axel double… back glide… think these are meant to be spirals but not quite…. Camel to sit variation….changes it… to variation and can he spin….crosslegged upright spin… and stop, right on the music. Chris is raving about it… nicky about his great presence on the ice, and mentions how the girl fans love him… he was mobbed the other night, they were after him with cowbells. The Swiss now, not Chris and Nicky. We get a slo mo of the butt spin….dear lord, why do they do these things to me?

Grushina and Goncharov

Starts off with him lying on his back on the ice, and her balanced on him…not gonna go there, I quite simply am not. He puts her down, and she's in a lovely black backless dress…he's in black, with much of his chest on display…music is adagio…he lifts herand does it again, from around the waist… glidey spinny move…. Steps around in a dance hold… lif with him in crouch and her facing him with her leg over his shoulder… steps and turns where they kneel on the ice as I relfect that he really does need more chest on that shirt…another lift with her at him level… nicky mentions that it shows their strength plus quality of edge, but that their free wouldn't have held off the germans had rene not fallen… moves where she leans on his thigh and jumps as he's moving back… lift with her in arabesque while standing on his thigh facing him… footwork with nice unison and more knee slides…. Move where she leaps onto him and he carries her…do it again for fun… lift where she's upside down along his body and he carries her…spin to finish…and that's them done. Was his birthday on Monday, he was 30. Nicky thikns that there's going to be a battle at worlds from 3-5…Kati and Rene told tehm that they thought at worlds that they could finish anywehre from 8^th to 3^rd! In ice dance, who'd'a thunk?

Carolina Kostner

Oh, I like this girl! Nice little black dres… starts with steps… sparkles on the bodice of the dress… I do love you by leann rimes… triple sal… spreads to the music… steps to fall on a triple toe? … she was flying into it notes nicky… split jump… and music changes… into more leann… camel to layback… to change sit… and out of that… spiral… back spiral with foot held… wallys …right kiind of wrong is the usic…flying sit… steps into layback… and she is done. 15years of age…. Very good. She looked kind of nervous out there; not much beyond the barrier if you know what I mean, but chris relates how her choreographer says she can do anything…nicky says one of the judges said that her chor wasn't up to her tech ability…which he says is fair and which I was rattling around over…but she'll learn.

Zagorska and Siudek

Ok, if her hair is growing on me, those costumes are not. Yellow dress for her, yellow top for him with black pants. And waistcoaty effect… start with her leaning against him, kinda like G&G's reverie..music is nocturne by secret garden…and they go for the irish connection again! <g> spread from him, her in front of him, leg out…into death spiral… steps… throw 3sal…and it was a beauty…and lift her out of that so that she's kneeling on his hip… around the corner we go… lift star lift where he goes into spread, and changes her into so that she's lying on her stomach in the lift… him in spread, holding her so that she's against his chest… and dipping her down… into d/s with her leg on his foot then into the normal kind… lovely skating this…carry lify where she's lying back as he supports her… him in spread, her haniging from his arms, her legs drawn up…steps on cetnre ice, stepping and turning to and away from one another… and glide to a stop. Finishing bathed in yellow light; that was just lovely. He's been competing internationally for 14 years… he propose to her at closing banquet of 2000 world championships chris tells us…

Ilia Klimkin

In dark colours….lights go up! Sdtk of notre dame de paris… black…all black..with shiny leather look..and deep v and ruffly neck…eeek! Lights go down again! Starts off with his trademakr camel spins on opposite feet… and he gets it right this time… and does three sets of spins… and another…. To make four and a change at the ned and another…he's just doing camels and does a triple sal at the ned with a teeny stumble, and an upright spin, change into another positino… and now he puts a hood up and kneels on the ice…lies down and rolls over…turns in a circ step… ina bauer… glide with his leg up into spiral sequence… and stop… step back… lies on the ice and does a back turny thing… to the boards…steps the length of the rink… into double toe? And stumlbe out of it? Not sure how many turns….def a double flip at theother end… more steps… cantilever leaning back and someone in the audience screams…think that mean they liked it…and slide to stop.

