Pic of the Week: American Legends

She is the most decorated U.S. skater in history. She's a 9 time U.S. National Champion, 5 time World Champion, 3 time World Silver Medalist, a World Bronze Medalist, and twice she has stood upon the Olympic Podium as a Silver and Bronze Medalists. All this combined with countless wins at other national and international competitions makes Michelle Kwan pretty amazing.

For over a decade her positive demeanor and solid approach to competition and life in general endeared the American (and much of the world) public to her. She was as gracious in her wins as she was in her defeats. She handled pressure unlike any competitor before or since her competitive days.

In my estimation, her greatest moment came when she withdrew from the 2006 Olympic Games, not because she didn't want to try and compete, injured or not, but because she believed in the Olympic Games so much that she wanted someone 100% to compete. The benefactor of her selfless decision was Emily Hughes, who capitalized on Michelle Kwan wonderful grace.

Michelle continues to be a shining example of sportsmanship, citizenship, womanhood, and any other positive quality you could hope to find in an individual. Her work for the U.S. Department of State as a Goodwill Ambassador has taken her to corners of the world where her beautiful character shines through like a beacon of hope to so many. Michelle truly is a legend!

Kristi Can Dance

I blame Len Goodman! It is all his fault that our beloved Kristi fell from the top...she fell all the way down to...gasp...second place! Carrie Ann was especially nit picky about Kristi's turns in her Viennese Waltz and she received her lowest score of the season, a 26! Kristi's biggest competitor, Jason Taylor turned in a quick step that was fantastic and earned his best score of the season, a 29.

But Kristi pulled out all the stops in the Latin Round! She and Mark danced a Cha Cha that was crazy amazing! All the steps were spot on, energetic, and sassy. The choreography was set to Rhianna's Please Don't Stop the Music and it killed! At the mid part of the dance, Mark threw in his signature hip-hop style and the crowd was electrified! When it came to the judges though....oh Len...I could kill him. Carrie Ann and Bruno were 1000% impressed but Len fussed about "all that messin' around with hip-hop...I don't like it." Two 10's and 8 (from Len!) left Kristi and Mark in second place, one point behind Jason and Edyta who delivered a Monday Night Football themed Paso Doble, complete with illegal lift!

Other highlights on the night was Marissa Jaret Winokur's continued ability to excel and Christian de la Fuente tearing a tendon in his arm! It was uncertain up to the last minute if he would be able to continue next week, doctor says he can.

But someone had to go home and luckily it wasn't Kristi and Mark who were the first couple granted safety on the results show. The bottom two were Broadway star Winokur and Shannon Elizabeth and America gave Shannon the boot after an awkward Samba.

Only 5 celebrities are left: Kristi, Jason, Marissa, Christian, and Mario...who will win (well...we know the answer to that because we will keep voting...right?)?

Pic of the Week: American Legends

Perhaps one of the most recognizable faces in all of figure skating, Dick Button is indeed a legend!

He is the only U.S. man to win the coveted Olympic Gold twice. The first time in 1948, where he became the first skater to successfully complete the double axel in competition. He won the 1952 Olympic Gold where landed the first triple jump in competition, the triple loop.

Beyond the Olympics, Button's career is distinguished. He is a five time World Champion and a seven time National Champion. He is also the first skater to perform a Camel Spin and has the distinction of being the first and only American to win the Men's European Title! He was admitted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976, he is also in the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame as well as the Olympic Hall of Fame.

Dick Button has done tons off the ice as well. He has Law Degree from Harvard University and was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C. He won an Emmy in 1981 for Outstanding Sports Personality, and is the founder of Candid Productions.

Today, Dick Button is the voice of competitive Figure Skating, having covered the U.S. Nationals, World Championships, and Olympics for decades. Dick Button, a true American Legend!

Kristi Can Dance

Well on Tuesday night she did it! She did it! Perfect 30! Kristi and Mark danced a Jive that was absolutely amazing! It was perfect. The steps were blazing fast, footwork was precise, high energy.

She and Mark did a fun pseudo Buddy Holly number that not only burned up the dance floor, but entertained the crowd as well. Kristi held nothing back and brought more energy and impact to the dance floor than ever before!

All three judges were overwhelmed and Len and Bruno cited the dance as being one of the finest ever on the show...this or any season! The only dances I can think of that match this level are Sabrina Bryant's Paso Doble from last season (also with Mark Ballas) and Drew Lachey's Viennese Waltz!

