Octo-Mom Wipes Out Ice Skating; Son's Meltdown Ca

Octo-Mom on Ice...too much! Visit the site for video...

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From Radar Online...

Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

Octo-Mom Nadya Suleman exclusively invited RadarOnline.com along Friday night when she took some of her older kids ice skating at an indoor rink near her home in La Habra California.

Unfortunately for Nadya, all didn't go as planned. Nadya had a major wipeout on the ice and hurt the palm of her hand. Our cameras also caught her 7-year-old oldest son Elijah in the midst of a major meltdown.

In this brand new interview, Nadya talks about how she handles her kids' temper tantrums. She also addresses the fallout over the recent black eye story involving her 3-year-old autistic son Aidan.

And because she's become an instant celebrity, during all of this, Nadya still found time to pose for photographs with strangers who approached her at the rink.

Young Americans: Stage theirs for the taking

By John Henderson, The Denver Post

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

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

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


What does U.S. figure skating need?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


See Also...Ohhhhh Snap

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Wagner laying claim to Delaware's ice

From Delaware Online by Martin Frank

WILMINGTON -- For the past several years, figure skating in the state of Delaware has been about Johnny Weir and Kimmie Meissner.

Each won their share of honors, including national championships for both and a world championship for Meissner, and both earned spots on the U.S. team for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Both have moved on over the past year or so, with Weir moving to northern New Jersey and Meissner heading to Florida.

But the cupboard, so to speak, is not bare. Ashley Wagner, a 17-year-old from Alexandria, Va., moved to Delaware last summer to train with Priscilla Hill, Weir's former coach, at the Skating Club of Wilmington.

She placed fourth at last month's U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and is headed to the World Junior Championships in Bulgaria beginning Feb. 23. And she is among several women skaters who have a chance to make the U.S. Olympic team next year.

"That is definitely the goal," Wagner said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get there. But it's also scary because all my life, it seemed so far in the distance. Now it's only a year away."

Wagner has done a lot to fulfill her goal. Wagner, her mother Melissa and younger brother Austin, who finished fifth in the novice competition, rented an apartment in Brandywine Hundred last summer so Wagner could train with Hill. She had left her longtime coach Shirley Hughes earlier in the summer.

Wagner takes online classes from her high school in Virginia, where she's a senior maintaining honor-level grades.

The Wagners head back to Virginia each weekend, where Wagner's father, Eric, lives.

Traveling long distances, however, is nothing new for Wagner. She's the daughter of a career military man. She was born in Germany and has moved nine times, including stints in Alaska, California, Washington, Kansas and Virginia.

She began skating at the age of 5 in Alaska, and was hooked a few years later when she watched former University of Delaware skater Tara Lipinski win the Olympic gold medal in 1998. In fact, her father chose an assignment in Kansas over Hawaii so she could continue skating.

"There weren't too many places to skate in Hawaii," Wagner said with a laugh.

Wagner trains about five hours a day during the week, then takes Pilates after her daily skating sessions.

It is during training where Hill sees the similarities with Weir, whom she coached for several years.

"When Johnny was at his best he was training non-stop, and I see that with Ashley," Hill said. "You see that with every elite athlete. That energy is so unbelievable and Ashley definitely has that."

The similarities end there, however.

Weir was, and is, known for his eccentricities and his outrageous comments, which have on occasion gotten him in trouble with the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

Wagner, meanwhile, just skates.

She showed her mental fortitude at the national championships, when she was 12th after the short program.

"It was a disaster," said Wagner, who had finished third the year before and was considered one of the favorites to medal this year. "I was a little shocked. I was going for a triple-triple, and when it didn't happen, I lost my focus for the rest of the program."

Wagner recovered to win the long program, which shot her all the way up to fourth. While it wasn't good enough to get a spot on the podium or the World Championship team, it did get her a spot on the World Junior team and gave her a tremendous boost of confidence.

"It showed me that when things are at the ultimate low point, I can pull myself out of it," Wagner said. "Granted, I never want to have to pull myself up like that again, but at least I know I can do it."

Added Hill: "She learned a lot about herself between the short and the long program. She learned to overcome her demons. In the long term, having to build back was very important to her, even more than if she had done two perfect programs."

But Wagner knows she can't have a slip like that next year at nationals.

The women's field is tremendously deep, as Wagner will compete for one of either two or three Olympic spots with national champion Alissa Czisny, runner up Rachel Flatt, third-place finisher Caroline Zhang and 2008 champion Mirai Nagasu.

