Andy, Natalie Darwitz, Gigi Marvin, and Diane
Diane and U.S Men's hockey player David Backes
Lamoureux twins, Diane and Andy
Sweeden vs. U.S semifinal


Wow, my girls are in the gold medal round. Mark has them well prepared and clicking on all cylinders. Are they fast or what? They have worked so hard the past two years. Andy and I got to visit with them (as well as some of the men's players) at the Proctor and Gamble (A private location for the U.S. athletes). We can't wait for the gold medal game against Canada in a few days.
We also attended a figure skating event and were able to see a couple of Canadians take home the gold. This was great for their country because they are very down after the Men's game and they needed it.
This has become a lifestyle not an event. Below is a recap on the Men's Freeskate written by Angela Hurley.

Recap on Men's Freeskate:

Evan Lysacek finally won Olympic Gold! This is the first time a USA Men's skater has done this since 1988, when Brian Boitano won. Such an exciting night for Evan. He worked very hard to get this and had the "Skate of his Life". Although not without criticism. Since that night the men skated, there has been ongoing debates on if Evan should have taken the Gold. Russian skater Yevgeny Plushenko, who received the silver medal, feels he should have won gold on account that he had a quadruple jump in his program. Evan did not.Yevgeny, who won Olympic gold at the 2006 Olympics, had retired for 3 and a half years until coming back 11 months ago because he missed the competition. His dream was to win back to back Olympic gold medals just like Dick Button did in 1948 and 1952. Yevgeny definitely has an advantage on his jumps, however his on ice elements are not as strong. This one is hard because to me the program they do is a whole package and not just about jumps. Yevgeny's choreography was nowhere near the level that Evan's was. We also have to remember their are 12 required elements to be done in the 4 and a half minute program, not just one jump. Yevgeny is an amazing skater but I think they picked the right winner.Evan did his personal best and it all came together for him to win the Gold. From his amazing choreography to his beautiful costumes, who were designed by fashion designer, Vera Wang, to his coach Frank Caroll who is 71 years old and final got his Olympic champion, Evan just had the total package. Another thing Evan had to live up to was no reigning World Champion has not come to the Olympics and won Gold. Dick Button did it, Hayes Jenkins did it, David Jenkins did it, Scott Hamilton did it, and now Evan Lysacek has done it.
Another US skater, who gets a lot of heat for comments he makes off ice is Johnny Wier. He finished 6th. I thought he skated very well and the judges probably should have given him more credit for his performance. Johnny almost retired last spring but decided to come back and give it his all. His program was Fallen Angel. He chose this because that is how he feels about his career since the 2006 Olympics. Johnny is a free-spirit and is not afraid to be himself.The other USA skater Jeremy Abbott finished 9th in his first Olympics. He was however the National Champion coming into to the Olympics. A wonderful skater who doesn't have the expeirience that the other two Americans had and his nerves got to him.The Men's Olympic event is always such a great event to watch and I'm sure people will be talking about it for years to come. Next up Ice Dance.
Stay tuned for more pics and videos