The reason I wanted to post about Indy 500 today (other than the fact that I was there) was because I see a lot of similarities in IndyCar racing and figure skating. My husband is about as passionate about racing between April and October as I am between October-March when it comes to skating, so while I’m fairly late to the party, I’ve become a keen observer of it. Among the things I’ve noticed:
+ Both are generally considered “niche sports” with a passionate, dedicated following.
+ Both attract athletes from around the world.
+ Both hit their mainstream stride in the 1960s and ‘70s, when…
+ Both were routinely getting TV time by way of ABC. (And, well, at least one of them still is)
+ Both have taken big hits in viewership over the past 15 years (for different reasons, but political at heart)
+ BUT… both seem to be on the comeback trail.
+ One more thing they have in common… while no one likes to admit it… any given event gets more interesting when disaster strikes. Whether it’s an ugly car crash or a disarming fall in the free skate, we kind of perk up on those “uh-oh”s.
And as I mentioned yesterday, even the best-known personalities in racing bear certain similarities to their bladed counterparts…
Dario Franchitti (2-time Indy 500 winner as of today) is like… Evan Lysacek
Because he’s proven he can peak at the best times, because he minds his manners most of the time, and because he’s not afraid to show off his super-attractive better half (for Lysacek that includes girlfriends Tanith Belbin and Nastia Liukin; for Franchitti that would be his wife, actor Ashley Judd.
Helio Castroneves (3-time Indy 500 winner who came in 9th today) is like… Kim Yu-Na
Because he’s a crazyfierce and successful competitor, because he’s omnipresent in his sport’s “world”, and because he’s multi-talented (Yu-Na sings as well as skates; Castroneves won Dancing with the Stars a few years ago).
Scott Dixon (2008 Indy 500 winner who came in 5th today) is like… Daisuke Takahashi
Because he keeps his name out of the headlines, except when it’s unavoidable because he’s won something… because he’s always a quiet force to be reckoned with in any event… and because if drivers could execute quadruple flips in competition, Dixon would probably be the one to attempt it without any grandstanding, just as Dice-K did!
Tony Kanaan (frequent lap leader at Indy 500 who has not yet won here; came in 11th today) is like…Michelle Kwan
Well, at least he is around here. Kanaan has won countless other races since becoming a part of the IndyCar series in 2002… and has looked many times like he was destined to win here in Indy… but it still hasn’t happened. (His best finish was 2nd, in 2004.) And like Kwan, he’s extremely personable and draws on his sense of humor more than most. Maybe that’s why he’s so beloved in this town.
And Danica Patrick (first woman to win an IndyCar race and first woman to take the lead at the Indy 500, though she hasn’t yet won… came in 6th today) is like… Johnny Weir
No, this isn’t in reference to their diva tendencies, or their mutual interest in fashionable shoes… I’m thinking more about their respective statuses as media darlings who tend to make more headlines for what they do while away from their sport. Oh, and the fact that they both had quick success upon entering the “senior” level of what they do, but haven’t really maintained it. Dang, now that I’m thinking about it, maybe Johnny IS Danica! Maybe that’s what’s revealed on those online Go Daddy spots in which she’s always featured…
Speaking of Weir… I went to see if his single “Dirty Love” is visible via You Tube yet, and I found this … have you ever seen it? It’s Weir singing something called “Ice Shadows” in Russian. Yes, he can sing… how remarkably? I'll let you be the judge.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Watching the Indy 500 Sunday? Read On...
Just wanted to give a heads-up to any skating fans around the world who also happen to follow the IndyCar series...
Since I'll be one of the hundreds of thousands in attendance at the Indianapolis 500, I'm hoping to write a post tomorrow night (if I'm not too exhausted from walking to and from the track!) doing a little compare/contrast on these two sports... and I'm giving some thought to which drivers share certain qualities with notable skaters. Does Helio Castroneves have more in common with Evan Lysacek than Dancing with the Stars? Who shares Tony Kanaan's streak of hard luck? Or Danica Patrick's temper?
