I have a confession to make. Well not really a confession, more like a proclamation that I, Becky Scott, wholeheartedly love tabloid reality television. Now, I’m not talking about every single reality show that’s offered. Rock Of Love?? More like house of former patients of every STD imaginable and they’re coming back for more! No, I’m more of a teenage-esque drama lover, such as The Hills which follow the lives of the “me” generation as they meander through their life problems of having bratty playboy girlfriends as well as how am I going to trick my husband into having a baby. That particular episode was a personal favourite. It boosted my confidence a little bit. On the rise is of course the newly emerged and soon-to-be Canadian classic, Peak Season, which is just a beer commercial gone wrong. It has struck a cord with many to see how many fights a person can get into before they pass out. Watching this show could possibly be turned into a drinking game with your buddies, every time a person is slapped, you take a shot. It’s quality programming. What do you want from me? I got kicked out of the Four Seasons when I was 15 for trying to find the Backstreet Boys.

But CTV has picked up it’s A-game and has come forward with a combination that nearly top the lists of best combinations of all time (it’s a race to the top with peanut butter and banana). Over the Bolts is an Olympic pump-me-up miniseries that will leave you feeling like a nerd if you can’t snowboard, but you will be hooked after watching each episode. You are brought into the lives of the Canadian Snowboard team and the monumentous journey they take to pursue their dreams of reaching the podium on their home turf of Whistler in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. For a person who has a passion for sports, the most fascinating thing to me is watching and learning how athletes train. Playing soccer at an extremely high competitive level, a lot of people don’t see how much commitment actually is needed to be able to reach your peak performance levels. They are called sacrifices for a reason, and I can guarantee you each athlete that competes at the Olympics has had to give up at least one aspect of their life to reach that level. Relationships can suffer, your values are tested and these trials and tribulations is what will make you leave with the gold, or go home empty-handed.

The show follows several members of the alpine and half pipe team. The main players are Mike, Kimmi from the Alpine team, and Dom, Mercedes and Jeff from the half pipe.

Mike is a young 20-something from an affluent Toronto upbringing, who’s trying to work out his inner demons so that his mentality doesn’t beat him before he even begins his descent through the gates. He’s talented and he will be the first person to tell you that. But his finishing does not back up his trash talking, as he works to discover what it takes to make it on the world cup circuit as well as shaping himself to be the person he is yet to become.

Kimmi, who is gorgeous and almost made it into my boyfriend’s top 5 list, is a talented and hard working rider. She seems to get a long with everyone and has a good head on your shoulders. And sometimes just being able to make it through the hard days with a smile on your face is what will bring you to the top. But I always have to wonder, she MUST have hooked up with at least someone on the team!

Dom and Mercedes have been struggling on the half-pipe. But Dom has been dealing with her own personal tragedy with losing her mom to cancer. Snowboarding can take a back-seat to that. But the true fight and determination of an athlete is her bringing herself back out to compete and pursue her dreams just like her mother would have wanted. That is what separates you from the pack.

Jeff Batchelor. He’s a guy I would have had a huge crush on in high school but would be too intimidated to talk to so I would go on admiring him from a-far for 4 years. Too much? I was so awkward. I digress. He’s an amazing talent and is not afraid to risk going for the big tricks and big points to win the competition. Most of the time, that’s all it takes. Sean White may see some competition from him in Whistler.

SO check this out. Lordie knows CTV will be replaying it, as well as MTV. Support our athletes! Olympics is a time when it brings nations together, and right now, at this point, I think it’s what many people need.

Figure Skating: Make-up, and spinning, and sequins - OH MY!

So as I said before, I am going to be talking about the sports that don’t receive a lot of recognition and figure skating is definitely one of them. I don’t know about you, but having grown up in Canada, I was thrown into figure skating at the ripe old age of 3 in an attempt to learn how to skate. Skating down at the local pond with my brothers and having the wind push me across the ice was my real teacher but I quickly mastered the basic skills of grabbing on to the boards if I was going too fast or making the pile of snow with my pink figure skates in learning how to stop. However, the twirling, the jumping, the elegant gliding across the ice as my Mom captured the Kodak moments from the confines of the bleachers, that whole thing just didn’t do it for me. I often complained that my feet hurt and they would take me home where I would continue to play mini-stick hockey with my brothers in the foyer. You can put me in a frilly skirt but you can’t make me spin on ice. But of course, during certain times of the year and especially during the Olympics, when we are bombarded with the dragqueen make-up and the sequined costumes (I have a secret obsession with all things that are sequined) I often can’t help but think what my song choice would be for my long program if I was a figure skater. Watching the movies The Mighty Ducks or The Sandlot, has a similar effect on me with baseball and hockey as I long to become a master of each sport. But then I remembered that baseball sucks. Ya, I said it, but I digress.

