Figure Skating The Exhibition (Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Games)

Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining skating performances
Review: I'll take Olympic exhibition skating over the competitions any day, so I really enjoyed watching this DVD, taken directly from the network TV broadcast. With superb cameramen and the latest in broadcast technology, NBC provides a sharp, colorful picture throughout. NBC Sports commentator Beth Ruyak adds a very good voice for the narration.

With a run time of only 60 minutes, there's only enough time to feature the individuals/pairs that were top medal contenders in their respective competitions. There are twelve full routines in all, plus a short opening tribute to Todd Eldredge (would have liked to see his routine). My favorite is ice dancing, but I also especially enjoyed watching (again) the great routine done by Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze: fine skating and wonderful role playing. Stellar performances were also turned in by Irina Slutskaya, who skated a routine as a cowgirl that was a total blast, and by the two Russian men, Evgeny Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin, who threw in some crowd pleasing excerpts from their medal performances. Michelle Kwan's skating was the most emotional, and she'll probably be remembered the longest after her Olympic days are over. There's also a final tribute to the victims of 9/11, skated by Sarah Hughes.

As with the companion "Competition" DVD, there are no "extras" on this disc, not even a track listing. Still, it's a recommended addition to anyone's sports/skating library.