Skate America Cheers and Jeers

Cheers: To Meryl Davis and Charlie White dazzling with a "proper" waltz to win.

Jeers: To half the ice dance field tripping over themselves in the Short Dance.

Cheers: To U.S. Figure Skating selling a decent amount of tickets for Skate America.

Jeers: To U.S. Figure Skating holding Skate America in a venue so big it looked desolate inside.

Cheers: To Carolina Kostner for delighting with two great programs this season.

Jeers: To Ksenia Makarova for not delighting with two great programs.

Cheers: To team Europe who did very well at this event.

Jeers: To team USA that did "less well" at this event.

Cheers: To the judges for rewarding Savcehnko and Szolkowy's modern style.

Jeers: To the judges for not rewarding Denney and Coughlin after a solid skate.

Cheers: To Caroline Zhang for reminding us why we all love her in the short program.

Jeers: To the fact that Caroline didn't come thru in the free (but we still love her!)

Cheers: To Ricky Dornbush for suddenly becoming "cool."

Jeers: To John Coughlin's Mambo abilities.

2011 Nebelhorn

This competition always gets me excited! I feel like it gets the major skating season underway even though Skate America is yet a month away...I don't care, I say begin! Skaters hit the ice Thursday.

This years' Nebelhorn I feel is like a show and tell. Show me what you've got and tell me if your worth it...if you will. What be I keepin' me eye on?

The Men: The Japanese upstart Yuzuru Hanyu and last season's surprise winner Tatsuki Machida. Looking to see if Hanyu has learned to reign in his excitement and add refinement and if Machida can bring the goods again. Denis Ten is competing and I'm still waiting for him to put an entire competition together and shock everyone. Last season was really a disaster for him...he needs a rebound. Michal Brezina, can he find his way to the top? And Americans Carriere and Aaron are in the mix. Stephen has been beset by so much bad luck the last two season's...is he back on track? And Aaron puts his foot in the "big boy" water...can he swim?

The Pairs: Newbies galore! Russia's Volosozhar and Trankov were amazing at last years' Worlds...can they keep it going? Dube and Wolfe...how will Jessica do with Sebastien as opposed to Bryce? And can Americans Denney and Coughlin live up to the hype?

The Women: If all things are equal this should boil down to Ksenia vs Mirai (in Figure Skating, things are often not equal though!). I think Mirai needs to win this...and I think she needs a big win.

The Dancers: Somewhat less explosive field. I'm interested to see how Hubbell and Donohue gel.

The Logo!

I've picked a winner for the logo competition! I would like to thank everyone that entered! I had 27 logo's come my way...that's awesome! My hope is to unveil the logo and announce the winner at the beginning of October to coincide with the near-start of the Senior Grand Prix when my blog will really get thumping again as I'll be attending Skate America. Until then...wait in suspense!

I Need A Logo!

Axels, Loops, and Spins needs an Iconic Logo!

While I'm good at aesthetics I'm terrible with art/computer design/drawing/graphics stuff.

Here's what I'm proposing...a contest of sorts. If someone out there thinks they can create an Axels, Loops, and Spins logo, I'll:

*Give that person a $30 Amazon.com Certificate
*Send that person a t-shirt featuring the logo
*Forever acknowledge that person as the creator of the logo
*Thank them profusely

The logo should embody the name and feel of my website and somehow encompass figure skating. It should be a high resolution image and can be sent to my blog e-mail at skateblog102@gmail.com. I'll accept submissions NOW THRU AUGUST 30th.

Anyone up to the task? To get you started, I've posted some of my favorite logo's below...inspiration perhaps...all instantly recognizable.

Unexpected Hiatus

Sometimes life throws you a curveball!

Sorry I've been absent [again] as of late. I'm currently in the middle of a job reorganization thingy! New office, new location, new city, new boss, new! It's a great thing but it's consuming my full attention currently.

When things settle I will definitely be back with the second half of the Loop Axel Awards and my usual Skate Banter.

Stay Tuned...

Brief Hiatus

As you can see, I haven't blogged much lately.

I was so bummed by the outcome of the mens free skate at Nationals I went into a skating coma.

Anywho...work is crazy busy right now so I can't devote the time I want to the the blog so I've opted to just suspend operations until April. I'm going to rework the site a bit...update...and get back on track.

Anywho...see everyone in April.

