After the first elimination, he still there and he wasn't even a victim of the bottom two. That pleasure went to Pamela Anderson and Shannon Doherty with Shannon being the one eventual given the boot.
But back to Evan, his first dance the Viennese Waltz was technical sound but lacked a little character. You got the sense he was nervous. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said "You aren't just skating by us...you need to make a connection with us."
Well connect he did when he came out the next week with Jive. It was fun, fast, chock full of character...exactly what the judges asked for. He was also one of just a few of the Celebrities that managed to have a week without drama. He in fact returned to Illinois (represent!) and visit his hometown. Frank Carroll was in the audience cheering Evan on as he delivered a fantastic Jive.
Now the only thing they are picking on Evan about is his feet. "Point the feet, point the feet, point the feet" said judge Bruno Tonioli. He'll need to improve if he wants to catch clear front runner Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger.
I also weighed in for Figure Skaters Online...you can check it out here.
At the end of the season, I like to take a fun look back at the season and hand out the Loop Axel Awards...this year is no different.
The readership of this blog has grown exponentially over the past year; with the Olympics taking place, my blog getting some crazy exposure on behalf of Panasonic, and so many of me e-friends just getting the word out, I've got lots of people stopping by and I wanted to include all of you in this years' award choices.
Thus, the Reader's Choice Award. I want all of you to choose the Reader's Choice Award for Skater of the Year. Between now and next Saturday at 10:00 PM CST, send me your vote for who you think the Skater of the Year is. You can e-mail me, tweet me, post a video on YouTube and send it to me, leave your vote in the comments below this post, tell me on Facebook, tell me via formspring, however you want to do it! I'll keep tabs and the top 5 will go into a poll on my site where you can vote for who you think is most deserving of the Reader's Choice Award.
Who will it be? A man? A woman? A pairs team...a dance team? I'm accepting votes...NOW!
It was quite a roller coaster ride all the way around.
The Pairs were first and had the most predictable set of results with Pang and Tong taking their second World Title, Savchenko and Szolkowy pulling in for the Silver, and Kavaguti and Smirnov working out the bronze. I thought the Germans were best on the night but the judges went with the Chinese. Ho hum. Now we get to wait and see who decides to retire...who decides to continue. I'm betting Pang and Tong will call it a day. As far as World berths next season, China and Russia get three, Canada and the U.S. get two, everyone else gets one.
The Men were next and provided the most fireworks. Daisuke Takahashi took this Championships by storm, killing it in both portions of the competition and surprising everyone when he almost completed a Quad Flip! Crazy! Patrick Chan took the Silver with an underwhelming performance, he's very fortunate to have such solid components because that is what kept him afloat. Brian Joubert muscled out a Bronze, having some technical struggles of his own. The surprise of the competition was Michal Brezina who I've called a "Breath of Fresh Air" just skated his heart out to finish fourth. I actually thought he should have been on the podium but I guess it wasn't to be. Jeremy Abbott and Adam Rippon skated fairly well (especially Adam) and earned the U.S. three spots next year. Speaking of those spots, Japan also earned three and Canada eeked out three. France, Italy, and Belgium nabbed two. Everyone else just gets one.
The Ice Dance competition was the closest. As expected, Virtue and Moir and Davis and White did battle...again. This time, Davis and White won the Free Dance but Virtue and Moir had enough lead to hang on to the win and complete a medal set. It's crazy how close these two teams are and how it comes down to the wire every time. Faiella and Scali earned their first World Medal on home ice taking the Bronze in a "feel good" moment. Like Pairs, now we get to wait and see who will and won't retire. As far as berths for next season, U.S. and Canada are in for three with Italy, Israel, Great Britain, France, and Hungary nabbing two.
The ladies competition was blown wide open when Kim Yu-Na finished 7th in the short. It was blown even more open when she made errors in her free skate. The only skater to take advantage was Mao Asada who recaptured the World Title after losing it to Kim last season. Mao did get a downgrade on her second triple axel but she looked far more put together in Torino and skated an amazing free. Despite the problems, Kim Yu-Na still managed to get the silver (actually won the free) and Laura Lepisto took the Bronze with, I'm sorry, a terrible performance. In fact, the ladies event past Asada, had little to hang your hat on. Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf probably had no idea she'd finish 5th! Both American's came undone to finish 7th and 9th...disappointing since Nagasu was the leader after the short program. Berths for next season, only Japan gets three. A smattering of countries including Korea, Finalnd, Canada, Italy, U.S., Russia, and Sweden all get two.
