Toronto Star, April 24, 2011
From quad-rophobia to quad-rophilia
By Mary Ormsby
Patrick Chan is at the apex of a dangerous jump. Everyone in the arena knows it.
The figure skater will spin four times in the air in less than a second, faster than it takes for the audience to blink twice. A whisper of error — hips a centimetre too low, elbows not tucked in — means his skates will splay and his whirling, descending 148 pounds will slap meatily across the ice.
No wonder few men attempt the quad.
It is figure skating’s beast — its four-minute mile, its 50-goal season. An all-or-nothing nail-biter that’s as much about masculinity as it is about marks.
During last year’s Vancouver Winter Games, Russian veteran Evgeni Plushenko infamously sneered that quad-less Olympic rivals were less than manly.
My goodness. So much precision work required.
SP!!!I love you so much.I love your phenomenal performance.
Congratulations Patrick. You’ve made all Canadians proud. excellent jpob. Best wishes for a fantastic job well done. God Bless you guy!
You’ve made all Canadians proud. Excellent job. Best wishes for a fantastic job well done. God Bless you guy!