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Figure Skating News and discussion For The 2013-2014 season
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Iceprincess#1



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 354
Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Fri, 15-Jun-2012 13:33    Post subject: Reply with quote

The big question now: Who is Miki going to train with and who is going to choreograph her programs?
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Iceprincess#1



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
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Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Sun, 17-Jun-2012 18:32    Post subject: Reply with quote

2012 Japan Open

Pro-Am by mixing the three regions in Japan, Europe and North America, each Two males and two females, team competition format by a team of four names.
Determine the top three overall points and the team's total points (acting-free) single.

Japan Akiko Suzuki (World Championship bronze medal 2012) the other, a female name
, Daisuke Takahashi (World Championship gold medals / 2010 Vancouver 2010 Olympics bronze medal) ,
Takahiko Kozuka (2011 World Championships silver medal)

North America Ashley Wagner (four gold medals Continents Championships 2012) ,
Gracie Gold (silver medal World Junior Championships 2012) ,
Patrick Chan (2012 World Championship gold medals) ,
Jeffrey Buttle (2008 World Championship gold medal)

Ladies
Suzuki
Wagner
Gold
Leonova

Men
Takahashi
Kozuka
Chan
Buttle

http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/japanopen2012/

It's great that Gold got invited.. It'll be a long season for her though, with 2 GPs, Nationals, and potentially 4CC/Worlds/Junior Worlds.. Hopefully what happened to Tuktamisheva last season won't happen to Gracie. Though she did have a pretty long season last year too. I also think that Wagner should start being selective about events...yes she has momentum but she needs to also think about pacing herself (ie prevent injury)....
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Iceprincess#1



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 354
Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Sun, 17-Jun-2012 18:37    Post subject: Reply with quote

U.S. Figure Skating confirms top American teams to stay in Canton after Shpilband dismissal

A day after renowned figure skating coach Igor Shpilband was ousted as ice dance director at the Arctic Edge Arena, U.S. Figure Skating confirmed today that world ice dance medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, will remain at the rink under the direction of Marina Zoueva.

The Free Press first reported Shpilband’s dismissal on Sunday after he met with rink general manager Craig O’Neill and John Stansik, owner of the Arctic Edge. O’Neill cited Shpilband’s lack of focus with the club’s top ice dance teams — which include Vancouver Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada — as a reason for his ouster.

Shpilband started the ice dance school at the Arctic FSC in 2003, shortly after moving to Canton from the Detroit Skating Club.

In a release, the two American teams said that they had ended their relationship with Shpilband.

“After a long and rewarding partnership with Igor Shpilband, we hold the firm conviction that Igor’s expertise and investment in our career have been integral to our success,” Davis said. “We will have nothing but fond memories and sincere appreciation for our time with Igor.”

Alex Shibutani said of Shpilband: “He is a great coach and we appreciate everything he has done for us.”

For the last decade, Shpilband, with Zoueva, had worked together to establish North America as an ice dance powerhouse.

Their teams have been particularly dominating recently. Over the last three years, teams coached by Shpilband and Zoueva have captured seven of nine medals at the world championships, including winning all three in 2011 when Vancouver Olympic silver medalists Davis and White became the first-ever world ice dance gold medalists for the U.S.

Davis and White led a North American (and Canton) sweep of the medals that year in Moscow, with Virtue and Moir winning world silver and the Shibutani siblings taking bronze.

Zoueva and O’Neill told the Free Press on Sunday that the top three teams would be remaining at the Canton rink. Shpilband and Zoueva also coached several other teams together, including Evan Bates and Madison Chock of the U.S. It is not known if Bates and Chock are remaining at the Arctic FSC.

Shpilband and Zoueva admitted in separate interviews with the Free Press on Sunday that a rift had opened between them recently, with Zoueva claiming that Shpilband wanted to open his own school and bring in his own new teams, independent of her, and Shpilband asserting that Zoueva wasn’t consulting him on practice schedules.