Let's talk about it tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy the coverage of the race on ABC; I'll be sitting squarely between turn 1 and turn 2 :-)
Since I'll be one of the hundreds of thousands in attendance at the Indianapolis 500, I'm hoping to write a post tomorrow night (if I'm not too exhausted from walking to and from the track!) doing a little compare/contrast on these two sports... and I'm giving some thought to which drivers share certain qualities with notable skaters. Does Helio Castroneves have more in common with Evan Lysacek than Dancing with the Stars? Who shares Tony Kanaan's streak of hard luck? Or Danica Patrick's temper?
Let's talk about it tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy the coverage of the race on ABC; I'll be sitting squarely between turn 1 and turn 2 :-)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
2009 Trophee Eric Bompard Revisited, Part 2
In doing these Closer Looks at the past season’s events, I’m hoping to take one part of each event and study the judges’marks closer to look for downgrades, edge calls, levels of difficulty, etc. This time around, I went right to the ladies’ free skate. But before we get to that—just a few notes about the ice dance:
+ There was quite a bit of shifting in placement between the different parts of competition, at least as far as the non-podium finishers go… in fact, Navarro/Bommentre managed to outskate Samuelson/Bates in the OD when Bates faltered on his twizzle sequence. (Sam/Bates finished ahead of N/B overall—by 8 points or so.)
+ And there was quite a bit of costume changing between TEB and the second half of the season-- particularly for Emily Samuelson, who was sporting “Daisy Duke” shorts for the OD back in October but eventually changed to her red, short-sleeved number with the big cut-out on the back. (This of course left Sinead Kerr with sole Daisy Dukes honors for the remainder of the season.) Samuelson was also in her lavender outfit for the FD; she went to a gold dress by the end of the season (not sure if Bates had to change his costume as well). And Tessa Virtue was still twirling her long, heavy-looking black skirt in the flamenco OD (she eventually went with the slightly shorter red one, as seen in Vancouver).
+ It’s also worth noting that the lifts undertaken by the Kerrs seemed to draw bigger responses in Paris than the ones by Virtue/Moir (including the awesome inverted one near the end of the OD). Could it have been a bit of European influence…?
And as for the LADIES:
Do you remember the lineup? It was highlighted by the unusual, early-season meeting of Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada, which in fact overshadowed any other competitors. Yukari Nakano was there… Carolina Kostner… Kiira Korpi… Elene Gedevanishvili… any memories triggering? Any at all?
Take heart; you’re not the only one. Save for a triple flip that she opted to skate right through, Yu-Na was stunningly sharp and clean when competing in Paris last October. In contrast, however, were her competitors:
+ Asada, who went only one-for-three with clean triple axels in Paris and ended up falling on, of all things, a double axel
+ Nakano, who had problems with her free skate
+ Korpi, who only attempted TWO triples and neither was clean
+ Kostner, who had hands down on two triples, fell on a downgraded triple lutz, doubled another, and did a waxel that wasn’t even enough of an effort to call a waxel (how about a Wa-??)
+ Gedevanishvili, who proved she’d be a fairly formidable competitor if she could only jumpstart her content… a triple lutz, subpar 3T/3T, two triple salchows (falling on one), and spins, steps and spirals that all hover around “level 2” just aren’t quite enough.
Anyway, throw in four lesser-known skaters, including the USA’s Alexe Gilles and Caroline Zhang (neither of whom skated clean in the FS, though Gilles managed the 4th best SP of the event, and pulled down “level 4”’s on all her free skate spins as well)…
And not only do you see why Yu-Na won, and won BIG… she looked positively unstoppable in Paris. The fact that there wasn’t much “traffic” probably helped. I mean, how else could one omit an entire jumping pass from the program and still pull in a score well over 200 points?
Sorry if I’ve featured this one before, but for the Clip of the Day here is Yu-Na’s exhibition skate to Rhianna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” from the TEB Gala. Quite fun!
+ There was quite a bit of shifting in placement between the different parts of competition, at least as far as the non-podium finishers go… in fact, Navarro/Bommentre managed to outskate Samuelson/Bates in the OD when Bates faltered on his twizzle sequence. (Sam/Bates finished ahead of N/B overall—by 8 points or so.)
