Ok, this is kind-of-a-big deal: Michelle Kwan is skating in Yu-na Kim’s Ice All Stars 2009 on August 14 through the 16th in Seoul, South Korea, per The Korea Times. I believe this is the first time we’ll see her skate since 2006. And the speculation will be plentiful on whether she looks like she’s far enough in her training. I cannot wait to hear how it goes.
The Chosun Ilbo has an article about the progress of World Champion Yu-na Kim and former World Champ, Mao Asada, figure skating’s rivalry du jour.
Here are some excerpts:
Training in Toronto, Kim is keeping her short and free programs for the next season strictly confidential. IB Sports, Kim’s management agency, said in a press release, “We are nearly done with the choice of music and choreography for the programs, but only coach Brian Orser, choreographer David Wilson, Kim and Kim’s mother know about it.”
Kim chose secrecy because she has been in under constant scrutiny since establishing herself as the queen of figure skating by winning the 2009 World Championship in March. “I want to use music with an electrifying and intense rhythm for the short program, and popular and familiar tunes for the free program,” she said at the time.
Ooh, playing hard to get! Asada, on the other hand, has taken the direct route:
But 2008 World Champion Mao Asada already announced new programs for the next season in Moscow, where she is training, last week. For the free program, Asada will skate to Prelude in C-Sharp Minor Op.3 no.2 “Bells of Moscow” by Rachmaninov. And she is re-using a selection from “Masquerade Suite” by Khachaturian from last year’s free program for her new short program.
According to the Japanese press, the short program is flamboyant and the free program reflects Rachmaninov’s unique sublimity, which makes his music so popular during the Olympic seasons. Asada took ballet lessons to improve her artistic expression and is to perform her new programs in the Japan Open in Saitama on Oct. 3, prior to the beginning of the Grand Prix Series.
Not sure what Kim could skate to that would surprise me these days…unless she really mixes it up with innovative choreography or something, but surprises are fun.
Do figure skaters wear tube tops? Because, I feel like that would be….unadvisable. Really, Urban Outfitters. Come on!
Now that school’s out, I figured it’s time for a 2008-09 yearbook. I chose the skaters who I think are most likely to be in the Olympic mix next year (due to their placements as well as presence on the Grand Prix circuit next season and possibly other mystery factors), but due to time constraints I couldn’t include every possible couple, so feel free to extol the skills of your faves in the comments.
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto
2008-09 Grade: A-
Absences: Grand Prix Final, U.S. Nationals
Recommendations for next season: I guess I would tell them work on their twizzles, since that is what apparently cost them the gold at worlds. And everything else as well! As great as they are, they can’t afford to miss even half a point, considering the competition. I was worried that the judges thought they had lost a step or two at the beginning of the season but then they did so well at worlds. When you start to get as close together as the couples were at the top of the worlds roster…sometimes it comes down to personal preferences, which is why you can’t leave any room for the judges to withhold points. I’d love to see them stronger in compulsories - want them to start out at the top with a wide lead rather than have to chase the leader.
Chances of Making the Olympic Team: A Lock. If these two are healthy, they’re on the team. Even if they’re not healthy, they’ll probably be petitioned onto the team.
Superlative: Best Hair (of course). Most Likely to Look Tortured during a Free Skate.
Quote: From ESPN 10/24/08: “We haven’t had the top spot and that’s what we’ve wanted,” Belbin said. “I know we’ll get it. I just hope to do it sooner rather than later.”
Meryl Davis and Charlie White
2008-2009 Grade: A- (it might seem odd to give them the same grade as Belbin and Agosto since they didn’t medal at worlds, but they won their first Grand Prix, as well as Four Continents and their first nationals, so I felt that they earned it).
Absences: N/A
Recommendations: This team definitely wasn’t perfect this year. There were stumbles here and there and deductions that just cannot happen if they want to win the Olympics or World Championships. But when they hit that Samson and Delilah program, they were absolutely captivating. I’d like to see stronger compulsories and original dance. I just want them to get the highest levels they can on everything.
Chance of Making Olympic Team: Great. I won’t quite say they are a lock…but they pretty much are. The fact that this team is regarded as America’s second-best says a ton about American ice dancing right now.
Superlatives: Cutest couple (on ice), Most Likely to Compete for Best Hair with Agosto (White!)
