Olympic afterglow

Now that the 2010 Vancouver Olympics have been over for a week, it's finally time to share my thoughts on the figure skating events.

Pairs
I was thrilled that Shen & Zhao won! Their short program was a masterpiece, and unfortunately suffered for being the first one to be performed, before the crowd had filled in. I was concerned that Pang & Tong would overtake them in the free after they (P&T) skated brilliantly, and Sandra Bezic's anguished "aaaghhggHHH" during Shen & Zhao's slip on an overhead lift certainly did nothing to allay my fears, but fortunately the error was not as severe as Bezic thought, and S&Z were able to hang on to the gold. Savchenko & Szolkowy also had a lovely performance for bronze. I was not impressed with either Zhang & Zhang or Kavaguti & Smirnov, and the emaciated-looking Yuko Kavaguti has surely overtaken Qing Pang for the "eat a cookie, please!" award. While the American pairs did not finish high, they skated fairly well; it was especially nice to see Evora & Ladwig so thrilled with their personal best scores.

Men
Despite his windmilly footwork and lack of quadruple jump, I think Evan Lysacek deserved the win. Plushenko's program was poorly constructed by comparison, his jumps, while clean, were often wonky in the air, and he didn't have the same flow as the other top men. I actually preferred Daisuke Takahashi's program to Plushy's, and I think a case could have been made for him to finish second. Lambiel and Chan are beautiful skaters, but were a little overmarked, IMO. Johnny Weir was wonderful aside from that one slip on a spin, and legitimately could have finished fourth or fifth. Jeremy Abbott redeemed himself somewhat from a rotten short and pulled up to finish in the top 10, but this was a disappointing Olympics for him.

Dance
A North American sweep of the ice dance medals would have been justified in my book. Both Virtue & Moir and Davis & White were wonderful, and either couple would have been a worthy champion. I dislike Belbin & Agosto's free dance, but it should still have beaten Domnina & Shabalin's for third place overall. It was nice to see Samuelson & Bates do well in their first Olympics.

Ladies
Yu-Na Kim withstood the immense pressure on her and delivered two flawless programs. I think the scoring was a little OTT, but no question she deserved to win both the short and free. I'm not so high on Mao Asada's skating; she's clearly very good, but something about her style of movement or something just doesn't appeal to me. That said, it was quite a feat for her to hit three triple axels over the course of the competition, and her silver medal was well-deserved. Joannie Rochette's brave performances just days after her mother's sudden death brought a lump to my throat, and while I thought maybe Mirai Nagasu could have edged her in the free, Rochette surely earned her bronze medal with her intricate and mature programs. Nagasu skated brilliantly and definitely made her mark here; this was like her "Michelle Kwan at 1995 Worlds" moment. Miki Ando is totally the Japanese Irina Slutskaya. Good for her for avoiding a repeat of her Torino implosion, I guess. Poor Rachael Flatt looked a bit deflated to see that she wasn't even in first place after she skated a clean and solid free skate; I'm not so sure Laura Lepisto, lovely as she is, should have beaten Flatt, but what do I know?

Overall it was an enjoyable two weeks of skating, with inspired performances by so many of the skaters, and largely free of judging controversy, yet still drama-filled. Bring on Worlds!

2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Returning to my neglected skating blog to dish about the recent 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships that took place in Spokane. At one point I thought about attending the championships in person, but the event was spread across two weekends, and I didn't want to be away for quite that long. :P

Anyway, onto the skating... I'm pretty happy with how the results turned out for the most part. In pairs, Denney and Barrett were rocks. They still need some finesse, but have come a long way since last season. I could see how Inoue & Baldwin may have had a case for finishing 2nd overall and making the Vancouver Olympic team. (although I do like Evora & Ladwig who did come in 2nd). In dance, I actively disliked Belbin & Agosto's free dance, and I hope they can tweak it to make it more compelling before the Olympics (less-distracting costumes would help) because I think they have the goods to medal there. Davis & White were marvelous, and I especially like their Bollywood-theme OD. I was rooting for Navarro & Bommentre to take the third Olympic spot, but Samuelson & Bates came through with a really solid FD and deserved the third spot.

