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The Second Mark: Courage, Corruption, and the Battle for Olympic Gold
It was billed as the greatest event in the history of pair skating: three of the best teams of all time battling for Olympic gold on one night in Salt Lake City. Technical ability was approximately equal. It was the artistic merit score that would decide the gold medal -- the second mark.Representing Canada, China, and Russia, the three pairs illuminated their distinct cultures. On the second mark, whose culture would triumph? Would it be the beauty of the Russians' ballet on ice, the thrill of the Chinese pair's heart-stopping acrobatics, or the Canadians' passionate connection with the audience? In a down-to-the-wire nail-biter, the difference between gold and silver came down to the vote of a single judge. Hours later, a bombshell: the confession of a French judge unleashed a worldwide debate -- and ultimately produced an unprecedented duplicate gold medal.
"The Second Mark" reveals what an athlete really goes through to become the best in the world, through the riveting stories of unforgettable people. We meet Yelena Berezhnaya of Russia, who survives emergency brain surgery after a near-fatal training accident and makes it back to the Olympics in less than two years. We meet Zhao Hongbo, a young boy skating in subzero weather in remotest China, who will fulfill his coach's twenty-year dream of catching up to the West. And we meet two Canadians, a barista and a concession stand worker, who had almost quit the sport before deciding to give it one last try -- and becoming world champions.
Exhaustively researched by a skating insider, "The Second Mark" takes readers deep into the world of the Olympic athlete, illuminating the fascinating differences between East and West. From the frozen fields of China to the secret corridors of the old Soviet sports system, from a tiny farm village in remotest Quebec to the judges' backstage world, "The Second Mark" tells the compelling human stories behind one of the most controversial nights in Olympic history.
"The Second Mark" reveals what an athlete really goes through to become the best in the world, through the riveting stories of unforgettable people. We meet Yelena Berezhnaya of Russia, who survives emergency brain surgery after a near-fatal training accident and makes it back to the Olympics in less than two years. We meet Zhao Hongbo, a young boy skating in subzero weather in remotest China, who will fulfill his coach's twenty-year dream of catching up to the West. And we meet two Canadians, a barista and a concession stand worker, who had almost quit the sport before deciding to give it one last try -- and becoming world champions.
Exhaustively researched by a skating insider, "The Second Mark" takes readers deep into the world of the Olympic athlete, illuminating the fascinating differences between East and West. From the frozen fields of China to the secret corridors of the old Soviet sports system, from a tiny farm village in remotest Quebec to the judges' backstage world, "The Second Mark" tells the compelling human stories behind one of the most controversial nights in Olympic history.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 22, 2014
Full disclaimer: I loathe Jamie Sale and David Pellitier. Their skating bores me, not a fan of their personalities, and I thought Love Story was overrated.
That's neither here nor there though. This book is a fascinating read on the history of the 2002 Olympic podium in pairs. I was a bit weary about a book focusing so much on the scandal, but it actually focuses on all three pairs. I was hooked from the beginning, and I read 104 pages straight before realizing it was 5am and I needed to sleep.
The writing is good, and you really understand figure skating from three different perspectives: The Canadian/North American way, the established Soviet way, and the changing Chinese way. I like how it dives deeply in the troubled political histories of Russia and China without patronizing Canada for being so....unchangingly Canadian.
You get the perspectives and personalities from all three pairs, and equal attention is given to not only Anton Sikharulidze, Yelena Berezhnaya, Zhao Hongbo, Shen Xue, David Pelletier, and Jamie Sale; but also to their coaches: Tamara Moskvina (Russian pairs legend), Yao Bin (a flawless human being), and all the coaches Jamie and David went through because I couldn't really keep track. Basically, I recommend reading this book if you're interested about the skaters, not necessarily the scandal itself.
This book never really seeks to answer what exactly happened in Salt Lake because there are so many questions that were never answered. There will always be corruption in figure skating because it's become accepted, the ISU will continue to do nothing, and frankly the new judging system doesn't help with that. Just look where Didier Gailhaguet is now.
ETA 3/20: I'm pleased for when skaters I like are rewarded, but figure skating is so emotional that it will always remain a difficult sport to judge. It's why I appreciated that this book sought to humanize all the skaters who all, at the end of the day, skate out to center ice and do their job.
That's neither here nor there though. This book is a fascinating read on the history of the 2002 Olympic podium in pairs. I was a bit weary about a book focusing so much on the scandal, but it actually focuses on all three pairs. I was hooked from the beginning, and I read 104 pages straight before realizing it was 5am and I needed to sleep.
The writing is good, and you really understand figure skating from three different perspectives: The Canadian/North American way, the established Soviet way, and the changing Chinese way. I like how it dives deeply in the troubled political histories of Russia and China without patronizing Canada for being so....unchangingly Canadian.
You get the perspectives and personalities from all three pairs, and equal attention is given to not only Anton Sikharulidze, Yelena Berezhnaya, Zhao Hongbo, Shen Xue, David Pelletier, and Jamie Sale; but also to their coaches: Tamara Moskvina (Russian pairs legend), Yao Bin (a flawless human being), and all the coaches Jamie and David went through because I couldn't really keep track. Basically, I recommend reading this book if you're interested about the skaters, not necessarily the scandal itself.
This book never really seeks to answer what exactly happened in Salt Lake because there are so many questions that were never answered. There will always be corruption in figure skating because it's become accepted, the ISU will continue to do nothing, and frankly the new judging system doesn't help with that. Just look where Didier Gailhaguet is now.
ETA 3/20: I'm pleased for when skaters I like are rewarded, but figure skating is so emotional that it will always remain a difficult sport to judge. It's why I appreciated that this book sought to humanize all the skaters who all, at the end of the day, skate out to center ice and do their job.
February 23, 2014
I've been a fan of figure-skating since childhood. But it wasn't until I read this book that I developed a real appreciation and understanding for those skaters that make it to the pinnacle of their sport.
And also a real perspective, cynicism and downright disapproval for the International Skating Union (ISU) and their games of politics, fraud and corruption that continues to mar this beautiful sport to its present day.
To say that Joy Goodwin takes an in-depth look at the scandal that rocked the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, an event that has forever marred the legacy of those Games, is really only going skin deep in to what 2002 could have been and what the ISU and its own avarice tragically turned it into.
She starts from the beginning, from the infancy of the three pairs teams that are forever linked to the controversy, explaining how each country ended up playing a role in how they skated, and ultimately how it led to the showdown at the Salt Lake Games.
Three different countries - China, Russia, Canada - each with their own way of doing things, their own system of building their talent into elite competitors. It ultimately leads each team to find their strengths in different elements of the sport. For the Russians, it is the skating. For the Chinese, it is the execution of difficult elements.
And for Canada, it is the performance, and by extension, the often elusive and unquantifiable heart.
In 2002, all three countries found themselves with what some would call 'generational talent' - talent that only comes once every few decades. And in any other era, all three would be gold medal favourites at the Olympics. Unfortunately, all three would find themselves at the peak of their competitive careers at the same time.
And there can only be one gold medalist.
The way she transitions from the past to that now infamous day in 2002 is artful, and connects well throughout. The information she shares is both informative as well as interesting. And her insight is second to none as to what had eventually unfolded halfway through Salt Lake, why it ended the way it did.