World's kind of ended on an unimpressive note. For me, the real standout star was by far Daisuke Takahashi who was incredible. Still scratching my head about Nobunari Oda's complete implosion and failure to make the free. Sad that the U.S. completely let a great opportunity to earn three women's spots slip away. And so very very thankful for Meryl and Charlie who saved face for the U.S. and kept us from having a medal shut-out.
Lots to digest in the off season. But, 3rd Annual Loop Axels are coming!
For over a year I've watched Tim David pour his heart into something he really cares about!
This Saturday, all of Tim's hard work will come to fruition when One Step Closer hits the ice at Lasker Rink in Central Park in New York City. The event presented by Omnigage, is a collection of amazing figure skating talent that has come together to raise funds and awareness for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. The skating gala's chief benefactor being the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children. Tim has been working tirelessly to organize and produce an amazing event.
The amazing collection of talent assembled at One Step closer includes 1994 Olympic Champion Oksana Baiul. "I am very pleased to have the opportunity to help AIDS Resource Foundation for Children. I plan to the near future to open my own Charitable Foundation, I understand how a organizations, such as The AIDS Resource Foundation for Children, does so much for the community and helps children in need."
Other skating talent includes: Elaine Zayak, Melissa Bulanhagui, Parker Pennington, and Angela Maxwel among many others.
Tickets are available online now and will also be available at the door. Admission is $15, or $40 if you'd like to join the skaters at an exclusive Meet and Greet.
After the Olympics there was all this commentary on how the sport of figure skating has regressed.
In 1998, 2002, and 2006...a guy won the Men's Olympic Title with a quad in his free...in 2010 the guy who won didn't even try it.
For the first time a women successfully completed three triple axels in the ladies competition at the Olympics and finished 23 points behind the winner.
So obviously the sport is heading in the wrong direction, right?
I don't think so.
The international judging system has simply shifted importance from being a good jumper, to being an overall great skater.
Let's take a trip down history lane using the men as our example. In 2002, a knuckle-headed French judge decides to hold-up a Russian Pair in exchange for a favor for a French Ice Dance Team, and we all cried fowl. Four years later we are all gathered in Torino for the Olympics with this new judging system. But it was still business as usual since most of the major players where from the 6.0 era. Things started to change in 2007 however. Brian Joubert won the World Title that year, but he was beat in the free skate by two guys who had figured out how to really begin manipulating the point system, Stéphane Lambiel and Daisuke Takahashi. Next year, the scales finally tipped when Jeffrey Buttle, again with a point manipulating program, actually got ahead of Joubert. In 2009, two skaters, Lysacek and Chan, did it again. No quad, just a solid all-around program.
It's clear that not as many men are trying the quad these days. But I don't feel that means the sport has regressed...it's simply evolved. And I think the programs many men are doing today, even without a quad, are so much harder than they were 4 or 8 years ago.
The "code crackers" as I call them don't get enough credit for what they do. Jeremy Abbott for example...what he does going in and out of his jumps and his transitions are ridiculous and so very hard. It's harder for the casual fan to measure that difficulty because it's so quietly interwoven into the program but that certainly doesn't mean we should ignore it or fail to credit it.
As far as jumping goes, I think the sport hit the ceiling between 2000 and 2003 when you had skaters like Timothy Goebel and Takeshi Honda trying upwards of three quads in a program. That is ridiculous wear-and-tear on the body. By 2006, neither of those guys were able to do quads at their respective national championships and make the Olympic Team. At the Olympics in 2002, Elvis Stojko was a far shadow of his former self who landed quads routinely. In Salt Lake City, he was just happy to land a triple. Alexei Yagudin, who wanted to continue after winning Olympic Gold in 2002 had to leave eligible skating because quads had done his hips in. Even Evgeny Plushenko has had multiple knee injuries because of the jump. The women may not be far behind if the triple axel becomes a mainstay for the women. The technical envelope was pushed a bit far I think in the jumping department.
