Endlessly entertained

Figure Skating Translation's is keeping me endlessly entertained these days.

This time, it's a post about the "goals" the Russian Federation is setting for their skaters. Maybe they're not so much "goals" as they are demands...talk about pressure. If your Russian is in form, you can see the report here.

Best final quote of 2008: "Now, for my personal take on this story - WHAT ARE THEY SMOKING DOWN THERE? Are they INSANE? Do they just want to psyche out those kids on purpose?! ARRGGHHH!!!"

Can't get enough!

Pic of the Week

I originally had intended on making Fumie Suguri this week's Pic of the Week given her solid performance at last week's Japanese Nationals and the fact that today is her birthday. But then I thought, this is the last one for 2008, why not Pic of the Year?

I mulled over who I thought deserved this honor and there are a great number of potential possibilities. I was overwhelmed with the choice and, so, decided to instead take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of my favorites over the past year. Next week I'll begin my countdown to Cleveland series.

Hope your 2009 is all you wish it to be and more.

Tomas Verner Turning Heads!
Well...at the time he seemed unstopable.
Finally!
Unexpected Win.
American Legends.
Moving on.
"She's so hot!" I miss Arrturi.
Coaches deserve some credit too!
Jim McKay...never forgotten.
Happiest moment in Figure Skating...ever?
Stud in India
Band Together!
Who's in Beijing?
Do you see who I see?
Canadian Stud!
The Controversial "Bad Boy" Pic
Definitely Maybe.

"No More Chaplin" and "Global Goals"

Figure Skating Translations translated a 'hum-dinger' of an interview with none other than 2002 Co-Olympic Champion Anton Sikharulidze.

Anton, rather frankly, discusses his career in (Duma) Politics, his thoughts on his professional carrer, Russian Ice Television shows, his dislike of the current judging system, and his "Global Goals."

His feelings on Russian skating now: "Well, I read about the Grand Prix results in your paper. I think the Russian athletes’ performances are a lot less interesting now than they used to be."

Ouch!

Be sure to check out the whole interview...interesting stuff!

And just to take us down memory lane...how about that Charlie Chaplin program...

2009 Russian Nationals

Finding Results from this event has been tricky! But I think I may have found them...maybe...

I'm extrapalating a bit here, but based on the make-up of the team going to Europeans I'm going to make some assumptions on the medalists. By all means, this is unofficial and if I've got something wrong please correct me.

Men
1. Sergei Voronov
2. Artem Borodulin
3. Andrei Lutai

Ladies
1. Katarina Gerboldt
2. Alena Leonova
3. Nina Petushkova

Paris
1. Kawaguchi and Smirnov
2. Mukhortova and Trankov
3. Ilyushechkina and Maisuridze

Dance
1. Khoklova and Novitski
2. Rubleva and Shafer
3. Gorshkova and Butikov (Thanks for the update Sharon!)

Person of the Year

Barack Obama...right?

Well maybe if you live in the U.S. But Susan at Lifeskate found that if you live other places, like say Korea, Barack might just be the runner up!

Check the amazing story here!

More digging...

Anonymous...as per your request.

And the Winner Is....

Mao Asada!

But not because she won the free skate, but rather because she was the most consistent in the event, placing second in both the short and long...that was good enough for a win here!

Fumie Suguri actually won the Free Skate, rallying from fifth place after the short to take the silver medal. Despite a fourth place showing in the free, Miki Ando was able to hang on to the bronze ahead of Akiko Suzuki who outscored her in the free skate.

Leader after the short program, Yukari Nakano fell all the down to fifth place after a dismal performance. Nana Takeda rounded out the top six.

Check the full results here.

Now if I can just find the results from Russia....

UPDATE: I did a little digging and found both Fumie Suguri and Mao Asada's Free Skates on YouTube.

Bit of News...

Coming out of Japan...Nobunari Oda is the Men's National Champion. He defeated Takahiko Kozuka (who took Silver) by a little over 18 points with an impressive 243.70.

After the ladies short program, it is very close between the top three. Yukari Nakano (67.26) leads Mao Asada (65.30) who is just ahead of Miki Ando (65.02)...all three ladies are separated by just a little over two points. Yukari is leading due to a huge Technical Element Score compared to the other competitors.

She spoke with the Japan Times after her short program:
"It was one of my best short programs ever. I'd never had the lead after the short program, so I'm thrilled. I have to admit I feel pressure heading into the free skate, but I'll just focus on four minutes of free skating tomorrow. I'll do what I have to do and hopefully I can earn a place at the world championships." she said.

Also according to the article Mao under rotated the second jump in her combination and was only credited with a triple-single combination.

Merry Christmas!

A promise kept...