Her insight is sadly relevant even 12 years later. In light of what happened in the newly instituted team event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, followed soon after by the ice dance and women's singles competition, I found myself going back to this book and reviewing the 2002 incident, what led to it and what ultimately 'resolved' the scandal.
And when I say resolved I mean insofar as to get the Canada a second gold medal. Because, as I learned from this book, the ISU escaped scot-free of any real repercussions of what they allowed to transpire.
Heck, the Ukrainian judge that is currently involved in the 2014 women's singles scandal is actually mentioned in detail in this book about her suspension for score-fixing in 1998!
It explained so much, both of Canada's overall clout within the ISU and internationally as a whole and why Canadians always seemed to be inclined to generate 'higher than average' scores under the new scoring system. Which ultimately extends to what is wrong with the new scoring system.
Problems that, until reading this book, I had not had any clue was there.
This book taught me so much about the sport, about figure-skating as a whole as much as its ugly side. Yes it made me into a real cynic. But this book is also why after 2002, and even after 2014 despite how angry those Olympics made me, I'll remain a figure-skating fan.
Because this book, like the sport it writes about, is more than about the scandal. You only have to read the amazing stories of the three pairs teams to know that figure-skating isn't about the judges, or the medals, it's about the skaters and what they can do to an audience when they find their Olympic moment.
But I still hope that Ottavio Cinquanta and ISU and its opaque system of bribery, fraud and corruption is hung and quartered for how they treat these fabulous people, the people that generates their pay cheque.
And also a real perspective, cynicism and downright disapproval for the International Skating Union (ISU) and their games of politics, fraud and corruption that continues to mar this beautiful sport to its present day.
To say that Joy Goodwin takes an in-depth look at the scandal that rocked the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, an event that has forever marred the legacy of those Games, is really only going skin deep in to what 2002 could have been and what the ISU and its own avarice tragically turned it into.
She starts from the beginning, from the infancy of the three pairs teams that are forever linked to the controversy, explaining how each country ended up playing a role in how they skated, and ultimately how it led to the showdown at the Salt Lake Games.
Three different countries - China, Russia, Canada - each with their own way of doing things, their own system of building their talent into elite competitors. It ultimately leads each team to find their strengths in different elements of the sport. For the Russians, it is the skating. For the Chinese, it is the execution of difficult elements.
And for Canada, it is the performance, and by extension, the often elusive and unquantifiable heart.
In 2002, all three countries found themselves with what some would call 'generational talent' - talent that only comes once every few decades. And in any other era, all three would be gold medal favourites at the Olympics. Unfortunately, all three would find themselves at the peak of their competitive careers at the same time.
And there can only be one gold medalist.
The way she transitions from the past to that now infamous day in 2002 is artful, and connects well throughout. The information she shares is both informative as well as interesting. And her insight is second to none as to what had eventually unfolded halfway through Salt Lake, why it ended the way it did.
Her insight is sadly relevant even 12 years later. In light of what happened in the newly instituted team event at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, followed soon after by the ice dance and women's singles competition, I found myself going back to this book and reviewing the 2002 incident, what led to it and what ultimately 'resolved' the scandal.
And when I say resolved I mean insofar as to get the Canada a second gold medal. Because, as I learned from this book, the ISU escaped scot-free of any real repercussions of what they allowed to transpire.
Heck, the Ukrainian judge that is currently involved in the 2014 women's singles scandal is actually mentioned in detail in this book about her suspension for score-fixing in 1998!
It explained so much, both of Canada's overall clout within the ISU and internationally as a whole and why Canadians always seemed to be inclined to generate 'higher than average' scores under the new scoring system. Which ultimately extends to what is wrong with the new scoring system.
Problems that, until reading this book, I had not had any clue was there.
This book taught me so much about the sport, about figure-skating as a whole as much as its ugly side. Yes it made me into a real cynic. But this book is also why after 2002, and even after 2014 despite how angry those Olympics made me, I'll remain a figure-skating fan.
Because this book, like the sport it writes about, is more than about the scandal. You only have to read the amazing stories of the three pairs teams to know that figure-skating isn't about the judges, or the medals, it's about the skaters and what they can do to an audience when they find their Olympic moment.
But I still hope that Ottavio Cinquanta and ISU and its opaque system of bribery, fraud and corruption is hung and quartered for how they treat these fabulous people, the people that generates their pay cheque.
October 23, 2013
The Second Mark: Courage, Corruption, And The Battle For Olympic Gold by Joy Goodwin is an in-depth look at the three pairs teams who medaled at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. It discusses the six skaters, and how all of their humble beginnings lead to Olympic greatness. It also looks at the lives of their coaches and parents, to examine how their support systems were able to push the skaters and help them achieve their ultimate potential. As the book progresses, it leads up to the Olympic event, the controversial results, and the judging scandal that followed.
It is fascinating to view this book in a historical context - the Russian and Chinese teams were coming to their physical peak at a time when the political climates of their respective countries were turning on their heads. The Russian tradition of pairs figure skating had lead to ten consecutive Olympic gold medals before 2002, but when the Soviet Union collapsed, so did the state funding supporting the athletes and their training. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikahrulidze had started their training under the old Soviet system, but had to find a way to maintain access to ice and training time in a changing world. Though this struggle was nothing compared to Elena's need to overcome an abusive relationship and near-death incident with her former pairs partner. They started in a system where two young children who were not particularly interested in becoming skaters were pushed by the state to achieve greatness, then, right when they were about to reach it, the state support that had created a dynasty of Olympic champions melted away.
In China, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were born to parents who had lived through China's Cultural Revolution and all the repercussions that led to meager earnings and an inability to improve their social standings afterwards. At a young age they were separated from their families and lived at the athletic training facility. Zhao Hongbo because his natural athletic gifts were apparent at a young age. Shen Xue because she worked harder than any other child and had a father who would help her push herself to the limit. As their abilities and world standings progressed, their coach was able to gradually convince the Chinese government for the need of Western influence in terms of choreography and style. In the days of their coach, Yao Bin, such a thing would have been unthinkable. The cultural changes and government support allowed two children who were born in poverty to achieve greatness for a country whose earlier competitors had been laughed off Olympic ice.
The Canadian team of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier had a similarly long though very different road than the other teams contending for the Olympic title. David Pelletier had a mother who pushed him into skating, and though he initially did well because of an innate talent, he eventually found a true love for the sport once he started skating pairs. Jamie Salé had a charismatic spark, though she was not, perhaps, the most gifted skater technically speaking. She, too, had a real love for pairs skating. But the North American system, where parents scrape together enough to afford lessons and ice time for their children, and where appropriate partners are found by luck more than by careful assessment and planning of coaches, is not the easiest method to create a great pairs team. Both Jamie and David spent most of their careers with different partners. It was only once they started skating together that they had a meteoric rise to the top of the sport. Where the other teams had been skating together for years, Jamie and David had much less time together before their attempt at an Olympic title. Where the other teams faced more pressure from coaches, parents, and their state governments, Salé and Pelletier had to deal with their own intense emotions and passions to make the team work.
