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Sunday, March 30, 2008
Stars On Ice 2008 Tour
A full review of the new Stars On Ice tour is coming (as well as more photos) but in the meantime, here are a few shots from last nights stop in Wilkes Barre, PA.
Sasha Cohen- Enchantment
Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto- Falling Slowly
Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman- death spiral
Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman- Shine On You Crazy Diamond
At a time when figure skating needs all the help it can get to restore flagging popularity, it will be without a man who made the sport a captivating show.
Whether capturing the golden moment that is his most vivid memory, Brian Boitano’s 1988 Olympic triumph, or making the best of competitions tarnished by the dross the sport has produced in the past several years, Doug Wilson managed to convey the beauty, difficulty and passion of skating to TV audiences for nearly half a century.
The Wilson era ended Sunday, when he directed the exhibition telecast from the World Figure Skating Championships for ESPN/ABC. After 50 years of work for ABC, in which he directed or produced 40 different sports, Wilson has promised his wife this is the finale, even if NBC were to come calling for help with its coverage of U.S. skating and the 2010 Olympics.
Speaking from Sweden, where he also directed the women’s and dance competitions, Wilson, 72, was quick to credit all the others who helped him, especially the people behind cameras who provided the memorable shots from which he chose.
I have been watching the World Figure Skating Championships from Sweden live on my computer.
On a Turkish TV channel that is part sports, part C-Span, showing the country's parliament when the lawmakers are in session.
From the postings on skating news groups, others have been watching live on Internet streams from a variety of countries, including South Korea, China, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.
All this is free -- except the usurious monthly fees charged by Internet service providers, that is.
This availability of live coverage makes skating fans winners, but it makes the sport they care about a loser.
Why would a TV network want to pay anything but two plugged nickels for exclusive territorial rights to an event where the territorial exclusivity of the telecast is compromised?
That is among the reasons why ESPN threatened to break its four-year contract with the International Skating Union after one year when it learned the 2005 Moscow worlds were being streamed live into the United States. That meant many of the people who might watch ESPN's delayed coverage already had seen the event and felt less compelled to tune in.
Update On World Champion's Involuntary Manslaughter Case
The case against figure skating world champion Maxim Staviski, charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated bodily harm, will enter Bulgaria's Court of Appeal on April 7, local press reported Wednesday, citing officials' announcement.
The appeal against Staviski's sentence was filed by the parents of comatose Manuela Gorsova and the relatives of Peter Petrov, who died in the car crash caused by the defender.
In the beginning of February, the skating champion was given a two-and-half-years suspended sentence and five years to be served in probation over drunk driving and causing the heavy crash.
The civil claim filed on behalf of Gorsova and set at two million leva (about 1.5 million U.S. dollars) was rejected and thecourt decided the girl would get 80,000 leva compensation.
The compensation demanded by the parents of Petrov was also cut and Staviski would have to pay 180,000 leva, instead of 500,000 leva.
The deadly crash occurred on Aug. 5 last year after Staviski veered into the opposite lane on a bridge over the Ropotamo River near the coastal city of Burgas and hit headlong into another car with four people sitting in it.
Less than three weeks before the World Figure Skating Championships, Mao Asada appears headed for a breakup with coach Rafael Arutunian, an official with the Japan Skating Federation said Thursday.
Asada, No. 1 in the International Skating Union's rankings, returned to Japan after winning the Four Continents in South Korea last week and will train in Japan until the March 17-23 world championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Arutunian was not present at the Four Continents, which Asada won.
"She has not formally severed ties with him but appears headed in that direction," said JSF spokesman Tatsuro Matsumura. "She wants to be able to train in the best possible surroundings."
Ice-skating costumes, like the stars who wear them, are glamorous but tough, says U.S. Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, who will perform with a cast of Olympic, world and national champions in Smucker's "Stars On Ice Live and In Color" at Orlando's Amway Arena on Friday.
During a recent phone interview, Cohen, 23, answered questions about designing her own costumes and her 2006 appearance on Bravo's Project Runway.
Question: How many different costumes do you wear in "Stars on Ice," and do you have a favorite?
Answer: Seven. For the opening number, my dress is covered in 10,000 red crystals. I designed the dresses for my two solos. They are so different. I designed the one to look like a black diamond bra with a slip dress over it. It turned out wonderfully. The other is shades of turquoise to blue to purple to pink, all beaded and hand-dyed. I wanted it to feel like someone's imagination -- full of colors and brightness.
Nothing says lovin' like another unlikely pair falling for each other on the ice.
ABC Family will premiere the original film "The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream" on Sunday, March 16.