Navka and Kostomarov

EEEK!!! Ok…calm…she looks grand. Beret, and white top,black pants with suspenders. That's fine. Him….were they so stuck for cash that they couldn't afford a proper top? Black jacket thing with oh, it looks like flesh coloured net and a silver tie, pinstriped trousers..in the closet by michael jackson which is where his outfit should have stayed…steps s/s with great unison to begin… there is no back to her top btw… lift and spin from them… great syncopation nicky tells us… steps the length of the rink…and looked like her hat was gonna go there… lift werhe she's looper her leg around his neck, and held on in a circle and slide down…spin and lift…great steps and step thorugh the door… steps on centre ice in one place and tis not MJ no more…this is graet says nicky… she slides under his legs then does it again fro fun… twizzles are excellent… dance spin where he's lifting her… and stop. That was great! So much energy and vitality says nicky… and he praises roman for his improvement though he says it's a shame that he can't afford a shirt. Word Nicky, infinite word. Chris has tipped them for world champs next year…which means they're doomed. Remember, you read it here first.

Julia Sebestyn

White dress from her, with coloured designs every so often… and going down along her left side.. whitney, one moment in time…aaaw! Steps to begin… axel dboule… lutz with a double foot but she ladns it… ina bauer…. Flyinf camel….with catch foot to biellman… camera operator focuses on her shadwo during that…grrrr… doubles the toe loop… spiral… music changes….into pink…get this party started..butterfly into spin… circulat steps as I ponder the juxtaposition of these pieces of music… layback… steps int camel to sit to layback change camel to biellman…. Butterfly… and she's done. Chris says he's never seen a female skater jump as high as she does. And she was getting the crowd going during the pink section as well.

Petrova and Tikhonov

In blue, block royal blue which does nothing for either of them frankly…and trad russian music… crowd clap…. S/s 2ax whch she singles…into s/s double toes… steps…throw 3sal… spirals… miming juggling and throwing something…into pairs spins as music begins to speed… and finish with him spinning her out with his arms free and her holding onto his shoulders… and steps apart and she takes little steps to hi…running along side one anohter… lift with her one side… and spin drop out of that, looked like a heavy landing…and move where she spins over his body while he's in crouch…into a death spiral as she conducts the music… carry lift and that looks just plain scary on the way up…going into rotation lift with her in splits nearly…and stop with them like that. Well. It was good and all, but it did nothing for me at all. Chris points out that they're having a strange season…nicky thinks that the program didn't look like it captured the crowd. Oh, hello, nicky you are so my boyfriend right now!

Stannick Jeannette.

Black jeans. Cream/white shirt. Sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Standing at the boards, ready to skate to My Way. Though I'm sure you can all hear me thinking it, let me just state it for the record. Yum. And in case that didn't come through loud and clear, let me rephrase that. Yum-MEEEEEEE!!!!! Steps the length of the rink… slide to stop… oh man why didn't he dress like that for the free??? Triple toe…. Flying sit… slide along the ice in splits and bounces…sit spin with variation…. Slide along the ice… lovely steps…. Doubbles the toe then does a triple…. At least I thikn a toe…. Spread eagle… into flying sit… the speed is great… and into scratch spin…and he's done. And the crowd are roaring… oh man oh man oh man…loved it! First triple was a beauty… as was he.

Denkova and Staviyski

Both in black and she pushes him, in a crouch, on to centre ice. You know if he doesn’t want to be there…. She ;eans all over him…. And gets up on his back as he carries her and does a besti squat with her on his back… steps… and he nearly stumbles there…him in spread…her sitting on his lap, actually him in cantilever…. To the boards…she comes behind him and hugs him, rubbing his chest…you go girl…he lifts her…straight lines steps…and he does not look over his skates right now…cantilevers side by side…she slides along the ice on her back…think that was meant…she wraps armd around his neck from behind and drags him along the ice miming strangling him..so maybe not..him in crouch, her on his legs, and that goes into a spin….very nice…and out of that …she turns, he follows…. Is he menat to be stumbling this much, I do mean it…. Lift where she's on his shoulders at the back… and spin… she helps him do a somersault…wow! And ends up with him on knees, her resting on him again. Absent Drinker is the music…ah. Explains a lot. Or perhaps is it Absinthe drinker? Hard to know.

Elena Sokolova

Who comes out in a big long black cape with hood…you just know that's gonna go, right? Something on the back of it as she kneesl on the ice… notre dame de paris…oh, it's a cross on the back… silver… appropriate…. And around she goes… ina bauer…. Into flying spin…. Leans back against the boards, throws leg up on them and stretches… dteps the length of the rink, muhc running and waving… and turning … into spin with illusions… and change ands teps into flying camel… into upright spin… steps around corner..split jump… kneels on ice and slides… kneels and leans over…hood goes down…and there goes the cape…body suitt of black with silver sparkles on top… much better…. Spiral…with betn leg… axel double… and another… stop and turn….steps… to the boards… sitrahgt linestesp to the age of the cathedrals I think… double flip… spread eagle… change edge sptead into layback… and stop, leaning back on the ice and pulling cape over her….super chris calls it, and I have to agree. Just loved it. Nicky says she looks a lot better to him sans cape…he wsan't going to say it when she was skating in case it annoyed anyone…not an inhibition that I have…