The book concludes with a thorough description of the Olympic event, and the days following when the events of the judging scandal came to light. It is an odd tale, involving the French skating federation and a man wanted by the FBI for being a member of an international mafia ring. The entire event resulted in dual gold medals for the Russian and Canadian teams, which was entirely unsatisfying for anyone, except, perhaps, the North American media. The Canadians were robbed of their Olympic moment, and the Russian victory was tarnished. Though there were hearings to discuss the events of the Olympic scandal, there was not any real effort to look into the root of the problem, and it was decided that anonymous judging would protect the judges from feeling federation pressure in the future.
The final events of this book are now a decade past, but it is interesting to see how the repercussions of the judging scandal are affecting the sport to this day. Though this book makes no mention of it (as it was published only two years after the Salt Lake Olympics), the "new" IJS scoring system was put in place to prevent such controversial results and questions of cheating in the future. Many have attributed the new system with removing the soul of skating and causing a rapid decline in the popularity of the sport. It is also amusing to note that, due to the anonymity of judges and the way that scores are assessed, it is almost easier for judges to cheat under the new system than the old. Fans can now cry out against the harsh judgements of the technical caller, and question the inflated PCS scores of skaters whose performances were marred by several falls, but it doesn't quite have the same thrill as seeing the score 6.0 flash across the screen. Moreover, with skaters pushing their bodies to the limit to increase the base values of their program, it is increasingly difficult to have the physical staying-power of skaters past. The sport now has an almost too-technical quality about it, where difficult elements are valued above the beauty of a pure, smooth, gliding edge. Reading this book makes one want to go back and re-watch programs of the past. And in doing so you realize that they made you feel something. There is an art, a beauty, an intangible elegance to these performances that just doesn't seem to be possible in the sport today. I won't deny that the elements being attempted by today's athletes are much more difficult than in the past. But I will also say that the difficulty is much more obvious - that seamless quality is gone. At the time, the judging scandal may have felt like it only affected the results of one competition, but in reality the incident would affect the future of the sport more profoundly than anyone would have guessed.
In the end I have to say this was a truly fantastic and engaging book. The lives of these skaters, coaches, and parents are fascinating, and the book itself is very well written. You feel for all of the skaters, and, even knowing the results, you find yourself rooting for all of them. I did feel that the writing of the book colored the skating of the Olympic event in favor of the Canadian team perhaps a bit more than it should have; I remember watching the event and, despite a minor bobble from the Russian team, thinking, on that night, that they had justifiably won. There was an etherial quality to their skating that feels somewhat downplayed in the text. However, I can appreciate the argument that the skating by the Canadian team was more technically correct and I do agree that the judging of the event was unfair. And, despite the fact that the scandal and hoopla surrounded the Russians and Canadians, after finishing the book I felt that the Chinese team displayed the greatest amount of Olympic spirit. Inspiring, disheartening, and fascinating, The Second Mark is a great read for skating fans, but would be a fascinating personal interest story even if you don't know much about the sport. I highly recommend it to all.
(Random slightly tangential side note - does there exist a skating book about roller or ice where Ottavio Cinquanta is not the villain? He squashed the Olympic dreams of many on one side of the fence, and seems to have supported fixing the results on the other. In an odd way the decline of both sports can be traced back to the man, and it is almost tragic how one person can cause such severe problems and remain in power.)
It is fascinating to view this book in a historical context - the Russian and Chinese teams were coming to their physical peak at a time when the political climates of their respective countries were turning on their heads. The Russian tradition of pairs figure skating had lead to ten consecutive Olympic gold medals before 2002, but when the Soviet Union collapsed, so did the state funding supporting the athletes and their training. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikahrulidze had started their training under the old Soviet system, but had to find a way to maintain access to ice and training time in a changing world. Though this struggle was nothing compared to Elena's need to overcome an abusive relationship and near-death incident with her former pairs partner. They started in a system where two young children who were not particularly interested in becoming skaters were pushed by the state to achieve greatness, then, right when they were about to reach it, the state support that had created a dynasty of Olympic champions melted away.
In China, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were born to parents who had lived through China's Cultural Revolution and all the repercussions that led to meager earnings and an inability to improve their social standings afterwards. At a young age they were separated from their families and lived at the athletic training facility. Zhao Hongbo because his natural athletic gifts were apparent at a young age. Shen Xue because she worked harder than any other child and had a father who would help her push herself to the limit. As their abilities and world standings progressed, their coach was able to gradually convince the Chinese government for the need of Western influence in terms of choreography and style. In the days of their coach, Yao Bin, such a thing would have been unthinkable. The cultural changes and government support allowed two children who were born in poverty to achieve greatness for a country whose earlier competitors had been laughed off Olympic ice.
The Canadian team of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier had a similarly long though very different road than the other teams contending for the Olympic title. David Pelletier had a mother who pushed him into skating, and though he initially did well because of an innate talent, he eventually found a true love for the sport once he started skating pairs. Jamie Salé had a charismatic spark, though she was not, perhaps, the most gifted skater technically speaking. She, too, had a real love for pairs skating. But the North American system, where parents scrape together enough to afford lessons and ice time for their children, and where appropriate partners are found by luck more than by careful assessment and planning of coaches, is not the easiest method to create a great pairs team. Both Jamie and David spent most of their careers with different partners. It was only once they started skating together that they had a meteoric rise to the top of the sport. Where the other teams had been skating together for years, Jamie and David had much less time together before their attempt at an Olympic title. Where the other teams faced more pressure from coaches, parents, and their state governments, Salé and Pelletier had to deal with their own intense emotions and passions to make the team work.
The book concludes with a thorough description of the Olympic event, and the days following when the events of the judging scandal came to light. It is an odd tale, involving the French skating federation and a man wanted by the FBI for being a member of an international mafia ring. The entire event resulted in dual gold medals for the Russian and Canadian teams, which was entirely unsatisfying for anyone, except, perhaps, the North American media. The Canadians were robbed of their Olympic moment, and the Russian victory was tarnished. Though there were hearings to discuss the events of the Olympic scandal, there was not any real effort to look into the root of the problem, and it was decided that anonymous judging would protect the judges from feeling federation pressure in the future.
The final events of this book are now a decade past, but it is interesting to see how the repercussions of the judging scandal are affecting the sport to this day. Though this book makes no mention of it (as it was published only two years after the Salt Lake Olympics), the "new" IJS scoring system was put in place to prevent such controversial results and questions of cheating in the future. Many have attributed the new system with removing the soul of skating and causing a rapid decline in the popularity of the sport. It is also amusing to note that, due to the anonymity of judges and the way that scores are assessed, it is almost easier for judges to cheat under the new system than the old. Fans can now cry out against the harsh judgements of the technical caller, and question the inflated PCS scores of skaters whose performances were marred by several falls, but it doesn't quite have the same thrill as seeing the score 6.0 flash across the screen. Moreover, with skaters pushing their bodies to the limit to increase the base values of their program, it is increasingly difficult to have the physical staying-power of skaters past. The sport now has an almost too-technical quality about it, where difficult elements are valued above the beauty of a pure, smooth, gliding edge. Reading this book makes one want to go back and re-watch programs of the past. And in doing so you realize that they made you feel something. There is an art, a beauty, an intangible elegance to these performances that just doesn't seem to be possible in the sport today. I won't deny that the elements being attempted by today's athletes are much more difficult than in the past. But I will also say that the difficulty is much more obvious - that seamless quality is gone. At the time, the judging scandal may have felt like it only affected the results of one competition, but in reality the incident would affect the future of the sport more profoundly than anyone would have guessed.
