Aside from the battle for gold, the other performances were also fascinating, especially on the human side. Instead of focusing on the technical stuff, one aspect that affected the outcomes, both from the judging and crowd reactions, is the skater's emotions. As a viewer, it was fun to reading their body language and facial expressions. Originally researched by Dr. Paul Eckman, and made popular by the Fox series "Lie To Me", there's the notion that human emotions are universal, regardless of culture and race. And a trained person can read these emotions. Well, most people can still read emotions, and people with high EQ are particularly sensitive to others' moods. Where am I going with this? The best performances were those where the skater was feeling it and as a result connected with the viewer.
For instance, the 16-year old American Mirai Nagasu, skated last, knowing she probably would not medal. Nonetheless, she skated while wearing a sense of joy and boundless energy. Her huge smile captivated us and after nailing her technical components, propelled herself into 4th place. You simply can't fake that emotion. People can see it and connect with that.
In contrast, the two Japanese skaters performed without a sense of happiness. Miki Ando, while gorgeous in appearance, looked tired and nervous. And the runner up Mao Asada looked anxious and clearly upset going into her performance, knowing she had already lost. And the look she carried onto the podium to receive the silver medal made even me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes coming in second really is being the biggest loser.
Finally, the local darling Joannie Rochette skated to a bronze. After the terrible ordeal of the week, she got on that podium and beamed relief, gratitude and pride. You can't make this stuff up. We witness the most competitive athletes go out there every 4 years and wear all their emotions in full display. That's why we love these Olympics.
