Asada is Golden

Mao Asada’s opening move was heart-stopping — and not in a good way.
As she went to take off for a triple axel, a jump so hard few women even try it, she slipped and slid across the ice.
“I was surprised myself,” Asada said.
But the two-time Japanese champion rebounded with a huge triple flip-triple toe loop combination, righting her long-program fortunes and capturing the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday. She finished with 185.56 points, winning by almost a point.
“I learned that I still can make up for the mistake if the other elements are good,” Asada said. “Never give up. That’s what I learned this year.”
Two-time European champion Carolina Kostner of Italy won the silver (184.68 points) and South Korea’s Kim Yu-na finished third (183.23).
Asada’s was by far the most spectacular fall of the evening, with the crowd of 9,431 groaning in unison. But it was not the only one.

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Canada's Top Skating Choreographer Talks

For casual figure skating fans, Lori Nichol's name might not ring any bells. As Canada's top skating choreographer, Nichol is most famous for creating programs for Michelle Kwan from 1995-2001.

Before she became one of world's most respected figure skating choreographers, Nichol was an elite skater herself. She was a performer for the John Curry Company from 1983 - 1986 and was the 1983 silver medalist in the World Professional Figure Skating Championships.

Icenetwork.com sat down with Nichol to chat about the new judging system, and what it's like to choreograph the top stars in competitive figure skating.
You choreograph for many different skaters. How much time do you spend assessing the strengths and weaknesses of, say, Mao Asada versus Kimberly Meissner?


I don't work in the 'versus' mind set. My work is about emphasizing a skater's strengths, choosing music that I think is good for them and also that they like enough to skate to all year, sharing the magic and art of skating from the blade on up and providing a safe accepting environment for an enlightening and educational experience.

What are two or three of your all-time favorite programs?

I have many more than two or three favorites. They range from when I coached precious little ones who discovered themselves in a program and would work so hard with each and every detail, to the entire process with Michelle Kwan leading up to that supposedly 'overnight transformation' of "Fiesta Flamenco" and "Salome" (and I did like "Dream of Desdemona," "Taj," and Rachmaninoff a great deal as well), to the entire experience with [Jamie] Salé and [David] Pelletier. They astounded me long after winning the Olympics with their devotion to their craft and their gorgeous performances of "Come Away With Me" and "Who Wants to Live Forever." I have tons of favorites this season too; any time a skater gives it everything they've got, I have a new current favorite!

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Two-Time Olympic Champion Retires

BERLIN–Two-time Olympic champion Katarina Witt has ended her show career on ice with a final performance as Carmen – the role that accompanied her greatest triumph.

Witt drew thunderous applause in Hannover on Tuesday on the last night of her farewell tour, capping her six routines clad as Carmen as bowls of fire lit the rink.

"I have to say, honestly, that you prepare a tour like this and think of everything," Witt said. "Then I totally forgot to think of what I would say at the very end. Maybe just: Thank you."

The 42-year-old former East German, dubbed "the most beautiful face of socialism" by Time magazine, drew worldwide fame by beating American rival Debi Thomas at the end of the Cold War in a politically charged duel for the 1988 Olympic gold.

That was the springboard to a professional career for one of the most successful figure skaters ever in the United States and Europe. Tours with fellow gold medallist Brian Boitano and "Holiday on Ice" followed, along with an Emmy for the 1989 film "Carmen on Ice".

The contest at the Calgary Olympics against Thomas was dubbed the ``Battle of the Carmens," because both chose to skate their long program to Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen."

Witt prevailed and joined Sonja Henie as the only women figure skaters to defend their Olympic titles.

When she retired from competition, her medal haul also included golds from four world and six consecutive European championships.

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Flatt Wins World Junior Championships

It was no surprise the U.S. women swept the medals Saturday at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

After all, the U.S. team included the 1-2-4 finishers from the most competitive senior national championships in the world.

But the results, with Rachael Flatt sneaking out of the shadows to take the title from defending world junior champion Caroline Zhang and reigning U.S. champion Mirai Nagasu, mean there will be a ferocious battle for places on the U.S. team at the 2009 senior worlds in Los Angeles and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Especially because the U.S. is likely to have only two women's places at the 2009 worlds. If that happens, there will be no margin of error to get three places at the 2010 Olympics.

"This is a really good group of U.S. ladies," said Zhang, of Brea. "The next two years will be tough but really fun too."

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Asada Heading for A Split With Coach?

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."

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Meissner Coach Hops

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.

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