Staying Power?

"I can't say anything right now. I'm really excited. It will be very good to compete in my own country."

That quote yesterday from Kim Yu-Na on PyeongChang's successful Olympic bid is now sending shockwaves through the figure skating community.

Did "The Queen" just commit herself through two more Olympics for the chance to compete at home? You must admit...it's tempting, and certainly not unheard of.

2006 Olympic Champ Evgeny Plushenko is extending his career for another go on home soil. In 2006, Fusar-Poli and Margalio and Silvia Fontana did the same. Todd Eldredge in 2002...it's a familiar story.

So does Kim Yu-Na have staying power?

I think yes. When the Olympics roll around in 2018 she'll be 27 years old. Sure, she'd certainly be one of the most "seasoned" skaters on the ice but with age comes experience. And while 27 isn't exactly the norm, it's certainly not unheard of. Maria Butyrskaya won a World Championship at 26. Irina Slutskaya was an Olympic Medalist at 27.

In short...it's doable.

I think she has to take a measured approach to skating and training. I don't think she can press full steam ahead for the next seven years, she'd kill herself. She has to know when to take it easy and know when to train hard. I believe we may be seeing the early beginning's of this with her limited competition schedule last season and a similar plan for next season.

I think Kim Yu-Na has an opportunity here. I don't think figure skating has had an icon like Kim since Michelle Kwan and she can mold the next, well...decade, into the Kim era. This could be big.

What are your thoughts? Does she have staying power?

3rd Times the Charm

Third time as an Olympic Bid City did the trick as PyeongChang, South Korea has been awarded the 2018 Olympic Games.

The bid effort, spearheaded by 2010 Olympic Champ Kim Yu-Na, was met by thunderous applause across Korea with the new theme, New Horizons, leading the way.

PyeongChang has one of the strongest public backings for an Olympic Games in recent history.

As the announcement came, the cheers in the room was counterbalanced by the respectful sullenness of those delegations not being awarded [I recall the pit in my stomach when Chicago missed out].

"I am lost for words about now," Kim Yu-Na told the Associated Press. "I can't say anything right now. I'm really excited. It will be very good to compete in my own country." A clue that, with this announcement, Kim may remain eligible for some time to come?

Kim, a pivotal part of the Pyeongchang candidacy, gave a final emotional pitch to the IOC en route to the first round win for the city.

President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea put it most elegantly and simply, "We worked hard, we'll make you proud."

Twitter Tops

Last October I looked at the who was the Top Figure Skating Tweeps out there. With a season now behind us...I decided to take another look to see where things currently stand in the skating "Twitterverse."

Here is the current Top 10 Figure Skating Tweeps:

#10 Daisuke Takahashi (14,405)

#9 Mirai Nagasu (15,568)

#8 Fumie Suguri (18,046)

#7 Miki Ando (22,363)

#6 Evgeny Plushenko (22,841)

#5 Kristi Yamaguchi (25,464)

#4 Joannie Rochette (26,868)

#3 Evan Lysacek (63,752)

#2 Johnny Weir (95,794)

#1 Kim Yu-Na (356,355)

There have been some change in the results. Japanese skaters are showing up on Twitter and they have big followings. Miki Ando, Daisuke Takahashi, and Fumie Suguri have all made the top 10. Only Nagasu held her ground to stay in the top 10 with Belbin, Chan, and Abbott all getting the boot! Past Ando the placements are unchanged. Women have taken over with 6 in the top 10. Kristi remains the only "Pro" skater to be in the field. Now, all the skaters are single skaters (with Belbin's exit). And the Queen (Kim) is still queen...in a huge way.

I decided to look at the numbers in a different way. Rather than looking at # of followers, I looked at % increase in followers which painted a different story. How do they rank (excpet Ando, Suguri, and Takahashi who I didn't have info on last Oct.) by percent increase of followers?

