The 2002 Olympic Games
With Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins
Post Olympic Editor & Columnist
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002; 1 p.m. EST

The United States has already won more medals in the 2002 Winter Games then they have in any other Winter Olympics. With recent U.S. medals in skeleton and bobsled and both men's and women's hockey on a roll, it looks as if the U.S. Olympic Team will go even farther in surpassing their 20 medal prediction.

Post Olympic Editor Tracee Hamilton and columnist Sally Jenkins were online to take your Olympic questions and comments live from Salt Lake City.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Corner Drug Store, Anywhere, USA: The US team has won twice the number of Winter Olympic medals than ever before. A seemingly large number of World and Olympic records have fallen like Super G skiers. We can attribute these to new events, faster surfaces, and and improved technologies, but can we ignore the potential contributions of performance enhancing drugs? Is drug testing as much a farce as judging a figure skating competition?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Hey, Tracee here, Sally and I are tag-teaming today. No, drug testing is not as much of a farce as figure skating judging. All medal winners are tested, plus others are tested randomly. As of a few days ago, more than 800 tests had been done and only person had popped: a Belarus short track speedskater who got off on a technicality. Is it safe to say there is illicit drug use among Olympic athletes? Yes. Is that the reason the U.S. has won so many medals? I don't think so. Heck, even the snowboarders passed.

Washington, D.C.: Sally,

Last night's Ohno race was a little bit more controversial than your short-track column suggests. After being so ojective about the skating scandal, you almost come across as an apologist. Now, what do you really think?

washingtonpost.com: In One Shining Moment, Ohno's Effort Is Good as Gold (Post, Feb. 21, 2002)

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Hi, I don't apologize. Ohno won. The other guy clearly cross tracked and he is famous for it. he's been disqualified a number of times for it, and probably should have been tossed from the semifinal heat.

Arlington, Va.: Sally,

I know that you've followed the skating story pretty closely. Not that I want to kick a dead horse, but I had a couple of questions:

1. Are the standards judges use to score, especially for presentation, written down anywhere? In baseball, to draw an analogy, different umpires might have their own take on the strike zone, but at least it everyone knows what the official rule is. In skating, it seems like the presentation mark is entirely subjective.

2. In the proposals for reform, has anyone suggested moving toward the kind of system they have in the snowboard halfpipe, where each judge scores on one particular element only? For example, when judge could score on jumps, another on footwork, another on speed, maybe even one on costume (to factor in the Wilbon deductions).

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Hi, well, you make a couple of intertesting suggestions. First, yes, there is a code book for judging, but it's mostly technical. Presentation is of course subjective. It's supposed to be about choreography and music using the two together, etc. It seems to me they could avoid a lot of trouble by using a single set of marks, encompassing technical and artistic.

Arlington, Va.: Before anyone jumps down my throat, I want to say I am proud to be an American. However, this "Olympic Coverage" provided to us by "RAH! RAH! USA! NBC" sucks! It's not Olympic Coverage, it's American Coverage. It's totally disgusting and reflects so much of the attitudes of Americans. "We are Americans, we ARE the center of the world." Example, during a medal ceremony and the singing of the national anthem, there were 11 shots of the American Gold Winner and only 2 of the other atheletes. I didn't even know where the other atheletes were from. By looking at the image, you would think they only give out Gold Medals and only if it's to an American, if not, it's not worth it.
This is totally disgusting. Yes, now is a time for Americans to be proud but also a reminder that we are not the only people in the world. NBC is doing a terrible job of covering these Olympics.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Let's face it, TV doesn't have a tremendous amount of respect for the intelligence of the American viewing public; witness some of the shows that get on the air every year. NBC believes it has to focus on Americans and package human interest stories in order to attract viewers, and especially WOMEN viewers. I find this personally insulting. So if you women out there who are interested in the competition (and athletes from elswewhere) and not just in American athletes and their struggles, I would express those opinions to NBC, attn. Dick Ebersol.

Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: So who cares about how many medals are won by the U.S.? Do we get a bonus for "heavy metal?" And why does the media care more about gold, silver, bronze than the individual athletes do? Interviews with winners have shown these athletes almost unconcerned with the color of the medal and totally taken with the sheer joy of winning! Maybe this is what the Olympics is really all about, eh? Thanks much.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: "We" don't get a bonus for medals, but the athletes do, in cold hard cash. Can't remember how much it is this year, maybe $20,000 for gold. I'm not implying that's why they are competing, trust me. But they do care whether or not they medal, even the most sentimental among them. They are athletes and competitors; this isn't a hobby. And most of them know that the success of their ATHLETIC careers will be judged on their Olympic performance, since let's face it, most people only see these people and these sports once every four years.

