Chinese Stars Carry Torch

World Champions and Olympic bronze medalists from China, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, carried the torch in the Olympic torch relay Friday morning, and they lit the cauldron at "Sunny Stone" square. Check out the pictures at China's Olympic website.

Nancy Kerrigan is Honored

Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan will be honored by Ice Theatre of New York this October, according to International Figure Skating magazine. Paul Wylie will MC the event. The benefit gala is at Chelsea Piers, write to itny@icetheatre.org for more information about attending, etc. There will also be a performance by Ice Theatre at the gala.

Eldredge Talks Coaching, Meissner

This IceNetwork article is a nice look at how Todd Eldredge has been spending the summer. And part of it has involved coaching - one of his students is Kimmie Meissner (you'll remember that Meissner started to work with Richard Callaghan, who is also Eldredge's old coach). I can definitely see Todd coaching. He's one of those skaters who always looked like the wheels were turning inside his head during every competition, and maybe that's an even better skill for a coach to have than a skater. Here's what he had to say about working with Kimmie:

He's helping coach Richard Callaghan get Meissner's career back on track. "Trying to get her to come out of her shell a little bit," Eldredge says. "Get her consistent on her jumps. Get her spins better. Get her footwork better.

"Right now, I'm trying to get her to use her knees a lot when she's skating. She skates a little bit stiff in her knees. If she were able to get down in her knees a little bit it would look nice and help her posture. I'm working on little nit-picky things. Obviously, she's a world champion, so she's good. But it's the little nit-picky things that you try to pick up and improve on to make her that much better."

I'm pretty excited to see Meissner this year and I hope there's an improvement now that she's been with her new coaches for several months.

Oksana Baiul Conquers Internet

Oksana Baiul will be featured on the Internet talk show Latenet, according to Science Fiction Buzz. She is talking about her role in the groundbreaking (or should I say icebreaking? heh!) broadway musical COLD AS ICE (I NEED OPENING NIGHT TICKETS, STAT!).

You New Yorkers are in luck because you can buy tickets, and a portion of those ticket proceeds go to Project A.L.S. Check out the link for more information, the show is in New York on July 23.

P.S. The reason for the science fiction attention is that Leonard Nimoy (Spock!) is also on the show.

Joan Manley

Here is a lovely article in the Ottawa Citizen about Elizabeth Manley's mother, Joan Manley, who passed away this week at 73 years old.

More Animated Than Usual

Check out this press release from IceNetwork for a look at what Scott Hamilton will look like in the Fairly Oddlympics. It's adorable, and I think Hamilton is such a vibrant, animated personality to begin with, it really is not that far a stretch to see him as a cartoon. He's got a great cartoon voice too. I'm only mad that I missed his other foray into animation where he played a dog in Nine Dog Christmas, sounds cute!

Johnny Weir's Blog

An update from Johnny Weir's blog. He talks a lot about the shows he's been skating in and how he's spent the off-season. He also mentions training with Stephane Lambiel since Lambiel has switched coaches to Viktor Petrenko. Here is a snippet:

...I don't think anything bad will come out of this arrangement. I trust that my coaches will still work with me the same as they did before. I'm at the age, and maturity that I can understand that nothing Stephane does on a daily basis can change my ultimate goals or my drive. I will work hard and do my best regardless if one of my top rivals is there to see it or not. I know how well my coaching change worked for me last season and I'm glad that has been recognized by a top athlete no less, and I hope it will work for Stephane.

Weir also seems a bit sad to be missing out on Cup of Russia in the Grand Prix this year, but says he hopes to get there next year.

He also wrote about how Nina Petrenko (Galina Zmievskaya's daughter and Viktor's wife) choreographed a show number and that went so well that she is now choreographing his competition programs this year.

Fairly Oddlympics August 1

Skating fans, set your DVRs to record the Fairly Oddlympics on Nickelodeon on Friday August 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern. It's a movie of the Fairly Oddparents television show, and Scott Hamilton is featured as both live action and animated character, according to The National Ledger.

Hamilton Says Olympic Spirit Safe

In another turn of skaters talking about Olympic politics, Scott Hamilton reportedly said that despite the political issues, the Olympics truly come down to the athletes and their stories, according to The National Ledger.

"You look back at people who tried to use the Olympics for their own personal agenda ... Adolf Hitler wanted to use the Berlin Olympics as a propaganda tool (for Aryan supremacy), but it didn't work out too well for him." Referring to the iconic, quadruple gold medal-winning African-American track star of the 1936 Games, he goes on, "When you think of Jesse Owens, and how the impact he made totally went to what they call 'The Great Olympic Moment,' and the athlete and the sport -- it was extraordinary."

Hamilton is planning on attending this summer's Olympics in Beijing.

Kiira Korpi Gets Higher Ed

According to Kiira-Korpi.net, the beautiful Finnish skater has been accepted to Tampere University to study corporate management. The site also states that this is quite a competitive university, so congratulations to Ms. Korpi!

Updated: New Rules

Kwantifiable pointed me towards some rule changes by the International Skating Union. It's definitely worth a look, but here are some highlights:

For flips and lutzes:
Technical panel will use the sign "e" in cases where wrong edge takeoff is severe, in such cases GOE (grade of execution) will be reduced by -1 to -3. In cases where the wrong takeoff edge is not so obvious, the sign "!" will be used and GOE will be at the discretion of every judge. This is interesting considering the earlier recommendations that the two jumps actually be judged the same, forgetting about edges altogether.

Have one fewer element in a well-balanced program, for which the results will include the following:
Senior Men and Ladies, maximum of three spins.
Junior Men, maximum of one step sequence
Junior Ladies, maximum of one step sequence and "No any spiral sequence" (Can anyone explain that to me?)

Axels:
If an axel jump follows another jump, without any steps, turns, hops, mazurkas and unlisted jumps, it will be counted as a jump sequence.

There's a lot more, be sure to check it out!

UPDATE: I didn't realize that Aaron at Axels, Loops, and Spins blogged about this a few days earlier than I did, but here is his post. He points out in his header that the new rules should help Asada; presumably because of the diminished deductions for flutzes.

I will also add that it will be interesting to see if the rule about one fewer element for a well-balanced program actually results in better...more fluid programs.

Getcher Toller Cranston Artwork Here

Calgary-based art company Artevo will globally market the artwork of two-time Olympic bronze medalist Canadian skater Toller Cranston., according to IceNetwork. You can view more of Cranston's work here; I really like it, especially the colors.

Capitol Fourth Recap

I took a look at Capitol Fourth's Olympic Tribute. Eric Kunzel conducted the National Symphony Orchestra playing John Williams' famous Olympic fanfare, which was first introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. They laid an Olympic montage over part of that, which included such famous summer Olympians as Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton.

Then host Jimmy Smits introduced Scott Hamilton (YAY), who said that although you focus on your own event while you're at the Olympics, when you get home you realize how everyone was pulling for you. Hamilton introduced nine members of this years Team USA: Khatuna Lorig (archery) Khan "Bob" Malaythong (badminton), Tim Morehouse (fencing), Eli Bremer (modern pentathlon), Nancy Rios (sailing), Dominic Grazioli (shooting), Kendrick Farris (weightlifting), Jake Deitchler (wrestling), Jessica Long (paralymic swimming).

Hamilton then talked about the power of inspirational music, and introduced a performance of "The Impossible Dream," from Man of La Mancha, sung by broadway star Brian Stokes MItchell. That included some more famous Olympic shots.

Happy Independence Day!

Have a great holiday! Don't forget to watch Capitol Fourth tonight on PBS!

Scott Hamilton and Capitol Fourth

I could not snag an interview with Scott Hamilton, who is in town for the Capitol Fourth Independence Day celebration on the National Mall (he'll be leading a tribute to the Olympics and USA Olympic teams). But here's his statement about the event:

"I can’t think of a better venue than the U.S. Capitol to honor and pay tribute to my fellow Olympians,” said Scott Hamilton. “These athletes represent all of the qualities that have made America so great and it’s only fitting that we give Team USA a patriotic send off to Beijing on the 4th of July when we celebrate our nation’s birthday!"

