Friday, October 30, 1998

USFSA 1999 World Junior Team Selections

Here are some photos that I took at the USFSA World Junior Team selection competition, which took place September 3-5, 1998. Results of this event were used to help choose the skaters who will represent the United States at the 1999 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, to be held in late-1998. Complete results can be found on the USFSA site. The USFSA has selected the top three finishers in each discipline to go to junior world's.

Personal notes: This was the first live skating competition that I ever attended, and it was very exciting! I watched the last day of competition, the free skating programs of all four disciplines. Fortunately I was able to get good seats (third row, right on center ice). It was very interesting to see the difference in speed, power, and overall skating quality from one competitor to the next. It was fun to see the skaters and coaches "up close and personal" as well. I was quite star-struck! :) The skating itself was very entertaining, and the top finishers all skated strong programs. I think the USA will be well-represented at junior world's.

(You can click on each photo below to view a larger version)


Second-place pairs finishers Tiffany & Johnnie Steigler starting their free skate Posted by Picasa


Pairs winners Laura Handy and J. Paul Binnebose taking their bows after their free skate Posted by Picasa


Andrea Aggeler (left) and Sarah Hughes (right) warming up for the ladies' free skate Posted by Picasa


Morgan Rowe warming up Posted by Picasa


Ladies' winner Sarah Hughes finishing her free skate  Posted by Picasa


Second-place ladies' finisher Camie Doyle finishing her free skate Posted by Picasa

Champions On Ice 1998

Here's my review of the 1998 Champions on Ice show which took place on July 18, 1998 at Chicago's United Center.

Skaters

First half:
Tonia Kwiatkowski | Michael Weiss | Punsalan & Swallow | Nicole Bobek | Usova & Zhulin | Alexei Urmanov | Woetzel & Steuer | Rudy Galindo | Klimova & Ponamarenko | Surya Bonaly | Philippe Candeloro

Second half:
Tim Goebel | Laurent Tobel | Lu Chen | Berezhnaia & Sikharulidze | Todd Eldredge | Krylova & Ovsiannikov | Victor Petrenko | Kazakova & Dmitriev | Gritschuk & Platov | Michelle Kwan | Ilya Kulik | Tara Lipinski

Note: photos are courtesy of my friend Krista, who somehow took some great pictures despite sitting with me just a few rows down from the very top of the United Center. :) You can click on each photo to view a larger version.

The opening number was nice and set the tone for the rest of the show. The only obvious problem was Surya Bonaly’s fall at the end of a double axel-triple toe (!) combo.

Tonia Kwiatkowski started things off with her "Are You Ready for This" routine, which she did the last time I saw COI/TOC in 1996 (except this time she wore a hot pink costume instead of black). Hit a nice triple toe and a so-so triple lutz. Her spins weren’t as crisp as they looked on tv, but her footwork was good!

Michael Weiss skated next to music by The Doors. It wasn’t an especially memorable performance, but it did feature a nice backflip.

Punsalan & Swallow skated a cute routine to some Sinatra (?) song. They are a very attractive couple and have nice flow across the ice.


Nicole Bobek Posted by Picasa

Nicole Bobek was next and was definitely "on"... Skating to "I Will Survive"/"Natural Woman"/"Respect" the local girl lit up the arena. Hit two big triple toes and two huge double axels. Did a very long cannonball sit spin and her trademark spiral. A very fun routine.

Usova & Zhulin skated next, to a slow song by Sting. Smooth, but I didn't get too into their routine.

Alexei Urmanov did a routine that used his gloves as props. :) Hit a nice triple axel! But stumbled a bit on a triple toe.

Woetzel & Steuer skated to "Mandy" by Barry Manilow and did a nice job. She put a hand down on a big throw double axel.


Rudy Galindo Posted by Picasa

Rudy Galindo really got the crowd going with his Village People program! Nice jumps and creative spins held together with some very flamboyant choreography. :) He got one of the biggest crowd receptions of the evening.


Klimova & Ponamarenko Posted by Picasa

Klimova & Ponamarenko skated a soft, flowy, romantic routine. It's true, her hair is now dull brown. :)

Surya Bonaly was next. This was the first time I've seen her skate live, and I'd have to say she is a very charismatic performer. Her routine was to an interesting Sarah Brightman song. Did jumps galore, including an awesome walley-walley-split-triple toe, as well as a backflip-triple sal. Threw some forward flips during her bows :)


Philippe Candeloro Posted by Picasa

Philippe Candeloro's disco program closed the first half on a high note. Like Rudy, he really got the crowd into his routine. He jumped into the stands at one point and took off his jacket in front of some very happy ladies.

After intermission, Tim Goebel (who is from the Chicago suburb of Rolling Meadows) came out and did a program to "Grease"... he skates very "young" but has a lot of potential.


Laurent Tobel Posted by Picasa

Laurent Tobel was hilarious in his ballerina getup, complete with tutu. Hit a big triple flip.

Lu Chen skated to "Peel Me a Grape" and hit a nice triple toe, then fell on a double axel. It was a nice routine but it didn't have a whole lot of spark.

Berezhnaia & Sikharulidze did their "Barcelona" program. They have awesome speed over the ice, and did a huge throw triple (loop?)...

Todd Eldredge skated his Andrea Bocelli program and hit everything, including a big triple axel. Also skated with all kinds of speed and flow. Big ovation.

Krylova & Ovsiannikov did their very enthusiastic "Malaguena"... good speed and tons of expression.

Victor Petrenko did his pianist number which I didn't really care for. Nice jumps though.

Kazakova & Dmitriev were next and did very well. I forget their music, but they skated with a lot of flair.

Gritschuk & Platov skated to "Frozen" by Madonna. Weird red costumes! I think I liked their "You'll See" program better. They skate very fast but didn't do a whole lot of footwork.


Michelle Kwan Posted by Picasa

Michelle Kwan was next (woohoo!) and skated to "Reflections" from Mulan. The version she used was sung by Lea Salonga but was different than the one in the movie/soundtrack. She hit a triple toe and triple sal, then stumbled a bit on a tilted triple lutz. I have to say, as beautiful as her change of edge spiral sequence is on tv, it's absolutely breathtaking in person! The speed and the ice coverage are awesome. She has some interesting footwork and spins as well. The program as a whole wasn't as captivating as I imagine "Dante's Prayer" would have been live, but still nice. Big ovation.

Ilya Kulik skated his "Rhapsody in Blue" program, complete with yellow cow shirt. :) His skating is very smooth, with effortless jumps. Landed a nice triple axel and several other triples.


Tara Lipinski Posted by Picasa

Tara Lipinski closed the show with her "Gliding"/"Believe in Yourself" program. She certainly skates with a lot of speed and covers the ice very well. She doubled her first lutz then tried a triple and landed it fine. Also hit a triple loop, triple sal, and I think a triple toe as well. There are some nice moments in this program, like the back spiral/attitude move, but she still has a little ways to go before she reaches the performance level of Nicole or Michelle, for me at least.

Highlights of the closing number included simultaneous double axels by Urmanov and Galindo; Bonaly's back flip-triple sal; and Kwan's edge-change spiral.

Overall I was impressed by the show and had a great time. If I go next season I'm going to definitely try to get better seats!! Thank goodness for binoculars (and for Krista's zoom lens and photography skills)!