Figure Skating World Championships in Milan (21-03-2018)

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Rome-Milan and back in one day to see Kostner once, before she retires. Departure from Termini at 7.10, arrival at Central  Station at 10.15, around 11.20 I am at the Forum. At least inside, the Forum has not changed much since I was there for the first time in 1990, unlike San Siro, where  not much is left of what I saw the first time.

I discover I have missed only 3 skaters, I thought more. My side is almost full, the others are not even half filled, even if not many tickets were left. A British enters the track: once her race is over, the recovery team gets into the field, even if nobody throws anything. The racers who will remain empty-handed will not be many. The recovery staff are usually made of 4, but will be doubled for the most important skaters and tripled for Kostner. Inside the building they also sell objects to throw, from roses to soft toys. Some get close to the ice to throw them, others do from their places, even far away. I would be very afraid of missing the ice, and actually there are some who miss it: in these cases, the track-side stewards remediate.

Italian Leccardi's turn comes, and I realize I have forgotten my flag. The performance seems good, but she is 3rd out of 5: to qualify for the long program she must leave 13 behind, so, since the level should be increasing, she does not seem to have many chancess. As the performances go on, I realize I'm not able to recognize the results: a Finn takes the lead, with 9 points over the Italian, but I had not noticed all this difference. I also notice that the figures, especially the spins, have a very different effect depending on the physique of the skater (tall or short, robust or slender). Physiques are very different, more than in other "artistic" sports such as gymnastics or diving.

After two blocks of 5 skaters, at the first ice makeover, I try to take something to eat, but the queue is too long. I pospone it to the break after the third block, shorter, missing the first skater of the fourth one. After three blocks, Leccardi is still 4th: she must leave behind two more to qualify, but the level goes up. In the fourth block with an American, which makes 68 points against the 60 of the previous leader, we see that they begin to get serious. Before the last skater of the fifth block, Leccardi still has to pass one to qualify. Toth of Hungary makes a very uncertain performance and remains behind the Italian by half a point. The attendance protests (clearly the non-Italian one), for the only time in the day: for the rest it has always applauded everyone. The Hungarian will also be saved, thanks to a Slovak who falls down twice.

We arrive at the last block, with a Canadian leading (she, after Kostner, will remain the one I liked most). The stands have been filled, even if not entirely, especially of Japanese: the first rows are full of rising sun flags. Kostner arrives: perfect race, from jumps to spins, 80 points, a great emotion. Then it is Zagitova's turn, who gives far fewer emotions: one asks "is that all?", But it is only one point from Kostner. The others remain behind.

It ends around 16.45. We get out quite quickly: I get on the first underground and arrive at Central Stationwith a good margin, I could have taken the train before.

Mondiali di pattinaggio di figura a Milano (21-03-2018)

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Roma-Milano e ritorno in giornata per vedere una volta la Kostner prima che si ritiri. Partenza da Termini alle 7,10, arrivo in Centrale alle 10,15, verso le 11,20 sono al Forum. Almeno dentro, il Forum non è cambiato molto da  quando ci andai per la prima volta nel 1990, a differenza di San Siro, dove non è rimasto molto di quello che vidi la prima volta.

Scopro di essermi perso solo 3 pattinatrici, pensavo di più. Il mio lato è quasi tutto pieno, gli altri invece non lo sono neanche per metà, eppure i biglietti rimasti non erano molti. Scende in pista una britannica: finita la prova, entra la squadra di recupero degli oggetti tirati in campo, anche se nessuno tira niente. Non saranno molte le concorrenti che rimarranno a mani vuote. Gli addetti al recupero di solito sono 4, ma verranno raddoppiati per le pattinatrici più importanti e triplicati per la Kostner. All'interno del palazzo vendono anche oggetti da tirare, dalle rose ai peluche. Qualcuno per lanciarli si avvicina al ghiaccio, altri li lanciano dai loro posti, anche lontani. Io avrei molta paura di mancare il ghiaccio, ed effettivamente qualcuno che lo manca c'è: in questi casi rimediano gli steward a bordo pista.

