A promise kept...

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

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

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

Album #1
Album #2

Hope you enjoy.

Aaron

Pic of the Week

I'm just going to let this picture speak for itself. Several times during Skate America, you saw some of the best coaching line-ups ever. See who you can identify!

Playing Catch-Up...Post Event Ramblings

Whew! I've spent all morning, and now a bit of the afternoon, catching up on all my fellow bloggers reaction to this past weekend's Skate America happenings. I have to admit that actually being at the event, at least for me, I tend to tune the rest of the world out and focus. Upon returning to the real world it was nice to read reactions to things I watched live and to really attempt to get a grip on what took place right before my eyes.

First, a funny note. I reported on my blog about my airline fiasco a week before the event, part of the compensation from Delta Airlines was upgrading my ticket to first class (I never fly first class unless its one of those fluke upgrades that happen from time to time) after changing my departure airport. Just so happens on the way home on my flight out of Seattle, Tom Hammond of NBC Sports was two seats from me just on the other side of the aisle. I didn't tell him I knew who he was...I don't think anyone in First Class knew who he was...I think better to let people just be people sometimes.

I think Rockne Brubaker is one of those people that really feels the whole Olympic spirit emotion that swells up inside of you. At Skate America, I was fortunate enough to have amazing seats, and often times a lot of the coaches and officials would come sit in the section directly next to where I was. It was frequented by Tom Zakrajsek, Igor Speilband, and Jason Dungjen, among others. During the Ice Dance final Dalilah Sappenfield showed up, with Keauna and Rockne in tow! After the final, they played a video about competing in the Olympics and representing the U.S. and Rockne was so into that video and you could just see the athleticism and patriotism swell in him. As a direct result of Skate America, McLaughlin and Brubaker are my favorite pairs team! Also, Susan, Keauna is tiny, but not really tiny! I guess I would say fit! Hahahaha...making good on a request there.

Pink Floyd was widely used at this event. I must say I've never seen so many Pink Floyd programs in my life.

In retrospect I now see where Evan lost the event. With TiVo you can watch in slow-motion and you can see where he just had those tinsy-tiny cheats. But...come-on! Wouldn't a little nick on the GOE be sufficient rather than completely downgrading what appears to the naked eye to be a complete jump? Also, what I thought would be a two man race in Japan between Takahashi and Oda for the top spot became a three man race...Kozuka wants to be a contender too! A side note about Kozuka's win...NHK Television was giddy with joy about this one! This was certainly an unexpected surprise...you could see them going crazy at their media platform (which, by-the-way, was triple the size of NBC's!).

Lots of chatter on the blogs about this and I concur...everyone is talking about Meissner and Nagasu and nobody is talking about Flatt. People, FLATT WAS THE BEST US LADY AT THE EVENT...HANDS DOWN! And I feel really underscored...I'm sure it has something to do with jumps and footwork or whatever, but to just watch, she was great!

Now we get to turn our attention to Skate Canada in Ottawa. This event has been really affected by retirements and withdrawals. I'll preview it Thursday.

Skate America Report 3

Right into it with the Free Dance. Summersett and Gilles were able to pull up a spot after a great Free Dance. This young U.S. team has a great deal of promise. Carron and Jost of France stayed in 5th after a not so special Free Dance. Speaking of young U.S. teams with promise, Samuelson and Bates stole the spotlight again. I saw Evan in the lobby and that guy is tall but he along with Emily move like liquid silk on the ice, amazing to watch and a nice ovation from the crowd. They finished 4th overall but were actually third in the Free Dance. The Kerr's from Great Britain managed to hang on to the bronze medal despite being eclipsed by Evan and Bates in the Free Dance...this team was another crowd favorite and winning the bronze wasn't their big moment...more on this in a bit! It was super close at the top. Belbin and Agosto finally managed to break through and win the Free Dance. Their program set to 'Tosca' is very intense and dramatic. You can tell there are some places in the program that need a bit of tweaking but it's well on its way. Tanith and Ben are a completely different team from the past, they have completely revamped themselves, we'll have to see if it pays off. Despite losing the Free Dance to the Americans, Delobel and Schoenfelder managed to take the title. Like the Americans, their Pink Floyd program still needs a little work but it's good as well. In the end, they won by just over a point. Wait...did I correctly predict the Dance podium too?

The ladies free skate didn't go well for the American ladies at all. Poor Kimmie Meissner...poor poor Kimmie. I just feel so bad for her because it appears her confidence still isn't there. She had a bit of meltdown, dropping all the way to 8th overall...ouch! She just keeps heading further and further down the rankings. I don't know what she needs to do...but she needs to do something.

