Sad Sasha and Spell-olympics Past

Unfortunately, I missed the women's free-skate last night. But fortunately, I missed Sasha's demise. So sad. In a crowd of wannabes and mediocre hopefuls, Sasha Cohen was supposed to rock the house. Especially when poor Michelle bowed out. Seriously, who cares about Sarah's younger sister, Emily? We need stars like Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle, and Sasha to cheer on. But alas, Sasha lacked the confidence Kristi had. I remember watching Kristi in many years past and thinking, "my goodness, this girl NEVER falls!" It was like her confidence was iron-clad. It's so so rare. I always reflect back on my spelling bee career in the 4th grade and how I was such a good speller but collapsed under a bucket of nerves. I couldn't believe I spelled "invitation" as "invatation"! How idiotic! I cursed myself for years to come over this. And of course, the other Asian girl took home the gold - darn that Karen Kim! I never let her live it down! So yes, to survive the mounting pressure and spotlight on one so young requires an innate source of steel grace. And yes, I AM comparing my 4th grade spelling bee to the Olympics. ;)