So instead lots of skaters have worked hard at getting points in other areas. Spins, transitions, footwork. And like I said before, some of what these skaters do...all the different spin features and positions, the deep edges, the turns in both directions, just their creativity in general...very difficult.
Kristi Yamaguchi's Dancing with the Stars spot on this blog was called "Kristi Can Dance."
Now that Evan Lysacek attempts to follow in Kristi's footsteps, I tried to think of a clever name for the spot. On Twitter one person suggested "Evan Ly-sa-step." Not exactly what I was looking for. I tried to think of some clever way of combing Evan with dancing and spray tan but couldn't be witty enough.
So, like Kristi, it will be Evan Can Dance...I just don't know if he actually can. I'm hoping he and Anna Trebunskaya can burn it up Kristi style...hoping.
*Did I hate it when he threw a hissy fit about losing Olympic Gold in Vancouver - yes
*Do I find myself often disliking his style of skating - yes.
On the flip side...
*Do I respect him as a competitor and appreciate his contribution to the sport of figure skating, especially his technical contribution - yes.
*Do I recognize that he has impassioned fans and is a sport icon in Russia, much like Kim in Korea or Kwan in the U.S. - yes.
Look, I'm critical of him. I think that he has several deficiencies that he often gets a pass on. But I also recognize that what I see as deficiencies, many see as strengths.
The ladies field at the World Championships remains strong. Joannie Rochette is the only high profile withdrawal.
That means that Olympic Gold Medalist Kim Yu-Na and Olympic Silver Medalist Mao Asada will get a rematch.
I'm going to take yet another opportunity to again plead with all the "fringe fans" out there to cut the outrageous attacks on these two magnificent competitors. Be proud of their accomplishments, celebrate their achievements, understand that they don't want these kind of bitter comments happening on their behalf...in short, cut the crap! To that end, any further comments or links on these two skaters that I feel are out of line that are posted on this blog, I will remove.
Back to the skating, Mao Asada has hinted at fiddling with a quad. No plans to try it in competition at this point but we may see some attempts in practice. Seems a logical step for Asada who has managed to produce a more solid triple axel than a majority of the men's competitors!
Where Asada shows athletic prowess Kim answers with elegance. If she can manage to reproduce her performance from Vancouver she'll be basically untouchable. The combination of solid technical difficulty with amazing skating skills gives her an advantage over the entire field.
The cast of characters chasing after them is many. 2007 World Champ Miki Ando is in the field. Miki's problem this entire season has been the lack of life in her free skate. She skated a technically proficient free in Vancouver that had no life to it whatsoever. It will take more than jumps to be competitive. The surprise of Vancouver, American Mirai Nagasu is in the field and with a good shot at her first World medal. Without Rochette competing, she actually is in bronze position. It'll be interesting to see if she can rise to the occasion and have a moment.
American Rachael Flatt had a role reversal with Mirai at the Olympics. Where Mirai had usually been the one hit with the jump downgrades, Rachael actually got the hand slap in Vancouver and Mirai prevailed with clean jumps. If Rachael can avoid jump downgrades, she'll be in the mix too.
Other competitors to keep an eye on include Finland's Laura Lepisto, judges love her skating qualities and she tends to find her way into the top group of women. Japan's Akiko Suzuki who has this season been a solid competitor, especially in the free skate. Also, Russian Alena Leonova, who can charm the audience (and judges) with her bubbly style and catapult herself into he mix.
Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Kim Yu-Na, (SILVER) Mao Asada, (BRONZE) Rachael Flatt
The Pairs field remains mostly intact from Vancouver with only the Ukranian's Volosozhar and Morozov and the Gold Medalists, Shen and Zhao not competing. Shen and Zhao have retired from eligible competition and news is Tatiana Volosozhar is looking for a new competitive partner at Stanislav Morozov's request.