Bad news for Mirai Nagasu as well. She had some jump issues here and there and on top of that, most of her jumps got downgraded because of cheated landings. You could tell at the end of her program, she knew it wasn't going to be good. She finished 5th overall. Rachael Flatt was the lone American to do okay, but she was up against a brick wall with the ladies from Japan and Korea! She did a pretty good skate and was the highest amongst our ladies finishing 4th.

The top three were very good. Miki Ando landed a lot of jumps in her program, problem was she didn't do a great deal of choreography. It was just jump to jump to jump. That was why her teammate, Yukari Nakano, with less technical difficulty surpassed her for the silver. Interestingly, both Ando and Nakano are skating too 'Giselle' this season. But Yu-Na Kim was stellar. Her only error came when she singled a loop, otherwise she was near flawless. She was simply amazing and at the end of her performance the crowd erupted, superfans and all! The score was huge, she beat the other ladies by about 20 points, it was crazy.

The exhibition performance was nice. Some of the highlights included the Kerr's Scottish Folk Dance, Kilts and all! They got a huge ovation and solitified themselves as the definite crowd favorites of the event. Evan Lysacek danced his butt off to a Michael Jackson/Chris Brown combo. Yukari Nakano impressed again with a gorgeous piece to Barbara Streisand's 'Somewhere.' McLaughlin and Brubaker continued to wow the crowd with their pairs skills. Delobel and Schoenfelder did this amazing number with huge scarfs. And Yu-Na Kim again (rhymes!) was mesmerizing.

10 things I've learned at Skate America about this skating season...

1. The judges plan on being very, VERY nitpicky this season. Rotate those jumps!
2. I really hate the fact that the judges are anonymous!
3. The Yu-Na Kim superfans are amazing!
4. By no means do Delobel and Schoenfelder have this season locked up.
5. Johnny Weir continues to be reliable and consistent....unbelievable.
6. U.S. ladies figure skating is in trouble...even our A team couldn't bring it.
7. The U.S. has a bright spot in pair skating in McLaughlin and Brubaker, they rock!
8. Skating in Japan is huge, NHK cameras where everywhere!
9. The U.S. Dance field is becoming extremely deep!
10. Never, NEVER count Japan out!

Well that's it from me...I'm gonna get all these amazing shots loaded onto a public album and share with all of you. Now that it's all over you can see the full results here. Next week I'll be just like everyone else watching the Grand Prix at home (on the computer for those of us in the U.S., crud!). I'm off to bed for an early flight tomorrow. Goodnight!

Skate America Report 2

LET ME BE CLEAR...I'M NOT AT ALL HAPPY WITH THE JUDGING TODAY!

Now that I got that off my chest, let me begin with the Original Dance (OD). Summersett and Gilles still find themselves in 8th place but they had a wonderful OD that the crowd really got behind. Although they are in 8th, the spread between 6th and 8th is nill so they have plenty of opportunity to rise. The French team of Carron and Jost slipped to 5th after Samuelson and Bates of the U.S. turned in a stellar OD, complete with fancy tap dancing. For me, this was the program of the night (afternoon actually) and by the crowds reaction, I think it was theirs as well. The Kerr's have closed the gap just a little on the top two, in part, because they placed second in the OD. The Kerr's had a very strong OD and actually beat Tanith and Ben who are in second still overall. While it's still close at the top, Tanith and Ben lost a wee bit more ground to the French Delobel and Schoenfelder. They seem to be heading the wrong direction but they have the Free Dance to redeem themselves. In my opinion, their OD lacked the spark we've seen from their skating in the past...seemed a bit...Russian? In defense of Tanith and Ben, I thought their program should have been good enough to get past the Brits...this was my first juding dissaproval of the day! The French did this crazy old man, naughty nurse program that lost me a little bit...but all the footwork, lifts, and dance spins were spot-on, so they remained in the lead.


The pairs event went basically as everyone thought it would. First, the young Americans Yankowskas and Coughlin put on quite a show. Skating to 'Dracula' they started their program with this amazing lift that went all the way around the arena and they never looked back. They were pumped after their program having skated so well. On the reverse, finishing one spot above their teammates in 5th, Inoue and Baldwin had a terrible skate. They are still using that hideous (yes...I used that word!) program from last season and it go them nowhere. In truth, they are lucky they beat Yankowskas and Coughlin, I certainly would have placed them behind them! Duhamel and Buntin stayed in 4th after an up and down program. The leaders after the short, Russians Mukhortova and Trankov had a complete meltdown and are lucky to have one the bronze medal, they were terrible. But, Keauna and Rockne were stellar. First, I was weary because they are using 'West Side Story' and all us skating fans know this has been used over and over and over and...you get the point. But they are using the best cut of this music I've ever heard. The choreography is great and they skated great! A little hand down on the triple salchows but otherwise good...they had everyone out of their seats. As expected, the German's breezed by everybody with an easy skate to victory, however, they did have a major error when she singled the throw salchow near the end of the program. I'd like to point out I accurately predicted the Pairs Podium!