The telefilm centers on ice skating's most eligible bachelor Zack Conroy (Matt Lanter), who suddenly becomes available when an accident causes his partner and ex-girlfriend to break her leg. He defies convention when he replaces her on the ice with newcomer Alejandra "Alex" Delgado (Francia Raisa), a comely hockey player whose fierce sportsmanship translates into fierce moves on the ice.
Zack's coach and choreographer can't deal with this new twist, however, and quits. Time is running out for the International Championships in Paris, so Zack turns to the once-famous skater Jackie Dorsey (Christy Carlson Romano) who mysteriously left the business for an early retirement. She takes on the challenge of mentoring this impossible team because she too once took a non-skater and made him an ice skating champ in "The Cutting Edge 2."
Olympic and three-time world figure skating champion Yevgeny Plushenko of Russia announced yesterday that he has decided to return to amateur competition in a bid to defend his title at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
More of Gregory & Petukhov- Since You Love Them So!
Since you loved their interview so much, Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov were kind enough to share some of their favorite performance photos with Shimmy and their fans. Enjoy!
Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding skate the world
"We don't do anything unless it's an adventure," says adagio skater Anita Hartshorn, who with her on- and off-ice partner of 20 years, Frank Sweiding, is currently appearing in an ice show on the tropical Pacific island of Guam. "We like adventure," says Sweiding, stating the obvious.
Five years ago, ice magician Steve Wheeler asked the couple to join his show, Steve Wheeler's Magic on Ice, when it played in Seoul, Korea. "We thought we'd lived in Europe for a number of years and we had toured all over North America, why not go to the Far East for a change?" Sweiding says. "This was our opportunity to see what that end of the world is like. When the show moved to Guam, we thought that would be a nice way to learn what it is like to live on a tropical island."
And so for the past four years, they have spent October to May performing two shows a night/six nights a week at the Sand Castle Theater. Adagio is a theatrical version of pair skating with spectacular lifts well suited for ice shows performed on a small surface or stage. The ice for Magic on Ice is 40' by 40'.
Canada's Joannie Rochette won silver at the Four Continents figure-skating championships in Goyang, South Korea, on Saturday.
The Île Dupas, Que., native gave her season's best skate for 119.50 points in the long program, raising her overall score to 179.54. Rochette took bronze at the Four Continents last year.
The gold medal went to Mao Asada of Japan, who posted a season-high total score of 193.25 points. Fellow Japanese skater Miki Ando won bronze.
Asada, Rochette and Ando had all been clustered within one point of each other after Thursday's short program.
But Asada gave the day's best free skate to move ahead of her competitors. Rochette, who recently collected her fourth consecutive Canadian national figure-skating title, said she was pleased with her podium-worthy performance in South Korea.
"I am very happy with my performance," she said. "No injuries and lots of training makes a difference."
Vancouver native Mira Leung also finished among the top skaters, taking fifth place.
Canadian Duo Wins Ice Dance Title at Four Continents
Canadian Tessa Virtue and Scott Moirled from start to take the ice dancing title at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Goyang, South Korea on Friday.
Leaders after both compulsory dance and original dance, Virtue and Moir scored 104.08 in the free dance for an overall total of 207.32.
American Meryl Davis and Charlie White who managed only 100.16 points Friday for a 199.45 total for the second place, and their compatriots Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre took 89.62 points from the free dance section for the third place with an overall 180.65.
Virtue, 18, and Moir, 20, have been skating together since 1997,and this Four Continents win is their second at a senior international event.
The 2006 world junior champions had previously won at Skate Canada on the 2007-08 ISU Grand Prix circuit.
Pang Qing and Tong Jian rallied from behind to beat their fellow Chinese to take the pairs title at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Goyang, South Korea on Thursday.
The 2006 world champions, entering the free skating section over two points away from compatriots Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, scored 119.63 points for an overall winning score of 187.33.
Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao picked up 111.39 points for a total of 181.84 to settle for the second place.
Pang/Tong were strong from the start, executing three early jumps and a throw triple jump. However, Zhang Dan struggled with her landings on the first double axel-triple toe loop combination and again on the throw triple jump.
Thus, Pang/Tong have now won three of China's seven pairs titles in the competition's 10-year history.
American Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski scored 103.55 in the free skating to finish third with an overall 159.99, giving them their first podium finish at the Four Continents
Virtue and Moir Favored for Gold At Four Continents
Canadians should be on the podium in at least two of the four disciplines at the Four Continents figure skating meet. Anything less would be a disappointment.
Competition begins Wednesday and continues through Saturday in Goyang City, Republic of Korea. This annual International Skating Union meet for skaters from the Americas, Asia and Australia is the last major test before the world championships in Goteborg, Sweden, next month.
