Three hours of exciting skating competition. That is what TNT aired on Wednesday, Oct. 25, from the Bank of America Centre in Boise, Idaho. The Masters of Figure Skating was sponsored by Pearle Vision, and featured commentary from Paul Wylie and Rosalynn Sumners. Men's and Ladies short and long programs featured judges from Canada, Finland, Russia, and the USA.
In the Ladies short, Maria Butyrskaya skated first. She landed her triple flip, a triple loop/double toe combination, but two-footed her double axel. Next was Irina Slutskaya, who showed a mature and joyful presence on the ice. Not only did she land her triple loop/double toe combination, but her triple flip as well. Her layback spins were perfect, as were her forward and backward Beillman spins. Skating third was Michelle Kwan, who made it so easy. Her routine, among other elements, consisted of a double axel, a triple loop/double toe combination, a layback spin with beautiful arm positions, a triple flip, and her trademark inside and outside spirals. Next, Yuka Sato took to the ice, but stepped out of her triple loop/double toe combination. Displaying a lot of speed and power on spins, she has a finished and polished look about her, and takes her time on each element. Lastly, Lu Chen performed her short program, but it was not aired.
At the end of the Ladies short program, the standings were:
1. Michelle Kwan
2. Irina Slutskaya
3. Maria Butyrskaya
4. Yuka Sato
5. Lu Chen.
The Men's short programs were aired next, and Ilia Kulik led the pack. Landing his triple axel/triple toe loop, he performed this combination with no practice. Although he touched down with his hand on his triple lutz, his footwork is among the best in the world. Following Ilia was Todd Eldredge, who landed a triple toe/double toe combination but stepped out of a triple axel. Next, Alexei Yagudin showed his usual power and grace. Having not missed a single jump in practice, his short program was no different. His combination was an amazing quadruple toe loop/double toe, a sight to behold. He completed a triple axel with a solid landing, amazing height, and enormous control. Lastly, he landed a huge death drop and also showed complicated footwork. Fourth to skate was Steven Cousins, whose program was not aired.
At the end of the Men's short program, the standing were:
1. Alexei Yagudin
2. Ilia Kulik