+ And there was quite a bit of costume changing between TEB and the second half of the season-- particularly for Emily Samuelson, who was sporting “Daisy Duke” shorts for the OD back in October but eventually changed to her red, short-sleeved number with the big cut-out on the back. (This of course left Sinead Kerr with sole Daisy Dukes honors for the remainder of the season.) Samuelson was also in her lavender outfit for the FD; she went to a gold dress by the end of the season (not sure if Bates had to change his costume as well). And Tessa Virtue was still twirling her long, heavy-looking black skirt in the flamenco OD (she eventually went with the slightly shorter red one, as seen in Vancouver).
+ It’s also worth noting that the lifts undertaken by the Kerrs seemed to draw bigger responses in Paris than the ones by Virtue/Moir (including the awesome inverted one near the end of the OD). Could it have been a bit of European influence…?
And as for the LADIES:
Do you remember the lineup? It was highlighted by the unusual, early-season meeting of Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada, which in fact overshadowed any other competitors. Yukari Nakano was there… Carolina Kostner… Kiira Korpi… Elene Gedevanishvili… any memories triggering? Any at all?
Take heart; you’re not the only one. Save for a triple flip that she opted to skate right through, Yu-Na was stunningly sharp and clean when competing in Paris last October. In contrast, however, were her competitors:
+ Asada, who went only one-for-three with clean triple axels in Paris and ended up falling on, of all things, a double axel
+ Nakano, who had problems with her free skate
+ Korpi, who only attempted TWO triples and neither was clean
+ Kostner, who had hands down on two triples, fell on a downgraded triple lutz, doubled another, and did a waxel that wasn’t even enough of an effort to call a waxel (how about a Wa-??)
+ Gedevanishvili, who proved she’d be a fairly formidable competitor if she could only jumpstart her content… a triple lutz, subpar 3T/3T, two triple salchows (falling on one), and spins, steps and spirals that all hover around “level 2” just aren’t quite enough.
Anyway, throw in four lesser-known skaters, including the USA’s Alexe Gilles and Caroline Zhang (neither of whom skated clean in the FS, though Gilles managed the 4th best SP of the event, and pulled down “level 4”’s on all her free skate spins as well)…
And not only do you see why Yu-Na won, and won BIG… she looked positively unstoppable in Paris. The fact that there wasn’t much “traffic” probably helped. I mean, how else could one omit an entire jumping pass from the program and still pull in a score well over 200 points?
Sorry if I’ve featured this one before, but for the Clip of the Day here is Yu-Na’s exhibition skate to Rhianna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” from the TEB Gala. Quite fun!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Let the Reruns Begin: 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard Revisited (Part 1)
Before the week is out, we will have a new American Idol (Lee or Crystal?), a new Mirrorball Trophy winner on DWTS (Evan or Erin or Nicole?), and we already have a new Celebrity Apprentice (Bret!!!!!). And then the rerun-heavy “summer season” gets underway. But for skating fans, the season ended about 2 months ago. Where are OUR reruns? I hear you pleading.
Well take heart—starting with this post I’ll be taking a look back, every couple weeks or so, to the events that shaped figure skating this past year… watching with fresh eyes, you might say.
We’ll get started with the 2009 TEB in Paris, which launched the ’09-10 ISU Grand Prix this season back in October (featuring Men and Pairs this time):
Diamond-in-the-Rough award, men—Javier Fernandez of Spain, who finished 11th at TEB but managed 12th in a much deeper field at Worlds, just 5 months later.
Diamond-in-the-Rough award, pairs—James/Bonheur of France, who suffered 3 falls in their tepid free skate and ended the TEB night in last place. Like Fernandez, they ended the year in 14th at Vancouver and 12th at Worlds. Go figure!
Shoulda-seen-it-Coming, men—Brian Joubert finishing off the podium at his home country’s event. I’m not positive about this, but the clear errors he made in the SP (overrotated/step out of quad, double-threes out of axel, and hands down on the lutz) seemed hauntingly similar to his Olympic SP performance… except that his mistake on the lutz (a messy fall) was even more blatant.
Shoulda-seen-it-Coming, pairs—It was during the spiral sequence of their “You’ll Never Walk Alone” FS that Aliona Savchenko slipped off her seemingly confident edge and incited gasps as she and partner Robin Szolkowy struggled to put the gaping, disruptive error behind them. They certainly failed to do so that day… and even with a complete FS overhaul to the “Out of Africa” program, problems persisted as they’d never seen before.
