Olympic bound Hughes?

[judy]

Short program down. She looked good. Could've had some better matching of choreography with the music, but I don't blame her for that.

Maybe it's just me but I think all the skaters could use some more speed.

[RichH]

[quote judy]
Maybe it's just me but I think all the skaters could use some more speed.[/quote]

And a puck.

[Jerseygirl]

Figure skating is in the midst of a regime change, of sorts...the old guard is on the way out and the new players are on the way in. This Olympics probably marks the end of the line for the big girls like Kwan (ok, definitely there) and Slutskaya. Cohen, at 21, will be one of the oldest contenders at the next Olympics if she stays in the sport for four more years. So that's why maybe figure skaters look slower and possibly less crisp this year. Also, in the short program, the skaters are just trying to nail 8 elements cleanly, they're not "going for it" -- so the performances are less likely to be exciting. That said, figure skating looks much slower on TV than it does live.