Rachael Flatt - Mirai Nagasu Debacle

It was sad to watch...Rachael Flatt totally tanking in the free skate after a less than great short program. Then we learn after the fact that she had a stress fracture...diagnosed on April 22nd.

The question is...should Rachael Flatt have immediately decided at that moment to quick call Mirai Nagasu and say "I'm under the weather...get thee to Moscow!" A conundrum indeed...

To add to the intrigue, Frank Caroll piped up yesterday and said of his student "Mirai is in great shape - better than she has been her whole life. She took the responsibility of being ready as the alternate very seriously. She was doing triple axels and triple lutz - triple loop in practice. She was ready to go." He continued "This cost us three spots." He even went further when Phil Hersh pressed him on the fact that Nagasu's presence at the competition couldn't necessarily guarantee three U.S. berths next season "She blew those other American girls (Flatt and Czisny) out of the water at Four Continents."

Ballsy!

Tom Zakrajsek contends that Rachael was capable of doing all the elements in both her short and free and that is why they made the decision to come to Moscow. Over the course of two shoddy skates and and a couple press conferences the news slowly came out that she was injured and then eye brows were raised.

From my perspective, Rachael, injured or not, had the right to skate in Moscow. She outskated Mirai in Greensboro and earned her spot fair and square. I personally think she shouldn't have gone to Moscow but there is no rule in place that says she has to withdraw so I guess that's where it is. She could of been the bigger person here and put U.S. Figure Skating ahead of her wants/hopes...sad she didn't.

It brings up the bigger question however, should U.S. Figure Skating have a mechanism in place that automatically forces the withdrawal of a skater from major championships if there is a known injury that could affect performance? Food for thought...

Win a Trip to Nationals! Meet Rachael Flatt!

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What all does the lucky winner get:

2 VIP Tickets to Nationals
Meet with Rachael Flatt
$500 Lucy Gift Card
2 Night Hotel Stay
$500 Gift Card for Spending Money
Video Camera
Round-Trip Air Fare

Sounds pretty sweet! To enter, just click the picture below! Be sure to read Lucy's profile on Rachael Flatt too!

Playlist Shuffle

I'm always at the gym, working out, with the iPod Touch going, and constantly thinking to myself..."Oh, so and so should skate an exhibition to this." I think I'm a good judge of what music would fit certain skaters. I often want to see them do something I think they normally wouldn't. I don't know? Here are some of my thoughts. Agree or disagree?

Rachael Flatt - "Not Myself Tonight" by Christina Aguilera. I think I eluded to this is an earlier post about skating perhaps being to PC at times. I would love to see Rachael totally abandon her 'good girl' image and skate to something downright naughty! I think it would do wonders for her career to get her out of this 'goody goody two-shoes' typecast.

Kimmie Meissner - "Send in the Clowns" by Judy Collins. I love the simplicity of this music and I think I miss that most in Kimmie Meissner's skating. I would love to see Kimmie hit the ice with a gentle piece of music, soft understated choreography, and basic command of skating that shows off the very best of what she has to offer.

Virtue and Moir - "Saturday" by Basshunter. This is basically a oddball thought but I would love to see these two kill an Ice Dance number to a hard hitting club hit. They have the youthfulness and audience connection I think to pull this off.

Akiko Suzuki - "Waka Waka (Time For Africa)" by Shakira. Akiko was one of my breakout favorites last season and I love that she doesn't mind letting loose on the ice. This song is all about freedom of movement and fun and I think she could really have a lot of fun with it on the ice.

Ryan Bradley - "Like We Used To" by A Rocket To The Moon. It's a charming piece of music and I think Ryan Bradley has the sensibility to pull it off. It's not a comedy piece but rather a story of a young man's heart. Somehow seems perfect for him...at least to me.

Jeremy Abbott - "Cry Me a River" by Michael Buble. I know, I know...JerBear has done Buble before...but he's so good at it! This song has a different more sophisticated feel than his "Save the Last Dance For Me" number he did a few years ago. Abbott and Buble go together like bread and butter.

Evora and Ladwig - "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Andrea Bocelli and Katharine McPhee. Despite the fact these two aren't romantically involved they still have a great connection on the ice. I think a slow romantic piece that they could accent with their amazing lifts would be amazing.