Laytonsville, Md.: Have greatly enjoyed your coverage these last couple of weeks.

What with all of the bribery/payoff scandals of several years ago, it looked like the Salt Lake Games were destined for trouble. However, we've heard very little about the typical problems (non-athletic, that is) that always seem to crop up during the Olympics.

From your view on the scene, have these Games been that well planned, organized, and executed?

It certainly seems like it...

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Well, you can't fault the security. There are four yellow jackets and three national guardsmen for every spectator and journalist. They even check your pass LEAVING the venues.
As for the overall, I find it a pretty charmless Olympics. The Salt Lake folks spread the events around to dole out the pork, so you have hockey 45 minutes away in a suburb, and skiing an hour and a half away closer to ogden or provo. There is no real central heart of the Games, they feel diffused and scattered -- and from that standpoint, poorly organized.

Silver Spring, Md.: Are these games giving the impression that anytime an American or North American does not win a gold medal, the decision or result must be controversial? Latest Example: Ohno wins gold after S. Korean is disqualified.

AND
Any comments on the French ice dancers skating to words of MLK's I Have A Dream? I personally found it more than tasteless.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: yeah, the MLK thing was exceedingly tasteless. So were most of the costumes, and most of the music. ice dancing used to be beautiful but it's become a contest in claiming the judges' attention, an exercise in extreme aesthetics, because no one is quite sure WHAT they are really looking for.

Gaithersburg, Md.: Who gets the gold in figure skating? I'm no expert but on the short program the Russion had incredible jumps compared to Michelle but she had grace and style down. Which is weighted more?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: In the long program the grace and artistry is weighed more heavily. If the women's competition holds true to the rest of the skating, the top of the order won't change after tonight. But somehow I think tonight could get interesting. Not sure why; just a hunch. That said, I still think the gold is Kwan's to lose.

Fairfax, Va.: Ms. Jenkins,

I'm glad that you're finally engaging your readers in a chat session (forgive me if I've missed earlier chats you may have had). You express some strong opinions -- chat's a good venue to debate your points. My question relates to your current criticism of figure skating as an Olympic sport compared to your remarks from last summer about Little League baseball (vis-a-vis the LLWS cheating scandal). You advocated abolishing LL baseball; given that your figure skating comments are roughly the same (re crooked judging), do you suggest that the Olympics do away with figure skating? Or have you reconsidered your position on Little League?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I stand by my Little league column: the problem is that you'd have to ban all parents. I'm against all forms of Little League because they're not about the kids, they're about the adults, as the hockey dad murder demonstrated. As for figure skating, they've never really tried to reform it --until now. We'll see. They have a chance to clean up the judging. But if the ISU refuses to reform, and continues to stonewall on the investigation, I would say toss it. It should become an exhibiton.

Arlington, Va.: Where's Apolo Anton Ohno's mother? What happened to her?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Ohno's mother has never been in his life. It's not something he or his father talk about.

Arlington, Va.: With all the memories conjured up recently about the Miracle on Ice from the 1980 Games has caused me reflect that in spite of providing the nation with a much-needed adrenalin rush, the U.S. Olympic team also performed a nagging disservice. What could that be, you might ask? They obscured the achievement of Eric Heiden. How many people today would automatically recognize the name Eric Heiden, even though he turned in perhaps the most spectacular performance by any athlete in any Olympic games, summer or winter. Five gold medals in speed-skating at distances from 500 to 10,000 meters. Can you imagine a runner winning the 400 meters and 10,000 meters? If you check the medal count from those games you’ll see that the U.S. won six gold medals. That’s right, other than the hockey team, Eric Heiden accounted for all of this country’s gold medals.

I know that his sport falls below the radar screen of the U.S. public, but I wish that his name would register higher than freak acts like Tonya Harding, “Eddie the Eagle,” and the Jamaican bobsledding team.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I don't think Eric Heiden has vanished from Olympic lore and I certainly think he's more well-respected than Tonya Harding et al. I will say this: He refused to take part in the Olympic torch relay at Opening Ceremonies unless he was allowed to light the cauldron, which I thought was a bit selfish. And he's been pretty critical of the new sports in the Olympics and sort of implied that those people weren't real athletes. Again, he's entitled to his opinion but I think he's a bit full of himself. Doesn't take away from his accomplishment, which I don't think will ever be duplicated.

