Around the World

I think I just coined a new spot on my blog. It seems like every time I check out all the other amazing skating blogs, there is a whirlwind of activity!

I love to travel, so every now and then I'll take everyone on a brief trip around the world!

Starting in Korea, Figure Skating is going Prime Time. Not competition, T.V. Drama! The new MBC series, 'Triple,' is about the dreams and loves of a figure skater and three passionate men from the advertising industry. This couldn't have anything to do with Yu-Na Kim's big win could it? Best thing, this show will also air on MBC America...so if you're lucky enough to get their broadcast (West Coast heavy) you'll have to fill me in on if it's any good. Webisodes please?

To France we go. First, most have heard that Isabelle Delobel is expecting...congrats. Can't imagine that it will be easy to train for the Olympics while having a baby...but that's the plan for she and Olivier Schoenfelder. Good luck with that. On the other side of French Ice Dancing, Carron and Jost have decided to call it quits. Apparently, they had 'differences' they couldn't work out. Too bad.

Here in the U.S., Adult Nationals have wrapped up in Grand Rapids Michigan. Lots of reports and coverage can be found here and here. U.S. Figure Skating has announced the Team Envelopes, no real shocks, but State of the Skate brings up a good question about Katrina Hacker. Evan Lysacek was busy last week getting a L.A. Lakers Game started. Speaking of splits, Vise and Trent have decided to end their partnership, however, a bit more amicably than did Carron and Jost. Vise and Trent made history in 2007 when they hit a throw quad salchow at Eric Bompard Trophy in Paris.

Finally in Russia, there is some disagreement as to if the 2014 Sochi Winter Games planning is on track. Some think they are, others think they are not. And speaking of babies, Tatiana Totmianina is expecting as well...and Yagudin is the baby's daddy (I didn't even know they were dating!)...twins!

Pic of the Week

There is something infectious about Lady GaGa. I must admit, "Poker Face" is one of my favorite songs on '20 on 20' (shout out to all Sirius XM Radio Peeps!).

And her music has created one of this past weeks' biggest YouTube Buzz. Some time ago, Lifeskate featured Johnny Weir's 'Poker Face' program debut at New York Fashion Week.

He kept the program, worked it out, went to Korea, and made a splash. Then the video from the event starts popping up everywhere. It was tweeted to me by Ice Network and Figure Skaters Online. Perez Hilton posts the video. Ice Addiction posted the video. BAM...a star is made (somehow I get the idea that this agrees with Johnny!)!

Weir's 'Poker Face' exhibition became one of the most viewed videos on the web...and me...I'm not gonna miss out on all the fun...so I'm posting it too!

Enjoy!

Sochi 2014 in a bit of trouble.

Ice Charades sent me a link to a very interesting article.

One of the Mayoral Candidates (unfortunately the losing candidate) for the Russian City of Sochi, Boris Nemtsov, wrote an article for the Washington Post detailing the progression of Games preparations in the city.

Trouble is, according to Nemtsov, things are not progressing well.

Check out the article for yourself, but some of the problems include urban displacement, funding, and the fact that Sochi is very near the unstable region in Georgia.

On the Georgia fact, many have been critical of the Russian Federation's successful bid for the Olympics, as can be seen with the picture accompanying this post.

With 5 years to go, Sochi is not on track to host a successful Winter Olympics (gasp!).

Will the IOC have to figure out 'Plan B for 2014?' Stay tuned.

Friday Fun

It's Friday...it's beautiful weather...I don't have to work tomorrow...life is good!

Anywho..the Twitter craze continues. This past week Twitter has just exploded because of the competition between Ashton Kutcher (@ aplusk) and CNN's Larry King (@ cnnbrk ) (Kutcher won!). Didn't hurt that Oprah (@ Oprah) got on board either!

So, people have been popping up on Twitter left and right...skaters too! Below are some skaters that have decided to Tweet that I'm enjoying keeping tabs on!

Kimmie Meissner (@ kimmiemeissner)
Tanith Belbin (@ TanithJLB)
Ben Agosto (@ Ben_Agosto)
Greg Zuerlein (@ Grzsk8r14)
Adam Rippon (@ Adaripp)
Michelle Kwan (@ MichelleWKwan)

Also...don't forget to follow me @ skating102!

Weekly Op-Ed: Where did all the pros go?

Where have all the professional skaters gone?

Let's rewind a decade or so. There were more pros it seemed (obviously not the case but it seemed that way) than eligible skaters.

Even the Lillehammer Olympics had a bevy of skaters that returned from the pro ranks back to the eligible ranks thanks to a cool rule the ISU passed special for those games. These days it seems like we need some of the eligibles skaters to turn pro!

The pro competitions! Weren't they on everyday? The Ultimate Four, World Professional Championships, Starlight Challenge, etc., etc., etc. Every station had some sort of pro competition they concocted. Even ESPN had a competition (I remember one year Tonya Harding actually competed and it was a big deal because it was her first competition since being banned from eligible skating...what was the name of that competition?).