Okay, so I have yet one more post this Christmas Eve.

As promised far earlier in the year (yeah, like October) here are all my pics from Skate America for your enjoyment.

I especially like some of the scenic ones. I used to live in Seattle so I just love it there and knew where to get all the best pics!

Album #1
Album #2

Hope you enjoy.

Aaron

One more...

Okay okay...too much time on my hands for Christmas Eve! But before I let you go, I have to thank Susan at Lifeskate for posting a great article detailing Jeffrey Buttle's transition from competitor to choreographer.

Fedor Andreev has tapped Buttle to do his programs this season (a great choice I might add!) and the article featured the best quote this season so far. Johnny will have some catching up to do!

Beverly Smith at the Globe and Mail got the scoop. Here's Jeffrey commenting on what he wanted to 'do' with Fedor Andreev's programs:

"Fedor is a real good looking guy and I wanted to give him something sexy, even a bit subtle. He doesn't really need to do much to be sexy on the ice. It's just something I know he's never done before and something I think he could have a lot of fun with."

Jeffrey...good luck getting Fedor to be sexy!

Pic of the Week

I hope this Christmas Eve finds you well, with family and friends, and enjoying the Holiday Season!

Speaking of National Championships, France had their's this past weekend. And among others, crowned Yannick Ponsero their new Men's Champion (to be fair...Joubert didn't compete at the event). Might also add here Candice Didier won the ladies event, Canac and Coia the pairs, and Pechalat and Bourzat in Ice Dance.

I first took notice of Yannick at 2007 Skate Canada. I attended the event and we were all like 'who is the guy in second place after the short?' This season he's improved his skating tremendously. A 4th place finish in Canada and a 3rd place finish at NHK and it would appear his stock is on the rise!

Point in fact, he defeated Alban Preaubert, who has medaled in every event he's entered this season...not too shabby Yannick, not bad at all!

Although I couldn't find Yannick's free skate from French Nationals, I was able to find the medal ceremony.



Here's that 2007 Skate Canada Short Program that caught our eye in Quebec City.

2009 National Championships

This week, Russia and Japan will crown it's National Champions for the 2009 season (I know, I know...it's still 2008...it's just how they do it.) Lots of talent will be competing in these events.

The Russian National Championships, which will be in Kazan, boasts some great competitors. Six solid mens competitors will vie for the title including reigning champion Sergei Voronov. Challenging him will be Andrei Lutai, Alexander Uspenski, Andrei Griazev, Artem Borodulin, and Sergei Dobrin. A fierce showdown is possible in Ice Dance between Domnina & Shabalin and Khoklova & Novitski. Khoklova & Novitski upset Domnina & Shabalin at Cup of Russia. Unfortunately we weren't able to see the rematch because Jana and Sergei withdrew due to stomach illness on Sergei's part. Should be interesting. In pairs, Kawaguchi & Smirnov will face off against Mukhortova & Trankov...both teams are coming off a dismal showing at the Grand Prix Final.

4078 miles away in Nagano, Japan, Japan's best take to the ice for the Japanese crown. The ladies event is chock full of competitors inclusing Mao Asada, Yukari Nakano, Miki Ando, Fumie Suguri, Akiko Suzuki, Nana Takeda, and others...talk about a deep field! However, the clear favorite is Mao Asada. Look for her (I'm gonna call trademark) double dosage of Triple Axels. All the others will be looking for the other podium finishes. A fun rivalry of sorts may possibly develop here. Both Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka have looked impressive this season, each winning a Grand Prix event and Takahiko winning the silver at the Grand Prix Final. It'll be fun to see how this plays out.

Russia's event begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday while Japan's event will begin December 25th and run through Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed for your favorite competitors!

Dozens of Peorians hit the ice

A fun article that appeared in my local paper. What a great way to celebrate the Holiday's! I also love when my local rink gets some press!

From the Peoria Journal Star by Rob Dale, Family Skate at Owens Recreational Center a chance for new tradition...

PEORIA — For about 15 years, Scott Buhl had not ventured onto the ice. On Sunday though, Buhl donned skates for the second time in a week, and he says he’s been going at it for about a month now.

What got him back in the rink? His 5-year-old daughter, Hailey.

“She sees the figure skaters on TV from time to time and wanted to try figure skating,” Buhl said. “So, you have to learn to skate first.

”The father and daughter were among dozens to take to the indoor ice rink Sunday at the Owens Recreation Center on Lake Avenue for its annual Family Holiday Skate event. The center encouraged families to come out and start a tradition of ice skating together before the holidays.

“It’s fun,” Buhl said of rediscovering the hobby. “It’s adventurous, falling down a lot.”