There is also Meissner, who sat out nationals with a hip-flexor injury, and there are persistent rumors that past champions Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen might make one final bid for an Olympic spot as well.

"It'll be intense," Wagner said. "But I'm also looking forward to it."


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With an Instructor’s Hand, a Miracle on Ice

A trip to a rink for figure skating lessons in pursuit of exercise ends with a graceful note.

I just had to share this charming little story that appeared in the New York times Yesterday!

With an Instructor’s Hand, a Miracle on Ice by Harry Hurt III


My figure skating instructor, Betsy Berry, led me onto the outdoor rink at the Buckskill Winter Club in East Hampton, N.Y., hoping to work a sort of modern miracle. I wished us both luck. It was a lucent late afternoon amid the most misbegotten period of time since the Great Depression, and I kept ruminating on a passage in “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by the Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez.

In the first chapter of the novel, a giant gypsy opens a mysterious pirate chest to reveal “an enormous, transparent block with infinite internal needles in which the light of the sunset was broken up into colored stars.” One of the novel’s untraveled, semi-ignorant protagonists declares that it must be “the largest diamond in the world.”

“No,” the giant gypsy replies. “It’s ice.”

I slogged across the ice at the Buckskill club buoyed only by my awkwardly outstretched arms and Betsy’s unflagging optimism. Fifty-odd skaters bundled in winter coats and caps careened counterclockwise around the increasingly chunked-up surface of the rink, most of them demonstrating little or no reliable control.

The helter-skelter scene underscored the midlife insanity of my executive pursuit. I was a 57-year-old novice. Apart from a few tips offered by high school classmates in Connecticut, I had had no previous instruction, and I had not set skates on ice in four decades. But after just two hours of lessons from Betsy, I was going to try a relatively advanced — and for me, potentially calamitous — maneuver called a “three turn.”

“I always tell my students to pretend they’re about to jump off a thousand-foot-high cliff,” Betsy said as we made a couple of warm-up laps. “You’ve got to get everything together, your feet, your posture and especially your mind. You’ve got to see yourself taking the leap you’re about to make.”

Betsy’s advice had a metaphorical relevance to my personal financial predicament, which made my blood run colder than the freezing air temperature. I tried to regain composure by silently reviewing my figure skating due diligence, but the facts just stoked my anxiety with unsettling images.

Skating traces its origins to Switzerland, Scandinavia and the Netherlands, where the earliest skates were made of animal leg bones and skaters propelled themselves with poles. The Dutch invented wood skates with iron runners in the 14th century, and later, as depicted in paintings by Pieter Breugel, double-edged metal blades that provided enough thrust and traction to make poles unnecessary. They also popularized skating as a sport that was open to all social classes and appropriate for romantic encounters.

Dick Button gained international acclaim for United States figure skating by winning gold medals in the men’s singles at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. But over the last four decades, the most celebrated and most drama-prone American figure skaters have been women like Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Michelle Kwan, Sarah Hughes, Nancy Kerrigan and the infamous Tonya Harding, whose former husband conspired in an attack on Ms. Kerrigan during the 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships. (A month later, Ms. Kerrigan nevertheless went on to win an Olympic silver medal.)

Membership in United States Figure Skating, the sport’s national governing body, based in Colorado Springs, has been growing steadily for more than 15 years. In the 1992-93 season, the association had 109,721 members. By the 2007-8 season, membership had soared to 178,500. According to the association’s media guide, 78 percent of the members are women or girls, and 68 percent are 18 or younger. In nonstatistical terms, competitive figure skating is dominated by young girls, primarily those with the body types of ballet dancers.

But I discovered that noncompetitive figure skating is a recreational activity that can offer enjoyment and healthful benefits even to a 6-foot-2, 200-pound geezer like me. Figure skating is great exercise for your cardiovascular system, your legs and your torso, and with the exception of the inevitable falls, it is relatively low impact. Likewise, figure skating is not nearly as rough as amateur ice hockey, though it may be at least, if not more, mentally demanding.

Compared with other nonteam sports like golf, fly fishing, skiing and snowboarding, recreational skating is fairly inexpensive. A pair of top-quality skates can cost around $200. At the Buckskill Winter Club, adult passes, which allow you to skate for up to five hours, are just $12 on weekdays and $18 on weekends and holidays; skate rentals are $5. Group lessons start at $23 an hour; private lessons start at $40 an hour.