Ice dancers Tessa Virtue of London, Ont., and Scott Moir of Ilderton, Ont., are favoured for gold because they were sixth at the 2007 world championships and the only other top-10 ice dancers from that meet who'll be at Four Continents are Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who were seventh in Tokyo and who train alongside Virtue and Moir in Canton, Mich.
Canadian silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Kitchener, Ont., who were 20th in Tokyo, could take bronze. Many of the top ice dancers are from Europe so won't be at Four Continents.
Drug Overdose, Enlarged Heart Cause of Bowman's Death
Former national figure skating champion Christopher Bowman died from a drug overdose and an enlarged heart, the coroner said Friday. The 40-year-old Bowman was found dead inside a motel room in the city's North Hills neighborhood on Jan. 10.
The two-time champion's blood-alcohol level was 0.12%, said chief coroner's investigator Craig Harvey, and toxicology tests also revealed cocaine, Valium and marijuana.
Also present was the prescription medicine Seroquel, which is used to treat bipolar disorder, Harvey said.
The report said the death was accidental.
Harvey said Bowman's enlarged heart was not a condition he was born with, but developed over time. Substance abuse and weight gain could have been factors.
The autopsy report said at death, the 6-foot-1 Bowman weighed 261 pounds.
"There are a lot of factors that can contribute to an enlargement of the heart," Harvey said. "It doesn't put you in a better position, it puts you in a weaker position with what you put in your body. It puts your heart in a precarious position."
An initial autopsy done two days after Bowman's death was not conclusive, and police had said there was no sign of foul play or illegal drug use in the motel room where Bowman was found.
A week ago, I suggested that the best chance for figure skater Kimmie Meissner to make a quick fix of her jumping problems would be to work with coach Richard Callaghan.
Guess what Meissner announced she was doing?
I didn't know I had that kind of power," I told Callaghan when we spoke Monday.
"I guess you do," he said, laughing.
Thus emboldened, I sent this text message to Meissner's agent, Yuki Saegusa of IMG:
"Do I get a finder's fee?"
Saegusa played along.
"If she wins worlds, we can talk," the agent replied.
Seriously, Meissner's decision to leave longtime coach Pam Gregory was a sign she had realized what I had written in December: that her career is at a crossroads.
"I needed to make some changes in order to regain my focus and confidence," Meiss- ner said in a Monday statement.
She has been up and down at best since winning the 2006 world title, showing consistency only in the worst of ways at her last two competitions: Meissner fell three times in the free skate at both the Grand Prix Final and U.S. Championships.
She has gone from U.S. champion to seventh in a year. Meissner got one of the three U.S. women's spots for the March 18-23 world meet in Sweden only because three skaters who finished above her are too young, and a fourth is too inexperienced.
Callaghan, who has coached skaters to Olympic gold, three world titles and eight U.S. titles, has observed Meissner's problems from a distance. He said they spoke about a collaboration only after nationals.
Shimmy: What have you been up to these past few months?
Sara: I spent the month following tour in Colorado with family and friends in the mountains. I snowboarded every single day and tried to train every night. It was absolutely the best thing for me to relax and return to normalcy after the tour. In January I moved all of my belongings to an apt. in West Hollywood. I've been settled and adjusting now for the last two weeks. I'm currently taking classes, training, auditioning for upcoming performances and industry work, and I'm also going to be teaching masterclasses and workshops all over.
Shimmy: Tell us a bit about your current training.
Sara: I train everyday - there's spots everywhere in LA and everyone is always down to dance. I've definitely improved already in the short amount of time I've been out here. Everyone is willing to help you out as well so I've been learning like crazy. Right now I'm training with another dancer to do lindy hop. We'll be performing in a couple of weeks at several different events. Also, check out SiTV in a couple of weeks for a show called "The Drop." I'll be on that battling my fellow Ladies First member, and my best friend, Sassy Sol.
Shimmy: You've tried so many different styles of dance, if you didn't specialize in hip hop, what would your next choice be?
Sara: Definitely, tap or jazz. Those dance styles have been a huge influence on my current technique. If I didn't dance at all, though, I would most definitely be a professional snowboarder.
Shimmy: Any special rituals before you perform?
Sara: Not really, I like to listen to some good breaks to get me hype before I perform. But normally, I just prepare myself mentaly before what's to come.
Shimmy: Do you still figure skate? Were you involved in the sport competitively? If so, why did you stop?
Sara: I do still like to throw on my skates whenver there is a ice rink available. Mostly, at Copper Mtn. I will skate after a day of riding the slopes.
Shimmy: What is the best thing came to you as a result of doing SYTYCD?