On Sunday night, Jacqui White, Charlie’s mother, posted a comment on the Free Press Facebook page that appeared to confirm the tension between the coaches at the rink.

In response to a comment from a reader who had called the Canton dance teams “spoiled brats” in a post, Jacqui White wrote: “...I’m afraid you don’t know what you are talking about. This wasn’t initiated by the skaters, they are obviously only trying to hang on by the skin of their teeth to continue training while the coaches battle to the death and when convenient, use them as pawns in the fight. This is an old story of ‘who has control,’ where egos come into play and team cooperation erodes. The skaters in this scenario are not brats, but victims caught in the crossfire.”

In an e-mail to the Free Press on today afternoon seeking comment on Shpilband’s dismissal, Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada’s director of high performance, said he hadn’t yet discussed the situation with Virtue and Moir.

“We are aware of the coaching situation in Canton, but do not have much information, other than what has been reported as we have not discussed it with Tessa and Scott,” he said.

Also today, a Russian sports website (allsport.info.ru) reported that Valentin Piseev, director general of the Russian figure skating federation, would welcome Shpilband. Shpilband, a former Russian ice dancer, became a U.S. citizen in 2000, a decade after he defected from the then-Soviet Union.

“We are pleased to accept and give him everything in working conditions,” Piseev said on the English-translated Russian website.

According to the article, Piseev said he couldn’t believe that Shpilband and Zoueva had split, saying the tandem had for “many years worked so amicably and harmoniously. ... Perhaps there has developed some controversial situation and simply took up emotion?”

With the Sochi Olympics just two years away, Piseev said that Shpilband-Zoueva coached teams had “established the direction in ice dancing…”

He said that the Russian skating federation is considering contacting Shpilband within the next couple of days. Shpilband told icenetwork.com on today that he wanted to remain in Michigan.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120604/SPORTS18/120604082/Meryl-Davis-Charlie-White-choose-Marina-Zoueva-new-head-coach?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CSports
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Iceprincess#1



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 354
Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Mon, 18-Jun-2012 17:31    Post subject: Reply with quote

ISU Championships 2015 provisional allotments

The ISU Council has made the following ISU Championships allotments:
Provisional Allotments ISU Championships
Season 2014/15 ISU Championships

ISU European Figure Skating Championships – Stockholm/Sweden
ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Seoul/Republic of Korea
ISU Junior World Figure Skating Championships – Pending
ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Shanghai/China

http://www2.isu.org/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,4844-205151-222374-nav-list,00.html?id=1081

Wow, this is the third time Korea holds 4cc now. I think they need to up their expectation and preparation for these skating events considering the biggest event they'll be having in 2018.

First time Worlds will be in China. That's a big deal!
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Iceprincess#1



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Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Tue, 19-Jun-2012 18:56    Post subject: Reply with quote

Five-time Italian champ Contesti hangs up skates
2009 European silver medalist says he wants to coach, give back to sport

(06/18/2012) - Samuel Contesti, the five-time Italian champion and 2009 European silver medalist who began his career skating for France, announced his retirement from competitive skating, the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported Friday.
"There were no reasons to continue," Contesti told the paper.

Contesti, 29, competed for France from 2001-07, winning two national bronze medals (2005, '07) and a silver ('06).

He moved to Italy after marrying Geraldine Zulini in February 2007 and gained Italian citizenship. He began competing for Italy in 2008, employing Zulini as his primary coach.

In 2009, he became the first Italian man to medal at the European Championships in 55 years, when he took the silver in Helsinki. (Carlo Fassi won gold in 1954.)

"It is just fantastic [to medal]," Contesti said at the time. "This is a beautiful victory for all people that believed in me."

He followed that with a career-best fifth-place finish at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles.

This past season, Contesti placed fourth and eighth at his two Grand Prix assignments, seventh at the European championships and 10th at the world championships.

Contesti cited the lack of a permanent training space as one of the main reasons for his retirement.

"There is, above all, the necessity of a fixed base," he said.

