I watched the ladies' short program in figure skating last night, as watching the ice dancing over the weekend reminded me that figure skating is the one Winter Olympics sport that I enjoy. I hate snow and ice and cold conditions in general, so I don't care much about winter sports at all. So sue me. And in figure skating, I prefer ice dancing and pairs skating to singles' events, but those are already over, so I was stuck watching the ladies. Anyway, I know it's all about the medals and the glory, and the athletes far away in Italy don't care anything about my opinion, but I decided to dole out my own specials awards, based on what I've seen so far.

Sunnydale Special Breakout Star: Tugba Karademir, Turkey's first Olympic figure skater. Go, Tugba! I predict that this poised and lovely lady will become an an idol and superstar in her home country, and possibly inspire other Turkish girls to reach for their dreams. Ice skating aficianados Buffy Summers (aka Dorothy Hamill's #1 fan) and Casey Carlyle (aka Dawn Summers) give her two very enthusiastic Sunnydale cheers.

Class Act, Part I: Fumie Suguri, for her beautifully clean short program and her beautifully classy costume. I couldn't find any pictures of her from last night (Google image search and all), but she wore a red dress with a black lace shrug over her arms and shoulders--very elegant, very Spanish. She skated to flamenco-type music.

Class Act, Part II: Michelle Kwan, for withdrawing from competition when she realized she was not in the physical condition to perform for the US at the best of her abilities.

Sonja Henie Perfect Pixie Award: Irina Slutskaya. Adorable and energetic, she is dynamite on the ice. Her talent and athleticism, as well as her charming personality and rapport with an audience (even, via TV cameras, an audience thousands of miles away) make her a worthy successor to the world's all-time most successful figure skater.

Flo Ziegfeld Perfect Showgirl Award: Sasha Cohen. She skated last in Tuesday's short program, and proved that she had skill, beauty, and charisma to spare.