The Deep Dive

Things have been moving and shaking on my end of the block. Focusing intensely on work to make sure I could make it to Nationals has kept me away from the blogging but I am back with a vengeance this week.

Lots to look forward, lots to look back at, this week is the Figure Skating Deep Dive where I rededicate myself to Figure Skating! What's ahead? A look back at Japanese and Russian Nationals, and a look forward to U.S. Nationals. I also take a look at the action scheduled in Bern at the European Championships and in Victoria at the Canadian National Championships.

Victoria, B.C. is where I'll begin my plunge this week where the Canadian National Championships are underway. Two big stories have topped the headlines...first Chan deciding to add a second quad to his free skate to compete technically with Kevin Reynolds (but his components are so far and away better he doesn't need it at all) and the withdrawal of Virtue and Moir from the event.

"Our training has been going really well, and we both were hoping to be in Victoria to defend our Canadian title. It’s a really important competition for us," Scott told reporters. "However, Tessa and I sat down with our coaches Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva late last week and together the four of us made the difficult decision not to compete in Victoria. We have been making huge progress every single day in training, so we are confident that we can really build our programs over the next four weeks and feel well prepared for the ISU Four Continents figure skating championships." Their withdrawal sets up a head-to-head battle between Crone and Poirier and Weaver and Poje. Crone and Poirier took the Bronze at the Grand Prix Final but weaver and Poje have been making improvements all season...should be close.

Joannie Rochette will also be absent from the competitors list as she has chosen to not compete this year. Cynthia Phaneuf comes in with the best credentials looking to win another National Title. She'll have Amelie Lacoste and Myriane Samson to contend with. In Pairs, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch will attempt to highlight a banner season.

Finally, for the men, its been all about the quad. Former quad hater turned quad skater Patrick Chan has upped the ante by adding a second quad to his free skate. "Hopefully, landing them will create a great buzz in the building," Chan said during a conference call from Colorado Springs. Looking to create more buzz will be the hometown hero Kevin Reynolds who made history last fall landing two quads in his short at Skate Canada...three more in his free skate. But Kevin has a long way to go artistically to compete with Chan. The only skate close to Chan artistically is Shawn Sawyer. Armed with an amazingly choreographed free skate to "Alice in Wonderland," Shawn continues to struggle with consistency. If he can get his jumps in order he could contend with the best.

The Senior hit the ice this Friday in Victoria. Details here.

Tomorrow: A look back at Japanese Nationals.

Coming Soon...

I'm back...

Coming this week and beyond...the Figure Skating Deep Dive and a full Nationals run down.

Oh yeah...get excited!

What's so great about figure skating?

MySkatingMall.com has begun a new project for the skating community! We are putting together a video called "What's so great about figure skating?" and we are looking for skaters, parents, and fans to take short videos of each other answering the question, "What's so great about figure skating?".

This video will serve as a great encouragement to skaters and parents as well as telling potential new skaters what is so great about our sport! A short introductory video as well as directions for uploading videos to the MySkatingMall.com YouTube channel can be found at http://www.myskatingmall.com/skating. Everyone who submits a video will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate for any item on MySkatingMall.com or from our Partner Stores. Videos will be accepted until 12/31/10.

So, what are you waiting for...start uploading today!

Saturday Afternoon Chit-Chat

No, I've not fallen off the face of the earth!

I apologize for my lack of posting recently. Just to give you all an idea of why I have been quieter than normal recently I've decided to share with you all a little about my job.

I can't use my company's name (their rules) but I can tell you that I work for a large non-profit health organization that is currently doing a massive change over to a standardized electronic medical record (EMR)across its entire network. It's a change of "EPIC" proportions.

That's why I've been on a recent mini-globe trot, meeting with people in facilities that have similar systems, have used the system we are getting, and vendors who work with clients with the system.

At my location, I am one of several people charged with the successful implementation of this new EMR which we plan to activate in April. To do this...I am working a lot! This week alone I worked nearly 60 hours.

My blogging is taking a hit because of the long work hours but I am loyal and dedicated to all my followers so it's a priority of mine to keep blogging. Blogging is one of the few things that I can do in my spare time and it helps me unwind.