Kim Yu-Na - "Louboutins" by Jennifer Lopez. I would start off the program with this fierce walk right down center ice and then she just kills it from that point on (oh boy, now I'm choreographing...watch out!). I think her Bond Short from last season showed us she could do sexy...this would just take it to the next level.

Johnny Weir - "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin. Something about the tension and slight angst in this song I feel Johnny would kill at a rock program. It's such a departure from what you might expect from him but I think he'd surprise himself.

Did I hit the mark or am I way off base?

The Op-Ed: Too Family Friendly?

Every time I'm at the gym working out and listening to my iPod (I'll do a separate post on who I think should skate to what) I find myself thinking, "Oh I wish so and so would skate to this song."

And then I actually listen to the lyrics and think, "Oh but might be a little risqué for figure skating..."

Part of me thinks we need to 'keep it clean' for skating, but another part of me thinks if skaters could use more music choices and be riskier it could give a jolt to the often boring and very PC world of skating.

For example, I keep envisioning Rachel Flatt skating to Not Myself Tonight by Christina Aguilera. I think it would be a great piece of music for her to let loose a little and not be so...I don't know...cute? PC? Safe? But the lyrics...too much for figure skating? Take a look (warning...expletives ahead):

Mot Myself Tonight by Christina Aguilera

You know tonight
I am feeling a little out control
Is this me
You wanna get crazy
Because I don't give a...

I'm out of character
I'm in rare form
And If you really knew me
You'd know its not the norm

Cause I'm doing things that I normally won't do
The old me's gone I feel brand new
And if you don't like it fuck you

The music's on and I'm dancing
I'm normally in the corner just standing
I'm feeling unusual
I don't care cause this is my night

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm dancing alot and I'm taking shots I'm feeling fine
I'm kissing all the boys and the girls
Someone call the doctor cause I lost my mind

Cause I'm doing things that I normally won't do
The old me's gone I feel brand new
And if you don't like it fuck you

The music's on and I'm dancing
I'm normally in the corner just standing
I'm feeling unusual
I don't care cause this is my night

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

In the morning
When I wake Up
I'll go back to the girl I used to be
But baby not tonight

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

Yah, that feels good
I needed that
Get crazy
Let's go
That's right
Come on
Give it to me now, don't stop

So perfect for Rachael Flatt, right? She has the total good girl image but can through it off for a night and let loose. Problem is I'm envisioning mom's looking at the ice in horror, grabbing their 8 year old, and holding their hands over their ears. I also am envisioning those Sorority Girls from the University of Michigan (shout out to Meryl Davis!) out of their seats loving LOVING skating for the first time.

Which way do you go. Do you spice it up and have a little fun or do you keep doing family friendly?

I call this an Op-Ed by I don't know what my opinion is! I'm so torn. Of course there is a radio friendly version of this song without the F-Bomb...but is it still to risky for figure skating?

I'm dancing alot and I'm taking shots I'm feeling fine
I'm kissing all the boys and the girls
Someone call the doctor cause I lost my mind

Drug references, bisexuality references, oh my!

I've decided. I think it would be okay to spice it up a bit. No major bad words but I think a little bit of pop culture isn't terrible. What 8 year old is going to be paying that close of attention to the lyrics and pick up on the subtleties of what the lyrics really mean? And what 14 year old isn't already listening to Christina Aguilera or some other pop/hip-hop/rap artist? If you're the parent out there saying "Well mine doesn't," believe me...you're likely wrong, you just don't know it.

I don't know...weigh in. What do you think?

XXI Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Ladies Preview

Last but certainly not least, the ladies event in Vancouver promises to be one of the most heavily covered by the media because of some international super-stars in the event. 10 Ladies to keep a lookout for:

Mao Asada (JPN) - After a super bumpy start to her season where she failed to medal at Rostelecom Cup and make the Grand Prix Final, she seems to have put the train back on the tracks with solid performances at both the recent Japanese Nationals and Four Continents Cup. In the free skate at Four Continents Cup she was credited with landing two triple axels in the free skate, making the 2008 World Champ a clear technical threat. The big problems for Asada this season, aside from some technical issues, have been the fact that her programs this season (her free skate in particular) leave many people cold. She skating to the very heavy Bells of Moscow which doesn't give her a chance to show off the usual lightness in her skating. Instead we are treated to what feels like a stage-tragedy on ice. If she can find a way to draw the audience in with the heavy dramatics and hit the technical content, she'll be formidable.