So we are left with a showdown between two teams that have both claimed the top spot at the event. Reigning Champs and Olympic Bronze Medalists Savchenko and Szolkowy of Germany and 2006 World Champs and reigning Olympic Silver Medalists Pang and Tong of China. The momentum, at this point would seem to favor the Chinese, who not only bested Savchenko and Szolkowy at the Grand Prix Final, but also was leaps ahead of them at the Olympics (where they actually won the free skate portion of the competition). Savchenko and Szolkowy, have struggled to stay on podiums this season with Bronzes at the Grand Prix Final and the Olympics where they were considered by many favorites for Gold. I still think Savchenko and Szolkowy have the superior program, they just have to skate it.
There are other teams lurking in the background including two teams from Russia; Kavaguti and Smirnov and Mukhortova and Trankov. Both dropped the ball for Russia at the Olympics leading to a Russian Pairs medal shut-out, the first since 1960. That's huge considering Soviet or Russian teams had won every Olympic Pairs Gold from 1964 - 2006. So these two teams have a little face saving to do. Kavaguti and Smirnov are the reigning World Bronze Medalists and were 4th at the Olympics so perhaps they have the best shot at spoiling the party at the top.
Some other teams that could pounce upon opportunity include Zhang and Zhang of China who have looked better in the back half of this season, winning the Four Continents Cup. They are the reigning World Silver Medalists and can't be counted out. Also, Dube and Davison of Canada, who didn't have the skate they wanted in Vancouver. Bronze Medalists in 2008, they have a chance to return to the podium.
I'd like to think that the American's Denney and Barrett and Evora and Ladwig have a shot to, if not medal, at least perhaps sneak into the top six. That would be an amazing result!
Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Pang and Tong, (SILVER) Kavaguti and Smirnov, (BRONZE) Savchenko and Szolkowy
The top men's competitors have slowly bit the dust over the past few weeks. In a steady succession of withdrawals, Lambiel...then Lysacek, followed by Weir...then Verner, and finally just yesterday Plushenko, the men's field has opened up considerably.
That means, by defacto, reigning Olympic Bronze Medalist, Japan's Daisuke Takahashi is the favorite to win. But he's been a bit unpredictable this season having some great performances coupled with some rough ones. His artistic ability is unmatched by he's a question mark technically.
Some of Takahashi's greatest competition will come from his own backyard. Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka are in a great position to spoil the podium and give Japan an amazing opportunity to sweep the podium! Nobunari will need to find the magic he had earlier in the season and Kozuka will need to find his legs and land jumps. Like Takahashi, both are capable of solid component scores that can catapult them to the top.
Canada's Patrick Chan has a chance to regroup and put Olympic disappointment behind him. The reigning World Silver Medalist has everything it takes to win this title, hopefully he's worked out his technical glitches including that inconsistent triple axel.
Two of the other wildcards in this event come from the U.S. First Jeremy Abbott, who had a terrible showing at the Olympics, having to scramble to just get to 9th place overall. But he, like Chan, is more than capable of winning the title (see 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Skate!). He just can't be a head case. Also from the U.S., Adam Rippon just won his first Senior ISU Title at the Four Continents Cup so he too has to be considered a medal threat.
That just leaves Joubert. If Abbott had a terrible Olympics, Joubert had a disastrous Olympics, finishing way down in 16th. But he does this...he has a bad skate, turns into a basket case and has terrible skates...pulls back, gets perspective...then starts having great skates again. And Plushenko, for some reason or another, spooks him. Without Plushenko in the competition, maybe he'll feel like the Alpha-Dog again and get his swagger back. He is the reigning World Bronze Medalist and is also capable of doing well in Torino.
Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Nobunari Oda, (SILVER) Patrick Chan, (BRONZE) Jeremy Abbott
So the World Figure Skating Championships kick off next week in Torino, Italy.
Like many of the events, Dance has been watered down quite a bit from Vancouver. Domnina and Shabalin, Belbin and Agosto, and Delobel and Schoenfelder have all taken a pass.
But the two top teams have not taken a pass, so we'll again be treated to a showdown between Virtue and Moir and Davis and White. It'll be interesting to see how this shakes down. At the Olympics it seemed Virtue and Moir put a smidge of distance between themselves and the Americans but in Torino they wont have the same home crowd support and energy so that small gap might evaporate.
The team that will have the crowd behind them are Italians Faiella and Scali, who finished a solid 5th in Torino and in the absence of other teams look to be in a position to medal for the first time.
