Required Elements - Figure Skating Coverage

ISU Will Not Sanction Rochette; She will join Stars on Ice

by LauraS on Mar 16, 2010 8:03 PM EDT Comment 1 comment

Although the International Skating Union stated yesterday that it was considering sanctioning Olympic bronze medalist Joannie Rochette, the union has come to its senses and decided not to embroil itself further in its PR nightmare.

Rochette was breaking the rules by scheduling an exhibition performance for a television show ("Thin Ice") around the same time as the world championships, which she has decided not to compete in. According to CTV:

Rochette's decision to pull out of the ISU-approved competition, while remaining committed to the TV appearance raised the ire of the skating union, which said it might sanction the skater for her decision.

"If she's withdrawn from worlds, she can't skate the exhibition without risking the sanction," Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said Monday.

"If she'd done both, it would have been fine because she wouldn't have been favouring an exhibition over an ISU event. But if she decides to be out of worlds, she can't do the exhibition either."

On Tuesday afternoon, however, CTV's Richard Madan said Rochette's agent has since indicated that the ISU was unlikely to punish the popular Olympian.

"Her agent did confirm to me that the International Skating Union had backed down," Madan told CTV News Channel from Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon.

In additional Rochette news, the Canadian skater will be joining Stars on Ice in four Florida tour dates, according to the Winnipeg Press.

1 comment | 0 recs

Joannie Rochette Out of Worlds

by LauraS on Mar 15, 2010 9:10 PM EDT Comment 0 comments

Olympic bronze medalist Joannie Rochette has withdrawn from the upcoming world championships in Torino, Italy, according to ABC News. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"With everything that has happened over the past few weeks, I have missed a significant amount of training time," Rochette said in a statement. "That means I'm not prepared either emotionally or physically to skate well at these championships and once again challenge for the podium.

Rochette's mother Therese died the week Rochette skated in the Olympic games.

Rochette had planned to skate an exhibition performance in tribute of her mother for "Thin Ice" on ABC, but she may not be able to skate it. According to ABC:

"There is an ISU regulation in place to protect the integrity of ISU championships, which does not allow skaters to perform exhibitions where they have chosen to withdraw from an ISU event that conflicts or is in close proximity to the ISU event," Skate Canada CEO William Thompson said Monday. "ISU championships provide direct benefit to the skaters through television exposure and prize money. In this particular case, although it's a very worthwhile exception, with Joannie withdrawing from the world championships, we cannot issue the clearance for her to skate, without the ISU waiving its regulation."

Rochette will be replaced at worlds by Myriane Samson.

0 comments | 0 recs | Share

GLAAD Versus Stars on Ice (UPDATED)

by LauraS on Mar 12, 2010 1:06 PM EST Comment 4 comments

We talked about the petition to get Johnny Weir on Stars on Ice the other day. Today, there is news that a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) blogger is accusing the tour of not hiring Weir because he is "too gay."

Upon hearing that Stars on Ice decided not to offer Weir a spot because he is not "family friendly" (NOTE: Does anyone know where this quote came from? I have read it attributed to the tour and its sponsors, but I don't have the exact quote and I really want to find the origin), GLAAD blogger Lauren Mattias has responded:

To say that Weir is "not family friendly" would be a clear jab at his perceived sexual orientation. Weir is extremely involved with his family. He is putting his younger brother through college, and supports the family financially because his father’s disability prohibits him from working. Weir’s dedication to his family can be clearly documented in the Sundance series, Be Good Johnny Weir, which follows him and his family and friends through his life and career as a championship skater.

Weir responded to the controversy on Access Hollywood:

“I understand I am a little outrageous but I wish I could perform for the fans,” he continued.

But Johnny has a possible backup plan with another irreverent performer.

“Maybe right now, just artistically and creatively, I’d love to have my own show, with musical acts, like maybe getting Lady Gaga!” he said.

I would love to see him Stars on Ice. Although I am hoping this Lady Gaga collaboration comes to life at some point.

On the other hand, it probably hurts American spectators more than it hurts Weir for him not to be on Stars on Ice. He often participates in shows abroad and rumor has it they pay more. And those fans get to see him, but we don't!

UPDATED:
According to the Los Angeles Times, Stars on Ice denies that sexual orientation is the reason that Weir has been excluded.

"We are disappointed that there is untrue and inaccurate information being disseminated," Stars, which is sponsored by Smucker's, said in a statement. "Please be assured that the 'gender identity and sexual orientation' of cast members has never been a consideration in the selection of tour performers."

The article goes on:

"While Stars on Ice wishes it could accommodate many more talented skaters as part of our cast, the fact is we cannot sign every skater," the Stars statement said.