In the ladies' event, it was extremely frustrating to see Sasha Cohen blow another long program to finish 4th. Sadly, those who have followed Sasha's career could have predicted that she'd miss at least one or two jumps... she ended up making errors on at least four, and her overall program suffered greatly as a result. Meh. I like Rachael Flatt (moreso her competitiveness than her skating quality, although her programs this year are much-improved over previous seasons', particularly her SP) so I am glad she took the title. Mirai Nagasu is a spitfire, and definitely one to watch in the next few years. Too bad for Ashley Wagner; she skated a great LP but that fall in the SP really hurt her chances to make the Olympic team.

Kudos to Jeremy Abbott for successfully defending his title; I love his easy flow across the ice. I wish I liked Evan Lysacek's skating more, since he's from around here, but I really haven't enjoyed his programs for the last few seasons (he did deserve the world title last year though). Along with Jeremy and Johnny Weir, he's a definite podium threat in Vancouver. Really strong men's team this year.

Overall, I thought it was a solid event. No issues at all with the winners of each event, and while Olympic medal chances in pairs' and ladies' will be iffy, I think a U.S. medal (or even two) is likely in the mens' and dance. We shall see in a few weeks!

2008 Skate America

I had the opportunity to attend part of the 2008 Skate America competition in Everett, WA, last weekend. I saw the ladies' short program and men's free skate on Saturday, October 25, and the free dance and ladies' free skate on Sunday. Here are my general impressions from the event:

• Yu-Na Kim (KOR) who won the ladies event had a very large and vocal following in the arena! She skated well, although I was surprised that she won the short program by such a large margin considering she had a mistake on her double axel. Her long program was very good, marred only by a popped triple loop.

• The Japanese ladies, Yukari Nakano and Miki Ando, who came in second and third place respectively, both had errors in the short but skated very well in the long. Coincidentally, both skated to selections of music from "Giselle" for their long programs; Nakano's had a lighter, more balletic feel, while Ando's program was more dramatic. I preferred Nakano's program.

• The Americans, Rachael Flatt, Mirai Nagasu, and Kimmie Meissner, all have some work to do to be more competitive internationally. Meissner had the best "command of the ice" of the three, but she had disruptive falls on jumps in both programs. Nagasu has a sparkle that Flatt lacks, but Flatt skates with a bit more maturity.

• The crowd was very supportive of all the skaters. Poor Annette Dytrt of Germany fell on her first three jumps in the long program and the crowd did its best to lift her spirits, and gave her a warm ovation at the end.

• The men's event was very close, and I thought Evan Lysacek (USA) had done enough to win (and he certainly got the biggest ovation from the crowd), but he only ended up in third behind Takahiko Kozuka (JPN) and Johnny Weir (USA). Lysacek apparently had some jumps and other elements downgraded.

• My favorite long program of the men's event was Shawn Sawyer's (CAN). Although he missed or scaled down a couple of jumps, he skated with a lot of style and his line and stretch were exceptional. Some of his spin and spiral positions would have made Sasha Cohen envious. ;)

• Ice dancing is not my favorite discipline, but there were a couple of fun programs among the free dances here. Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates (USA) had the most entertaining free dance; they finished fourth overall but were third in the free. The winners, Isabel Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder (FRA) had an interesting free dance set to music by Pink Floyd, and I also liked the whimsical free dance of Americans Jane Somerset and Todd Gilles. Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto (USA) skated very well, winning the free and finishing second overall, but I found their "Tosca" free dance to be rather flat.

I took several photos from the Saturday evening events; my camera unfortunately broke just prior to the free dance, so all I have from Sunday's events are a couple of crappy camera phone pics. :P

In addition to the skating, I also had the pleasure of meeting some skating fans I previously only "knew" from online, plus one skatefan who I had met at 2006 US Nationals in St. Louis. This was the first international skating competition I ever attended and it was an enjoyable time overall. Here's hoping that this coming skating season will be more interesting than the last few have been!

2008 Worlds

This post is very belated, but here are my impressions on the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships that took place last month:

• Kudos to Johnny Weir for finally skating well enough to win a world medal and keeping the US team from leaving Gothenburg empty-handed! The other US men (Jeremy Abbott and Stephen Carriere) also skated well, and secured three places for the USA at next year's Worlds.
  