Miki Ando (JPN) - Miki is the only member of the Japanese ladies team that has Olympic experience, albeit a disastrous outing in Torino. She says she has learned her lessons from that experience and is prepared for this event:

This time I know what I have to do; I know what the goal is, so of course it's different.

Miki was one of two Japanese ladies to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she took the Silver Medal in a close contest between herself and reigning World Champ Kim Yu-Na. However, she was just 4th at Japanese Nationals. She made the team on the strength of her Grand Prix outings. Miki is a solid technician but like Asada, her Cleopatra free skate leaves many cold. In this packed field of women it will take more than a series of triple jumps for the 2007 World Champ to strike Gold. If she can excite with her choreography (something she has yet to do this season) and hit the jumps, then she'll have a shot.

Rachael Flatt (USA) - The newly crowned U.S. Champion enters her first Olympics and is seen by many (if not most) to be a longshot for the podium. However, while many write her off, I think she is in a great position to be a factor in Vancouver. She will not be dealing with all the expectations and pressures of many of the top contenders and will be free to cut loose and just go for it. Rachael is extremely consistent technically and recently has managed to get a triple-triple combo back into her short and long programs. I think she can be a factor here and I would love to see her defy her many detractors.

Kim Yu-Na (KOR) - Kim Yu-Na will be one of (if not the most) talked about athletes at these games. The reigning World Champ is the biggest sensation in her native Korea and enters these Olympics as the heavy (HEAVY!) favorite for Olympic Gold. She turned heads at the Grand Prix opener in Paris where she beat her own record score and set a new high benchmark. Her short program, set to music from James Bond, is one of the sassiest and sexiest things ever put to ice and her free skate is a quiet clinic in elegance. Kim Yu-Na's biggest competitor will be herself. She will have media in her face constantly, heavy expectations from her fans, and I think personal expectations she's likely put on herself. If she can manage all of that and skate clean she will have accomplished a great deal (including a likely Gold Medal).

Carolina Kostner (ITA) - Until the European Championships, Carolina's season had been a disaster. When she lost the Italian National Championships, it became a question if she would even qualify for the Olympics. At Europeans, she not only managed to claim Italy's lone ladies Olympic berth, but she did so with a win. However, her win was unimpressive with a free skate marred with mistakes (in fact, almost all the women at Europeans had unimpressive free skates). But, it at least stopped the momentum hemorrhage that was happening and put her on the path of recovery. Now, the question is if the win has put her confidence back in place? Carolina Kostner, while I've never been a big fan, has always been good at constructing programs that are point getters. If she can be confident and land her jumps she'll be in the mix in Vancouver. If she falters...well...she'd be out (How very Heidi Klum of me).

Alena Leonova (RUS) - Recently I'm scratching my head going "What happened?" At World's last season she was this bubbly, effervescent breath of fresh air that simply reveled performing on the ice. She continued that trend this season with big Grand Prix performances that earned her a ticket to the Grand Prix Final. There, however, things came unglued and the troubles began. She bombed that competition, lost Russian Nationals, and was member of the splat fest that was Europeans. She seems to have lost her spark. I suspect with her success came the pressure of expectation, something she had skated free from up until this season. If she can find a way to enjoy what she is doing and use the electricity of the crowd to her advantage, she'll be far better off than if she worries about placement.

Laura Lepisto (FIN) - The 2009 European Champ hasn't had quite the season she had last year, but she still remains one to keep an eye on. This season she has tackled more challenging technical content in her free skate. Like Kostner, Laura didn't have a great skate at the European Championships in Tallinn despite taking the Silver Medal. Laura has very strong component scores but will need to hit the harder jumps to be competitive with the top ladies in Vancouver. Like Rachael Flatt, she may benefit from having fewer expectations and less pressure placed upon her. Laura is one of those skaters that just seems to grab points from nowhere and if she can keep her cool she may find herself in the running for an Olympic medal.