But Faiella and Scali will have challengers too. When you start to look at who is looking to move up, you have to consider the French team of Pechalat and Bourzat, the British duo of Kerr and Kerr (who, thanks to a nice alignment of OD requirements, have actually gone back to their very well received Scottish Folk Dance from 2008), the Israeli team of Zaretski and Zaretski, and the Russians Khoklova and Novitski.
Medal Predictions: (GOLD) Virtue and Moir, (SILVER) Davis and White, (BRONZE) Faiella and Scali
As we approach the World Figure Skating Championships, the one competitor I have serious questions about is this guy...Brian Joubert.
What in the world happened at the Olympics? It was like a terrible fall from grace that nobody wanted to see. I'll be the first to admit Joubert is not my 'cup of tea' but he does make a competition more exciting and was shocking to see him way down there (with Abbott too!) in 16th at the Olympics.
Yeeeeesh!
He blamed it on his personal life away from the rink, saying he was distracted and not himself.
He's seemed distracted and not himself all season. When he lost the French Masters waaaaaaaayyyyyy back at the beginning of the season to upstart Florent Amodio I smelled trouble. Poor showing at Eric Bompard Trophy, an untimely foot injury, a bad beat at Europeans from Plushenko and Lambiel, and then the Olympic fubar, has put his season, to this point, in the FAIL column. I don't think he can (or would want to) hang his season on NHK Trophy alone.
The French Federation was so worried they made him pass a test skate before they added him to the World Team.
I'm an optimist, I think he'll be in better shape at the World Championships. He's one of a dwindling list of competitors that can challenge Plushenko (if he can realistically be challenged at all) for the title. This will be the second time he will be in a position to bounce back after Olympic disappointment (he won the Silver at Worlds in 2006 after a poor showing in Torino)...can he do it again?
UPDATE: Perhaps Joubert is a Gold Medal Favorite afterall...Plushenko has withdrawn from Worlds.
These three cities now go through a long candidature process that involves heavy evaluation. A winner will be chosen in Durban, South Africa at the IOC Session in July of 2011. Olympic insiders say that PyeongChang is the early favorite to win the bid (but many said the same thing about Chicago 2016...sad face). In the end, the city that can put forward the best bid proposal, cost effectiveness report, environmental sustainability goals, and produce the most public support should win. Geographically, PyeongChang looks like a winner.
Portland, Oregon was selected to host Skate America today. The event will take place November 11-14 at the Rose Garden Arena. "We're thrilled to bring 2010 Skate America to the city of Portland," Chris Oxley, general manager of the Rose Quarter, the district in which the Rose Garden is located, told U.S. Figure Skating. "Portland has shown that it is a very strong figure skating market, evidenced by the success of the 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. With the Olympics being held in the Pacific Northwest last month, the region is ready and excited for another opportunity to host an event of this caliber."
Joannie Rochette has withdrawn from the World Championships. She then asked the ISU to "bend the rules" a little to allow her to skate in ABC's Thin Ice without Skate Canada facing sanctions because of her withdrawal. The ISU agreed (shockingly!). "We appreciate the ISU worked with us to find a solution for this situation," said William Thompson, Skate Canada’s CEO. "They have agreed to relax ISU rule 136 for Joannie in this instance, due to the unique and extenuating circumstances of this particular request. We want to thank the ISU for their consideration and understanding in reviewing this in light of Joannie's situation." International Skating Union rules state an athlete can't choose an exhibition performance over an ISU-sanctioned event. If they do, their federation, in this case Skate Canada, can face sanctions. They ISU relaxed the rule for Rochette who will skate a tribute to her late mother on the show.
Finally, here in the U.S., for the first time, the World Championships will be broadcast entirely on Universal Sports. This also means for the first time, the World Championships will be broadcast on a network that not everyone has. The upside of that is Universal Sports is showing the entire competition live on it's website. Downside...many of the events are in the wee hours of the morning because the event is in Italy. I'm crossing my fingers that Universal Sports will archive the competitions online so they can be watched on demand. Universal Sports, if you read this...please make it happen!