What I've decided to do is fewer smaller blog posts, competition run downs, this and thats, etc. The figure skating blogosphere as grown tremendously since I began blogging over 5 years ago and there are lots of capable blogs out there (see the ones I endorse in the side bar to the right!) to get you all the info you need. I am going to instead focus on bigger topics and issues. Fewer, more in-depth blog posts as my time permits.

I will still be on Twitter @skating102 for all my off-the-cuff comments. Facebook, Formspring, and YouTube aren't going anywhere either. I'm still planning on attending Nationals as well however I make go for the weekender package as opposed the the all-event pass...time will still have to tell on that.

I promise to keep blogging...it's my love!

Cheers,

Aaron

The Florent Factor

Where do you draw the line in figure skating between what is a competitive program and what is an exhibition?

At NHK Trophy I was somewhat critical of Florent's free skate...pointing out that at many points in the program he gets so caught up in the showman aspect of the performance that he forgets to skate.

A reader e-mailed me today, having watched his performance on television this weekend and wondered what in the world I thought was wrong with the program. Scott wrote: "That program was amazing. I saw on Twitter you didn't like it. I though he should have won the competition. What in the world did you find bad about that program?"

First I must say I love Florent to pieces and I think what he does on the ice is amazing. He's a gifted dancer. But I also have to call a spade a spade. And while he is a gifted dancer...the sport is figure skating. Take a look at the video below:



While his program is great and he hit the jumps, you really shouldn't be burning 40 seconds standing and doing Black Eyed Peas or Michael Jackson choreography. It's entertaining, it's fun, the crowd ate it up, but I think it sets the bar too low for a competitive program.

That's why I was critical of Florent at NHK Trophy.

Raising Breast Cancer Awareness...on the Ice!

On the eve of Skate Canada International, I wanted to focus some attention on a cause important to me and the work I do outside of figure skating...while featuring figure skating!

As many of you know or at the least are about to learn, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can visit the Susan G. Komen websitee to learn more about Breast Cancer but the fact is we need to focus more attention on it. In the U.S. alone, 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women in 2010.

But Breast Cancer isn't just an issue in the United States, it's a global issue, and a group of men from Canada do a fantastic group of not only bringing attention to Breast Cancer, but also raising money for Breast Cancer research. If you haven't heard of The Ice Men...you will now!

The Ice Men bill themselves as "an all male comedic precision skating team." I asked Tyler Cochrane who is the Captain of The Ice Men, what's one thing the world should absolutely know about The Ice Men; "We love to skate, we love to laugh, and we especially love "OLD SCHOOL PRECISION" was the answer!

Another thing I think the world should know is that this talented group of men have raised nearly $25,000 for Breast Cancer Research. How does a 'comedic precision skating team' accomplish such a feat? By delighting audience members across to amazing performances and then donating the money to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. It's important to note that all proceeds go towards fighting breast cancer. All their outfits, their training facilities, and even practice ice are donated to them. In fact, even now, they are looking for some practice ice for the upcoming season. Talk about commitment!

I wondered what the motivation for doing such amazing work and Tyler shared that a vast majority of the team has known someone directly affected by cancer. He summed their motivation up brilliantly, "The reality is cancer effects everyone one way or another." And with such dedication comes high praise. "There is rarely a show that goes by where someone hasn't made some sort of comment towards our cause and how much they appreciate what they are doing. It is such an added bonus knowing that we are supporting such a great cause considering how much fun and enjoyment we all get out of performing each number." According to Tyler these accolades are continuously pouring in and that he recently received a very personal e-mail from someone who had recently lost a loved one to breast cancer and thanked them for the work they do for Princess Margaret Hospital.

And these guys keep busy. In fact, you'll see several of them competing this weekend at Skate Canada including Dylan Moscovitch (with partner Kirsten Moore-Towers) and Mitch Islam (with partner Alexandra Paul). Tyler says a majority of the Ice Men have or currently are competing at the Junior and/or Senior National/International level. "We are lucky to have the talent we have."

"We love to skate, we love to laugh, and we especially love OLD SCHOOL PRECISION." My guess Ice Men...a lot of people love you!

You can find lots of information about Breast Cancer at the Princess Margaret Hospital website and you can make a donation to the Princess Margaret Hospital by clicking this link. Also follow The Ice Men on Twitter @The_Ice_Men and on flickr.

News Round-Up

Surgery, new Skating shows, old commentators making comebacks...I have to dedicate myself to work for a week and the skating news cycle blows up!