Betsy Berry, the head coach at the Buckskill club, is a 56-year-old mother of two grown children who comes from a noble tradition of figure skating instructors. Born in New York City and brought up in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, she began skating at age 9. Her mentors were the British champion Graham Sharp and Gustav Lussi, who coached Mr. Button and Ms. Hamill. Although Betsy chose not to compete, she became a professional coach at age 16 to earn some pocket money while she prepared for a career as a fashion model.

In our first two lessons at the Buckskill club, Betsy tried to teach me the fundamentals of skate position and posture, but it all seemed hopelessly contradictory. I was supposed to bend my knees and “sit into” my skates. At the same time, I was to straighten my back by pretending that someone was pulling a string out of the top of my head. Instead of starting with the blades parallel to each other like a pair of skis, I was supposed open them in a “V,” and then push forward in a herringbone pattern. And I was never, ever supposed to look down at the ice.

“If you look down, you’ll lose your balance,” Betsy warned. “Pick a spot way out in front of you and go for it.”

Thanks to Betsy, I survived those first two lessons without a fall. My dubious success and my self-destructive ego inspired me to devote Lesson 3 to trying the “three turn,” a deceptively simple but supremely daunting maneuver that typically takes a novice at least a month of training sessions to learn.

As the name suggests, a three turn makes a pattern on the ice that resembles the number three. It is the building block for almost all the major figure skating routines, including spins, jumps and triple axels. It begins with a forward left turn followed by a brief glide that sets up a reverse twist that flows into the trickiest, most treacherous part of the maneuver — a series of backward crossover steps that require you to keep switching the positions of your outside skate and your inside skate while looking over your shoulder.

I made my first try at the three turn while the ice was still choppy and teeming with other skaters. I got through the forward turn, the glide and the reverse twist without losing my balance or my gamely feigned cool. But my leg muscles instinctively cramped with fear in my first attempted backward crossover step. I fell down hard.

By the time I scrambled upright, the Buckskill club staff was clearing the rink to make way for the Zamboni machine. While we huddled inside the clubhouse, Betsy kept insisting that I ought to give the three turn one more try. “You almost had it,” she said. “You were just going too fast.”

Even so, I was inclined to quit until Betsy took me by the hand and escorted me back outside. The Zamboni had just laid down a sheet of fresh ice, clean, smooth and hard. The rink sparkled like a diamond in the setting sun. I let go of Betsy’s hand and skated in miraculous solitude through a figure three punctuated by three quick, crisp backward crossover steps that seemed to lead, like an ellipsis, into an uncharted century. ...

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Dozens of Peorians hit the ice

A fun article that appeared in my local paper. What a great way to celebrate the Holiday's! I also love when my local rink gets some press!

From the Peoria Journal Star by Rob Dale, Family Skate at Owens Recreational Center a chance for new tradition...

PEORIA — For about 15 years, Scott Buhl had not ventured onto the ice. On Sunday though, Buhl donned skates for the second time in a week, and he says he’s been going at it for about a month now.

What got him back in the rink? His 5-year-old daughter, Hailey.

“She sees the figure skaters on TV from time to time and wanted to try figure skating,” Buhl said. “So, you have to learn to skate first.

”The father and daughter were among dozens to take to the indoor ice rink Sunday at the Owens Recreation Center on Lake Avenue for its annual Family Holiday Skate event. The center encouraged families to come out and start a tradition of ice skating together before the holidays.

“It’s fun,” Buhl said of rediscovering the hobby. “It’s adventurous, falling down a lot.”

Toby Gualandri of Metamora also came to the rink with his kids, but it seemed he was the one taking lessons. “They do much better than I do — even my 5-year-old,” Gualandri joked, saying it was only about his fifth time trying the winter sport. “I try to keep my balance,” he added, “but it doesn’t always work.”

Others came to the rink Sunday to enjoy hockey games taking place in another adjacent rink.

Steele Seei came to watch his younger brother, of Richwoods High School, face off against the rival team. Seei said he’s been watching his brother play for years. “It’s fun to see him grow up and get better,” he said.

Kim Stoner, supervisor at the rink, said there are plenty of things to like about ice skating.

“It’s great exercise for one thing,” she said, adding “If you come with a group, it’s just a good time.”

