High Heels on Ice

Watching the pairs figure skating, that's what it reminded me of -- high heels on ice. The women are so gorgeous, as they glide along all dressed up in sexy, sparkling outfits. They exude confidence and vulnerability simultaneously. Superb athletes and tough as nails in spite of their tiny bodies and delicate moves, they command attention because the strength it takes to do what they do is herculean. Nonetheless, they make it look so easy thanks to partners who support them with such grace.

It brought to mind a recent program that gave me goose bumps every time I watched it: 'Battle of the Blades'. Here were these big, bruising hockey players skating with these beautiful little women and showing more chivalry than most men even contemplate today, let alone carry out as they rush through their day, slamming doors in women's faces. The show was primordial in the primitive instincts it stirred in both sexes. Man, who could easily crush woman, protects and loves her. As Stephane Richer said, "It's a five-minute love affair out there." Right he was. These tough guys had tenderness in their eyes as they gazed on their partners. These gallants were the same brutes who the night before could be found on a hockey rink slamming heads into boards and bashing opponents senseless. Our animal instincts are never far from the surface. In spite of millions of years in human evolution, we only yesterday evolved into australopithecus and stood up from all fours.

The aura surrounding figure skating is the polar opposite to speed skating, where women competing with each other are essentially gender-less. They could be men and are as athletic as any male in any sport. And just as much as I love the gender roles in figure skating, I love the sameness that female speed skaters, hockey players and others compete within alongside their male counterparts in the same sports. It's all good and it's all exciting. The message is that women can be pretty much anything. So why were they prevented from competing in the ski jump? How could that possibly have happened? What a stain on the Olympics.