Michal Brezina is out of Cup of China....wamp wamp. Universal Sports Tweeted that "he had surgery yesterday on a varicose vein in his stomach yesterday." Sounds kind of gross...but not too serious. The doctor has ordered two weeks rest, so the Czech Champ will miss stop #3 on the Grand Prix Final and will thus not be able to make the Grand Prix Final...darn. And while on the topic of Surgery, Tessa Virtue also had surgery associated with her CECS (Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome) condition. "Apparently the surgery went really well and I am confident that I have the most competent support team to help me with my recovery. I am excited to get back on the ice as soon as I can and look forward to training and competing pain-free" Tessa told Skate Canada. The Olympic Champ hopes that she and partner Scott Moir can be back on the ice and be ready to compete later this season.

Move aside Jennifer Gray (did I just put in an early DWTS winner prediction; yup!)...at the conclusion of this season of DWTS, Skating with the Stars will hit the ABC airwaves. From the Press Release:

You’ve seen what happens when celebrities take on the ballroom, now see what happens when they hit the ice on blades of steel, in “Skating with the Stars.” The new series from BBC Worldwide Productions pairs a celebrity with a world class ice skater as they prepare to compete in front of a live audience in a televised ice skating competition. The skating pairs will be critiqued by a panel of expert judges and will receive a set of scores based on artistry and technique and by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week. “Skating with the Stars” will kick off its six-episode run with a live premiere episode on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Trainwreck or Triumph...we shall see.

Ah the Glory days of figure skating coverage...aka the Michelle Kwan years. You know, before NBC took over and ABC ruled the skating roost? Well NBC has made one it's best moves yet, by grabbing a little old and making it new. Terry Gannon will join the likes of Scott Hamilton, Tara Lipinski, and Michael Weiss to cover this season's Grand Prix. I'm not even got to beat around the bush and tell you I am not a fan of Tom Hammond and his broadcast "style." If he never returned I'd be happy. Terry covered these skaters for a long time and really 'knew' them and it will be nice to have an actual broadcast voice of knowledge on the Grand Prix. I pray NBC keeps him for Nationals and Worlds!

Last, a little spying on skaters in training for the upcoming season. Take a peek at this spiffy Quad Toe-Triple Toe-Triple Loop from Nobunari Oda. Isn't he about to be (already is?) a dad? Update: Yup! A dad!

Interesting...

I have trouble finding words. Enjoy a Tango performed by Tatiana Tarasova...

Nebelhorn Trophy

Nebelhorn Trophy is upon us and it is the first look we'll get this season of some of the top talent in figure skating. Many skaters use this competition to as a pre-season warm-up for major competition which is just around the corner. Some of the top names kicking off their season at Nebelhorn include: Bazarova and Larionov, Cappellini and Lanotte, Michal Brezina, Kiira Korpi, Kanako Murakami, Pechalat and Bourzat, and Kevin van der Perren.

Predictions...I got myself into trouble last season. My prediction rate for the season was terrible but poor alas I feel the need to keep plugging away. So who do I think will take top honors in Germany?

Dance:
GOLD - Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat (France)
SILVER - Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (Italy)
BRONZE - Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani (USA) (An ambitious prediction but I think they have it in them!)

Men:
GOLD - Michal Brezina (Czech Republic)
SILVER - Kevin van der Perren (Belgium)
BRONZE - Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA) (Ambitious again...go Armin!!!)

Pairs:
GOLD - Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov (Russia)
SILVER - Nicole Della Monica and Yannick Kocon (Italy)
BRONZE - Stefaniea Berton and Ondrej Hotarek (Italy)

Women:
GOLD - Kiira Korpi (Finland)
SILVER - Diane Szmiett (Canada)
BRONZE - Jenna McCorkell (Great Britain)

One of these days I'm going to go 12 for 12!

UPDATE: Yikes, Team Japan is down to one (Tatsuki Machida) so I've updated my ladies preditctions.

Social Platform

I don't like to use my blog as a platform to address social issues in the United States but this one is far too important for me to pass up. Next Tuesday, the United States Senate has the opportunity to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell;" a law which prevents gays from serving openly in the U.S. Military. If the Senate approves this measure, the United States will take a long over due civil rights step forward. If you care about this issue and support the measure, please take the time to call your U.S. Senators at (202)224-3121. Also, visit www.wegiveadamn.org

Depth

I asked my readers which country had the deepest field of women competitors and by a healthy margin Japan was voted as having the deepest field.