Between the end of the Pairs competition and the start of the Ladies short I went and grabbed some dinner. Upon returning to the Arena, I found a sea of Korean flags! I must tell you I've never been to an event where Yu-Na Kim competed. I asked a couple who was sitting near me who also travel to lots of skating competitions and they said "Oh yeah, she has a traveling entourage of superfans! Where she goes, they go!" Once we got inside the Arena, the walls were instantly decorated with Yu-Na signs and messages. It's like the Arena underwent an instant transformation. At the same time, all those people outside with the flags took seats bunched together in one corner of the arena...suddenly Yu-Na had a pep squad!

Speaking of the ladies short, this was where I went from being annoyed with the judges to full blown mad! The first of the U.S. ladies to skate was Rachael Flatt and she was stellar! Beautiful skating, spot on jumps, just amazing yet her score was just so so...huh? She's currently in 5th but she should be in second! Kimmie Meissner's big comeback hit a snag when she went down on her triple flip. I notice she's changed the entrance into the jump, I think to avoid taking off the wrong edge, but I don't think she's used to it yet. She's in 6th, but not all is lost, more on that in a moment. Mirai Nagasu took the ice and she had had problems too. She two footed the lutz, which was supposed to be in combination with a triple toe on the triple toe never happened. She had the frame of mind to make her solo flip jump into a combination, but it was only a triple/double. Despite the varied mistakes, she went ahead of Flatt...I was quite confused and dumbfounded by this! Yukari Nakano came out and made a couple boo boos of her own. Her triple/triple became a triple/double and then she doubled her triple lutz. But then she went ahead of Mirai and Rachael (at this point I'm wondering how the only skater to have a clean performance is now being pushed to third by skaters who aren't skating half as well)...puzzling? Miki Ando was just crusing through her performance until she took a spill during her foot work (I was watching Nikolai Morozov her coach during it and he winced as she fell!), yet she managed the lead. Between Miki in 2nd and Meissner in 6th there is less than three points separation so they all are still in the hunt for a medal. Speaking of medals, I think the Gold is wrapped up already. Yu-Na Kim was mesmerizing. She had a little flub up on her double axel but nobody cared because the rest was just so good! When the marks went up she was close to 12 points ahead of Miki Ando! The Korean pep squad went berserk! Yu-Na just sat there in the kiss and cry and shyly waved at the camera...geez! As soon as she left, the superfans quickly dispersed. I asked the couple behind who had some experience with the superfans and they noted they were now on their way to the hotel to stalk Yu-Na there!

And the men...ARRGGGHHHH! Adam Rippon stayed in 8th. I think his 'Pagliacchi' music is a bit heavy. Also, it appears to me that he has attempted to become Johnny Weir's clone, complete with sequined outfit with red broken heart on chest...just an observation. Two Canadian men turned in great programs. Shawn Sayer finished 5th with a program set to 'Amadeus.' There wasn't a beat of the music he didn't hit and he was one of the crowd favorites of the night. Kevin Reynolds placed 4th, he was also the only skater to land a quad (it was a salchow) on the evening. I think he surprised himself with his performance looking quite in disbelief in the kiss and cry. The podium was whack! What a joke! Evan Lysacek got the Bronze with the best performance on the night. He crashed and burned on the opening quad but went on to complete everything else yet his technical score was only 4th best on the night (I have no idea where the dinged him?). That was one of the loudest judges boo I've ever been a part of...how ridiculous. I ask everyone to watch his and Kozuka's performance and tell me who's better. I'd like to know which judges scored what, oh wait, I forgot, THEIR ANONYMOUS! Johnny Weir got the silver, which is what he deserved, but he too was better than Kozuka. Johnny, after stepping out of his quad attempt, went on to complete everything else. His new program, like his one from last season, back loads a lot of the triples in the second half of the program. Apparently, didn't matter. Takahiko Kozuka won it all with a so so program set to 'Romeo and Juliet.' I'm trying to understand where he amassed this huge technical element score...he didn't land nearly the jumps that Lysacek or Weir (or Reynolds for that fact!). I think he deserved the Bronze if not 4th place...big gift for the young man from Japan (that rhymes!) was given tonight! We'll be talking about this one for a while! The men's standing should have been flip/flopped with Weir staying in second...hands down poor judging!