But between then and now something happened. Sure, overall interest in skating here in North America has diminished, but that doesn't account for the shrinking ranks of pros.

Sure we have our Stars on Ice Cast, but even that production is being propped up by guest appearances by eligible skaters. The headliner, Sasha Cohen, IS an eligible skater.

We also have to recognize the fact that Hamilton, Browning, Wylie, Witt, Sumners, etc., etc., etc., are retiring (or at least slowing down) and doing other things with their lives.

But the weird bit is there aren't many replacements for those iconic pros. Why?

An unusual thing started happening post 1998. Up to that point in time (often anyway)you competed, won your National-World-Olympic medals, and became a pro. Every Olympic cycle we expected the vast majority of the skaters to become our new pros. The 1998 Olympics was the last time we really saw that...it was also the first Olympic cycle where we 'didn't' see it.

For all the skaters that turned pro after the 1998 Olympics, there were as many that didn't. Sure, there were those that threw up their hands and said..."I'm done!" Kulik, Bonaly, Cousins, Candeloro, Lipinki, Lu all among them.

There was the Todd Eldredge pseudo retirement...which basically was a year or so off to try to get the quad under his belt. He did a couple of eligible events for a couple of years and returned to major competition in 2000. His Canadian counterpart, Elvis Stojko, kind of spit and sputtered through competition between 1998 and 2002 never really recapturing his former glory.

In 2002, hardly anyone turned pro. Todd Eldridge did but he didn't want to. He got into a scuff with U.S. Figure Skating about eligibility requirements. Elvis Stojko did, then he didn't, then he did...clearly a decision he struggled with. A few pairs and ice dance teams did, but this was the real beginning of the demise of pro skating.

After 2006 there was again few skaters that turned pro. And most of the cast of characters in that event will be in Vancouver, trying to get to Vancouver, or only retired because of injury.

To be fair, there have been some nice recent additions to the pro ranks. Our friends up north have given us brilliant new pros in Jennifer Robinson and Jeffrey Buttle. We also have the reigning Olympic Ladies Champ Shizuka Arakawa from Japan.

But more and more skaters are pulling a 'Kwan.' That is, they never retire! With the pro-am competitions all but gone, you have eligible skaters either doing eligible competitions, an occasional show, or nothing. The big question is why are more skaters choosing the non-retirement option? Do they still have the desire to compete...just not now? They don't like pro skating? Is it profitable to remain eligible even if you aren't competing?

Is the lack of top level pros adding to the current slump in skating?

I guess this isn't so much a post of opinions but rather questions!

Pic of the Week

Okay, I'm angry (the tiger represents my angry face)! I'm fed up! Time to start a revolution!

From the first major competition of the season (Skate America) I have not been happy with the judging. Yes, I get that skaters are downgraded for cheated jumps and if you flail your arms out of control you can get a level 4 instead of a level 3 on footwork. I get that if you hit every ugly position known to man during a spin it's worth more...this I understand.

What I don't understand is when a skater is so close to hitting a triple axel but just barely (and I mean barely!) are under-rotated, they get the same credit as a crappy double. Mao, I do feel sorry for you because this happens to you more than anyone and it's crap!

What I don't understand is how skater gets a level 4 in one competition on a footwork sequence and gets a level 3 in the next competition on the same exact foot work sequence. Lysacek, Chan, McBru, Davis & White, Ponsero, Flatt...you've all been victims. How can we get behind and support a judging system that lacks basic consistency?

What I don't understand is why, given the horrid fact that the judges are anonymous why oh why would you reduce the number of judges at major international events. It makes absolutely no sense! The Olympics? I mean really?

What I don't understand is how it is that the ISU can make major sweeping changes without a full ISU Council Vote? It's like the President of the U.S. making major changes but bypassing Congress...it wouldn't be tolerated or allowed in any other governing body, why is it allowed there?

And finally, what I really don't understand is why ISU Member Federations let this happen! It has to stop!

So below you'll find a list of all the most influential figure skating federations in the world, their president, and an e-mail address. I'm sending a message to all of them and I hope you get vocal about this and also send a message. They must understand that either their approval of these horrid changes or the inaction and unwillingness to stand up and stop it (or at the least attempt to fight it!) is destroying the enjoyability and credibility of the sport we love!

• Australia, Catherine Taylor, administration@isa.org.au
  
• Canada, Benoît Lavoie, skatecanada@skatecanada.ca
  
• China, Tian Xiao, chnfs@chnfs.org
  
• Czech Republic, Vera Tauchmanova, cfsa@czechskating.org
  
• Finland, Susanna Rahkamo, office@stll.fi
  
• France, Didier Gailhaguet, patinage@ffsg.org
  
• Germany, Dieter Hillebrand, info@eislauf-union.de
  
• Great Britain, Haig Oundjian, info@iceskating.org.uk
  
• Italy, Giancarlo Bolognini, figura@fisg.it
  
• Japan, Yasuakira Hayashi, info@skatingjapan.or.jp
  
• Republic of Korea, Sung-In Park, info@skating.or.kr
  
• Russia, Valentin Piseev, oxrlat@dol.ru
  
• Switzerland, Roland Wehinger, info@swissiceskating.ch
  
• United States, Ron Hershberger, info@usfigureskating.org

Care to contact another federation not listed...the entire list can be found here!