Westchester, Pa.: Ms. Jenkins --
I read your article title "Mean Little Sasha" and was baffled that they best way for you to prove the critics wrong was by going after Ms. Kwan. The first thing I thought was I don't think you cared about Sasha as much as you seem to disdain Ms. Kwan. It was your media that tried to make something out of the bumps and when Ms. Kwan was approached she shrugged it off. But for you to attack them on certain physical aspects (snarling) seems almost to cruel to comprehend. She is 21 years old and your old enought to be her mother and I find the route you took to defend Ms. Cohan did not do her service. Shame on you!

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Well, calm down. It certainly wasn't a bash aimed at Michelle kwan, who is a lovely young woman and skater. You miss the point: Kwan and Cohen have each been unfairly sterotyped throughout their careers, and one of the reasons kwan posed for covers looking so fierce is that she has been unfairly labelled a soft competititor. As she proved in the short, she is as game as any skater out there.

Springfield, Va: To the layman, it was very difficult to see why Kim Dong Sung was booed and then disqualified. After all the jockeying and hustling we've seen in the sport it seemed like a bizarre technicality. Who knew these guys were supposed to maintain "lanes?" Perhaps I only betray my ignorance!

That aside, what was with the quote in this morning's story attributed to the Italian skater about using a rifle on Ohno? A poor choice of English? An idiom that didn't translate? Some sort of slang?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Well, there are SOME rules in short track. And the imaginary lane rule is one of them. Without it, Ohno wouldn't be able to pass other skaters the way he does.

Laurel, Md.: I don't understand the previous poster's complaint about USA-centered coverage.

I have watched mostly on CNBC and MSNBC because that's where the hockey games are, and I've seen full games played by former Soviet republics I couldn't pronounce before, in games with no implications to the USA team, and with insightful commentary about the players.

Coverage could not be better.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: We get posts on both sides re the NBC coverage, and I'm embarrassed to tell you I haven't watched a minute of any of it. We have closed circuit TV in our office and we watch everything live and WITH NO COMMENTARY. Just the crowd noise. It's heaven. It's what makes the days stuck in here bearable. I know that watching the skeleton live yesterday was incredible and there is no way NBC could have duplicated that. :)

Bangor, Maine: Does it hurt Michelle Kwan that she hasn't developed any new skills or "tricks" in quite a few years? She has been trying to master the triple/triple combo forever!

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I think it makes her routines a little predictable, but I'm not sure it hurts her in competition. Remember, the judges used to be really down on Tim Goebel because he was athletic but graceless. He worked on that, and got a bronze this year. No coincidence. Michelle is less athletic than a lot of skaters, but I don't think the judges care. They want grace and artistry from the women. From the men they don't mind a combination of the two. But listen, trying to climb inside a figure skating judge's head is a dangerous thing.

Reston, Va.: Another improvement to skating judging would be to drop the lowest and highest scores.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I agree with this. It would eliminate some of the inequities. I think a lot of the proposals the ISU is considering would help the sport; I'm just not at all sure we'll ever see any of them come to pass.

Alexandria, Va.: Who will come out as the "Star" of these Games? The one who will get the endorsements and face on the Wheaties box.
I would appreciate it if each of you would pick one name that will be the "star."

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Well, Sale and Pelletier have already won the magazine cover contest. I would say they have become the faces of these Games, for better or worse.

London: Mrs. Hamilton, what do you think of the general coverage of the Olympics in the international media?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: There is a tremendous amount of international coverage, mainly because many of the international papers cover these sports year-round. They are of course very knowledgeable about winter sports as a result. L'Equipe, for instance, posts its pages in the hall every day and they devote a tremendous amount of space to the Games. Mostly the coverage has been favorable toward the way the Games have been run, toward Utah, etc.

Bethesda, Md.: So, was the short track disqualification last night legimate?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: FYI, I'm letting Sally handle the short-track question, so you don't think I'm avoiding controversy. I confess to being in a restaurant last night when it happened and couldn't see the TV very well so I'm not going to pass judgment.

Washington, D.C.: Sally, I thought your comparison of Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen -- the mean vs. nice -- was a bit much. Ok, so Sasha is a little bit of a thing and maybe she does not deserve to be cast as "mean" but that doesn't make Michelle Kwan mean by default! The Newsweek cover is your proof? spare me.

I will say that Sasha has a lot of gall to come into an international competition, her first at the senior level, and claim that she is in top contention for the gold.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Hi, well, it's interesting that Kwan fans feel that by calling her a tough competitor, it somehow insults her. See, this is what I find interesting about women's figure skating -- that the favorite has to somehow also claim of the mantles of "nicest" and "prettiest." Michelle Kwan is a terrific skater and in the short she was tough as nails -- and good for her.