Last but not least: Who’d a Thunk…
+ that two guys (Nobunari Oda and Adam Rippon) could fare so well without quads (winning gold and bronze, respectively) when at least four of their competitors had them—and sometimes even landed them?
+ that two men in the top five (Rippon and Yannick Pansero) wouldn’t make their respective Olympic teams a few months later?
+ that the same “kid” that was getting his hair scruffed by Nikolai Morozov in the Kiss-and-Cry (Oda) would be married with his own kid on the way by the following spring?
+ that Oda, Tomas Verner, and the gold-medal pair of Mukhortova/Trankov all essentially gave us the best they had on that first competition… and then never really gave it again?
I’m including Verner’s "Zorba" SP as the Clip of the Day… if he stays with competitive skating beyond this year, here’s hoping he can find his way back to performances like this.
Well take heart—starting with this post I’ll be taking a look back, every couple weeks or so, to the events that shaped figure skating this past year… watching with fresh eyes, you might say.
We’ll get started with the 2009 TEB in Paris, which launched the ’09-10 ISU Grand Prix this season back in October (featuring Men and Pairs this time):
Diamond-in-the-Rough award, men—Javier Fernandez of Spain, who finished 11th at TEB but managed 12th in a much deeper field at Worlds, just 5 months later.
Diamond-in-the-Rough award, pairs—James/Bonheur of France, who suffered 3 falls in their tepid free skate and ended the TEB night in last place. Like Fernandez, they ended the year in 14th at Vancouver and 12th at Worlds. Go figure!
Shoulda-seen-it-Coming, men—Brian Joubert finishing off the podium at his home country’s event. I’m not positive about this, but the clear errors he made in the SP (overrotated/step out of quad, double-threes out of axel, and hands down on the lutz) seemed hauntingly similar to his Olympic SP performance… except that his mistake on the lutz (a messy fall) was even more blatant.
Shoulda-seen-it-Coming, pairs—It was during the spiral sequence of their “You’ll Never Walk Alone” FS that Aliona Savchenko slipped off her seemingly confident edge and incited gasps as she and partner Robin Szolkowy struggled to put the gaping, disruptive error behind them. They certainly failed to do so that day… and even with a complete FS overhaul to the “Out of Africa” program, problems persisted as they’d never seen before.
Last but not least: Who’d a Thunk…
+ that two guys (Nobunari Oda and Adam Rippon) could fare so well without quads (winning gold and bronze, respectively) when at least four of their competitors had them—and sometimes even landed them?
+ that two men in the top five (Rippon and Yannick Pansero) wouldn’t make their respective Olympic teams a few months later?
+ that the same “kid” that was getting his hair scruffed by Nikolai Morozov in the Kiss-and-Cry (Oda) would be married with his own kid on the way by the following spring?
+ that Oda, Tomas Verner, and the gold-medal pair of Mukhortova/Trankov all essentially gave us the best they had on that first competition… and then never really gave it again?
I’m including Verner’s "Zorba" SP as the Clip of the Day… if he stays with competitive skating beyond this year, here’s hoping he can find his way back to performances like this.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Kwak, Lee, LaFuente… New Senior Ladies with A Running Start?
Consider this another session of POGSS (Post Olympic Grad Skating School), with the focus this time being on the equivalent of skating’s “D List”.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. Think about it… you’re a virtually unknown athlete who not only gets to represent your country at this year’s Worlds, but this year’s Olympics, too… and you make the finals for BOTH. What an amazing accomplishment that is all by itself! And you get to skate in the first group… virtually pressure-free! What a sweet deal!
But, I imagine the D-listers generally aspire to something higher—which is why I’ve made a little list of some with the potential to do just that:
CHELTZIE LEE, Australia…
Age: 17 20th at Olympics; 17th at Worlds
Season highlight: While her FS at Worlds pulled in a just-slightly higher Season’s Best (SB), I still think it was her Olympic experience that shone the brightest. Lee was a junior-circuiter who was thrust into an uneasy spotlight earlier this year when Israel ceded its Olympic slot, and Australia (and she) were the surprise beneficiaries. Then Lee (and her story) made it onto NBC’s coverage in both SP and FS versions—suddenly the girl’s got an audience! (By the way, Israel’s Tamar Katz did compete at Worlds… unfortunately she didn’t make it to finals.)
