Weekly Op-Ed: Commenting on Commentators

Seems fitting to talk about commentators this week. Two of U.S. Figure Skating's best known stars nabbed gigs this past week: Michelle Kwan with NBC and Mirai Nagasu with T.V. Fuji Japan.

But what makes a good figure skating commentator? Is it simply knowledge about the sport of figure skating? Is it experience with the sport, i.e. having been a competitor? Is it a pre requisite that the commentator must have won something big like an Olympics or Worlds to be a good commentator? I don't really know the answer to these questions...

I can tell you who my favorites are. As much as I've criticized him for his negativity, yelled at the screen when he hated on my favorite skaters' layback spin, and corrected him numerous times for calling a triple jump a double, my favorite is Dick Button. He certainly fits the bill as far as those questions go. He is very knowledgeable about the sport. He has competed. He's a two time Olympic Gold Medalist.

I can also tell you a commentator I'm not a fan of...Peter Carruthers. He two fits the bill but I think he's overly verbose in his commentary and rambles on and on and on. Then again, so to does Button?

Scratch my not knowing the answer...I think I do know. Familiarity. Dick Button has been there, commentating for so long, we have just become familiar with him. He's like that reliable pair of shoes that never goes out of style. He's part of the experience when we watch skating on television. NBC must have picked up on that...they left him off the broadcast team for Nationals (see terrible ratings) and now he's been brought back on for the World Championships. Coincidence?

I think we are seeing a generational shift in figure skating commentary. One generations skating icon (Button) is being transitioned to another (Hamilton) and NBC is even preparing for the future with the latest icon (Kwan)!

What about our new platforms for skating coverage? This season, Universal Sports (NBC affiliate) broadcast figure skating sans commentators. Ice Network's content usually is without commentators as well (save the occasional Kerrigan, Kwiatkowski, or that boring woman who tells the elements and what level they are). I have to admit, I actually like watching without the commentary. But sometimes I get lonely and miss Dick, Peggy, and Terry (hands down...the best skating trio ever. I so miss skating on ABC/ESPN).

I suspect we'll all have our favorites and those we don't care for. I have mine, I'm sure you have yours. Share in the comments who you like, dislike, and why.

Pic of the Week: Destination L.A.

We are a month away from the World Championships in Los Angeles. The price tag of this trip is starting to make my wallet shudder (I pre-paid for parking at the Staples Center...$150.00!) but I'm excited just the same!

I figured I would spend the next Pic of the Week's prior to Worlds revisiting last season's champs and talking about them and how they fit (or don't fit) into the picture.

Let's start with Mao Asada, whom I'd call the co-favorite, to win the title along side Yu-Na Kim. If we rewind to the World Championships last season, Mao's program began with a bang...literally, as she went flying into the boards after popping her opening triple axel. If that wasn't dramatic enough, she picked herself up and continued right on to land all the remaining triple jumps in her program to take the World Title.

Problem for Mao is, even though she won the World Title, she didn't win the free skate in Goteborg. That honor went to the other co-favorite, Yu-Na Kim who settled for the bronze after a less than successful short program.

Mao and Yu-Na have been kind of trading back in forth this season. Yu-Na won both her Grand Prix events easily while Mao struggled to a silver in Paris before regaining her composure in Japan to win NHK. Mao got the bigger piece of the pie at the Grand Prix Final winning the Gold. However, despite the fact that Kim had errors in her free skate it was very close. Yu-Na responded with a victory over Mao at the recent Four Continents Cup, despite Mao's winning the free skate.

Who can say what will happen in L.A...neither of these ladies have put together clean short and free skates when competing against each other since moving to the senior ranks. If both these ladies are clean in L.A., fireworks may indeed break out!

And despite the dominance of these two ladies this season, their will be plenty of challengers to give Mao a run for her money...and her second consecutive world title.

In case you missed Mao's dramatic Free Skate, here's a look back.

BREAKING NEWS: Greensboro gets it

Sorry Kansas City...sources close to the U.S. Figure Skating's Board of Directors announced today that Greensboro, North Carolina will host the 2011 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. The decision was said to have been decided upon late Tuesday night.

This will be the first time that Greensboro has hosted the event and will be the first major Championships in the city for 35 years. The event will be in Greensboro Coliseum.

A news conference is scheduled today at 12:00 p.m. ET to officially announce the selection.

Strong U.S. Junior Team in Sofia

The United States is presenting a very strong team at the 2009 Junior World Championships.

