Gracie Gold: A Woman On The Move (And On Her iPhone)

My introduction to Gracie Gold took place during the Team USA Olympic Media Summit in Park City, in October.

The 18 year old originally from Newton, Mass., spoke to attendees and performed a skating demonstration, dazzling the crowd who would report on her rising star status as Olympic hopeful.

After seeing her pre-season skate that evening in Utah, it was no surprise Gold emerged the U.S. national champion a few weeks ago.

Here's a young woman on the move.

At least I think it was Gracie on the ice that night -- turns out she has a twin sister, Carly, who also skates at the senior level.

Gold's bio notes in the media summit press book note she aspires to be an orthodontist after her skating career, putting her on a similar track to another U.S. Figure Skating Olympian, Debi Thomas (now a physician).

I haven't yet spotted Gold in Sochi but look forward to the figure skating event on Feb. 19, which will be the last event of these Games for which I have a ticket.

It will be fun to experience first-hand the escalating on-ice competitiveness for Gold, her U.S. teammate Ashley Wagner and the Russian media and skating darling Julia cover girl turned Olympic gold medalist via the team figure skating competition earlier today (wish I'd been there).

Lipnitskaia, Time magazine's European edition

All three of the aforementioned skaters better watch out for reigning Olympic champion Kim Yuna of Korea. She put on a spectacular performance in Vancouver (I was there and it was surprising), and with PyeongChang 2018 on the horizon methinks Yuna has a lot at skate, er, stake.

Who is your favorite in the women's figure skating competition? Please vote in the poll along the right column of this blog (failing to cast a ballot puts everyone on thin ice).

Gracie Gold photos by Nicholas Wolaver except Sochi 2014 image via USA Today; Julia Lipnitskaia photo via EPA/Barbara Walton; Kim Yuna photo via Olympics.org

Olympic Time

 

At a newsstand in Amsterdam Schiphol airport today, I spotted the hot off the presses Time magazine featuring the Olympics.

As suspected, when searching for the USA version of the publication, the cover is different and takes a darker tone.

For all international editions the cover story on Russia's Games does touch on security but also the Olympics as a chance for the host nation to redeem itself after a lackluster (and lack medals) trek to Vancouver 2010.

The domestic U.S. version is putting the Games behind barbed wire beneath a ski jumper, for crying out loud. Or as my sixth grade algebra teacher used to say, "For crying out tears in the sink!"

I like the European/Asian version of Time this week not only for the glamorous figure skating photo of Russia's Olympic hopeful, Julia Lipnitskaia, striking a pose reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil (watch out, Gracie Gold), but also it's more upbeat less negative (and frightening) layout.

It will be interesting to see how the U.S. version frames the Russian redemption story (if they even touch that back home).

What are your thoughts?

Images via Time