Well, that's settled. The second Alexei Yagudin stepped off the ice at Worlds. Spirals all over the place. Spirals, spirals everywhere. I saw him slip -- one inch. One line. Not bad. Everybody else can learn. Not bad, kid.

How's that to go along with a World championship?

It'll do. I think it'll just have to do.

The old way to teach spirals was to get Brian Boitano, or, failing that, Boitano tape. The new way is -- pop Yagudin tape into the VCR. Starting with 1998 Worlds. Either program. Beautiful.

I will leave it at that.

More later. I just want to get this page up.

Beautiful! Beautiful!

Ah, is there hope for Soviet skating? (I know, I know, we call it Russian skating now.) Skating in general?

Spirals are back, ladies and gentlemen! Spirals are back!