Quotes: From Golden Skate, 01/24/09 referring to Nationals: “We went out there hoping to give the whole package, and I think that we accomplished that,” said White.
Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates
2008-2009 Grade: B
Absences: N/A
Recommendations: Keep up the good work! They have to continue to increase the difficulty of their very watchable programs. They are so young and were successful in their first year competing on the senior international circuit. I’m definitely comfortable thinking they are going to one day be the face of U.S. ice dancing.
Chances of making the Olympic team: Good.
Superlative: Most Likely to Succeed (but maybe not at the top for a few more years)
Quotes: From Golden Skate, 01/24/09: After losing U.S Nationals to Davis and White by 11 points: “A few years ago on the junior level, we lost to Charlie and Meryl by 21 points,” giggled White’s roommate Bates. “Maybe in another 40 years, we can beat them.”
Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre
2008-2009 Grade: C
Absences: N/A
Recommendations: This couple appeared to be supplanted this season as the number three US couple by Samuelson and Bates, and I can see why (although some may disagree). Their results were a step back from last season and they did not make the world team, due to Belbin and Agosto being placed on the team. Their skating comes off as less meticulous than the other couples; if they could work on looking as “together” as their competition, perhaps they could vie for that third Olympic slot. They were definitely fan faves at the nationals so it would be great to see if they can pull it all together and compete at the top.
Chances of making the Olympic team: Fair. They will be in contention if they skate better this season.
Superlatives: Best Looking (Kim!), Best Personality (see quote)
Quotes: From LA Times, 01/24/09: “It’s weird being at nationals without Tanith and Ben,” Bommentre said.
Navarro quickly chimed in. “It would also be weird not to have them at worlds,” she said, “so hopefully they’ll be there.”*
*this is despite the fact that Tanith and Ben being at worlds would mean that Navarro and Bommentre would have to be bumped.
Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell
2008-2009 Grade: B+*
Absences: N/A
Recommendations: This brother and sister team is just making the transition into senior skating, and won the pewter medal this year at Nationals, coming in fourth. They will be competing in two Grand Prix events this season, so they are definitely on the international radar. I don’t think these two are ready to challenge the best just yet, so I would just recommend getting as much experience in performing and competing on the senior level as possible. They have some impressive moves and I see them making an impact as time goes on.
Chances of making the Olympic team: Unlikely. I see them as contender for the 2014 team.
Superlatives: Best brother-sister pair, Most Likely to Be a Biologist (Keiffer), Most common name on this list (Madison)
Quotes: N/A
Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein
2008-2009 Grade: A*
*Competed on the Junior Circuit
Absences: N/A
Recommendations: Haven’t see these two compete with the seniors yet, but boy did they have a perfect Junior season, winning everything they could including the Junior World Championships. This pair is young and have only been skating together a few years, but this year will be a great chance for gaining experience on the senior stage.
Chances of Making the Olympic Team: Unlikely. But they’ve been invited to Skate America, which is quite an honor and I believe shows that the U.S. sees them as a potential major pair in the future.
Superlatives: Most improved placements (from third to first in the Junior Nationals and fifth to first in the Junior Grand Prix FInal), Most common Name on this List (Madison).
Quotes: From Golden Skate, 03/08/09: “It was just so amazing being out there,” Chock said of Junior Worlds. “It was absolutely incredible and everything just felt good. It has been such a great experience this year.”
According to The News, three Russian figure skaters participating in an ice show in Japan have tested positive for swine flu.
A woman in her 20s and another woman her 30s from Moscow, as well as a man in his 30s who came to Japan from New York, tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus, which causes swine flu, said the Kanazawa city government.
The three Russian nationals, who arrived in Japan Wednesday and were not identified by name, came to Kanazawa to take part in “Ice Jewelry 2009″ on Saturday and Sunday. They were receiving treatment at their hotel, the city said.
Not sure who the skaters are but hopefully they have mild cases and will recover soon.
Those of you near Strongsville, Ohio, there is a skating benefit this weekend presented by Parker Pennington (Productions). Skate-for-Life, A Benefit for MDA (Muscular Distrophy Association) is being held at Hoover Arena in Strongsville on Saturday night. Buy tickets here, I believe they are $18.00. There is also a $30 meet and greet.