Mirai Nagasu (USA) - She skated up a storm in Spokane on her way to taking the Silver Medal. She kept insisting that she just wanted to skate great and was looking to the future for greater opportunities. Apparently the future is now! She's a gifted skater with the ability to draw audiences in but her main trouble this season has been pesky downgrades. They plagued her at Samsung Anycall Cup of China, HomeSense Skate Canada, and at U.S. Nationals. With a chance to win at all three events, she received downgrades in the free skate killing her chances. If Mirai can get those jumps 'around the corner' as I say she'll be a tough little competitor.

Joannie Rochette (CAN) - The reigning World Silver Medalist was not looking great in the early part of this season. Two scrappy performances in her Grand Prix events and then a botched Grand Prix Final left many questioning her chances this season. She shut everyone up at Canadian Nationals with a brilliant skate that brought the house down and set herself up for success in Vancouver. Joannie, like Kim Yu-Na, will have tremendous pressure and expectations upon her. The media will no doubt be following her every step. If she can keep herself grounded, shut everything out mentally, and reproduce what she did in London, she could find herself on a Wheaties Box. They do have Wheaties in Canada...right?

Akiko Suzuki (JPN) - All season long you just got the sense that she really wanted to go to Vancouver...she really wanted it! She came out smokin' hot at Samsung Anycall Cup of China with a big unexpected win. She qualified for the Grand Prix Final and took the Bronze Medal with another sassy performance. She was finally able to stamp her ticket to Vancouver by besting Yukari Nakano at Japanese Nationals. She doesn't have the same kind of abilities as Kim, Asada, or Rochette but she has heart and guts and a competitive tenacity that's so fun to see on the ice. She's the only Japanese skater to get my blood really pumping this season and I know many others feel the same. I think she is the sentimental favorite here in Vancouver...Miss Congeniality if you will...and hopefully she can use that support to her advantage.

Friday Fun: Flatt and Nagasu

Happy Friday...here's a couple fun video's to get you caught up on Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu.

U.S. Nationals (Day Nine)

Scheduled Events for Today:

Senior Free Dance
Senior Ladies Free Skate

Check this post for results and musings. NBC will be showing the final two groups of both the Senior Free Dance and the Senior Ladies Free Skate live. Check your local listings. I may be tweeting during the Senior Free Dance and will definitely be tweeting during the Senior Ladies Free Skate at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern). You can follow me on Twitter @skating102.

Free Dance just wrapped and Meryl Davis and Charlie White have successfully defended their National Title...this time competing against Belbin and Agosto. Tanith and Ben started the final group off strong with a powerful performance to Ave Maria. They seemed a bit slow at times but really connected with the music. They went on to post their highest total score this season. But there was little they could do as Meryl and Charlie took the ice and skated with no inhibitions and complete abandon. Easily skating the best Free Dance of any team this season (sorry Canadian Fans...even better than Tessa and Scott!), the wooshed past Belbin and Agosto and took the title easily even with a deduction (can't figure out what that was for?). Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates claimed the bronze and likely the final Olympic berth. Navarro and Bommentre were 4th and Chcok and Zuerlein 5th. As soon as the Olympic Team selection is official I will post.

UPDATE: It's official. Davis and White, Belbin and Agosto, and Samuelson and Bates have been named to the U.S. Olympic Team.

Ladies free just wrapped and what a wild ride! Your 2010 National Champ is...Rachael Flatt! I tweeted she managed to avoid the three times a bridesmaid jinx and win. Rachael had a very solid skate that included a muscled triple flip-triple toe combo. It was smooth sailing from that point on. The first of the top four ladies to skate was Ashley Wagner who also had a tremendous free skate. She two footed a couple jumps but attacked and gained strength as the program progressed. Her score went up and it was a big number to beat. Sasha Cohen's short program was a jolt to Figure Skating that was much needed. We all held our breath as she prepared for her free skate and wondered if she could equal her performance from Thursday. It was a tough program to watch. Sasha struggled on the majority of her jumps and it culminated with a fall on her triple flip in the second half of the program. Her artistry is unmatched and she finished fourth here, simply happy to have come back and skated at Nationals one last time. Mirai Nagasu was the final skater and turned in an amazing performance. Most thought she would easily take the title but upon close review of her jumps she got those pesky downgrades on three jumps causing her to miss the title. Still she finished second, with Wagner (who was second in the free) taking the bronze. Again once they selected the Olympic Team I'll update the post...an announcement is expected at any moment...

