The worry is that somebody will fall and get marked down by the German judge, berated by his coach and beaten by his mother. It's like the Lexus commercial, the relentless pursuit of perfection. The skaters seem overbred, like some hothouse flower, they don't smile much and there's no margin for error in their performances. If you're going to load two similar sets of athletes on Noah's Ark, you pair up the ice skaters and gymnasts. Then have a second boat for everybody else.
Ice skating is better in person.
Some of it has to do with the ice itself. When you've grown up in Bakersfield, ice still seems like a strange and wonderful thing. Former Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton is the lead skater, impresario, man with a sense of humor and provider of a corny story line. People love Hamilton and I found myself loving him, too. The only thing people like better than an Olympic gold medalist is a Olympic gold medalist who's overcome cancer.