From the amazing athleticism of the performers to the glitzy costumes they wear, Olympic
figure skating performances dazzle us.
According to a recent YouGov poll, figure skating is the most popular Olympic sport
in the United States.
Figure skating has been part of the games since 1908, and surprisingly began as part
of the Summer Games.
Skating found its home in the Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France in 1924.
For a great performance, costume choices are super important.
Olympic medalist Johnny Weir told Cosmopolitan,
"You're going to live the biggest moment of your life in them.
Every picture of you — it's going to last forever."
"Right before any big competition, I need every detail to be perfect."
These custom-made, hand-sewn, often designer-created costumes can cost between $1,000 and $5,000.
With so much on the line during an Olympic performance, skaters are fortunate to have
a team of volunteers to assist with last-minute costume repairs.
In preparation for the 2014 Sochi Games, a crew of five seamstresses lent their expertise
to assist American skaters, according to the New York Times.
If a zipper or a strap breaks before a performance, volunteers like these can provide an invaluable
service.
However, once a skater hits the ice and starts a performance, anything can happen.
Weir says that if parts of a costume fall onto the ice, skaters could get a deduction.
In addition, a wardrobe mishap could create an awkward moment and cause a skater to become
distracted and lose focus during the performance of a lifetime.
Only ten seconds into her ice dancing routine at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, French skater
Gabriella Papadakis felt the clasp break on the top of her costume.
Despite the distraction of this unnerving incident, Papadakis and her partner, Guillaume
Cizeron, finished second in the event.
The couple went on to win silver as well as set a world record the next day.
According to the Guardian, Papadakis' breast was briefly exposed during the dance, so broadcasters
stuck with wider shots to help minimize the situation.
Even if a costume component doesn't break, it can still cause a lot of anxiety if it
doesn't stay closed.
Yura Min, an ice dancer who skated for South Korea at the PyeongChang Games, felt a hook
open at the back of her costume right at the start of her ice dance with Alexander Gamelin.
Adrenaline and terror loomed large for Min as she tried to keep her outfit on by improvising
some of the routine.
She made it through, although the couple lost points when she had to readjust the costume
after showing some shoulder.
Women aren't the only ones battling costumes that won't stay closed.
In the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko skated an exhibition
dance in celebration of their bronze win.
In the middle of this romantic dance, Ponomarenko's costume abruptly opened to show his stomach.
Sometimes costumes can interact with each other in unexpected ways, as experienced by
Alex and Maia Shibutani at the 2014 Sochi games, when these ice dancing siblings were
skating to Michael Jackson's music during a free dance.
In celebration of the "King of Pop," the brother and sister were decked out in sparkly black
sequins.
During a lift where Maia was supposed to flip up to Alex's shoulder, their sequined costumes
got stuck together.
With some quick thinking, the pair juggled performing and untangling to finish the routine.
Their teamwork salvaged both their performance and their costumes.
Maia only experienced minimal damage in the form of a ripped left tight.
When it comes to preventing skating wardrobe malfunctions, great design is key.
Skating costumes need to be tough enough to withstand the jumps, lifts, and fast spins
that an Olympics performance entails.
Costume designer Gail Johnson told Refinery 29 that she is a proponent of using nude mesh
and nude backup-straps to add support and structure to the costumes she designs.
She also suggests that clients put their costumes through a rigorous test several weeks before
an important event to make sure they will hold up.
When an unfortunate wardrobe event occurs, everyone's heart goes out to the skaters.
For dresses like Gabriella Papadakis wore at PyeongChang, costumer Pat Pearsall told
USA Today that he suggests a redundant system.
If one closure breaks or opens, the next system will keep everything in place.
To add to the mystery of Papadakis' dress, a last-minute fix was made right before she
took the ice.
Costumer Lisa McKinnon told USA Today that she believes a couple more seconds of repair
time should have prevented the issue.
Scheduled skaters aren't the only ones experiencing awkward moments on the ice.
Mark Roberts, a known event crasher at multiple Olympics, appeared at the 2018 PyeongChang
Games in a frilly pink tutu.
Roberts took to the ice wearing the unusual ensemble along with the words "Peace + Love"
painted on his chest.
He crept onto the ice in black sneakers, slipping a few times.
Some of Roberts' previous streaking appearances were connected with promoting brands or websites.
However, the 2018 event didn't seem to have any promotional ties.
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