olympic content – blog 11 by pj kwong
There’s a lot riding on those thin steel blades on the bottom of figure skating boots. Nothing is a given and anything can happen. About two weeks ago, the team event kicked things off and for the women it included two outstanding back-to-back performances for Madeline Schizas. A debut of sorts and one that signaled her arrival on the Olympic stage as a worthy competitor.
The thing is in figure skating that it doesn’t really matter what happened at any other time except for the current competition you are in. Make no mistake, Maddie is blessed with composure on the one hand and a fighting spirit on the other. Both came in handy when she skated her free and ended up moving up a spot to finish 19th overall in her first Olympic Games.
She is a well-rounded skater who is a solid jumper with lovely expression and grace. So, which of technical vs artistry does she see as her ‘sweet spot’? “I think for me it is a mixture of the two. I’ve gotten to where I am because I am consistent and especially reliable in the short program,” Maddie told me before the Games. “With that being said, I enjoy the performance aspect of our sport and have been working hard to improve the artistic side of my skating.”
I am looking forward to catching up with her once we are all back home to find out her biggest lessons learned.
She won’t be the only one learning from her experience. Eventual silver medallist Alexandra Trusova performed 5 quad jumps in her free skate and won the night moving her from fourth to second overall. If only her short program had been stronger, the result might have been different. A difficult lesson but one that should ease over time as she gets to admire her medal and own the accomplishment.
Olympic figure skating isn’t easy. We already know: Ice is slippery.
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