In the end I have to say this was a truly fantastic and engaging book. The lives of these skaters, coaches, and parents are fascinating, and the book itself is very well written. You feel for all of the skaters, and, even knowing the results, you find yourself rooting for all of them. I did feel that the writing of the book colored the skating of the Olympic event in favor of the Canadian team perhaps a bit more than it should have; I remember watching the event and, despite a minor bobble from the Russian team, thinking, on that night, that they had justifiably won. There was an etherial quality to their skating that feels somewhat downplayed in the text. However, I can appreciate the argument that the skating by the Canadian team was more technically correct and I do agree that the judging of the event was unfair. And, despite the fact that the scandal and hoopla surrounded the Russians and Canadians, after finishing the book I felt that the Chinese team displayed the greatest amount of Olympic spirit. Inspiring, disheartening, and fascinating, The Second Mark is a great read for skating fans, but would be a fascinating personal interest story even if you don't know much about the sport. I highly recommend it to all.
(Random slightly tangential side note - does there exist a skating book about roller or ice where Ottavio Cinquanta is not the villain? He squashed the Olympic dreams of many on one side of the fence, and seems to have supported fixing the results on the other. In an odd way the decline of both sports can be traced back to the man, and it is almost tragic how one person can cause such severe problems and remain in power.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2022
I really enjoyed this. It is quite dated, of course (2004), but it was interesting to revisit the figure skating seasons (late 90s-early 00s) that I remember more vividly than any others. Goodwin writes about the sport and its personalities very effectively. (I heard all the Tamara Moskvina sections as if they were in her voice!) In fact, though the Salt Lake City controversy is well covered, the deep dive into Berezhnaya/Sikharudlidze’s, Shen/Zhao’s, and Salé/Pelletier’s stories is by far the most engaging part.
I also found it’s prompted reflection on the very different coaching cultures in the West versus Russia and China and how we see that playing out to this day. I think we see that especially in Russia, which retains aspects of the old Soviet system, as recent events have made plain. It also made me think about how some of the skaters I’ve admired have been shaped by practices that would be denounced as clearly abusive in a modern western context.
I also found it’s prompted reflection on the very different coaching cultures in the West versus Russia and China and how we see that playing out to this day. I think we see that especially in Russia, which retains aspects of the old Soviet system, as recent events have made plain. It also made me think about how some of the skaters I’ve admired have been shaped by practices that would be denounced as clearly abusive in a modern western context.
April 26, 2021
2021 re-read:
The Second Mark is easily the best book about figure skating I've read. It's one of the best non-fiction books I've read. In fact, it might be in my top-20 books, full stop.
It beautifully renders the sport of figure skating on the page, in all its frustrating, ludicrous, magnificent glory. But it's also a book that captures my favourite thing about Olympic sports. That is: if you follow Olympic sports, you end up falling in love with athletes from countries you've never visited. If you're interested in THE WORLD, if you want to become a good citizen of the world, you should watch Olympic sports.
In The Second Mark, Joy Goodwin details the lives of three pairs of skaters, from China, Russia and Canada. In doing so, she sheds light on the incredible cultural differences that exist between these countries. What's particularly mind-boggling is that these skaters are contemporaneous with me. They're growing up in the 80s and 90s! And yet their upbringings are so drastically different to mine. Wild understatement: people are interesting, yo.
The human interest of The Second Mark is so compelling that, here in 2021, it's almost hard to care about the thing this book is ABOUT, which is the 2002 judging scandal. Some gangster wanted his ice dancer pal to win gold and Russia was like 'lol, fine by us'????
Look, Russia has found a hundred new and fun ways to cheat in the two decades since Salt Lake City, and Canada has discovered they have some might to throw around as well. Figure skating is a fucked up sport. But I love it. And this book reminds me why.
P.S. Hilarious that Goodwin acts like Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze are coach Tamara Moskiva's "last ever pair". Flashforward 19 years, Moskvina is 79 years old and heading into the 2022 Olympics with the pair world champions. Time is a flat circle and Moskvina is immortal. Oh, and go watch Mishina/Galliamov's We Are the Champions program. You'll have a good time.
Original review from 2010 (lol, why was I so mad about a 300-page book being over-long?)
The Second Mark is ostensibly about the 2002 Olympic Figure Skating scandal, but that's really only a small part of the book. Most of the book is devoted to biographies of all the pairs skaters who medalled in 2002 -- Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze from Russia, Salé/Pelletier from Canada and Shen/Zhao from China -- and their coaches.
The book's length is slightly off-putting at first, but this is due to the incredible detail that Joy Goodwin puts into describing the histories of the six skaters. Inevitably, it becomes not just a book about figure skating, but also a book about the cultures in which the skaters grew up. This provides fascinating glimpses into life in rural Canada, the Soviet Union both before and after its collapse, and a changing China.
Figure skating is such a beautiful sport that it's heartening to find that Goodwin's writing is also beautiful enough to do it justice on the page. She writes knowledgeably about the technical aspects of the sport -- though this is not a book to read if you want to learn the difference between a triple axel and a triple salchow -- but it's the poignancy with which she imbues her subjects lives that really makes the book a joy to read.
Really, really lovely.
The Second Mark is easily the best book about figure skating I've read. It's one of the best non-fiction books I've read. In fact, it might be in my top-20 books, full stop.
It beautifully renders the sport of figure skating on the page, in all its frustrating, ludicrous, magnificent glory. But it's also a book that captures my favourite thing about Olympic sports. That is: if you follow Olympic sports, you end up falling in love with athletes from countries you've never visited. If you're interested in THE WORLD, if you want to become a good citizen of the world, you should watch Olympic sports.
In The Second Mark, Joy Goodwin details the lives of three pairs of skaters, from China, Russia and Canada. In doing so, she sheds light on the incredible cultural differences that exist between these countries. What's particularly mind-boggling is that these skaters are contemporaneous with me. They're growing up in the 80s and 90s! And yet their upbringings are so drastically different to mine. Wild understatement: people are interesting, yo.
The human interest of The Second Mark is so compelling that, here in 2021, it's almost hard to care about the thing this book is ABOUT, which is the 2002 judging scandal. Some gangster wanted his ice dancer pal to win gold and Russia was like 'lol, fine by us'????
Look, Russia has found a hundred new and fun ways to cheat in the two decades since Salt Lake City, and Canada has discovered they have some might to throw around as well. Figure skating is a fucked up sport. But I love it. And this book reminds me why.
P.S. Hilarious that Goodwin acts like Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze are coach Tamara Moskiva's "last ever pair". Flashforward 19 years, Moskvina is 79 years old and heading into the 2022 Olympics with the pair world champions. Time is a flat circle and Moskvina is immortal. Oh, and go watch Mishina/Galliamov's We Are the Champions program. You'll have a good time.
Original review from 2010 (lol, why was I so mad about a 300-page book being over-long?)