Toby Gualandri of Metamora also came to the rink with his kids, but it seemed he was the one taking lessons. “They do much better than I do — even my 5-year-old,” Gualandri joked, saying it was only about his fifth time trying the winter sport. “I try to keep my balance,” he added, “but it doesn’t always work.”

Others came to the rink Sunday to enjoy hockey games taking place in another adjacent rink.

Steele Seei came to watch his younger brother, of Richwoods High School, face off against the rival team. Seei said he’s been watching his brother play for years. “It’s fun to see him grow up and get better,” he said.

Kim Stoner, supervisor at the rink, said there are plenty of things to like about ice skating.

“It’s great exercise for one thing,” she said, adding “If you come with a group, it’s just a good time.”

Despite the frigid nature of the sport, temperatures inside the rink areas at Owens are about 45 to 50 degrees, a welcome change from the near-zero degree weather looming outside. Still, recent temperatures seem to have kept many at home, according to Stoner.

“I think the weather’s really had a big impact on people coming out,” she said, adding that the economic situation hasn’t had an impact because the rink hasn’t raised prices in several years.

The weekend after Christmas, Owens also will host its annual Snowball Hockey Tournament, where teams of players as young as four will hit the ice.

More information on skating at Owens can be found at the Peoria Park District Web site at www.peoriaparks.org.

read more | digg story

Pic of the Week

I was sitting on a story for the Pic of the Week...then Required Elements beat me to it! Hahaha!

But anywho, as you may have already read. Sasha Cohen has decided that she might definitely maybe be up for a 2010 Olympic Bid.

Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times got the scoop:

"I like the challenge. I think it's something I can do," she said by phone Wednesday. "I just don't want to rush myself into anything and just really take my time and train and see where I can get."

"Right now I'm in the process of training and seeing where my skill level is at," she said, adding that she has worked with different coaches and has skated in Lake Arrowhead but hasn't chosen a coach for Olympic-level preparation.

"I haven't really trained since the last time around. And I'll take all that into consideration and see if I think that I can do it and be competitive."

"I do miss the challenge and that intensity of competition when I've been going back and watching."

So...we are going to have to wait a bit longer for this mystery to be solved. But to keep us entertained in the mean time, how about Sasha's program to 'Imagine' from Japan Star's on Ice.

Kristi Yamaguchi to Host San Francisco Ballet's The Nutcracker

Kristi Yamaguchi will host the San Francisco's Ballet's production of the Nutcracker which premieres on KQED TV 9/San Francisco on Wednesday, December 17, at 8pm.

Krisit Yamaguchi is a native of the Bay Area. Kristi recently shared some of her Nutcraker memories. You can check it out here.

To hear more about Kristi's holiday traditions, her experience dancing weekly on live television, an exciting project her Always Dream Foundation is working on and more, just watch the clip below!

People in Sports | Vera Wang

Vera Wang: The fashion designer will be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame on Jan. 23 during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland.

"The only thing that I loved as much as skating were clothes," Wang once said.

Wang began skating when she was 8 and twice reached the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, finishing fifth in junior pairs with James Stuart in 1968. She worked at Vogue — where she was the youngest-ever fashion editor — and Ralph Lauren before opening her own boutique in 1990, selling her trademark wedding dresses and couture gowns.

She combined her two loves, designing costumes for Olympic silver medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan.

The Associated Press

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Another Grand Prix Season Complete

And so, the 2008 Edition of the Grand Prix has come to it's conclusion...for Ice Dance we barely made it there! It was fun wasn't it. Six Events all chock full of intrigue and surprises. A huge (well, mostly huge) final with some surprising...and expected happenings.

Like I stated before, in Ice Dance, we were lucky to reach the end after a full 1/3 of the field decided to withdraw from the event. Khoklova and Novitski called it quits after the OD Warm-up, citing an upset stomach. Belbin and Agosto decided to pull the plug after the Free Dance warming with complaints of back pain from Ben. Aye aye aye! But that left the door open for Davis and White who managed a bit of an upset, taking the Bronze ahead of veteran Italians Faiella and Scali whose 'Moonlight Sonata' couldn't compete with the Americans' 'Samson and Delilah.' After a ridiculously clunky and awkward Free Dance, Russians Domnina and Shabalin still managed a good score and took the Silver medal (the fact that Free Dance was scored so well simply amazes me...they must have gotten the better selection of the 5 judges whose score counted!). But favorites and clear class of the field, Delobel and Schoenfelder of France skated away with the Gold...and their first Grand Prix Final title (hard to believe that a team that has been at this for so long is just now winning this event!).

