Well, I'm back too and am EXHAUSTED!!! I must head to bed very soon but wanted to at least post my overall impressions of the trip if nothing else before I do.
This trip was very different from my Sun Valley one. I got to see a LOT of skaters this time and had quite a few interesting encounters with a few (ate breakfast across from Michelle, got on the elevator this morning with Tatiana, rode to the aiport with Todd and his coach and Ina and Zimmerman, Maria was on my flight to Salt Lake) but unfortunately none of them were with Alexei. That initial sighting we had of him at the hotel turned out to be the only one of the comp and there were no encounters with him at all. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was disappointed that I didn't get to talk with him or get my picture that I took of him at Sun Valley signed. I was really looking forward to that.
Of course, the OTHER reason I went all the way to Boise was to see him skate in a real competition and with that I wasn't disappointed. His SP was amazing and I FINALLY got to see his quad (and in combo to boot) and the "big" jumps----the 3axel and lutz. It was nice to see him skate a really good performance he was happy with in person (love that fist pump). Gladiator was obviously not skated the way Alexei would have liked and didn't have the same feel that it did in Sun Valley. I was hoping we were going to see more an "eligible" version in Boise. The program is still going to be very much a surprise at SA because so much of what we've seen will have to be omitted to meet ISU form.
As always, I have NO idea how my pictures turned out but they should be done by tomorrow and if there are any particularily good ones I woll try to scan them to Laurie. Lots of people took them (even Todd fans) so we shouldn't be left wanting this time. Really must get some sleep. Even if you don't actually meet Alexei watching him skate and just being around where he is can wear you out (or it does ME anyway, LOL).
Well, I guess it's time that I post some of my own observations about the competition.....
As most of you know, this was the first time I had ever seen Alexei compete and it was also the first time I had ever seen a competition with "eligible" skaters in it. I was very excited about the prospect of seeing Alexei in "competitive mode" as well as seeing him in person again. So naturally, the first thing Laurie and I did after we were settled into the hotel was to head to the lobby and see if there were any "interesting" sights to be seen.
As it turned out, we saw quite a few skaters that night and were seated in the bar right next to Tatiana and Tamara Moskvina. Alas though, her prize student was nowhere to be seen that night so we finally gave up hoping instead to catch a glimpse of Alexei the next day.
The next morning found us in the hotel restaurant bright and early because we hadn't been able to find out exactly what time the practice session would be that day. We eventually became quite entertaining for members of the hotel staff in the restaurant. They were amused by the hours we spent eating our meals and our preference for tables with simultaneous views of the lobby and outside entrance. And although it was nice to be having breakfast right across from Michelle Kwan and her parents the skater we were most interested in STILL had not surfaced at that point.
It's not that we were worried he might not be there (Tatiana's presence pretty much assured that he was) but we were most curious to answer the ever present, all-important "hair" question. I was convinced he would show up at the Masters with his hair cut or at least trimmed and was a tad worried about how much that darned hairSylist (LOL - inside joke on the board) might have taken off. So we patiently waited at our table with the magnificent view of the lobby to catch a glimpse of Alexei as he went to practice. It wasn't long before a flash of familiar looking brown hair caught my eye and my adrenalin surged.
Laurie professes not to get these adrenalin rushes when she sees Alexei but I get them every time and I wasn't even sure it was him at that point. My intuition told me it was and from my vantage point I could look outside and see the perfectly coiffed wisps which confirmed it was indeed him. The cut was a nice one, similar to the way he looked for Skate America last year. It was certainly not the "Lalique butchering" I had feared. The highlights, though, seemed to be history (Alexei's hair seems to possess a strange "chameleon" property---it looks different depending on what kind of light he's in). Later on we would see that that wasn't the case. So now that we had spotted our favorite skater and confirmed that he was "lookin' good" we then had to concentrate on getting the banner hung.
As Laurie detailed in her report, that turned out to be a tougher task than we'd anticipated. I really didn't think the arena officials were going to let us hang it but they either felt sorry enough for us or thought the banner was nice enough to let us go ahead (I'm hoping it was the latter, LOL). Interesting that Todd's agent noticed it at the practice which leads me to believe that Alexei noticed it too. I do hope he liked it when he did.