Well, the World Championships are next for Kim Yu-Na but what about after that? Does she continue to 2014 in Sochi? Does she retire from eligible competition and "go pro?" Does she take the Shen and Zhao in-and-out route where she competes some, takes some time off, competes some more?
She'd be 27 in 2018 and PyeongChang, S. Korea is the leading Olympic Bid City (and she the bids' ambassador)...wouldn't that be something. 27 seems tough but do-able for an elite womens competitor. See Julia Sebestyen, Maria Butyrskaya, Elena Liashenko, etc.
I don't know what the future holds for Kim but it's bright!
Inevitably, after any Olympics, there is a swath of competitors who opt-out of the World Championships to follow. Here is the "Pass List" as it currently exists:
Evan Lysacek - The Olympic Champ is focusing on "Dancing with the Stars." Perhaps he can add a Mirror Ball Trophy to his illustrious collection. Replaced by Ryan Bradley.
Johnny Weir - I think just too much post-Olympic press and not enough preparation. Vowing to comeback next season...but he vowed to compete at World's too so...anyway. Replaced by Adam Rippon.
Shen and Zhao - Back into retirement for these two having won everything including that elusive Olympic Gold Medal. Sometimes it is a fairy-tale ending. Replaced by Dong and Wu.
Stéphane Lambiel - Like Shen and Zhao, he's opted to retire from eligible skating and will be on ABC's "Thin Ice" later this month. Replaced by Jamal Othman.
Belbin and Agosto - While they've made no formal announcement concerning the end of their competitive careers, prior to this season they said after these Olympics would be "it." They were vague about their future in post-Olympic Press but their withdrawal would seem to indicate they are moving ahead as planned. Replaced by Navarro and Bommentre.
UPDATE: Domnina and Shabalin - We can add them to the pass list. They say they are resting and taking care of their health but it "isn't goodbye." Replaced by Rubleva and Shefer.
Who isn't on the pass list? The entire women's podium from Vancouver including Kim Yu-Na! (Scratch that...Joannie Rochette is taking a pass). Evgeny Plushenko will attempt to win another World Title, a feat he hasn't accomplished since 2004. Virtue and Moir are also slated to compete in an attempt to win their first World Title and complete a medal set (Silver in '08, Bronze in '09).
The writing was on the wall with the plethora of T.V. appearances Johnny has had since the conclusion of the Men's Free Skate in Vancouver. He's been about as busy as Evan...and he didn't even win a medal.
But Johnny in his statements is leading his fans to believe that he 'may' continue competing next season. "I want to be a better competitor and win medals for my country, and I hope everyone can respect my decision to take the time to improve. I want my fans to know that I love them, and I work every day to make them proud. I will continue to work hard, and I hope my work for next season will be the most exciting of my career," Johnny told U.S. Figure Skating.
Johnny Weir to compete in the 2010-11 season? We'll see...
Johnny's decision is a golden opportunity for Adam Rippon who'll now get to go to his first Senior Worlds. "I'm very excited and grateful for this opportunity," Rippon told U.S. Figure Skating. "Since competing at Four Continents, I have been training well, and I will be ready to do my best in Torino."
Adam recently won his first Senior ISU Championship at the 2010 Four Continents Cup.
Adam Rippon will join Ryan Bradley and U.S. National Champ Jeremy Abbott in Torino at the end of the month.
I wasn't the only one who was presented the chance of a lifetime recently! This is a great story that I have to share with all of you!
Meet Badr Raissi. He's not your typical 16 year old. Badr came to the United States 3 years ago from Rabat, Morocco. In this short amount of time, he's not only conquered a language barrier, but has become an Honor Student at Passaic County Technical Insititute in Wayne, New Jersey where he is a junior.
Badr is a student member of the AT&T/Junior Achievement Worldwide Job Shadow Initiative (AT&T/JA). After a recent job shadow experience, members were invited to participate in an essay contest describing their job shadow experience, with the winner receiving a trip to the Olympic Games in Vancouver to cheer on Team USA!
I read Badr's essay with a big smile on my face! Not only did he show how his job shadow experience had a big impact on his future outlook, he connected the experience to much bigger themes in his life and underscored all the sacrifices he and his family have made. Read the essay...it will floor you.