Despite the frigid nature of the sport, temperatures inside the rink areas at Owens are about 45 to 50 degrees, a welcome change from the near-zero degree weather looming outside. Still, recent temperatures seem to have kept many at home, according to Stoner.

“I think the weather’s really had a big impact on people coming out,” she said, adding that the economic situation hasn’t had an impact because the rink hasn’t raised prices in several years.

The weekend after Christmas, Owens also will host its annual Snowball Hockey Tournament, where teams of players as young as four will hit the ice.

More information on skating at Owens can be found at the Peoria Park District Web site at www.peoriaparks.org.

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People in Sports | Vera Wang

Vera Wang: The fashion designer will be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame on Jan. 23 during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland.

"The only thing that I loved as much as skating were clothes," Wang once said.

Wang began skating when she was 8 and twice reached the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, finishing fifth in junior pairs with James Stuart in 1968. She worked at Vogue — where she was the youngest-ever fashion editor — and Ralph Lauren before opening her own boutique in 1990, selling her trademark wedding dresses and couture gowns.

She combined her two loves, designing costumes for Olympic silver medalists Nancy Kerrigan and Michelle Kwan.

The Associated Press

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Hawaii Ice Skater Going to Nationals

The 2009 U.S. Junior Nationals begin in less than a week and a wonderful story has come from KGMB Channel 9 News from Hawaii...

Hawaii Ice Skater Going to Nationals

You may think only surfers and baseball champs come out of sunny Hawaii, but a young ice skater from the islands is competing in a national figure skating event in New York.

Crystal Nguyen started her skating career when she was just six years old, right here, at Hawaii's only public ice skating rink, the Ice Palace.

Now this 13 year old Kalihi girl is the Central Pacific Regional Champion.

"My favorite jump is the double flip and one of my hardest jumps, is my double axle," Nguyen said. "It's my greatest weapon. Because, most skaters, they can't land it yet. I have already, so it's pretty good."

Crystal leaves this weekend to compete next week at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in Lake Placid, New York.

"Did you ever think you'd make it this far?" KGMB9 asked. "Not really, actually. I was so excited when I went to the mainland, oh my gosh, I can't believe I made it," Nguyen said.

"She's a great ambassador for the sport and the state of Hawaii," Nguyen's coach Jennifer Jones said.

Crystal's Hawaii coach saw her potential years ago."She's just been a little phenom coming up through the ranks. She got an exceptional work ethic and I think that's really paid off in the end now," Jones said.

And like Jamaican bobsledders, Crystal's island skating roots surprise her mainland competitors.

"Hawaii has really not a lot of skaters that compete. So, they're like 'You're from Hawaii? Isn't it only surfing, not ice skating,'" Nguyen said.

For the past 26 years, the Ice Palace has been instructing young skaters, but, Crystal is the pride of Ice Palace right now, and the first skater from Hawaii to win a US regional competition.

Two months ago, Crystal won the Ladies Intermediate Division during the Central Pacific Regional Championships in San Jose, Calif.

She's now ranked third in the nation.

"So, If she can skate clean she actually has a chance at bringing home a medal," Jones said.

Crystal is the only singles skater from Hawaii to ever go to nationals.

"It's an amazing thing to represent Hawaii in a traditionally winter sport, and to be successful at it, is just such and accomplishment for her and the skating club. So, we just hope to continue that success and wish her all the best of luck at nationals this year," Jones said.

Written by Ramsay Wharton

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Don't be too quick to change ice programs - The Reporter

From The Reporter...

A mother's plea to save the ice...I always feel like these stories should get published!


I'm writing in regard to the city's proposal to purchase the Vacaville Skating Center, aka Vacaville Ice Sports ("Meeting to discuss ice rink purchase," The Reporter, Oct. 22).

My main concern -- whether the city decides to purchase the center or not -- is that the programs currently in place, especially the youth hockey and figure skating programs, are not adversely affected by this transaction.

Those involved should be aware that reducing the number of rinks as discussed from two to one would be devastating to the youth athletic programs currently being conducted at the facility.

Practice time for figure skating and hockey teams would be greatly reduced, forcing some of these activities into early morning or late evening hours and possibly driving families away from the rink altogether to partake in programs in Sacramento or the East Bay. That essentially could kill the hockey and figure skating programs completely.

Youth in the Vacaville area deserve a place to play hockey and competitively figure skate, just as much as they deserve access to other sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball and the like.I urge the City Council to consider the area's youth (and those youth out of the area who travel to Vacaville several times each week to use the facility) when deciding whether to purchase the rink and, subsequently, whether to reduce the number of ice surfaces.