Three other couples did well with scores in the high 20s. Mario and Karina brought sexy back with a steamy performance, Christian and Cheryl had a good night and Marissa and Tony brought a fairy-tale performance. Shannon and Derek and Jason and Edyta continued to struggle a bit! But all the couples had a good time with group "Ho Down!"

Unfortunately someone had to leave Tuesday and after two tough weeks Marlee Matlin was the celebrity with the fewest votes. She was gracious in her departure and thanked everyone for their support. Despite the fact that she leaves the show, she is an inspiration that anyone can overcome their difficulties and achieve whatever they want!

Next week the competition rolls on with the top 6 celebrities. Each celebrity must now learn two dances and the final is fast approaching! KEEP VOTING FOR KRISTI...KRISTI CAN DANCE!!!!

Coaching Swap!

After working with Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband for 10 years, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto will begin training with Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov at the IceWorks Skating Complex in Aston, PA.

Hard to imagine Tanith and Ben not in Detroit but I guess change is sometimes needed. However, if you're going to change coaches they didn't pick bad ones! The duo has coached champions such as two-time Olympic champions Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov, two-time World champions Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, and two-time World champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski (pre murder trial!).

You have to wonder if things were just getting a little crowded amongst Shpilband trainees. To put it in perspective, he and Marina coached half of the top six at World's this year! You also have to wonder if training mates, Virtue and Moir of Canada, silver medal to their fourth place finish jolted them a bit?

In statements from the duo, "They are a remarkable coaching pair, and we have great admiration for them," Agosto said. "We never would have achieved our current level of success without Igor and Marina, and we are very grateful for their friendship and their guidance over the past years," Belbin said.

Bigger picture, for the first time in a long time, the top six Ice Dance teams in the U.S. will all be coached by different coaches! Take a look:

Belbin and Agosto: Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov
Davis and White: Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband
Gregory and Petukhov: Priscilla Hill
Navarro and Bommentre: Robbie Kaine
Samuelson and Bates: Iouri Tchesnitchenko and Yasa Netcheva
Wester and Barantsev: Nikolai Morosov

This is really unusual for U.S. Ice Dancing!

UPDATE: More on this story can be found by following this link!

Hersh's Scoop

I love when Phil Hersh gets the good scoop! He has figured out three of the four cities that are pushing for the 2010 U.S. Nationals; Portland (Oregon), Providence (Rhode Island), and Spokane (Washington). I think I know the identity of the fourth mystery city, Detroit (Michigan).

But enough of all that...Phil makes the brilliant point that Spokane, unequivically should get the event! They did shatter the attendance record and it was an amazing event...I was there!

The downfall, they just hosted the event in 2007...fair to give the event back to a city with only a three year turn around? It will have been five years since Portland last hosted in 2005 when the event comes around in 2010, fifteen since Providence in 1995, and sixteen since Detroit in 1994.

But there is more to consider here than just who should host. The host city must also be able to sustain the impact of the event for almost two weeks, as US Figure Skating has choosen to adopt the extended event schedule (similar to Olympic Figure Skating schedules) for Olympic Trial Nationals.

Given all this, US Figure Skating must decide which of these four cities can pull off an amazing event. See the poll ------------> and weigh in!

US Figure Skating Team Envelopes

U.S. Figure Skating released the team envelopes for the 2008-2009 season. The team envelopes allow for priority based competition selection. The higher the team envelope, the better competition selection you get.

Kind of a shocker here for the ladies...Rachael Flatt, Caroline Zhang, and Ashley Wagner all got put on the B Team...that's right...the B Team!

Who's on the A Team you ask? That would be Mirai Nagasu (of course, she's national champ), Beatrisa Liang (huh?), and Kimmie Meissner (wow!).

Not exactly sure how these girls will get placed for the Grand Prix but Mirai, Beatrisa, and Kimmie will have first crack at two and or three events before the others despite the fact they have performed stronger this season.

No shockers amongst the men, pairs, or ice dancers...exactly what you'd expect.

I think Kimmie especially, but Beatrisa too, have received an early Christmas present here from U.S. Figure Skating!

Pic of the Week: American Legends

Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner are perhaps the most famous U.S. Pairs skaters for their achievemnts not only on the ice, but their lives off the ice.