#9 Evan Lysacek + 8%

#8 Patrick Chan + 31% (No Longer in Top 10)

#7 Kim Yu-Na + 34%

#6 Mirai Nagasu + 34.5%

#5 Johnny Weir + 37%

#4 Jeremy Abbott + 41% (No Longer in Top 10)

#3 Joannie Rochette + 44%

#2 Kristi Yamaguchi + 66%

#1 Evgeny Plushenko + 91%

Wow! The Olympic Champ is struggling! In a more and more socially connected world he was only able to increase his Twitter following by 8%...yikes. The bright-lights of Vancouver are fading...might explain his recent indication that he may be returning to competition. I feel like that was a poor quarterly earnings report.

The rest of the field has made nice gains...but one crushes them all...Plushenko! He's almost doubled his Twitter following. This shows he has a dedicated social core and with his subsequent return to competition I suspect this number will continue to rise as well.

Why has Kristi Yamaguchi gained so many followers? Does someone know something I don't?

The Pitch

The race to determine the site of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games is tighter than anyone had ever predicted. PyeongChang, South Korea was always considered the front runner but Munich has stepped up and has given PyeongChang a run for it's money.

So at the Technical Briefing set for this week in Lausanne at the IOC Headquarters, the PyeongChang organizing committee has brought in it's top weapon; Kim Yu-na.

"I have been a member of this great bid team for many months as part of our Athletes Committee and it is special for me to be able to speak directly to the IOC about our unique vision for the Winter Games," Kim told reporters as she departed for Lausanne.

"Yu-na has been incredibly supportive as we prepared and developed our Winter Games Plan and we now look forward to presenting our bid to the IOC. She has played a key role offering advice about the sports venues plan, and we want to ensure convenience, comfort and a great setting for outstanding athletic performances in 2018," said bid chair Yang Ho Cho in a statement.

The race for the 2018 Games has gotten fierce as Munich and PyeongChang have emerged as very strong candidate cities. Munich has been backed by another figure skating super-star, Katarina Witt, who will give the pitch this week for Germany. "As a former athlete it is fantastic to be here in Lausanne - the birthplace of the modern Olympic Movement. But even more important is the chance we have here to make a real impact on the IOC members just as we enter the final stages of our candidature. After our excellent feedback from the IOC Evaluation Commission last week, we are looking forward to sharing our Festival of Friendship concept," said Witt upon arriving in Lausanne.

Who could have predicted two of figure skating's greatest athletes would go head-to-head off the ice!

Annecy, France is the third bid city for the 2018 Games but is thought by most Olympic insiders to be a long-shot given Munich and PyeongChang's candidacy.

May 18th and May 19th, all three Cities will give their technical pitch to the IOC. The IOC will decide the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics at the 123 IOC Congress in Durban, South Africa July 6th.

Twitter Wars

Whose winning the Twitter War? Who has the most followers? Whose every word are we hanging on too? I have been in a top 10 mood so here are the Top 10 Figure Skaters (by followers at time of posting) on Twitter:

#10 Jeremy Abbott (@jeremyabbottpcf) - 9,980

#9 Tanith Belbin (@TanithJLB) - 10,641

#8 Patrick Chan (@PChiddy) - 10,947

#7 Mirai Nagasu (@mirai_nagasu) - 11,644

#6 Evgeny Plushenko (@Evgeniplushenko) - 11,947

#5 Kristi Yamaguchi (@kristiyamaguchi) - 15,356

#4 Joannie Rochette (@JoannieRochette) - 18,698

#3 Evan Lysacek (@EvanLysacek) - 59,069

#2 Johnny Weir (@JohnnyGWeir) - 70,024

#1 Kim Yu-Na (@Yunaaaa) - 266,581

So my thoughts...

Pro vs Amateur - As far as skating goes, Twitter is dominated by eligible skaters with Kristi Yamaguchi being the only established professional/veteran in the group. Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, and Brian Boitano did have followers in the thousands ranging from 5,072 to 7,484.

Johnny vs Evan - Johnny, despite not winning an Olympic Medal and a stint on Dancing with the Stars, has about 10,000 followers more than his arch nemesis (strong words?) Evan Lysacek. A credit to Johnny's inherent ability to simply create buzz and media sparkle. He seems perfect for Social Media.