He and Zulini's first child, Ennio, was born in June 2009. The couple's second child is expected to arrive in October.

Speaking of his future plans, Contesti said, "I'll teach. I want to return the sport so much that I gave."

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news
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Iceprincess#1



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PostPosted: Tue, 19-Jun-2012 18:56    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wagner, Gold on roster for 2012 Japan Open
Team-scoring competition to be held Oct. 6 in Saitama

(06/19/2012) - U.S. champion Ashley Wagner and U.S. junior champion Gracie Gold are among the skaters in the lineup for the 2012 Japan Open, a team-scoring competition that pits competitors from North America, Europe and Asia against one another.
The event, which has been held every year since 2006, is scheduled for Oct. 6 at the Saitama Super Arena, about an hour north of Tokyo.

Each team consists of two ladies and two men. All the participants perform a free skate, and each country's point totals are added up to determine a winner. Last season, Team North America won the event, finishing 0.70 points ahead of Team Europe.

This will be Wagner and Gold's second time competing together internationally, as they were the two ladies chosen to represent the U.S. at the 2012 World Team Trophy, where they helped Team USA to a second-place showing behind Team Japan.

Following the Japan Open, Wagner is next scheduled to compete Oct. 19-21 at 2012 Hilton HHonors Skate America in Kent, Wash. Gold will make her Grand Prix Series debut at 2012 Skate Canada the following week.

The skaters who will take part in the Japan Open are:

Team Japan*
Akiko Suzuki
Daisuke Takahashi
Takahiko Kozuka

Team North America
Wagner
Gold
Patrick Chan
Jeffrey Buttle

Team Europe**
Alena Leonova

*Second ladies skater is TBD
**Second ladies skater and both men's skaters are TBD

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news
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Iceprincess#1



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PostPosted: Tue, 19-Jun-2012 18:56    Post subject: Reply with quote

ISU OKs vocal music, announces event locations
As in dance, music with vocals can be used in singles, pairs beginning in 2014-15

06/18/2012) - The International Skating Union made several rule changes at the 54th Ordinary Congress last week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, none more significant than approving the use of vocal music in singles and pairs beginning in 2014-15.
Music with vocals has been permitted in ice dancing programs since the 1997-98 season, but now it will be allowed in all four disciplines.

The minimum age requirement for all senior international competitions--not just ISU championships and the Olympic Winter Games--has been raised from 14 to 15. The maximum age for junior men in pairs and dance was lowered from 20 to 21. These changes will take effect starting in the 2014-15 season.

The preliminary rounds at ISU championships have been eliminated, effective immediately. All qualified competitors will now go straight into the short program/dance.

To be consistent with ISU championships, 16 pairs and 20 ice dancing teams will qualify for the free skate/dance at the Olympic Winter Games. Previously, there was no cut-down after the short program/dance at the Winter Olympics.

Whereas before elements were assigned a Level from 1 to 4, elements may now be assigned a Level 0, meaning an element with no features.

Synchronized skating saw some changes, too. The World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships will be held every second year, beginning in 2013 in Helsinki, Finland.

More freedom has been introduced in synchronized skating elements in hopes of increasing the entertainment value of the sport.

As with singles, pairs and dance, the minimum age requirement in synchronized skating for seniors has been raised to 15. This change is effective starting in 2014-15.

Provisional allotments for the following ISU championships were announced:

2015 European Figure Skating Championships - Stockholm, Sweden
2015 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships - Seoul, Republic of Korea
2015 World Junior Figure Skating Championships - Pending
2015 World Figure Skating Championships - Shanghai, China

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news
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Iceprincess#1



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PostPosted: Wed, 20-Jun-2012 18:18    Post subject: Reply with quote

World team aspiration for Machida

Tatsuki Machida is part of the strong Japanese men’s figure skating team, and has found many fans thanks to his artistic skating style.

The 22-year-old hasn’t made it to Worlds yet, but he has a silver medal from the 2010 Four Continents Championships and was ranked fourth at 2010 and 2012 Japanese Nationals. This season, he came back to the Four Continents and finished seventh.