I found myself completely shocked by the turn of events that took place among the men. First, like Ben Agosto, Joubert decided to withdraw prior to the free skate because of back pain. Apparently he sustained a bit of an injury on the morning practice. Patrick Chan who I had pegged to win this thing couldn't land a triple axel to save his life in Korea and finished last. Tomas Verner, who also had some technical issues, barely slid past Chan to finish fourth. Johnny Weir, had a solid free skate (still a little front loaded) and won the bronze. It reminded me quite a bit like his free skate from last season's worlds...steady, consistent, a little slow, but overall okay. More importantly, he continues to be solid and consistent, a testament to his new mental attitude and Galina Zmievskaya. Takahiko Kozuka, who had the lead after the short, crumbled a bit in his free skate and had to settle for the silver. After a solid opening, which included a quad he almost got done, he took a couple spills and had a downgraded triple loop. He actually finished behind Weir but had a solid lead after the short and was able to stay ahead of him. There was no staying ahead of, however, American Jeremy Abbott who showed he is a contended on the 'big boys' stage. An amazing free skate that earned him not only a killer technical score but amazing component scores as well and he took the Gold Medal, quite to his surprise. A new face for American Men's skating perhaps?

In Pairs, it was Russia's day with both teams coming in 5th and 6th. Mukhortova and Trankov, who again had a terrible outing with their 'Lady and the Hooligan' routine (it's time to ditch it I think!) brought up the rear while their countrymen Kawaguchi and Smirnov weren't much better and finished just ahead of them. The Ukranian team of Volosozhar and Morozov was uninspiring and finished fourth. Savchenko and Szolkowy had fall from grace and only managed the bronze after a terrible free skate. The Chinese teams reigned supreme, Zhang and Zhang taking the silver and Pang and Tong with a very solid free taking the Gold and earning their first Grand Prix Final Title. Three first time winners this season.

The ladies event, where to begin. First lets go back to the short where, as much as I love and adore her, Yu-Na Kim should not have had the lead...but she did. I could care less that Asada's Triple Loop on the back half of her flawless Triple Flip was downgraded, overall the program was better. Who pop's a Triple Lutz in the short program and still get's the lead...Yu-Na Kim! Fast forward to the Free Skate... and poor Miki Ando. What appeared to be an impressive skate, with what appeared to be a beautiful Quad Salchow in it. Interestingly, she ditched 'Giselle' for Saint-Saens 'Symphony No. 3.' But her celebration quickly came to an end when the scores went up. Half her jumping passes were downgraded (quad included) and her component score was less than great. After what she thought was a completely successful free skate, she found herself finishing last...unbelievable. Yukari Nakano didn't fare much better. Her usually consistent downgraded Triple Axel was not so consistent and she putzed her way through her program to finish 5th. Joannie Rochette skated better than she did in the short to finish 4th, however it was a far cry from what she was putting down in her previous Grand Prix appearances this season. As per usual, Carolina Kostner with a clunky program manages to win a medal, a bronze this time. The showdown really was between the top two ladies. Mao Asada again put down two Triple Axels, only this time she got full credit for them both! Those two jumps alone netted her 19.90 points alone. She went on to have a solid free skate (she did get a downgrade on her second flip) to easily take the lead. I'm noticing she's removed the lutz from her free skate and going with the axels instead...risky decision. Yu-Na Kim had a solid opening of her own but another popped lutz and then a fall on triple salchow and she couldn't over come the technical muster of Asada. Therefore she had to settle for the silver and Asada manages to reclaim her title (she last won the event in 2005, defeating Slutskaya).

That's it for the Grand Prix. Now we get to look forward to all the National Championships, Russia and Japan are first up with Canada and the U.S. in January. Stay Tuned! Also, here's the video of Mao Asada's free skate.



UPDATE: This (the blank YouTube video above) is beginning to infuriate me! How is it that the video is removed due to a copyright claim by U.S. Figure Skating? The coverage was Korean SBS! Out of pure spite for what State of the Skate calls the "Powers that Be"...here the video is again...Japanese coverage this time...let's see if the powers that be can get this video erased!

浅田真央 Mao Asada 2008 GPF FS
Uploaded by hawaiiantommy

Youth Olympics 2012

Well the IOC has decided that Innsbruck, Austria will host the first ever Youth Olympics in 2012.

The Youth Olympics will feature young athletes in their teens (14-18) competing in seven sports including: skiing, biathlon, ice hockey, bobsled, curling, luge, and of course figure skating.

The news broke in an International Olympic Committee Press Release. As a next step, a Coordination Commission will be designated by the IOC President to accompany Innsbruck throughout the three years of preparation. “We are fully aware that this is a very short period, but we are extremely confident that Innsbruck can match the expectations of both the IOC and the athletes, including an attractive Culture and Education Programme, which is an integral part of the Youth Olympic Games experience”, underlined Jacques Rogge.