I know what finding out you've won a trip to the Olympics feels like so I can estimate his state of mind when he was told he had written the winning essay and would travel to Vancouver; his excitement as he sat in Canada Hockey Place, explored the athlete village, and attended other Olympic events.
And here is where it gets really good, he was able to sit down and talk with two decorated U.S. Olympians...Picabo Street and my personal sport icon Michelle Kwan! You heard me...MICHELLE KWAN!
I would have fainted at that moment...Badr manages to keep it together!
It's great when amazing things happen to amazing people! I envy Badr. I made it to Vancouver because I'm a great Blogger...Badr made it because he's a great person! Badr reminds us that goals, education, ambition, and good old-fashioned hard work can really get us places in life.
*AT&T/JA Job Shadow Initiative is one of the largest corporate job shadow initiatives which pairs AT&T employees with students to provide a firsthand experience in the working world and demonstrate how education is essential to future success. AT&T launched its high school success program and joined with Junior Achievement to help the approximately 1.3 million high school students dropping out each year—a problem more severe among minority students.
"The ISU has been informed by the Swiss Ice Skating (federation) that Stéphane Lambiel's management has confirmed his retirement as an amateur from figure skating," ISU spokeswoman Devra Pitt Getaz said.
Lambiel is opting for a hefty show schedule as he enters the pro ranks and is slated to perform on ABC's "Thin Ice" competition.
Lambiel joins Lysacek as another top Vancouver competitor that will not be competing at the World Figure Skating Championships in Torino, Italy.
I just read one of the most telling interviews anyone has ever had with a judge since the inception of the code of points judging system (Thank you Blazing Blades)!
Tony Wheeler sat down with Patrick Ibens who is a ISU Figure Skating Judge who has sat on several judging panels including the Men's panel in Vancouver. Read this interview...shocking!
So in my discussions with a couple of people in Vancouver I have learned that the judges can be 'greasy scoundrels' as I put it but who could have imagined that many are just downright incompetent! The fact that judges who are improperly trained can 'hide' in those safezone corridors of marks is unbelievable.
The ISU has got to change business as usual here! What is with judges getting 'assessments' if they are outside the safezone. That explains why a skater such as Tugba Karademir gets lower scores versus skaters who skate later in a competition who perhaps perform an element at the same level of competency. Why would a judge risk giving a skater a deserved mark if it means they could be penalized, reprimanded, or even dismissed? God forbid we give a skater a deserved mark. This is a shocking revelation in the scoring system and needs to be addresses now...right now!
Interesting how making the judges anonymous has solved nothing as far as mark-fiddling or coercion from federations. If anything, it makes it easier to veil these attempts and harder to discover fraud as it is happening.
Oy me!
The ISU has to fix this somehow or I'll be the first person to advocate the removal of figure skating from the Olympics! The IOC should put pressure on the ISU because honestly this is just a joke. I'm a fan of drastic measures...people tend to perk up and listen.
A judge shouldn't be penalized for marking outside of a prescribed zone. If someone in the first group skates well, then they should absolutely be rewarded for it, safezone corridor be damned!
The idea that their is national allegiance associated with judges has been a problem for far too long. We may be at the point where Federations should not be allowed to nominate judges but rather the ISU just have a trained pool of trained and qualified judges randomly selected with no attachment to nations whatsoever. Member federations would probably have a cow about this and there is no guarantee judges still wouldn't have national allegiance but it's a start.
Will any of these judges stand-up for these skaters who are pouring their heart and souls out there on the ice and stop trying to cover their own rear end?
Junior Worlds or "The Little Big One" as I like to call it is upon us. The event kicks off next week in The Hague, Netherlands.
It's actually one of my favorite competitions of the year. I love seeing all the young up-and-coming talent out there. I love to look at them and go "Oh, there's one to watch for the future!" I also love that the competition, like a lot of Junior events, is far less predictable. There tends to be more volatility in the standings making for an exciting event.
Upon returning from the Olympics I found out that Ross Miner and Ashley Wagner withdrew, one for injury and the other to just give one of said up-and-comers a shot (quite generous on Ashley's part I think).