Washington, D.C.: What do most people (especially those who are both neutral and knowledgable) think of Ohno's winning the gold medal yesterday? Do they think the disqualification of the Korean was correct? I'm of two minds about it. It's pretty clear that he impeded Ohno, but on the other hand, I would think that the rules should allow for some room in keeping yourself ahead so long as you don't cause a spillout. Ohno's first race where the other Korean basically dragged him down seems worse to me as an uneducated spectator.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Yes, the 1000 looked much worse, but of course that was because it was a four man pileup as opposed to the chess match finish between Ohno and Kim in the 1500. It's clear Kim impeded him. It's also clear Ohno did a good acting job, to bring it to the attention of the refs. And Rusty Smith would tell you Kim did much worse in the heats, and should never have been in the final. I suspect the refs felt the same, which is why they made the decision they did.

Washington, D.C.: Do you think Washington's chances to be viewed as a world class venue for international sports and host the 2012 Summer Olympics will be helped or hurt if city officials allow Mike Tyson to box here?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I don't think it will help. That said, I'm not sure it will hurt, either. (Although Vegas will never get the Olympics!) I think Washington will be judged on things like the Figure Skating World Championships, which come next year. They are looking at a city's ability to move a bunch of people around with ease, at available hotel and restaurant space ... and now, of course, security. If the Tyson fight goes poorly, now, THAT could hurt. Remember, when the USOC was in town judging D.C. before the last cutdown, a Metro police officer was killed. I thought that would hurt but they made the final four. So we'll see...

Kingston, Ontario, Canada: What is your opinions about the quality of judges in this Olympic Games, in the face of the several controversies that have arisen during the events? When do you think the Olympic Games have turned into a political event, rather than a sports event that was meant to promote global friendliness?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: The global friendliness has always been iffy. The back room rivalries and politicking, especially in skating, have always been there. What's new is that it broke into the open here in Salt Lake, because the French judge was so indiscreet. And what's happened is that the press, just as in the bribery scandal, finally found a crack in a story they've wanted to report for years, but couldn't get anyone to go on the record about. Le gougne's conduct was so outrageous that it actually made other skating officials break the code of silence.

Harrisburg, Pa.: Coach potatoes everywhere are glad to learn the Olympics has given credence to their strategy: run in last place and wait for everyone in front of you to crash and then cross the finish line in first.
Fortunately, that happened just once and the better athletes have tended to win. Overall, isn't this one of the most interesting Olympics you've seen?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Yes, that was a little odd, but you can't fault the guy for that. He wasn't hanging back on purpose; he was the slowest guy in the race, remember. He got in the finals when the same thing happened in the race before. He's just a very lucky guy. Yes, this has been a great Olympics, I think. The figure skating mess threatened to ruin it but otherwise it's been tremendous. Lots of great competitions and some really good stories. Chris Witty was one of my favorites. The women's bobsled. The skeleton. Belarus's win! Lots of good stuff.

Arlington, Va.: It baffles me as to why the two of you who are supposed to be objective are dead set on being one sided about the men's short track race last night. If it had been the reversal with Ohne being disqualified and the S. Korean winning gold from a second place finish would you have the same unfeeling responses?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I give up; I said I hadn't seen it and was not offering an opinion. I hardly think that's being one-sided.

Bethesda, Md.: Can you get tickets to the N'Sync concert Friday night?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Not if Britney Spears brought them to me herself.

Arlington, Va.: First of all, your Olympic columns have been great, particularly on the subject of figure skating judging. I thought that the absence of Tony "Fear of Flying" Kornheiser would leave us with dry and humorless commentary, but you've stepped up to the plate admirably.

What's with the Austrialia-bashing in short track, though? I thought Wilbon's comment yesterday was really insightful -- if it had been anybody but an American favored to win gold, the stunning upset gold for Australia would have been one of the great Cinderella stories of the games. Today, though, you labelled it a tragedy. How come?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Huh? australia bashing? I didn't label anything a tragedy. I thought Bradbury's gold was great -- and typical of what can happen in short track. Nothing that happens on skates is a tragedy. My only point was that Ohno got taken out in the 1000, and had the grace to be happy for Bradbury. So when he DID get the benefit of a good break in the 1500, things seemed to karmically even out. It was not a diss of Bradbury, who is one of the most charming figures of the games.

Washington, D.C.: What's the deal with the women's bobsled team, all of them changing partners? And do you think if men bobsledders were dumping their sled partners like this it would have attracted so much attention?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Are you kidding? The male bobsledders do it, too. They have actual competitions where the only thing that is timed is the push, and the top drivers compete for the top pushers. And no, the men get no attention for it and I think we all know why. Listen, Jean Racine did what she thought she had to do to win. Would I have done it? Probably not, but I can't say for sure, not being favored to win a gold medal. But Vonetta Flowers was approached by Jean a week ago when Gea's hamstring problem flared up and Vonetta did what I think we all HOPE we would do: remained loyal to the driver who gave her a shot. And was rewarded for it. Does that mean that Jill Bakken won't someday drop Vonetta if she slows up? No. Remember, Jill dropped one of her best friends to take Vonetta. It's a cutthroat game.