The U.S. Men's team includes our recently crowned U.S. Junior Champ, Ross Miner. This only his second international event and is looking to gain some experience from this event. Curran Oi, who made a successful debut as a Senior at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships is also on the team. Curran, who finished 6th in Cleveland, has quite a bit of international competition experience under his belt and has a good shot at being in the medal hunt. The one to watch, however, is last season's Junior World Champ Adam Rippon. Adam returns to the competition with an entire season of Senior level competition to rely on and a more consistent triple axel. If he's on, he will quite likely win.

We have two young up and coming Pairs teams competing. Both Brynn Carman and Chris Knierim along with Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir competed on the Junior Grand Prix this season. Marissa and Simon made it to the Junior Grand Prix Final where they placed 6th. Brynn and Chris were the U.S. Junior Silver medalists and Marissa and Simon were the U.S. Junior Bronze medalists.

In Ice Dance we have three teams that have been dominant on the Junior scene this season. Brother and sister team Maia and Alex Shibutani are the current U.S. Junior Silver medalists. In their first season in the Junior Ranks they took a Gold and Silver in the Junior Grand Prix events and placed fourth at the Junior Grand Prix Final. U.S. Junior Champs Chock and Zuerlein are competing as well. This team has won every event they've entered this season and look to continue that winning streak in Sofia. This is their first Junior World appearance. In their way is last season's Junior National Champs, brother and sister Madison and Keiffer Hubbell. Madison and Keiffer were right behind Chock and Zuerlein at the Junior Grand Prix Final. Madison and Keiffer made a successful debut as Senior's in Cleveland, placing fourth.

The U.S. ladies look very strong as well. All three entries have been skating on the Senior circuit for two seasons and have solid international experience. Katrina Hacker, who is replacing Mirai Nagasu who withdrew due to a lingering ankle injury, comes to Sofia after a top six performance at U.S. Nationals. She competed at both the Cup of China and NHK Trophy this season and looks to have a solid skate before leaving competitive skating to focus on her studies at Princeton University. Ashley Wagner wowed us in Cleveland with an amazing comeback performance that pulled her up from 12th place all the way to 4th (she won the free skate). In her favor is the experience of having competed in a Senior World Championships (in Goteborg, Sweden) and her wonderful interpretation of the music 'Spartacus.' Ashley will look to better the bronze she won at this event in 2007. Our top entry is Caroline Zhang who was the U.S. Bronze medalist this season. Caroline also won the bronze medal at this seasons Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris and most recently finished 4th in a very strong ladies field at the Four Continents Cup in Vancouver. Caroline has worked hard this season at increasing her speed in her skating as well as rotating her jumps fully. She is no stranger to this event, having won in 2007 and winning the Silver in 2008.

While I've focused on the U.S. entries, there are a myriad of competitors from around the world that will certainly challenge for the top spots as well. Will be very interesting to watch. Competition kicks off tomorrow. You can see a full list of competitors here.

BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Kwan...NBC Commentator?

Yep!

NBC has confirmed that Michelle Kwan will join the broadcast team for their live telecast of the ladies free skate on March 28th at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles.

Michelle Kwan will be joining Bob Costas and Dick Button on giving overview, reflections, etc. on skaters performances. Other members of the NBC Team include Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic, Tracy Wilson, Andrea Joyce, and Tom Hammond.

The L.A. Times Olympic Blog (also Phil Hersh!) reports that if Michelle chooses not to return to competitive skating next season, she will most likely be apart of the 2010 Vancouver Telecast as well.

I'm kind of excited about this...I've been hoping she would do this for a long time now!

BREAKING NEWS: The answer is...

Well, Sasha has said that she wont make the decision until June on whether to return to competitive skating for another crack at Olympic Gold.

However...Phil Hersh (Chicago Tribune) talked with her this past week and she confirmed to him that, if her training continues to go well (and by her and her skating companions accounts, it has gone very well) she indeed would like to Skate at Nationals in 2010 and make the Olympic Team.

"As long as I can keep my body healthy and especially the way I've been skating lately, it feels like the right thing to do. Going to a third Olympics would be just incredible. I have the next 50 years of my life to have fun. Eventually I will have to move on, but I think I can do it again, and I need that purpose and challenge in my life right now," she said.

Also, a fact I didn't know...as a medalist at the 2006 Olympics in Torino...she gets a bye to Nationals if she chooses. That gives her more training time and less hassle.

For someone who isn't decided...in the past week she has told two reporters she leaning toward yes...sounds like someone is in the 'Olympic Mood!'