• The US ladies, on the other hand, had their weakest showing in years. Still, Kimmie Meissner came back from her devastating performance at US Nationals with a solid SP and decent LP to finish 7th at Worlds. Bebe Liang managed to hang on to a respectable 10th place, while Ashley Wagner struggled a bit and finished 16th.
• Jeffrey Buttle skated a gorgeous LP to win his first World title. I wasn't sure if it would be enough to stay ahead of an also-impressive program by Brian Joubert, but Buttle's more intricate program won it for him.
• Bummer for Belbin & Agosto to finish 4th. Their free dance is one of the most beautiful ones I've seen in the past several years. It's too bad they struggled so much in the CD and OD.
  
• I missed all of the pairs competition (oops).
• It was a bittersweet end to ABC's run of covering Worlds. Hopefully whoever picks up the broadcast rights for the US will do as good of a job as the ABC team did.

Lysacek withraws from Worlds

U.S. champ Evan Lysacek has withdrawn from the World Championships due to an injury suffered in training. He'll be replaced by Jeremy Abbott. Evan's withdrawal will put even more pressure on Johnny Weir and Stephen Carriere (as well as Abbott) to secure a high-enough placement for the U.S. to send three men to next year's Worlds. Let's hope they can step up!

2008 USFS Championships - Senior Men

What an amazing finish to the senior men's event! I mean, c'mon, with the "precision" offered by COP, how likely is it that the top two would end up with the exact same total score? Personally, I thought Johnny Weir skated a stronger, more secure program in the free skate (his flow and edge quality were wonderful), but Evan Lysacek did have visibly more complex spins and transitions, so I can see how Evan's program could have scored higher, thus giving him the overall win.

Similarly, I preferred the free skate of 4th place Jeremy Abbott over that of bronze medalist Stephen Carriere. Both programs were well-constructed (though very different stylistically). I felt that Jeremy had better flow and power over the ice, but Stephen had very secure jumps and again, more complexity throughout the program. Ryan Bradley as always skated a fun, engaging program. It's too bad he couldn't hit his most difficult jump elements.

Overall, I think NBC did a decent job covering the championships, but as ever, there was too much time devoted to fluff pieces and segments on "the rivalry" (ooo) which could have been better used showing another program or two in each discipline. Commentary-wise, I enjoy Scott Hamilton's enthusiasm, but I think casual viewers would learn almost nothing from his and Sandra Bezic's play-by-play. I felt Tracy Wilson did a better job of explaining what the judges are looking for during the ice dance coverage.

Watching this weekend's broadcasts makes me want to see another competitive skating event in person. Maybe Skate America in the fall... :)

2008 USFS Championships - Senior Pairs, Dance, Ladies

I caught the NBC broadcasts of the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships today. Here are some of my quick-hit thoughts:

• It was a bold gesture for John Baldwin to propose to Rena Inoue at the conclusion of their pairs free skate, in front of the audience in the arena and the television viewers. What if she had wanted to say "no"? :)
• Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto's free dance was gorgeous and skated with such attack. I hope they can repeat this performance at the World Championships and take home the gold. Meryl Davis & Charlie White's second place performances at Nationals could also challenge for the podium at Worlds. I typically have liked Navarro & Bommentre, but their free dance here lacked energy.
  
• I'm heartbroken for Kimmie Meissner. It must have been so hard for her to keep skating after three big falls in her free skate. Her programs this year were a step up from last season's, and it's too bad she couldn't deliver the technical content. Hopefully next season she can return to form and challenge for the top spots at Nationals and Worlds again.
• It'll be interesting to see whether USFS names Meissner to the World team. Based on standings here, she's only the fourth-ranked age-eligible competitor, behind Ashley Wagner, Bebe Liang, and Katrina Hacker, all of whom would be first-timers at Worlds. I wonder if USFS would send Kimmie due to her experience at the world level.
  
