Am I the only one who got up early on a Sunday morning to watch figure skating? 

Skating’s slow decline in popularity in the US

I remember when figure skating used to be a bigger deal in the US. NBC and ABC would air the US nationals free skate competitions during prime time. Big-time sponsors would take out full page ads in the paper the day after Michelle Kwan won yet another world title. Talk show hosts would poke fun of skating in their opening monologues, and the mainstream public would understand the jokes.

It’s still one of the most popular sports at the Winter Olympics, but the US hasn’t had a consistent, successful skater to rally behind since Michelle Kwan. We’ve had young ladies champions switch out year after year, and in 2014 Gracie Gold is showing a lot of promise but we’ll see if she’s able to deliver back-to-back winning performances. We’ve been disappointed before (Mirai, Alissa, Rachael). And men’s and paris skating has been equally an up and down rollercoaster of popcorn winners. We’ve got great hopes for ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White but most people don’t even know that ice dance is a discipline or just get it confused with pairs skating.

Every four years, figure skating gets a slight boost in popularity and that’s great to see. But this time around, it’s the first Games where the presence of the Olympics makes me realize how much the hoopla and general interest in skating has died down in the US. Skating isn’t a perfect sport (topic of my next post), but I do feel it is an exquisite/rare combination of athletic ability, discipline, and artistic grace that isn’t demanded of most other athletes. I love that multi-dimensional aspect. And it’s extremely hard to achieve that perfect balance and maintain longevity in the sport — which is a testament to skaters like Michelle Kwan . And I wish there was more general interest in the sport for people to look beyond the flamboyant sequins and judging scandals to see that. Gracie, we’re looking to you! #Sochi2014 #TeamUSA