Skate America Report 1

Okay...long long day! Understand that this post may be long...sorry in advance!

I decided to get up early and go visit family I have here in the area. My day began in Seattle, (West Seattle to be exact) and I had an early excursion to Hamilton Viewpoint Park where I took some lovely shots of the Seattle Skyline!

After an early brunch it was off to Everett and Comcast Arena for the competition. Comcast Arena seems to be the perfect size venue for an event like Skate America. The vendors, shops, booths and all are very neatly spaced around the arena and the event has been on time to the tee. Somewhere, some event organizers should be patting themselves on the back...job well done.

The Compulsory Dance (CD) was the first event of the competition and no big surprises at all. All the teams gracefully slipped around the ice to the Viennese Waltz. Summersett and Gilles turned in a respectable if a bit timid CD and are in 8th place. This is their first major international event as seniors so to not be in last place is an accomplishment. The other young American team of Samuelson and Bates find themselves in 5th, however they are very much still in medal contention. The french team of Carron and Jost snuck in for 4th place after a CD that had very deep curves and good flow. The top three bumped it up a notch with very good CD's. The Kerr's looked very confident and had quite a cheering section in the crowd...there were plenty of Scottish and British flags in the crowd. John had a tinsy/tiny balance check which I think put them back a couple of points but they were very good. I have to admit I held my breath during Tanith and Ben's CD...I just kept thinking, please don't fall! They didn't and turned in a flawless CD...trouble is, so did the French team of Delobel and Schoenfelder and the judges gave the nod to the reigning World Champs. Very....VERY close at the top however, less than a point.

Between the break between the CD and the pairs and men's short program I did a little checking around the shops around the arena and noticed one pizza shop had actually posted a long banner on the side of the building, I thought it was the funniest thing...Welcome Skate America, Pizza By the Slice! I also did my patriotic duty and went and saw the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln which has recently put back to port in Everett from duty in the Middle East. Those naval vessels are massive...I don't understand how such a thing can stay afloat!

Back to the Arena just in time to find a long line of people...I'm the type of person who sees a line of curious people...I'm gonna get in it! And quite to my pleasure at the end I found Kimmie Meissner and Rachael Flatt! After greeting both I gave them strict orders too, along with Mirai, sweep the ladies competition (I know that goes against my predictions but that's what I really want to happen!). They then obliged by signing my program! Back to my seat to watch the Zamboni finish cleaning the ice (I think the same guy just travels the nation cleaning ice...all the Zamboni ice cleaners look the same too me!) and watch as the opening ceremonies took place. First the Tuallip Tribe welcomed everyone by performing a spiritual dance and then a group of local skaters had this really cool opening number, quite good.

The pairs short program was a bit weird to me. Yankowskas and Coughlin didn't do too shabby but they'll need to do better to pull up. Inoue and Baldwin had big struggles. On the side-by-side jumps John only did a double...then Rena fell on the throw triple axel which was downgraded to a double. Finally, I felt they lost some steam at the end of the program and find themselves 16 points off the lead...7 off a medal. I was even surprised they tried the throw triple axel in the short, they never even warmed up a throw jump! Duhamel and Buntin of Canada got edged for third by McLaughlin and Brubaker. Keauna and Rockne had problems with the throw triple loop after landing a gorgeous one in the warm-up. They have a great program however with fantastic choreography set to 'Malaguena.' In second, and quite to my surprise, are the Germans Savchenko and Szolkowy. The only big flaw in their program came when Robin double his triple toe but I have to say the music is awful. It's this techno 'Speed Racer' thing that just drones on and on and on and never ends. They need to fix this! The leaders are the Russians Mukhortova and Trankov who gave a clinic on how to do Pairs skating. They were fast, clean, great unison, lyrical, perfect stretch, the quintessential Russian pair. For them to win this would be a bit of an upset!