The Second Mark is ostensibly about the 2002 Olympic Figure Skating scandal, but that's really only a small part of the book. Most of the book is devoted to biographies of all the pairs skaters who medalled in 2002 -- Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze from Russia, Salé/Pelletier from Canada and Shen/Zhao from China -- and their coaches.
The book's length is slightly off-putting at first, but this is due to the incredible detail that Joy Goodwin puts into describing the histories of the six skaters. Inevitably, it becomes not just a book about figure skating, but also a book about the cultures in which the skaters grew up. This provides fascinating glimpses into life in rural Canada, the Soviet Union both before and after its collapse, and a changing China.
Figure skating is such a beautiful sport that it's heartening to find that Goodwin's writing is also beautiful enough to do it justice on the page. She writes knowledgeably about the technical aspects of the sport -- though this is not a book to read if you want to learn the difference between a triple axel and a triple salchow -- but it's the poignancy with which she imbues her subjects lives that really makes the book a joy to read.
Really, really lovely.
November 7, 2014
Whilst this book was an intriguing read, it was more about the background of the three pairs then an expose into the 6.0 system. The actual scandal was covered only briefly and without much depth, the author can't be entirely blamed for this since the International Skating Union basically made sure the truth was never known.
It was still fascinating to read the backgrounds of the pairs though, in particular the Chinese skaters, Shen and Zhao, who were held back by the second mark right up until the 2003 World Championships because Chinese artistry was not considered "true" artistry, which I found grossly unfair, more unfair than the initial result of the Pairs Competition at the 2002 Olympics (having watched all the programs on YouTube I thought the Russians truly deserved the gold outright, but there's no denying a shady deal had been made that brought the whole judging of the event into disrepute). It had shades of racism and prejudice against anything "different".
Shen and Zhao's story really stole the show though and I had goose bumps as I read the Epilogue about their skate at the 2003 World Championships.
But if one is looking for an explanation of the old system of judging this book isn't really it, if you're interested in figure skating though, it's a good read. And perhaps unwittingly a look at the power of Western media, since as pointed out by some had the 4-5 judging split been in the Canadians favour such a furore would never have happened.
It was still fascinating to read the backgrounds of the pairs though, in particular the Chinese skaters, Shen and Zhao, who were held back by the second mark right up until the 2003 World Championships because Chinese artistry was not considered "true" artistry, which I found grossly unfair, more unfair than the initial result of the Pairs Competition at the 2002 Olympics (having watched all the programs on YouTube I thought the Russians truly deserved the gold outright, but there's no denying a shady deal had been made that brought the whole judging of the event into disrepute). It had shades of racism and prejudice against anything "different".
Shen and Zhao's story really stole the show though and I had goose bumps as I read the Epilogue about their skate at the 2003 World Championships.
But if one is looking for an explanation of the old system of judging this book isn't really it, if you're interested in figure skating though, it's a good read. And perhaps unwittingly a look at the power of Western media, since as pointed out by some had the 4-5 judging split been in the Canadians favour such a furore would never have happened.
September 1, 2016
This is the best skating book I have ever read! I have been a figure skating aficionado for more than a decade now and I have read and loved Christine Brennan's books but this one is far better! I loved the "fly on the wall" approach to what is takes to be an Olympic quality pair skater. I enjoyed learning about my favorite skaters and their vastly different lives. I found the first few sections about the preparation more interesting than the Salt Lake scandal aspect, however I enjoyed reading that part too. This book is extremely well researched with first hand interviews from the skaters and their families. I respect the author's decision to stay as true to the original spellings of Russian names and the proper order of Chinese names.
I give this book a 6.0! I couldn't put it down! I recommend it to every die-hard skating fan out there!
I give this book a 6.0! I couldn't put it down! I recommend it to every die-hard skating fan out there!
April 27, 2014
Probably the perfect sports book and a book that very easily captures the reasons I both love and hate figure skating.
February 1, 2023
Some said "Figure Skating is fun until you watch it CLOSELY"
I agree until I finished this book, now I STRONGLY AGREE lol
Even though I'm a FS fan for a little while and acknowledge how atrociously this sport has been corrupted. Nonetheless, the story that this book covered is a whole new level.
Figure Skating is one of the sport that has scandalous events in its history over and over. 2002 Olympics scandal is one of them, and it's an initiation that ignited the change in FS scoring system.
I found myself enjoy reading this book. It is full of researches and interviews (with rare photos)
The book introduced a brief of Figure Skating background which made it friendly for non Figure Skating fan. I didn't follow FS in 2002. To learn FS anecdote back in the day e.g. how did this particular song perceive among the judges, which component did the judges like or dislike was fascinating story.
The book began by introducing the three main pairs from 2002 Olympics, Russia, China, Canada.
Each grew up in a rough environment, some were abusive, some didn't support this sport whatsoever, the lack of fund etc. and it's getting more lethal when it comes to the scoring where it's due to the country's personal gain rather than to judge the skaters performance entirely.
The scandal is somehow solved just because somebody witnessed a part of evidence and confessed the truth, but the actual puppeteer was still nowhere to be discovered, and the scandal was possibly involved with a big name Mafia!?
Ridiculously, even though the federation changed its scoring system to fix the flaw,
in hindsight, it also led to another corruption loophole that caused *Sochi 2014 anonymous scoring scandal*
Sadly, no matter how much the time passes, athletes are the victims of this unjust system. Being the chess pieces for federation, and can do nothing about it.
Then again, Figure Skating is fun when you watch it as a casual fan.
It is such an aesthetic sport with elegance and delicacy until you realize it's a big part of a political scheme.
I agree until I finished this book, now I STRONGLY AGREE lol
Even though I'm a FS fan for a little while and acknowledge how atrociously this sport has been corrupted. Nonetheless, the story that this book covered is a whole new level.
Figure Skating is one of the sport that has scandalous events in its history over and over. 2002 Olympics scandal is one of them, and it's an initiation that ignited the change in FS scoring system.
I found myself enjoy reading this book. It is full of researches and interviews (with rare photos)
The book introduced a brief of Figure Skating background which made it friendly for non Figure Skating fan. I didn't follow FS in 2002. To learn FS anecdote back in the day e.g. how did this particular song perceive among the judges, which component did the judges like or dislike was fascinating story.
The book began by introducing the three main pairs from 2002 Olympics, Russia, China, Canada.
Each grew up in a rough environment, some were abusive, some didn't support this sport whatsoever, the lack of fund etc. and it's getting more lethal when it comes to the scoring where it's due to the country's personal gain rather than to judge the skaters performance entirely.
The scandal is somehow solved just because somebody witnessed a part of evidence and confessed the truth, but the actual puppeteer was still nowhere to be discovered, and the scandal was possibly involved with a big name Mafia!?
Ridiculously, even though the federation changed its scoring system to fix the flaw,
in hindsight, it also led to another corruption loophole that caused *Sochi 2014 anonymous scoring scandal*
Sadly, no matter how much the time passes, athletes are the victims of this unjust system. Being the chess pieces for federation, and can do nothing about it.
Then again, Figure Skating is fun when you watch it as a casual fan.
It is such an aesthetic sport with elegance and delicacy until you realize it's a big part of a political scheme.