Anyway, I think Lee showed some fine potential. Her biggest weakness for now is the lack of some serious triples (her program appeared to contain only the triple salchow and toe loop)…and granted, that is a sizeable issue. But as young as she is, I’ll hold on to hope she’ll bring more to the table next season.
KWAK MIN-JUNG, S. Korea…
Age: 16 13th at Olympics; 22nd at Worlds
Season highlight: Olympics Free Skate; it was rated the 12th best of the night.
What’s it like to skate in the shadow of one of the biggest, brightest skating stars on earth? If Kwak’s placements are any indication, it’s quite the roller coaster. She made a pretty big splash in Vancouver with a top 15 finish, but wept then put the CRY in Kiss-and-Cry after her problematic SP at Worlds. Still, I hope she’s taking her Worlds experience in stride. After all, unlike other D-listers, she does have the tougher jumps already in her arsenal. And she was hardly the only one from S. Korea to make mistakes in Torino this March…
SONIA LAFUENTE, Spain…
Age: 18 22nd at Olympics; 20th at Worlds
Season highlight: Worlds FS; despite falling on a 3F she had her SB score there.
Apparently Lafuente is the first Spanish skater to medal on the Junior GP circuit (which she did twice). While her jumps indicate she may have already peaked as a junior (she fell on 3Lo in the Worlds SP as well as that FS fall, and there was no lutz to be found in either program), I saw a certain flair there that I hope gets developed further. Between Lafuente and, to greater degree, male skater Javier Fernandez, Spain could very well make a little name for itself in the skating world over the next few years.
I’m including Lafuente’s FS from one of those medal-winning Junior GP events (Sheffield 2007) as the Clip of the Day , where you can see she has her lutz just fine at approx. age 15… so if the puberty monster is responsible for wreaking havoc with some of her work, I kindly ask said monster to cut Lafuente a break.
It’s not as bad as it sounds. Think about it… you’re a virtually unknown athlete who not only gets to represent your country at this year’s Worlds, but this year’s Olympics, too… and you make the finals for BOTH. What an amazing accomplishment that is all by itself! And you get to skate in the first group… virtually pressure-free! What a sweet deal!
But, I imagine the D-listers generally aspire to something higher—which is why I’ve made a little list of some with the potential to do just that:
CHELTZIE LEE, Australia…
Age: 17 20th at Olympics; 17th at Worlds
Season highlight: While her FS at Worlds pulled in a just-slightly higher Season’s Best (SB), I still think it was her Olympic experience that shone the brightest. Lee was a junior-circuiter who was thrust into an uneasy spotlight earlier this year when Israel ceded its Olympic slot, and Australia (and she) were the surprise beneficiaries. Then Lee (and her story) made it onto NBC’s coverage in both SP and FS versions—suddenly the girl’s got an audience! (By the way, Israel’s Tamar Katz did compete at Worlds… unfortunately she didn’t make it to finals.)
Anyway, I think Lee showed some fine potential. Her biggest weakness for now is the lack of some serious triples (her program appeared to contain only the triple salchow and toe loop)…and granted, that is a sizeable issue. But as young as she is, I’ll hold on to hope she’ll bring more to the table next season.
KWAK MIN-JUNG, S. Korea…
Age: 16 13th at Olympics; 22nd at Worlds
Season highlight: Olympics Free Skate; it was rated the 12th best of the night.
What’s it like to skate in the shadow of one of the biggest, brightest skating stars on earth? If Kwak’s placements are any indication, it’s quite the roller coaster. She made a pretty big splash in Vancouver with a top 15 finish, but wept then put the CRY in Kiss-and-Cry after her problematic SP at Worlds. Still, I hope she’s taking her Worlds experience in stride. After all, unlike other D-listers, she does have the tougher jumps already in her arsenal. And she was hardly the only one from S. Korea to make mistakes in Torino this March…
SONIA LAFUENTE, Spain…
Age: 18 22nd at Olympics; 20th at Worlds
Season highlight: Worlds FS; despite falling on a 3F she had her SB score there.
