I have a love-hate relationships with these tours, mainly because they are designed for casual skate fans, not for us. I went to the show alone this year and was pleasantly surprised by the people I ended up sitting with. They were clueless, for sure, but at least they were enthusiastic. I was seranaded with an ongoing chorus of gasps at every one of Scott Hamilton's backflips, each time Jenni Meno dismounted from their stag lift, and every time anyone jumped. Skater sitings included Sasha Abt, Shae-Lynn Bourne, and Tarasova who walked through the stands with a posse of Russians in tow, declaring "We sit here" every few rows, despite the fact that the seats were already taken.)

Thankfully, the skating in this show was mostly geared toward people who really care about skating. Todd Eldredge attempted 3 triple axels -- 2 landed, Alexei did a 3toe/3toe and a 3toe/3toe/2loop, Kurt presented a master class in footwork, and we actually had a triple twist, side by side spins, and throw triples from pro pairs!

I never thought I'd feel maternal toward Todd Eldredge but I felt this swell of "my boy is all grown up" pride as he dazzled in each number. When I first heard that he was joining SOI, I thought he would be too out of his element, that he wouldn't be able to fit into the humorous and dance group numbers, but he proved me wrong. He held his own with the dancing and his strength, power, and clarity of movement brought real gravity to the entire show. He even spoke with much more command than I have ever heard from him in the "Who dares to judge me" number with S/P and B/S. Good for him!

Alexei Yagudin pumped his fist int he air at the end of each of his numbers, a competitor through and through. I didn't love his "Born to be Wild," it was a little too cheesy for him, but the other programs more than made up for it. He looked like he was having a blast and his talent is mind boggling.

Ina/Zimmerman held their own. They get better each time I see them and I suspect that with time, they will be an A list pro pair team (they are still clearly relegated to the B list for now). I think their improvement lies in Kyoko's continued progress in her presentation. She is a completely different skater than she was a few years ago. John seemed to have lots of fun in the group numbers.

Sale and Pelletier are stars, no question about it. As they skated, I couldn't help but be thankful that I have the opporrtunity to see them in person. I also love that they are such strong skaters and entertainers individually. They don't look lost when they are out there alone, a rarity among pair skaters. When they are together, they have such incredible unison and charisma. I would love to see them do more programs with attitude though. They are too good for the Journey song they used. They have great acting skills which should be used more, as they were in their competitive programs.

This year's show was steeped in testosterone, and I think that it was because the only female singles skater was Katarina Witt who exudes sexual energy. There was no Kristi being cutesy or Tara being a teen. There was just Katarina, with men drooling all over her. She did beautifully but seeing her made me wish they also had someone like Lucinda Ruh or Yuka Sato on tour, to show a different side of ladies skating.

Meno and Sand are seriously outclassed and I think they are lucky to still be on this tour. With so many better pair teams, I predict that they might be dropped next year. Their lack of speed was so evident and their program gave me the creeps.

Kurt Browing is the undeniable king of body positions. Forget the perfectly executed pratt falls and difficult one foot footwork, just watching his stroking and landing positions is a thrill. Current eligible competitors need to study him and take notes, none of them can hold a candle to his stretch and body awareness. His first number got a mild response but his second, comedic program brought the house down.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze weren't used as well as they could have been, although, if I liked their Elvis program, I might feel differently. I just don't think we got to see them at their best. Maybe next year.

Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur were beautiful, of course. I would like to see them do more, or do something in a different style, but they were mesmerizing. I'm also glad that Gorsha was so well used in the group numbers.

Scott Hamilton did Double Bogey Blues (crowd loved it) and a new number where the lyrics of a rock song were changed to be about him. "I won a medal some years ago, I still have it but where'd my hair go..." He did three back flips in a row and got a standing ovation. I was impressed that he landed a few triples -- toes and sals -- and a sharp, quick double axel.

At the end of each number, the skaters' bows were all obviously choreographed. I found it amusing that some skaters were given 4 bows -- one in each direction, while others had just two. Clearly, the powers that be predicted who would get more applause and who would need less time out there.

verall, a very fun night!