Figure Skating in Harlem

There are some really fantastic figure skating organizations in existence out there. One of those organizations is Figure Skating in Harlem.

According to their official website, "Figure Skating in Harlem is a pioneering not-for-profit organization that provides girls ages 6-18 with vital educational and skating opportunities that build self-worth and promote physical well being and academic achievement. Our on and off-ice classes teach perseverance, responsibility, teamwork and leadership in a safe and positive environment."

And now is a great time to feature this amazing organization as they gear up for their annual gala benefit. The 2009 Skating with the Stars, Under the Stars will take place on Monday, April 6 at Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park. This years benefit will honor, among others, Tai Babilonia. Some of the best figure skaters, past and present will be there including Sarah Hughes, Evan Lysacek, Dorothy Hamil, Viktor Petrenko, Kimmie Meissner, Timothy Goebel and others. Attendees can also bid on auction items.

Tickets start at $300 and are available by calling (212) 675-9474. If you'd like to make a donation to Figure Skating in Harlem, you can do so by clicking here.

Weekly Op-Ed: Should or Shouldn't They

It seems like we've been talking about this for years and it never seems to happen but we all keep on speculating...are any of these 'semi-retired' skaters going to make a grand comeback?

Three to focus on...Sasha Cohen, Evgeny Plushenko, and Michelle Kwan. Note: There are others.

Sasha Cohen seems the most likely to make some sort of comeback. In a recent interview with the Dallas Morning News she responded as if she wants to. I've seen her in exhibition and she looks quite fit and capable of getting competition ready.

The Russian Federation is basically begging 'Plushy' to return to competition. Valentin Piseev, Evgeny's Agent *cough* I mean President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation actually gave Plushenko the option of competing at Russian Nationals, he actually gave him the option of just showing up and competing if he wanted too...no prior entry documents needed! Ah but marriage, divorce, politics, Olympic Bids, Eurovision's, television shows, super stardom and not to mention injury may keep him away.

Oh Michelle Kwan and the elusive Gold Medal. She's been particularly mum on the issue. However, she has never stated that she will not return. So my thinking is, she has to kind of be thinking about it if she just won't say no. But she too has gotten herself wrapped up in politics as a Diplomatic Envoy, a post she has retained under the Obama Administration.

The overlying question is, however, should they?

I say why not! If they can somehow get back into competition ready shape and shock us all or if they try and fail...it will sure make for some interesting skating.

And interesting is something skating could use right now...especially here in the U.S. Can you imagine the press attention and ratings spike if Sasha and Michelle were in Spokane next season, each on an unfulfilled Olympic Quest. And what a situation if you have to consider Plushenko into the mix internationally.

I'm just giddy with excitement on the prospect alone!

Idol look alikes

I did this last year and I can't help myself but do it again. If you don't know this about me...I'm a rdiculous fan of American Idol...I mean really 'ridiculous.'

I saw this match...

You have Ricky Braddy



and you have Kevin Van der Perren



Maybe it's just me that see's this!

Yu-Na Kim as you've never seen her.

Jiyeon Lee at the Global Post wrote some thoughts on Yu-Na Kim and how she is capturing the hearts of Koreans (and I would say lots of us world wide).

An amazing statistic...almost 30% of South Korea tuned in to to watch Yu-Na win the 2009 Four Continents Cup...talk about fan support!

She also posted the YouTube clip below and I thought it was the most clever thing I've ever seen...so I had to share!

Pic of the Week

This is the part of the skating season I dislike the most. All the nationals are over with...Four Continents and Europeans are over...the only big competition left is World's and it always feels like it takes forever to get to. It's still over a month away, how will I survive? Time to watch everything I didn't watch (which isn't much!) on Ice Network.

But the Pic of the Week looks into the future...November 2009 actually. I present you the Herb Brooks Arena (or 1980 Rink) in Lake Placid, N.Y. Not sure who Herb Brooks is...1) Shame on You! 2) I suggest the Disney Movie "Miracle."

Last week or so (actually I believe it was more like a couple weeks ago...let's just say a 'while' ago) U.S. Figure Skating announced Lake Placid, NY will host 2009 Skate America. Actually, Lake Placid hosted the first Skate America in 1979 and hosted the event four times total. Lake Placid is also one of only six cities (the other five are Athens, St. Moritz, London, Paris, and Innsbruck) to host an Olympic Games twice.

I've been to Lake Placid only once (and was only there for a day!) but can tell you it's beautiful. However, for all hardcore Lake Placid info I defer to an expert, Lake Placid Skater. Herb Brooks Arena, will be the venue for the event which, for the first time, will be the second to last event in the Grand Prix series. The following week, Skate Canada will close out the regular Grand Prix events (not sure why the shuffle?).

