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.