December 26, 2017
This book provides a breathtaking insight into the training regime of 3 world renowned pairs ice skating teams; the Chinese, the Russian and Canadian, and the scandal that rocked the pairs competition at the 2002 Winter Games. The book traces a course from the founding years of each teams training (with some intermediate and historical details) and then finally describes the lead up to, and inclusion of the teams rivalry at the 2002 Olympics. The final part of the book describes the political underpinnings leading to final scores at the competition which lead to the eventual overhaul of the 6.0 marking system.
When I read this book 9 years ago I was not really interested in the political motivations behind the results of this competition, and why they ended up as they did, nor in the overhaul of the marking system in figure skating. Instead, I was drwn in right away by the introduction to the book, the readability of the book and the way the author almost puts you right there in the moment. Being a national level figure skater from overseas during the 80's, I could relate entirely to the intense focus put on the hours of training. Nevertheless, I found the descriptions of the formidable environments which the Russian, and in particular the Chinese team members emerged from during their formative years, still, just spine chilling. I loved 'The Second Mark', but due to my particular interests at the time (on training), remained 'riveted' only during the first two parts of the book. I am buying the book to read again, this time due to the fact that I have now coached skaters competing with the IJS scoring system. I know I will appreciate the political undertones compelling the scoring to change, the second time around.
When I read this book 9 years ago I was not really interested in the political motivations behind the results of this competition, and why they ended up as they did, nor in the overhaul of the marking system in figure skating. Instead, I was drwn in right away by the introduction to the book, the readability of the book and the way the author almost puts you right there in the moment. Being a national level figure skater from overseas during the 80's, I could relate entirely to the intense focus put on the hours of training. Nevertheless, I found the descriptions of the formidable environments which the Russian, and in particular the Chinese team members emerged from during their formative years, still, just spine chilling. I loved 'The Second Mark', but due to my particular interests at the time (on training), remained 'riveted' only during the first two parts of the book. I am buying the book to read again, this time due to the fact that I have now coached skaters competing with the IJS scoring system. I know I will appreciate the political undertones compelling the scoring to change, the second time around.
March 1, 2020
There are three parts of this book, the first part, the biographies of the skaters, was amazing, and deserves five stars. The third part political fall out, or lack there of, from Salt Lake also deserves 5 stars. The problem is the author doesn't really seem to understand a lot of the complexities of figure skating.
I was 15 when I watched the event, as a huge US fan, and was a mediocre figure skater, and I remember being blown away by the Russians, but only impressed by the Canadians. Talking to people at my rink the week after, including coaches and judges, all of them agreed with my view, and not the "North American media." The author says things about how the Russians have a certain style that is different from the North American style, and that people in North America don't like that style. What the author doesn't say, is technically, even with the bobble, the Russian's program was technically much harder than the Canadian's program. The Canadians did perform their program better than the Russians. In today's scoring system, the Russian's would have won gold by a long shot (and not just because they won the short program). My gripe is the author spent too much time judging each program by media coverage, and not by the actual skating elements in the programs (other than the Chinese program, which made the book even weirder). As someone who was in the sport, and not just a fan, the lack of technical proficiency, made the book feel incomplete, and biased towards the North American side of the story.
I was 15 when I watched the event, as a huge US fan, and was a mediocre figure skater, and I remember being blown away by the Russians, but only impressed by the Canadians. Talking to people at my rink the week after, including coaches and judges, all of them agreed with my view, and not the "North American media." The author says things about how the Russians have a certain style that is different from the North American style, and that people in North America don't like that style. What the author doesn't say, is technically, even with the bobble, the Russian's program was technically much harder than the Canadian's program. The Canadians did perform their program better than the Russians. In today's scoring system, the Russian's would have won gold by a long shot (and not just because they won the short program). My gripe is the author spent too much time judging each program by media coverage, and not by the actual skating elements in the programs (other than the Chinese program, which made the book even weirder). As someone who was in the sport, and not just a fan, the lack of technical proficiency, made the book feel incomplete, and biased towards the North American side of the story.
November 13, 2021
"The Second Mark" is, at first blink, a story of the Salt Lake City Olympics and the scandal that erupted over the rigged pairs outcome.
By far the bulk of the book, however, is not about Salt Lake City--it is the story of three pairs, each a representative of the deep skating tradition in their country, and the extent to which they gave of themselves to take the ice at Salt Lake City and beyond. Each skater's story is entwined with the story of a nation in a given moment in time--the Canadian countryside, the depressed rinks of post-Soviet Russia, the iron and poverty of Harbin, China.
What's good: Everything. The writing is beautiful and gives a sense of the unique energy and joy of skating. It's not easy to "see" skating in one's head, but Joy Goodwin's writing makes it happen. The commitment to understanding each skater as a three-dimensional person, not a fairytale character--this, too, makes the book very compelling. (The story of how the Chinese skaters, especially Shen Xue, fought all their careers to improve just hurts the heart.)
What's iffier: Honestly, nothing. This is one of the best skating books of all time.
By far the bulk of the book, however, is not about Salt Lake City--it is the story of three pairs, each a representative of the deep skating tradition in their country, and the extent to which they gave of themselves to take the ice at Salt Lake City and beyond. Each skater's story is entwined with the story of a nation in a given moment in time--the Canadian countryside, the depressed rinks of post-Soviet Russia, the iron and poverty of Harbin, China.
What's good: Everything. The writing is beautiful and gives a sense of the unique energy and joy of skating. It's not easy to "see" skating in one's head, but Joy Goodwin's writing makes it happen. The commitment to understanding each skater as a three-dimensional person, not a fairytale character--this, too, makes the book very compelling. (The story of how the Chinese skaters, especially Shen Xue, fought all their careers to improve just hurts the heart.)
What's iffier: Honestly, nothing. This is one of the best skating books of all time.
April 30, 2025
My only complaint about this book is that it was written too soon! Or perhaps, it just needs to be one in a series detailed the massive change to the IJS system and what that has done to the sport; whether or not it’s actually any more objective; justice for Kim Yuna 2014, the rise of the Eteri girls, and more! You could always end with the question, “did they call Qs on Alysa Lui at the 2025 worlds?”
Me everyone else on figure skating Reddit would be enthralled. This story reminded me of so much I didn’t know I had forgotten; it was so interesting to re-watch the 2002 performances under the lens of 20 years of IJS figure skating, too. Everyone says that the Russian program was way harder, etc, with transitions. That’s all true. But they’ve would’ve lost a HELL of a lot of GOE on those landings! I guess we’ll never know!
Me everyone else on figure skating Reddit would be enthralled. This story reminded me of so much I didn’t know I had forgotten; it was so interesting to re-watch the 2002 performances under the lens of 20 years of IJS figure skating, too. Everyone says that the Russian program was way harder, etc, with transitions. That’s all true. But they’ve would’ve lost a HELL of a lot of GOE on those landings! I guess we’ll never know!
May 11, 2020
Meticulously researched, compelling and unforgettable story about not just the cheating scandal at the Salt Lake City Olympics pairs final, but about the amount of work that goes into training for an Olympic medal. The three pairs at Salt Lake city were arguably the best three pairs ever to compete, each holding a world championship title (or more than one). Also if you are a fan and watched the Salt Lake Olympics I guarantee your memories & dismay over the outcome will be just as strong as ever. Wonderful read.