“My highlights of the season were the Golden Spin of Zagreb and nationals,” said Machida. “I skated well there, but I had some problems with the quad toe. The quad toe was better at Four Continents. I hope this will give me momentum for the next season.”

Machida suffered an ankle injury in practice at Nebelhorn Trophy last September, and had to withdraw from the event. It was especially sad as Stéphane Lambiel, who had choreographed his long program to Don Quixote, was in Oberstdorf and hoped to see the first performance in competition. The young Japanese skater was one of the first international top skaters to work with Lambiel.

“I was nervous to work with him, but he was really nice and it was a lot of fun,” Machida shared. “He gave me a lot of new things that I hadn’t done before and he contributed a lot to my development.”

Lambiel enjoyed choreographing for Machida as well.

“I was very proud of him,” said the two-time World Champion from Switzerland. “I was able to see progress with each performance. He really understood what I wanted to bring across. Whenever I told him something, he understood right away what I wanted. Working with him was one of the best experiences last summer.”

Selecting Don Quixote for Machida came naturally.

“This was a piece that I had always wanted to use for myself, but I realized it was music for younger skaters,” Lambiel explained. “To me, the music of Don Quixote is very young, fresh, and dynamic.”

“Machida is a young man with punch,” he continued. “Unfortunately, I felt like my time for this music had passed, but when I discussed the music with Tatsuki, I felt that he would be a great Don Quixote – young, with a pure soul. I knew it was the right music for him.”

The experience was so positive that Lambiel and Machida decided to continue their collaboration this year. Beginning July 1, they plan to work on a new short program for the Japanese skater in Switzerland.

“I’ll make a new short program with Stéphane,” confirmed Machida. “I believe that we can make a wonderful one. The short program music is a new genre to me. I’m sure that Stéphane and I can produce a new style and expression.”

Details for the long program are currently mum.

Machida began preparations for next season after a small break following the 2012 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in February.

“Everything is going very well,” said the 2007 Japanese Junior national champion. “I’m trying to get good quality jumps, and they are by far better than before.”

The spins, on the other hand, will be another matter altogether.

“The rules for the spins have changed,” Machida explained. “It will be hard for me to get good levels on them. That’s a big problem for me because I’m not so good at spins. I have to work hard especially on them, but to me the quality is more important than the level.”

Machida has enjoyed participating in the “Dreams on Ice” show in Japan this week, and plans to return soon to his training base in Lake Arrowhead where he mostly works with Anthony Liu.

“I was not able to get enough ice time in Japan,” Machida explained, referring to his move to the US last year. “Five years ago I went to a summer camp at Ice Castle, therefore I knew Anthony. I respect him a lot. He is like a father and brother to me, and as a skater he is very complex.”

The Japanese adapted to his new environment quickly and his English improved very fast.

“Lake Arrowhead is in the countryside and a little boring, but you can fully focus on skating and I have many friends there now,” Machida noted, but admitted that he is more of a “city boy” as he hails from Hiroshima.

In Lake Arrowhead, Machida enjoys the company of other top skaters such as Denis Ten of Kazakhstan, but he does miss his family. He was happy to return home until mid May for vacation as well as some training.

Machida has a sister, four years younger, that briefly tried figure skating. He himself started out as a three-year-old as there was an ice rink near his home.

“My first memory of skating is about my first competition when I was four or five years old,” he recalled, laughing. “I fell on a spiral move and I finished last.”

Fortunately this setback didn’t prevent him from continuing his career.

Today, Machida names skating skills and his love of skating as his strong points, but humbly claims that he has so many weaknesses that it’s hard to name his strong points.

“I get so nervous in competition that I lack in consistency,” he explained. “Anthony (Liu) says, ‘you need to enjoy competing more’”.

When asked how he he would describe himself, Machida paused for a moment before saying, “Nobody has ever asked me about that. I think I am quiet and shy, but I am different on the ice. I like to show emotions to the audience, but overall I’m an average person.”