UPDATE: U.S. Figure Skating has named Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu to the U.S. Olympic Team.

U.S. Nationals Preview (Ladies)

Finally, we have reached the ladies competition at Nationals. Seems like it took forever to get here. More than any other discipline, this one is completely up for grabs with lots of ladies with a shot at taking it (or second place which secures the other Olympic Berth).

Rachael Flatt - She's winning my poll on who people think will win the title. She's been the runner up for two straight years now and looks poised to finally take the crown. Her big moment this season so far was at Cancer.Net Skate America where she upset Kim Yu-Na in the free skate. Kim went on to take the title but Rachael proved she could be a heavy hitter. She has a crowd pleasing short program that could vault her ahead of the competition. A betting person would put their money on her...will they cash in?

Alissa Czisny - The defending champion has had an up and down season to this point. She did nab the silver medal at HomeSense Skate Canada but it wasn't off a great performance. Alissa is one of the most gifted skaters as far as artistry is concerned in the competition. Holding her back is those nerves; something she and her mentor, Brian Boitano, have been working on. If she can keep the nerves under check, land her jumps, and most importantly rotate her jumps, she'll have a great chance of making the Olympic Team.

Mirai Nagasu - She arrived in Spokane in good spirits. The 2008 Champ has looked far more confident this season but she is still getting those pesky jump downgrades from under-rotating her jumps. The only thing between her and an Olympic berth is a quarter turn cheat. She admitted during a USOC Presser in Chicago earlier in the season that she was a bit 'intimidated' by the presence of Sasha Cohen in the event. She'll need to get over the 'fear factor' and trust her training has prepared her for this moment.

Caroline Zhang - She's had a rough season to this point. She was late settling on a coach going from Li Mingzhu to Charlene Wong...then back to Li. After a so-so start in Paris she landed a devastating 8th place at HomeSense Skate Canada after numerous mistakes and jump downgrades. Along, with jump downgrades, Caroline is often slow and also receives edge calls on lots of her jumps. Her coach, Li, has also stated that she enters this championship with a back injury that will require constant therapy...further setbacks indeed. She'll need to do several things to be competitive for an Olympic berth in Spokane...land jumps, skate faster, and find a way to connect with the audience. When Caroline is on she has a natural way of relating to the crowd but if she's off, it just doesn't work.

Sasha Cohen - A good portion of the skating world (myself included) doubted she would even make it to this event. After withdrawals from Trophee Eric Bompard and Cancer.Net Skate America and continued talk of injury and unsuccessful triples...the writing 'seemed' to be on the wall. But her coach John Nicks said she has worked harder in the several weeks leading up to this event than she has ever worked in her life. We all took a deep breath when she actually arrived in Spokane and then our jaw dropped when in her first practice session she looked amazing! Now translating a solid practice to a solid competition is another issue. Artistically she can't be touched. People keep talking about her inexperience with the IJS but in fact she is one of the most experienced skaters, posting some of the systems top scores after its inception (her 2003 Skate Canada score is still #6 on the top score list). I had a sneaky suspicion that if she showed up in Spokane she'd be up to the challenge. Olympics bound for the third time?

Emily Hughes - Finally making it back to Nationals after a two year hiatus, she's kind of the wildcard in the bunch. Spokane ice has been good to her, the last time she was at Nationals was here (2007) and she was the silver medalist. A silver medal here would send her back to the Olympics again. At Cancer.Net Skate America she looked a tad rusty but was giving it good attack. If she worked out the rust and is rotating her jumps fully (that is what did her in at Skate America) and can bring that spark that comes natural to her (all Hughes'?), I suspect she'll be in the hunt for a medal and perhaps a trip to the Olympics.

Ashley Wagner - Ashley was the lone American woman to make the Grand Prix Final where she placed a respectable 4th. She's looked solid in practice leading up to the event and has seemed very focused. She's stated that rather than attempting lots of tricky triples, she's just trying to do what she can do well and earn positive GOE's. Third in 2008, fourth in 2009, is 2010 her year? In my poll she is in second place for those predicting who will win this competition. She's been the U.S. leading lady so far this season...does it continue with a trip to Vancouver?

Rachael Flatt on TODAY

Just in case you missed out...here's Rachael's performance from the Today Show yesterday. Rachael's tapping into her inner diva here!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I'm slightly confused...