Cambridge, Mass.: Is Sasha Cohen as arrogant as she seems, or is she just young and immature? I was shocked at her behavior after her short program. First she clapped her hands and applauded her own performance. Then after getting her marks, she stated she was happy that the judges "gave me the scores I deserve." Not modest, eh?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Sasha Cohen is a very self confident and self absorbed young lady who can skate like nobody's business, and she knows it. Watch out for her tonight. She has the hallmark of a Lipinski, absolutely free of nerves on the ice. The older skaters will feel the moment more, I suspect, while she will be in full attack mode. But the real question is where the eternally predisposed judges have her, and kwan, and Slutskaya "slotted."

Washington, D.C.: Re: The ladies' skating showdown -- How "brilliant" will Cohen, Slutskaya, etc. have to be to defeat Kwan tonight if all skate to their full potential? And how will they be affected by the order in which they appear? i.e. Judges "leaving room." Thanks for your four cents and on to the show!

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: You know, I wish I could tell you that it depends entirely on the skaters' performances. but it may not. The judges may very well have already decided this one, based on some deal, or the fact that somebody missed sa triple in warmup a week ago. and that's a problem. watch the scoring carefully -- one thing to look for is wildly divergent scores, such as those Sara Hughes got in the short, veering from 5.1 to 5.7. To me, that suggested somebody was trying to lift another skater to the podium.

Washington, D.C.: Oh, no! You have so totally burst my bubble about Eric Heiden, who has been a hero since 1980, when I was a senior in high school. I certainly hadn't forgotten him, and am saddened to hear about his attitude toward the lighting of the torch and the new Olympic sports.

Why doesn't somebody call him on it?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I think I had the torch business in a notebook and it got dropped. And his attitude about the X-Games folks, a lot of people seem to feel that way. It just came out at the wrong time. As I said, he's a great Olympian, one of the greatest. But the torch thing ... Listen, this is the trouble with making any athlete a hero. We can't really know any of these people. We see what they let us see. I have learned things in the business about athletes I thought were good guys that would make your hair curl. Now I look for my heroes in the entertainment industry! (Just kidding.)

Washington, D.C.: I can't help but think the whole figure skating judging system is biased -- but perhaps unconsciously.

The short program is supposed to mostly about technical performance. Cohen performed better technically, especially with jumps, than Kwan, yet got lower scores.

The judges, like most people, are sort of "psyched" into a certain way of viewing certain skaters.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I see your point about cohen -- she skated marvelously. But I do think on certain nights Kwan may be the more "complete" skater -- in terms of putting grace and cohesive performance together with adequate technical skill. Cohen is not out of it -- she is in position to grab the goldif Kwan and Slutskaya don't skate cleanly. But again, the problme is that the judges may have simply decided "it;s not her time yet."

Washington, D.C.: Sally, we remain concerned about the emotional condition of the French skating judge. Is she OK?

washingtonpost.com: One Part Film Noir, One Part Les Miserables (Post, Feb. 15, 2002)

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! No. She is not okay. Her lawyer said again today she remains very "fragile." I dont sleep at night, worrying about her.

Washington, D.C.: Re: New judging rules

As someone who used to figure skate and an avid fan, I think that the ISU will go along with randomly choosing seven scores out of 14 submitted, but the techical merit idea of points.

I think that will hit a snag when the ISU meets in June. Artistry is a very important element of figure skating, like it or not. Under the point system, theoritically, you could have unlimited points. Also under the point system, "Quad King" Tim Goebel would have won the gold instead of the bronze. A triple lutz is a triple lutz is a triple lutz. But a triple lutz to Beethoven is different from a triple lutz skated to a Broadway show tune which is different than a triple lutz skated to Dvorak.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Don't be so sure the ISU will go along with throwing out scores. That means that seven judges' work will have gone for nothing. I really think they will kick and scream about the whole thing. Listen, Cinquanta floated that whole thing the other day to take everyone's eyes off the prize: that they were appointing a "secret commission" to investigate the pairs/dance fiasco. And it worked, to a degree; most papers focused on the judging and not the underlying intent. And you are right about artistry.