While Machida is currently a full-time athlete, he plans to continue his studies in literature in the future.

“I really like reading, especially mystery,” he revealed. “If I wasn’t a skater, maybe I would like to be a writer, but I started skating when I was three years old and I cannot really imagine doing something else. Figure skating is my life right now, and in the future I definitely want to do something with skating.”

After his competitive career, he would like to skate in shows and later work as a coach.

“I want to teach young skaters so they can become better skaters than I was myself,” Machida offered.

For the upcoming season, Machida has been assigned to two Grand Prix events, Skate America and Cup of China.

“I was so surprised to hear it,” he said. “I’m given a chance, so I’ll work so hard to give my best performances in the Grand Prix competitions.”

Machida is also thinking of taking part in an international competition before Skate America, but hasn’t decided yet which one. His goals for the season are clear:

“I would like to give my best in every competition,” he summed up. “I’ll try hard to get medals in the Grand Prix and my goal is going to Worlds. I really want to perform there, and I want to improve my expression for next season.”

http://www.goldenskate.com/2012/06/world-team-aspiration-for-machida/
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Iceprincess#1



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PostPosted: Wed, 20-Jun-2012 18:22    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chen looks forward to junior debut

In January 1996, Rudy Galindo made good on a career full of promise by winning the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships men’s title in spectacular fashion in his hometown of San Jose, Calif. Almost 16 years to the day another local, Karen Chen– who had yet to be born when Galindo brought down the house, captured the 2012 U.S. novice ladies title in the same arena.

“I was very excited,” said the 12 year-old. “It felt just like a dream standing on the podium, but I knew that it was real. I knew then that all of my hard work had paid off.”

And boy did it pay off. Chen’s competition score—140.17 points, was nearly 15 points higher than the silver medalist’s, and is the highest score recorded by a novice lady since the international judging system was implemented at the U.S. Championships in 2007.

“I received really high scores, but deep down I knew that I could do better because I fell twice,” noted the tiny skater. “I knew that I could have done the programs without falling at all.”

Though Chen had competed at the U.S. junior nationals on two occasions—winning the 2011 intermediate title and pewter on the juvenile level in 2010, this was Chen’s first time competing at ‘big’ nationals.

“It was very interesting because it felt like a local (club) competition,” she giggled. “It was local, but at the same time it was a big competition. It was very weird to think that I was going to this very big national competition so close to home.”

Chen lives in Fremont, Calif., which is a short 30-minute drive from the HP Pavillion where she won the title. It is also the hometown of 1992 Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi, who has acted as a mentor to Chen leading up to the competition.

“Kristi helped me a lot,” Chen explained. “Before nationals, she gave me wonderful advice. She told me that nationals is a very big competition, and that I worked so hard to get invited. She told me to just have fun out there because the competition only comes once a year.”

Skating so close to her hometown, Chen said that she did not feel that much pressure, but perhaps it was because she had her secret weapon.

“I don’t know if it was an advantage to sleep in my own bed or not,” Chen said about having the luxury of staying at home during the competition, “but I do like sleeping with my own pillow. I take it with me when I travel.”

For the 2012-13 season, Chen has decided to compete on the junior level, and tested successfully earlier this month to be able to do so. However, she is too young by 26 days to compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit this fall.

“I’m not able to compete in the competitions outside of the United States until I am older,” Chen acknowledged, “but I am planning to compete at some other competitions like Glacier Falls and the Silicon Valley Open. There are some other smaller ones, but Glacier Falls and the Silicon Valley Open are the biggest ones this summer.”

Chen has already learned that moving up to the junior level presents new challenges.

“It’s very challenging in moving from novice to junior because the program is longer,” she said with an audible sigh. “If you do jumps in the second half of your program, you get a bonus, which is something that I strive for. The downside of that is the further you go into your program, the more tired your legs get and you still have to do those jumps. It’s very difficult to build stamina to be able to do that.”