This video kind of confuses me but I guess "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work?" Whatever that means...

Tom Zakrajsek's students apparently have too much free time on their hands. I say another long program run through for all of them!

My favorite is Rachael Flatt's 'Oh Snap!' See if you can spot it along with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Pic of the Week

@iceskatingworld just sent out a tweet that reminded me of something special that had happened back in May.

I rarely focus on the coaches of all the amazing skaters we enjoy, but once a year I do like to devote a pic of the week to the PSA Coach of the Year and I actually neglected to do that this year so I'm making up for it now.

This post actually comes as I was just tweeting Rachael Flatt about how amazing her programs look (you can see them here at Blazing Blades!). Of course the coaching muscle behind Rachael is Tom Zakrajsek who is the 2009 PSA Coach of the Year.

Of course Tom Zakrajsek is not only part of the reason Rachael Flatt was the top ranked U.S. woman last season in international competition, but he's also part of the success story for many of the U.S. top skaters including Ryan Bradley, Brandon Mroz, and many up and comers. He also was the guiding force that put Jeremy Abbott on the skating map last season.

So a warm (albeit late) congratulations to Tom Zakrajsek.

Tom was with Rachael at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships when Rachael had this very successful free skate.

The results are in...

The results of my recent poll are in. The question, does Czisny and Flatt have what it takes to get the U.S. three Olympic berths at the upcoming World Championships, was answered and overwhelmingly people are not convinced they can pull it off.

Nearly half of all respondents didn't think they have what it takes. A quarter thought maybe they could pull it off and about a fifth said they absolutely could. Seven percent were even less optimistic, stating they thought Czisny and Flatt might only earn the U.S. one spot...eeek!

Now Rachael has gone back to last season's free skate that served her well at U.S. Nationals where she won the silver and the Junior World Championships where she won gold. There have been rumbles that Alissa has up'd the technical difficulty of her free skate to get every point possible.

While we can predict all we want the question remains, how will it all play out?

Pic of the Week: Countdown to Cleveland

The figure skating season thus far has been a bit of a wash for the U.S. ladies.

Our last two U.S. Champions (Nagasu and Meissner) were not able to place any higher than 5th (Nagasu at Skate America) in Grand Prix competition. Inconsistency continues to plague the likes of Czisny and Liang.

Jump downgrades have been the name of the game this season and Zhang and Wagner have felt the brunt of that wrath.

Katrina Hacker is still a bit green and lacking in the technical department and Emily Hughes has...well...she barely did...

Our one ray of hope this season has been Rachael Flatt. She's managed to be (mostly) consistent. She also achieved the highest placement on the Grand Prix by any U.S. lady, a silver in Russia. She's had to deal with the occasional downgrade as well but seems to be working through the problems better than the others.

As I look forward to U.S. Nationals, I'm gonna peg Rachael as the one to watch...and potentially...beat. More than any of the other U.S. ladies, she's bringing the goods this season. She's managed to work through the technical content while still bringing some style and elegance to the ice; a feat few U.S. women have accomplished this season. Mark my words...keep an eye on her.

Here's her SP from Cup of Russia...it's not perfect, but shows that she is definitely a competitor.

Rachael Flatt 2008 CoR SP
Uploaded by muffin14

Pic of the Week

Brace yourself for this Pic of the Week...literally!

The Olympic Games are in full swing in Beijing and Rachael Flatt is doing her part to help cheer on team USA with, get this, her braces! That's right, Rachael is asking the more than five million Americans with braces to outfit them with Red, White, and Blue bands around their brackets.

Talk about getting into the Olympic Spirit!

This is all part of the much larger "Band Together" educational campaign, sponsored by the American Association of Orthodontists.

So go on, show some American pride, and show off those pearly Whites...Red and Blues!

Susan at Lifeskate also is featuring Rachael Flatt in the Band Together Campaign!

Pic of the Week

I first took notice of Rachael Flatt at last years' National Championships. I had honestly never heard of her and she just blew me away. I was sitting in the crowds in Spokane during her short program asking the people around me, "Who is she? She's good!"

