Two ways to look at it
Lysacek, Clark plan different tactics when it comes to striving for gold
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Two athletes, two sports – and two different plans for impressing the judges.
Evan Lysacek seems inclined to play it safe, although he might need something special to come from behind in his figure skating long program. Kelly Clark is ready to gamble again, but it cost her dearly four years ago in the halfpipe.
NBC will air the men’s figure skating free skate and the women’s halfpipe in prime time today at the Vancouver Olympics, and in each event, competitors have a choice. Do they try for a high degree of difficulty, or perform moves they know they can finish cleanly?
“I’ve spent a lot of time working on every aspect of training,” Lysacek said. “For me, each stroke I take, each jump, each step, each spin is equally important.”
Lysacek, the two-time U.S. champ, trails Evgeni Plushenko of Russia heading into the final skate. Plushenko was the only contender to land a quad in the short program.
“The quad is necessary, that is my opinion. Some people might say that we should do other things, but in my opinion not doing the quad will be going backwards in time,” Plushenko said. “In the ’80s, skaters did doubles, then we started doing triples, then triple axels, then the quad.”
Lysacek, however, said he isn’t likely to try a quad in his free skate. He won worlds without one last year, although Plushenko wasn’t there.
Lysacek could also point out what happened to Clark at the 2006 Turin Games. The American snowboarder tried a 900-degree spin when an easier one would have sufficed to put her at least on the medal stand. She fell, finishing fourth.
The funny thing is, she has no regrets, and she’s said she’d do the same thing this year.
“It’s just my style, who I am,” she said recently.
That style helped her win the gold in 2002, and she’s one of three Americans expected to contend this year. Hannah Teter took the gold in 2006, and Gretchen Bleiler was second.
Also in prime time, NBC plans to show the women’s Alpine super-combined and women’s 1,000-meter speedskating.
Lindsey Vonn and Christine Nesbitt won’t have to worry about style points in those events. They simply have to ski and skate faster than everyone else.
Elsewhere, the U.S. and Canada will play their second games in the men’s hockey tournament after winning their openers.
The Americans take on Norway, and Canada faces Switzerland.