Apparently Lafuente is the first Spanish skater to medal on the Junior GP circuit (which she did twice). While her jumps indicate she may have already peaked as a junior (she fell on 3Lo in the Worlds SP as well as that FS fall, and there was no lutz to be found in either program), I saw a certain flair there that I hope gets developed further. Between Lafuente and, to greater degree, male skater Javier Fernandez, Spain could very well make a little name for itself in the skating world over the next few years.
I’m including Lafuente’s FS from one of those medal-winning Junior GP events (Sheffield 2007) as the Clip of the Day , where you can see she has her lutz just fine at approx. age 15… so if the puberty monster is responsible for wreaking havoc with some of her work, I kindly ask said monster to cut Lafuente a break.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A New Batch of Tweets, SOI Style, As The Tour Heads West
Before we get going here, I should mention that there is one more retirement to announce that happened since my last post… the U.S. pairs team of Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski. Here is one of the articles announcing it…another one of those bittersweet stories; this time they actually DID reach the summit of sorts (2007 Nationals Gold) and made two trips to Worlds (12th in 2007, 11th in 2008). But as I recall, they were hindered by injuries from 2007-2009 that kept them from getting as much international experience as they could have… and sometimes hindered their National podium efforts as well (5th place in 2009; 4th this year).
I’m making their 2007 Nationals performance the Clip of the Day… not only because it was probably the highlight of their career, but to remind everyone that Castile/Okolski were one of the first elite skaters (to my knowledge) that used the soundtrack of a terrifying little film called Requiem for a Dream. In the 2006-7 season, it was lovely, unique and haunting. Three years later… well, let’s just say the unique no longer applies!
Meanwhile… back on the SOI Tour…
Hard to believe the 2 month, 41-city trek across the USA is about 75% complete. But they’re in Denver now, heading for the west coast in a few more days. Here come some more “Tweet” highlights from the past several weeks—this time from Jeremy Abbott, Evan Lysacek, and Tanith Belbin—with my occasional comments in italics:
JEREMY…
Last minute shopping in Boston... Then racing off to the next one in Maine tonight! (4/12)
Good morning Reading, Pa. And welcome to my day off! Ps I actually slept on the bus, so watch out! (4/15) (Yay—he’s learning how to sleep on the bus!)
Good luck Providence! I can barely function this morning... I hope the rest of the cast will carry me through on this! :) (4/18) (Well, maybe not sleeping EVERYday…)
4some reason when we "Rock the Runway" my clothes just wanna fall off! 2night the button popped & the fly came open! Hope u liked the view! (4/29)
Laying in the grass at the gateway arch enjoying a beautiful day with belle! @Meryl_Davis http://twitpic.com/1llrx1 (5/6) (He seems to continue hanging out with Meryl Davis, for those of you wondering…)
Yeah I tried quad and fell all over the place... I actually even fell backstage! (5/9)
Kansas City was a blast! In Dallas en route to Austin. I got the worlds cheapest upgrade. Way to go American Airlines! (5/11)
I'm back home!.. Sort of! :) (5/15) (He’s from Aspen; the show is in Denver.)
EVAN…
Just finished training Rumba. In Long Island, NY. Extra is with us today. (4/17) (EXTRA being the syndicated entertainment show)
I wish I could have joined Team USA and relive amazing memories from Vancouver! (4/21) (This is from when the Olympians went to the White House)
Hit my head in training today, just have a mild concussion. Ouch! Hope I can skate ok tonight. (4/24) (You heard about his concussion, right?)
Can't sleep. Still discouraged about tonight. (4/27) (Aww… this was due to sub-par scores from the judges, not his concussion. Unless that's what he attributes the sub-par scores to...)
Will get 8 hrs of sleep tonight. That's what I usually get per week. So excited! (4/29) (Mercy!!)
Took @Flexjet Learjet 60 XR to IN last night. I love the @starsonice tour bus but I’d choose a Flexjet flight on a private jet any day. (5/5) (Lots of Flexjet plugs in Evan’s life these days! It’s easy to see why!)