October 12, 2022
A must read for every skating fan. Especially for younger fans, like myself, who were too young to remember the Salt Lake City Olympics. The author gives a great history of skating in Canada, the Soviet Union, and China. It was interesting to see the origins of main players in the skating world now 20 years later- Moskvina and the Harbin pairs school in particular, as well as Didier, who is still reeking havoc on the sport 20 years later.
20 years later and judges are still corrupt and federations pressure their judges- but so it goes in our sport.
20 years later and judges are still corrupt and federations pressure their judges- but so it goes in our sport.
January 5, 2021
I think this is one of the best books on figure skating out there. It explains the judging of the sport, the gruelling training, and I think (for the most part) touches on why the SLC scandal occurred (politics and cultural difference).
There is a North American bias by the author to an extent, but I think she does a good job at explaining the different sides of the story from the skaters, coaches, judges, and crowd.
There is a North American bias by the author to an extent, but I think she does a good job at explaining the different sides of the story from the skaters, coaches, judges, and crowd.
May 23, 2023
I thought this was really well-done! A balanced account of the judging scandal and goings-on at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, providing an in-depth, behind the scenes look at the stories of the top three teams in the pairs event. Given the current Jamie Salé situation, I don't think anyone can really approach this book the same way they did previously - but it is important history nonetheless and the author did their homework and crafted an outstanding narrative.
February 24, 2022
So much background on the skaters that it feels as though the author simply ran out of space and had to rush through the part that most interesting section—how the controversy over the judging happened. Although the author did an amazing job of research regarding the skaters’ lives, I was left feeling disappointed.
July 29, 2017
Very interesting, in-depth story about the Salt Lake City Olympic figure-skating scandal, plus tons of other information about the sport. Swiped from Holland America SS Rotterdam somewhere on the North Sea.
May 27, 2017
4.25 stars. This was what I wanted from Christine Brennan's books.
January 29, 2022
Very interesting, maybe partly because I have a skating background.
February 7, 2022
the perspective on the Chinese pair is easily the best part of the book. a great read for an Olympic year
May 5, 2022
Fascinating.
June 23, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! The 2002 Winter Olympics, pairs skating, French judge, corrupt voting, outrage and self-righteousness – my own memories of the events covered prior to my recent reading of The Second Mark.
Joy Goodwin’s warm, respectful,informative summaries of the backgrounds of each of the six skaters and the paths by which these pairs came together within their own national contexts has made me appreciate and admire the unimaginable journey taken by these skaters, the three best pairs internationally in 2002 (and by the coaches of international champions). I’ve learned about Chinese and Russian rural villagers pouring water on fields to create the “rinks” on which some of the skaters learned, ripples, snow, bone-chattering cold!; bruises, broken bones, flying falls and resilient rising to do it all again.
• The individual triumphs within the Chinese system to simply create an interest in coaching and promoting pairs (and their laughed-at first international performances).
• The financial commitments required of Canadian families with high-achieving skaters, and why a rural Canadian boy would even dream of figure skating rather than hockey (short answer: he wouldn’t, but his mom might).
• The difficult choices made by families that foster or limit access to coaches, facilities, skills development, competitive experience, and public exposure.
And then there’s the voting! The final chapters summarize the Olympic performances, but, as importantly, move us to closer consideration of judging. This was, for me, like entering an emotionally distinct “book two” of the tale. We enter a world of international politics, sports corruption, and the limits inherent on awarding “merit” in a sport in which preferences of art and style are negotiated beside athletic technical measures.
In 2018, as I write, its Winter Olympics year again. What better time to revisit 2002 and the engaging tale of determined athletes, national organizations, the Olympics! Grab a copy! Happy landings!
Joy Goodwin’s warm, respectful,informative summaries of the backgrounds of each of the six skaters and the paths by which these pairs came together within their own national contexts has made me appreciate and admire the unimaginable journey taken by these skaters, the three best pairs internationally in 2002 (and by the coaches of international champions). I’ve learned about Chinese and Russian rural villagers pouring water on fields to create the “rinks” on which some of the skaters learned, ripples, snow, bone-chattering cold!; bruises, broken bones, flying falls and resilient rising to do it all again.
• The individual triumphs within the Chinese system to simply create an interest in coaching and promoting pairs (and their laughed-at first international performances).
• The financial commitments required of Canadian families with high-achieving skaters, and why a rural Canadian boy would even dream of figure skating rather than hockey (short answer: he wouldn’t, but his mom might).
• The difficult choices made by families that foster or limit access to coaches, facilities, skills development, competitive experience, and public exposure.
And then there’s the voting! The final chapters summarize the Olympic performances, but, as importantly, move us to closer consideration of judging. This was, for me, like entering an emotionally distinct “book two” of the tale. We enter a world of international politics, sports corruption, and the limits inherent on awarding “merit” in a sport in which preferences of art and style are negotiated beside athletic technical measures.
In 2018, as I write, its Winter Olympics year again. What better time to revisit 2002 and the engaging tale of determined athletes, national organizations, the Olympics! Grab a copy! Happy landings!
Read
April 5, 2011The Second Mark is one of my favorite sports-related books. With the 2002 Salt Lake City pairs figure skating controversy as a starting point, Goodwin explores the very different paths taken by the three medal winning pairs and their coaches to get to the Olympic podium and the aftermath of the events that took place. While her profiles of the skaters are all worth reading, the sections about the Chinese skaters and Russian coach Tamara Moskvina are the strongest, in my opinion, and offer a wealth of material not usually available in shorter articles and interviews. Her level of access to the skaters and others involved in their lives and in the scandal was truly impressive.
Readers whose main interest is the judging scandal and the investigation may come away disappointed, as these are not the main focus of the book (not surprisingly, considering matters were never investigated seriously). However, for those interested in what it takes to be not only an Olympian but an elite one, and of course for dedicated skating fans, The Second Mark is a must read.
There are a few minor errors, mostly related to ages and chronology, but these do not seriously detract from the book. Unfortunately, an updated edition has not been published; in case any readers require an epilogue, Xue Shen and Zhao Hongbo went on to win two more Olympic medals, including the gold in 2010, and are now retired and married. Shen became a confident and elegant skater, quite a contrast to the shy girl described in the book. Sale and Pelletier, who were later married (and separated), became successful show skaters, as did Berezhnaya; Sikharulidze left skating to pursue a career in politics. Most of the coaches and officials are still involved in the sport.
Readers whose main interest is the judging scandal and the investigation may come away disappointed, as these are not the main focus of the book (not surprisingly, considering matters were never investigated seriously). However, for those interested in what it takes to be not only an Olympian but an elite one, and of course for dedicated skating fans, The Second Mark is a must read.
There are a few minor errors, mostly related to ages and chronology, but these do not seriously detract from the book. Unfortunately, an updated edition has not been published; in case any readers require an epilogue, Xue Shen and Zhao Hongbo went on to win two more Olympic medals, including the gold in 2010, and are now retired and married. Shen became a confident and elegant skater, quite a contrast to the shy girl described in the book. Sale and Pelletier, who were later married (and separated), became successful show skaters, as did Berezhnaya; Sikharulidze left skating to pursue a career in politics. Most of the coaches and officials are still involved in the sport.