Take action...make your voice heard...start a revolution!

The Mega Post

See what happens...you go to a wedding in gorgeous San Diego and you return to your computer (and the real world, I tuned out completely this weekend; it was refreshing) and the skating world has blown up.

Figuratively speaking of course (yes...pun intended...laugh!)...

So around the world we go, beginning in Japan where the U.S. has won the ISU Team Trophy in Tokyo. Outstanding performances from Belbin and Agosto as well as Evan Lysacek helped seal the deal. Although the U.S. wasn't quite the powerhouse in women's skating this year, we fared quite well in Dance and Mens this season so cheers to the U.S. Also well wishes to Jessica Dube who had a nasty fall during the exhibition at the event.

What is going on in France with the French Federation and Joubert. I've stayed out of the recent Joubert drama because, well, I always think Joubert's drama is uninteresting. Apparently, however, the French Federation is insisting Joubert follow their recipe for his success. Why is the French Federation being so picky about Joubert and Vancouver and mum on Delobel and Schoenfelder? Why is it 'so' important that Joubert win? I smell a rat, and not a cute Disney one...

Who knew Rockne Brubaker was skating with Abdominal Hernia's? I sure didn't. Well he's had surgery and I wish him a speedy recovery! He expects to return to the ice early next month.

Also in the U.S., the Sundance Channel released some details about an upcoming show chronicling the life of Johnny Weir and his pursuits. "Johnny Be Good" it's to be titled and I have a feeling this is going to be a hum-dinger of a show. More details to come!

In Canada, U.S. Figure Skater Molly Oberstar traded in normal spring break locals for Halifax, Nova Scotia where she is currently filming for her starring role in the Ice Castles remake...go Molly!

Finally, Beverly Smith at The Globe and Mail, also in Canada reported on some covert changes the ISU has made. We've all noticed the reduced number of judges at the major championships this year (much to my dismay!) and true to form, the ISU has sneakily reduced the number of judges to be present...AT THE OLYMPICS!!!! Oy vey! Please please please, I'm begging U.S. Figure Skating and its global friends to fight this to the bitter end at the June Congress. FAIR JUDGING, FAIR RESULTS!

Pic of the Week

I'm going on a brief hiatus as I have a wedding to attend. I'll be in San Diego (how did I get so unfortunate as to be in SoCal twice within the span of a month?!?) and I'm not taking my laptop...so no posts until next week.

But before I go...a pic of the week to tie you over. 'The Matrix' was one of the most widely used pieces of music this season. Brian Joubert even resurrected his 'Matrix' program, with some modifications of course, for Worlds. His might of been "Matrix Revolutions" or something...but anyway...

So it was no surprise when Domnina and Shabalin entertained the crowd with an acrobatic performance to...'The Matrix!

Apart from the program, the outfits were really quite interesting and the whole time through the program I just kept thinking..."With the lights down and just show lights...can they really see with sun glasses on?"

But, till next week, enjoy Oksana and Maxim looking quite posh! Enjoy their performance too!

Weekly Op-Ed: To Sequin...or not to Sequin

I was reading one of my favorite blogs and was catching up on a little Stars on Ice review when I noticed a quirky little icon next to the post.

In fact, this blog has lots of fun, little quirky skating icons (and blog posts to boot!) that are quite fun but one in particular caught my eye. It was a pic of Evan Lysacek and the caption was: "Sequin-Free, Keep Fighting the Good Fight." What a great icon, but it made me think...

That's a profound statement and it breaks down one of the biggest disconnects between fans and men's skating. There seems to be this issue about what guys should be wearing on the ice.

For the record, the aforementioned blog owner has every right to post any icon they'd like, and I applaud them for making their opinion on the topic known. Here here for Free Speech!

Back to my rambling, NBC has brought us figure skating coverage of the last two Winter Olympic Games and I can't tell you how many times I heard Sandra Bezic praising skaters who come out in a simple outfit and skate, allowing their program to do the talking, not their costumes.

On the flip side, you have skaters such as Johnny Weir, who are very vocal (but when isn't Johnny vocal ;-)) about how skaters need to get the sequins, feathers, gloves, and velvet together to get respect from the international judges.

Really, I could care less what skaters are wearing on the ice, just skate great! I can remember performances in very simple outfits that I loved, and performances in really hammed-up outfits that I loved equally. JUST SKATE GREAT!

I think really this boils down to a much larger issue, that has less to do with sequins or not but more to do with an overall image of strength vs weakness, masculinity vs femininity, man vs wuss!

This issue is beginning to rear it's head (haven't decided if it's ugly yet or not) in Canada, where Skate Canada officials are attempting to get more men to tune in to figure skating. How to do that? Ditch the sequins and become men on the ice. Use words like 'power' and 'strength' when athletes are describing their performances. Why can't all the skaters look and skate like Elvis Stojko?

