Rosie DiManno, columnist of the Toronto Star, a newspaper based in Toronto, Canada, is the one who wrote that the ice dance competition was fixed. This is silly, really silly. This is an awful column. I will critique this article:
“They are the defending Olympic champions but for the past two seasons it has become transparently clear that a repeat gold was not in the scheme of things. And scheming is the correct term for what transpired in the short program competition here Sunday night.”
OK, has it ever dawned on this woman that it has become transparently clear that the Americans out-skated, out-danced the Canadians?
Scheming? haha. Scheming? Seriously. Ms. DiManno is a sportswriter, well, titled one anyway, yet she doesn’t know the meaning of “scheming.”
“Never have the Canadians performed their jazzy routine as flawlessly as they did on this evening. Even their coach, Marina Zoueva, who has intensely divided loyalties as maestra for the arch-rival American duo as well, said so. When, of course, she wasn’t basking in the glow of her front-running charges, Meryl Davis and Charlie White.”
Guess what? Never have the Americans performed their masterful routine as flawlessly as they did. How about giving the Americans, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, credit for their spectacular performance that was more, yes, more awe-inspiring than Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, not to take anything away from them?
“Not only were the U.S. tandem slotted first, invested with superior marks in every single category appraised, they were also sent off into Monday’s free dance with a new world record under their belts for the short: 78.89. That’s a 2.56-point bulge on Virtue and Moir, at 76.33. In ice dance, that’s tantamount to a three-goal lead heading into the third period.”
Yes, the Americans secured first place, with a world record. This article has glaring omissions. Why did DiManno leave out the fact that the Americans fought hard for gold? Why didn’t she write, in this sentence, that the Americans earned it by skating brilliantly? Why didn’t she write that Davis and White’s timing, footwork, rhythm, artistry and competitiveness were supreme? Sounds like to me DiManno is a biased sportswriter. That’s not what they teach us in journalism. Last time I checked, we are taught to critique and state our opinions objectively with facts.
“The U.S. has never won an ice dance championship at the Olympics. Obviously, the judges have decided it’s time.”
There’s a first time for everything. The Americans wrote a chapter in the U.S. Olympic history book, something you should be writing, instead of hollering about an event being fixed. Obviously, the judges decided it was time based on the way they performed, not based on the fact that the Americans had never won an ice dance championship. C’mon, woman. You’re a sportswriter, aren’t you?
“That’s how they do it in this sleazy game. They too often take it out of the hands of the skaters.”
I’m not too sure I know what the hell she’s talking about.
I can’t continue to read this. My head hurts.