• Caroline Zhang skated beautifully in the free skate, but she was soooo slow throughout much of the program. I think this hurt her in the short program as well. Her jumping technique on the lutz and flip is also troublesome, but I'm hoping she'll be able to fix that as she gets older and stronger.
• It was great to see Michelle Kwan during the fluff piece on Zhang. Interestingly, I think Caroline skates more like Sasha Cohen than Michelle, at least in terms of her style of movement. :)
• Caroline Zhang, Ashley Wagner, Rachel Flatt, and Mirai Nagasu all skated wonderfully in the long. I was especially impressed with Nagasu's speed and flow over the ice. I think I like Katrina Hacker's overall quality of skating better than all of the above, though. I particularly loved her air position in her jumps. I also really like Alissa Czisny's skating, but she had too many jump problems in the free to move up from her SP placement.
  
• It was cool to see a couple of Filipino-American skaters do well enough to make the tv broadcasts: Amanda Evora (finished 5th in pairs with Mark Ladwig) and Melissa Bulanhagui (8th in senior ladies).
  

Here's hoping tomorrow's mens' free skate offers as much drama as today's competitions did. :)

Christopher Bowman, 1967-2008

I was saddened to learn of the death of Christopher Bowman, former US figure skating champ and two-time world medalist. I became a skating fan in 1988, just as Bowman was gaining prominence in the sport. He was an erratic competitor but always entertaining. It's too bad he couldn't quite get his life together after he left competitive skating. RIP, Bowman the Showman.

So long, farewell COI

It has been reported that the Champions on Ice tour has been cancelled. It will effectively be merging with the rival tour, Stars on Ice. I have attended a number of Champions on Ice (formerly Tour of Champions) shows in Chicago and enjoyed seeing the top "eligibles" perform alongside seasoned pros, and I typically preferred the simpler style of COI to the more theme-y SOI. Alas! To be honest I haven't been as into the figure skating scene the past couple of seasons, but it still saddens me that interest in the sport has dropped so much from its heyday just a decade ago. Hopefully some new stars will emerge by the time the next Olympics rolls around, to draw audiences back to the sport.

NBC to broadcast USFS events

U.S. Figure Skating has signed a three-year deal with NBC to broadcast the national championships and Skate America.

Chicago Tribune article
L.A. Times article

I suppose I'm glad that at least *someone* has picked up the rights to broadcast U.S. figure skating events for the next few seasons. For a while after ABC/ESPN didn't renew their agreement, it was looking like skating would be relegated to webcasts (or YouTube, heh). I wonder if NBC or another major network is thinking of picking up the broadcast rights for ISU events as well, after that contract with ABC expires next year.

2007 Worlds

Well, the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships have come and gone. Some new stars emerged in the post-Olympic year, such as Mao Asada (JPN) and Yu-na Kim (KOR) in ladies' singles, and Virtue & Moir (CAN) and Davis & White (USA) in dance. Belbin & Agosto captured the bronze again at this Worlds... who'd have thought that the USA would get its only medal in *ice dance*?! Kimmie Meissner performed fairly well but couldn't keep up with new champ Miki Ando, Mao, and Yu-Na. Evan Lysacek, Johnny Weir, and Ryan Bradley all had problems in the men's event, and Inoue & Baldwin and Castile & Okolski struggled in pairs. Hopefully the USA will have better luck at next year's Worlds!

2007 U.S. Nationals

The 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships are underway! I didn't make plans to attend this event in person like I did last time, so I'll have to settle for watching it on tv. :-)

I'll make some early predix for the outcome of the senior events:
Men:
1) Evan Lysacek
2) Johnny Weir
3) Scott Smith

Dance:
1) Belbin/Agosto
2) Gregory/Petukhov
3) Matthews/Zavozin

Pairs:
1) Inoue/Baldwin
2) Nam/Leftheris
3) Evora/Ladwig

Ladies:
1) Kimmie Meissner
2) Emily Hughes
3) Rachel Flatt

Not particularly daring predictions, but there they are. :-) We'll see how many I get right by next weekend!

GPF 2006

The USA came away with no medals at the ISU Grand Prix Final this weekend. No US ladies qualified for the final, both US men (Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir) withdrew during the competition with similar hip injuries, Rena Inoue & John Baldwin finished 4th in pairs, and Gregory & Petukhov came in 6th in dance (Belbin & Agosto had withdrawn prior to the event). Oh well. Hopefully everyone will be back in form for US Nationals and Worlds!