Get ready Lake Placid....here comes some of the World's best!

Sasha Cohen...Vancouver 2010?

She continue to states that she will not make this decision until June, however Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News chatted with Sasha Cohen about her Olympic prospects.

"There's just nothing like it," she told Kate Hairopoulus. "That intensity and that magnitude, it's just incredible. I think I could go to a third one. I really want to push myself and have that purpose and that challenge."

"It's going to be tough, and she knows it," said long-time coach John Nicks. "She has a lot to do. But Sasha's a very determined girl."

Ummmm...sounds to me like she leaning toward doing it...but then June is still a bit down the road.

Sasha will be in Dallas on Valentine's Day for Stars on Ice.

BREAKING NEWS: Nagasu out of Junior Worlds

You may already have heard that Mirai Nagasu has withdrawn from the Junior World Championships set to take place later this month in Bulgaria.

It's probably a smart decision. She's been dealing with an ankle injury all season, but has been toughing it out, culminating with a gutsy performance at U.S. Nationals that placed her in 5th place.

She told U.S. Figure Skating, “After U.S. Championships, I met with my doctor and was advised to take some time off to heal. It was a very hard decision to make, but my doctor and I agreed that it was in my best interest.”

Given the magnitude of next season and a trip to Vancouver on the line, best to be fully healthy rather than dealing with a bum right ankle.

Mirai Nagasu's withdrawal sets the stage for Katrina Hacker, who will give her farewell performance in Sofia. Katrina has stated that she will not be skating competitively next season and will instead focus on her studies at prestigious Princeton University.

“I am very excited and honored to have the opportunity to compete at junior worlds,” Hacker told U.S. Figure Skating. “I wish Mirai a speedy recovery, and I hope to represent the United States as well as she would have.”

I certainly wish Mirai a speedy recovery as well.

Young Americans: Stage theirs for the taking

By John Henderson, The Denver Post

It's a year away from the Vancouver Olympics, and new American skating stars are emerging — most notably Jeremy Abbott and Brandon Mroz of Colorado Springs, who finished 1-2 in the men's competition at last month's nationals in Cleveland.

They aren't exactly household names, but they could be. And they may need to be to help figure skating, which seems to have slipped in popularity.

"It has," acknowledges 1996 world champion Todd Eldredge, the last American man to win a world title, and a performer with Stars on Ice. "It has across the globe."


What does U.S. figure skating need?

"It needs a Jeremy Abbott, a Brandon Mroz," Eldredge said. "It needs a new, young, fresh face that not only can go out and be endearing to the audience but consistent and be a champion and do well and stay in."

For tonight at least, figure skating will come to Denver, with 1998 Olympic gold medalist Ilia Kulik and defending world champions Jeffrey Buttle and Yuka Sato headlining the Smucker's Stars on Ice exhibition at 7 p.m. at the Pepsi Center.

Kulik is from Russia, and Buttle is from Canada. The U.S. hasn't had an Olympic or world champion since Kimmie Meissner won the world championship after the 2006 Olympics.

America's last two Olympic champions, Tara Lipinski in 1998 and Sarah Hughes in 2002, never skated in another Olympics.

Michelle Kwan, a five-time world champion, retired and Meissner has been hurt. Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, who combined to win the five previous national championships, are unlikely candidates, Eldredge said.

"They're so concerned with their own persona as opposed to the crowd, bringing in the crowd," Eldredge said. "When I watch them skate, they don't bring me into their performance. They need to do that."

Other skaters tonight include Sasha Cohen, America's 2006 Olympic silver medalist; Michael Weiss, three-time U.S. champion; John Zimmerman, three-time U.S. pairs champion; Jennifer Robinson, six-time Canadian champion; Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, China's three-time world pairs champions; and Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, five-time Canadian dance champions.


See Also...Ohhhhh Snap

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Music I love

So many pieces of music have been ridiculously over used in skating...West Side Story, Carmen, Tosca...there's quite a list.

There was one piece of music that a few skaters used in Vancouver at the Four Continents Cup that I will never, never get tired of. And it works so well with skating.

Here's a sample of Chris Botti's version of the main theme from Cinema Paradiso. Just gorgeous music!

Cinema Paradiso - Chris Botti

Or better yet...Itzhak Perlmans version...

Cinema Paradiso: Love Theme - John Williams;Itzhak Perlman

Pic of the Week

Is he back?