Arriva il turno dell'italiana Leccardi, e mi accorgo di aver dimenticato la bandiera. La prova sembra buona, ma è 3^ su 5: per qualificarsi per il programma lungo deve lasciarne dietro 13, quindi, visto che il livello dovrebbe essere crescente, non sembra avere molte possibilità. Man mano che le esibizioni vanno avanti, mi accorgo di non essere tanto in grado di riconoscere i risultati: una finlandese passa in testa, con 9 punti sull'italiana, ma io non avevo notato tutta questa differenza. Noto anche che le figure, soprattutto le trottole, fanno un effetto molto diverso a seconda del fisico della pattinatrice (alta o bassa, robusta o esile). I fisici sono molto diversi, più che in altri sport "artistici" come ginnastica o tuffi.

Dopo due blocchi da 5 pattinatrici, al primo rifacimento ghiaccio, provo a prendere da mangiare, ma c'è troppa coda. Rimando all'intervallo dopo il terzo blocco, più breve, perdendomi la prima del quarto. Dopo tre blocchi, la Leccardi è ancora 4^:  deve lasciarne dietro altre due per qualificarsi, ma il livello sale. Nel quarto blocco con un'americana, che fa 68 punti contro i 60 della precedente leader, si vede che si comincia a fare sul serio. All'ultima del quinto blocco, alla Leccardi rimane da superarne una per qualificarsi. L'ungherese Toth fa un'esibizione molto incerta e rimane dietro all'italiana per mezzo punto. Il pubblico protesta (chiaramente quello non italiano), per l'unica volta nelle giornata: per il resto ha sempre applaudito tutte. Anche l'ungherese poi si salverà, grazie a una slovacca che cade due volte.

Si arriva ll'ultimo blocco, con una canadese in testa (che, dopo la Kostner rimarrà quella che mi è piaciuta di più). Le tribune si sono riempite, anche se non del tutto, soprattutto di giapponesi: le prime file sono piene di bandiere del sol levante. Arriva la Kostner: prova perfetta, dai salti alle trottole, 80 punti, grande emozione. Poi è il turno della Zagitova, che emoziona molto meno: uno si chiede "è tutto qui?", invece è solo a un punto dalla Kostner. Le altre rimangono dietro.

Si finisce verso le 16,45. Si esce abbastanza rapidamente: salgo sulla prima metro e arrivo in Centrale con un buon margine, avrei potuto prendere il treno prima.

Pyeongchang 2018: considerations of a would-be spectator

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It's the moment in which a sense of emptiness pervades all sport-sick people like me: the Winter Olympics are over. As I said, I had considered going to Pyeongchang, but I immediately gave up the idea: I couldn't even find the hourly program, and I'm talking about September, not years ago. Let's not even talk about travel and accommodation information.

In these days I often wondered what it would be like to be there. It is not easy to answer, given the low budgets of all the main media and the consequent shortage of correspondents from Korea. For what I could see, also when I tried to book, the impression is that it was one of the events in which the common spectator was seen as most disturbing. Surely one would not expect to see all these empty spaces on the stands of an Olympics, as if they were games of the Italian football league. Especially in cross-country: even if I hate mass starts, they did not deserve the desert we saw. Even find tickets for the hockey final was not so complicated, Kostner said

It must not have been easy, however, to attend the outdoor races, with -15° C, wind and sometimes even snow. Above all the biathlon, which also must have been suggestive at night. For Moioli, however, it would be worth it. I should have watched snowboardercross in Vancouver, but my grandstand was destroyed by a landslide.

The sport that I would have liked to see is definitely the short track, a national sport in Korea. I've been to see the world championships in Milan a few years ago: I was expecting crowds of Koreans, and maybe Chinese and Canadians, and instead maybe I was the only one who travelled, apart from relatives and friends of the athletes. I would have liked to see long track too, for the atmosphere (as I was telling for Turin), but I would have been disappointed, I would never have thought to go to watch 10,000 meters.

Even the opportunity to watch the hockey final without organizing a year in advance would have been tempting: when would it happen again? Then there was Kostner and the Russian skaters, but for those there are the World Cup in Milan ...