Me, I think if Skate Canada, like much of the world, wants more people to tune in to skating...fix the judging system. But that's just me...

My own thoughts, again, I don't care what you wear...just impress me.

New Blog Tool...Linebuzz

I'm trying a new feature...let me know what you think?

It's called Linebuzz and it allows you to leave a comment on just a portion of a blog post. Just highlight the line you want to comment on with your cursor and a leave comment link will appear. Just click the link and leave a comment, it's that easy. You can also respond to or leave comments on inline comments others have made. You can have a conversation over a little part of a post...or the whole thing!

It not only allows people to leave comments about a complete post using the comment button at the end of the post, but also on little snippets throughout the blog.

Try it and leave some feedback.

What are you searching for?

I have a blog tracking system that does a nice job of keep track of the traffic flowing into my blog.

It doesn't tell me precisely who you are...but it does tell me what country you are coming in from, where on my website you are clicking, etc. You may have noticed I have added some Canadian, Korean, and Japanese content to my side bar (television sites, broadcasters, etc.) because I can see a lot of people surfing in from those places. Axels, Loops, and Spins has gone global and I love it!

Another interesting feature that my blog tracker gives me is the referrer function. It tells me if another website has referred you to my site. If it's a Search Engine such as Google or AOL, it tells me what you were searching for that brought me to my site. This week there have been some interesting searches...

From multiple searches (and countries?) people are wanting to know if Ryan Bradley is gay? I don't think he is, but should I learn any info to the contrary, I'll let you know.

Large number of searches coming in looking for Yu-Na Kim in Concert. I just recently learned that Yu-Na is quite the singer and apparently people are looking for a performance of her singing live. I don't know exactly what performance people are searching for, but I was able to find the video below from this past Christmas, enjoy.

And the two biggest search items have been and continue to be Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen and if they will be competing next season. When I know...you'll know.



UPDATE: Yuna Kim Fan posted two more videos of Yu-Na showing off her singing talent.

Weekly Op-Ed: Of Quads and Men

How important is this damn jump? The quad is of course what I'm talking about.

You'd think it was the most important thing in Men's figure skating considering the dust up it has caused between Joubert and his closest rivals for two consecutive World Figure Skating Championships. If you remember, Joubert had a bit of a temper-tantrum post event last season in Goteborg after being smacked by Canada's Jeffrey Buttle in the free skate, sans quad. Fast forward to L.A. last month and apparently Joubert wasn't over his defeat from last season when he brought the topic up again. This time, American Evan Lysacek and Canadian Patrick Chan worked him over, again with no quad.

For the record, at both events, Joubert hit gorgeous quads in his free skate.

Back to the question, is the quad ultimately so important. There has been so much chatter about in the blogosphere and other media outlets, but this season it has been kind of like, "Great if you got it, but really not necessary." The judges are as apt to greatly reward a fantastic footwork sequence as they are a nice quad.

Where I have seen the quad given its due is when it is combined with remarkable artistry...that's rare however. Think about the last time you saw a program with a quad that made you sit up and go "Whoa...that was amazing!" In recent memory I can only come up with two...Daisuke Takahashi's 2008 Four Continents Cup performance and Brian Joubert's 2006 Cup of Russia performance (the program was really helped by the fact that he hit 3 quads...only two other men have done that; Timothy Goebel and Takeshi Honda).

In the end, I guess the quad can be a great separator of equally matched talent. It can lend a great performance an extra nudge and make it the best performance of the night. However, if you are using the quad to overcome other shortcomings in your skating, it really doesn't get the job done and becomes almost obsolete...as a competitor like Joubert can no doubt tell you.

Vancouver Woes...

Arlene Miles gives a grim outlook on the U.S. prospects in Vancouver...

Don't Expect U.S. Figure Skaters to Perform Well at 2010 Olympics
Emergence of Asian competitors, lack of top US coaches affecting American chances and consistency
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1635200/dont_expect_us_figure_skaters_to_perform.html

On the topic of comebacks...

While we're discussing possible comebacks, a fellow blogger (E.M. Swift at Swift Takes...wonder if that's the same E.M. Swift that co-authored My Sergei?)posted an interesting story about Michelle Kwan and the rumored comeback.

I'm staying out of this fight! But if you care to put in your two cents worth...you can check it out here. Heated discussion indeed.

Memorable quote from the article..."Compared to the lithe, butterfly-like Kim, Kwan would look like George Foreman did at the end of his career. Kwan may be old in figure skating years, but she's not a punch-drunk numbskull. The only place you'll see her in Vancouver is in the television booth."

Pic of the Week

This season is about to wrap up and I'm already thinking about next season.

While on the topic of next season, we've all been bombarded with the news that Evgeny Plushenko is making his much heralded return to competition.

I'll file that under believe it when I see it.