Well, if his performances at the Four Continents Cup is any indication, it's a resounding yes.

In a recent L.A. Times Blog Post, Evan Lysacek chalked up his poor performance at U.S. Nationals to over preparation. Evan told Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times "For it to not go as well as I wanted to, I was really crushed. I felt more prepared for it than I had been for a lot of competitions where I'd done much better and wasn't as prepared. I think it had something to do with that carrot being dangled in front of me for two months and not really seeing anything else. It wasn't the right approach."

His approach was just right at the recent Four Continents Cup where he turned in two solid programs (including a gorgeous quad toe in the free skate) and claimed the silver medal.

But for Evan this season, it may be too little too late. Despite a free skate that wasn't without error, Canadian Patrick Chan breezed past Evan to take the Four Continents title. Many at the event where asking themselves, can Patrick be stopped?

The good news for Evan is that he appears to be peaking at the right time. The World Championships are just around the corner, right in his back yard (Evan trains in L.A. with Frank Carroll). Also on his side is the fact Patrick doesn't have a reliable triple axel...Evan does.

Also, don't forget all of us were saying the same exact thing about Daisuke Takahashi after last season's Four Continents Cup...he went on to finish just 4th in Goteborg.

In the end...Evan's timing might be just right.

Weekly Op-Ed: The next big figure skating super-power is...Korea?

You're scratching your head right?

I wouldn't have even entertained the idea until this past week when I watched the 2009 Four Continents Cup, in person, in Vancouver.

We all know Yu-Na Kim is amazing, but a single competitor does not a figure skating super-power make. It takes lots of skaters from a country being consistent over time to be called a skating super-power. Some of the current super-powers include the U.S., Japan, Russia, and Canada. These countries always have top level competitors (not necessarily in all disciplines) on a consistent basis.

So back to my thought...why Korea? I'll tell you why. In addition to Yu-Na Kim there were three other Korean competitors. Hyeon-Jung Kim finished 14th amongst the women and Na-Young Kim finished 16th amongst the ladies. Min-Seok Kim finished 19th in the mens field.

Interesting side note, at the competition, one fan had a sign that said 'Kim' and a picture of the Korean Flag...that sign was versatile!

Apart from Yu-Na's win, rather unimpressive results. But what was impressive was the Korean teams' attention to performance. When many of the other lower ranked competitors finished their programs, they just kind of shrugged, smiled, bowed and left the ice. The Korean competitors, you could tell, were not at all pleased when they didn't skate well. They all watched each others performances to learn, critique, improve. Young Min-Seok Kim, heroically in my mind, attempted a Triple Axel (the only person in his skating group to do so) in his free skate to try whatever he could to place higher. These guys want so badly to be good!

The Korean team is growing. Every season, more and more competitors are coming from Korea. The number of skaters from Korea that compete internationally has almost doubled in just three years.

And they have a bright and shining star guiding them in Yu-Na Kim. She is inspiring a new generation of skaters much like Chen Lu did in China in the 1990s.

You might think me a bit off here, but I think in the next five years or so, the Republic of Korea will be a nation to contend with as far as figure skating goes.

Min-Seok's SP from the Four Continents Cup...perhaps a little peek at the future?

The Final Free

The men closed the competition today. While they were good, I wouldn't say it was as exciting as the Ladies.

Brandon Mroz wasn't able to back up his strong short with a solid free. After some jump mistakes he found himself in 8th place. The first two Canadian men to skate were fantastic. Jeremy Ten just took off (the speed he skates with!) in his program and went on a jumping spree! His teammate Vaughn Chipeur took Jeremey's energy and used it to turn in a near perfect skate of his own. His triple axel is one of the best ever. The crowd just wowed when he did it. These two finished 7th and 6th respectively. Jeremy Abbott was fifth. He doubled his opening quad and fell on a late triple lutz. He looked under the weather to me at this competition. Despite the mistakes, his program is still pulling good component scores and I think he still has to be considered a contender in L.A. Nobunari Oda was 4th. He fell on his opening quad and had some little jump issues here and there. He, like Ten, skates with tremendous speed and almost made it to the bronze medal. That medal went to his teammate Takahiko Kozuka. Takahiko also crashed and burned on his opening quad but managed a decent program after that point. Evan Lysacek, however, did not crash and burn on his opening quad...he nailed it. His only mistake came when he had to put a hand down on a triple axel, however, he hit his second in combination in the back half of the program. Like the short, it would seem the old Evan is back. He looked great in the free skate and seemed very confident. This is an Evan that can compete with the best and I hope he shows up in L.A. However, the day went to Patrick Chan. The only error he had came when he popped his second axel. That didn't stop him though...his footwork, spins, and transitions more than made up the difference and he easily won the free skate. He will be tough for anyone to beat if he skates this well in L.A.