In a previous post I began to wonder how athletes would be chosen for this prestigious event.

Congratulations to Innsbruck!

Pic of the Week

Well I thought I was going to be clever this week and make the pic of the week the busiest coach at this week's Senior Grand Prix Final.

Guess what...it's a five way tie! Five coaches are eaching pulling double duty as they coach two different skaters and/or teams. So I'll post them all! The Pic of the Week for this week has become The Pics of the Week (if you can follow that sentence you read my blog alot!). So a little about the busy ones...

Nobuo Sato will be coaching both Takahiko Kozuka and Yukari Nakano. Fun fact about Nobuo, he is a ten time Japanese National Champion. Another fun fact, his daughter, Yuka Sato, is the 1994 World Champion. Nobuo coached Yukari to the bronze medal at this event in 2006 will hope to duplicate if not better that achievement for both Yukari and Takahiko in Goyang City.

Bin Yao will have two strong Chinese teams he hopes to coach to Gold in Korea. Both teams, Pang and Tong as well Zhang and Zhang, have won Grand Prix Events this season and have medaled at this event in the past. However, neither team has ever won this event. Bin Yao's fun fact, despite finishing dead last at three consecutive World Championships (80-82) in Pairs, he has gone on to create a Pair's Powerhouse in China. His three top teams have all medaled multiple times at the World Championships, two teams (Pang and Tong, Shen amd Zhao) having won the event.

Like Bin Yao, Ingo Steuer will have to keep his eyes on two Pairs teams. He's coaching the reigning World Champs Savchenko and Szolkowy as well as Ukranian upstrats Volosozhar and Morozov (who used to skate with Savchenko). Many consider Savchenko and Szolkowy to be the heavy favorites. Fun fact for Steuer, he's the only coach at the event who has ever competed at a Grand Prix Final (then called Champion Series Final...the name was changed to Grand Prix Final during the 1998-1999 season) and medaled in all three attempts, winning the event in 1997 with partner Mandy Wötzel.

The final two coaches are a duo. Natalia Linitchuk and Gennadi Karpanossov will keep a watchful eye on both ice dance teams of Domnina and Shabalin as well as Belbin and Agosto. And Natalia and Gennadi will be looking to return these two teams to form as both have been slightly off recently. Domnina and Shabalin took a big blow at Cup of Russia losing to countrymen Khoklova and Novitski while Belbin and Agosto haven't been able to put together a win this season, loosing twice to teams they have defeated easily in the past. Fun fact about these two...they know a little something about Ice Dance success, they won the 1980 Olympic Gold in Ice Dance! Another tidbit...this picture features Maxim Staviski whom Lifeskate has some info on.

FYI...here's a clip of Wötzel and Steuer winning the 1997 World Championships!



and the 1998 Olympic Bronze Medal!

Grand Prix Final

The Grand Prix Final kicks off this week in Goyang City, Korea. For the first time, this will be a combined event with both the Junior and Senior divisions competing.

You can see a complete list of Juniors competing by clicking here...the U.S. is very well represented, however, Gilles and Donohue of the U.S. have withdrawn.

A solid field amongst the Senior competitiors will make the event extremely competitive.

The six ladies that have qualified for the final are: Yu-Na Kim (KOR), Joannie Rochette (CAN), Mao Asada (JPN), Carolina Kostner (ITA), Yukari Nakano (JPN), and Miki Ando (JPN). Or...the top five from last seasons worlds plus Miki Ando who withdrew because of an injury. To put it even shorter, no shockers! The clear favorite would have to be Yu-Na Kim, however Joannie Rochette has been solid as well and Mao Asada proved last week at NHK that she's a contender for the top spot. Miki Ando has been jumping well this season but will need to put some more choreography into her 'Giselle' program to turn heads. On the flip side of that is Yukari Nakano's 'Giselle' program which has beautiful artistry, she may need to up the difficulty in the jumping department (but she's been known to land Triple Axels as well) to make a splash. Carolina Kostner, if she lands her jumps will be in the mix, the judges apparently love (or at least score it well) her skating.

The Ice Dance competition will likely be the closest of them all. The six teams qualifying are: Delobel and Schoenfelder (FRA), Domnina and Shabalin (RUS), Faiella and Scali (ITA), Khoklova and Novitski (RUS), Davis and White (USA), and Belbin and Agosto (USA). What makes this field so interesting is that some of these teams have not competed against the other and they've all been so close this season. However, the clear front runners are the reigning World Champs Delobel and Schoenfelder. They were the only team to win both their events. Then it will be a scramble as none of the other 5 teams have been truely dominant, however, any of them are capable of topping the french. Khoklova and Novitski have been on the move, upsetting their countrymen Domnina and Shabalin (who won last season's final) at home in Russia. The Italians, Faiella and Scali, looked to be on a roll, keeping up with Delobel and Schoenfelder in Paris, but then the #2 French team (Pechalat and Bourzat) almost caught them at NHK. Davis and White won in Canada, then could only muster a bronze in Russia. Belbin and Agosto have twice only managed a silver but they, like the Italians, almost caught Delobel and Schoenfelder at Skate America. What does all this really mean...I think it will be close!