In an age when so many children are obese or living unhealthy lifestyles because of a lack of physical activity and participation in team sports, why would we want to reduce the number of avenues for them to remain healthy, active and competitive?

Cean Burgeson, West Sacramento

The author is a parent of a youth hockey player and a figure skater.

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Skating for a cause at USC's Galen Center

From the LA Times by Helene Elliott...

It seems like the Summer Olympics ended about 10 minutes ago, but the Vancouver Winter Games are fast approaching -- they're just a little more than 16 months away.

To start getting you in an Olympic frame of mind, the World Figure Skating Championships will be held at Staples Center in March, and it's a biggie because the results will determine how many skaters each country can send to Vancouver, Canada. That makes this whole season a crucial one for skaters who want to establish or reestablish themselves on the international scene, and a star-studded group with big Olympic dreams was on the ice Wednesday at the Toyota Center in El Segundo preparing for a show that will kick off the Olympic buildup.

Two-time U.S. men's champion Evan Lysacek and Mirai Nagasu of Arcadia, who won the U.S. women's title earlier this year at the tender age of 14, were two of the standouts rehearsing Wednesday for the McDonald's Family Tribute on Ice, which will take place Friday at USC's Galen Center and will be aired on NBC Nov. 16.

The show, to be hosted by "Dancing with the Stars" champion Kristi Yamaguchi -- once better known as the 1992 Olympic figure skating gold medalist -- will feature live music from Nick Lachey, promote World Children's Day on Nov. 20 and support the company's fundraising efforts for children's causes.

As a longtime supporter of Ronald McDonald House, Lysacek is especially inspired for Friday's show.

"We're glad to be a part of it and team up with such a philanthropic organization," he said.

"The show itself [is] gonna be phenomenal. Performing with live artists gives us a little bit more perspective about the music. We're just so used to putting a CD in the tape deck and playing it over and over and you don't hear it. When the music is coming from right there you really get into it and it's a cool experience."

Lysacek, who finished fourth at the Turin Games, is eagerly looking forward to this season and the World and Olympic competitions. He spent a good chunk of this summer training in Russia with renowned coach Tatiana Tarasova, who urged him to train with the Bolshoi ballet to enhance his artistry.

"I did an hour and half of ballet a day in addition to eight hours a day on the ice in Russia. It was really intense, but it was the best thing for me," Lysacek said. "It gave me a newfound respect for dancers because nothing I did in my training on the ice made me as sore as that ballet."

"I'm really proud of my programs and I hope I can do them justice. I've been working really hard, and I've had months more than any prerparation I've had for any season before."

"I just have a new appreciation for skating after a lot of stuff that happened last year with injuries and a lot of stuff that was out of my control. I just feel lucky to be healthy and to be able to skate every day. I'm probably looking forward to this season more than any before."

The same is true for Nagasu, who will make her [international] debut at the senior level.

"I just want to get experience and have fun," said Nagasu, who grew over the summer from 4-foot-11 to 5-foot-2 and is still getting accustomed to her new height.

"Less than a year ago I was standing below the wall, so my eye level [was] with the wall and that's where I looked at during my jumps. Now that I'm taller it's hard to focus on where I want to look because if I look at the wall again, then I lean too much forward and it throws me off."

Performing in a show so close to home means she can invite her best friend. "I didn't even know USC has an ice rink," she said.

Tickets are available through the USC ticket office, Ticketmaster.com or at the Galen Center.

More to come as more skaters finish their rehearsals ...

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Also at the LA Times is a great story by Helene Elliott on Kimmie Meissner.

And another one by Evan Lysacek himself!

Shane Sparks joins figure skating’s brightest stars

From NorwalkPlus...

On Sunday, September 28, Shane Sparks, the Emmy-nominated choreographer from hit TV shows So You Think You Can Dance? and America’s Best Dance Crew will join Olympic figure skaters and local talent in the 7th annual Ethan Allen Hotel’s Stars, Stripes, and Skates ICEtravaganza, which honors the memory of September 11 and benefits The Heritage Foundation of 9/11.

The show will take place at 3:00pm at the Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, CT. Sparks will be joined by co-host JoJo Starbuck, a three-time U.S. pair champion and two-time Olympian.