Thanks to a great audience for Stars on Ice tonight in Austin Texas!! I was so exhausted and you guys totally energized me. (5/12)
Just landed back in LA! Good to be home... Off to work. We've got to step it up even more this week with Paso and Foxtrot! (5/15) (I wonder how quietly relieved he is that both the tour and Dancing w/the Stars are ending in a couple of weeks?)
TANITH…
Woke up after a 9 hr busride,rolled out of my bunk,gathered my things-then realized we're only at a rest stop & there's still 3 hrs left.Oof (4/10)
Thnx to sewage plant next to the rink,I think I know what Andy's escape in Shawshank smelled like.Shouldn't Hershey smell like chocolate? (4/23)
Fun day @ Smuckers hq in OH.Didn't realize they also own Pillsbury baking products.Now our bus is full of @PillsburyTreats.Uh-oh:) (5/3) (Here’s hoping they don’t have weigh-ins on SOI like they used to in the Ice Capades…)
Spent 1st hr of bus ride tonight reading about the newest hot baby names (Cullen...seriously?) &learning the stanky leg dance.5hrs left! (5/7) (Oh dear… doesn’t she know the rumors that get triggered from a post like this?)
Forced @Charlieawhite to watch Ice Castles for the first time.If he seems more inspired tmw night at SOI Austin, you'll know why (5/11)
A visit from DJ on tour in Dallas :) beautiful day at the dog park http://twitpic.com/1ngu09 (5/13) (The link, if it works, is a pic of Tanith with current beau Charlie White. And now you see why she was able to “force” Ice Castles on him…)
I’ll probably post one more collection of Tweets once the U.S. tour closes. (The Canadian SOI tour just ended a day or two ago, in case you were wondering.)
I’m making their 2007 Nationals performance the Clip of the Day… not only because it was probably the highlight of their career, but to remind everyone that Castile/Okolski were one of the first elite skaters (to my knowledge) that used the soundtrack of a terrifying little film called Requiem for a Dream. In the 2006-7 season, it was lovely, unique and haunting. Three years later… well, let’s just say the unique no longer applies!
Meanwhile… back on the SOI Tour…
Hard to believe the 2 month, 41-city trek across the USA is about 75% complete. But they’re in Denver now, heading for the west coast in a few more days. Here come some more “Tweet” highlights from the past several weeks—this time from Jeremy Abbott, Evan Lysacek, and Tanith Belbin—with my occasional comments in italics:
JEREMY…
Last minute shopping in Boston... Then racing off to the next one in Maine tonight! (4/12)
Good morning Reading, Pa. And welcome to my day off! Ps I actually slept on the bus, so watch out! (4/15) (Yay—he’s learning how to sleep on the bus!)
Good luck Providence! I can barely function this morning... I hope the rest of the cast will carry me through on this! :) (4/18) (Well, maybe not sleeping EVERYday…)
4some reason when we "Rock the Runway" my clothes just wanna fall off! 2night the button popped & the fly came open! Hope u liked the view! (4/29)
Laying in the grass at the gateway arch enjoying a beautiful day with belle! @Meryl_Davis http://twitpic.com/1llrx1 (5/6) (He seems to continue hanging out with Meryl Davis, for those of you wondering…)
Yeah I tried quad and fell all over the place... I actually even fell backstage! (5/9)
Kansas City was a blast! In Dallas en route to Austin. I got the worlds cheapest upgrade. Way to go American Airlines! (5/11)
I'm back home!.. Sort of! :) (5/15) (He’s from Aspen; the show is in Denver.)
EVAN…
Just finished training Rumba. In Long Island, NY. Extra is with us today. (4/17) (EXTRA being the syndicated entertainment show)
I wish I could have joined Team USA and relive amazing memories from Vancouver! (4/21) (This is from when the Olympians went to the White House)
Hit my head in training today, just have a mild concussion. Ouch! Hope I can skate ok tonight. (4/24) (You heard about his concussion, right?)
Can't sleep. Still discouraged about tonight. (4/27) (Aww… this was due to sub-par scores from the judges, not his concussion. Unless that's what he attributes the sub-par scores to...)
Will get 8 hrs of sleep tonight. That's what I usually get per week. So excited! (4/29) (Mercy!!)
