英语播客 A Cup of English Stars on ice.

I have never really been much of an ice skater. When I was a teenager, I would go indoor skating with friends, mainly to have a good laugh. When people are wobbling and falling down on a regular basis, it can be amusing! My friends and I never practiced enough to get really good. And that, I'm sure, makes all the difference. When you see someone who really skates well, it is like looking at good art. I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to see world class skating. A friend of mine had bought tickets to see 'Stars on ice'. Well, I had heard of the show, but didn't really know any details about who would be performing. I assumed that it would be a group of ice dancers, so to speak, but not anyone you could consider a champion. How wrong I was! The whole group of dancers were Olympic and World gold and silver champions! I couldn't believe it! They had come all the way to little old Wenatchee! You might recognize some of the names: Kurt Browning (4 times World Champion from Canada), Evan Lysaceck (Olympic gold medalist from U.S), and Ekaterina Gordeeva ( 2 times Olympic gold medalist). The performance lasted about 2 hours, with a short intermission. I took my little girl, who was mesmerized by the acrobatics and the beautiful dresses. And the stadium was packed, as you can imagine. There were cheers and claps all the way through as the stars spun in the air and landed flawlessly. I'm sure that young people in the audience were inspired to rent some skates, and go to the next public ice skating session, to wobble around and imagine themselves as stars.

Grammar notes.

So to speak, mesmerized, flawless.

The wedding cake she made was a triumph, so to speak.

The ladies were mesmerized by the diamond rings in the shop window.

This antique vase is flawless; it doesn't have any cracks, or even one scratch.