Michelle Kwan, US Ambassador

Michelle Kwan has been named Public Diplomacy Ambassador for the United States.

Excerpt:

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Michelle Kwan, the Hong Kong-born US figure-skating superstar, as Washington's first Public Diplomacy Ambassador tasked with promoting American values around the world.

Kwan, a two-time Olympic medalist and the most decorated figure-skater in US history, will visit China early next year on the first mission of her non-salaried career as goodwill envoy, Rice said.

What a neat honor for Michelle!

Edit: Here's the USFS story about the announcement.

A year off for Michelle Kwan

U.S. Figure Skating recently confirmed that Michelle Kwan will sit out the 2006-07 skating season to recover from hip surgery and focus on her college studies at Denver University. I'm a big fan of Michelle's skating so I'll miss her presence on the competitive skating scene this season, but she's been at it for so long that she deserves a break. :) I don't know if we'll ever see her compete at U.S. Nationals, Worlds, or Olympics again, but hopefully she'll at least participate in some exhibitions or pro-am type events once her hip recovers.

Michelle Kwan's salad days

Michelle Kwan is featured in a new commercial for Kraft salad dressing. Here's a link to the ad on YouTube: Michelle's triple combination salad

Hello world

Welcome to Sk8around, my new skating site! I've transferred over most of the content from my old skating site on Tripod. I felt it was time for some new digs, and Blogger makes it fairly simple to add new pages and photos. Links to my posts by subject and date can be found in the sidebar (I have "backdated" my posts according to the date the corresponding page was last updated on my former skating site). Also check out the Flickr badge in the sidebar that features skating-related photos I have taken. Finally, links to interesting and informative skating resources can also be found in the sidebar.

I have to say, this past skating season (2005-06) was a bit of a letdown for me. I don't know if it was due to Code of Points making the programs all kind of same-y and uninteresting, or the lack of extensive tv coverage of the Grand Prix events, or the injuries to some of my favorite skaters, but I just didn't feel as invested in skating this year. Which is ironic since it was an Olympic year!

OTOH, I did get to attend my first-ever US national championships in St. Louis in January. I had a great time. You can read about it in more detail in my post about the event. Congratulations to all the USFS skaters who competed, and who went on to represent the USA at Four Continents, Olympics, and Worlds.

Anyway, thanks for visiting, and I hope to add more content here as the next skating season gets underway!

2006 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

I attended my very first U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis this year! I saw the Senior Ladies SP and all four senior LPs. While I was disappointed that my favorite skater, Michelle Kwan, was forced to withdraw with an injury, the skating was still very enjoyable, and there were several wonderful performances from not only the winners and medalists, but many of the lower-ranked skaters as well. I also got to meet some fellow skate fans who I previously had only "known" via the internet skating message board that I visit, which was very cool.

Here are photos I took of the winners of the senior events:


Inoue & Baldwin 


Belbin & Agosto 


Johnny Weir 


Sasha Cohen 

More photos can be found in my Flickr album, and other details about my St. Louis trip are on my travelblog.

I had a blast and I hope I will have the opportunity to attend another Nationals in the future!

2002 Champions on Ice - Chicago, IL

I attended the matinee performance of John Hancock Champions on Ice on May 4, 2002. This was the fourth COI I've attended (I saw the show in 1996, 1998, and 1999). I had pretty good seats (10th row, lower level near center ice) which gave a good vantage point from which to see the skaters and get an idea of their speed/flow across the ice. This was my first chance to see several of the skaters (e.g. Slutskaya, Plushenko, Cohen, Lang/Tchernyshev) in person, and Chicago got some unexpected additions to the cast (Totmianina/Marinin, Kalesavich/Parchem, Chait/Sakhnovsky).