Singles Club - All but one of the top 10 are singles skaters. Tanith Belbin is the only paired skater to break through. She must have done something right! And that begs the question...why is Tanith so much more popular than Ben and his 4,034 followers?

Vancouver was the Twitter Olympics - All the top 10 with the exception of Yamaguchi competed in Vancouver.

Boys vs Girls - Doesn't seem to be any gender bias on Twitter...5 boys and 5 girls make up the top 10. #equality

10,000 Threshold - Poor Jeremy Abbott is on the only skater in the top 10 not above 10,000 followers...can we get him there. Prove that Pigs Can Fly, follow Jeremy on Twitter! UPDATE: We ran a little Twitter campaign an voila...Jeremy is now above 10,000. Now he's going for 20,000...look out Joannie Rochette!

Popular! - Mirai Nagasu's appearance on this list suprises me. She came to Twitter a bit later than a lot of the top skaters yet has garnered quite a following in a short period of time. I love the 2008 National Champ and reigning U.S. Silver medalist...and apparently so do all of you!

Flag Representation - Twitter's top figure skaters are largely North American. 60% are American, 20% Canadian, and 10% each for Russia and S. Korea. Question...where's Japan?

The Queen - S. Korea's Kim Yu-Na really is the Queen. 266,581 followers and climbing. She destroys the rest of the Twitter competition!

2009-2010 Top 10 Performances

The 2010-2011 Season is underway but last season was so much fun I wanted to take one last trip down memory lane and remember my favorite performances.

#10 - Savchenko & Szolkowy - 2009 Skate Canada Free Skate


After their rather poor showing at Trophee Eric Bompard they ditched their free skate and came up with this fine diddy that I just gushed over for like a month. One of the best Pair Free Skates ever!

#9 - Denney & Barrett - 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Skate


These two always get my blood pumping! They went full out enroute to their first National Title and a spot on the Olympic Team.

#8 - Kim Yu-Na - Trophee Eric Bompard Short Program


When I first saw this short program I was hooked! David Wilson created a masterpiece and Kim Yu-Na brought it to life. She schooled us in "Sexy Assassin 101."

#7 - Shen & Zhao - Grand Prix Final Free Skate


I was just ho-hum about this program until I saw it performed here. It just clicked for me and I thought it was gorgeous. Love how they hit the beat of every note of the music.

#6 - Daisuke Takahashi - 2010 World Championships Free Skate


After he reeled off that Quad Flip we all perked up and took notice! With Lysacek and Plushenko out of the way he had free reign on this competition!

#5 - Davis & White - 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Dance


Really, Tanith and Ben had just ripped their Free Dance....and then these two came and pushed it to a whole new level. I remember watching and just going..."Oh they won."

#4 - Sasha Cohen - 2010 U.S. Nationals Short Program


With one skate she shut everyone up (including me!) that doubted the sincerity of her attempt at a comeback. Shame the Free didn't go as well. Que sera sera...

#3 - Evan Lysacek - 2010 Winter Olympics Free Skate


Olympic Gold Medal...enough said.

#2 - Joannie Rochette - 2010 Winter Olympics Short Program

Joannie Rochette 2010 Olympic Games SP Vidéo Flutz2508 sélectionnée dans Sport

I've never been so emotionally moved by a performance in my life (which is weird...because it was a tango...think it was the energy in the arena) and never rooted so hard for a skater to do well...not sure if I ever will be again.

#1 - Jeremy Abbott 2010 U.S. Nationals Free Skate


Masterpiece on the ice. My favorite performance by a men's figure skater...ever!

There were so many other great performances to mention so I have an honorable mention section including Akiko Suzuki's Grand Prix Final Free Skate, Kim Yu-Na's Olympic Free Skate, Stephane Lambiel's European Free Skate, Virtue and Moir's Olympic Free Dance, Mao Asada's Olympic Short Program, and Adam Rippon's Four Continents Cup Free Skate.