Abitbol and Bernadis

So looking forward to this! Her in little sleeveless dress of sky blue and white. Him in black trousers, grey shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Remember my comment of Stannick??? Multiply by a thousand. At least. You might come close. He gets the crowd going - doesn't have to try hard! She has a handkerchiefy scarfy thing on one wrist. My heart will go on …this is me, keeping an open mind and it's a measure of the respect I have for them/ lust I have for Stephane (delete as appropriate) that I'm not reaching for the fast forward button now… start off away from one another, facing one another…oh man, is he fine or what? Sakte to one anohter and past one another… join hands…. And away we go… into f/I d/s… and lift and spin her… she kneels in the ice… he skates around her and lifts her… and moves as he spins her… her in Y spirals as he pulls her… and catch foot back spiral… throw… double sal? … cut in music…to crescendo and carry lift with him on one leg… down to shoulder…and down… headbanger…she let go of the scarf for that… and stop… he skates away from her, she follows and who wouldn't…he kneels, she gets scarg and he lies down on the ice and she skates away from him…he motions to the crowd to clap, and they do…and they take their bows and I don't care. I reaching for the remote and I am rewinding that so I can see it again…cept we've dancing queen playing and they do a one armed banana lift… and a platter lft /spin… loved it! Where's my remote?

Brian Joubert

And the french are three for three in good looking men tonight…white shirt, black trousers. Not a fashion disaster in sight. And I know I'm robbing the cradle, what is new I ask of you? little wave before the music begins…skates low in a crouch… steps back… arms out… turns… male vocla I think in french… triple toe with dead stop on landing… spreads… and to the baords and stop…crowd are clapping…streaps along the diagonal… triple flip… spread…. Blows kisses to the crowd… sit spin to upright…footwork picking out the touches of the music.. turns…and really fast ones… little scott hamilton type turns… triple toe… 2ax.. butterfly … down into camel to sit to variation change scratch psin and where'd the music go? Oh, he's done, rihgt behind the music…I see I see I see…crowd loving him, and he puts one hand behind the ear, as if to say I can't hear you…

Lobacheva and Averbukh

In their OD costumes from last year…not terrible… for latin costumes…and this is their od from last year isn't it… she hangs all over him and he spins.. steps along the ice… they tango along the ice …dance spin… turns in steps…and he spins her as she's between his leg…did they lose a flower…steps…with him doing his little steppy tthings… steps.. great use of the music here.. she's tossing that skirt around like there's no tomorrow.. striahgt line step… he looks better than she does.. certainly sharper…and that went from end to end! Lift and spin to finish, and they\re done.

No lights up yet as I recall that champions do two programs… as chris notes that the seats literally vibrate in here with the bass and the music… he's come out in a different top, very shiny and red and black and sparkly…and he waits for her to change… announcer tells himt to pick another partner! Red dress for her, and some rock and roll…. Jump jive and wail… final segment of their free… and he falls! On the steps… and around the corner and down the diagonal… and lift where she's all over his body… and somersault to end. And maybe it's just me, maybe I'm old fashioned ,and I did enjoy both programs, but champions should do a proper gala program gosh darnit! Nicky points out that their FD pushed the rules… something happened on the rink as we saw the slo mos…they reacted but didn't tell us what it was!

Irina Slutskaya

Blue dress, not back to it, sure as heck no side to it…Shine by Bond is the music… she starts off sitting on the ice… waves arms at centre ice… 2ax out of nowhere, great spring to it… crowd are once more clapping… little runs and steps… looptriple, out of turns into it… layback where skate touches the head… shaking the rear a little there… catch foot back spiral.. split jump… and another.. and slide to stop and more shaking of the hips…spin… flying sit… and another… into a camel to sit layback to biellman…change biellman…to scratch and she's done, sitting on the ice as she started, and chris points out that she's got better and better as the week's gone on.

Victoria Krantz is the singer we're going to see now, she was talking to Irina at the skater's party at 12.30 last night,and they rehearsed it this morning… one of her dreams to skate to a live singer… steps …and not a little vamping it must be said… triple toe with steps out ..into double toe… spiral… just great… back spiral…well held! Around she goes..into flying camel… steps… split flalling leaf and another…. Camel to sit to layback biellman… change biellman…and kneel on the ice…and arms are out and she's finished. And if you didn;'t know, you'd never know that it was only done this morning… just lovely. She's a star of phantom of the opera over here and has her own website victoriakrantz.com, says nicky. He says that she's amazing.