And the men were last. Adam Rippon did not fair well. After landing lots of triple axels in the warm-up, he fell on the one in the program. He also missed his planned triple/triple and settled for a triple/double instead. Add in a held-onto landing on his lutz and that meant 8th place...ouch. Alexander Uspenski slid into 7th and above him Shawn Sawyer in 6th. For me, the two biggest surprises of the night are the guys in 5th and 4th. Adrian Schultheiss is in 5th after an energetic techno program that got the crowd behind him and in 4th place is one of the upstarts from Canada, Kevin Reynolds, who was the only skater to land a quad...he landed a gorgeous quad salchow/triple toe combo! The top three have nicely separated themselves from the pack (13 point spread between 3rd and 4th) but it's a horse race between them. In third is Japan's Kozuka who had the short program of his life! It was cool and easy and he hit his personal best. Lysacek answered with a fantastic skate of his own...he did take out the quad after Kozuka posted a high number without (I think not wanting to miss it than be in trouble) it. Weir was the last to skate and turned in a very very good program, he did two foot his triple flip, which put him in second behind Evan...by just barely and ahead of Takahiko...just barely. It's very close among the three of them.

Tomorrow is a new day and the much anticipated ladies competition gets underway. Can't wait! Also, I'm planning on putting all the pics that I'm taking (lots!)into an online album for all my readers to enjoy...more on that later.

It's late...but I'm excited!

It's after 1:00 am here on the West Coast...after 4:00 am on the East Coast. But, I've found my way to Everett, Washington and am so excited to be attending Skate America.

I rolled into town (Sea-Tac Int'l Airport) around 7:00 and decided to take a trip down to the Arena (8:30 pm) since I've never been here. Comcast Arena is nicely settled along a cute street that remind me of old school main street.

Also, the town seems excited about Skate America. All the businesses have welcome signs out.

From the outside, it appears to be an impressive place. In addition to the main hall where the competition will be, there is another attached hockey rink as well as a sports medicine center. I also like the huge bridge like structures that rest on top of the building.

Also, I found upon arrival that Kevin Van Der Perren has withdrawn from the event as well as Fraser and Lukanin. Hopefully I can get more on this tomorrow.

Okay...I'm off to bed. Lots more pictures and reports to come tomorrow after the competition!

Jack Pot!

The ladies event at Skate America is like hitting the figure skating jack pot as far as line-ups go. Outside of the World Championships in L.A. (and possibly the Grand Prix Final), this is probably the deepest ladies field we'll see all season at an event.

First, the favorite, Yu-Na Kim of Korea. She owns the Grand Prix! For the last two seasons she's been the "bully on the playground" when it comes to these events. She's won the last two Grand Prix Finals and from reports about her health and training appears poised to do it again this season. The very first question to ask is...can she even be stopped?

Second, the comeback, Kimmie Meissner. We are all holding our collective breath to see if she can bounce back from the meltdown that was last season. She says her training situation with Richard Callaghan and Todd Eldredge has helped restore her confidence and she has a renewed passion for skating (much like Lysacek!). We'll all be looking to see how the 2006 World Champ can do and if she is truly back on track...I'm still a bit of a skeptic...but I'd love to write the story..."Kimmie Shut Me Up with Great Skate!"

Third, the Japanese juggernaut, Ando and Nakano. Miki Ando knows a thing or two about winning, she's the 2007 World Champ. She had an up and down season last year that culminated in a dramatic withdrawal from World's 1/3 of the way through her free skate. Miki over the last two seasons has performed very well at Skate America, winning in 2006 and placing a close second last season. If she is over her injury, she'll be a factor. Also from Japan, Yukari Nakano will also look to take the top spot. Without much fanfare, Yukari quietly landed a triple axel in every international competition she entered last season (I know, I know...it was downgraded at both Skate Canada and Worlds but come on...it still was impressive!). I also have to admit in my estimation she was completely robbed at World's last season where she turned in, what many thought, was the performance of the night only to loose ground to, among others, Carolina Kostner who was terrible. I can't imagine the wrap she has some of her jumps hurts her that much, but that's my opinion. If she's on, she'll be right in the mix.

Fourth, the young ones, American's Mirai Nagasu and Rachael Flatt. Both made a splash last season, Nagasu by taking the U.S. National crown, and Flatt by breezing to a sophisticated win at the Junior World Championships. Also note that Flatt was the silver medalist at U.S. Nationals and Nagasu was the bronze medalist at Junior Worlds. These two are primed to make their Senior debuts and they come loaded with the goods to make it golden. Both are armed with consistent triple/triples and are seen by many, to be the go-to girls for U.S. Skating. If both of these women can pull off what they did in St. Paul, Skate America may end up being the best competition of the season!

Even past these ladies there are others that have been known to compete well in the past. Keep an eye on Valentina Marchei of Italy, Mira Leung of Canada, and Susanna Pöykiö of Finland.

