OK.....here goes......my three favorite programs.
In third place, "Sweet Rosalyn", sung by Sheryl Crow, performed during the 1997-98 Stars On Ice tour. First seen by yours truly during the "Great Skate Debate" on CBS-TV last year.
At first viewing of this, I find it hard to imagine Roz as a streetwalker. But her routine was only for entertainment purposes.....and the music does grow on you. The outfit she wore did make it appear that she was a streetwalker. But the style is very much her own. Very creative approach from her and her choreographer, Lea Ann Miller. And I did read one review where she had fun with the opening segment.....both arms had writing in lipstick red. One arm said, "I love Scott" (Hamilton, that is.) The other? "Stars On Ice rules!"
In second place (and this was a very hard choice), "[Here We Are] After All These Years", sung by Anne Cochran with music by Jim Brickman, performed during this season's tour with SOI. Saw it in person at the Dallas show at Reunion Arena and first saw it performed during "Battle of the Sexes III" on CBS-TV January 17 (which was the same day Denver and Atlanta won their way to Super Bowl 33).
When I first heard the music and saw her performance, it was breathtaking and sad. Breathtaking to see that after 28 years of skating (15 years as a pro), she still has the tools and artistic talent to wow the masses.....after all these years! And sad because this closes a chapter in her life, yet she's ready to move on with life after SOI....like marriage, doing commentary work, skating part of the time, coaching and just living her life like God meant for her to live it.
"Remember Me This Way", sung by Jordan Hill, from the soundtrack "Casper",performed during the 1995-1996 SOI tour. I first saw her perform this thru a TV special on CBS, "Sergei: A Celebration Of A Life" in 1996 in which close friends of Sergei Grincov and Katia Gordeeva paid tribute to Sergei after his sudden death to a fatal heart attack November 20, 1995, in Lake Placid, New York, while in training for the 1995-96 SOI season.
After seeing her perform this the first time, my emotions weren't really to the point of tears. Then after reading "Competitor's Edge" and the Sports Spectrum article, I got to thinking that the song had a double meaning. Roz' expressive use of her body on the ice to the audience not only translated in saluting a friend who had died suddenly.....but it also (and hopefully I'm not reading into this too deep) was her way of expressing God's love to His children thru His son, Jesus Christ. And the lyrics really spoke to my heart....and I cried in my heart. The best part of that routine was when she stopped midway thru the song, looked at the audience in front of her, turned around quickly, then tipped-toed back three-four steps before continuing.
Again, if you have any problems with the comments, email me and I'll take it under the heading of constructive (not destructive) criticism. As Roz mentioned in Sports Spectrum, "And it's not easy to ignore the criticism that often accompanies a professional sporting career."