The Pairs event at the Grand Prix Final may provide some fireworks...it may not. The qualifiers are: Savchenko and Szolkowy (GER), Zhang and Zhang (CHN), Kawaguchi and Smirnov (RUS), Pang and Tong (CHN), Volosozhar and Morozov (UKR), and Mukhortova and Trankov (RUS). Top qualifiers were the Germans who won both their events, but Zhang and Zhang, who also won both their events, have looked fairly polished as well and, on paper, look to be the biggest challenge to the Germans. It's anyones guess as to how this will play out as none of these teams have really looked super-sharp this season. Kawaguchi and Smirnov have a throw quad salchow in their back pocket (which they landed successfully at Skate Canada) and if they can hit that with solid skating they might threaten for the top spot. But who knows, maybe one of the other teams will surprise us...

The men's field is very good. The qualifiers are: Patrick Chan (CAN), Takahiko Kozuka (JPN), Johnny Weir (USA), Brian Joubert (FRA), Jeremy Abbott (USA), and Tomas Verner (CZE). Patrick Chan and Takahiko Kozuka have both been stellar this season. Not necessarily because they're doing the hardest jumps, because they're not, but they are garnering huge component scores from the judges. The pair effectively put the field away in Paris and may do the same in Korea. Johnny Weir has a large fan following in Korea and has been very consistent this season. Two solid skates from him and instantly he's in the mix. Jeremy Abbott is the other fellow this season who has benefited from solid component scores. He showed in China that his amazing artistry combined with a solid technical skate equals big points. The big jumpers in the field are Joubert and Verner, but both have struggled on the component side this season. We may have a battle of beauty vs braun...it will be interesting to see which will win.

My Medal Call (I can't believe I'm going to attemp this!)

LADIES
GOLD - YU-NA KIM
SILVER - MAO ASADA
BRONZE - CAROLINA KOSTNER

DANCE
GOLD - DELOBEL AND SCHOENFELDER
SILVER - DOMNINA AND SHABALIN
BRONZE - KHOKLOVA AND NOVISTKI (If I'm right about this Belbin and Agosto are in trouble!)

PAIRS
GOLD - ZHANG AND ZHANG
SILVER - SAVCHENKO AND SZOLKOWY
BRONZE - KAWAGUCHI AND SMIRNOV

MEN
GOLD - PATRICK CHAN (This is really a stunning development...all I have to say is Vancouver!)
SILVER - BRIAN JOUBERT
BRONZE - JOHNNY WEIR (Here's hoping that the U.S. isn't shut out. I figured he managed to save us last season at World's...he can save us again!).

Let's Say Thanks

As we all settle into the hustle and bustle that is the Holiday Season, let's take some time to remember and appreciate those brave men and women who are protecting us abroad. Many of these individuals will spend the Holiday's away from their families and this is something small we can do to make their season's a little brighter.

So, In support of our Troops, Let's Say Thanks!

Below are some comments service men and women have made after receiving a card:

I hope this day finds you well. I just wanted to say thank you for the wonderful package that Give2TheTroops sent to us. All of the items were very useful and were very much appreciated. Thank you for being so thoughtful and so willing to take time out of your busy schedule to think of us over here in Iraq. We really appreciate all the things that those back home do for us, because it lets us know that someone is thinking about us and appreciates us just as much as we appreciate them. Please extend my sincere gratitude to all those that participated in helping you with such a wonderful gesture.

Your time and thoughtfulness is so very much appreciated. May god bless ya'll and take care!!!


A Navy Seaman
------------------------

I just got your post cards there are very encouraging. Just a few lines to let you all know that the soldiers appreciate what are you doing at the home front. Thank you for the morale booster during the holidays.


An Army Soldier
------------------------

I just wanted to return the gratitude and appreciation on a personal level to all the men and women that put together "Let's Say Thanks". Sometimes it's difficult to get up in the morning and put on the uniform, but receiving things like this reminds us why we serve. I appreciate those taking the time to send strangers a reminder of not only what we're fighting for, but also who we're fighting for. THANK YOU!

An Air Force Senior Sergeant

Hawaii Ice Skater Going to Nationals

The 2009 U.S. Junior Nationals begin in less than a week and a wonderful story has come from KGMB Channel 9 News from Hawaii...