Their competitive achievements are many including a top 5 finish at the 1976 Olympics, 5 consecutive U.S. Championship wins, a bronze medal at the 1978 World Championships, and a win at the 1979 World Championships. Tai and Randy acheived their success through the help of their coach, John Nicks. They were the overwhelming favorites to win Gold at the 1980 Olympics but disaster struck when Randy pulled his groin muscle and the team was forced to withdraw from the Olympics right off the warm-up.

After retiring from competitive skating and touring as professionals, Tai became addicted to drugs and alcohol and her life spun out of control. Tai underwent treatment and rehab and Tai and Randy made their competitive re-debut as professionals in 1996.

Randy, after touring, became a choreographer for Ice Shows and was the principal choreographer for Champions on Ice for many years. Randy has also done several speaking engagements discussing his career, life, and homosexuality.

Tai and Randy captured the hearts of America and to this day are amongst the most beloved U.S. Skaters of all time.

UPDATE: Check out this cool little bit over at lifeskate about Randy Gardner!

Kristi Can Dance

Oh boy can Kristi dance! So it was the much anticipated Latin Week on DWTS and the top 8 slinked and slid around the dance floor to the Rhumba and Samba.

Solid efforts were given by Mario and Marissa but it was once again Kristi's night as she alone was the leader with another 29! Kristi danced the Rhumba and the sexual tension between she and Mark was palpable! For the first time she really let it all hang out, literally, as half-way through the dance Mark ripped her hair clip out of her hair and she flung her hair around losely in the throws of passion (I should be a author!).

It was sensual, seductive, sexy, and finally she was able to pull a 10 out of Len who, on her dance commented, "I have three words...fab-u-lous!" It was so good, they were the encore performance Wednesday night!

And on elimination night Kristi and Mark didn't have to wait in suspense long...they were the very first team granted safety! Her competitor from last week Jason Taylor was also safe, although he didn't quite hit the high score he acheived last week.

And poor poor Priscilla Presley, she started off a front runner and how she has fallen from grace. She is the celebrity that leaves us this week after a Rhumba that didn't Rhumba much at all.

7 Stars are left...keep voting for Kristi! A nice recap of events can be found over at Shimmy.

More SOI pics

Stars on Ice Manchester, New Hampshire

So last night I found myself in the Verizon Wireless Center in Manchester, New Hampshire for the Stars on Ice Show and what a show it was. I knew when I saw the televised version I wanted to see a live show and I wasn't disappointed!

First off, the busy cast member for that show is Jennifer Robinson (aka Sylvie Salchow). I mean that girl was everywhere! She was on the ice in almost all the group numbers, she was in the crowd talking to people, she was on the ice introducing skaters, she was doing her own number, what a whirlwind! But she's fabulous so I didn't care!

Shen and Zhao don't look as if they've lost any training due to touring, they looked great. They were hitting triple twists and throw triples left and right, it was unbelievable.

It has been so long since I have seen Ilia Kulick skate. He was great, of all the guys out their performing he was the best. He looks so well trained, he was hitting triple, after triple, after triple like it was easy! And his "Inspiration" number, brilliant!

It was great to see Todd Eldridge, love his "Brightside" number which unfortunately ends with his pants around his ankles. Being as Manchester is very close to the Boston area (where I'm in fact writing this from!) Todd had a whole bunch of fans in the crowd...I mean a whole bunch. Yuka Sato was also brilliant. One of my favorite place in the show she and Michael Weiss are out on the ice and she calls him the sexiest man in the show and the crowd goes crazy! He then doesn't disappoint with a number to "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy."

Evan Lysacek and Belbin & Agosto guest starred. Evan looked surprisingly healthy given he just withdrew from worlds 3 weeks...hmmmmm? Tanith and Ben were breathtaking as usual.

The show stopper, however, was of course Sasha Cohen. She is an even better performer now than when she was competing regularly, and she was already fantastic. And her jumps were very solid. She was very fit and trained and it appeared to me that if she wanted to resume competing it wouldn't be very tough...her jumps looked as good as I've ever seen them. I love the number where she is a ballerina on the trampoline and John Zimmerman, Michael Weiss, and Patrice Lauzon all take turns moving her around. Her John Lennon number to "Imagine," memorable!

Best group number had to be the Glam Rock piece. Something about Hongbo Zhao with 80s hairband hair that made me smile! :-)

Stars on Ice, Live and in Color lived up to its hype, I was extremely impressed!

Pic of the Week: American Legends

For the next six weeks I'm going to do an American Legends series for Pic of the Week. Look forward to seeing some of the greatest American skaters to ever take to the ice.

