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By SARAH SCHANDL
Columnist

I have a confession to make – until last night I’ve never paid any attention to the winter Olympics.

I don’t have a sporty bone in my body. I’ve never watched or played sports, so I’ve managed to avoid anything Olympic-related my entire life.

But everything changed as I sat at my kitchen table with my roommate, April Hounsome, wrapped in a blanket eating cookie dough ice cream while watching the world’s best pairs figure skating teams do their short programs. I fell in love.

I was captivated by the grace and elegance of the skaters. They looked like they were floating over the rink, so poised and so passionate.

When the men started throwing their partners in the air. I couldn’t help but to gasp loudly in a weird combination of awe and horror. Oh my god, is he going to drop her? Is she going to land it properly?

I found myself on the edge of my seat, my face inches away from the livestream playing on the laptop in front of me.

My stomach dropped whenever a competitor lost their balance, or they couldn’t get their landings just right.

I sat there with April for the whole duration of the live stream, only getting up to take bathroom breaks, or to grab a freshly made piece of chocolate cake from the guy who lives upstairs.

April is a huge fan of the Olympics overall and she knows a lot about figure skating. I had a lot of questions: How does the scoring work? Do they get paid to do this? How long have those two been skating together? I had to know more. This sport is incredible.

I was also fascinated by the costumes. My favourite was worn by France’s Vanessa James. That royal blue went with her complexion perfectly and the glittery detailing going down the side was eye-catching in the best way. She looked stunning. In a sport where the costume counts, this one was “on point” in the best way possible.

I was mainly looking out for St. Catharines native Kirsten Moore-Towers and her partner Michael Marinaro. And they did not disappoint. Well, except for when Michael fell. Other than that, their routine was fabulous. I found myself yelling at the computer with every jump and throw. It was pretty exciting. FYI: Their outfits were also on point – a simple red dress for her and black for him. They looked elegant and classy – how Canadian.

The pairs short program for figure skating just might be my gateway drug to the winter Olympics. I can’t wait to tune in for the finals. I’m all ready to go. Valentine’s Day cupcakes, cookie dough ice cream, blankets and all.