My Medal Call:
GOLD - Kim
SILVER - Ando
BRONZE - Flatt

According to my poll...
GOLD - Kim
SILVER - Meissner
BRONZE - Nagasu

Intersting...

Disclaimer...This was a tough one for me to predict because my heart is telling me differently then my head...just so you know...I went with my head!

The new Tanith and Ben

From The Everett Herald by Rich Myhre

The new Tanith and Ben

Back in the spring of 2006, fresh from winning silver medals at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, ice dancers Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto were near the pinnacle of international skating. All they needed, it seemed, was to take one final step to the top.

Instead, barely two years later, the American tandem -- he is native born, she is a naturalized citizen -- took a deliberate step backward.

It happened after the World Figure Skating Championships last March in Goteborg, Sweden, where favorites Belbin and Agosto failed to medal after an inexplicable fall by Belbin in the compulsory program. It was a hard-to-fathom moment, akin to Tiger Woods needing only a 2-foot putt to win the Masters -- and missing.

But for Belbin and Agosto, who will be in Everett this week for Skate America, their problems at the world championships were more significant than a onetime stumble.

"I think we'd been feeling slightly dissatisfied with our skating leading up to that point," Agosto said by telephone last week. "And we weren't really sure what it was."

Belbin's fall in Sweden and the duo's subsequent fourth-place finish were "definitely a slap in the face," he said. "That was a wake up call. We had to stop and look at what was going on, and then decide what to do."

And they decided to make changes.

First, they ended their working relationship with coach Igor Shpilband and choreographer Marina Zoueva, with whom they had trained in Detroit for 10 years. Their new coaches are Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov, the gold medalists in ice dancing at the 1980 Olympics, and a married couple who live and coach in the Philadelphia area, where Belbin and Agosto now live.

But changes of personnel and geography were just the beginning. Under the tutelage of Linichuk and Karponosov, Belbin and Agosto committed themselves to relearning the rudiments of ice dancing.

"We've been working so hard to really break down the fundamentals we've been practicing for 10 years," Agosto said. "We'd been skating one way, and with our new coaches they've been trying to get us to learn new techniques with basic skating."

"Our training is above and beyond anything we've ever experienced," Belbin said. "We took a long time this spring and early summer going back to the basics with our new coaches."

Weeks passed, in fact, and Belbin and Agosto were beginning to wonder when they would start choreographing new routines for the coming season.

"We were very, very nervous about the difference in the timing of our preparation," Belbin said. "But our coaches just said, 'Trust us, you need this. We can't just cover up your weaknesses in choreography anymore. We have to fix them."

It was a sobering message, but one Belbin and Agosto came to understand and appreciate.

"Without doing that," Belbin said, "we'd be just trying to get lucky like we always have. We needed to fix the problems so that we can stand on our two feet confidently on the ice, and really feel that we are the best skaters out there."

Indeed, with emphasis on the proper techniques and training, their new coaches have told Belbin and Agosto that they can go into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., with "a chance of being unbeatable," she said.

Belbin and Agosto have dominated American ice dancing in recent years, winning the past five U.S. championships and the past four Skate Americas they entered (they did not compete at Skate America in 2006).

Still, for all their accomplishments and fame, certain successes have eluded them. In addition to their runner-up finish at the 2006 Olympics (just weeks after Belbin, who was born in Canada, received her U.S. citizenship), they have yet to win a world championship in eight tries.

The Olympics, of course, are the foremost event on any figure skater's calendar, with the world championships a close second. With that in mind, Belbin and Agosto are planning and preparing "100 percent long-term," she said, although in the meantime events like Skate America are a chance to polish routines and identify areas of weakness.

In Everett, Agosto said, "it's going to be really exciting for us to go out and show this new way of skating for us. It'll be a chance to debut the new Tanith and Ben."

Because Belbin and Agosto are such gifted and charismatic skaters, their performances are often highlights of any event. They will skate three times this coming weekend -- a compulsory dance on Friday afternoon, an original dance on Saturday afternoon and a free dance on Sunday morning -- and they are hoping to generate an enthusiastic response.

"We really feed off of that energy," Belbin said. "Being a skating fan myself and from watching other skaters in those moments when they capture the audience, you can feel it. There's a different atmosphere when those great skaters take the ice and give that special performance. And when we connect with the audience on that level -- and it's only happened to us a very few times in our competitive career -- you can feel it and the judges feel it."

"One of the most important aspects of skating for us is the interaction we have with the audience," Agosto added. "The audience plays a really, really large role in our performance, and it's kind of give and take. The more we can give to the audience and the more that they respond, that gives us even more energy to work with."