I managed to get some decent photos at the show, thanks mostly to a new zoom lens I recently got for my camera. :)

The show intro was in typical COI format, starting with a short light show, followed by the featured performers doing a few moves to contemporary pop songs:

Totmianina/Marinin - Get This Party Started
Nicole Bobek - Hey Baby
Rudy Galindo - Love Shack
Lang/Tchernyshev - ?
Philippe Candeloro - I'm a Believer
Sasha Cohen - I Love Rock & Roll
Punsalan/Swallow - Your Mama Can't Dance
Surya Bonaly - Whenever, Wherever
Michael Weiss - ?
Kazakova/Dmitriev - Wherever You Will Go
Victor Petrenko - All Star
Chait/Sakhnovsky - Woman
Elvis Stojko - Elevation
Michelle Kwan - Here Comes the Sun
Timothy Goebel - Hero
Irina Slutskaya, Evgeny Plushenko, Sarah Hughes - The World's Greatest


Nicole Bobek (music from Moulin Rouge/Material Girl) - Good energy from Nicole to start off the show. Fell on her first jump (2axel) but later hit a nice 3toe and another 2axel. Some nice spins as well. She's a great dancer and moves very well.


Kalesavich & Parchem 

Kalesavich/Parchem (Harry Belafonte song) - The first surprise solo number of the show. :) I believe Aaron Parchem is from the Chicago area which would explain their participation here. Cute "tropical"-themed number. They were fairly slow, and Stephanie fell on a throw 3sal, but they did do some nice lifts (including a Detroiter) and other pair moves.


Lang & Tchernyshev 

Lang/Tchernyshev ("Parisian Walkways") - They got a fairly muted response upon introduction, but the crowd really got into their routine as it went along. Great sustained hydroblade move midway through drew cheers. The sight of Peter T. in a tank top drew "wows" from some of the ladies seated near me. :)

Philippe Candeloro ("Wild Wild West") - Cheezy to be sure, but the crowd just loves him. The only skater I've ever seen bring a clothes hamper out onto the ice with him. :) Typical Philippe program with some big jumps, ankle spin, clothing removal, and audience attack. Had one lady smack his rear end a few times, asking her to hit harder each time, until another lady seated next to the first one hit him really hard. :)

Punsalan/Swallow ("Because/One") - Kind of a dark, moody number. I like their flow and power over the ice. They did some cool lifts that exhibited their strength and her flexibility.

Dan Hollander (South Park/Mrs. Doubtfire) - He's done this program on tour before, but Dan still had the audience in stitches as soon as the lights came up. Starts off as Cartman from South Park, then segues into a Mrs. Doubtfire getup. :) He miffed a couple of triples but it didn't really affect the performance; he also did a back flip. Fun number, but I'm hoping that his terrific skills (esp. the footwork!) are showcased in a new program next year.

Sasha Cohen ("Hernando's Hideaway") - A very solid routine. She is noticeably slower over the ice than most of the other top ladies, but she has great presence. Hit a 2axel, 3flutz, 3sal, 3toe. Gorgeous positions as always, and her LFO spiral was held on a nice deep edge (really!). Got a good crowd response.

Totmianina/Marinin ("Never Met a Girl Like You Before" (?)) - Not terribly exciting, but this number did have a bit more flair than their competitive programs. Very nice throws and lifts.

Michael Weiss (The Doors?) - Michael showed off his new "freedom" blades several times in this number. He fell on one triple (I think a 3toe?) but hit a few clean ones as well in between his breakdancing maneuvers. :)


Surya Bonaly 

Surya Bonaly ("March with Me") - Surya threw in tons of jumps throughout this program (mostly 3toes and 2axels), although she did stumble out of a couple. I don't think she used the music particularly well, but I did enjoy the energy she put into her performance. She did *two* backflips, including one landed on one foot right into a back spiral!

Rudy Galindo (Village People medley) - Great way to close out the first half of the show. He could probably do this routine on tour for the next 10 years and crowds would still eat it up. Got some nice 3toes and 2axels in before popping another 3toe then singling an axel. The crowd clapped along through most of the routine and many people joined in the "YMCA" portion. :)

Irina Gregorian ("Start the Commotion") - Started off the second half. Did some amazing things with several hula hoops while skating, including a 2toe and several spins and spirals all while keeping the hoops moving. Dan Hollander assisted by bringing out more and more hula hoops for Irina. :) Ended by "hula-ing" a huge slinky.

Chait/Sakhnovsky ("Stranger In My House") - Another surprise performance. They are fast and move well, but I didn't really get into this number.