Up until around 2006 that was an honor almost always reserved for the United States but skating in Asia and in Japan especially has exploded leading to a changing of the guard. Change can be a good thing.

Some facts: Japanese women have won four of the last six World Titles (Arakawa 2004, Ando 2007, Asada 2008 and 2010). Japanese women have finished 1st or 2nd in the last six consecutive Grand Prix Finals. Also, Japan, since 2003, is the only nation to consecutively qualify three women to the World Championships. Impressive, eh?

I think über-veteran Fumie Suguri got the ball rolling for Japan with some solid results after the 2002 Salt Lake City Games including two consecutive World Bronze Medals. Shizuka Arakawa's 2004 World Championship win further fueled the depth and competition in Japan. I think 2006 was the year Japan finally took over with the exit of Michelle Kwan from competition, Mao Asada's burst into the senior ranks, and of course, Arakawa's Olympic Gold. At that point, to compete internationally for Japan, you had to be one of the world's best and thus the amazing depth of the Japanese program was born.

But can they stay there?

This season Japan will boast an international team which includes the reigning World Champion Mao Asada and the 2007 World Champion Miki Ando. Veteran Fumie Suguri is still in the mix. Akiko Suzuki, will be competing this season and young'n Kanako Murakami makes her senior debut.

But the U.S. doesn't look too shabby either. Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu I think proved last season they could keep up with the big girls. Mirai of course finished 4th at the Olympics and Rachael Flatt was the only skater who managed to defeat Kim Yu-Na in the free skate last season (2009 Cancer.Net Skate America). Ashley Wagner has continued to show promise and was the only American woman to make the Grand Prix Final last season. We also have Alissa Czisny, Caroline Zhang, and a young'n of our own on the move, Agnes Zawadzki.

The key to being the deepest team in the world comes down to one word, consistency. Japan has proven that their competitors are likely to be clutch in competition. With the U.S. it can be hit or miss.

If the U.S. wants to reclaim it's position as the women's skating superpower, they'll have to up the ante, buckle down, and dedicate themselves to solid consistent skating.

One Week Out...Lots Ahead!

Major international figure skating competition begins next week with the beginning of the Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France. Quicker than you can say pumpkin it'll be the end of October and I'll be up at who knows what hour of the night watching NHK Trophy on Ice Network.

You can tell the season is approaching because many of the skaters are getting "Twitter Happy" with news of choreography breakthroughs, ouchie falls on triple and quad jumps they've added to programs, and pre-competition excitement.

As the season begins to ramp up...so too does my blogging! Some things that worked well last season that I plan to do more of this season include the program flashes (people really liked those!) and the event previews. Pic of the Week will soon make it's return but it will be reader's choice based upon the goings and happenings of the skating world.

Have a great idea for a blog post? Would you like to guest blog? Let me know! I have lots of lurkers out there (since my stent as Panasonic's Gold Blogger I'm getting quadruple the traffic I was getting before but about the same comment participation)...make yourself heard. Drop me an e-mail, or send a tweet!

Twitter, Facebook, Formspring, and YouTube have all become integrated social arms of this blog and expect the social 'networking' to continue. Also, job willing, live event blogging will return this season with a keen eye on U.S. Nationals in Greensboro and...wait for it...the Four Continents Cup in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei (I will decide post Nationals if the event roster warrants the trip...I've got miles to burn on United!). A friend who teaches in Nanjing, China may join me for that adventure.

Wow...that kind of turned into a mini State of the Blog. Let's get this party started!

The Best is Also the Worst

The best thing about a blog is being able to share your thoughts and opinions with the world in a free and open forum where people can also share their thoughts and opinions.

The worst thing about a blog is being able to share your thoughts and opinions with the world in a free and open forum where people can also share their thoughts and opinions.

It is downright funny to me how something as simple as blog comments can show the absolute best and worst in people all at the same time.

I've really thought hard about moderating the comments on this blog because sometimes they get out of control but I don't want to do that because I like the idea of people being able to share freely. I guess I'll just have to be the comment police...and that's sad.

It's okay to have an opinion...it's not okay to be a mean person and vile.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

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!