The 4-foot-5-inch tall champion works with coaches Sherry Krahne-Thomas and Gilley Nicholson out of the Peninsula Skating Club.

“Sherry works on my spins a lot because she is very good with them,” Chen explained. “Gilley works on my jump technique and choreography.”

Since winning the novice title, Chen has been working with Krahne-Thomas and Nicholson on improving all areas of her skating, and has been focusing lately on presenting a more complete picture on the ice.

“I was working on triple-triple combinations, but recently I am working more on skating more mature,” Chen shared. “I have a tendency to rush things, so I am trying to work on that to help my component marks.”

“Until now in my programs, my arms were frantic and moved around a lot,” she continued. “I’m learning to extend my arms more and am working on pointing my toes more.”

“I’m also working on my facial expressions and trying to get deeper edges in my footwork,” Chen added. “My coaches make me practice my turns and try to dig into the ice. When you do it right, you can hear this creaking noise, and that is exactly what I am trying to get now.”

Chen spent some time in southern California earlier this year working with Karen Kwan to create her new competitive programs.

“Karen worked with me a lot on the choreography,” she said. “Gilley has helped me with the footwork and transitions within the programs.”

For the short program, Chen will skate to music from the film The House of Flying Daggers, and to Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra from the Ladies in Lavender soundtrack.

“There are lots of drum beats in the background of my short program music, which makes it very powerful,” she said.

For this competitive season, Chen hopes to make a return trip to the national championships, but is mindful of the fact that it is a long road until Omaha 2013.

“The qualifying season is a long journey,” she observed, “so I have to be careful that I am pacing myself and not overworking my body.”

When she isn’t busy with skating, Chen is a straight-A home-schooled soon-to-be eighth grader who has a special talent for art.

“I have loved drawing ever since I can remember, and five years ago I went to Soho art class,” she said. “In class I learned about the different types of materials that you can draw with and about different types of paper. I enjoyed it.”

Chen loves using soft pastels and oil pastels because they are easy to blend.

“I love making my own colors—especially blue. That’s one of my favorite colors,” she revealed. “It’s something that I enjoy and put my heart in to. I do it more for fun.”

Chen’s younger brother, 9 year-old Jeffrey, with whom Chen admits to arguing on a regular basis, recently started skating as well.

“After I won at the championships, I guess that he thought it was fun, so he started skating,” she said. “He can do Axels and the double jumps. He’s still working on them—he’s not quite consistent yet. His spins aren’t the best yet, but they are getting better.”

Since Chen’s parents are originally from Taiwan, she is learning Chinese in school.

“I speak much better than I can read or write, but I am working on it,” she said.

When Chen is not skating, drawing, arguing with her brother, or learning Chinese, she likes to do something that most kids do in the summer—swim.

“When the temperatures get really high, it feels great!”

http://www.goldenskate.com/2012/06/chen-looks-forward-to-junior-debut/
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PostPosted: Fri, 22-Jun-2012 15:26    Post subject: Reply with quote

Figure skater Jamie Sale marries former Oiler Craig Simpson

EDMONTON - Olympic gold-medal figure skater Jamie Sale married her “best friend,” former Edmonton Oiler Craig Simpson, at a ceremony in California this week.

“YES ... I am a married woman!!! Luckiest girl in the world tonight! Married my best friend, Craig!” she announced on her Twitter feed on Wednesday.
She also posted a photo of herself with Simpson.

Sale, 35, was Simpson’s partner on the CBC show Battle of the Blades in 2009. They won that season.

She was formerly married to her skating partner, David Pelletier, but they divorced in 2010. Sale and Pelletier won a gold medal in pairs figure skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where a judging scandal led to reforms at future Games.

The pair was catapulted to international fame.

Their son Jesse was born in 2007.

“Although no longer life partners, they remain mutually committed to raising their son,” states the former couple’s website.