The release I received also stated that Hamilton will have an inspirational book out next year titled The Great Eight.

Don't forget to watch the Capitol Fourth celebration if you'd like to see Hamilton and the Olympic tribute.

Happy Canada Day!

Don't forget to celebrate Canada today, both for the amazing figure skaters the country has produced over the years and for the massive amounts of love that nation has for skating and skaters in general. Not to mention that Canada is home to several loyal readers of this little blog(And for many other reasons that do not directly relate to figure skating). YAY Canada!

Serena Williams, Figure Skater?

A coffee table book launched Tuesday at Wimbledon celebrates the 20th anniversary of tennis' reinstatement in the Olympics by having tennis stars pose as athletes in other sports. According to Guardian, among the photos is a picture of Serena Williams as a figure skater. The book is titled "Journey to Beijing: Tennis Celebrates the Olympics."

More Olympic Talk from Stojko

Elvis Stojko has made some more comments seemingly advocating an athlete boycott of this summer's Olympic games in Beijing. The comments were in Sharp magazine, and here's what Stojko said:

“Canadians, we live in a bubble. But there are other people around the world, and especially with Beijing hosting the Games, there’s a chance to make some pressure on China in order to change and to move forward and treat their people the way they should be treated. This may be the first time a generation must, if they decide to, give up what they want in order to help other people.”

Stojko also mentions having only received negative feedback from one athlete. Regardless, I don't think an athletic boycott is really in the cards for this Olympics, although this article gives a little summary of Olympic protests that is interesting.

Michelle Kwan Leaps Skyscrapers

Sports photographer Walter Iooss has a book of photographs out titled Athlete. It sounds to be full of plenty of amazing images, and you might be especially interested in a gorgeous shot of Michelle Kwan, who appears to be skating in the clouds, but is actually on a glassy rink. Check it out in the New York Daily News article on the book.

Brian Boitano Keeps it Real

UPDATED. I actually have the link now...sorry about that.

Here is a great Icenetwork interview with Brian Boitano. There are so many great aspects that I cannot excerpt it all so please go read. Here are some of my favorite parts:
ICE: Looking at the skaters around today, a lot of the guys are doing the same elements as you all did in the mid-'80s.
BB: Jeffrey Buttle did exactly the technical content this year that I did in the long program at Calgary. Isn't that funny? I got so many phone calls after worlds. People telling me "you could have won!" Give me a 20-year-old body, and I'll do it!
ICE: Is there anything that can be done to improve pro skating? Do we need a new crop of skaters like we had in the mid-'90s?
BB: We definitely need to do better in competitions, and we need to have it not be little girls. We need women. Our demographic is women who like watching other women -- the Jill Trenarys, the Debbie Thomases the Katarina Witts, the Nancy Kerrigans. They relate to women competing, not little girls, and as long as we have little girls winning the national championships, I don't think the popularity is ever going to come back.
Boitano also advocates bringing back the 6.0 scoring system, but the whole interview is great so go read it!
ICE: I was talking with Carol Heiss Jenkins also about how, with the scoring system now, you don't see a classic layback, camel-change-camel or smooth death spiral anymore without all these position changes.
BB: Yeah, and now we have all those crotch shot spins. (I add this because you might remember that I too am not the biggest fan of those crotch shot spins).

Roy Wagelin Found Dead

About.com has news about former U.S. pairs skater Roy Wagelin being found dead. He was a 1968 Olympian. No details, but obviously a sad week for figure skating.

Jo Ann from About.com also points out that Wagelin was a graduate of the Hollywood Professional School, a private school for kids in arts and entertainment. Peggy Fleming is another famous attendee, along with other skaters and actors.

Ruminations on Coach-Switching

Why all the coach switching? Bouncing around between coaches is nothing new in figure skating. I’m not even saying it’s a bad thing. But it appears to be happening more and more in recent years (**disclaimer: I have no empirical evidence of this. This assessment is based on observation and a very rough survey that consisted of me google-researching several top skaters of the past 30 years). I remember up until a few years ago, I thought coach-swapping was strictly a sign of desperation or a major conflict, or an inability to get the job done. Nicole Bobek seemed to have a new coach each season back in the 90s. Similarly, Sasha Cohen also hopped from coach to coach (and sometimes back). Neither of those fazed me, but I remember being absolutely shocked (SHOCKED!) when Michelle Kwan left her longtime coach, Frank Carroll during the season leading up to the 2002 Olympic games. And now in the past few weeks we have at least two world champions and several other major skaters switching coaches.

Some of the switching might be that it’s just natural for skaters to change coaches as they make the jump into elite skating, from smaller-time to bigger-time, where their old coaches just don't have the experience or knowledge to help them compete. (or, as a skater grows up, they just seek out a coach who better fits their style and personality or can help in certain areas they are lacking). While some skaters make that move while they’re still juniors (like Evan Lysacek going to train under Frank Carroll in 2003) or before they really take off, maybe that idea accounts for the recent switches by Ashley Wagner, Kimmie Meissner and Johnny Weir. Or Scott Hamilton’s 1980 move to Don Laws, who would lead him to the Olympic gold. But surely this natural progression theory can't explain why Mao Asada, Fumie Suguri, and others are continually going from coach to coach.

Another factor might be that, especially in the couple of decades since the demise of the Soviet Union, there are just so many more coaches to pick and choose between. And of course, skaters from, say, the former soviet republics, have more freedom to choose whom they skate for and with and where they do their skating. So someone like Nikolai Morozov is attracting skaters from all over the world to New Jersey to work with him, while if the USSR still existed, he would probably be working with whomever he was assigned.

I have read many articles about how people used to work for one company their whole lives but now the trend is to change jobs and even careers every few years (although I won’t even try to get into the sociological reasons why this is happening). Is there a similar trend occurring in the world of figure skating? Or am I completely off this theory that a higher percentage of top skaters are moving around nowadays than they did, say, 20 years ago? Kelli at State of the Skate writes that it's almost become a rite of passage for elite skaters to change coaches:

As for whether or not it’s a worthwhile tradition, well… that’s trickier. There are success stories out there for sure. After all, do you think Lambiel would have knocked on Petrenko’s door if Petrenko didn’t seem to be such a player in Johnny Weir’s turnaround this past season?

But I suspect there’s something to be said for the psychological side of it too. Does the new coach really make the difference every time, or is it sometimes the mere sense of expecting more from oneself by way of making a change? Do you simply start listening better when someone new is in the room?

Let me know what you think about the topic...and your guesses as to why coach swapping is so prevalent lately.

Jim Yorke Dies

Jim Yorke, U.S. ice dancing Skate America bronze medalist and a coach of Mirai Nagasu, among others, passed away at 45 years old the other day, according to Icenetwork. The article does not state how he died but says it was unexpected.

From the article:

Following his retirement from competitive skating, Yorke embarked on a professional career with five-time U.S. champion and three-time world bronze medalist Judy Blumberg and, later, with Kim Callahan. He was also sought out by many skaters for his expertise in choreography and footwork.

Yorke touched many lives through his lifelong involvement in skating. Icenetwork.com caught up with several of his closest friends in the sport and asked them to reflect on his life.

Nagasu coach Charlene Wong said of Yorke: "[Jim] was a friend, a wonderful skater and fabulous teacher," Wong said. "His work with Mirai was essential to her development as a skater and an artist. Jim worked hard in his unique way to help Mirai raise the emotional output and sincerity of her performances. He would teach Mirai basic skating skills or ice dance on the surface when, in fact, the underlying tone of the lessons were of a much greater value. He really gave of himself."

Imagine Figure Skater

Another figure skating video game is hitting the news this week, according to Nintendic. This time it's Imagine Figure Skater for Nintendo DS. Apparently, the stylus is integral in the performance of jumps and spins. The game comes out in August.

The game is developed by Ubisoft, which is a European company that was written up in Forbes recently. Ubisoft's Imagine line is geared toward young girls and includes such other activities as designing.

Breaking: Another Champion for Tarasova

AFP is reporting that Mao Asada will be training with Tatiana Tarasova as well (we reported earlier that Lysacek will be working with the famed coach/choreographer).