If I recall, for the past two seasons we've been told to expect a return but to no avail. I suspect this time there is a slightly higher chance we'll see the comeback given it's an Olympic Season. Competitors love to make comebacks for Olympics (see Drobiazko & Vanagas, 2006; Fusar-Poli & Margalio, 2006; Sylvia Fontana, 2006; etc. etc. etc.).

The Russian Federation keeps bemoaning the fact that they don't have men at the top of podiums. Russian Men had quite the 'spurt' of energy beginning with Urmanov in 1994 and ending with Plushenko in 2006. In between those two we had Kulik and Yagudin to awe at.

But in figure skating the pendulum swings and I can't blame the Russian Federation for whining about not having top talent among their men, we are doing the same thing here in the U.S. about our ladies talent. How many of us are kind of hoping Michelle and/or Sasha makes some sort of return?

So, can Plushy save the day for Russia (although, I personally don't think Lutai or Voronov did half bad...)? Or is it just another possibility that will never materialize?

How's your Russian? Here's some footage of Plushenko taken Feburary 6th in St. Petersburg as he trains for his presumtive return. Anyone out there care to translate for us...Figure Skating Translations?



UPDATE: Thanks to an anonymous poster we have some new video to share including a fun little diddy with Gregory and Petukhov:

When Blogger's Collide

Are we Blogger's multiplying in such numbers that we can bump into each other at random?

Well, I don't think that's the case but it's nice to see that it does happen. I was reading LP Skater's new blog, The Adventures of LP Skater: A Travel Blog, and saw she bumped into Susan over at Lifeskate (Recent winner of a Loop Axel Award!).

Of course it was great fun meeting and chatting (and tweeting and texting) with Jumping Clapping Man at World's in Los Angeles.

All of this got me thinking on a completely random tangent. I could just imagine all of us bloggers running a competition! Just imagine the role YOU would play! Me, I cast myself as the Technical Specialist!

Homework!

With the skating season nearly compete and the Olympics next year, I have some homework suggestions for the U.S. top skaters this summer so that they may be ready for next season and the challenges it will bring.

Brandon Mroz - Presentation, presentation, presentation. You have such an amazing skating foundation, now build upon it. Look up at the audience more when performing, think about the music...don't skate to it...skate with it, show some emotion and bring the audience with you along your journey. Couple that with the solid technical aspects of your skating and you'll go far!

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin - Please hammer down solid side-by-side triple toe-loops! That is the single biggest thing holding you back and keeping you from truly competing with the best in the world. In addition to the triple jumps, try to shore up the triple twist. On the throw triple axel, either train it and put it in every free skate or ditch it all together...the whole maybe we'll try it maybe we won't tactic rarely works. Finally, no more Pasha Grischuk choreographing the programs please.

Samuelson and Bates - What strides you have made this season! The biggest thing to work on is to let the emotion and passion of your dancing shine through. When you skate your positions are precise and solid, now let's make them emotion filled.

Ashley Wagner - Despite the critics I thought your free skate this season was masterful! Keep that intensity in your skating, it's fierce and it's amazing. Work on being consistent on the jumps, making sure to fully rotate them. Also, work on getting those triple triple combinations back up to snuff...they will serve you well in the future.

Caroline Zhang - Speed, speed, speed! It is your biggest shortcoming. Keep working on getting speed in your programs. Also, tweek the entrance to your lutz and flip to make sure you aren't receiving edge deductions. Keep the effervescence and lightness to your skating you currently have.

Jeremy Abbott - Believe! You are one of the most talented skaters on the scene today...believe it! Take the ice like you own it and never look back. Keep working out the entrances into your jumps...it gets you a lot of points and it's amazing. Also think about attempting the quad more frequently...a quad coupled with your artistic ability would be formidable.

Mirai Nagsu - Get used to that new body of yours and stay healthy. Think about choosing a piece of music that gives you some grace and allows you to use the longer lines your new body has blessed you with. Think outside the box when it comes to choreographing your new routines.

Denney and Barrett - Transitions, choreography, finesse. Work out all the things you find in the second mark in skating because the technical is solid!

Davis and White - Keep doing exactly what you are doing...it's working!

Johnny Weir - Be healthy. Also, take risks. Don't be afraid to do something that is a complete departure from what people expect from you (aside from press remarks). Change it up and shock us as only Johnny Weir could. Also, like Abbott, the quad could be magic for you. Train it, get it, stick it!

Rachael Flatt - Find a way to connect with your audience. I suggest picking a piece of music that isn't so 'mature.' Have fun, let it loose, let it go. When you can get the audience in tune to your performance, you'll be in good shape. The triple triples have kind of slipped away this season...get those back.

Alissa Czisny - You have the makings of a beautiful skater, continue to play to your strengths...choreography, spins, positions. That said, you'll have to step it up technically. Consistency on jumps is essential as well as completing those rotations. A tall order indeed but adding a triple triple would be helpful.

McLaughlin and Brubaker - I'm actually going to suggest reducing difficulty by getting rid of the side-by-side triple salchows. Focus on the triple toe-loops and double axels and making them consistent. Keep that infectious connection with the audience and you will go far!