US Figure Skating has more:
Along with Pennington, this year’s cast includes 2009 U.S. champion Alissa Czisny, World junior and U.S. junior ice dancing champions Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein, six-time U.S. ice dancing medalists and World and Olympic competitors Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov, six-time Canadian champion and Stars on Ice cast member Jennifer Robinson, U.S. ice dancing medalists Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell, five-time U.S. medalist and three-time World competitor Tonia Kwiatkowski, two-time U.S. pairs medalists Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig, and U.S. novice champions Kiri Baga and Colin Pennington, Parker’s brother.
Tonia Kwiatkowski! I haven’t seen her skate in years. Here is the official site for the event. I hope they’re very successful.
Faceoff.com has named some of the hockey players who will participate in the upcoming “Battle of the Blades,” a real life “Cutting Edge” that will match up male hockey players with former female figure skaters and have them compete in a pairs showdown.
Some of the players are: Tie Domi, Glenn Anderson, Bob Probert and Lanny McDonald, Stephane Richer, and Craig Simpson. None of the skaters have been named yet! I wonder who they are going to be able to get? I am assuming they might be Canadians.
The show will be co-hosted by Kurt Browning and was developed by Sandra Bezic. It begins airing in October. I wish I had CBC!
Satellite Tv Guru discusses a show that started airing last night on ABC (there are five weeks left!) called “The Superstars.” There’s no figure skater on it, but I wanted to point it out because it apparently sprang from the brain of one Dick Button.
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon. The idea was developed by 1948 and 1952 Olympic figure skating champion Dick Button. He shopped the idea to all three U.S. television networks, and ABC bought it as a special for the winter of 1973. The first Superstars competition was held in Rotonda West, Florida in March 1973 and was won by pole vaulter Bob Seagren.
Go Dick! The dream lives on. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a skater in there! Too bad, then I might watch!
Boston.com has an article about Nancy Kerrigan. She’ll be receiving an award at “Tradition,” a sports fundrasier. The article is about how good Kerrigan was under pressure in 1994. Nothing too new here but if you are a fan, it’s worth taking a look at. An excerpt:
How did Kerrigan manage to skate so well under all the pressure?
“You talk about athletes getting in a zone,’’ she starts. “I don’t know that there’s a way to get there. I think it’s when you are faced with something.
And about Harding:
“It’s weird, for sure,’’ says Kerrigan. “We were roommates and toured together. It’s ridiculous. What a waste of talent. People say, ‘She had it hard.’ Well sure, she did, but she had people that were helping her, too.
“So it’s all on which path you choose. It’s the choice that people make. I think once you make one choice, sometimes you get wrapped up in things.’’
“I didn’t want somebody else to take away what I worked so hard for. That’s not right, so it got me really focused. To get in the zone where you don’t see anything else. I think I somehow was forced into that, though it’s unfortunate how it happened.’’
Here’s an interesting article from the New York Times about research that’s being done into why skaters are getting injured and how to help them.
One of the studies by Kat Arbour at University of Delaware uses a tibial accelerameter on skaters’ shins, which measures force of impact during a jump.
But she said study results suggested that the issue was not jumping itself, but how well jumps were executed. “If someone is really proficient, they seem to be able to modify their technique to decrease the impact, use muscles differently to absorb that shock,” she said.
Wow, there is yet another case for skaters to perfect their techniques! That research also has a goal of helping to figure out which type of boot might be best.
Some more research:
Ms. Arbour, of the University of Delaware, has skaters, wearing swimsuits and nose clips, climb into the “bod pod,” an egglike capsule measuring fat and muscle composition. A “bone densitometer” analyzes bone density, which tends to increase with frequent impacts.
“If it’s low, they are at risk for stress fractures in the legs and lumbar spine,” she said. “If it’s too high, they are at risk for osteoarthritis because the cartilage is taking a lot of shock absorption.”
With Professor Provost-Craig, Ms. Arbour also outfits skaters with “a crazy dungeon thing that goes over the mouth and nose,” measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide in air skaters expel.
Provost-Craig plans to study whether certain jumps create such a physical impact that skaters should put off learning them until they are older. Good luck getting the skaters to take it easy on jumping!
Some of the other topics are skate sharpening, off-ice training, and programs with motion-capture cameras that pinpoint where jumping goes wrong. This is definitely worth a read!
Here is another NYT article that just delves into skate sharpening.