"She will design a programme just for me. That means a lot," Asada told a press conference at the airport in central Aichi prefecture as she returned from Canada.

Vancouver will be Asada's first Olympics because she was three months too young to be eligible for the Turin Games.

Asada will be based at the skating facilities of Chukyo University in Aichi prefecture while travelling frequently to Moscow, she said.

And for this Week's Coaching Switch:

Ashley Wagner, who I have to follow extra closely now because she is a DC-area girl, has left her coach of six years, Shirley Hughes, to train with Johnny Weir's former coach, Priscilla Hill, according to the Concord Monitor. Wagner came in 16th in this year's world championships and she is scheduled to skate in the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy this season.

Full Text of Janet Lynn's Speech

About.com's Figure Skating Blog has the full text of Janet Lynn's controversial USFS Governing Council speech, which I previously blogged about. Read the transcript here.

Kristi Yamaguchi Sighting

Kristi Yamaguchi is all over the place these days. From JustJared.com, she went with her family to the premiere of the new movie Wall-E. There are several pictures of her family, including her two adorable girls. Also, I am digging Bret's stylish look.

Fun with Devices

USA Today reports about a mysterious flexibility devices that helps athletes (particularly figure skaters) improve their flexibility.

About the size of a shoebox, with a domed lid and covered in gray vinyl, the device doesn't do anything except vibrate at a particular frequency when it's plugged in.

But when athletes from swimmers to skaters put an ankle, a thigh or a hip to it — or use an adapted rod version that can be rested on a shoulder — amazing things happen to their flexibility.

The device was said to have helped Kimmie Meissner lift her skate over her head (I am guessing they mean doing a Bielmann spiral or spin). Additionally, a test group of male pairs skaters found that although two men could do splits before using the device, after using the device for just one session, ten men could then do splits.

The article is a bit vague about what the device is (it doesn't seem to have a technical name) and does not say where you can get your hands on one if you are in training.

Lysacek Off To Moscow

Icenetwork reportsEv that Evan Lysacek is off to Moscow for a few weeks to work on choreography with Tatiana Tarasova. Interestingly, Tarasova choreographed rival Johnny Weir's programs from 2003-2006. Lysacek normally works with Lori Nichol, and will still work with her according to the article, but is looking for a "new perspective."

Lysacek's consulting Tarasova may be a sign that he's trying to tap into his more lyrical side.

"[Tarasova's] unique gift is coming up with great ideas for people, to package them properly as athletes and promote them properly as a skater and an artist," Lysacek said. "It's something I wasn't necessarily ready for the last couple years, but I feel like I'm ready to take on that challenge."

Lysacek doesn't fancy himself much of a classical music buff (When Nichol came to him with Carmen in 2005, he had never heard it before), so he is going to Moscow with a completely clean slate.

"I'm just going to leave it in her hands and let her use me as a marionette doll."

Lysacek's programs tend to be full of passion, but perhaps he is hoping to get in touch with the more elegant side that Tarasova seems able to get out of many skaters. It will be interesting to see how his programs are different this season and what kind of impact she has.

Are You Sitting Down?

Thanks to Ice Charades, I now know that I completely blew it by not letting all of you Long Islanders know about "Cold as Ice," starring Oksana Baiul, which closed the other day. It was playing in Bellport, and had I only known I would certainly have tried to attend while visiting family on the Island a few weeks ago! Sorry blog readers.

Apparently, she played a skater in the play during the skating scenes, and another actress played the character's singing alter-ego. And there was a RINK at the theatre!!! Does this not sound like the greatest skating show since Xanadu (which is probably the greatest show since Starlight Express). Please let this thing somehow make it to Broadway. With Baiul in tow, preferably.

The show features a roster of characters from the figure-skating world: pushy “skating mothers,” demanding coaches, fatuous sportscasters, eager neophytes and the competitors they become. For those who vividly recall Ms. Baiul as the balletic, pixieish Ukrainian teenager who won the gold — and who soon fell from Olympic glory to alcoholic notoriety — the tale of Maya Propova may have special resonance.

While Maya, a Russian who feels trapped in her life, is a composite character, she closely resembles Ms. Baiul, who choked up recently at the first cast run-through of the script: As Maya learned that her parents had died in an accident, Ms. Baiul’s eyes welled, and she was temporarily unable to go on.

“I’ve lived through it — it’s emotional,” she said later, her accented speech still recalling her girlhood. “It’s good story. I think it’s very true.”

Capitol Fourth

Scott Hamilton will lead a salute to the Olympic Games at the Capitol Fourth celebration this year on the National Mall.

In addition to the extended fireworks, A Capitol Fourth will include a special salute to the Olympic Games with figure skater and Gold medal winner Scott Hamilton. The musical tribute will include John William's "Olympic Fanfare" from the National Symphony Orchestra led by Erich Kunzel. Kunzel will also conduct the Cincinnati Pops at the Beijing Olympics this summer, the only American orchestra to perform in this year's Olympic games. The program will also feature performances by The Choral Arts Society of Washington, The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, The U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery, and an Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.

I don't think he'll be skating in the heat, but we all know Hamilton is great at the M.C. duties as well. Let me know if you're going. I live in the area and might try to attend!

Dice-K Drama

Lifeskate linked to this enlightening Japan Times article about Japanese skater and world silver medalist Daisuke Takahashi’s recent split from coach/choreographer Nikolai Morozov. The reason given for the breakup at the time by Dice-K was that Morozov had decided to work with Japanese rival Nobunari Oda.

However, the article posits that the split actually came when Takahashi essentially chose his agent, Tak Ihara, over Morozov. Morozov mentioned to the article’s author as early as last fall that he was unhappy with Ihara. The author, Jack Gallagher called Morozov for his side:

But I knew better, and when I contacted Morozov in New Jersey, he immediately confirmed my suspicions in an exclusive interview.
"He had the choice to continue to work with me or work with his agent," Morozov said by telephone recently. "It is not a simple situation. I don't know why he chose the agent, but I think it is more important for him to make money."
Morozov was just getting warmed up.
"He lost the world championship because of his agent," the coach said. "He couldn't prepare properly."
When I asked Morozov to elaborate on the worlds, where Takahashi was favored to win the gold but ended up fourth, he kept on firing.
"His boots (skates) were not ordered on time. His agent didn't do it," Morozov said. "The agent was trying to do things on his own and he eventually wanted to do everything."

Morozov said he essentially chose to work with Oda because he could see the writing on the wall that he was going to lose Takahashi. And after giving the skater an ultimatum (continue working with Morozov or stay with Ihara), he did.

Belated Remembrance

Jim McKay passed away nearly two weeks ago at the age of 86. The long-time host of ABC's "Wide World of Sports," McKay's broadcasting career included some figure skating commentary. He is also well known for having the sad task of informing viewers that the hostages were killed during the 1972 Olympic kidnapping of Israeli athletes in Munich. I was lucky enough to hear him broadcast many sporting events, and his voice and on-air style were truly unforgettable.

Charlie Jones, died this week at 77. He was an emmy-winning sportscaster who also contributed to "Wide World of Sports." He announced figure skating during his time at NBC. Jones was best known for his work calling professional football games, but he was also an author and documentarian.

ACLU and Figure Skating

There's a story making the rounds about the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan investigating whether the City of Plymouth Michigan was discriminating against girls when it cut a figure skating program mainly attended by girls in favor of a hockey program, mainly attended by boys.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Besides eliminating the basic skills ice skating program, the city decided that private figure skating programs would have to pay $255 an hour for a block of freestyle skating ice time rather than $10 per skater. City officials say the changes will generate $71,400, up from the current $32,200.

According to the city, the hockey teams will pay that fee. Officials with the skating programs say they can't afford it.

City officials say they had to make the changes to balance the city's budget.

The article reports that a Plymouth woman filed a complaint with the ACLU and that the group stated it would follow up on the matter. One concern is that the figure skating program was fine until the high school hockey team wanted to use the rink for practice.

From the article, it doesn't seem that there is gender discrimination - I have a feeling the city would have done whatever it could to make more money and it obviously stands to make more with the hockey players. It's sad that the publicly funded figure skating is no more, though. A lot of potential skaters will be missing out.