Belbin and Agosto - It was a rocky road for you this season but you pulled it off in the end. Stay healthy is the first goal. Second, don't feel like you have to become a Russian team with the over the top dramatics to compete with the best. Try to find that 'American' flair that will set you apart. Finally, skate with abandon and full out presence. It was the difference between Silver and Gold at Worlds, make it happen next season.

Evan Lysacek - What a road this season was. Continue to make sure those jumps are fully rotated...it was great the second half of the season. Let the footwork go. You've said Michelle Kwan is one of your inspirations...watch her foot work in competition and try to get that kind of feeling. It may be taking a couple of steps out but if you can get that in sync with the music it will be for the better. And finally, a selfish request, ditch the tan!

The fact that I have that much opinion about our skaters scares me a little...

2nd Annual Loop Axel Awards

Part Two...time for some of the more interesting awards. Lots of these are new awards that weren't amongst the ranks of awards last season. It's just so much fun to hand out awards (which is interesting since I'm 'really' not handing any awards out!). Categories include:

*Best Jump (NEW)
*Best New Face
*Hottest Skater
*Best Fall
*Best Coach
*Most Improved Skater (NEW)
*Best Outfit (NEW)
*The OMG Moment of the Season (NEW)
*Best Comeback (NEW)
*Blog of the Year (NEW)

*Best Jump award goes to Canadian Vaughn Chipeur for his Triple Axel in the short program at Cup of China that just took us all by surprise. If you've never seen his Axel...it's huge! Other great jumps that were taken into consideration include Evan Lysacek's Quad at the Four Continents Cup, Mao Asada's Triple Axel at the Grand Prix Final, and every jump Miki Ando attempted in the Free Skate at Worlds. ;-)

*Best New Face goes to Denney and Barrett. They really have been remarkable this season. Being a team for such a short period of time and in their two first international competitions, to put down clean free skates...impressive. It was the year of Ten as well, as I considered both Jeremy (the Canadian version) and Denis (the version from Kazakhstan) as well as Russian newbie Alena Leonova.

*Hottest Skater is always tricky for me. Like last year, I had to confer with others. I actually put together a panel of six individuals (close friends) and put 4 skaters in front of them. It was a tie so I broke the tie with my vote and named Aliona Savchenko the winner. She is a stunner, so much so, that at the Public Pairs Medal Ceremony in L.A. Peter Carruthers looked at her, stepped back, looked at her again and proclaims, "She's looking good, huh? Very L.A." Before my tie breaker, Keauna McLaughlin was right up there with her, but as she is only 16 it felt a little wierd. Also in the mix was Alexander Smirnov (last year's winner!) and Rockne Brubaker (although he had tamed the curls at Worlds...and that made me sad).

*Best Fall award absolutely goes to Candice Didier for that frightening fall she had on an easy triple toe in the free skate at Worlds. I thought no way can she comeback from that, not only did she, but earned a standing ovation for the heroics she displayed. Two other Worlds falls made the nominee list, Yuko Kavaguti's spill on her throw quad salchow and Jenna McCorkell's fall in the free skate. Also on the list, Emily Hughes for her crash and burn Triple Flip at Eric Bompard Trophy.

*Best Coach I decided to give to Nikolai Morozov. At almost any competition, he is the coach for like a third of the competitors...no joke. I always wonder how he has the time to teach so many but he must be doing something right as he has so many high level athletes. Almost gave it to the dup of Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karpanossov for getting both Domnina and Shabalin and Belbin and Agosto in such amazing shape for worlds with little prep time. Brian Orser made the list for his amazing work with Yu-Na Kim and recently Adam Rippon, and Tatiana Tarasova for her work with both Lysacek (she worked with him to perfect and work out his program a bit) and Asada.

*The Most Improved Award goes to Samuel Contesti who really put himself on the map this season with an unexpected Silver at Europeans and a really solid 5th place finish at Worlds. Previously (and as Frenchman) , not even close to being in the mix at major international competitions, suddenly he's a big time competitor! I considered Caroline Zhang for the remarkable progress she has made this season, Adam Rippon for the same, and Kavaguti and Smirnov for really beginning to gel as a team.

*The Best Outfit Award is highly subjective and I'm sure plenty will completely disagree with me but I went with Kerr and Kerr's Free Dance Outfit. There is a story behind the program, brother and sister that survive a natural disaster, and I think the costumes tell that story beautifully without being over the top. I was a big fan of Samuelson and Bates Original Dance Outfit, especially Evan in his Popeye bits. Although some thought it a bit 'nude' I liked Ashley Wagner's 'Spartacus' digs. I'm also a sucker for gloves, and loved Nobunari Oda's 'Warsaw Concerto' get-up.