Hawaii Ice Skater Going to Nationals

You may think only surfers and baseball champs come out of sunny Hawaii, but a young ice skater from the islands is competing in a national figure skating event in New York.

Crystal Nguyen started her skating career when she was just six years old, right here, at Hawaii's only public ice skating rink, the Ice Palace.

Now this 13 year old Kalihi girl is the Central Pacific Regional Champion.

"My favorite jump is the double flip and one of my hardest jumps, is my double axle," Nguyen said. "It's my greatest weapon. Because, most skaters, they can't land it yet. I have already, so it's pretty good."

Crystal leaves this weekend to compete next week at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in Lake Placid, New York.

"Did you ever think you'd make it this far?" KGMB9 asked. "Not really, actually. I was so excited when I went to the mainland, oh my gosh, I can't believe I made it," Nguyen said.

"She's a great ambassador for the sport and the state of Hawaii," Nguyen's coach Jennifer Jones said.

Crystal's Hawaii coach saw her potential years ago."She's just been a little phenom coming up through the ranks. She got an exceptional work ethic and I think that's really paid off in the end now," Jones said.

And like Jamaican bobsledders, Crystal's island skating roots surprise her mainland competitors.

"Hawaii has really not a lot of skaters that compete. So, they're like 'You're from Hawaii? Isn't it only surfing, not ice skating,'" Nguyen said.

For the past 26 years, the Ice Palace has been instructing young skaters, but, Crystal is the pride of Ice Palace right now, and the first skater from Hawaii to win a US regional competition.

Two months ago, Crystal won the Ladies Intermediate Division during the Central Pacific Regional Championships in San Jose, Calif.

She's now ranked third in the nation.

"So, If she can skate clean she actually has a chance at bringing home a medal," Jones said.

Crystal is the only singles skater from Hawaii to ever go to nationals.

"It's an amazing thing to represent Hawaii in a traditionally winter sport, and to be successful at it, is just such and accomplishment for her and the skating club. So, we just hope to continue that success and wish her all the best of luck at nationals this year," Jones said.

Written by Ramsay Wharton

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Pic of the Week

I just love it when skaters show great heart in their performances, and this past weekend at the NHK Trophy, Yukari Nakano did just that.

You could tell that she was not okay with the fact that she was in 5th place after the short program. She was visibly disappointed with herself and felt that she had let her home crowd down.

She took the ice for her free skate, and, not only turned in a brilliant skate, but showed emotion and heart as she did it. At the conclusion of her program she fought back tears as the Japanese crowd rewarded her with tons and tons and tons of gifts. She also secured a Japanese sweep of the podium with her Bronze Medal.

Certainly a job well done...and certainly worth this Pic of the Week.

Here's Yukari's lovely exhibition from NHK to Barbara Streisand's "Somewhere" from West Side Story.

Tale of a combination!

Okay, after I posted my NHK Wrap-up Yesterday I promised a post, specifically about Mao Asada's Triple Axel combination in her free skate. I again need the help of my astute judging system experts.

So Mao Asada nails a Triple Axel in her free skate at NHK and then goes on to throw another Triple Axel with a double toe on the end...to the naked eye it looked amazing!

Now I get when we slow it down on the replay and zoom in on the jump she under rotated it just a bit. This season that is just not allowed and the jump is downgraded to a double axel with only double axel points attached to it. This part I understand.

Here's the part I don't get. Not only was the jump downgraded to a double...she received negative GOE's for it. So instead of...'wow, she almost pulled off another triple axel,' it was scored as 'that was a crappy double axel.' This doesn't make sense to me at all!

Seems to me that while the jump is downgraded, she should get positive grades because it was 1/4 turn (if that!) short of being a triple axel combo...come on! What she did was way better and more difficult than a double axel combo and she would have received more points had she simply done a double axel/double toe.

Am I missing something here? Is what I'm saying here not make sense? Can anyone help me understand how this combo was judged fairly?

NHK Wrap-up

I know, I know...all my fellow figure skating bloggers are quicker on the draw on these but for me, Ice Network is like TiVo...I can watch it whenever I want and so I've had a bad habit of planning things on the weekend and watching the competition on Sunday/Monday.

But I've caught the action and I'm ready to give my take on things...

In Ice Dance I was so worried about Samuelson and Bates not making the podium, coming into the Free Dance in 4th. And then on the dance spin Evan lost his footing and plopped down to the ice and I was like, "Oh no...that does it." But a ray of hope as Russians Gorshkova and Butikov were less than stellar and actually dropped a couple of spots securing the Americans a place on the podium. I honestly thought that the Italians, Faiella and Scali would have an easy victory...not the case. After winning the compulsory dance, it was a bumpy road with the French team of Pechalat and Bourzat (who were exceedingly more polished here than I've ever seen them!) winning both the OD and the Free Dance. Luckily for the Italians, their lead all the way back from the CD held and they took the title (barely). That also means I 'barely' accurately predicted the podium!