You have to give it up for the figure skaters. They are bad-ass bitches and real athletes who throw themselves into the air on ice doing the most outrageous things that I wouldn’t even attempt doing on solid ground and that is a feat that must be commended. The skill, the elegance, the strength and agility is just the tip of the ice berg of the athletic prowess that they possess which transcends into a beautiful dance on ice. They use their skills to perform jumps like the triple salchow (pronounced sow-cow) that sounds more like Chinese food, or a double lutz combination which could potentially be a drink that one would order at Starbucks. But as glamorous and showy as figure skating may be, these athletes have the wear and tear, broken bones and bruises that any athlete would have training at a top level. And you have to have a little bit of crazy in you to do what they do.

This past weekend was the figure skating world championships that took place in Los Angeles. Our very own Joannie Rochette finished second in an incredible showing while Kim Ya-Na of South Korea finished first. This of course sets a promising stage for Rochette in hopes of being a medal contender for the 2010 Olympics. Now here is where my smutty sense is tingling and it is a talent taught none other by Lainey from Laineygossip.com. Kim Ya-Na, is from South Korea but her coach and mentor is none other than THE Canadian Olympic medalist himself, Brian Orser. Brian freaking Orser. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that? Yes, I know there are several situations in sports where the coach of an athlete or team is not from the country of which the athlete represents. But having just got a taste of what the skating culture is like, and I’m talking think of your worse hockey/soccer mom experience and multiply that by 10 and maybe you will be closer to a skating mentality, but it is fierce competition in the skating world. The gossip that goes on behind the scenes makes Britney Spears smut seem like sandbox talk for toddlers. But as if Canada has enough problems in amateur sports in seeking funding, sponsorships or recognition for that matter, you would think that Brian Orser would assist in the Canadian amateur sport landscape as much as he can. *Snaps the finger* Oh no he didn’t!

I have since decided that I would only become a figure skater if the music for my programs could include lyrics. Currently you are unable to have music that contains lyrics. I couldn’t imagine doing a routine that wasn’t to the tune of a Backstreet Boys song. I do keep the Backstreet pride alive. Always.

Yours in sports and stilettos,

Scotty

Sporty Girl In Stilettos

Hey Hey Hey!

This is a blog for all the girls and women out there whose last name simultaneously becomes your first name. We’re the ones who get the call for a game of shinney and we’re also one of the firsts to be asked to join the annual soccer team. Back in elementary school, we were the ones who were teased at first recess for wanting to play soccer or basketball with the boys, but by lunch recess, we were the first to be picked for the team. We sported the infamous, “Soccer is Life…and the rest is just details” t-shirt with pride, along with soccer shorts and other sports oriented apparel that became a regular staple in our wardrobe.

You know what it’s like to be on a winning team in high school, but the boys football team with their losing record, were the ones who received all of the support. In gym class, as scrawny as you might have been, you often showed up the boys in the endurance runs and the maximum number of sit-ups. You don’t workout to look pretty and pick-up boys, but you get in the zone, sweat like a mofo, and make ugly faces while you do your last rep in hopes of improving your speed on the field.

As we have gotten older, the bruises from rugby are harder to cover up when you wear short skirts to the bar. The soccer tan, the bottom half of your leg dawning a pasty-sun free colour, while the top half of the leg is brilliantly tanned, is a look that you’re not ashamed to show off. Pick-up lines usually turn into hockey centered conversations, and the once interested man is calling you for the next time his buddies are getting together to watch a game. You know that the Ice Man Chuck Liddle is known for his stand-up game and Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage were once bitter rivals. You appreciate the legacy that Lou Holtz created with the fighting Irish, and Sunday afternoons are always a little bit better with chips and salsa while watching the Bills acquire yet another losing season. You realize two of the greatest sporting events of the year, the Junior Hockey Tournament and NCAA March Madness is filled with passion for the game and a drive to win that is uninhibited by outrageous salaries.

We are the athletes who like to wear stilettos and know all of the Backstreet Boys dance moves, but can also throw a mean spiral. We may not be able to regurgitate player stats, but we know what it takes to pull through the last 10 minutes of a game when you feel like your legs are going to give out. We were seen as sacrificing a social life when we had our respective sports 4-5 times a week and had to be up early for Saturday A.M. practices, sometimes even leaving a sleepover at 7 A.M. But we make-up for that in the bond that we share with the people who go through the nitty-gritty with us, that will lead you to hoisting a trophy above your head at the end of the day. More importantly, you know how to lose, and how to do it with class, and that drives you to work that much harder.

We talk sports with a feminine flair, in a language that we know. So for the educated ones out there this will be a fun weekly read. But for the others who are trying to learn a little bit more of what’s going on in your boyfriend/husband’s mind when they watch that stupid little game with the stupid little ball trying to hit it in a hole with a stupid little flag, this may be your way of finding a new love in your life- sports. Not to mention the fact that boys are pretty cute in uniforms. Most importantly, we will be giving a stage to the women in sports who often go unnoticed. Also, the drama drama drama that goes on in the sports world could rival any Hills episode. Trust.

Yours in sports and stilettos,

Scotty.