*The OMG (Oh My God!) Moment of the Season for me was definitely when I was looking at the scoreboard inside Quicken Loans arena and said "Did Alissa Czisny just win National's?" I had several OMG moments this season, thus the award, including "Did Craig Buntin just slice his hand in half on Megan Duhamel's blade?" Also, "Did Patrick Chan just bitch-slap Brian Joubert in the L.A. Times over a Quad jump?" Don't forget, "Jeffrey Buttle just retired! Did he get the memo that the Olympics were in Canada next year?"

*Best Comeback award goes to Miki Ando for after a rocky season, getting it together to have a...well at the least...technically proficient skate at Worlds to claim the Bronze medal. Belbin and Agosto nearly got it for getting it together to fast and narrowly missing the World Title. Tomas Verner for finishing 4th this season at Worlds after the disaster and meltdown that was Goteborg, Sweden. And Alissa Czisny for almost keeping it together the entire season.

*The last award is a fun one. Our online skating community is growing and I'd like to take a little time to give some credit where I think some credit is due. I give the best figure skating blog award to myself...just kidding! Actually, after some long thought I really decided to give it to Lifeskate! Susan over there is a genius and I look at Lifeskate as more than a blog, but rather a resource for all things skating. She not only keeps tabs on competitive figure skating, but also professional skating, adult skating, synchronized skating, leisure skating, Ice Theatre, special events, basically everything. Her Journalism skills are crazy...she got interviews with Lu Chen and Denis Petrov...in Shenzhen, China! Exclusives with Nikolai Morozov, Johnny Weir, etc. etc. etc...Lifeskate...we are not worthy! If you have not bookmarked this site...who am I kidding...of course you already have it bookmarked!

That does it for the 2009 edition of the Loop Axel Awards.

If you missed part one...they're right here.

You can revisit the class of 2008 here.

Weekly Op-Ed: To qualify or not to qualify?

Interesting news from Fanhouse...apparently ISU Chief Ottavio Cinquanta wants to bring back the qualifying round for the World Championships. Apparently Speedy didn't like sitting through 8 hours of ladies short programs. He made his intent to revert back to the qualifying system at the June Congress in Barcelona known during his State of the Sport address in L.A. last week.

In the old system, in singles, you had to qualify to World's based on your country's performance in international competition. All the competitors would perform their free skates. The top 30 would advance to the short program. The final top 24 would perform their free skate.

In the current system, every member nation gets to send at least one skater to World's. All skaters perform their short programs with the top 24 making it to the free skate.

I must tell you I think the current system is much improved than the qualifying system. First I love that competitors from Brazil, and India, and Chinese Taipei, and Australia, and South Africa, and Mexico, and Croatia, and I could go on and on and on, get to compete. It's nice to see different styles from all around the world. It's also nice that those competitors that wouldn't otherwise get a platform to display their talents get to do so! Kevin Alves of Brazil didn't make it to the free skate, but he entertained the audience with his infectious footwork. Gracielle Jeanne Tan of the Phillipines didn't make the free skate, but she delivered a performance that was beautiful and garnered the first rousing ovation of the ladies short program. And what about a skater like Anna Jurkiewicz of Poland, who probably wouldn't have qualified for World's under the qualifying system...she not only made the free skate, but skated well and finished 19th with a solid skate! Think about these people...

Second, how does adding a whole section of competition make things shorter? Instead of having 6 1/2 hours of ladies short programs (not the 8 Speedy eluded to) you get 6 hours of ladies free skates + 3 1/2 hours of ladies shorts...who does that make for time saved?

By the time these competitors get to worlds, they've been through the ringer. Jr. Grand Prix Events, Senior Grand Prix Events, Grand Prix Finals, National Championships, Europeans, Four Continents, Jr. World's...and we want them to skate an extra skate at Worlds? Are we really concerned about athletes, injury, exhaustion or is Speedy just wanting the competition to move a little quicker for his convenience (Ottavio Cincquanta nickname is Speedy)?

Speedy talked of many of the ladies in the short program not really having the skills to compete with the world's best. So I'd go a step further...each nation that sends a skater to Worlds earns at least one Grand Prix Placement. Of course the higher placing nations will still get to send more skaters but how nice it would be if the beautiful young lady who represented India, Yoniko Eva Washington, was able to compete at Skate America, or NHK Trophy. That might spur those skaters to be more aggressive in their training as more opportunities were available to them.

In the end, I'm going to ask the ISU to veto Speedy's call to reinstate the qualifying round. In fact, I'm willing to get on my knees and beg!

2nd Annual Loop Axel Awards

So we have come to the end of the season. Yes, there is another team competition in Japan later this month (remember the good ole' days when those where in the U.S.) but all the major competitions have come to an end. An exciting, if unusual, season it has been.