Breaking News: Kim Yu-Na to train with Peter Oppegard

Kim Yu-Na has just announced that she will train under Peter Oppegard at the East West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.

Peter Oppegard is best known for winning the Olympic Bronze medal in Pairs with partner Jill Watson at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. He is also married to Michelle Kwan's sister, Karen Kwan.

Other coaches at the East West Ice Palace include Karen Kwan, Naomi Nari Nam, Derrick Delmore, and Jere Michael amongst others.

What is unclear is the extent of her training with Peter as she continues to mull her competitive future.

Kim Yu-Na Announces New Coach

An announcement is expected this afternoon at 4pm CST concerning Kim Yu-Na's new coach.

Kim Yu-Na will make the announcement at the East/West Ice Palace in Artesia, California.

Kim Yu-Na makes this announcement after a well publicized messy part with Brian Orser.

I'll make sure to post as soon as the announcement comes.

Who's It Gonna Be?

Kim Yu-Na is expected to name her new coach soon.

We know that it's a guy...

We know that he's L.A. based...

We think it's whittled down to two possible choices...

So let speculation begin. It all kind of reaks of Frank Carroll doesn't it? But he has a full plate. Evan, while he is having his fun on the side, may return to competition (re-cue State of the Skate's eye roll). There's Mirai Nagasu, Carolina Kostner, and who knows how many other lesser known skaters.

Ken Congemi? Gary Visconti? Rafael Arutunian? John Nicks? Todd Sand?

You have to think it's high profile. You also have to think if this much effort is being put into the decision she is at least considering some type of competitive move forward.

Thoughts?

Beyond Sochi...

The news today that Katarina Witt will take a more prominent role in Munich's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics provides an opportunity to look past Sochi and look at the three cities that will vie for the Olympic Bid. The IOC will will pick a host city next year in Durban, South Africa.

First, it's weird that only three cities made it too the final selection. Second, I'm pretty sure this one is already decided.

Munich wants to be the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics. That's cool. It one of few cities that could pull that off. It would be nice to erase the disaster that was 1972 also. But Munich has this problem with some farmers south of Town that don't want a big new snow park built in their back yard and it's gotten pretty ugly in the media there. Garmisch-Partenkirchen (where the farmers are) also was the site of some events during the 1936 Berlin Games. You know, the ones hosted by Nazi Germany. I don't think the IOC will want to deal with the hiccup of unhappy farmers or flashbacks to the past of swastikas, Anti-Semitism, and tiny mustaches. And while they say geography doesn't play a deciding role...well...it does. Munich is in Europe as is Sochi. I say Munich 2018 is a no go.

Annecy gets the best website award. This cute little town nestled west of Lyon and just south of Geneva would be a picturesque backdrop for the Olympics. But it's small. Olympics are big "to-do's" these days and I worry that Annecy would have trouble just accomodating the Olympics. Geneva and Lyon, both cities which support the bid, would almost certainly have to host events. Then the experience becomes very spread. Sochi, which will be the immediate past host of the Winter Olympics come 2018, has all their events within 20 minutes of each other. Spread is no good. France is also Winter Olympic heavy. Annecy would be the fourth French city to host the Winter Olympics. Share the love! And again...there is that Geography thing with back-to-back European Winter Olympics. I say Annecy is out too.

That leaves PyeongChang, which from the start has been the front runner. This city was almost selected to host the 2010 Winter Games, winning the first round of voting in that Olympic Race. But nearly all of Salzburg's votes threw their support behind Vancouver and Vanocuver won by just 3 votes. PyeongChang also bid on the 2014 Olympics and, of course, lost that bid to Sochi. But they only lost by 4 votes! PyeongChang all but announced they would bid again after losing the 2014 bid and began construction on venues, accomodations, etc almost immediately. They've got big corporate backing, a strong bid record, and more experience with an Olympic Bid than either of the other two cities. Throw in Kim Yu-Na as one of your ambassadors and the fact that PyeongChang is nowhere near Sochi and I believe you have a winner.

The Cardinal Rule?