Simpson, 45, was also married before and currently co-hosts Hockey Night in Canada. He played for the Oilers from 1987-1993 and won two Stanley Cups with the team in 1988 and 1990. He has three children from his previous marriage, including a son Dillon who was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers.

http://www.canada.com/life/Figure+skater+Jamie+Sale+marries+former+Oiler+Craig+Simpson/6819535/story.html
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PostPosted: Mon, 25-Jun-2012 16:58    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's Alissa Czisny's 26th birthday today! I hope Alissa has a great birthday! I also hope her recovery is going well.
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PostPosted: Fri, 29-Jun-2012 23:44    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polina Edmunds ( 14 years old) SP and QR FS from Broadmoor Open!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTZXqe8cEbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn5UJBItXFs&feature=relmfu

How nice to see her in a pretty, very age-appropriate costume.

She looks much improved and really good for June! Her spins and steps are stunning. She's certainly going for some very impressive technical content, and I respect that she goes for that 3T even after some shakier landings on the first jump. I do think she could end up with quite a few < on her jumps internationally, though. Several didn't have a lot of flow out. Please send this girl to the junior grand prix!

Also Caroline Zhang and Vanessa Lam are scheduled to make their season debuts at the Hidden Valley Open in Escondido (near San Diego), July 7-8.
http://escondidofsc.org/
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PostPosted: Sat, 30-Jun-2012 22:32    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most Colorado skating families did not live in the area affected by the fire

Beginning Saturday, June 23, 2012, the world heard about a raging fire in Colorado Springs. The city is considered an ice skating mecca, so figure skating fans from all over the world thought perhaps the famous Broadmoor Hotel, the Olympic Training Center, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the Colorado Springs World Arena were in danger.

Emails, letters, and phone calls poured in. Ice skating fans and figure skaters from all over the globe were concerned for those in the skating community in Colorado Springs.

Fortunately, most of the ice skaters training at the Colorado Springs World Arena Ice Hall and at the other ice arenas in town live around or near the Cheyenne Mountain area which is at the south end of Colorado Springs and not in the area that the Waldo Canyon Fire affected.

Beginning Saturday, June 23, 2012, the world heard about a raging fire in Colorado Springs. The city is considered an ice skating mecca, so figure skating fans from all over the world thought perhaps the famous Broadmoor Hotel, the Olympic Training Center, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the Colorado Springs World Arena were in danger.

Emails, letters, and phone calls poured in. Ice skating fans and figure skaters from all over the globe were concerned for those in the skating community in Colorado Springs.

Fortunately, most of the ice skaters training at the Colorado Springs World Arena Ice Hall and at the other ice arenas in town live around or near the Cheyenne Mountain area which is at the south end of Colorado Springs and not in the area that the Waldo Canyon Fire affected.

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Allison Scott, the mother of Olympian and US National Figure Skating Champion, Jeremy Abbott, named what was happening in Colorado Springs "The Tale of Two Cities." She wrote the following to friends on Tuesday, June 26:

"On the southwest end of town the sun is shining and there's no wind. On the northwest part of town it looks like a bomb dropped. South of Highway 24 - we are FINE. It's like living on another planet."

Although most of the figure skaters in Colorado Springs were safe, some Colorado Springs skating families did have to evacuate.

Ice dancing coach, Tiffany Hyden-Dombeck could not return to her home for an entire week. Elite ice dancer, Tyler Brooks, saw homes in his Mountain Shadows neighborhood burn down as his family rushed into their house to get a few things after the mandatory evacuation orders were put into effect.

Hyden-Dombeck is the coach of Madeleine Rutledge and Tyler Brooks, an ice dance team training with the Colorado Springs Ice Dance Academy.

"The night that Tyler's family was evacuated, Madeline and I were in shock. The sight of the ash and ember falling from the sky was frightening. There were clouds of smoke so thick that we could hardly even see the road."

During the week that followed, Colorado Springs Ice Dance Academy's skaters continued to skate and train.

"It was a struggle, but during all the excitement associated with the evacuations and the fire, training and skating actually helped my students. Skating was a great distraction from the reality that was happening."