Carol Heiss' carreer is distingueshed! She's a two time Olympic Champion (Silver in 1956 and Gold in 1960), four time National Champion and a five time World Champion.

She began skating in Queens, New York at the age of six and won her first major title, the U.S. Novice title, at age 11. Her crowning moment came in 1960 at the Squaw Valley Olympic Games where she swept the judges and captured Gold.

After retiring from competitive skating in 1960, she married Hayes Jenkins, the 1956 Olympic Men's Champion and skated in several ice shows before retiring from the sport. She returned to the sport in late 1970s as a top level coach. Some of her most noteworthy students include Tonia Kwiatkowski, Timothy Goebel, and Miki Ando.

She continues to coach today and is one of the most visible faces in U.S. Figure Skating!

Kristi Can Dance

It was a night of Fairy Tale Magic and Fiery Spanish Heat as the celebrities danced the Viennese Waltz and Paso Doble (the Dance of the Bullfighter) on Dancing with the Stars.

All of the celebrities stepped it up a notch this week and brought some of their best performances yet. Kristi, once again, notched up the top score with a Paso Doble that was powerful, intense, and most importantly emotionally dramatic. Although Len felt her her routines were becoming cookie-cutter, Carrie Ann and Bruno praised her for coming out of her shell and brining a passion to the dance floor. "Kristi, your the reason all those other stars are workin' their booties off this season!" said Carrie Ann. Carrie Ann and Bruno each handed Kristi and Mark a perfect 10...Len with a reserved 9 for 29 total.

But for the first time since the beginning of the competition Kristi was not alone at the top and her competition in this race for the trophy is beginning to take shape. NFL Man of the Year Jason Taylor also got a near perfect score of 29 after a beautiful Viennese Waltz. Right behind them with a 28 was Shannon Elizabeth who got Len's only 10 of the night after a beautiful Viennese Waltz of her own (despite the fact her partner was dancing with a bum neck).

Side bar, 1 in 4 readers felt that Kristi had an unfair advantage because of her Figure Skating background...interesting...

In general, all the stars brought their A-Game this week (save Adam Carolla who brought his Unicycle!) and the competition is getting tighter. Tonight, another star leaves and for the first time this season the bottom two will be revealed (gasp!). Tune in!

Update: The Unicycle wasn't enough to get the votes from America...Adam Carolla has danced his last dance. But he entertained us all and lost 20 pounds in the process!

Kristi Can Dance

Kristi has yet again racked up the highest score this week, another 27. However, while the judges praised her for her technique they were critical of her on her emotional output. They told her she needed to "let it all hang out and stop being so reserved."

Reserved or not, she and Mark are clearly the ones to beat (and she looked stunning!). Kristi's Tango was precise and powerful. So powerful, Adam Carolla went on the defensive asking Samantha Harris to "beat em' up!" when she asked Kristi and Priscilla (Presley) how it felt to be the front runners.

And unfortunately it had to come to an end for someone and it was "The Gute" (Steve Gutenberg). The happiest guy in America failed to impress the voting public with his hap-hap-happy demeanor. He was the encore performance that night, however, with...Jonathan Roberts?

The show must go on and the 9 couples remaining will battle it out next Monday!

Funny quotes

Susan over at lifeskate found this little article and I just had to share with you some of my favorite quotes in the article.

The Toronto Star posted some of the best quotes from competitors during the recent World Championships, these are some of my favorites:

* John Kerr on the inspiration behind his kilt in the Original Dance: "As the kilt is the national Scottish dress and they wanted to see national dresses this year, luckily for us they cannot give us a deduction."

* Adrian Schultheiss of Sweden after a mostly successful free skate in front a home crowd: "Hell, that was hard."

* Anabelle Langlois on how she and partner Cody Hay prepared for the free skate after a mistaken-filled short program: "We went to sleep."

* And why isn't Cody here for this press conference? Anabelle responds: "He's back there puking."

* Johnny Weir on World's placements for next year: "As much as I would like to say, it's the most important thing in the world to have three U.S. men there, it's not. Even if we have just one spot, that's fine – as long as it's mine."

* Johnny Weir on his nerves before his free skate: "I could have peed myself, I was so nervous."

* And Johnny Weir (oh goodness!) on the spotlight: "It comes down to what you do, in the middle of the arena, wearing rhinestones and velvet."

You couldn't have scripted it any better!