You would have to be living under a rock to miss the NBC team of Tara Lipinski & Johnny Weir commentating for the Sochi Olympics. You might think this is a new pairing, but it’s not. These two became a force almost four years ago. Here’s how I remember it:
It was 2010, right after the Vancouver Olympic Games, and it was time for the ISU Worlds. Well, Mirai Nagasu came in 4th at Vancouver, but I think some could reasonably claim she had actually earned the bronze, and so this was the time for her to show what she was made of. And she smoked everyone at the short program, looking to win her first world championship. And this is where our story begins.
Yes, it was here, if memory serves, where Tara Lipinski was being interviewed by Andrea Joyce, I think, about what it’s like to be leading after a short program, and then Johnny Weir happened to be there, and I guess he just crashed in at the wrong (right!) time, and they were all on a couch, and the TV spot just became a friendly hang-out instead of an analytical thing. And after just a few seconds of this, I thought: “Oh, they’ve got to get these two together as a team for figure skating commentary.” And they did!
So anyone who is thinking of Johnny Weir’s outfits being why he’s in Sochi, that’s just a plus. Tara Lipinski & Johnny Weir have been friends for a while, apparently, and after seeing what I did at the 2010 Worlds, NBC couldn’t help but come to the same conclusion I did, and they hired them as a team to cover skating. And they’ve been doing it all year.
It’s always nice to hear Sandra Bezic and Scott Hamilton: I love them. But I think the youngsters will really love Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir. They are bona fide friends, and they’re just hanging out watching their favorite thing in the world, and we get to hear it. It’s like getting to eavesdrop on the cool kids.
Sometimes I’d like a bit more analysis, like Dick Button used to do, but I love that we get these two skating champions showing us their fun side, as well as all their expertise. I couldn’t tell NBC to team them up, but thankfully, they saw what I did and did it anyway.