One thing to note, the jump police were asleep on the job here. On the jumbo-tron when they showed the replays, some of those jumps the men were doing were clearly under rotated but they were given full credit. Wonder if they've backed off the nitpicking?

Tomorrow is the exhibition and then I fly back to the States so no posts tomorrow. I did make some great observations here that will be the topic of my next Op-Ed. Until then...

What a day!

Wow...what a day of skating!

The Ice Dance competition took me by surprise. Navarro and Bommentre stayed down in 6th and were unable to make up any ground. I suggest a summer figuring out how to increase the technical difficulty for them. Canadians Weaver and Poje were very good. Their Dr. Zhivago program was very well received by the crowd. They finished 5th while their teammates Crone and Poirier also skated a solid free dance to finish 4th. Samuelson and Bates were very good. I was happy to see the dance spin was fixed and they came in a very solid 3rd. The shock came when Virtue and Moir had a couple tiny glitches in their Free Dance (which, part of the music is the same as Delobel and Schoenfelder's free) and the Davis and White had a flawless Free Dance...and...Davis and White won! I thought I was going to die because as the result went up...everyone sighed and I went 'Yes!' Needless to say, Davis and White's breakthrough season continues. Furthermore, I think Davis and White might have the goods to get over Belbin and Agosto at Worlds...

The ladies final was quite exciting. Unfortunately Alissa Czisny slipped to 9th after a free skate that had several errors in it. I hope the pressure of being American Champion isn't getting to her. Rachael Flatt moved up to finish 7th after a technically solid free skate, however, she having trouble connecting with the audience and it's showing in her component scores. Suguri came in 6th after a program that fell off in the second half. Cynthia Phaneuf finished 5th, however she was quite pleased with her program and got a standing ovation. She certainly looks stronger than she has in years. Caroline Zhang turned in a fantastic free skate! She landed all her triple jumps and had a little more speed. You can tell she has worked on that. Despite finishing 4th, she seemed overjoyed with her performance and marks. Mao Asada took the bronze despite winning the free skate. She just had a little too much ground to make up after the short program. After popping her opening axel she did a second, triple axel perfectly. Mao also skated with tremendous speed. Joannie Rochette took the silver after another solid free skate. She's making quite the habit of that this season and I think will contend for the World Title in L.A. She, also received a standing ovation. Yu-Na Kim was able to win on the strength of her short program. She had a little technical issue with her triple loop but skated well. Everytime she landed a jump the crowd went crazy. She had so much support here in Vancouver it was just amazing. I haven't seen a crowd so in love with a certain skater since the 2003 World Championships and Michelle Kwan.

One more to go, the men skate tomorrow morning!

Another Day in Vancouver

The rain came today and foiled my plans of going to see some of the Olympic Venues...but it is the Pacific Northwest. So I've decided rain or shine I'm making the rounds tomorrow.

Great bit of skating today. The Ice Dance couples took to the ice for their original dance and there were some hum dingers! Not among the OD's that sizzled were Navarro and Bommentre. Their struggles continue as Kimberly had some problems in her footwork and the found themselves again trailing the top pack of dancers. Despite a solid program, Canada's Crone and Poirier slipped from 3rd to 4th after Samuelson and Bates of the U.S. showed some fancy footwork and moved ahead of them. Canada's Virtue and Moir continue to lead the competition, however Americans Davis and White are not letting them run away with it; they are staying close on their heels. Tessa and Scott are going to have to work for this title.

The Pairs Final took place. While the American teams skated better than they had in the short programs, they still found themselves in 5th, 6th, and 7th. Inoue and Baldwin were 7th. Again John was unable to complete a triple toe (please work on this) and later in the program Rena fell on throw triple loop. The bright spot for the U.S. team was Denney and Barrett who threw down another clean free skate! They are starting to make a habit of this. The were just behind Keauna and Rockne who skated similarly to their performance at Nationals in Cleveland. Duhamel and Buntin weren't able to back up their clean short with a clean free and finished 4th. I had pegged Zhang and Zhang of China to win this competition but they huffed and puffed their way to third. This team usually is sharp this time of the season but they didn't look sharp at all here. The top two teams, however, were on top of their game. Canadians Dube and Davison gave the Canadian crowd a treat with a solid free skate. Their 'Carmen' program brought the crowd too it's feet. China's Pang and Tong rebutted with an outstanding program of their own to take the title. Pang and Tong are on quite a roll this season and at this point have to be considered the favorites in L.A.