For whatever reason Stars decided not to invite Weir to perform, I find it an odd business choice. When I have gone in recent years, there have been a very high number of seats that remain unsold and I'd imagine Weir is a definite draw.

4 comments | 0 recs | Share

Canadian Vaughn Chipeur Withdraws from Worlds

Canadian Vaughn Chipeur is out of the world championships with a torn ligament in his foot. He will be replaced by Kevin Reynolds.

6 days ago LauraS 0 comments 0 recs

Thoughts on Weir's Worlds Withdrawal

by LauraS on Mar 10, 2010 8:25 AM EST Comment 1 comment

As you've read, three-time United States national figure skating champion Johnny Weir has withdrawn from the upcoming world championships in Torino, Italy. Here are some of my thoughts.

The "duh" factor

Weir has been on television or in every other type of media every time you turn around. He's been interviewed by dozens of outlets, he's been photographed at numerous parties. Normally when skaters do this much media post-Olympics, they are not planning to skate at the world championships (in part because there has been no time to train). So, it was no surprise when Weir dropped out.

The uncool factor

I don't like that Weir stated in an earlier post-Olympics press conference that he was definitely going to worlds, and that it would be a statement to the world and the judges. And he added some unnecessary shots at other athletes:

Weir ended his comments with a vow: he won't play coy about his attentions. If he intends to compete next season, he will say so definitively, and soon.

"I'm not going to pull a Sasha Cohen or Michelle Kwan and say, 'I'm coming back, I'm coming back, I'm coming back' and then not do it," he said. "I mean, thank God, Sasha finally did come back. But I'm not going to do that to people. I think it's rude, especially to my fans. If I'm going to skate, I'll tell them I'll skate."

Now, I was happy Weir said this at the time, because I don't like to be teased. But Weir has now turned himself into a liar by backing out of worlds when he explicitly stated he would be there, which is way worse than being a tease. Not cool. I understand why he's withdrawn and I assume it's the best decision (no one should go to a world championship when they are unprepared or they don't want to be there), but maybe this is why skaters should not speak about others and only worry about themselves - everything you say comes back to bite you!

The understandable factor

Johnny Weir stated the following in his withdrawal announcement (via Entertainment Weekly):

"And while I am still embracing my Olympic memories and have the momentum to move forward, I have decided that it is not advantageous at this time for me to partake in the World Championships in Torino, Italy. After my sixth place finish in Vancouver, I believe that I must take time to reassess my strategies and goals. While I understand the importance of competition, I feel that a short break at this time would be personally beneficial to me. I know all may not share my stance, but I can assure everyone that I will be re-energized after I’ve had time to rework my technique. I want to be a better competitor and win medals for my country and I hope everyone can respect my decision to take this time off.

I would agree it's not advantageous for Weir to skate at worlds, as much as I would love to see him there (I think he actually would have had a shot at a medal). He skated his best performances of the year at the Olympics. He has been basking in the media's obsession over his being robbed of a medal (disclosure: I think Weir was underscored but I thought Takahashi deserved his bronze). It is unlikely Weir would skate as well at worlds as he did at the Olympics, and he has nothing to gain at this point...it's much better to have seen him skate amazing and assume political forces kept him down (which may very well have been the case with Weir) then to see him go on a month later and (potentially) not skate as well.

The "Is this it?" factor

Weir successfully rode a wave of "my skating is for the people, not the judges" momentum into the Olympics. This is a smart talking point that Weir has been pushing for awhile, as is evident to anyone who saw his mother say essentially the same thing in a recent episode of his reality series "Be Good Johnny Weir." I think it's very possible that Weir may be done with ISU competition, although I'm sure he won't turn down a good old retirement press conference when he makes that decision for real. UPDATED: In the U.S. Figure Skating version of Weir's announcement, they don't mention that Weir said he wants to continue winning medals. In the one above, he does mention that. Still...I am unsure that we will see Weir competing next season, unless he suddenly becomes much less in media demand than he is now.

Weir has stated that he plans on continuing to skate in shows, and I hope he does. He's such a beautiful skater that it will be sad if audiences don't get a chance to continue seeing him even if he quits competing.

So, I am kind of sad that we won't see Weir at worlds, but good luck to him on his other endeavors. And it is a great opportunity for Adam Rippon, who is viewed as the future of U.S. men's skating. Rippon recently won the Four Continents Championship, and hopefully he can follow that up with a successful senior worlds debut.

1 comment | 0 recs | Share

Johnny Weir Withdraws from Worlds; Adam Rippon is in

I just read on Axels, Loops and Spins that Johnny Weir has withdrawn from the World Championships and Adam Rippon will take his spot. I will have a full blog post on my thoughts soon. For now, this is a great opportunity for Rippon!