“When Stars, Stripes, and Skates called, I made time on my calendar,” Sparks said. “I will never forget the heroes of 9/11 and I don’t want any of the kids in America to forget, either.”

For Baiul, the Ukrainian-born skating superstar who still captivates audiences around the globe, performing at the Danbury Ice Arena is a homecoming of sorts.

“I lived and trained in Connecticut for several years, and I really hope I get to reconnect with a lot of my friends and fans here,” the 1994 Olympic champion said.

Joining Baiul on the ice will be three-time world medalist Fumie Suguri; British ice dance champions Sinead and John Kerr; current U.S. ladies bronze medalist Ashley Wagner; 2008 world team member Jeremy Abbott; 2008 U.S. ice dance bronze medalists Kim Navarro and Brent Bommentre; and 2008 world junior champion Adam Rippon. In addition to the world-class roster, young area skaters will share the ice with their idols in a performance celebrating the patriotic spirit of the United States.

“For the past seven years, Ethan Allen Hotel’s Stars, Stripes, and Skates has honored the memory of those lost on September 11 while celebrating future generations of talented Americans,” said Tara Eve Modlin, founder of the Heritage Foundation of 9/11 and creator of Ethan Allen Hotel’s Stars, Stripes, and Skates. “We are very grateful to the skaters that have helped to make the previous shows a success, and are looking forward to another sensational show in 2008.”

Tickets are available for just $10 and $25; special VIP tickets, including an on-ice seat and pre-show meet-and-greet party, are $125 each. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.danburyicearena.com or www.starsstripesandskates.org, or call (646) 435-0951.

About the Heritage Foundation of 9/11

The Heritage Foundation of 9/11 aims to teach younger generations of Americans the historical significance of September 11, 2001. In doing this, the foundation stresses the life lessons we learned in the aftermath of the attacks, patriotism, heroism, and the value of volunteering. Through the annual Ethan Allen Hotel’s Stars, Stripes and Skates show, children learn patriotism through the touching ‘red, white and blue’ group number, which includes 150 children each holding an American flag; they learn about heroism by working to raise money for different charities each year; and they learn about the importance of volunteerism by meeting their skating idols, all of whom volunteer their time to participate in the show and inspire kids to volunteer themselves.

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Help TripAdvisor Decide How to Donate $1 Million

The love of figure skating has taken me around the world and TripAdvisor is always a handy resource. Now, TripAdvisor is doing something very cool...

TripAdvisor is donating $1 million to five great causes and letting the public decide how the money gets split up. What a cool idea!

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Win tickets to Nemo ... and a skate lesson, too

From the Liverpool Echo...

For all my UK Blog Readers...

DISNEY On Ice is on its way to Liverpool this month bringing one of the all-time favourite fishy characters to life.

Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo skates into the ECHO Arena from Wednesday, September 24 to Sunday, September 28.The new production plunges audiences into the amazing underwater world of clownfish Nemo, his overprotective father Marlin and comically optimistic Dory.

Gliding smoothly across the ice, skaters costumed in many forms of sealife, perfectly emulate the natural flow of fish through water. A digital projection screen combines with aquatic lighting to create the depth and vastness of the ocean.

To book tickets call the ECHO Arena box office on 0844 8000 400 or visit www.accliverpool.com. Or you could be one of the winners in our Time Off competition.

One lucky Nemo fan will not only win a free family ticket to the show and a Disney goody bag ... but also a free skating lesson from some of the cast after the show and a meeting with a surprise guest!

Plus, on each of the five show days, we have another family ticket and Disney goody bag to give away.

All you have to do to be in with a chance is find Nemo, he’s hiding somewhere in tonight’s ECHO, and answer the question beside him. Once you’ve done that, details of how to enter the competition are in the panel below.

Happy searching ...

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Ice skater Deann (Beideck) Olson tells her story

From Seatlepi.com...

Where Are They Now: Ice skater Deann (Beideck) Olson by Dan Raley

Deann Beideck was a competitive figure skater on a fast track, earning gold-medal standing in just four years, an athletic feat that drew attention in what was a fairly new magazine at the time, Sports Illustrated.

She took part in the 1958 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Minneapolis, traveling by car to the event with siblings Ray and Ila Ray Hadley, who were fellow Seattle competitors and future Olympians.

Not long after that long ride, this local and regional champion made a difficult and likely fateful choice: Just 20, she married a bellhop she met in Sun Valley, Idaho, gave up her skating career and followed him to Chicago and dental school.