Lorton, Va.: I was surprised to hear the other day that the judges for figure skating attend and watch the practice sessions. Does that actually enter the equation, even though the skaters SHOULD just be judged on their short program and free skate, not what they do the day before?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: The judges say they attend practices so they get to know the routines and that allows them to focus on what gets changed or screwed up during a performance. That said, it's ridiculous. Adn yes, I think it does enter the equation.

Hagerstown, Md.: Do we know the order of skate yet for the ladies figure skating program tonight? Thank you.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Yes, it's in today's Washington Post! :)

Here is the final group:
Maria Butyrskaya, Russia (5)
Sarah Hughes, United States (4)
Julia Sebestyen, Hungary (6)
Sasha Cohen, United States (3)
Michelle Kwan, United States (1)
Irina Slutskaya, Russia (2)

Washington, D.C.: How does curling survive as an Olympic sport? Although new events are added, is there a history of events being dropped?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Yes, events get dropped occasionally, but you can't imagine how hard it is. Every sport has at least one powerful IOC member behind it. For example, Modern Pentathlon has been threatened with being dropped for years but there's an IOC member who used to compete in it -- sorry, name escapes me --- and it continues. Curling ... not my cup of tea to watch but obviously somebody somewhere likes it. U.S. just lost the bronze medal match, FYI.

Maugansville, Md.: I must agree with the readers who think you were putting down Michelle Kwan while trying to elevate Sasha. It certainly did come across that way. And, if you've watched Michelle, you should know that she almost always says, "come on!" while WAITING for her marks, because she is anxious for them to be posted. NOT afterwards because she disagrees with them. I believe she said it Tuesday night because she knew that the only thing that mattered were the ordinals, and she said it while waiting for them to come up.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Again, I find it interesting that when you veer from the scripted notion of what a female figure skater is supposed to look like or act like, it makes people uncomfortable. If I described a female bobsledder or tennis player as a tough competitor, you wouldn't find it bashing. I think those stereotypes are disservices to both skaters.

Chicago, Ill.: You admit that presentation marks are subjective, doesn't that eliminate the legitimacy of figure skating as a sport? I mean please -- Cohen skated flawlessly and with as much grace as Kwan did, but because she is not well known among the international judges she gets third. What a crock. Any sport where your reputation assures you of contention regardless of how you perform is a joke.
About the coverage, the worst was last night during speed skating when the last paid with Jennifer Rodriguez came up to skate and the announcers said, "As long J-Rod wins this pairing, the Americans will be assured of a medal." I won't even get into the ridiculousness of the term J-Rod, but I just want to see a good race, don't constantly be talking about the chances of the U.S. to get a medal.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: My problem with figure skating is this: What these people do on skates is athletic. It's hard as hell. They are athletes; they work incredibly hard yet they have to make their sport seem effortless. The judging is the problem; it is ridiculous. But I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water. And it is incredibly popular with a large number of people. J-Rod ... argh.

Alexandria, Va.: Good afternoon ladies and thank you Sally for your columns this week! These games seem to be very popular, if the TV ratings are to be believed. It seems to me that a big part of the appeal is that many of the athletes in the "new" sports like snowboarding, aerial skiing, etc. seem more normal and accessible, more true amateurs, not so polished and wary of the press as the hockey pros and big time skiers and skaters. Your thoughts?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: One of the real charms of the Winter Games is that the athletes and their sports tend to be more obscure -- figure skating being an exception of course, and now hockey too. It's a real relief to talk to a ski jumper or an Australian short track skater or a skeleton slider, who isn't Maurice Greene or Vince Carter.

Washington, D.C.: I also think Ohno would have accepted the decision had he gotten the silver, which is why I don't think he was being a jerk. He was refreshingly gracious after the pileup the other night. If he did exaggerate, I think he figured, Hey why not, see if it works, and he wouldn't have made a fuss if it didn't.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I can only go on Ohno's body language at the finish. I was actually watching to see exactly how he felt about being second -- if he would maintain the same graceful attitude. It looked to me as if he was resigned to it. But then of course the place went nuts.

Washington, D.C.: The U.S. "team" has had a great Olympics by any standard, but when you are writing your Olympic wrap-up columns/stories in the coming days, and come to the part where you mention that the U.S. earned (probably) twice as many medals as they've ever receieved, can you PLEASE at least note that one big reason for this is their success in a bunch of new sports that didn't exist at least eight (if not four) years ago? NBC never does, making it seem as though the only reason for the 20 some odd medals is that we've just gotten a lot better in all of the Winter sports. (I realize this is true in some cases, like bobsledding).

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: an excellent point. Noted.