As the time drew nearer to the competition I was beginning to get VERY antsy about seeing Alexei skate (I think I'm finally beginning to convince Laurie that Alexei's skating is a big part of the reason I like him so much). Luckily the men were after the pairs so we didn't have an interminable wait. Waiting for him to step out on the ice for the warm-up DID seem to take forever. Finally we got our first glimpse of the costume. No, it wasn't blue but it was a color combination we had longed to see him in; red and black (also MY favorite color combo and I was wearing it that night). My first thought when I saw the costume was that it looked like something Ilia would wear and I still think that. My second thought was that I liked it. My third thought was that he looked GOOD in it.
With the mystery of the costume solved it was time to concentrate on the warm-up. Ladies, I am no longer an innocent. I have officially seen (and HEARD, LOL - another inside joke) my first Alexei quad. Also got to see two beautiful 3axels in the warm-up too. Alexei skated last but because short programs are, well, SHORT, it didn't take very long to get to him. Gosh, I was very nervous for him when he came out. HE looked nervous too. Unlike Gladiator, we knew where the big jumps would be in Chopin, which is a good AND bad thing. You KNEW when to be worried. As promised, I lowered my camera when Alexei went for the quad. It was hard to see because it was in the corner on the opposite end from us. He did land it but either touched down afterward or nearly did. The surprise was the double toe he tacked onto it. After saying he would stick with a single in the SP he apparently changed his mind and decided to put in a combo. Then came the gorgeous 3axel followed by a 3lz and that "in your face" (loved that description by Paul Martini) choreography and fast footwork that Alexei is known for. After it was over, Alexei was pumping his fist, people were standing (including yours truly) and screaming (sorry Julie, Laurie and I both were, LOL).
The program was well received and Alexei was obviously happy with the way he skated it. I was happy too, to have seen him skate so well. Tatiana gave him a big hug when he got to the boards and he received great marks for his performance. I was just so thrilled to have seen him skate with such fire. It's truly a thing of beauty when he's "on".
Unfortunately, he didn't have that same fire later on when he skated Gladiator. I think carrying props (the knives), the intricate choreography, and concentrating on the triples was just too draining for him. I still like the program but it was not skated with the same intensity that it was in Sun Valley. He has also changed some of the moves from the first time we saw it but we won't know which ones for sure until we see the TNT broadcast. The totally new costume was certainly a surprise. We thought there might be changes from the one we saw in Sun Valley but didn't anticipate a completely new one. The Masters one is very classy and elegant and I thought he cut a striking (and gorgeous, LOL) figure in it. Although I really love this one, I do think the more "earthy" Sun Valley version is really more in keeping with the character of a gladiator. The Masters gladiator is obviously from a wealthier background, LOL.
Of course,I was disappointed that Alexei didn't win the competition (would like to see him win all the time but know that isn't reasonable) but I was more disappointed that he didn't seem to "attack" the Gladiator program like he did the Chopin one. His heart just didn't seem in it as much. Love seeing that "fire" when he skates. I fully expect to see it at Skate America since it will be his first ISU comp of the year. We all know Alexei saves his best for the big competitions.
After the competition was over we hoped to either see Alexei before or after the reception but, unfortunately, the hotel is not very "fan friendly" in that regard. We found out that there was an underground tunnel from the arena to the hotel (which the skaters porbably used after the competition to get to their rooms) and the fact that the reception was held on one of the floors meant they would not need to come through the lobby at all. Thus, that meant no Alexei encounter for us.
I have to admit that I was disappointed not to get to chat with him or get my picture signed but the good news is that I will have an even BETTER picture to take with me to Skate America to hopefully get signed there. I'm so glad I've been able to see Alexei skate competitively at last and seen a glimpse of that incredible intensity he skates with. It was so nice to see him skate a number so well and see the joy he exudes when he does. I do hope I'll have the privilege to see that joy again in a week or so at Colorado Springs.