8 days ago LauraS 1 comment 0 recs

Deja Vu: Lambiel Retires

Stephane Lambiel is officially retiring from competitive skating once again. A lot of skaters never "officially retire," so it's interesting that Lambiel has done it twice now. Thankfully, we will still be able to see him. Lambiel will be competing in Thin Ice on ABC later this month (which would have made him ineligible from ISU competition, anyway, apparently). Additionally, he will be in many shows.

8 days ago LauraS 0 comments 0 recs

Checking in on our Olympians

by LauraS on Mar 9, 2010 7:56 AM EST Comment 5 comments

What are the figure skaters who represented Team USA at the Olympics up to in the weeks since the Olympics ended? Let's check it out.

Pairs

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig: Well, we heard over and over again on the NBC broadcast about how poor Mark is, but thankfully, things are looking up. According to the Herald-Tribune:

Another welcome but unexpected change in Ladwig's life was news of a funding increase from the United States Figure Skating Association.

The organization funds skaters depending on their potential to perform well at international competition.

There are three tiers of annual funding; Ladwig and Evora have moved up to qualify for the highest funding possible in the next fiscal year.

"I'm so grateful for that," Ladwig said. "The increase basically secures that I'll be able to pay my mortgage and continue skating."

I'm so glad that they got more funding and can continue on - they just started coming into their own at the Olympics, where they finished 10th. The article mentions that Evora is looking into how she can start giving back to people. "She is considering running marathons and helping to promote nonprofit foundations." Evora and Ladwig are scheduled to compete in the upcoming world championships, which begin in less than two weeks.

Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett: The article states that Denney and Barrett will be skating in some Florida stops on the Stars on Ice tour (to be honest...I would almost rather see Evora and Ladwig because of those amazing lifts!). They will also be promoting skin care products in Florida as part of the Pure Chemistry line.

Denney has received a scholarship to an online academy, although it's unclear if she's accepting it. She's also developed a new interest in broadcast journalism (if I had a nickel for every skater who wanted to be a broadcast journalist...). Denney and Barrett are planning on competing in the world championships as well.

Ice Dancing

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto: Belbin and Agosto haven't officially hung up the skates yet, but they will not be competing in next month's world championships. They seem satisfied with the Olympics marking the end of their career. Belbin and Agosto will be touring with Stars on Ice. Additionally, according to the Associated Press, Belbin would like to become a broadcaster (DRINK!) and Agosto would like to go to school for physical therapy. I wonder when those plans are going to take place?

Meryl Davis and Charlie White: Despite Davis and White's silver medal at the Olympics, I have read less about them than I have about both Belbin and Agosto and Virtue and Moir. These two need new agents or something. Anyway, they are back at work in Michigan, training hard for the upcoming world championships, per the Detroit News. They are also joining the Stars on Ice tour. They have also been celebrated in Canton Township, where they train, as well as featured in various articles about Bollywood and their Bollywood-style original dance.

Ladies

Rachael Flatt: Not too much information on Flatt's activities since the Olympics. I'd assume she's been writing essays and training for the upcoming world championships. She had a few endorsement deals coming into the Olympics and some are saying that she might be on tap for more leading up to Sochi, including the New York Times. I assume she'll be attending [insert name of prestigious university] in the fall, and I wonder what effect that will have on her skating?

Mirai Nagasu: Nagasu was also mentioned in the Times article. She too will be attending the world championships in a few weeks. Nagasu will be honored tonight along with Evan Lysacek at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California, where she has trained.

Men

It's the first time in recent history that the men who competed in the Olympics for the United States are receiving more attention than the ladies! So weird.

Jeremy Abbott: Abbott will be performing in the Stars on Ice tour. He is also scheduled to compete at the world championships this month. Abbott also has the Jeremy Abbott Boys Fund to promote skating in Aspen among boys. My hope is to finally see Abbott skate to his potential at the world championships.

Evan Lysacek: Lysacek appears to be the number one media presence among the skating Olympians post-Vancouver. He'll be on Dancing with the Stars, he's been on more television shows than I can count, and he made the rounds at the recent Oscar parties. Lysacek will also be touring with Stars on Ice and is not competing at the world championships.

Johnny Weir: Weir is planning on competing at the world championships. He has also been on numerous television shows and was photographed on the Oscar circuit (apparently with his new best friend who he just met, Kelly Osbourne). Weir's reality show wraps up this month and it's unclear if it will go another season, but I would love to keep watching it. In a recent LA Times article, Weir said he hopes to study at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology following his skating career. I really respect that he wants to learn about fashion and not just capitalize on his celebrity to "launch a line" of clothing or something. Weir has also lobbied for a spot on Dancing with the Stars in the future, per this InsideTv interview.

5 comments | 0 recs | Share