Reston, Va.: Am I the only one who thinks that the curlers look like the bowling league? Olympic athletes who look like normal guys. No wonder it's popular.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: The curlers do look like "normal" folks, for lack of a better term. Wish I understood it more. I'm sure it's difficult. I read a story about all the differences between the men's and women's game and I must admit, those nuances escape me.

Washington, D.C.: Do you think the media would have focused on the pairs figure skating judging as much if they had been two Russian pairs or if the second pair had been from, say, China or Lithuania? There have been plenty of controversial judging in figure skating before, but it seems to me we only care if "our" (American or in this case Canadian) athletes are involved. Thanks.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: The outcry wouldn't have been so huge if they weren't a very attractive North American pair, no. But it would still have been covered if the allegations of vote-fixing had proven true and the losing pair had filed an appear.

Washington, D.C.: I agree with the previous poster's comments on NBC's coverage -- enough jingoism already! That said, do you think the Post contributes an inordinate amount of space to Americans' accomplishments vis-a-vis competitors from other countries?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: actually, I think the Post devotes the most space to the stories and athletes that seem to most captivate people. For instance, we've given an awful lot of ink to the Canadian hockey team -- because of Lindross and lemieux. I dont think any figure skating pair has ever gotten more ink than the great Russian pair Gordeeva and Grinkov. and by the way, had they been the ones who got screwed by judges instead of Sale and pelletier, the place would have gone just as crazy. that wasn't a north American thing. but back to the original point, Stephan Eberharter is a rock star in Austria, because downhill is the national obsession. Americans just aren't as interested in it. That's not jingoism, it's just a cultural divide.

Washington, D.C.: In general, if you were allowed three things to improve the winter games, what would they be?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: 1. Always hold them in Europe (great for our East Coast deadlines).
2. Eliminate ice dancing.
3. Allow people to buy the international broadcast feed for two weeks.

St. Paul, Minn.: Hi Tracee and Sally.

What do you think about the future of US skiing after this year's unfortunate showing?

It was disconcerting to read William Booth's article on yesterday's women's slalom -- especially the way he mocked U.S. skier Kristina Koznick. The course was extremely difficult, steeper and slipperier than every World Cup race this season. He failed to mention that almost half the field didn't complete the course, including several other medal contenders and World Cup winners. Koz handled her disappointment with grace and class, I thought. Booth's attitude throughout the article was just plain rude.

washingtonpost.com: Kostelic Wins, Americans Crash (Post, Feb. 21, 2002)

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I think that until american skiers do what Lance Armstrong does, and move to Europe for most of the year, they will continue to have uneven results. You have to ski those Alps, to see the hanenkam or the lauberhorn, to understand the difference. Two who understand that are Bode Miller and Eric Schoply, who have rented a farmhouse in austria, and ski there almost year round. their results show it.

Frederick, Md.: The U.S. Women are having great results in sports in which the U.S. men historically have had little global success: bobsled, hockey, curling, and outside the winter arena, soccer. This has to say great things about the state of women's athletics in this country, and perhaps even the equality and role of women in our country, compared with the rest of the world.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Yes, the women -- team and individual -- have done well here, with the exception of the ski team, which has been a surprising disappointment.

Vancouver, BC: Jenkins gets gold for column "One part film noir, one part Les Miserables." We were screaming with laughter. Fine writing, Ms. Jenkins, do you cover hockey? What do you think of the Belarus miracle on ice?

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Love loved loved the belarus miracle. And I don't mind admitting that I would love to see the Russians win the gold medal. It's a fabulous, elegant team with a great coach in Slava Fetisov, who is the Jackie robinson of Russian hockey. They're a great story.

Washington, D.C.: I've asked around and no one seems to know -- what are the green arm bands that the athletes have been wearing? Thanks

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: They stick those armbands on the winners after the race; I believe that serves to get them into the drug testing area and the medal stand, etc. You might have noticed the guy trying the shove one on Jimmy Shea while he was still celebrating.

Well, I'd better get back to work here. Plus the Nordic combined ski jumping is on and Ronny Ackerman's about to go. Thanks for the questions!

Tracee

Fairfax, Va.: By the time it came on last night, everyone knew that Jim Shea had won the skeleton gold -- I know, they are chasing ratings and ad money, but it would have been nice to see the entire sequence of events -- first run, second run, thrill of victory, getting the medal, etc. in a segment as opposed to dragging it out for 3.5 hours.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: yes, well, you are right. and it will never change, because otherwise they couldn't be sure the whole family enjoy all of those advertisements.

