Evolution of a Skater: Irina Slutskaya

Been a while since I did one of these.

Poll Results, Google Searches, E-Mails, and Interesting Finds

So first, the results of my recent Quick Poll. Which U.S. Men's Champion do you prefer? Well, by an overwhelming margin the answer would apparently be Johnny Weir. Over 600 votes later and Johnny was the clear winner nabbing 60% of the vote. Jeremy Abbott pulled in second with 27% and Evan Lysacek managed only 12% of the vote (where's the love for the reigning World Champ?). Johnny and Jeremy were helped by links to my site and news of the poll going up on multiple fan pages and message boards but even still that's a wide margin of victory for Johnny. Here's a chance to sound off...why is Johnny the most appealing? Is it his three national titles? His snippy wit and very quotable soundbites? His style? You tell me...

I received an e-mail from a blog reader asking me to define what I mean't about Savchenko and Szolkowy losing the 'expectations race' in my European Championships Pairs preview. What I mean by this is the expectation by spectators, fellow competitors, and even judges that you're the ones to beat. If you're winning those expectations and you skate flawlessly against competitors that also skate clean , you're more likely to take the title if you've won the expectations race. For example, let's say Savchenko and Szolkowy lose Europeans...even finish 3rd. They go to the Olympics and skate a clean short and a clean long...but so does Shen and Zhao. Because of Shen and Zhao's wins, they are winning the expectations race, and are awarded the Gold. Seems like this shouldn't happen and points should just be points but expectations absolutely factor into judging.

Two Google searches have been landing people on this blog over-and-over recently (and they are oddly connected). Don't know what it is about always wondering rather male skaters are gay or not but the most recent skater people are curious about is reigning U.S. Ice Dance Champion Charlie White. The answer, I believe (although I'm not at all sure why it's important), is no. To go further into the intrigue, I've heard that Charlie White and Tanith Belbin are an item (Keep thy friends close and thine enemies closer! Hehe.). Going further, the other blog search that keeps landing people on my blog is about Tanith's old fling Evan Lysacek and if he and Olympic Champion gymnast Nastia Liukin are dating. There's nothing official out there but I have it on good authority (sorry, my sources must remain confidential) that they were in fact dating...but then it was off...but now, maybe, it's back on. Love is in the air?

Finally, just a cute interesting find. I first saw this on Blazing Blades and it's just so darn cute! Take a look at Irina Slutskaya making her singing debut. I love her face at the end as she is frozen under the ice!

Great Update on Irina Slutskaya

Figure Skating Translations has posted an amazing post on Irina Slutskaya. She talks of her life, her career all the way back to Junior's, her Olympic experiences, and her new life as a mother and wife.

I had now idea she hosted a Russian Show called "Ice Age" and she did it while pregnant...amazing!

Pic of the Week

It has been such a sad week in figure skating. I wanted this pic of the week to be happy and uplifting. I decided to feature the happiest moment in figure skating.

But what is the happiest moment in figure skating? This question alone could be quite a topic of discussion on this blog! It's a matter of opinion I suppose so I decided to settle it the only way I know how...Google! I went to Google, typed in "happiest moment in figure skating" and Google returned with a quite appropriate answer via the Encyclopedia Britannica website!

Apparently, as per Google, the happiest moment in figure skating belongs to Irina Slutskaya at the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow! To understand why this might in fact be the happiest moment in figure skating, we have to go all the way back to the 2002-2003 figure skating season.

She was coming off of a win at the 2002 World Championships and skating very well. However, as the season progressed, her mother was becoming very ill. To care for her mother, Irina decided to not compete in the 2003 World Championships. As her mother recovered, ironically, Irina became ill and was diagnosed with debilitating vasculitis.

Determined to not give in, she took advice from her doctors, and sat out of figure skating competition for an entire year. She made a competitive re-debut at the 2004 World Championships where she finished 9th. It was at this point that many said, "Well...she's done."

But determined beyond belief, Irina trained hard, worked through her illness, and showed up at the 2004 Cup of China on a mission. She won that event and went on to win Cup of Russia, the Grand Prix Final, Russian Nationals, and the European Championships which brings us back to the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships.

She had to this point an undefeated season, coming off a season where she had finished 9th at worlds! She was in her hometown, and there was no way Cohen, Kostner, or Kwan was gonna get in her way! She not only won the competition, she blew through the competition! Landing 7 triples including a triple lutz/triple loop combo (a feat she hadn't accomplished in competition since the 2000 Grand Prix Final).

It couldn't have been scripted any better for the headlines! "Skater makes amazing comeback caps undefeated season and crowned World Champion at home!" After the event, Irina remarked: "I'm very happy because I think nobody else in this championship had to come back so many times and to go through as many hard moments like I did. I was really ready, and did it! It's what I've been waiting for all season. For the first time I won every competition I entered." It was really a very happy moment! I'll let all of you decide if it was the happiest!

p.s. I bet if you ask Irina what her happiest moment is, she'll tell you November 15, 2007! Need a clue...it's a boy!