Took @Flexjet Learjet 60 XR to IN last night. I love the @starsonice tour bus but I’d choose a Flexjet flight on a private jet any day. (5/5) (Lots of Flexjet plugs in Evan’s life these days! It’s easy to see why!)
Thanks to a great audience for Stars on Ice tonight in Austin Texas!! I was so exhausted and you guys totally energized me. (5/12)
Just landed back in LA! Good to be home... Off to work. We've got to step it up even more this week with Paso and Foxtrot! (5/15) (I wonder how quietly relieved he is that both the tour and Dancing w/the Stars are ending in a couple of weeks?)
TANITH…
Woke up after a 9 hr busride,rolled out of my bunk,gathered my things-then realized we're only at a rest stop & there's still 3 hrs left.Oof (4/10)
Thnx to sewage plant next to the rink,I think I know what Andy's escape in Shawshank smelled like.Shouldn't Hershey smell like chocolate? (4/23)
Fun day @ Smuckers hq in OH.Didn't realize they also own Pillsbury baking products.Now our bus is full of @PillsburyTreats.Uh-oh:) (5/3) (Here’s hoping they don’t have weigh-ins on SOI like they used to in the Ice Capades…)
Spent 1st hr of bus ride tonight reading about the newest hot baby names (Cullen...seriously?) &learning the stanky leg dance.5hrs left! (5/7) (Oh dear… doesn’t she know the rumors that get triggered from a post like this?)
Forced @Charlieawhite to watch Ice Castles for the first time.If he seems more inspired tmw night at SOI Austin, you'll know why (5/11)
A visit from DJ on tour in Dallas :) beautiful day at the dog park http://twitpic.com/1ngu09 (5/13) (The link, if it works, is a pic of Tanith with current beau Charlie White. And now you see why she was able to “force” Ice Castles on him…)
I’ll probably post one more collection of Tweets once the U.S. tour closes. (The Canadian SOI tour just ended a day or two ago, in case you were wondering.)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
As the Skating World Turns: a Departure, an Update… And a “Beauty”-ful Irony?
This first one isn’t a shocker: it’s often sad to see a skater or skaters announce their retirement, and the news this week of U.S. ice dancers Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre definitely fits the bill… if only because they were the odd couple out this year when it came to U.S. ice dance teams in Vancouver. I always hope that team or that skater is someone on the rise (see Mirai Nagasu’s Olympic experience)… rather than someone who’s been hanging around the second tier of placements for several years, hoping to make a great move in an Olympic season (see Evora/Ladwig).
It didn’t happen for Navarro/Bommentre… they were 5th in 2006, and probably quite confident they could rise to a firm podium position over the next four years. And while they weren’t exactly denied the hardware—U.S. bronze in ’08 and ’09; even Four Continents bronze in ’08—it obviously didn’t work out quite the way they hoped. (Check out Kim Navarro’s Worlds “diary” over at IceNetwork.com to get a better understanding of her/their mindset post-Nationals.) Still, it’s been a fine run.
Coaching square dance continued: We know about Czisny and Meissner… and Samuelson/Bates. But then there are those skaters who have parted ways with their coaches and have yet to announce their next do-si-do. Who are they? This handy Universal Sports blog shares the latest on all the current “dancers”:
+ Mao Asada, who is still without a coach after leaving Tatiana Tarasova but plans to work with both Tarasova and Lori Nichol for choreography
+ Nobunari Oda, who is no longer with Nikolai Morozov… but IS a married man as of a few weeks back, with a baby due in the fall. Better make that do-si-do a do-si-whoops
+ And Brian Joubert, about whom rumors are apparently circling that he might seek out coaching options in North America (despite his long-standing insistence on staying close to home for such training)
But will he sing at the pageant too?: IceNetwork.com is reporting that the omnipresent Johnny Weir’s latest non-skating assignment is as a judge at the upcoming Miss U.S.A. Pageant. Weir will join Food Network’s Paula Deen, former Miss U.S.A. Tara Conner, and Melania Trump (gee, how’d she get in there??), among others. No word on whether Weir will actually be representing the Russian Judge in this battle (heh).
For the Clip of the Day I’ve got my personal favorite from the Navarro/Bommentre catalog… their Beatles FD from 2007 Nationals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
