The awkward moment when...

...you realise you haven't posted on your blog in forever! I've been having a bit of a break over the off-season but receiving a couple of emails about my blog in the last week which reminded me that there still might be some readers out there waiting for new posts! I'm so excited for to the 2011-2012 season, and there is so much to look forward to.

This year I am not attending Trophee Eric Bompard for the first time in three years....BUT I have been confirmed as a volunteer for the 2012 Europeans (eek!) which, this year, are in SHEFFIELD! (a.k.a my university town!). I'm really excited and will definitely be chronicling my experiences of volunteering at a major skating event here on Ice Addiction.

Anyway, to the off-season. The off-season has, unfortunately, been categorised by me for the number of partnerships which have ended, due to retirement, injury or personal problems. The worst offender seems to be North America, which includes Caydee Denney / Jeremy Barrett and Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirer, Madison Chock / Greg Zuerlein, Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates, Madison Hubbell / Keiffer Hubbell. This season the pairs and dance events are going to be looking very different in terms of line-up - anyone else predicting Shpilband&Zoueva dominance at US Nationals and Worlds again?

Therefore, my program of the day is in memorandum of one of my favourite pairs team - Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison (2003-2010). There have been a number of internet rumours and drama about why this partnership broke up, but essentially it seems that Bryce's injuries are serious enough that they have put his future skating career in serious jeopardy. Jessica is now skating with Sébastien Wolfe, and they have been confirmed for Skate Canada. The entire list of Canadian skaters who will be participating in Skate Canada in Mississauga, Ontario can be found here. Program of the Day is their bronze medal-winning performance from the 2008 World Championships to Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter". All videos of this LP have been disabled from embedding by request (boo!) but it can be watched here.