The Cardinal Rule..."Thou shalt not reveal thy former students music for the upcoming season...especially if thouest be in a messy split with lots of press attention."

@alijolly on twitter remarked: "Is it just me who has never come across this cardinal rule before?"

I never had either. However, I do agree it probably shouldn't have slipped out of Brian Orser's tongue but I wouldn't classify it as the "Cardinal Rule."

Alexe Ainsworth writes at the Universal Sports Figure Skating Blog, "But now, it appears Orser has taken it a step too far by breaking an unwritten rule in figure skating - revealing a skater's music without consent."

The cats out of the bag! Kim Yu-Na's free skate for next season is to a compilation of Korean music, including the song "Arirang."

Somehow I don't think everyone is going to rush out and change their free skate. Laura Lepisto is not feverishly downloading Korean music in an attempt to one-up Kim (as if that was even possible). I don't think that big a secret has been leaked.

But shame on you Brian Orser for revealing one of Kim Yu-Na's tightly held cards. Even David Wilson is shocked you called her out. Clearly you need to spend some time with Johnny Weir and learn how to have a "Poker Face."

I'm being a bit sarcastic and snarky here because as much as I was shocked and interested in all this drama I am now equally done with it. I think there is plenty Orser is not saying, I think the crap that Kim's mom and her agency have been spouting is complete (pardon the French) bullshit, and I don't think Kim Yu-Na has written a single word of the tweets, website letters, social network messages, etc. In short, I SMELL A BIG ASS RAT!

Now what I'm most interested in is how two of the U.S. biggest rising stars (Adam Rippon and Christina Gao) are going to be affected by all this. I'm much more interested in their progress at this point than any other of Orser's skaters.

I'm over it! So are the fans.

Orser: "It came out of the blue."

More information is beginning to unfold in the big news yesterday that Kim Yu-Na would not be coached any longer by Brian Orser.

Again, it appears Kim's mother made the decision at an August 2nd meeting with Brian Orser and assistant coach Tracy Wilson. He waited three weeks before making a statement because he hoped things could be reconciled between them.

"It was very much a surprise," Orser told Randy Starkman of The Star. "There was really no valid reason. I still don’t understand why they did this. I don’t know. It came out of the blue. They sat down with me and Tracy and said we’re not coaching her anymore. And that was that."

Apparently Orser and his team were told to focus on other skaters they train (which include Adam Rippon and Christina Gao) as Kim Yu-Na had not yet finalized her plans for the upcoming season. However, Orser says not focusing on Kim was one of the reasons given for the decision to end the coaching partnership.

Orser goes on to say decisions about Kim Yu-Na's training always came from her mother. "We were just waiting to get our orders from the mother because that’s what we always did. She always told us when they were ready to move in a certain direction and we had a meeting and we got pen and paper out and we did a plan. We never got to that point."

While AT Sports claims relations between Kim and Orser have been uneasy since May, Orser claims that simply isn't the case. He also made it clear money wasn't the reason either as Orser has never had a contract with Kim. Orser says he knew something was up when he was left completely out of the loop over Kim's plans during the summer and none of the people working with Kim including Shae-Lynn Bourne would fill him in with any details. "When are you coming back to Toronto? There was not even a response there. It was really kind of pathetic."

Seemingly caught in the middle is Kim Yu-Na. Orser believes she wasn't a part of these decisions at all and is as confused as he is. "I spoke with her the other day. She seems confused about what’s going on. Because of all this turmoil with her mother, she doesn’t know what’s going on. Nor do I. That’s what I said to her, 'I’m a little confused, but it’s been a great four years.'"

Weird! Orser says he's decided to move on. "I’ve got some great kids. I love my job, I love my work and I’ll continue to."

Update: Just moments ago, the following Tweet came from Kim Yu-Na's Twitter Account: Would you please stop to tell a lie, B? I know exactly what's going on now and this is what I've DECIDED.

UPDATE: Brian Orser speaks out on CTV's Canada AM.