I have a feeling that this is not the only instance of figure skating programs getting cut in recent years, but what can be done to fix that other than charge the parents more money for ice time? Feel free to add your own experiences and suggestions to the comments section.

Kristi Yamaguchi Teen Choice Nom

Some in Hollywood think there are just too many awards shows. Here at Required Elements, no award is too small or superfluous to garner a mention when it deals with a figure skater.

California’s very own Kristi Yamaguchi has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award for her work on "Dancing with the Stars" in the category of Female Reality/Variety Star, according to WizbangPop! Yamaguchi has a tough road ahead of her – she is up against such class acts as Heidi Montag and Lauren Conrad (snooze) of "The Hills," Kim Kardashian of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” and Whitney Thompson of God knows which cycle of “America’s Next Top Model.” I actually have never seen Thompson’s episodes, so she may very well be just as classy as Kristi, but, let’s face it, it’s hard to be as awesome as the Yamaguchi.

The awards show will be hosted by Miley Cyrus, and I’m not trying to make us all feel old when I note that Ms. Cyrus was not yet alive when Ms. Yamaguchi won her Olympic gold medal in 1992. The show will air on Fox on August 4. Let’s hope Kristi can bring home the surfboard!

Talk with Tanith Belbin

IceNetwork is fast and furious with their Q&As this week. Here is one from Tanith Belbin. She talks a bit about the move from Detroit:

Detroit offered us a lot, and we will always consider it home, but it wasn't necessarily the most aesthetically pleasing place. Pennsylania is very pretty, and I know that Ben loves having his house and the garden for the his dogs to run around in. There are definite benefits to living there.

For all you Lysacek fans, there is quite an odd pic with Belbin sitting in one direction, he in another (although they are next to each other) and his skin is super pink. Weird!

Johnny Weir Q&A

Here is a Q&A with Johnny Weir from IceNetwork. He describes his new show a bit, but apparently it's actually starting out as a documentary:

ICE: Tell me about your TV show Black Swan Rising.

JW: It's going to be a movie for sure; I have seen some rough cuts. It is going to be very simple and just sort of show the shell of my world that the TV show -- which will hopefully get put on after the documentary -- it will be really in-depth, like me going to Russia, me walking down my first red carpet. It will show more of what my real life is like. The documentary is more of an overview of who Johnny Weir really is outside of our little world.

Grand Prix Assignments Out

Looks like the Grand Prix Assignments are out. You can see the full list of entries here. As for the Americans, here is a complete list.

Some notables: The first event, Skate America, is from Oct. 24-26 in Everett, Washington, and will feature Lysacek, Weir, Nagasu, Flatt, Meissner, Inoue & Baldwin, Belbin & Agosto, Rippon, and several others.

Unfortunately I can't write a better post right now, but be sure to check out the entries.

Celebrity Status

A few gossipy of some of our favorite figure skaters today:

Dorothy Hamill received a mention in Cindy Adams’s New York Post gossip column today. It was an item on Friday the 13th, and apparently Hamill thinks it’s a lucky day:

Skater Dorothy Hamill, who's superstitious, skated 13th on Friday, Feb. 13, the day she won Olympic gold.

Meanwhile, Michelle Kwan was mentioned as one of the many celebrities (including Justin Timberlake and David Beckham) at last night’s NBA Finals game 4 in Los Angeles, according to WBZTV. Hometown team Lakers lost but who cares about the game when you have all those celeb sightings, right?

IFS Weir Article

Figure Skating Universe pointed me to an article about Johnny Weir in the new issue of International Figure Skating and the link is here. There are some fun pictures and Weir is quoted in the article, which is all I need for an article to be entertaining. He talks about his big comeback last season, including his training with Galina Zmievskaya.

Although it took more than three months before Weir had his initial practice session with Zmievskaya, it took only seconds to experience just how demanding her particular style of discipline would be. “The first time I stepped onto the ice, I was informed that I was one minute late. Then I was reprimanded for wasting precious ice time doing stretching exercises. It was a very strict first date,” said Weir with a smile. “It was also a glimpse of what was to come.

“I knew I had a lot to learn regarding the Russian way of controlling their athletes. I was never allowed to skate alone. Even while stretching in the ballet room, I was not allowed to work alone. Having a team of three people working with me most of the time, and always at least one, was something I had to get used to.”

If you're a fan, definitely check it out, it's interesting.

More to the Story...

Aaron points out that there is quite more to the Grishuk date-rape story, and it is super-dramatic, as is often the case with Oksana “Pasha” Grishuk. ESPN has the different sides of the story.

Apparently, Halstead claims he and Grishuk had a three-year affair, while Grishuk denies a romantic relationship. An excerpt:

Grishuk, 36, said last month that she had not been romantically involved with Halstead, 61 and repeated that denial in Monday's statement.. She told investigators she knew him because they had discussed starting a clothing and vitamin line.
Molfetta, however, said that Halstead and Grishuk had had a lengthy romantic relationship and he had provided text messages, e-mails, telephone records and personal notes to the district attorney's office to prove it.
Schroeder said she was aware of Halstead's claims but that "it's unclear as to whether they had a relationship or not -- and frankly, that's just one part of this case." She said no charges would be filed against Grishuk.
Halstead said Grishuk wanted to marry him, but he was going through a divorce and told her no. He also said she wanted him to travel to Europe with her as her agent, but he refused.
"She got really upset with me because she said, 'Can't you find me a man with money who could take care of me?" Halstead told The Associated Press by telephone. "She kept saying, 'Jim, I'm in love with you."
Halstead said Grishuk initiated their April 12 meeting at the posh St. Regis Monarch hotel because she accused him of missing Valentine's Day. He said he believes she slipped the pill in her own drink when he left to use the restroom for about 15 minutes.

The case has been dropped, although I notice Grishuk has herself high-powered attorney Gloria Allred, who has never met a celebrity case she didn’t like. So, we’ll see if this is the end of the story.

Sightings: Michelle Kwan

The Michelle Kwan forum has an adorable picture of Michelle Kwan, her sister Karen, her husband Peter Oppegard (both skaters also!) and their cute kids. Check it out, Michelle looks beautiful as always.

Breaking: Grishuk Case Dropped

The case against the man suspected of slipping a date-rape drug into Olympic Gold Medalist Oksana Grishuk's drink has been dropped due to lack of evidence, according to ESPN.

The case was dropped at what was supposed to be James R. Halstead's arraignment for a felony count of administering the drug to Grishuk.

Janet Lynn's Speech

There has been some scuttlebutt surrounding former U.S. Champion Janet Lynn's recent speech at the USFS Governing Council Skater's Alumni Dinner. It has been floating around the internet that the speech was critical of that judging system and that is why it wasn't available at IceNetwork or the USFS website, while fellow speaker Michelle Kwan's speech was available. I have no idea about any of that since I wasn't there, but About.com has published a letter from Lynn regarding the speech.

Here is an excerpt:

I suggested that USFS sponsor a commission led by gold medal champions to evaluate the health of our sport and to make concrete suggestions to USFS that will help move figure skating forward in a healthy way.

I also discussed my concern for the physical safety of young skaters. Indications are that generally, young bodies are not being properly prepared for the impact, flexibility, and elements that are being required of them. This troubles me. I believe this issue, and other issues, are problems that need to be wisely solved.

The intended purpose of my speech was to respectfully and honestly inspire those currently involved in the skating community toward a good and healthy path for the future of figure skating. I hope to make the speech available in some professional and appropriate format so that interested persons can have access to it.

The letter does not seem to be particularly incendiary, but I would love to have heard the original speech. Either way, Lynn is a highly respected champion and figure in the skating world, and even if she had criticism, it could have likely been regarded constructively. Diverse opinion and dissent are important. Since I have not been able to find any comments from USFS officials regarding the original speech, I cannot speak to how it was actually received.

Yagudin loses medal, car

Olympic Gold Medalist Alexei Yagudin has lost one of his world championship gold medals. He left it in his porsche, which was stolen, according to Russia Today. The total loss is estimated at more than $1.5 million, but how do you put a price on a gold medal?

