Season is over…
Posted by goldguegi on April 21, 2010
… and I have never posted something! I’m sorry! I have written a very long report about Nebelhorn Trophy before Euros in Tallinn, but I didn’t have the time to add some pictures etc. until now as there was so much going on. It was almost too much to keep up. As I wrote in my previous post, I’ve been travelling to Nebelhorn Trophy, Trophée Eric Bompard, Swiss Nationals, World’s Best on Ice, Euros, Art on Ice and Worlds. I can’t believe time went so fast and the season is already over – and with it Stéphane’s competitons. This time I really believe he won’t return to competitions. But let’s see, he sometimes changes his mind so quickly!
During all the travelling there were almost too many emotions and impressions and I’m still processing them. After Nebelhorn Trophy we thought that it couldn’t get any better. We were wrong! Some experiences at Swiss Nationals we will never ever forget and then five weeks later we were already in the cold of Tallinn and I also won’t forget this special Thursday evening! The joy after the results came up! I cried and laughed at the same time! I don’t have words to describe what I felt (especially not in English)! And I still think, if he only didn’t fall in the step sequence! 
After Tallinn was no time to digest the emotions of this event and to watch all the videos I’ve recorded, downloaded or filmed because Olympics were finally there two and a half weeks later! After all this time of waiting it was kind of unreal and too soon for me… That sounds really awkward. But I would have wanted a little more time between all these magnificent experiences… You really can get exhausted as a fan, as funny as it sounds!
The two weeks of watching Vancouver Olympics were incredible! The day before the opening ceremony I was in my best mood, when at 10:00 it was announced on the radio that Stéphane will be the flag bearer! I was so hoping for this and when it was announced my workmate cried: Did you hear it? My whole office knows that I’m a big fan of Stéphane and they probably think that I’m a bit crazy. But I can’t help… 
This great mood stayed until Tuesday night. And also after the short program I still believed, that Stéphane can make it and win gold. Then Thursday night came and I was feeling like in a bad dream after Traviata! He so wasn’t himself there! Ohhhh, so sad! During Daisuke’s free skate I became angrier and angrier the more jumps he successfully landed. Sorry Daisuke! I really liked his program, he was so into it. But that was a Daisuke we havn’t seen for a long time! I so expected that he would bomb and Stéphane could still get bronze. When Daisuke’s score came up, it was a relief at first sight, but as the free skate is only one part of the competition… Before I could calculate, the total score came up and there he was – in second place… And then the shock: half a point more than Stéphane! Ohhhh! This must be a bad dream! But it wasn’t. I felt so sad for Stéphane! 0.51 points! I was looking through the protocols later and blaming so many of the judges. Look at Plushenko’s strange jumps and he got almost at every jump + GOE! Why was Stéphane judged so much harder with his jumps? And what with this edge warning? This 0.51 points could be everywhere! But I must admit, that Daisuke was better than Stéphane in Vancouver and it would not have been right, if Daisuke would have been off the podium. It’s just sad that Stéphane was off the podium by so little. I don’t like Evan and Plushenko but it was so incredible to see Evan winning over Plushenko! I’m still convinced that Stéphane would have won, if all the top skaters including him would have skated two clean programs – also without the triple axel.
I had the hope that Vancouver is not Stéphane’s last competition and that he will show up at Worlds in Torino. But all my hope died a few days later, with his announcement not to go to Torino. I still had the Euros in Bern in my mind then and thought that he might take part there. But with the announcement of this “Thin Ice” competition I began to worry about Stéphane’s eligibility as it was clearly written, that it would be a pro-competition. So finally Bern died too… I did so hope that Bern won’t die to soon… But it shouldn’t have been. And as it seems also taking part in the gala in Bern is not possible any more. I still don’t think “Thin Ice” was it worth to lose the eligibility. But he seems to be very happy and satisfied now – and this is the most important thing!
Art on Ice was again a great show and “In your Eyes” with Anastacia and Stéphane was to melt for!
I enjoyed Worlds in Torino! It was so relaxing and not-nerve-racking after Euros and Olympics. We saw great (and not so great) skating. And I was so happy for Daisuke! His free programm was incredible!
I went for a walk through the old olympic village! Four years have passed and some houses are not in a very good condition anymore. It was sad to see this. I think I could figure out which house the Swiss house was. It seems to be empty and the paint is peeling off. Somehow I could still feel the “Olympic Spirit” there. Directly by the olympic village there is this famous walkway over the rails to the shopping centre with this red arc. Stéphane mentioned in one interview at NHT that he was standing on this walkway hours before his free program, just crying because of the pressure. I didn’t cry when I was walking over this walkway, but I felt a little sentimental and wished once again, that I would have been in Torino then.
When I got started with this report, I intended to write only a few sentences…
I will post my report about Nebelhorn Trophy as soon as possible. And then maybe write something about Swiss Nationals and/or Tallinn.