Since the night of her short program and the following night of her free skate where she showed equal promise I have quietly kept an eye on this young lady. I secretly logged in to see how she was doing at her Junior Grand Prix events. I watched her Junior Grand Prix Final performance on YouTube. And the week before Nationals in St. Paul I suddenly remembered that not many were talking about Flatt and maybe they should be!

She wowed us in St. Paul and she wowed the crowd last week in Sofia and I just think she is a star on the rise! I lover her...braces and all. Cheers to you Racheal Flatt...job well done!

2008 Junior World Championships

The world's best junior (and in the case of the U.S., some of our best senior) skaters converged on Sofia, Bulgaria for the 2008 Junior World Championships. This event always gives a glimpse into some of the sports future champions and these young champions didn't dissapoint.

In the pairs competition, a couple of young Russian teams topped the leader board. Krasilnikova and Bezmaternikh (mouth full, huh?) won the gold. This is a team we actually saw finish fifth on the Senior Grand Prix circuit at Cup of Russia and competed in their first Senior Russian National Chmapionship this season placing 5th. Winning the silver (but actually winning the free skate) was another Russian Team, Iliushechkina and Maisuradze (whew!). They received strong GOE points on their throw triple loop but couldn't overcome the lead their teammates had acquired after the short program. The intersesting story about these two is that they were both originally single skaters and have been skating together for less than a year. In less than a year they've finished fourth in their first nationals together as a team (and as seniors) and won the silver at Junior Worlds...impressive! The bronze medal went to the Chinese team of Dong and Wu...China of course never short on pairs talent. The Americans finished fifth, tenth, and eleventh, Junior National Champs Paetsch and Nuss highest among them.

The men's event was won by American Junior National Champion Adam Rippon. Since teaming up with Nikolai Morzov Adam has become a force to be contended with. Smooth lines and excellent GOE scores led him to a well deserved win in Sofia. Russian Artem Borodulin won the silver medal. Amazing considering less than three months ago he had a broken ankle. Jinlin Guan of China won the bronze. Jinlin had the highest technical score amongst the medalists, landing lots of clean triples, but his component score suffered due to his lack of artistry and connective elements. Brandon Mroz of the U.S. finished fourth while Tommy Steenberg also of the U.S. finished ninth. Kevin Reynolds of Canada was the only competitor in the field to land a quad, he finished sixth.

In Ice Dance the American team of Samuelson and Bates were finally able to come out and the skate they wanted. At last years Junior Worlds they had to withdraw because they fell and he stepped on her finger, severing a tendon and requiring surgery. At this years nationals the team was hampered by the fact that Emily had the flu virus and was getting IV's to stay hydrated. They finished 4th at that competition (as seniors) despite missing half the practices. But finally they were healthy and well trained and able to push through and win the Junior World title. They held off the Canadian team of Crone and Poirier who were right on Emily and Evan's heels the whole competition. Both teams had excellent GOE and component scores. The bronze went to the Russian team of Gorshkova and Butikov. The Hubbells (U.S. brother and sister team
) finished a strong fifth place.

The ladies event gave us a glimpse into the future for sure. To be blunt, this very well could be one of the most talented field of ladies the U.S. has ever sent to a competion. The last time I can think of a field being this deep for the U.S. was the 2003 World Championships in Washington, D.C. when we sent Kwan, Cohen, and Hughes. It isn't a shock that our ladies swept the podium in Sofia, considering we sent our Senior Gold and Silver medalists as well as the reigning Junior World Champ! In a very close competition between Flatt and Zhang, Rachael Flatt squeaked by to win the event. The only flaw in her program was a wrong edge deduction on her second lutz. Everything else was clean as a whistle and she garnered the highest technical and component score! Caroline Zhang too had a great skate and was actually ahead of Flatt after the short (2nd place vs 3rd) but had some trouble with wrong edges on both her lutzes and couldn't keep up technically. Again, minor errors and still a brillant performance...she was less than .40 behind Flatt. Mirai Nagasu, our reigning Senior Ladies Champ and leader after the short program, struggled a bit with the harder jumps. She had a few underrotation calls and she also struggled with the wrong edge deduction. The technical issues put her back about ten points to Flatt and Zhang and she was only able to capture the bronze, but amongst that field, respectable!

Now our focus turns to Goteborg, Sweden in hopes that the U.S. (or whichever country or competitors!) can do as well there as it did in Sofia. Full results can be seen here.