Rather than having a clear set of predictions for Junior Worlds, I see one to beat, that person or teams biggest threat, followed by the remaining challengers. Who am I looking at?
Dance: Team to Beat - Monko and Khaliavin (RUS) Biggest Threat - Ilinykh and Katsalapov (RUS) Other Challengers - Alessandrini and Vaturi (ITA), Pushkash and Guerreiro (RUS), Shibutani and Shibutani (USA)
Ladies: One to Beat - Kanako Murakami (JPN) Biggest Threat - Christina Gao (USA) Other Challengers - Anna Ovcharova (RUS), Polina Shelpen (RUS), Kiri Baga (USA)
Men: One to Beat - Denis Ten (KAZ) Biggest Threat - Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) Other Challengers - Nan Song (CHN), Kento Nakamura (JPN), Artur Gachinski (RUS), Grant Hochstein (USA), Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA)
Pairs: Team to Beat - Sui and Han (CHN) Biggest Threat - Takahashi and Tran (JPN) Other Challengers - Hole and Johnson (CAN), Zhang and Wang (CHN), Simpson and Miller (USA), Zhang and Toth (USA)
What was the most awesome thing you saw in figure skating when you were at the Olympics at Vancouver?
I'd have to say it was Joannie Rochette in the Ladies Short Program. First, the love that audience gave her was so amazing and then to have the skate she did...wow.
I was crying, David Wilson was crying, the crowd was cheering so loudly...then she was crying. It was such a moment. Everyone's heart lept out for Joannie at the moment and everyone was amazed she had managed that performance.
Easily, that was the most awesome thing I saw in figure skating in Vancouver!
Everything I wanted to say in Vancouver but didn't...
So, I'm going to say it, yell at me if you want..."I'M OFFICIALLY SICK OF EVGENY PLUSHENKO! I'M DONE!" In the aftermath of his not so shocking loss at the Olympics, I just kept saying in my head..."Will he shut up already?" I hate nothing more than a sore loser. And Elvis Stojko's nonsensical babble about how figure skating is hurt by Plushenko's loss didn't help the situation either. Fine Elvis, go watch hockey. If that's the boost of testosterone you need and it gets you out of my hair...more power to you! I get that Plushenko and Stojko think the quad is like the 'Holy Grail' of figure skating but after the quad, Plushenko's technical performance was not great in the men's free skate...it wasn't great at all. But of course none of that should matter because if you do a quad you should win...ugh. Did anyone notice that he did two triple axels in his exhibition...just to show he could land them without a struggle. I think just to infuriate me he was threatening to make another comeback in Sochi. It's bad enough he'll be in Torino at World's. Good grief!
What was up with Belbin and Agosto missing out on the Bronze medal? What? And they couldn't even be upset about it because it was their training mates that edged them. Even their coach, Natalia Linichuk, had that look in her eyes..."You guys were clearly way better but the judges are propping them up...sorry." The even sadder part about it was that everyone (media, announcers, press) just went with it...like it was an agreed upon deal. "Okay, we won't complain that Tanith and Ben get screwed so long as North America goes 1-2." Ummm...North America should have went 1-2-3! Rogge will have to forgive me if I disagree with his assertion that the figure skating judging in Vancouver was "impeccable."
Finally, Grades of Executions were making me so mad at the Olympics. Why is that when a skater from, oh I don't know say, Turkey, does a perfect triple salchow she gets no positive grades on the jump? But when a skater from, oh I don't know say, U.S. or Japan or Canada or Korea or Finland, does the same jump, the positive GOE's flow like Manna from the Gods. While in Vancouver a "very knowledgeable voice" showed me some shocking trends and revelations in the current judging system. I'm going to go on record now and say that I think the point system is, while flawed, not a totally bad system, but the people behind the judging monitors from all corners of the globe, are often greasy scoundrels!
The last couple of weeks have been the biggest whirlwind in my life!
It was exhausting, exciting, immense, crazy, awe inspiring. everything. To go to the Olympics and go the way I did where you get to go to almost everything...wow.
And now I get to unload everything I wanted to say in Vancouver but didn't because, you know, I was trying to be PC. Afterall, I was representing a major Olympic Sponsor and you have to be careful what you say.
He really can dance!
