Thursday, Feb. 14th, Day 4

(all images can be clicked to enlarge)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Even though we attended two events, it was easier since they were both indoor events.  It was nice not having to dress in multiple layers!

Women's Hockey - Germany .vs. Finland

This event was held at the Peaks Ice Arena in Provo.  Provo is about a one hour drive south of Salt Lake City.  Again, the traffic was no problem and the Park and Ride lots were effective.

The hockey game was not as intense or as fast paced as men's hockey but it was still enjoyable to watch.  There were even cheerleaders chosen from area high schools.

Final score - Finland 3 - Germany 1 (we were cheering for Germany!)

A strange thing happened.  As we spoke with those seated around us, we realized that we had all purchased the same ticket packages at about the same time.  We had seats together at Hockey, Figure Skating and Men's Super G.

Men's Figure Skating, Long program

This was one of the events we were really looking forward to.  Our seats were not as good as the ones we had for the Short Program and our view of one end of the arena was obscured.  We had to watch the large overhead video screen to see one end of the ice.

The men skated in reverse order tonight - 25th to 1st place as determined by the previous Short Program.  When Todd Eldridge skated, you could almost feel the crowd holding its breath and willing the best for Todd.  E. Plushenko (Russia) did much better tonight and received a standing ovation.  The excitement built as Tim Goebel stepped on the ice.  The crowd held its breath on each jump and was relieved at each success.  Before his final spin was even finished, the crowd was on its feet cheering wildly.  We all knew it was a great performance.  Russia's Alexei Yagudin lived up to all expectations and presented an outstanding Gold Medal performance.  We have now seen the best skaters in the world! We were so excited watching this event.  I can't imagine the stress and range of emotions that the skaters experience. 

Because the skating events end late in the evening after the Medals Ceremony at the Plaza, the skating medals are awarded at the arena after the finals.