In 1961, she opened up a newspaper to read the horrifying news that a Boeing 707 had crashed on final approach in Brussels, Belgium. All 72 people on board were killed, including the entire 18-member U.S. figure skating team, plus 16 coaches, officials and parents. They were headed to Prague, Czechoslovakia, for the world championships, which were immediately canceled.

Among the dead were the Hadleys and their mother and coach, Linda.

"They were like my best friends, and when they were killed, it was unfathomable," said the now Deann Olson, 69. "Had I not gotten married, I very well could have been on that plane.

"It took several years for the American national team to be rebuilt and become competitive again internationally. It also took time for Olson to feel comfortable with boarding a plane after what happened to the Hadleys.

"I had a fear of flying after the accident, that something was going to happen," she said. "I got over it.

"Olson grew up in Ballard, discovered skating when she was 12 and graduated from Ballard High in 1957. She bought her first set of skates for a quarter. Her parents bought the coffee shop at the local rink and operated it to facilitate her newfound interest. She did her homework there and sometimes slept on a cot in a back room. Mostly, she skated as much as possible, which was two hours in the morning, five in the afternoon and another at night.

A late starter as a competitive skater, she achieved gold-medal stature in Sun Valley, passing the eight levels of testing in what was considered record time. She was a college student when that took place, first at Washington and then Wyoming, following that aforementioned bellhop to the latter school and becoming a cheerleader there.

While giving up skating primarily for marriage, she also figured she had run out of time.

"I had to skip a lot of levels," Olson said of her gold quest. "No one knew me. I didn't have all that background. And women athletes, if they were 21, were considered over the hill.

"She might have put competitive skating behind her, but she didn't abandon the ice altogether. She became a coach, eventually earning a masters rating in freestyle, figures and precision. She has trained skaters at every level and took an American girls team to Hong Kong in 1998.

Olson managed an ice arena in Denver and was hired to open one in Palm Springs, Calif. In 1990, she moved to Sun Valley, the place that had provided her with many of her skating successes, including her gold-medal ranking, and she ran that rink. Hollywood actors sought her out for instruction.

She taught Richard Dreyfuss how to ice-dance, gave lessons to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, and sharpened Bruce Willis' skates on request, though skate sharpening wasn't something she had done before.

"Arnold became quite a good skater," Olson said. "I wanted to teach him how to snowplow, and he said, 'No Deann, I don't want to stop, I want to go fast.'"

From there, she moved to Kennewick before back to Denver, her current residence. She lives with her third husband, John, and mother, Dorothy, 90. She's raised four grown children. Outside of skating, she's been a bank director in California and Colorado. Olson still teaches people how to skate, counting prospective young hockey players among her students in recent years, using a rink shared with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.

She has no regrets over her competitive skating decisions, understanding her career easily could have ended up in tragedy had she pursued it longer. She still has her health and a desire to get out on the ice.

The former Deann Beideck, who used to eat, sleep and skate at the rink, says she'll know when it's time to give it up."I'll retire when I can't tie my skates anymore," she promised.

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You can read more about the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team and donate to the Memorial Fund set up in honor of the 1961 Team by clicking here.

Sochi 2014 Impressed with Beijing

From BBC...

Beijing 2008: A Russian perspective

The Olympic spirit is everywhere in Beijing. Even far from the sports venues, you can still feel that the city is hosting the Games.

I'm not just talking about clean streets, new buildings, good roads and sparkling hotels. The Games add another dimension to Beijing, making it more energetic than I can ever remember and giving people here a fresh view of life. I'm sure that the same thing will happen in my native city of Sochi in 2014.

Fans of all ages have turned out to celebrate the Beijing Games I have been looking closely at Beijing life and want to share my impressions with you.

Chinese people are very friendly. This more than makes up for the occasional lack of strong English speakers. But some of the communication difficulties result in funny moments. For example, I spent 15 minutes explaining to a taxi driver that I wanted to go to the Great Wall where the cycling competitions are taking place. After getting nowhere in English, I started to speak Russian and it rescued me. The driver actually understood Russian better than English!

It is quite easy to get around Beijing during the Games. You can use buses and the underground. Moreover, it is free for members of the Olympic family. The Chinese have constructed a special underground line to Olympic venues. It's a great way to ensure you're on time and not held up in traffic, even with the dedicated Olympic lanes on roads set up for cars.

