Our Brush With Semi-Greatness (Spoiler)

Yeah, speaking of military programs... we get there in time for the warm-up for the final group of ice dancers. We see one pair of ice dancers where the guy is all dressed up in fatigues with big ol' bullet holes in 'em, and an American flag patch on the front -- while the woman is wearing this flowing white number that, when you look at it again, looks like a dove across the chest.

I guess our biggest surprise was that these skaters were not from the U.S., but from the Ukraine. I'm thinkin' it takes cajones to dress up like a soldier from the country hosting the competition. Especially with the whole war thing going on.

But, political statement or no, they're very spiffy skaters (Grushina and Goncharov) and they end up coming in second place, much to the delight of everyone there. (Most everyone loved them, but loved the Americans who won -- Belbin and Agosto -- more.)

So, during the next competition (ladies -- apparently to be televised on 10/26 on ABC -- I won't give that one away, it was a good fight for the top three spots), the seats in front of us, which had previously been empty, fill up with a couple speaking a language we can't place, but which sounds nice and Eastern European.

Doesn't take too long for the first kid to come by with a program for them to sign. I look over their shoulder at the autograph and realize -- "Hey, it's the Dead Soldier and the Dove of Peace!" After Dead Soldier graciously signs the first program, the kids must send each other the secret "open for autographs" signal, because it opened the floodgates. Kids start handing everything to us to pass down to them for autographs -- programs, T-shirts, throwin' bears, underwear ... well, ok, maybe not underwear. But they sign everything with a smile.

By this time we've totally missed the skater from Finland (who wasn't bad, I hear) because we've been so busy juggling pens and programs and enjoying our little role in the Ukranian Autograph Machine, and Dead Soldier takes a look up the aisle and now realizes the autograph line goes right up the stairs. So, he and Dove of Peace up and walk out of the arena -- presumably to sign everything for their adoring public out in the hallway.

They didn't return until much later. Mary and I were then part of the Don't Call Attention To The Ukranian Ice Dancers machine. "No, no... not them. Those are my cousins visiting from Israel."