Elvis Stojko ("That Girl") - A typical Elvis number: pointing at the crowd, singing along to his music, kissing someone in the audience, and doing some big jumps and lots of fast footwork.


Besedin & Polischuk 

Besedin/Polishchuk ("The Swan") - A goofy routine with tons of simply amazing acrobatic tricks. Incidentally, it was easy to take photos of them because they barely moved from one spot on the ice. :) They got a huge audience response.

Timothy Goebel ("Freedom") - Tim had some jump trouble tonight, leaning on a few triples and popping/stumbling out of a 3flip. Still this was a good program that showed some additional improvement in his musicality and carriage, especially in his spins. The local boy (he's from Rolling Meadows, IL) got a nice ovation from his hometown crowd.

Irina Slutskaya ("Cotton-Eyed Joe") - This was a fun number, very different from Irina's recent competitive programs. She hit a nice 3loop out of 3 turns, and a 3salchow. Spins were nice and fast, as was her overall skating. I wasn't as blown away by her athleticism as I was expecting, but this was an enjoyable skate.

Victor Petrenko ("Who Let the Dogs Out") - Another cheezy program. We've seen better from Victor, but I was impressed that he was able to jump (3toe, big 2axels) with that stuffed dog strapped to his arm. :)

Kazakova/Dmitriev (The Matrix) - A very innovative program with lots of original moves. They did their "air throw salchow" as well as a move where she did a double jump out of a death spiral, sort of. I think they did a throw 3toe also (she may have put her foot down on the landing though).


Michelle Kwan 

Michelle Kwan ("Fields of Gold") - Wow, as beautiful as this program is on tv, it was 10 times better live. :) It was smooth and seamless, yet still athletic; her power doesn't seem to come across as well on tv. Hit a 2axel, 3toe, 3lutz, and 3toe. Spins were nicely positioned and well-centered. Her ending RBI-RBO change-edge spiral drew a huge cheer. I think I held my breath through the entire program. :) Michelle received the only standing ovation of the night aside from the finale.

Evgeny Plushenko ("Carmen") - This was a nice program filled with lots of jumps. He did a 3toe-3toe-2loop (it might have been 3loop!) to open. He really gets into the choreography, putting his all into the many arm and head flourishes throughout. :)

Sarah Hughes ("I'll Never Say Goodbye") - Sarah's program was very pretty and she covers the ice very well. Her skating still lacks a bit of polish but she's come a very long way since I first saw her skate in person almost four years ago. She hit most of her jumps (2axel, 3sal, 3lutz, 3toe) but singled the loop out of a spiral/3 turns. Got a very nice ovation from the crowd.

The patriotic-themed finale had everyone dressed in varying combinations of red, white, and blue. As in past COI finales, there was some group choreography combined with short solos from all/most of the skaters. Some highlights included a change-edge (LFI-LFO) spiral from Sasha Cohen (really nice position, although slower/less-steady than Kwan's), backflip into spiral from Surya Bonaly, Nicole Bobek's trademark spiral, a great scratch spin from Rudy Galindo, spiral into 3 turns into 3loop from Sarah Hughes (hit it nicely after missing it in her program), and a beautiful split falling leaf from Michelle Kwan (she was the last skater to come out for the finale). Then various groups of skaters did coordinated moves before they all went back into a final formation to acknowledge the crowd as fireworks went off overhead. Received a well-deserved standing O.

Overall, I really enjoyed the show! The level of skating was high despite the cheeze factor of many of the routines. :) I still prefer competitive skating to shows/exhibitions, but since competitions don't take place in Chicagoland too often, I definitely plan on attending COI again in the future.

2002 USFSA Midwestern Sectionals

I attended the final day of competition of the 2002 USFSA Midwestern Sectionals, which took place in Northbrook, IL, on November 17, 2001. Top finishers in each event at sectionals advance to the 2002 US Figure Skating Championships in February in Los Angeles.

For now, I just have a few photos up, but soon I will post a review of the events that I saw.

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


Andrea Gardiner, 1st place senior ladies 


Alissa Czisny, 2nd place senior ladies 


Ann-Patrice McDonough, 3rd place senior ladies 


Andrea Aggeler, 7th place senior ladies