Totmianina and Marinin

In shades of purple from both of them, nice dress for her, shiny top for him and matte purple pants… start back to back and apart from one anohter… go into a spin at centre ice where she hangs from around his neck…skate away and back together into a f/I d/s , some kind of love song in French I think… d/s ends by him lifting and spinning her… throw 3loop… in spotlights, that was not an easy get! Spirals… steps in a walking fashion,,, and around the corner they go… star lift where she ends up going the splits, then he turns her so that she's doing that in a banana lift type hold… s/s camel spins… change to upright and change foot camels…. Nice timing though they lost it a little on the change,,,twizzles to the boards…and steps… and she falls in a triple toe while he gets his… carry lift with one hand…and they make it look easy! Slow set down so that he's gliding in a crouch and she's on his lap and they're finished. As Nicky talks about what a graet season they've had and he's sure it's going to get better - they are surely doomed!

And an encore…part of the free… steps…crowd clap… b/o d/s… lift where she's facing the dame direction as him and he lifts her up from the front…she does the splits and a twirly dismount… spirals… and he lifts her and turns her around his hip level… into s/s spins flying camels and a loss of timing on the change of position… star lift and down… running along the ice… he beckons her and she goes to him… steps… spins around in hops…into pairs spins… and they're done. Running on empty at the end notes chris…

Evgeny Plushenko

In black, the matador costume…red sash, sparkly eppaulettes… little red tie… habanera… the girlies are sceraming already, as am I but for wildly different reasons….steps to begin and the crowd are clapping…. Triple toe… and he made that look easy… triple loop…. Into a flying camel… nice picking out of the points in the music…catch foot camel… and skate out of that and stop bang on the music. Music has changed as he skates around at a rate of knots… slide along the ice on his front… and more steps… footwork the length of the rink…. Amazing ice coverage notes nicky… ok he just looks scary there as he waves his arms to the booms… sit spin change sit, great speed as nicky notes the good edit of the music…. Into toreador…blur spin… and he's done, avec much waving of the arms once more. Can't get much better than that chris says, and I repeat my usual observation of Plushy…I didn't really like it but he skated it well. He gave it his all, and you really can't take that away from him - the class of the field at these championships.

Out he comes again, and the girlies do scream… st petersburg 300…does anyone aside from me remember the glorious days when champions did two exhibitions??? I'm just wondering. Slow section of the music as he does a catch foot forward spiral… yikes, those girls scream loud… skates…and straight line steps the length of the rink… right in time with the music… glide on two feet…into camel to sit biellman… change sit to blur spin… and out of that…butterfly to sit spin and done kneeling on the ice…as Chris proves his love for Plushy by raving over him…nicky points out that the lighting guys have put stars on the ice and he thinks that that's appropriate, as he raves about the change that's come over him with regard to commitment to the music and to the movements and the speed across the ice, which I've got to admit is vastly improved even to my own less than perfect, and more than a little biased against him, it must be said, eyes.

Out come all the skaters that we've missed due to Eurosport not showing them, and all the rest of the skaters as well, as Abba plays loud, and I begin to wonder where I put my Mamma Mia cd, I feel immersion coming on! Kati and Rene! They didn't show them! This is me upset now! Elena Liashenko… Obertas and Sokolov, him all in black, her in red, doing a lift where she's on his hip doing the splits…and then it's all the people that we've seen….stephane does the most amazing spin…elena and ruslan doing their carry lift.. carolina does a flying sit as chris and nicky rave about her once more… dorota and mariusz…. Lift with swingy dismount…klimkin does his back cantilever… tatiana and roman do back cantilevers into one anohter… julia does a flying camel to biellman… petrova and tikhonov throw triple sal… stannick still looking fine does his boucing slide into a sit spin… denkova and staviyski good lord how does she do that? Lift where she's holding onto him, chests together, and her legs all pretzeled up over her head so that he can grab one…I ouch at the sight. Sokolova sans cape, layback with skate touching head to blur spin…sarah and stephane… carry lift… love them…brian joubert… does a split jump… irina and ilia doing a shoulder lift… slutskaya…split jump into a flying camel, to biellman… totmianina and marinin… carry lift… plushy skates around and does a triple axel into spots! The dancers come out to do spins and take their bows, then the ladies, and this is the point where Eurosport takes their leave of us, and I must take my leave of you! If you've made it this far, thanks for reading - next stop (I hope!) Washington!