The city waited. On Thursday, June 28, it was announced that 347 homes had burned to the ground. The city's beloved Flying W Ranch was gone. One death was reported. People were missing.

The news was good for the Brooks family; their home survived.

Life will go on in Colorado Springs. The following statement has been shared by skaters and others in the city: "Community does not burn down."

http://www.examiner.com/article/most-colorado-skating-families-did-not-live-the-area-affected-by-the-fire
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Iceprincess#1



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
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Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Mon, 2-Jul-2012 13:30    Post subject: Reply with quote

Olympic Figure Skating’s Kim to Compete in 2014 Games

South Korea’s Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna said she’ll compete in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

“I felt I’d regret it if I quit because of rising pressure,” Kim, 21, said today at a televised media conference at a training center at Tae-reung, north east of Seoul. “I will retire at the Sochi Olympic Games.”

Kim, who won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, hasn’t competed internationally since placing second at last year’s World Championships behind Japan’s Miki Ando.

She said she wants to become a member of the International Olympic Committee after her skating career is over. Kim will return to competitions this year, Yonhap News reported.

Kim, who helped South Korea’s Pyeongchang win the right to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, has focused on ice shows and university studies in South Korea amid rising speculation she may retire.

She made her senior international debut in 2006 and set a world record for the ladies long program at the 2007 Cup of Russia, and also at the 2010 Winter Olympics, according to a biography on Kim’s official website

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-02/olympic-figure-staking-champion-kim-to-participate-in-2014-games
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Iceprincess#1



Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 354
Location: Connecticut USA and Oxford UK

PostPosted: Wed, 18-Jul-2012 19:36    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vera Wang & Evan Lysacek: How does Olympic skater figure into this designer's life?
She created his outfits for the ice, but sources wonder if they're more than just good skates

Sources close to the famous wedding dress designer, who announced on July 11 via the president of her multimillion-dollar company that she was separating from husband Arthur Becker , say she’s been playing house with someone young enough to be her son.

According to an insider, 27-year-old Olympic champion figure skater Evan Lysacek moved into Wang’s Beverly Hills mansion last month . The source says the 63-year-old fashionista offered Lysacek the opportunity “to stay there for a while.”

The status of their current relationship, however, is unclear even to those closest to them. There is “something going on,” says the source, while a second insider says Wang is “just enamoured with him and enjoys his company,” and doesn’t think a sexual relationship is in the cards. A spokeswoman for Wang had no comment.

The fashion designer and hunky athlete, who was once linked to Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin , have collaborated on more than a growing friendship: Wang created the tuxedo-style outfit Lysacek wore when he won the 2009 World Championships, and the duo also collaborated to design his costumes for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the skater took home the gold .

Wang, a former figure skater herself, helped create outfits for other athletes, such as Michelle Kwan , in the past. A Wang confidante says she is working on future ensembles for Lysacek, but that it could all depend on where his skating career takes him. While the Chicago native did not skate competitively in 2010-2011, he did not announce his retirement, and has slowly returned to the ice. He trains at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif., which is approximately 25 minutes from Beverly Hills.

Last September, the former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant surprised fans by announcing his interest in the 2014 Olympics after being out of the limelight of the competition circuit.

Regardless, we hear he is enjoying his time in Beverly Hills. Our first source says Lysacek has been spotted in a white Bentley and with a large, flashy Rolex recently.

Meanwhile, Wang, who wed Becker at the Pierre Hotel in 1989 and has two daughters with the businessman who works closely with her company, allegedly gave herself a makeover that has nothing to do with tulle. The first source says it is “common knowledge” that Wang “recently got a face-lift and recovered in San Francisco” in late May and early June.

By that time, a separate source, who also confirms the procedure, says the struggles in her marriage were already apparent. Again, a spokeswoman for Wang had no comment.

Representatives for Lysacek did not get back to us by deadline.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/vera-wang-evan-lysacek-olympic-skater-figure-designer-life-article-1.1115680
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