Probably not the wisest decision, says the girl who is afraid to even leave $50 earrings in a car that is much less likely to be stolen than a porsche. I hope he somehow gets both the car and the medal back.

UPDATED: How Important is Exclusivity?

One of the major questions raised about the Lambiel coaching switch to work with Viktor Petrenko and Galina Zmievskaya is what does this mean for Johnny Weir? According to the IFS Magazine forum:

Weir has not commented on the move, but he has said he went to Zmievskaya, in part, for the exclusivity she offered.

As you can likely remember, using the same choreographer/coach as a rival became too much for Daisuke Takahashi. He recently split with Nikolai Morozov, who was beginning to train fellow Japanese skater Nobunari Oda.

I know there are definitely many cases where skaters of the same event share coaches while competing. I am guessing there is a certain necessity to it - I mean, there are only so many amazing coaches for the skaters to work with.

Additionally, I know there are a few very successful choreographers who work with several skaters who compete in the same events in the same season. Even that would get to me if I were a skater - I'd probably be constantly checking out the other programs and wondering why I wasn't given such and such a move or something like that.

A positive aspect of sharing a coach with a direct competitor could actually be that the closeness to the other competitor actually fuels the competitiveness of a skater - seeing a "rival" excel often made me want to try harder (though, other times it made me want to quit!). This is view taken by Axels, Loops, and Spins:

Two of the sports most artistic talents training together...should be interesting! I think these two can really push each other.

So maybe it can be a good thing.

What do you think?

UPDATE:

Here is another article about Weir's reaction. Some excerpts:

Reports today indicating a relocation and coaching change by Stéphane Lambiel, a two-time World champion (2005-06), to the New Jersey Ice Vault training rink of reigning World bronze medalist Johnny Weir came as an early morning surprise to many in the skating world – including Weir. “The first I heard about it was when I woke up to an incoming rush of text messages from friends in Europe and Russia. Everyone was looking for confirmation, but I had nothing to tell them,” Weir said.

...During Petrenko’s trip abroad, Lambiel spent a few days in New Jersey working with Zmievskaya. “Russians work as a team, so it’s not unusual that Stéphane was skating with Galina (Zmievskaya),” Weir said. “I imagine that Stéphane will now probably also work with the same Pilates instructor I have, and perhaps the same masseuse.”

Weir admits things could become too cozy for comfort once the competitive season gets underway. “I haven’t personally decided if it will be beneficial for me to train with another elite skater," he said. "We both want to be the next Olympic champion, and to do that, it will be a fight for all of the titles until Vancouver. To have a rival training next to me, on the ice doing run-throughs, observing every move I make is something I haven’t experienced and until I do, I cannot know whether I’ll like it or I won’t. But, I hope this arrangement can push us both to work hard and conquer the world.”

So it looks like Weir will be staying put for now and he'll see how it goes.

BREAKING! Lambiel Leaves Coach

Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland is leaving his long-time coach to train under Olympic gold medalist Viktor Petrenko, according to swissinfo.ch. The move comes after Lambiel, a two-time world champion, came in a disappointing fifth place at this year’s world championships in Sweden.

Lambiel said it had been a difficult decision to leave his coach of 13 years, Peter Grütter, but he was in need of a "new challenge".
"I owe an enormous amount to Peter Grütter. We part on good terms and remain good friends," he said.

Lambiel will also work with Galina Zmievskaya, Petrenko’s former coach. You may remember that these two were integral in Johnny Weir’s great turnaround this season that culminated in a bronze medal at worlds.

Yagudin as Putin!

That almost kind of rhymes! Olympic gold medalist Alexei Yagudin is making his stage debut playing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (or a Putin-esque character) in the play "President on Vacation," according to RussiaToday:

The director of the play, Irina Lychagina, says that the story is not about any one president in particular. But the main character is easily recognisable: the writers of the play have drawn on the work of Andrey Kolesnikov, a journalist well-known for his publications about Putin, and parts of the ex-president’s speeches were inserted into the script without any changes.

Yagudin, the 2002 Olympic Games gold medalist and four times World Champion, says he agreed to play Putin without hesitation, even if he feels a huge responsibility in doing so. He added that showbiz is something that attracted him after the end of his sporting career, with this role his stage debut.

Let's just hope the play is not too biting. Putin has a history of making opponents and even satirists disappear...literally, according to a recent New York Times article.

Happy Birthday Evan Lysacek

The two-time U.S. Champion turns 23 today! Check out his website.

Spokane Already Breaking Records

Also from IceNetwork, Spokane has already broken the initial weekend ticket sales record for the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships, selling "2,692 All Event Ticket Packages and 2,026 Skating Spectacular tickets being sold in the first 48 hours."

Tickets for the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships went on sale May 31 at Noon EST. As of Monday, June 2, organizers report an increase of 25 percent over the past record that was set March 15, 2004, for the initial ticket launch of the 2007 State Farm U.S. Championships, which were also held in Spokane.

Fans took advantage of a special payment plan that allowed them to select the seat of their choice and put down a $200 deposit to secure the seat. The ticket purchaser then pays the remaining balance over three payments.

Sounds like the all-important Olympic year championships are already off to a great start...

Hall of Fame Inductions on NBC

IceNetwork reports that the 2008 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductions will air on NBC on Sunday, August 3 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

As part of the broadcast coverage, viewers will be treated to competition footage as well as insights from friends and competitors of the honored legends who will be inducted into the exclusive group of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic greats.

"Having the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame broadcast again on NBC continues what we believe to be an excellent platform to recognize the great accomplishments of some of America's most recognized sports heroes," said USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr . "With the Beijing Olympic Games just days after the 2008 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame broadcast airing, this summer's Olympic-oriented programming will be some of the most watched in history."

Be sure to tune in to see Brian Boitano inducted, along with a posthumous induction for Carlo Fassi and veteran category induction for Carol Heiss Jenkins.

Update on "If I'd Known Then"

I was able to sneak a peak at the Sasha Cohen excerpt of If I'd Known Then yesterday. It was very short, and included an interview with Cohen and then a letter Cohen wrote to her 17-year-old self.

The interview revealed Cohen to be an avid "foodie," and she also discusses potential college plans.

In her letter, Cohen writes to a younger version of herself who had made the Olympic team and had ambitious hopes, for example, of learning the quad. She stresses that she should not doubt herself, and instead trust herself and her body. (That's very much a simplification). It's quite sweet, but the Cohen excerpt is only a few pages long so I wouldn't recommend the book if she is the only reason you are interested. However, it seems a cute gift for a teenage girl, kind of a similar message as the Don't Sweat the Small Stuff series, with a lot of "believe in yourself" thrown in. I like the inclusion of several athletes.

If I'd Known Then

I just read about this book that appears to have been published recently, If I'd Known Then: Women in Their 20s and 30s Write Letters to Their Younger Selves, edited by Ellyn Spragins. Sasha Cohen has an entry in the book, so I thought you might be interested if you haven't heard about it yet. I haven't read the book but if anyone out there has and would like to share anything about Cohen's section, feel free. I'll try to check it out soon and let you know what I think.

Olympic Petition Fairness

2004 Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Paul Hamm has broken a bone in his right hand, and will have to miss the Olympic trials next month and hopefully petition his way onto the Olympic team. This situation is calling up comparisons to both Michelle Kwan's and Nancy Kerrigan's successful petitions onto the Olympic figure skating teams, in 2006 and 1994, respectively.

Gwen Knapp, of the San Francisco Chronicle, argues that Hamm and U.S.A. Gymnastics will have to deal with "leftover heat" from Kwan's petition and subsequent withdrawal from the games. Kwan petitioned herself onto the Olympic team for the 2006 Winter Games in Torino because she could not compete due to a groin injury. She was selected for the team, and re-injured herself shortly after the Opening Ceremonies. She was replaced by Nationals bronze medalist Emily Hughes, sister of 2002 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes.

I didn't realize there was "leftover heat" from Kwan's situation, although many, including Sports Illustrated's E.M. Swift, argued that Kwan shouldn't have been let on the team at all:

Strained groins are notoriously slow to heal and easily re-injured, which is exactly what happened to Kwan when she attempted a triple flip 15 minutes into her first Turin practice.