BREAKING NEWS: Kim Yu-Na and Brian Orser Part Ways

What happened?!?! Arguably one of the most successful coach/skater partnerships ever has come to an end. Korean news has reported that Kim Yu-Na and Brian Orser have parted ways. It is also reported that for the time David Wilson will continue to work with Kim (the translation makes it seem as if he would be her coach...not sure on this bit). David Wilson is currently choreographing Kim Yu-Na's new free skate.

More to report as more info comes.

Update: It would appear that Kim's mother as well and a representative from AT Sports met with Orser way back on August 2nd and he was informed then he would not be retained as Kim's coach.

"I am honored to have worked with such a talented and gifted skater," said Orser. "I wish her all the best as she moves forward in her skating career."

Let the speculation begin....what would cause the split?

Who Won the Rivalry?

Part of what makes figure skating great are some of the amazing rivalries that have existed. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the rivalries fresh in our mind and decide...who won?!?!

Also, click on the links in this post for some fun YouTube trips down memory lane!

Alexei Yagudin vs Evgeny Plushenko: Yags v Plush. It seemed for a while these two where winning everything...and when one didn't win, the other got second place. It was ridiculous. It was even like their coaches would have snide little remarks about the other skater. I remember at one point Alexei Mishin (who in Yagudin's early days actually coached him) saying how Yagudin's best days where back in the junior ranks and Tatiana Tarasova called Evgeny Plushenko "plastic" at one point (what did that mean?). It all came to a head at the 2002 Olympics and fortunately for Yagudin, Plushenko decided to crash and burn on his quad combo in the short program leaving a free and clear gold medal path for Yagudin. But who wins this rivalry? I think if you look strictly at the competition between them, Yagudin's World Championship 3-peat wins over Plushenko (1998, 1999, 2000) combined with that Olympic Gold and I think Yagudin is the clear winner. If you take a look at their careers as a whole, Plushenko has certainly been more successful having medaled in three consecutive Olympics. I think rivalries are more than simply competition against one another but careers as a whole and what you are able to achieve above and beyond your chief competitor. WINNER: Evgeny Plushenko

Michelle Kwan vs Tara Lipinski: When Tara hit the stage in 1996 with that quick program set to music from the "Speed" soundtrack and finished 3rd at U.S. Nationals, I was sure we were looking at a contender for Olympic Gold in 2002. Not to be, she quickly rose to the level of Michelle Kwan (who won her first national title in 1996) and a rivalry was born. Michelle owned the 1996 season, winning the 1996 World Title as well...Lipinski finished 15th. But 1997 was an entirely different story. Things looked like they would continue as they had the year prior...Kwan had easy wins on the Grand Prix while Tara just had okay performances. The tides turned for Tara at U.S. Nationals where Michelle Kwan suffered a major meltdown and finished 2nd (the meltdown wasn't so much in the placement but in the terrible performance) allowing Lipinski...at 14 years old...to take the title. Michellle's storm cloud above her head stuck with her as she lost to Lipinski at the Champion Series Final (now Grand Prix Final) and at the World Championships. All of this set up an Olympic year showdown and both skaters where hungry! Michelle Kwan looked good on the Grand Prix but then suffered an injury causing her to withdraw from the Champion Series Final where Tara easily clinched a victory. At Nationals, Michelle Kwan turned in one of the most memorable performances in U.S. Nationals history to take that title. The short program at the Olympics couldn't have been any more suspenseful with both ladies skating flawlessly. But the much decried triple loop-triple loop from Tara Lipinski sealed the deal in the free and she took Olympic Gold. Ultimately, however, its about a career as a whole. WINNER: Michelle Kwan