Alexandria, Va.: Sally, more on your Cohen/Kwan column. You seriously underestimate the intelligence of f-s fans. We know Michelle is tough, and we admire her for it. And we know she'd never still be in the hunt for a medal if she wasn't. But she is not "mean."
We appreciate many of the nuances in our faves characters. I think you've missed a lot in Sasha's behavior that has made her hard to embrace. All the skaters want to win, and no one minds that. Sasha, however, seems to specifically want to beat Kwan and belittle Michelle's skating. You get the feeling Sasha would be content with a silver--if Michelle sat third.
We don't care about silly media "events" like the collisions. Those are but physical, and more importantly, on-camera scenes of what we already know if going on in Sasha's head. It's no accident that Sasha now performs the Charlot (not "Charlotte") that Michelle revived from obscurity and has made a signature move. I fully expect Sasha to do a pair of falling-leaf jumps in the exhibition skate tomorrow night, as Michelle will do in her long program tonight, if Cohen takes gold.
Now can you appreciate more of why Sasha, who also insists on skating to "Carmen," a piece used not just by previous skaters but by Olympic champions and wants to do a quad rather than an equally difficult triple axel only to get in the books as the first woman, is seen as a bit of a villian? "Arrogant" hardly begins to describe her.
We all respect and admire the skating, but not the skater.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I'm not questioning anyone's intelligence. I'm just wondering why the skating public can't seem to tolerate two great American skaters at the same time without having to characterize one as the good girl and one as the bad. Once again, I find these characterizations extreme. The column obviously touched a real nerve. Sasha Cohen is not the warmest person in the world, but neither is she is an arch villainess.

Arlington, Va.: I am very disappointed by the media's coverage of the Olympics, especially after last nights men's short track race. NBC and the rest of the media has obviously stayed clear of the injustice done to the South Korean skater and has crowned their favorite, Apolo. I believe that Apolo is a very talented athlete and it is unfortunate that the intimidation of the crowd and the quest for record breaking American medal counts have interferred with everyone receiving a fair shot in competition.

As I discuss last night events with co-workers this morining the consensus is that these games have failed to express the basic spirit of the Olympics, the integration of and equality in the world of sports. The reality that the global standards for sports is dominated by power saddens me. As a very proud American I believe that we need to recognize that the Star-Spangled Banner is only one flag among many at the Olympic Games.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Look, we HUNT for injustice. We'd have all leaped on the story if it genuinely seemed to be a screw job. I myself, as member of the press, could care less whether Ohno has two silvers, or four golds, or no medals at all. I care about the truth of the moment, and Kim impeded. Disqualifications in speed skating are very, very common; I saw at least four others earlier in the night. It happens all the time. it's not something the refs invented to give Ohno the gold.

Sterling, Va.: Not a question, a comment actually. Diving, ski jumping, and aerials, to name three, are three unabashadly athletic sports that rely on judging for style points. What screws skating up is the demand for a certain artistry of costumes and music by the skating community. Suppose the system required plain-and-simple outfits, required each athelete to perform to the same piece of music, and then awarded style points based on execution of elements, including footwork. Assuming this made for a level playing field, do you think figure skating would drop in popularity among its fans?
Thanks.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Well, I don't know about you, but I myself would hate to listen to Bizet's Carmen 25 times ina single night, with skaters performin the exact same elements. that's what the ice dancing compulsories are, and it is a brutal experience, watching the same polka for an hour.

Ann Arbor, Mich.: About NBC Olympics coverage -- I have the good fortune to get CBC (Canadian Broadcasting) here in Michigan which covers all the Olympics (yes, even hours of curling) all day and night from all countries. What a delight. It is intelligent sports coverage that doesn't treat viewers like the uneducated people NBC seems to believe we are.

My question for you all -- what's up with Michele Kwan and her inability to do a solid triple-triple combination? I love her artistry, but I suspect she's going to get burned by both Slutskaya's and Cohen's mean triple-triple combinations, just like she got burned by Tara Lipinski's triple loop-triple loop at the '98 Olympics.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: Just about any international broadcast is better than american network. My own favorite is BBC, which actually allows the action to take place without inane babbly over every moment of the telecast.

Los Angeles, Calif.: Hi,
Given the gracious behaviour of so many Silver Medal winners, their obvious joy at their own medal, and their genuine congratulations to the Gold Medal winners, do you think that perhaps the Canadian Skating pair, and their agent, could have handled themselves a little better -- like learn from Apolo Ahno?
Thank you.

Tracee Hamilton & Sally Jenkins: I thought the Canadians behaved quite gracefully, and they had a good deal of evidence to go on in pressing their appeal. le gougne's admission was so public, that I don't blame them. That said, there was something equally gratifying about Ohno's behavior in the 1000, and Lee An parsley's joy for her teammate Tristen Gale after being knocked out of the gold by her.

washingtonpost.com:

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