Right now in Beijing they are enforcing a traffic reduction rule: cars with an even registration number can go out on the even dates of the month and vice versa with the odd numbers. The result is simple: half the cars on the roads during the Games. But even so there are occasions when the traffic is heavy - especially when everyone heads for the Olympic Green at night, such as after Usain Bolt won that incredible 100m gold.

Road restrictions have helped to ease traffic in Beijing Recently I went with some colleagues to see one of the women's field hockey matches. Although I found the sport quite unusual, the most incredible thing about the day was seeing a group of people in the stadium wearing matching T-shirts. We found out that these people had helped to build the Olympic venues in Beijing.

I was very touched by the attitude of our Chinese hosts towards these people who had played a very important, but often overlooked role in the staging of the Olympics. We too must not forget the people who help make our Winter Games in Sochi come to life.

I also believe that the Games are reflecting Chinese culture well. The country's style and tradition is everywhere, from the opening ceremony through to the competition venues themselves. A few days ago I found a cultural showcase in the middle of the Olympic Green called "China Story", where you can learn about the history of China, local life and even try to write Chinese characters. Of course, it's difficult to learn, but it's interesting to see your name written out in Mandarin.

Naturally, I'm following the performance of Russian athletes closely and was very proud of the performance of our female tennis players, who managed a clean sweep of gold, silver and bronze in the individual competition. I was really impressed by the Russian fans who had travelled from all over our country to watch the matches in Beijing. Some guys from Novosibirsk even stretched out a big 'Russia-Novosibirsk' flag along the whole stand!

Most didn't know who to support in the final - Elena Dementieva or Dinara Safina! In the end they supported both, calling to Safina when she was losing: "Stand firm!" and when Dementieva lost form: "Lena, we are with you!" So to be at the Olympic final with that kind of atmosphere and watching two Russian athletes, was a real privilege.


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Dmitry Chernyshenko, who heads the organising committee for the Winter Olympics in Russia's Sochi in 2014, is writing for the BBC from Beijing.

Beijing Olympics -- Live!

From Lifeskate...

For those of you in the US who don't want to wait the 12+ hours to see the Olympics on NBC (which appears to have a good Olympics site save the time delay), there are several options.

The best I've seen is a German TV network streaming live in high definition. Just watched the Americans enter the stadium around 10:30 a.m. EDT, so don't have to wait up tonight while NBC drags out their coverage.

Here's a round-up of all the live Olympics site, as well as another, lower-res streaming site. If you know of other good ways to watch the Olympics without a time delay, please post a comment.

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Blind Skaters Back on the Ice - Baltimore News

From ABC News...

A group of kids from summer camp thought it would be fun to go ice skating.

All of the campers and their counselors were blind.

All of the campers and their counselors say they were denied access at Northwest Skate center...because of that blindness.

"We just wanted to come and skate just like everybody else it's skating night we wanted to take part in that." Marco Carranza said Tuesday night.

Northwest Skate Center Board Chair Jackie Eliasberg told ABC 2 News by phone that this was not a question of this being a group of blind skaters....but the fact that it was a very large group of people.

"If we knew ahead of time, with planning we could have worked it out. We ask that of any large group." She said.

Eliasberg says since there were a lot of first time skaters they offered to start the group in a corner of the rink, something they do all the time.

"We've worked with groups of people with disabilities for 37 years. When we tried to accommodate this group our offers of assistance were turned down." Eliasberg said.

But camp counselor Rosie Colanza said they felt like they were treated differently.

"Then the lady suggested that we have our own special area for skating and i told her that was not acceptable she said that's what we do with other parties and I said I’m sure you do if it's requested and we're just requesting equal access to the rink." Colanza said.

The skaters did not skate on Tuesday... Wednesday afternoon, they came back.

This time it was different.

After talking with the management Colanza came out and told the group the news.

"Okay we've worked everything out and we're going to have our skate for independence today.” She said.

So everyone laced up and hit the ice.

Marco who had been skating since he was a kid was glad to be back but what it took to get there, he says didn't need to happen.

"They tired to bar us from coming in here because they assumed that it was gong to be some sort of...some kind of problem." He said.

The campers say they'll be back again.


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Advice from a pro: Melissa Bulanhagui on time management

From Lifeskate...

National figure skating competitor Melissa Bulanhagui dispenses advice about balancing skating, school, prom, community service, church and everything else. This is from an interesting and innovative figure skating website.

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