While the late addition of Hughes -- who finished third at Nationals but was bumped to make room for Kwan -- might be viewed as a wrong righted, it is still a wrong and reflects badly on the USFSA and its petition process. Hughes has been given short shrift in what should have been the experience of a lifetime, missing the thrill of marching in Opening Ceremonies, of being able to spend the entire three weeks in the Olympic Village, of having the free time to see other Olympic events. Now she has to contend with hurried travel plans and a late adjustment to jet lag. Skaters do best when they're calm and relaxed, and whatever Hughes' Olympic experience might prove to be, it definitely won't be one that's relaxed.

Obviously, the whole situation was ironic, since Nancy Kerrigan petitioned for what would have been Kwan's spot after the 1994 attack kept her out of nationals that year.

Knapp essentially argues that it's not fair to penalize USA Gymnastics for the failure of the Kwan situation. I suppose I would agree, since they are obviously two different sports and every situation is different. Knapp's column quotes USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny emphasizing the team aspect of Olympic gymnastics as a reason that more athletes must be considered than just the highest-scoring at the trials (for example, one athlete may be a floor exercise specialist, while another is superb at bars, etc.). Knapp calls the Kwan situation a disaster, but I can't tell if she is definitely completely against the idea of petitions, and she does deem Kerrigan " the most defensible injury exemption of the bunch."

Knapp also brings up the discrepancy between sports judged by humans and other sports. For example, she points out that if swimmer Michael Phelps were injured and could not compete at trials, there would be no way for him to petition his way onto the Olympic team.

These are all interesting points, as is Swift's charge that "in granting Kwan's petition the USFSA forgot its most fundamental charge: To promote fair competition and to treat all its athletes equally." I do wonder about the fairness of the petition process whenever it comes up - but then how can you argue against the Kerrigan petition? And Kwan was still near the top of her sport in 2006. Although I didn't think she had a chance at the gold unless other skaters faltered, she could definitely have challenged for the silver or bronze. Add to that all that Kwan has given to the sport over the years, (vs. the alternative of a skater with limited international experience) and it's not hard to see why the committee made the choice to grant Kwan's petition. However, I think Kerrigan and Kwan were very special cases, and I'm not sure how quick the selection committee would be to grant a similar waiver to another skater. By taking Kwan's history and Kerrigan's circumstances into consideration, does that mean the process itself is inherently unfair? I don't know.

EUROVISION!

I’d like to apologize for being so late in writing about the Eurovision song contest. I've seen dozens of articles about Evgeny Pluschenko performing in this contest and I couldn’t tell if it was that big a deal or not, but now I realize, it’s very much kind of a big deal.

Apparently, the contest has been around since 1956. It’s an annual contest held among members of the European broadcasting union. Each member station chooses a song and singer to represent its country in the competition. Each country has a set of votes, which can be decided by televoting or other means. The most votes wins.

Anyway, the reason you are reading about the contest on this site (finally) is that apparently, Russia just won its first Eurovision title. And Evgeny Pluschenko’s skating accompanied singer Dima Bilan’s winning performance of the song “Believe!.”

This is no amateur singing contest, mind you. The winning song was produced by Timbaland, according to The Guardian.

Congratulations to Russia! And congrats to Pluschenko – he snagged himself an incredible amount of exposure from that one performance. You can check it out here.

From what I can tell, Pluschenko is not really performing on a lot of ice, so he's basically waving his arms dramatically and kind of jumping around (although that picture is pretty impressive). Still, it appears to have been effective.

Joubert Working with Platov

2007 World Champion Brian Joubert is working with two-time Olympic gold medalist Evgeny Platov for choreography. According to IceNetwork, Joubert is currently in Princeton with Platov. He worked with Platov earlier when Platov was part of Tatiana Tarasova's coaching team.
Platov said Joubert approached him at worlds in Gothenburg about doing the choreography. The two are currently on the ice at the Princeton Sports Center creating both short and long programs.

"He's picking up everything so fast," said Platov, who accepts only a small number of choreography requests. "I'm not that person who will be making a hundred programs a year. I want to do less, but more quality, especially with unique people like Brian and my own students (British ice dancers Sinead and John Kerr).

The drama here is that Joubert had been working with Kurt Browning. Word on the forums is that Browning actually was the one to tell Joubert he was too busy to work together extensively, but I of course cannot find the suppposed french article that came from (feel free to post in comments!).

Plan Ahead Much?

Spokane 2010 U.S. National Championships tickets are going on sale this Saturday. Yes, that is correct, according to NNCN.com. I unfortunately don't know what my life will be like next month, let alone in two years, so I cannot buy tickets just yet.

Tickets can be secured at http://www.spokane2010.com/, or by calling (800) 325-SEAT, starting May 31.

Go get 'em!

Proposed Changes to International Judging Standards

Per a link at FSUniverse forums (free registration required) and Ice Skating International, here is a list of a "group of international coaches'" proposed list of changes to figure skating's International Judging Standards (IJS).

I'm not sure where to find a list of the judges who participated, but Ice Skating International states the proposals were recently sent to the ISU singles and pairs committees. Here are the first proposals:

1. Abolish secret judging.

Secret judging has proven to be, perhaps, the greatest disappointment in the history of the ISU. The problem it was intended to solve is a serious one, in need of firm action, but secrecy has not accomplished it’s intended goal: to eliminate judging misconduct. It is perceived by the public, and many in the skating family, as a way to hide intrigues or deals among the judges and is detrimental to the credibility of the sport. It is unfair to the skaters and to the judges as well. Secret judging has proven not to be the cure needed, and has done harm instead.

2. Abolish the random draw of the judges.

Studies have proven that there is a wide a spread of marks and consequent placements among the judges, even among the top five competitors. Depending on which judges have been selected, the result could vary from first to fifth very easily. This is not fair to the skaters. It is like a coin toss.

The random draw is another flaw of the system, especially when it does not guarantee a fairer result but is only used to make secret judging even more secret!

The only way to compensate for this is by using the marks of all the judges on the panels, deleting the highest and the lowest. To promote transparency show the list of judges in the protocols.

I put these both here because I believe the integrity of the judging (in fact, any judging) system relies on transparency. Many people could probably see the current judging system and its complete anonymity as a way to cover-up any issues like the judging scandal of 2002. I would much rather see both the highest and lowest scores included than see a random selection of anonymous judges.

There are several other suggestions meant to increase the creativity and excitement of the programs. For example, there is a proposal to allow one sequence of the competitor's choice in both the short and the long program, and spiral sequences and spread eagles are offered as examples. I have a post coming up about the evolution of the spiral sequence so I am very interested in seeing that element return to the way it was before the new code of points (more effective and more attractive for the audience, in my opinion).

You should definitely check out the full list, but here is another suggestion that caused some contention on the forum:

11. Unify the base value of the Lutz and the Flip jumps into a single jump.

In view of the never ending controversy over the starting edge of the Lutz and the flip jumps it is proposed of getting rid of the take-off edge requirements for these jumps. This is not unprecedented in the world of figure skating. The "Toe Walley" used to be a "real" jump and now it is just the same as a toe-loop. The skater will be allowed to take off from the inside, the outside, or the flat of the blade. A competitor will be allowed to attempt this Flip/Lutz jump twice, following the current repetition rule for jumps.

As you might imagine, this suggestion has been quite the point of debate on the forum boards. I personally would not support it, and it would probably help if any figure skaters out there chimed in, but I have always been under the impression that the takeoff edge is what makes the lutz much more difficult than the flip. It is much more likely that skaters screw up the lutz takeoff than the flip one. I don't think skaters should be judged the same for doing both jumps, and I also see how this could be the death knell for the lutz (why bother trying the more difficult jump when it won't rate you any more points)?

I see the issue from a spectators' point of view; many casual spectators don't know the difference between a lutz and a flip and it's confusing for viewers when a competitor loses points on their lutzes and someone else wins a competition despite not skating as well overall. Still, I would hate to see the lutz and the flip lose their distinctions. I also hate the walley comparison, but probably because the walley was mostly phased out by the time I watched skating so I have no love for it. It seems fairly simple compared with most of the other jumps, so I cannot imagine it being compared to the flip/lutz. Although perhaps when it was given the same credit as the toe loop, people were arguing that the toe loop was so much harder than the walley. Who knows? I just think this is a pretty dramatic suggestion.

