The number of male figure skaters in Canada has been dipping in recent years, and as we all know, a nation is only as strong as its lasso lifts. The campaign, entitled "Tough," seeks to let Canadian youngsters know that figure skating is just as rugged and manly as hockey, and that sequins are optional.

It's a trick as old as the sport, says Queen's University sociologist Mary Louise Adams, whose research focuses on the history of gender stereotyping in figure skating. "They've always been concerned about the number of boys that take the sport up," she said. "They know there is still a perception out there that it's a sport primarily suitable for girls or sissy boys. And of course there's the assumption that sissy boys go on to become gay boys. Skate Canada's strategy is to try and argue that this is as manly a sport as any other."

Skaters have already made appearances at Harley-Davidson motorcycle outlets, but mainly the campaign will center on telling gritty tales.

The campaign will debut next month prior to the World Championships, and some say it's long overdue. Others are saying that it's just blatant homophobia. Because if you take the gay out of figure skating, what do you have?

Can Canada Make Figure Skating Tough? [Outsports]
Figure Skating Gets Tough

It happened at the European championships in Helsinki, Finland, as Russian figure skater Ekaterina Rubleva lost a crucial portion of her costume while being twirled by Ivan Shefer.

The 23-year-old kept smiling, but with the next move requiring her partner to hold her hand above her head, the inevitable happened. Her top fell down, exposing her breast – but, ever the professionals, the couple smiled at each other and danced on.

They're only at 29.04 in the competition, good for 12th place. If you were scoring at home it was much higher, I'm assuming.

Skater Reveals Boob In Wardrobe Malfunction [Metro.co.uk] (NSFW)

"You threw a knife at my head." "But You caught it." "But you threw a knife at my head!"

"Kristy Swanson was assaulted by Lloyd Eisler's ex wife, Marcia O'Brien, while walking from the passenger seat to give her four month old son a pacifier," stated a release from Michael Sands, spokesperson for Kristy Swanson and Lloyd Eisler.

Oh, and the kid's name? Magnus. And suddenly Tonya Harding, a fat hit guy and a metal pipe seem so childish.

Kristy Swanson Arrested Over Spat With Eisler's Ex [CTV, via Fark]

The fine folks at OutSports directed us to a contest figure skater Johnny Weir was hosting on his Web site: Submit your Johnny Weir poems! Johnny himself picked out the winner, from a Netherlands woman named Renate Linnenkoper. (Which, by the way, is Dutch for "Kordell Stewart.") Here's an excerpt:

And on that ice, a figure stands
His face framed by raven strands
His visage adorned by hazel eyes
Reminiscent of lover's feverish goodbyes

That is truly the best poem we've read today that was written by a person with greater-than-but-not-equal-to six unicorn tattoos.

Weir's Poetry Winner [OutSports]

Evgeni Plushenko won the gold medal in men's figure skating earlier this year, and as this video proves, when you win the gold medal, you can pretty much do whatever you want after that.

We think this video just made us 15 percent more gay. Yipes.

Sex Bomb [YouTube]

More Peggy Fleming than Renee Fleming, "Tonya and Nancy" follows the lines of "Jerry Springer — The Opera," a London hit based on the equally lowbrow world of daytime talk TV. Al-Doory takes the well-known rivalry between the skaters and recasts it as one in which they both struggle to overcome personal troubles and public perception.

The show premiered last night and runs 40 minutes, which is our kind of opera! We think this is a logical next step in the merging of the worlds of opera and figure skating. As they say, it's not over until the fat lady sings.

Skating Scandal Made Into Opera [Boston.com]

When Weir gave his famous "the establishment can't handle me" speech, we thought he was overreaching a little bit. But a reader tells us that the U.S. figure skating "establishment" really might have some serious problems with Weir ... and is feeling its repercussions.

The new brochure and website for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, to be held next January in Spokane Washington, are out now, and there is quite a glaring admission. Although reigning Men's National Champion, a title he has held for the last three years, Johnny Weir is not mentioned or pictured anywhere on either entity. The website bears the stamp 'Sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating" in the lower left corner; it looks like the United States Figure Skating Association is trying to send quite a message, to both the public and to Weir himself, apparently, by omitting him from advertising for the championships. Every other major skater is included: Kwan (who didn't compete at the Olympics, Worlds or the 2006 Nationals), Cohen, Meisner, Belbin & Agosto, and of course their fair-haired boy Evan Lysacek.

Word within skating circles is that the USFSA is hoping to replace Weir as mens representative for the sport with Lysacek, whom they deem more 'socially acceptable', regardless of the fact that he is nowhere near the artist or technician that Weir is. I can't think of another sport where authorities have this kind of power over the career of the athlete regardless of their talent and record.

Johnny Weir Has Had It Up To Here With Your "Rules" [Deadspin]

The thought then occurred to us that the CITGO Bassmaster Classic begins tonight. So we went to the Ali G Translator to get his take on bass fishing strategy for the tournament:

da weatha conditions will determine ow anglers fish and it's goin to change day to day. Sightfishin is goin to be a facta, as is pitchin soft plastics and sinkin baits dig a gulf minnow. Soft jerk baits, buzzbaits, possibly even jerkbaits, all of these baits is gonna be a factor. wich one is gonna be the winnin pattern, innit yet to be checked.

