Watching Sasha Cohen at the United States Nationals 2010 (Spokane, Washington, US)

January 23, 2010 by vongsundara · 2 Comments 

SPOKANE, WA - JANUARY 21: Sasha Cohen waves to the crowd after the ladies short program at the US Figure Skating Championships at Spokane Arena on January 21, 2010 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

SPOKANE, WA - JANUARY 21: Sasha Cohen waves to the crowd after the ladies short program at the US Figure Skating Championships at Spokane Arena on January 21, 2010 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

I love love love Sasha Cohen. As I write this, I am watching the United States Nationals 2010 taking place in Spokane. Sasha has finished her warm-up and will be up with the next flight of skaters. I haven’t actually watched the U.S. Nationals since Sasha retired four years back, so it’s really great to have her back.

Being a Sasha Cohen fan hasn’t always been easy. Sasha has a history of faltering during her long program at major competitions. The unfortunate part is that most spectators have said that she runs through her programs flawlessly during practice and just can’t execute during competition. This is just too bad because otherwise Sasha may have gone down in history as the best figure skater ever.

Sasha’s artistry and non-jumping elements are, to me, the best from any skater ever. I enjoy watching Sasha’s exhibitions more than her actual programs because she can focus on the non-jumping elements. Her spirals are unmatched in the history of figure skating, and her musical interpretation is fabulous. Her spins have fabulous positioning and gorgeous silhouettes.

SPOKANE, WA - JANUARY 23: Sasha Cohen finishes her routine in the free skate during the US Figure Skating Championships at Spokane Arena on January 23, 2010 in Spokane, Washington. Flatt won ladies championship. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

SPOKANE, WA - JANUARY 23: Sasha Cohen finishes her routine in the free skate during the US Figure Skating Championships at Spokane Arena on January 23, 2010 in Spokane, Washington. Flatt won ladies championship. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

Oh . . . here she comes . . . the commercial break is over and they’re showing Sasha on the ice. I am literally holding my breath. Please, please, please keep it together girl.

Opening combination was shaky. I hope they don’t downgrade her to a flutz. Her second combination was also two-footed. But well, as long as she doesn’t fall. A third two-footed landing. Okay, a gorgeous salchow. Damn, I love her spirals. Her first spin, somewhat safe choice.

Down to the second half. Come on girl. Damn, a two-footed triple flip that ended in a fall. Okay, she did a nice clean double-axel. A semi-clean triple loop. Now comes the footwork sequence. Very, very nice. She finishes with her signature spin.

It definitely wasn’t a perfect performance, but considering it’s her first competition back, she did very well. No matter what happens, it is definitely nice to have her back.

Her final score was 174.28 for the competition and is now out of the running for the Olympics. It’s too bad because it would have been nice to have her in Vancouver 2010.

Okay, I’ve had a few minutes to reflect on this now. I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed, but I am happy that Sasha Cohen decided to make the attempt. Sasha’s story at U.S. Nationals has kept me glued to the television that hasn’t happened in a while.

You’ll always be one of my heroes.

Filed under: Watching
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Travelling: Vong Sundara at Copenhagen 2009 2nd World Outgames

September 14, 2009 by vongsundara · Leave a Comment 

Copenhagen 2009 2nd World Outgames

I’m still getting used to travelling. You see, I grew up in Winnipeg, which is eight hours from the next large city, which happens to be Regina, not exactly a tourist destination. People in Winnipeg just don’t travel a lot, especially not to Europe. This is probably why I jumped at the chance to go to the Copenhagen 2009 2nd World Outgames. I went the Montreal 2009 1st World Outgames and had a fabulous time, so I was really looking forward to duplicating the experience in Europe.

To have my trip subsidized, I agreed to be the official photographer for GLISA North America (Gay Lesbian International Sports Association). It was actually quite nice to dust off my old camera and remember pretend like I was back in my old freelancing days. I’ve included the best 30 photos below, hope you like them. Looking back at the photos now brings back all the wonderful memories of being in Denmark.

The only strange part of the trip was not participating in any sports. Luckily, I was able to go to many of the sporting events and cheer my friends on since I had to take photos anyways. I didn’t really get the itch to play until I was actually there. It didn’t help that everyone who knew me in Denmark met me through one sport or another, so I was constantly being asked how my sport was going.

The first big highlight of the event for me was seeing Kemone Brown, keynote speaker on the second day of the human rights conference. In fact, that’s probably my favourite thing about the Outgames, that the organizers include a human rights conference and cultural component so that the event is more than just sports. You must Google Kemone Brown and read all about her. She is one of the freshest voices to come in the world of human rights in a while. It’s amazing that someone of her age has the insight that she has.

I must admit that I have a thing for Danish guys. There’s just something about their facial features combined with the best-in-the-world Danish accent. Danish accents remind me of Arnold Schwarzenegger, if Arnold Schwarzenegger was a giddy Japanese schoolgirl. It’s like a faster, happier version without the roughness. It’s quite sexy.

The best part is that Danish men are so incredibly helpful. I would often have my camera around my neck with a map in my hand and a “I’m lost and need help” look on my face. It wouldn’t be more than a couple of minutes before some cute Danish boy came and helped me along my way.

The cultural portion of the Outgames was incredible. Instead of a centralized stage, there was a trail called Outcities, where several cities from around the world set up their stages and lined up performances. The performances were free and out in the open, running all week long. They had everything from pop to hardcore opera.

I unfortunately missed the opening ceremonies by arriving a day light, but Copenhagen Pride was scheduled to close off the week, and I was fortunate enough to attend. The pictures below give a better idea of how magical the event was than anything I could write myself.

My trip actually ended with a little bit of drama. My flight had been misbooked one day past everyone else’s flight. I should have checked more closely, but everything turned on the way it was supposed to I guess. I ended up having an extra day in Denmark but without a hotel room to stay in. Amazingly, I was able to stay with overnight with a helpful Danish boy.

In fact, this Danish boy ended up being a history scholar who ended up taking me on a tour of Copenhagen on my last day. It was like having my own personal tour guide. He knew absolutely everything there was to know no matter where we were. The canal tour was wonderful, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

I’m still on a high thinking about my fabulous time in Denmark. Hopefully someday I can go back to Europe and build on my world experiences. If you’re planning on travelling, think about going to a gay sporting event. It’s a great excuse to visit new places, and you have more things to do than you normally would.

[flickr album=72157622372544736 num=30 size=Thumbnail]

Filed under: Gaying, Travelling
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