How Did I Miss This?

Add another to the actor/skater mix: Irina Slutskaya. According to FigureSkatingMystery.com, the Olympic bronze and silver medalist recently made her theatrical debut in “Antigone Forever," a play.

Here is a link to some pictures of Slutskaya working.

According to the translated article, Slutskaya said:

I am also thankful to my partners who gave me a lot of help and support. I think that they saw that I was not slacking, but put in a lot of hard work. I also understood that acting on stage was hard work, which requires a lot of physical and emotional strengths. Now I would like to try myself in the movies.

Everyone wants to be in pictures!

Memorial Day Rundown

Hello all, here is a roundup of some stories that don't necessarily merit their own full blog posts:

Postbulletin has a quick interview with Sasha Cohen. Nothing new here but if you are a fan you might be interested.

Healthcare discount program HealthSaver has teamed up with Peggy Fleming, who says, " "The key to controlling weight is to eat fewer calories while
increasing physical activity." You heard it here first (hmm. Maybe not.): eat less, work out more.

Scott Hamilton paid a visit to the Oberlin (Ohio) Boys and Girls Club to hand out certificates and take questions from the kids. Sadly, some of the boys and girls did not know who he was. They pointed this out in the article on more than one occasion. Still, it sounds like the students enjoyed speaking with Scott.

Let's Talk About Skating!

Now that I have all that gossip and non-skating news out of the way, let's talk skating! Susan from Lifeskate has been kind enough to list out all the U.S. Qualifying Competitions for 2009, so take a look if you'd like to attend any.

Warrant out for Grishuk's Attacker

You read here that gold medal ice dancer Pasha (Oksana) Grishuk was slipped a drug similar to a date-rape drug a few months ago. There is now a warrant out for the arrest of person suspected of drugging Grishuk. He is also accused in civil lawsuits of defrauding investors of $20 million. The man, James R. Halstead, pleads innocence.

Reached by telephone, Halstead called the complaint "ridiculous" but would not discuss the allegations.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said Thursday. "I've got enough troubles in my life already."

In the early 1990s, Halstead and another man were charged with bilking investors of more than $1 million in a scheme to sell crude oil and German bank shares. He eventually pleaded guilty to five felony counts and was put on probation, court records show. His conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor when he paid $150,000 in restitution.

Tonya Update

Newsweek has a writeup about Harding and her new book. Here's an excerpt:

Understandably, the blogosphere is suspicious of Harding's true motives. "Translation: I'm broke and quickly fading into obscurity," offered one blogger on the San Francisco Chronicle's Web site. "This story makes me want to go to Disneyland," added another. Other critics recall Harding's many desperate moves to make a buck, including boxing with Paula Jones (of Bill Clinton fame) on a Fox TV reality show.

"If you publish a book like that, you probably need to do it for financial reasons," said former gold medalist Brian Boitano, who was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame last month. "If people are going to read it, they have to read it for the entertainment value, and not go by every word as the gospel truth. She struggles with being taken seriously."

Harding knows as well as anyone that there's no such thing as bad publicity, and she's prepared to spend the next several weeks fending off skeptical questions from people "entitled to their own opinion" as she promotes her new book. In an interview with NEWSWEEK, Harding struggled the most with this conflicting set of circumstances: if she knew nothing about the assault on Kerrigan until after it happened, why was her ex-husband so desperate to keep her quiet that he'd rape and threaten to kill her?

"You'll have to read the book," Harding said, explaining that it was a long time ago and that she has trouble remembering what she knew back then. "It was things I'd heard from other people."

Here's a recent interview on Dan Patrick's ESPN show.

Also, I don't think I mentioned before that Harding is apparently working on "The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest," a crime show. The article says it's on Court TV, but I think that channel changed to another name TruTV, so I'm not sure who the fact checker is. But what is her qualification for being on that show, other than the fact that she may or may not have helped plan an attack on a fellow skater and definitely obstructed justice? I guess notoriety has its perks. After looking at the list of other commentators (Danny Bonaduce, Amy Fisher, etc.), I get the picture.

Athlete Reacts to Stojko's Comments

Adam van Koeverden, a Canadian kayaker scheduled to compete in the Beijing Olympics later this year, has called skater Elvis Stojko's calls for athletes to boycott the games "ridiculous," according to The Canadian Press.

"I don't think going to China to race in my kayak means I'm signing on as a member of their parliament or agreeing with any of their foreign policies," Van Koeverden said. "I definitely think the Olympics should be (in China), it's produced more opportunities for dialogue and discussion and that's always been the biggest driving force for change."

Van Koeverden, one of Canada's top hopes for a medal in Beijing, met with the media at the Burloak Canoe Club on Thursday in a brief break from a gruelling training and competition schedule heading into the Olympics. In a wide-ranging conversation with reporters, the outspoken paddler voiced his frustration over comments by former figure skater Elvis Stojko, who suggested athletes boycott Beijing.

"I just think if these were (Stojko's) Olympics, he probably would have moderated his comments a little bit more," Van Koeverden said. "I respect him, I respect his comments, everybody has a right to their opinion. But I question whether that would be his opinion if he was on his way to get his gold medal. Especially after two silvers."

Sounds like van Koeverden is pretty upset. He even pointed out that he's seen Stojko skate in Canada before. van Koeverden already has a gold and bronze medal from competing in Athens in 2004. van Koeverden apparently wrote his opinions on his blog (I could not find the post to link to, feel free to post in comments).

Van Koeverden's coach, Scott Oldershaw, was part of the 1980 Canadian team but he did not get to go to the Olympics due to the boycott.

Start Your Engines!

Everyone's favorite dancing queen, Kristi Yamaguchi, will wave the flag to start this Sunday's Indianapolis 500. According to Indy500.com, she's the first female honorary starter in the race's history!

Unfortunately, Kristi is a last-minute replacement for boxer Floyd Maywether (sorry, had his named completely misspelled earlier), who recently lost his uncle. That's another DWTS connection; the last one (I think!) is that last season's winner, Helio Castroneves, is racing on Sunday.

Dubreuil and Lauzon Retire

Per the Canadian Press, Canadian ice dancers Patrice Lauzon and Marie-France Dubreuil announced their retirement this week after a 13-year-career. The pair have twice captured silver medals at the world championships and are five-time Canadian national champions.

They began considering retirement in 2006, a season that included a silver medal at the world championships and successes at the Canadian championships and Four Continents, but also featured an unlucky streak of injuries.

A terrible fall in the original dance forced their withdrawal at the Turin Olympics that year and left Dubreuil with an injured right hip and lower back, and she later hurt her right knee and ankle.

The rough season gave them pause to consider quitting.

But with the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and the chance to compete at home hovering on the horizon, they soldiered on.

"After the Turin games, we probably would've let it go right away," Lauzon said. "But having the Games in Canada is very attractive, it's quite amazing to do the Games in your own country."

But they wound up having a difficult season.

"It was very hard for us to train, and we barely made it to the end of the season ... mentally it was very, very tough," Lauzon said.

It's always sad when injuries cut careers short, especially when the pair has enjoyed so much success in recent years. There's no reason to think they'll stop skating, however. They have recently completed touring with "Stars on Ice," and they're also doing some coaching and choreography. Oh, and they're getting married in August, so congratulations to them!

Never Gonna Dance Again (the Way I Danced with Kristi Yamaguchi)

YAY!!!!! Kristi won. Of course, she should have won. Both Jason and Cristian grew on me and I loved the camaraderie the past two days, but I was very happy that the very best contestant ever to be on this show was able to win.

Kristi and Jason made the final two and Kristi repeated her jive, which up until last night was my favorite performance of the season. She didn't let up in her very last performance, getting another perfect 30 to make her final score an amazing 90. Jason's final dance, the quickstep, was very good and extremely energetic, and I was touched by his emotion at the end of the show. I will definitely be rooting for him to do well on the football field.