UPDATE: Ooops! I looked at my predictions below...and I didn't get this one right. I actually had Samuelson and Bates pegged for silver...guess my limb broke!

Among the men, I was dissapointed that Stephen Carriere came undone and failed to either medal or make the Grand Prix Final. This is the second year in a row that NHK has been unkind to him. Stephen made Tomas Verner a very happy fellow! Takahiko Mura showed the depth of the Japanese team with a strong performance and a respectable 5th place showing. Patrick Chan is clearly the class of Canada now but Kevin Reynolds is proving to be quite the competitor as well. Not one, but two beautiful quads in his free skate to capture 4th place (I have to tell you...that is exactly why I pegged him for the bronze...maybe next time!). The bronze medal went to Yannick Ponsero who looked leaps and bounds more comfortable here than he did in Canada. He too opened with a gorgeous quad toe to get a strong program underway. The silver went to Johnny Weir who started very strong but then towards the end of the program he doubled a jump and singled another. Even still he had strong scores and continues to show his attitude change and his new approach to training continue to pay dividends. On a nit picky level, I'd like to see him not front load his free skate so much...and always try the quad. Johnny's jump technique is solid enough that he can almost always keep that jump on its feet. Nobunari Oda won the men's event with a solid free skate (he too threw a quad that was mostly successful). He, like Weir, also had some jump issues here and there but overall he looked very fit and he skated with tremendous speed. The response from the Japanese audience was overwhelming and at one point you could tell he was really trying to hold back some tears. For Oda it was mission accomplished as far as restoring some credibility.

The pairs event was rough. Dube and Davison didn't look themselves at all. About the only element, aside from the lifts, that went right was the triple twist. All of their jumping elements were flawed, they were slow across the ice, and they lacked the spark they usually have in their skating. I don't think this team has helped themselves this season by choosing such a rough cut of Carmen either...it just doesn't suit them. They got the bronze medal only because the all the other teams before them had rough skates as well (well...that...and the fact that even on a bad performance their skating skills were far superior to the teams that had skated prior to them). The bright spot on the evening was the Americans. Inoue and Baldwin, while not as technical as the other teams, did turn in a pretty good performance for the silver. After John fell on the opening triple toe (which despite the fall, I give him credit for rotating it. So often he just does a double and he has to get his head around doing the triple) went on to skate very well. They scaled back from the throw triple axel, opting for a double instead, but it was done well. Solid lifts, amazing side-by-side unison on the spins, and overall...not too shabby. A silver for them was a bit of redemption after their awful showing at Skate America. The winners were China's Pang and Tong. They too had some side-by-side issues but the throws were amazing and they breezed pass the field. I'm still not sure I like the program...I warm up to it about the time it switches from that bland tango music into Concerto de Aranjuez.

Last season, the Japanese ladies didn't fare well at all, with Nana Takeda barely pulling off a bronze. This season it was a clean sweep of the podium for the Japanese women. Poor Ashley Wagner after a promising start in the short got bit by the same bug that got her at Cup of China...wrong edge here, downgraded jump there, and lower than expected component scores and she again finishes just off the podium. In her defense, I just love this 'Spartacus' program and I think she's getting undermarked on the component side of things. Again, how Laura Lepisto can beat her continues to baffle me. Yukari Nakano pulled of a comeback performance to rally back to the bronze (and make the Grand Prix Final). After a clean skate, she was visibly emotional as scores of flowers, teddy bears, and other goodies rained down upon her as she took her bows. These Japanese ladies are under such stress from the press (rhymed!), especially when they compete at home, and it is a relief when they skate well. A lesser known Japanese lady whose actually been around for sometime took the silver. Akiko Suzuki, who actually won the Finlandia Trophy early this season, had a solid performance of her own, showed some flair, and was genuinely pleased with herself and I think a bit surprised when her result came up. But the show stopper was without a doubt Mao Asada who oblitereated the competition. She opened up with a gorgeous triple axel and then...decided to do a second in combination (a separate post is coming on this combo alone), ridiculous! She went on to land everything else she was planning with no wrong edge deductions and nearly all positive grades of execution across the board...this is not the Mao we saw in Paris...this is a Mao that can take on Yu-Na Kim. she was absolutely stunning.

So the Grand Prix Final is set. I'll do a separate post later to talk about that in greater detail. The competition in Korea is going to be fierce. If per chance you missed Mao's amazing performance, fret not...I have it here!