Johnny Weir vs Evan Lysacek: The recent Twitter drama has me about sick of this rivalry. I wouldn't even call it a rivalry really if the media didn't make it so. Maybe it became a rivalry at the 2006 Olympics when Lysacek got ahead of Johnny for the first time (he finished 4th to Weir's 5th)? I don't even feel like it was a real rivalry until 2008 when they tied at U.S. Nationals but Evan won the tie-breaker to take the title. Then it was like, "Oh it's on bitch!" Johnny still seemed to be getting the better end of it during the Grand Prix in 2008. Evan failed to make the Grand Prix Final while Johnny took the Bronze. At Nationals they both lost out as Jeremy Abbott won the title, Evan only finishing 3rd and Johnny, well, not even on the podium. But that's when Evan kicked it up a notch, narrowly missing the Four Continents title in 2009 but then running away with the World Title. Johnny made a good run at Evan in the Olympic Season but didn't have the chops to keep up. Evan won the Grand Prix Final, Johnny third. While Evan again lost the National Title to Abbott, he was second to Johnny's third. And of course Evan scooted out of Vancouver with Olympic Gold...Johnny was 6th. I'm somewhat certain we are done seeing these two compete against each other in the competitive arena but their rivalry or what I would actually call a bitch-fest continues. They just keep trying to media-up one another and it's getting old. The last stunt Evan pulled about not being sure if Johnny was a girl was in poor taste...but Johnny's has pulled some zingers of his own. WINNER: Evan Lysacek on the condition he stops the bitch-fest.

Kim Yu-Na vs Mao Asada: This is the hottest rivalry in skating currently. This rivalry is so intense their fans are often ridiculous about it. I mean, computer servers have been shut down over these two. They are both so magnificently matched in talents and abilities. It's just crazy. They've been trading titles back and forth for the past three years and you never know which one will win if they are in a competition together. Mao has two World Titles to Kim's one but Kim has the Olympic Gold to Mao's Silver. I guess we can give Kim another point for having the World Record score, but then Mao is in the Guinness Book of World Records for Triple Axels completed by a woman in a competition. In the end, its ridiculously close between these two! WINNER: Undecided...I don't think we can call this one yet but Kim Yu-Na is ahead by just a smidge.

Brian Boitano vs Brian Orser: The storied Battle of the Brian's between American Brian Boitano and Canadian Brian Orser is one of the biggest rivalries in skating history. Both equally matched in skill and ability, their rivalry came to a head at the 1998 Olympics in Orser's home country of Canada. Brian Orser also had won the previous season's World Championship ahead of Boitano and entered the competition as the slight favorite. After the short program, both were nearly tied but a bobble on a triple flip in the free skate allowed Brian Boitano to slip through and win the title...and the Battle of the Brian's. But picking a winner of the overall rivalry between these two is tough. While Boitano has the Olympic Gold, Orser has two Silver's. You do have to give points to Boitano because he competed in a third Olympics (Lillehammer) while Orser only competed in two. Does Orser get points for coaching Kim Yu-Na? Boitano for having a show on Food Network? WINNER: It's a tie! Disagree...well it's my blog!

Tonya Harding vs Nancy Kerrigan: The knee whack heard round the world got everyone to tune in to what was going on between these two prior to the 1994 Olympics. But these two in fact did have a history prior to the 1994 U.S. Nationals. Both had a National Title under their belts prior to 1994. Both had a smattering of medals from various international events including the World Championships (that includes the 1991 U.S. sweep of Yamaguchi/Kerrigan/Harding). Tonya had something Nancy didn't have though...a triple axel. After the attack on Nancy at the 1994 U.S. Nationals, Tonya went on to win the title but at the Olympics it was a sad story for Tonya. Her entire career seemed to crumble in front of her and finished 8th while Nancy soared to Silver, narrowly missing the Gold in a 5-4 judging decision. Details of the attack had come out prior to the Olympics, Connie Chung was following her everywhere, she couldn't get her shoe-lace on her boot tied, it was a press nightmare everywhere she went, and she couldn't keep it together. On March 16th 1994, Tonya avoided jail time by pleading guilty to conspiring to hinder an investigation, was stripped of her National title, and banned from all future eligible competitions. WINNER: Nancy Kerrigan...as if it could go any other way?

Did I call it right? Would you call it differently? Weigh-in!

Training Time

It has to be tough to be an Olympic Champion, make the choice to continue competing, and then actually find time to train. What do you do when the whole world is at your grasp? Say no thank you and get to work at the rink or reap the benefits of success.

