Let's go back to last night--more Women's Figure Skating. Tara is not happy that "quads" are not allowed in the short program. Personally, I think the more complex the jumps, the less graceful it looks--you can see skaters prepping for a jump, going in a straight line and building up speed. Also, the "real time" onscreen scoring is very distracting--I find myself watching that instead of the skater.
And then it's Slopestyle--EXTREME snowboarding tricks, going down a hill with a series of jumps. Downhill skiing was delayed due to high winds (they are near the Gobi Desert), so there was a lot of announcer tap dancing. They wrapped up prime time with Men's Figure Skating - Team Event.
After running long (so I didn't see Nathan Chen's performance--I'm sure it will be run again), late night has more Moguls and Slopestyle. It's clear that the Downhill delay left a big hole in the schedule. Gnarly phrase of the night--"As smooth as a butter sandwich".
Cut to this afternoon, which started with a Speedskating distance event (5000M, 12.5 laps). It's kind of hypnotic, to the point where I'm trying to stay awake. Lowe then interviewed Lindsey Vonn (now on the NBC team, and mostly there to promo her QISE documentary on Picabo Street--now on Peacock!). We would have heard from her last night, if the downhill hadn't been cancelled. That was followed by more Skiathlon, which is not gripping TV, despite breathless commentary.
Jimmy Roberts makes his first appearance, covering his 18th (!?!) QISE. He covered the "hatred" between the US and Canada in Women's Hockey, comparing it to other sports rivalries (Yankees and Red Sox, OSU and Michigan). As usual, the US and Canada are the top seeds. Then, more ski jumping--a gold medal run. They seem to have engineered out the whole "agony of defeat" potential. There were some audio issues, with the commentators speaking at the same time--or was the onsite PA too loud?
Onto Sunday's super-size Prime Time (Monday in Beijing). Torico's at the chalet, sending us off to Men's Single Luge Medal runs. Then a repeat of the piece about Mikaela Shiffrin's late father--and yet more moguls--before we actually get to her event. Since the Men's Downhill was delayed, we get that event AND Women's Giant Slalom tonight. Lead commentator Dan Hicks clearly got his start in radio, with a sonorous voice. Unfortunately, Shiffrin quickly slid off the course (she's fine, but out for this event). With her gone, NBC dumps the rest of the event to Peacock. Perhaps choosing a site that required 100% artificial snow wasn't the best idea? Vonn, back in Connecticut, has her audio set too low--can barely hear her commentary.
Back to the Figure Skating Team Event, with the pair's free skate and a LOT of mistakes, including a crash to the ground by the not-Russians.
More to come.