Ali G. Translator [Da Ali G Show]
Respect the Other Sacha Cohen [The Sports Pulse]
Legendary Anglers Head 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic Field [Fishing World]

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the absolute worst the Web has to offer: Tonya Harding slash fiction. It's a whole message board devoted to sexual fantasies about Tonya Harding. Some things you see that you cannot unsee.

You know what's even worse about this? This is actually a section of Harding's official site. It appears this has been around for a while; perhaps nobody pointed it out before because they were in favor of the world remaining a warm, hospitable place. Alas.

Tonya Harding Fantasy [TonyaHarding.com]

The Washington Post accompanies Johnny Weir on a shopping trip in Torino, and it is mind-blowing. I highly recommend giving it a read, because, if you're like me, you're never going to experience anything

like this in your life. To me, it feels almost like reading about someone climbing Mount Everest. I just can't relate. Some quick facts from Johnny's shopping trip:

• He spent $1330 in two hours.
• His favorite item of clothing is a Roberto Cavalli beaver-and-python coat.
• Johnny believes that in a former life he was a young Polish girl during the holocaust.
• He owns 103 pairs of sunglasses, which he keeps in a drawer and polishes regularly.
• His cell phone has three fur tails hanging off of it, two of them beaver, and one of them mink (again with the beaver... it's like he's trying to convince himself of something).
• His feelings are hurt when he sees designer knock-offs.

I'm really starting to think he might be gay.

[Drop Till You Shop] Washington Post

(Update: Yes, she's 21. My math stinks. She looks 12, though. Spank away until the socks are gone, gentlemen.)

Sasha Cohen [NBC Olympics]

Outsports.com brings us this tale of a guy hanging out at somewhere in Kansas, observing other middle-aged blue-collared Kansans admiring the powerful hindquarters of Johnny Weir. There's talk of blind taylors, a skater's points being too high, and glute work. It sounds like a conversation that could've been taken place in any hair salon, or poodle grooming shop in America.

I think this might be the key to opening up a little more gay acceptance in America: tie sports to it. If there's a sporting event involved, even rugged Kansans have no trouble critiquing sequined outfits, Evgeni Plushenko's lack of artistry, and the strong backsides of the world's best figure skaters. Anyone out there who's thinking of organizing a gay pride parade, stop and turn it into a gay pride race. I think hairy middle aged guys in leather chaps and ball-gags would be perfectly acceptable to society, as long as they were throwing shot-putts or driving race cars.

Weir Connects in Kansas [Outsports.com]

"Buses had been coming every 10 minutes all week, but they changed the schedule to every half hour today, I guess. I didn't want to wait until nine o'clock because then I wouldn't get there until 9:15 or 9:20. Which is what happened anyway. I was yelling at people in English and they only spoke Italian."

"I never felt comfortable in this building. I didn't feel my inner peace. I didn't feel my aura. I was black inside."

You know, I've always felt that there wasn't enough diversity (at least, racial diversity) in American figure skating. It warms my heart to know that Johnny Weir is at least a little bit African on the inside. I think Jason Williams often feels the same way.

The Olympics seem a little more drab, a little more dreary, now that Johnny is done. Unlike countryman Bode Miller, he at least seems to care that he didn't perform well. I'm not ready for Johnny to go away yet. Maybe it's not too late to get him into a two-man luge team, something that you'd have to think he might enjoy, just a little bit.

Meltdown of the Ambiguously Gay Male Figure Skater [The Sports Pulse]
Weir falters, finishes 5th [Baltimore Sun]
Jason Williams Bio [NBA.com]

Men's Figure Skating [Torino 2006]
Johnny Weir is Very, Very Flexible [Gawker]

"I know that a lot of people, especially the more Republican-style people, are very afraid of what I mean to the sport and what I'm going to say, what kind of revolutionary, crazy things are going to come out of my mouth. Good for them, they should be scared."

OutSports points out that while this interview was going on, "What A Girl Wants" was playing on Weir's car stereo. They also chime in with this observation about the closet world of figure skating:

As he walked out of the arena Tuesday night, he looked at the camera seductively, then shimmied his shoulders while throwing his head back. If Weir, 21, is not gay, then neither are we.

We also enjoyed Weir's heart-sprinkled sweater with Matt Lauer this morning, though something bewildered us: Weir said that the Olympics were the first time his father and brother had ever seen him skate in international competition. That made us sad, somehow.

Why Johnny Weir Rocks [OutSports]
Johnny Weir Livens Up Staid Sport Of Men's Figure Skating [San Jose Mercury News]

(UPDATE: Our sisters and brothers at Gawker have dug up video of Johnny, because they're better at this than we are.)

It's cool that she pulled out when she did. She deserved the chance to give it one more go, she got that chance, and it didn't work out. She made the decision to withdraw after just two practices in Torino when she could've waited until a week later to make the call.

So in steps Emily Hughes, with a chance to be Tom Brady to Michelle Kwan's Drew Bledsoe. As an alternate, it was her responsibility to stay prepared and keep her game sharp. Let's hope she did.