The day ended with the men. Nobunari Oda (who incidentally won my Quick Vote Poll) struggled and found himself in 6th. That will actually put him in the penultimate group of skaters in the free skate. Brandon Mroz continued to be Mr. Cool Calm and Collected; he put down a clean skate and is currently in 5th. Jeremy Abbott is in 4th, after a gorgeous opening to his program he fell on his triple lutz and then stumbled in his foot work. Even still, he had very strong component scores. Japan's Takahiko Kozuka is in 3rd after a solid short. Just a little over a point separates 3rd - 6th so it will be interesting. Evan Lysacek seems to have found his mojo. He was his old self again, ripping through his short program with more speed and vigor than I've seen from him in a while. He posted a solid number and is in second place. The night, however, belonged to Patrick Chan who posted an even bigger (88.90 wow!) number to take the lead. He delivered every element with speed and precision, it was really amazing to watch. The crowd went nuts for him and they (well, we...I was up too!) were out of their seats instantly.

What ever Patrick Chan and Yu-Na Kim were drinking before their shorts...it worked!

Ladies and Dance Free tomorrow!

Pic of the Week

So tonight after Yu-Na Kim's short program, she was simply mobbed by fans for pictures and autographs as can be seen in this picture (see both sides of the Kiss and Cry)...incredible! She's like a rockstar here!

Day 1 at Four Continents Cup

I love being here in Vancouver. It's among my favorite places and it always feels like a home away from home. The people here are 'my people!'

But, my flight was late getting into town. Then, I decided to get a rental so I could travel up to Whistler later this week and ended up getting stuck in traffic. Needless to say I missed the Compulsory Dance and the first half of the pairs short.

I can report that there are no real shocks yet in Ice Dance with Virtue and Moir leading the way ahead of Davis and White. Currently Crone and Poirier have a point lead over Samuleson and Bates. Original Dance is tomorrow (wait it's late...today!).

I did get to see the top pairs and both Pang and Tong as well as Dube and Davison were impressive. They're 1-2 right now after strong skates. Zhang and Zhang as well as Duhamel and Buntin are close behind with solid performances of their own. Personally, I though Duhamel and Buntin should have had the winning short...but who am I, right? Trouble for the Americans...Inoue and Baldwin find themselves in 5th a few points back from the teams ahead of them and McLaughlin and Brubaker are way down in 7th, just ahead of Denney and Barrett. Team USA will be playing catch up in the free skate.

The ladies short program lasted for what seems an eternity. So many ladies competing that really aren't as technically proficient as most of the elite skaters in the world. It wasn't until the final two groups that we saw consistent triple jumps. Bit of a shocking result in that event though. Czisny and Flatt are in 7th and 8th respectively. Czisny struggled with the jumps, and Flatt skated okay, just didn't any points. The next shock is Mao Asada in 6th after a glitched short program. It reminded me of Grand Prix Paris when she had similar problems. Caroline Zhang is actually ahead of Mao after a clean program (albeit a little slow). The top four skated very well. Fumie Suguri put down a solid program and is in the mix in 4th. Cynthia Phaneuf too had an amazing short and surprised herself by placing 3rd. Joannie Rochette kept her momentum from Canadian Nationals by putting down a clean program and putting herself in second. However, the night belonged to Yu-Na Kim. She was amazing and the crowd was out of their seats before she was even done skating. The Korean superfans are back and they lead the applause that filled Pacific Coliseum.

More skating tomorrow...stay tuned!

Because it's fun to remember...

A poster asked about Stephanie Rosenthal and I instantly smiled upon remebering her performances from the 2006 U.S. National Championships.

I don't know what she's up to these days (perhaps someone out there can fill us in!) but I thought it a great idea to take a video trip down memory lane!

Weekly Op-Ed: How to Jump-Start Figure Skating in the U.S.

What's it going to take? Do we need another knee whack a la Harding? How about an all out Royal Rumble, WWE style on the ice: Kim vs Asada...Round 1..Ding!

It's clear something has to be done. It's not like figure skating is an unpopular sport. On a global scale, it's huge! But what's the deal in the U.S.? What happened to the weekly...scratch that...daily skating show, competition, special, etc. of the mid to late 90s? Let's try to figure out what can be done here...