Kim Yu-Na (much like Evan Lysacek) has opted for both, but with each passing day her schedule gets more and more busy and not with training time but rather celeb status bookings.

Kim has already stated she will not compete this fall and will instead focus on the World Championships next season in Tokyo. But when does she plan on training for that event? Her life has, understandably, been a whirlwind since Vancouver. Endorsements, shows, awards...you name it, she has done it. And her schedule this fall isn't getting any easier. She is planning on bringing her show from Seoul to L.A. in October and she was just named an Ambassador to the G20 Summit back in Seoul in November.

While she's dazzling crowds and bumping elbows with world leaders, her competition will be in front of judges on the Grand Prix series perfecting their programs.

Assuming she was able to begin full training at the end of November, would she be ready by World's. I think likely but do you want that competition to be your first? It rarely works out when skaters make their season debut at the last competition of the season. She could debut at Four Continents Cup but would that provide the training time needed? A conundrum indeed.

I think in figure skating it is very hard to have your cake and eat it too!

The Op-Ed: Slippery Slope

Last week, Kim, Lysacek, and Rochette all announced plans to skip the fall skating season and 'hopefully' move right into the big competitions in the back half of the season, namely Worlds.

I always think this is a terrible idea and rarely works out well for the competitors. It seems when competitors do this, if they do manage to show up, they seem woefully under-prepared. Think Sasha Cohen at U.S. Nationals this past season...talent will only get you so far (in her case a stunning short program!), but time in front of the judges and true training is what will always win the day. I just think it's a slippery slope that eventually leads to an unflattering career end. Someone will undoubtedly out-train you, out-skate you, and leave you the champion looking bewildered.

I would urge these competitors to, at the least, consider competing in one Grand Prix Event (I know the ISU frowns upon this for top seeded skaters but in the end hosting federations do have some power to invite competitors) or at least some fall skating competition (Nebelhorn?). Maybe one of those team "Counter-Match" things in Japan. Or if you do a show, make the effort to do a full run through of your competition program as one of your performances (complete with all the jumps!). Wait, do they even have free skates prepared...

I guess I'm just not a fan of the "Go Directly to Go and Collect $200" scenario when others have done their due diligence and gone all the way around the board. I always hate those cards in Monopoly. But here's the thing...the ones that go all the way around the board...they get to buy all the property. Being a Champion affords you the opportunity to pass over the smaller competitions and go directly to the big ones...but is it a smart move? What will you have lost from doing all that skipping? Food for thought.

All That Summer Skate

Currently taking place in Korea is Kim Yu-Na's blockbuster All That Summer Skate. Here is a look at her much anticipated new exhibition piece to La Roux's Bulletproof:



And if that wasn't enough for you...here is Michelle Kwan's new number to Annie Lennox's Primitive as well as her duet to Mariah Carey's Hero with Kim Yu-Na:

Playlist Shuffle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Message of Hope

I was reading over at Required Elements that Kim Yu-Na has been named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. I visited the Republic of Korea UNICEF site and found a touching message from Kim Yu-Na:



You can donate to the UNICEF Haitian Relief Fund here.

The 2010 TIME 100: Kim Yu-Na

By Michelle Kwan

I couldn't have been more surprised or honored last summer when Korean figure skater Kim Yu-Na told me that as a 7-year-old, she was so inspired by my skating at the 1998 Winter Games that she memorized my skating routines, pretending to be at the Olympics. Twelve years later, she no longer had to pretend. I have never seen a skater with such a combination of artistry and athleticism. From the first notes of her sassy James Bond medley to the closing Gershwin strains, Kim's inspiring performances in Vancouver changed the face of figure skating forever. Those 6½ minutes on the ice left not only a mark in the record book but also an indelible impression on millions of young girls around the world. For Kim, the dream that began as a 7-year-old has been realized. For these girls, thanks to her, a dream and journey are just beginning.

Kwan is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1984685_1984949_1985220,00.html#ixzz0mcWTgmgJ