"While we're required to perform our elements for the judges, I think for our own satisfaction we really want to perform for the fans," he said. "So we're excited to come to Everett. We've skated there a few times on Champions on Ice, and we've always had great crowds. There's a lot of knowledgeable fans in Everett, and they seem to have a great time and really enjoy the competition."

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Objective One...Beat the Germans!

The pairs competition at Skate America will feature 8 teams and the objective on the mind of 7 of those teams is beat the Germans!

Savchenko and Szolkowy are the overwhelming favorites. The reigning World Champions recently won the Nebelhorn Trophy and look to breeze past the competition in Everett.

If you look at how the teams were ranked behind the Germans at the 2008 World Championships, with all things being equal, the Canadian duo of Duhamel and Buntin (after a solid 6th place finish at Worlds)have the best shot at taking on the Germans. Next in line the Russians, Mukhortova and Trankov (7th at last years worlds). Not having a very good showing at last seasons World's (10th) was Inoue and Baldwin. But as we know, all things are never equal in figure skating. Messing up on side-by-side triples, landing a throw triple axel, or turning in an amazing short or long and everything could change!

And we can't forget one of the favorite teams didn't even compete at last season World's. Not because they didn't earn it, just so happened she was too young. The reigning U.S. National Champs, McLaughlin and Brubaker will also be attempting to carry out objective number one (remember...beat the Germans) and given their performance on the Grand Prix last season, perhaps they have the best shot at accomplishing the task.

When I put all of this into my prediction calculator, this is what I compute:

My Medal Call:
GOLD - Savchenko and Szolkowy
SILVER - McLaughlin and Brubaker
BRONZE - Mukhortova and Trankov

Fierce Showdown

The Men's event in Everett is, to quote Catherine Tate as Lauren, "gonna be some well good skatin'!"

All I have to say is re-match! Johnny vs. Evan! It's gonna be great. Evan the National Champ (barely!) and Johnny the World Bronze Medalist trying to get to the top of the medal stand...it will be great. I'm so very thankful (fingers crossed) that Skate America has been virtually untouched by the major retirements this season and the skating rooster remains mostly intact.

Chengjiang Li did unfortunately withdraw, but he hasn't been much of a contender for some time now.

In addition to Johnny and Evan their is some great talent competing. A trio of men from Canada, all attempting to fill Canada's "Buttle Void" will be in Everett including one of my favorite skaters, Shawn Sawyer. He's musical, has great choreography, and if he can hit his jumps he might be a factor.

Some others of note, including Belgium's Kevin Van Der Perren, he's always a show stopper and if he hits his quad and stays consistent on the triples he could threaten for the title. I don't count anyone from Japan out these days so keep an eye on Takahiko Kozuka. Also, our young upstart from Russia, Uspenski, I'll be watching as well.

We cannot forget the wild card of the competition, Junior World Champion Adam Rippon. I'm not quite sure how the young American will fit into the mix, I suspect he'll skate well.

My medal call:
GOLD - Lysacek
SILVER - Weir
BRONZE - Van Der Perren

Okay...it's time to break it down!

All right folks, it's time to break down Skate America...Axels, Loops, and Spins style!

Today, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I'll take each of the disciplines and break down the competition. I arrive in Everett Thursday and the competition kicks off Friday. Understand...this is your place for Skate America updates! I'll be there...front and center!

Let's start today with the Ice Dance competition and it is game on. Skate America will feature one of the best head-to-head match ups of the season with Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto taking on the reigning World Champions from France, Delobel and Schoenfelder.

Both of these teams are evenly matched and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. At the World Championships in Goteborg, the French team easily defeated the Americans (who actually finished fourth) but if you recall, Tanith and Ben had that nasty slip which put them out of the medals. If they can skate clean, they should be able to go toe-to-toe with the French team. We also have to factor into the equation Tanith and Ben's coaching change and the effect it will have on their performance. It will be fascinating.

And then the battle for bronze...My guess is that the Kerr's have this locked up. The British brother/sister team has been on the move, recently won the Finlandia Trophy, and things just seem to be going their way. But they will have to contend with the reigning Junior World Champions from the U.S., Samuelson and Bates, who conversely won the recent Nebelhorn Trophy. If Samuelson and Bates can get past Kerr and Kerr for the Bronze, that will be a big accomplishment for them.

Other teams will be waiting in the wings and could capitalize if the top teams make mistakes. Especially keep an eye on Fraser and Lukanin of Azerbaijan and Carron and Jost of France.