First, as much as I hate to put the pressure on the competitors, we need for U.S. skaters to start winning competitions...BIG competitions! I'm talking World's and Olympics! We couldn't get enough when we had an endless supply of Michelle's, Tara's, and Sarah's. U.S. Figure Skating and the USOC need to get together and create an athlete focused program that gets skaters to the top or, at the very least, competitive with the top. Need ideas...see Japan.

Second, we need a media platform that is willing to support figure skating despite slumping ratings. I guess that would be NBC. NBC, time to broadcast the Grand Prix, even if the ratings aren't as high as you'd like. NBC, time to broadcast the Grand Prix Final, European's, and Four Continents Cup when you'd rather be showing golf. Why, if you support it, interest will build (maybe slowly). If NBC had shown the Grand Prix, many people maybe wouldn't have been as shocked to Mroz win the silver at National's. If NBC had shown the Grand Prix, more people would have known that Abbott would be a factor. If NBC had shown the Grand Prix, people might have actually missed Kimmie Meissner or Emily Hughes (both of whom were not mentioned once in their coverage). NBC, look back at the ABC/ESPN coverage over the past decade or so and take notes.

A little drama never hurt. Not that I'm advocating terrible things happen mind you (but I guess I kind of am though...), but drama brings in viewers. There was the knee-whacking. The skating laces. Tara vs Michelle. The Uh-uh...oh no they didn't just give the Gold to the Russians! The 2006 Olympics was a snooze. The biggest story was that Michelle was withdrawing...it's been down hill from there. Also, for the sake of their sport, it would be amazing press as well as drama if Sasha and Michelle made a go at it in 2010...even if they have little shot at making it (but looking at things as they are...who knows?).

The scoring system creates a juggernaut. It makes figure skating more of a sport and more accountable and at the same time confuses the hell out of spectators. I attend skating competitions all the time and people don't have clue one about how or why skaters are placed where they are placed. It's not the overall concept that gets people. People get that if you have the most points you win aspect. What people don't get is how those points were awarded. Levels, Grades of Executions, Bonuses, Features, it's enough to blow your mind! The 6.0 system had flaws and so does the current system. They need to find a way to make the average Joe watching know how a skater did and about where a skater will be ranked while at the same time keeping the more sport-like aspect of the point system. It's a daunting task, but there are smart people out there that can figure it out. I say just let a group of informed skating junkies work it out!

Most importantly, we need to give it time. Skating's U.S. slump won't end overnight (save a Podium sweep in Vancouver in 2010!). Hopefully, the U.S. can generate some talent that can bring some glitz and glamour back to the home front. In fact, such talent exists now...it's just letting the U.S. population know it's there.

As promised...

Okay, I'm shortly off to Vancouver but before I go I did want to put down my Four Continent's Cup predictions. Amazingly, no withdrawls (yet) from this event...all the big boys and girls are in town!

Men
GOLD - Chan (CAN)
SILVER - Oda (JPN)
BRONZE - Lysacek (USA)

Dance
GOLD - Virtue and Moir (CAN)
SILVER - Davis and White (USA)
BRONZE - Samuelson and Bates (USA)

Pairs
GOLD - Zhang and Zhang (CHN)
SILVER - Pang and Tong (CHN)
BRONZE - McLaughlin and Brubaker (USA)

Ladies
GOLD - Yu-Na Kim (KOR)
SILVER - Mao Asada (JPN)
BRONZE - Joannie Rochette (CAN)

My rationale for the men is that Patrick Chan is gonna feed off the energy that Vancouver is gonna give him. I think Nobunari Oda will continue his solid comeback season, and I think Lysacek is going to be mad about his National's skate and do better. But I'm almost sure I've got something wrong here as I didn't even put Kozuka or Abbott on the podium. Really, it's a crap-shoot.

In Dance, I think Virtue and Moir will pull it off but I do think it will be closer than it was last year...Davis and White have a lot of mileage on that program. I was tempted, like others, to put Crone and Poirier ahead of Samuelson and Bates because they're at home but I think Samuelson and Bates are smidge better. Should be interesting.

Zhang and Zhang and Pang and Tong kind of bounce back and forth as far as international victories, I think the Zhang's are due for a win. Like Lysacek, I think McLaughlin and Brubaker are not going to be happy about their recent performance in Cleveland and want to show everyone (including an international judging panel!) they have what it takes!

For the ladies, I think Yu-Na is going to rock out in Vancouver...just a feeling. I also feel Mao Asada will skate well but I think this season the judges are giving a slight (very slight!) nod to Yu-Na. I hope Joannie can hit the podium and again send the Canadian crowd through the roof!