So this season I have added some awards. I have so many to give out that I'm going to do this in two parts. Today I'll honor some of the best programs, tomorrow some of the more fun awards. I'll prepare you in advance, this will be a long post! The following categories for today:

*Best Ladies Free Program
*Best Mens Free Program
*Best Free Dance
*Best Pairs Free Program
*Short Program of the Year
*Best Forgotten Performance of the Season (NEW)
*Worst Performance of the Season (NEW)
*Skater of the Year

*Best Ladies Free Program was a difficult one for me. In the end I came to a conclusion and decided I would give this award to Joannie Rochette for her performance at Canadian Nationals. She skated from the heart with gorgeous artistry, picture perfect jumps, elegance, everything. It wasn't the most ambitious program of the season, but it was a program with class and in my opinion, the most impressive of the season. Of course, I considered basically every Yu-Na Kim performance of the season for this award, also Mao Asada's GP Final Free Skate where she hit two Triple Axels and Miki Ando's jumping clinic at World's.

*Best Mens Free Program for me was a no brainer! If you had the pure pleasure of being inside the Staples Center for the Mens Final at the World Championships you got an incredible glimpse of the future. Beginning the night in 17th place, Denis Ten of Kazakhstan put on a performance that brought the house down, shattering expectations that anyone in that arena had for him. He ended the competition in 8th place after nailing down a top six free skate...stunning! Before exiting the ice, he leaned down and gave it a kiss, grateful for its cooperation. To be sure, I heavily considered giving this honor to Evan for his performance of equal caliber later that evening. Jeremy Abbott's Grand Prix Final performance got some consideration as did Patrick Chan's Eric Bompard Trophy Free.

*Best Free Dance choice was only difficult because I couldn't decide which competition to award the team I definitely felt deserved the honor. In the end, I give this award to Davis and White for their winning Free Dance at the Four Continents Cup. They narrowly managed to squeak past Virtue and Moir for the win, an action that was reversed at the World Championships when Virtue and Moir squeaked past them for the Bronze. Davis and White's Worlds Free Dance was equally deserving of the honor. We missed Delobel and Schoenfelder at Worlds but I gave their "Great Gig" program at the Grand Prix Final some thought, I also considered Khoklova and Novitski's European Championship Free Dance as well young'ins Chock and Zuerlein for their Jr. Worlds Free Dance.

Best Pairs Free Skate honors goes to Denney and Barrett for their Four Continents Free Skate. But they had quite the performance at the U.S. Nationals as well as Worlds, simply underscoring the fact they deserve this award! Their performance at Four Continents proved their performance at Nationals wasn't a fluke. It was a season that showed us some great Pairs skating (I mean really great!). I almost gave the award to Savchenko and Szolkowy for their Worlds Free but then changed my mind at the last second. I also considered Pang and Tong's Four Continents performance and Dube and Davison's Canadian Nationals Free Skate. But aside from these, there was an enormous amount of fantastic performances this season!

*Best Short Program honors goes to Yu-Na Kim for her Worlds Short. Talk about spellbinding! I think that 'Danse Macabre' program may go down as one of those iconic shorts like Michelle Kwan's Rachmaninoff piece from 1998, amazing! Actually, I almost awarded it to Yu-Na for her Four Continents Cup short, but she got more points at Worlds! The other two programs I considered was Mukhortova and Trankov's Skate America short that was simply beautiful and Samuel Contesti's Europeans Short that put him back on the figure skating map.

*Best Forgotten Performance of the Year is one of my new awards. Seems like every season their is a great performance that we aren't talking about later in the season. This award remembers those programs and gives them a little bit of the due they deserve. I decided to give this award to Stepehn Carriere for his free skate at Cup of China. Can you even remember it? Well if you can, you'll remember he put down an amazing performance to finish behind Abbott who shocked all and won. Others I considered for this award include Johnny Weir for his Skate America Free, Akiko Suzuki for her NHK Free, and Faiella and Scali for their European Championships Free Dance.

*Worst Performace of the Year is the award...well basically it's an offer of sympathy. "Just because you were terrible doesn't mean don't still love you." Top honors goes to poor poor Carolina Kostner who just fubared it completely in the free skate at Worlds, not a single clean triple...ouch. I also took time to remember Emily Hughes attempt at a comeback at the Eric Bompard Trophy, didn't work...McLaughlin and Brubaker's less than par showing at Worlds, and Kimmie Meissner's Skate America flop.

*Skater of the Year is the final award for today. This was really a no brainer! Is there any real doubt that this title belongs to Yu-Na Kim...I mean...really? She shattered the record for highest point total for a women skater, she skated brilliantly all season, put down some of the best choreography the sport has ever seen, and done it all with grace and class. Really, well done! In full honesty, I never considered anyone but Yu-Na for this honor.

Check back tomorrow for the second half of the 2nd Annual Loop Axel Awards...I have some interesting awards to hand out!

Sad Note

I was reading Lifeskate today and sad news indeed. Apparently, shortly after Patrick Chan's Silver winning free skate, his grandfather passed away.

According to CTV "Chan's grandfather died in South Bend, Indiana right after his grandson skated to a silver medal on Thursday night. He was told of Patrick's achievement before he died. The grandfather was a long-time smoker and had been very ill."

The eeriest part about this, if you remember Jeffrey Buttle's grandfather died right after he won the World Figure Skating Title last season. The fact that this has happened two years running to Canadians make me shiver a little.

All of my sympathies and prayers are extended to the Chan Family.