My medal call:
GOLD - Delobel and Schoenfelder
SILVER - Belbin and Agosto
BRONZE - Kerr and Kerr

Be sure to share your thoughts in comments below.

Just make a phone call...

I reported just a while ago (post below this one), an airline (Delta!) cancelled my flight to Skate America. They "temporarily" discontinued service in my departure city. I highly suspect this has something to do with the nationwide "credit crunch" crisis...but anyway...

I was prepping my pen and paper to write a letter and I decided to just call Delta and see if they just move me to another airport or something. Of course the person on the phone, it would seem, only started working there this morning. She transferred me to her supervisor so that she could help me.

Once transferred, I found myself speaking to a voicemail. I left a message, I was slightly agitated I think. It must have shown in my voice because 10 minutes later I received a call from a Regional Director.

He told me he had looked up my itenerary and apologized again. He listned to me rant and rave about Skate America and pretended like he knew how exciting an event it would be. And then he said...here's what I'm going to do...

He reinstated my itinerary, just changed my departure airport. Now that I have to drive 3 hours to a new airport he gave me a $50 credit. Then he told me to go ahead and keep the 1000 bonus miles they had given me for my inconvienience. Here's the best part...first class upgrade!

As I finish this post, I see on CNN they are talking about all airlines announcing they are cutting capacity.

Talk about lemons to lemonade! My advice, if airlines ever try to jerk you around...get vocal!

What!

Cancelled!

Cancelled! I got an e-mail just now alerting me that my flight itinerary has been cancelled because the airline I booked tickets on has temporarily stopped service from my departure city. How do you "temporarily" discontinue service anyway?

Bless their souls, they did promptly refund me, give me 1000 bonus miles, and apologize twice in the e-mail. I won't tell you the name of the airline (Delta) that did this too me...wouldn't want to tarnish their reputation. Why didn't I just book United like I normally do? Oh wait, I found one of those too good to be true fares...guess what...too good to be true!

Here's the bummer...that was my flight to Seattle for Skate America! Ugh! Last second scramble to find another flight...at probably three times the price!

Okay...I have to breathe...but I plan on writing a strongly worded letter to the CEO of the airline (Delta!) in question!

Red Carpet Treatment

I'm so excited...Skate America is only 34 days away and I'm getting pumped! I used to live in Seattle so the whole Everett, Seattle, Bothell area is very familiar to me and it will be good to visit family, visit old friends, and oh yeah, see the best Grand Prix lineup of all six events!

The City of Everett is not blind to the international attention the city will be getting. Taking a page out of Spokane's playbook, the city is gearing up for the warmest figure skating welcome ever! City crews are applying fresh paint to downtown lampposts, sprucing up flower baskets and preparing to hang welcome banners along Hewitt Avenue, one of the main roads through the downtown area. Hotels are lining up French, German, Chinese and Japanese translators to accommodate guests, and downtown restaurants are expanding business hours and streamlining menus to prepare for a rush of patrons.

"It's really important that we roll out the red carpet for all of the guests who will be at the event," said Amy Spain, executive director of Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. Matt Jensen, director of marketing for the luxury hotel, said hosting a successful event required a lot of coordination and attention to detail. "The international aspect of Skate America is a lot like having an Olympic event in your area," he said.

Promoters expect the event to draw 30,000 visitors who will collectively spend a few million dollars. And they're anticipating a worldwide television audience of 2.4 million people. In just 34 days, the cameras of NBC Sports, Canada's CBC Television and Japan's TV Asahi will be focused on Everett.

Okay...I'm super pumped now!

Tickets please...

So I'm putting together my competitive figure skating travel plans this season. This season, I think I'm going to stake claims on Skate America, Four Continents Cup, and Worlds. I'm a little sad about missing Nationals...I never miss Nationals...but I really want to see the Olympic Arena in action and there is little to no chance I can score tickets for Vancouver 2010, thus 4CC, and of course Worlds are in the U.S. so my budget had to give somewhere and Nationals was the concession, sorry Cleveland (I think that was the worst run on sentence ever!).

But, while I have already purchased my Skate America Tickets and plan to purchase my Worlds tickets as soon as I can figure out my airfare, I can't seem to find Four Continents Cup Tickets (or even a schedule anywhere).

To my friends up north, I need some info! I've looked all over Skate Canada's website for info and searched Google and Ticketmaster.ca. I've even visited the Vancouver 2010 website wondering if they would sell the tickets since it's the Olympic figure Skating test event.

My friends in Canada...I'd love to spend a few days with you in Vancouver next February, let me know how to get there!