I'm so happy that the lovely Kristi Yamaguchi was able to become a household name once again, all because of her amazing talents on the dance floor. She never said a harsh word about her other competitors and she never had to. I hope this opens the door to whatever she wants to do from here on out and if it brought even a little attention to the sport of figure skating because they liked Kristi, then that will have been icing on the cake...

I Won't Dance (Unless it's with Kristi Yamaguchi)

WOW. That was some dancing going on out there on "Dancing with the Stars" tonight. First, the Cha cha faceoff, the first of its kind on the show. Cristian was first, and I actually enjoyed his performance, which doesn't often happen with him. I think this dance is a very good one for him, it didn't even matter to me how slouchy he was (although one of the judges - Carrie Ann - finally noticed!). Jason and Edyta were next, and unfortunately this is NOT one of Jason Taylor's strengths. He is better at the elegant dances, not the ones that require hip movements and more of a rhythm.

And then there was Kristi. First of all, she crimped her hair. The girl deserves a mirror-ball trophy simply for that fact. Second of all, she kissed Bruno, proving that she will do whatever it takes to win. You have to admire that...right? Her dance was also much more complicated than the other two, and she was so animated! I loved it.

Freestyle came next, and Kristi was first. I don't know who dressed her this evening, but I must say that apparently the only way to make Kristi Yamaguchi look bad is to take away the heels and put her in sequined pinstripes. Despite the fashion no-no, the freestyle was AMAZING. I don't think I was able to blink, I was so busy watching all the lifts and all the complicated moves.

Jason Taylor looked so slow compared with Kristi, but the lifts he did were very impressive. And I appreciated how willing he and Edyta were to strip for their dance.

Cristian's freestyle seemed pretty cheesy, even for this show. Maybe it was all of his faces. I think the all of one-armed lifts he did were very exciting though.

In conclusion, Kristi Yamaguchi has owned this competition from beginning to end, and given me an excuse to watch the show again. For these reasons, and the aforementioned crimped hair, I hope she wins. GO KRISTI!

And the Award Goes to...

Susan at Lifeskate has highlighted this year's Edi awards, announced by the Professional Skaters Association in the latest issue of Professional Skater Magazine.

Some notable winners:

Best Ladies Performance: Mirai Nagasu "I Got Rhythm" short program
Best Men's Performance: Adam Rippon "Moonlight Sonata" free skate
st Pairs Performance: Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker, "Romeo & Juliet" free skate
Best Dance Performance: Meryl Davis & Charlie White, "Kalinka" original dance

For more about the awards or who won, head to Lifeskate or U.S. Figure Skating.

Oh, the Places Kiira Korpi Will Go

Per Kiira-Korpi.net, Ms. Korpi has graduated from secondary (high?) school. She is also aiming to study economics next. I find it pretty impressive that she will be pursuing higher education along with competitive skating, because she must already spend so many hours practicing skating already and economics is a pretty tough subject!

The skater is aiming for Tampere School of Economics and the entrance exams are held in June.

- I find the field of study interesting and my friends and sister have recommended it. I want to focus fully on skating, but studying is a good balance for sport.

Korpi knows that nobody can be a competitive athelete for ever.

- Hopefully in ten years I have a good skating career behind me and a happy work and family life ahead.

Korpi will be celebrating her student cap at home, guests are arriving on both saturday and sunday. After the festivities hard work continues: Korpi’s skating programs are renewed and later in summer she has training camps in Estonia and Sweden.

Congratulations to Korpi!

Stojko Speaks Out

As you may have surmised by now, this is not just a figure skating blog, but also a figure skater blog. So any time some famous skater does something, we'll likely let you know. To that end, three-time skating world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Elvis Stojko of Canada is speaking out about this summer's Beijing Olympics. He wants the Canadian government to pressure China on its human rights record.

From OttawaCitizen.com:

"Things have to change. We want to let the people know, the Chinese people know, that we support them," he said at a Queen's Park rally. Mr. Stojko, the winner of silver medals at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, called on Canada to "make a stand" on the issue.

China's human rights record was a pretty big issue back in 2001 when Beijing was selected for the games and that was why a lot of people were lobbying against them as the pick. I suppose everyone was waiting around to see if the awarding of the games would cause the country to change its ways, but I feel that at some point between the awarding of the games and before the year that the actual games are going to occur, people might have noticed that things weren't getting better. Oh, well, that is completely an aside and doesn't have much to do with Stojko. I guess the fact that the Olympics are in the news this year is giving people more of a platform to say something, and it probably wouldn't have been paid much attention to in the last few years when the Olympics were still awhile away (in fact, all of the same people may very well have been speaking out and protesting and I may have just missed it because it lacked the news coverage).

UPDATE!

Looks like AHN has a more specific Stojko article - he actually calls on the athletes to make a stand:

Speaking before protesters in Ontario in the afternoon of May 17, Stojko said the athletes should "make a stand" about human rights and he said he would consider boycotting the games if he was still competing in athletics. The rally, which was joined in by 200 people, was in protest to the human rights record of China.

Figure Skaters and the Acting Bug

I recently saw something written about the movie "Moondance Alexander," in which Sasha Cohen has a role. It was actually released last year in North America, but I don't remember seeing any commercials or anything. It got me thinking about figure skaters who try to break into acting. So far, it seems, the results haven't been too stellar. Why can't figure skaters seem to really make it in the acting world, where even someone like Paris Hilton seems able to get consistent (albeit terrible) film roles?

I understand why anyone would want to be an actor, and acting and emoting are definitely skills that work to a figure skater's advantage on the ice, so it does seem an almost natural jump to try your hand at acting if you can.

The way I see it, there are two types of acting for figure skaters. The first type, which doesn't really count, is "playing yourself." Now, although that's not technically acting, anyone who has watched "The Hills" on MTV knows that oftentimes, when people play themselves, they are definitely acting. I would also include in this category the cameo, which, even though it entails playing a role, is essentially a wink-wink version of playing yourself.

The "playing yourself" phenomenon has been seen often with skating stars, and no example is better than 2007's "Blades of Glory," which featured Brian Boitano, Dorothy Hamill, Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Peggy Fleming and Scott Hamilton. (I think I got them all). Tara Lipinski and Sasha Cohen, both aspiring actresses, have also played themselves in a variety of television shows.

The next category would obviously include "serious acting," or playing actual parts. Tara Lipinski has been trying to break into the serious acting category for years now. I've seen her on a few television shows, including "Still Standing," and "The Young and the Restless." She was fine, but I can't imagine she would have been cast for any reason other than name recognition.

It appears name recognition can help and hurt skating actor wannabes. It can obviously help them get cast in bit parts and guest starring roles in television show ratings stunts, but I'm sure it's a pretty big hurdle to get over when you're trying to establish yourself as a legitimate actor. However, I feel like in that industry, you really do need a foot in the door any way you can get it.

I saw that Tara Lipinski's last credit on her IMDB listing was from 2006, which surprised me because I know she was quite serious about acting. I tried to check out her website to see what her journal entries say, but it's under construction.

Sasha Cohen is also serious about this acting thing, and I recall that she was taking an intensive acting course last summer. She also had a role in "Bratz" the movie last year, but I don't see any upcoming films.

I remember after the '98 Olympics Pasha (formerly Oksana Grishuk) was moving to Los Angeles to break into Hollywood. As you can see from her IMDB page, that never really took off.

The other Oksana, Baiul, has also made a fair career of playing herself, and has "acted" in a couple of other projects, including playing a commentator in "The Cutting Edge 2."

Scott Hamilton has often played himself, and also has a habit of doing voiceovers, which seems appropriate with that unmistakable (and quite excitable) voice of his. Katarina Witt has also been on a few television shows, and often played herself. She has been on a lot of German television as well.

Other than that, I don't really see anyone who has been able to make that crossover from skating to (serious) acting. I wonder if it will go better for Sasha Cohen or someone else in the future...

Anyway, let me know if I've missed a very successful skater-actor, or if you can remember your favorite skater cameo, or acting work by a skater. I seem to remember a Mighty Ducks 2 one-second cameo by Kristi Yamaguchi that made me happy.