“Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus” is a line that has evolved in a little over the past decade from a book title to a handy cliché.
Because I’ve had women entirely figured out for quite some time, I never bothered to read John Gray’s bestselling guidebook to differences and relationships between genders. However, I think I catch his drift: There are certain things that polarize the sexes.
In motion pictures, men have their westerns; women have their romantic comedies. In literature, women have their Jane Austen; men have their Maxim. And, of course, in sports, men have their football, NASCAR and cage fighting; women have their rhythmic gymnastics, WNBA and (last but incontrovertibly not least) figure skating.
What on Earth could possibly be more offensive to a male’s sensibilities than boys and girls in sequins and forced grins dancing competitively to campy music with razors on their feet?
I went to Westminster to find out.
There at the Ice Centre at the Promenade this week, U.S. Figure Skating plays host to the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships. Some 360 figure skaters under age 14 from around the nation, along with small retinues of coaches and parents, have ascended to Denver’s fair suburb to the northwest. Held annually since 1991, the event is the national championships for “juvenile” and “intermediate” skaters in free skate, pairs and dance competition.
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ICE CENTRE AT THE PROMENADE
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The event is a six-day affair that started Monday with unofficial practices at the Ice Centre, which was built in 1990 as the largest three-piece, public facility in the country, within sight of U.S. Highway 36. Final rounds and award ceremonies are held today and tomorrow. Competition got rolling Wednesday, however, when I visited to take in the scene and opening ceremony.
It’s a three-rink circus at the Ice Centre. Each sheet of ice has been booked from dusk until late at night since Tuesday with various practices, warm-ups and qualifying rounds. On the center rink Wednesday, where the opening ceremony was held with a synchronized-skate routine to “Rocky Mountain High” as well as a state-flag ceremony, figure skating could be observed from 6:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The activity is not limited to the ice. Vendors sell their wares along the concourse — everything from skate boots to “icewear,” and hair-braid appointments (“YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A SKATER”) to stuffed animals (?). And along the concourses is a frenetic energy that only a concentration of eager kids can exude.
To be honest, I was perfectly prepared to be underwhelmed by this experience. Once I studied the skating, however, I marveled, in spite of my insecurity with manhood.
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WEBCAST FROM WESTMINSTER
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I watched the intermediate couples practice their routines for the free-dance competition. And if you can see past the outrageous costumes and melodramatic hand jive, there is a remarkable display of athleticism, timing and trust. Roaming the ice in graceful unison, these young couples seemed to cover everything any self-help book had to say about solid relationships. (The final for this event is scheduled for Saturday from 12:25 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.)
The Junior Championships also offer Olympics enthusiasts a sneak peek at the future of U.S. figure skating. These kids are a tad bit too young for the 2006 Winter Olympics at Turin, Italy in February. Yet chances are good that the future face on a Wheaties box skates among this crowd. His or her time to shine will come with the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver, British Columbia, or even the 2014 Winter Olympics at a site to be announced in July 2007.
The next Dorothy Hamill and Scott Hamilton might be a mere 15 miles from LoDo. If for nothing else, go so you can one day dazzle your friends with another handy cliché: I prefer their early work.
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, Wide State of Sports examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects from the High Plains to the Western Slope. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
Bode Miller, the World Cup overall champion and a five-event racer on the U.S. Ski Team, reports regularly this winter from the World Cup tour for The Denver Post. Miller figures to be an Olympic medal contender in all events.
From the mailbags
“Since his arrival, Karl has shown a tendency to go with two point guards at the end of games. Before, it was Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. And since Earl Watson’s recent emergence, he has gotten some key late minutes, too.”
From the message boards
“Week 13, Denver @ KC: KC is the exact same team as the Cowboys. Old coach, really old QB who is way past their prime, offensive emphasis on running, and their best offensive player is the tight end.” — relocatedtexan
From the online exclusives
Throughout the season, the Denver Broncos and YourHub.com are teaming up to highlight Broncos spirit with fan spotlights and surprises along the way. What is your favorite apountry memory? Log on to YourHub.com.
A look back
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| Post / Susan Biddle |
| In this 1983 photo, almost 200 fans greet Scott Hamilton upon his arrival at Denver’s Stapleton International Airport (which closed Feb. 27, 1995) from Europe, where he won his third consecutive men’s World Figure Skating Championships title in Helsinki, Finland. |