April 24, 2013
Beautifully written and actually interesting and fun to read. It is not very often that a true story book could make me turn the pages past the middle of the night. And this one does.
The actual story is so controversial, scandalous, but the author manages to stay away from the yellow gossip. Instead she brings to the reader the events that lead to the competition. All the hard work, all the sacrifice, the true story of these six true olympic champions, and I do mean all of them deserve this title. More so, all their trainers, their families deserve the same honours and actually they have their own place in this book. The novel manages to make you see all the angles of the story, across the continents, through different decades and political and economic systems. It really makes you love all the contestants, even sympathise with "the villain".
You get to see all the beauty of this sport. To me this is the greatest feat that the author achieves with this novel, you could actually "see", experience all the skating programs, the jumps, the throws, the beautiful gestures, the grandeur of the costumes, the ecstatic audience... It is trully a sign of good writing when she can make you experience those hard, complicated elements, that are done in mere seconds, and somehow the narrative is not slow, you still get excited, still tense your muscles as if you are watching it live at the olympic rink. Or even more - you get to feel the skating through the athletes eyes, as if you are the one skating, you are the one competing... Great, great work!
The actual story is so controversial, scandalous, but the author manages to stay away from the yellow gossip. Instead she brings to the reader the events that lead to the competition. All the hard work, all the sacrifice, the true story of these six true olympic champions, and I do mean all of them deserve this title. More so, all their trainers, their families deserve the same honours and actually they have their own place in this book. The novel manages to make you see all the angles of the story, across the continents, through different decades and political and economic systems. It really makes you love all the contestants, even sympathise with "the villain".
You get to see all the beauty of this sport. To me this is the greatest feat that the author achieves with this novel, you could actually "see", experience all the skating programs, the jumps, the throws, the beautiful gestures, the grandeur of the costumes, the ecstatic audience... It is trully a sign of good writing when she can make you experience those hard, complicated elements, that are done in mere seconds, and somehow the narrative is not slow, you still get excited, still tense your muscles as if you are watching it live at the olympic rink. Or even more - you get to feel the skating through the athletes eyes, as if you are the one skating, you are the one competing... Great, great work!
October 10, 2008
the only thing i wish that this book would have had was an updated epilogue. i want to know where the pairs are now! especially the chinese . . .
ANYWAY.
this is the story of the 2002 olympic pairs competition. (now that i've read this, i want to watch all the performances again.)
it's not just the story of the games, which is nice. there's background on how all the teams got to that point in 2002. i fell in love with the russians, and still love the canadians, and hope that the chinese are doing okay. the difference between the state system and the free-market system, the preference of the former soviet judges vs. the north american ones - it's kind of fascinating.
the book also addresses the judges, the CRAZY federation rules, and the insanity of the ISU. i also wonder what would have happened if the games were somewhere outside of north america - would the media have stuck so hard on the story? would a double gold have been given?
i honestly will never look at figure skating the same way again. it IS a giant popularity contest! i mean, yeah, it's totally a sport, but the judging is soooo subjective with that second mark (the artistic). i also feel really badly for kids who want this to be their life. and the way shen xie can't eat . . . it breaks my heart.
oh, and guess what? THERE MIGHT BE A RUSSIAN MOB CONNECTION TO THE WHOLE VOTING SCANDAL. HAH. (no, seriously.)
ANYWAY.
this is the story of the 2002 olympic pairs competition. (now that i've read this, i want to watch all the performances again.)
it's not just the story of the games, which is nice. there's background on how all the teams got to that point in 2002. i fell in love with the russians, and still love the canadians, and hope that the chinese are doing okay. the difference between the state system and the free-market system, the preference of the former soviet judges vs. the north american ones - it's kind of fascinating.
the book also addresses the judges, the CRAZY federation rules, and the insanity of the ISU. i also wonder what would have happened if the games were somewhere outside of north america - would the media have stuck so hard on the story? would a double gold have been given?
i honestly will never look at figure skating the same way again. it IS a giant popularity contest! i mean, yeah, it's totally a sport, but the judging is soooo subjective with that second mark (the artistic). i also feel really badly for kids who want this to be their life. and the way shen xie can't eat . . . it breaks my heart.
oh, and guess what? THERE MIGHT BE A RUSSIAN MOB CONNECTION TO THE WHOLE VOTING SCANDAL. HAH. (no, seriously.)
November 19, 2014
It seems a little odd to revisit this story from 12 years ago, but I'm glad I did. The Second Mark reminded me how much the sport has changed, and also how little. This may be the best-researched, most well-written figure skating book I've read. The individuals involved in the 2002 Olympic Pairs scandal really come alive as individuals, and I found I liked each of them personally as well as I did on the ice. The childhood stories of each, particularly Elena Berezhnaya, are profound. Tamara Moskvina steals your attention just as she does on tv, barely peaking over the boards. The book is a little bittersweet, knowing that Sale & Pelletier later divorced, but also a sweet insight on the early relationship between Shen & Zhao, who are now married & Olympic gold medalists in their own right. The real surprise for me was how Goodwin portrays La Gougne a sympathetic character overpowered by a corrupt federation. Goodwin also does an excellent job describing how the judging system changed, yet it didn't fix the problem. I'm still amazed Cinquanta has lasted so long as the head of the ISU, but as long as judging abnormalities are ignored, nothing will change. The rumors after the 2014 Olympics seemed so similar as to be laughable. If the IOC asked the same questions Goodwin does, we might see change eventually.
February 21, 2008
All right. This book is about the three pairs involved in the race for the 2002 Olympic gold medal in pairs figure skating, and how it all crescendoed into the second-biggest scandal in skating history.
This is a really good read because each section is very clearly split between the Chinese, Canadian, and Russian pairs and their development. The Canadian story gets a bit cheesy and the author tends to write to sympathetically to them, I think, but the Russians and Chinese have classic Oliver Twist upbringings, so it writes itself in a way.
I think this book amongst all the trashy figure skating offerings at the Berkeley Public Library that I've picked up is the most well-written and cinematic. Yep, I was compelled to read it while walking everywhere, then going back and watching my VHS tape of the competition over and over.
This is a really good read because each section is very clearly split between the Chinese, Canadian, and Russian pairs and their development. The Canadian story gets a bit cheesy and the author tends to write to sympathetically to them, I think, but the Russians and Chinese have classic Oliver Twist upbringings, so it writes itself in a way.
I think this book amongst all the trashy figure skating offerings at the Berkeley Public Library that I've picked up is the most well-written and cinematic. Yep, I was compelled to read it while walking everywhere, then going back and watching my VHS tape of the competition over and over.
June 26, 2010
A very well researched and written account of the lives of three skating pairs - Sale/Pelletier, Berezhnaya/Sikharulidze and Shen/Zhao - leading up to the pairs final and judging scandal at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. By the end, one feels one knows all the principal characters, especially including Tamara Moskvina, the Russian coach. The factual recapitulation of the judging fiasco itself is painful to read still. It's brought home how immensely unsatisfactory that Olympic experience became for all three medalling couples. The contrasts between the cultural backgrounds are very striking, without being in any way judgmental. The passivity and fortitude under abuse of both Berezhnaya and Shen troubles me greatly, and I may never watch pairs with quite the same enjoyment again after having read about it.
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