Sara: Traveling on tour and meeting all of the fans who watched the show. Also, getting closer with all the other dancers that made the tour. We had a really fun time together!
Shimmy: Tell us something from behind the scenes of the show that we would never know otherwise.
Sara: Hmm. Hok and Lacey were dating...now no longer. I think you super fans know that one though. Pasha and I had to miss Nigel's birthday party to practice for our West Coast Swing performace. That was a rough one!
Shimmy: What number from the show done by another couple did you love?
Sara: I loved Danny and Lacey's Samba routine. I also really liked Sabra's and Neil's table dance.
Shimmy: What was your favorite group number?
Sara: I really loved Wade's top 20 piece to Busta Rhymes. It brought all of the dancers together for the first time and the idea behind the dance was really unique and interesting.
Shimmy: How was it going on tour? What was your favorite stop and why?
Sara: I had too many favorite spots. I loved seeing my family and friends so Chicago and Tampa were very memorable for me.
Shimmy: What workshops do you have coming up?
Sara: Yes, I will be going to South Africa to teach as well as Montreal, Quebec in next two months. I will also be teaching in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Colorado as well.
Shimmy: How do you relax?
Sara: Funny enough how I relax is being active...hiking, snowboarding and going out dancing. I love to watch scary movies and I also enjoy writing.
Shimmy: Who is on your ipod?
Sara: EVERYONE! I love hip hop, underground artists and mainstream. I like a lot of DJ mixes with breaks and house. I also grew up listening to a lot of Rock, punk and ska music.
Shimmy: 3 things you cannot exist without?
Sara: MY BODY PILLOW, DOWN COMFORTER, and my friends.
Shimmy: Jump ahead 15 years, where do you see yourself in life?
Sara: Married with children living in New Zealand. haha sounds crazy right? I don't really know where I see myself - I just want to be happy and travel the world before I can settle down.
Shimmy: What would you like your fans to know?
Sara: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You have been amazing people in my life. Your support means everything to me. I am so blessed to have shared my art with you and for you to support me is truly amazing. Thank you for watching, voting and for caring about the dance community. I hope that I have given you some inspiration to keep doing what you love and believe in yourself.
No skater now will ever do fancy-free footwork sequences like those of Alexei Yagudin and Philippe Candoloro, footwork that brought crowds to their feet, because the system rewards changing foot positions so frequently the athlete cannot get up a head of steam.
Few skaters do eye-catching moves like Russian split jumps or graceful moves like the Ina Bauer or spread eagle because they take time and earn no points. Most skaters simply race between point-producing elements (even Weir, more of an artist than almost anyone else in the sport these days, had little chance to create any flow while he crammed jumps into the first half of his free skate at nationals).
No one in singles and pairs can game the system enough to do long programs that will be enthralling to watch again and again -- like Kurt Browning's "Bogart'' or Michelle Kwan's "Salome'' or Sale-Pelletier's "Tristan'' or John Curry's interpretation of the score from the ballet, "Don Quixote,'' in which Curry really was a ballet dancer on the ice. The new system has made music almost irrelevant; despite the best efforts of talented choreographers, most skaters would simply do the same elements in the same order, no matter what music were playing.
Mirai Nagasu, a feathery 14-year-old from Arcadia, Calif., survived a fall on her opening double axel and gathered herself to land six triple jumps, including a gutsy triple lutz-triple toe combination that she landed immediately after her fall, to become the second youngest U.S. champion, 34 days older than was Tara Lipinski when she won in 1997.
Second place went to another Californian, 15-year-old Rachael Flatt, who landed seven clean triples, including a flawless triple lutz-triple toe combo, to amass 125.82 points in the long program, the most of any skater on this night of surprises. Sixteen-year-old Ashley Wagner from Alexandria, Va., another first-year senior, placed third, just .17 behind Flatt. Wagner, too, did a triple-triple -- a rare thing in these championships in years past. Fourth place went to yet another 14-year-old appearing in her first senior nationals competition, Caroline Zhang, a 4-foot-11 tot from Irvine, Calif. Of these top four finishers, only Wagner is old enough to compete at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March.
Even by the standards of figure skating, this was a strange event. The 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which ended Sunday, were filled with more oddities than a French judge's scorecard.
Somehow, despite a judging system that's more complex than a computer manual, Coatesville native Johnny Weir and rival Evan Lysacek ended the men's competition with the same score, 244.77. Lysacek was awarded his second straight title because he had bested Weir in the free skate.
The combined age of the top four finishers in the women's event - Mirai Nagasu (14), Rachael Flatt (15), Ashley Wagner (16) and Caroline Zhang (14) - is 59. That's 19 years younger than NBC commentator Dick Button.
