Program of the Day goes to Patrick Chan, the stupendously talented young Canadian who everyone's eyes will be on in LA. Lori Nichols, his choreographer, recently spoke to Ice Network about Chan.
Nichol's work with Chan in creating his high-scoring Tango short program and Rachmaninov long played a major role in his success right out of the gate last fall, but, truth be told, Chan spent several weeks "playing" with movement to the Tango before he embraced Nichol's musical choice.
"No diva whatsoever in him" is how Nichol describes the 18-year-old Canadian men's champion who turned heads whenever he stepped on the ice this season.
"He's such a great mix of athlete and artist. I just feel honored to work with him," said Nichol, whose own star rose in the late 1990s as the choreographer for American superstar Michelle Kwan.
Program of the Day is Chan's amazing SP from Canadian Nationals. I'm sure he'll do amazingly at Worlds in a couple of weeks.
Today's program is a bit of a patriotic one, I'm afraid, because today's skater is Jenna McCorkell, the six-time British ladies champion who finished in ninth at the Europeans. Jenna recently had an article written on her at the Coleraine Times (Coleraine is her hometown, though she now spends her time in Belgium and Coventry). Now, an article on a skater isn't usually a big deal, but for Britain this is a pretty rare occurrence. Over here, ice skating gets almost no coverage in the media, unless it's an article about Torvill and Dean; and let's face it, it's been 25 years since their Bolero performance and STILL the UK hasn't moved on. So it is with great pleasure I present the article on Jenna.
"I've learnt a few things from the Euros in Helsinki – I put my neck on the line and took a lot of risks which meant I got no points for some moves and it cost me in the end," she said.
"In America I am going to rein a few things in and play it a bit safer, because in hindsight that is what I should have done in Helsinki.
"I obviously will be working on my free programme and rearranging things so the same mistakes don't happen again.
"Qualification for the Olympics is up for grabs – I think you have to be in the top 24 to secure your place in Vancouver but I should easily make it into the top 15.
"It used to be a lot stricter in previous Games but they have eased the reins. There is one more chance to qualify after the Worlds but I don't want to think about that because in many ways you have to win it to guarantee your place."
Look out for Jenna in LA; she's not going to get on the podium or anything but I saw her last year at Art on Ice skating with her husband, Kevin van der Perren, and she was great. I like her confidence and ability to know exactly what she needs to do.
Today's Program of the Day is Jenna's SP from Europeans this year, which left her in fourth. If she can get her long program up to the standard of this great short, she'll definitely be moving up next year.
Both Jenna and Kevin van der Perren have great websites, which are regularly updated with lots of personal pictures, so I would suggest you give them a look for mor information on the pair.
Oh, and thank you to Aaron over at Axels, Loops and Spins for the shout-out! Definitely check out his blog; he speaks frequently and knowledgably on all sorts of skating-related issues.
Another admin thing; thank you everyone who's reading my blog. If you've got anything you like or don't like about it, feel free to leave a comment. Constructive criticism would be great.
Rachael Flatt is under a lot of pressure to perform well at the Worlds in a few short weeks so that America can gain back three ladies' spots for the Olympic year. Sensibly Rachael has got someone who knows what it's like to have the eyes of America watching you; Dorothy Hamill.
Rachael announced today that 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist Dorothy Hamill will mentor her on her road to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. Hamill chose to work with Rachael due to Rachael's consistency, work ethic, and bubbly personality — all of which are reminiscent of Hamill's career over thirty years ago.
Hamill will be helping Rachael both on and off the ice and will act as a support system and advisor on how to deal with the challenges of being at the top of a sport that is immensely popular during Winter Olympic years.
I think that this will be great; Rachael has a lot of nice elements to her skating but this help from Hamill will definitely improve and inspire her.
"I'm thrilled and honored to be working with a legend like Dorothy," Rachael said. "Her outgoing personality and endearing smile touched millions of Americans in a way that I can only hope to emulate. Dorothy is an amazing role model and I look forward to learning from her experience of handling the pressure of being 'America's Sweetheart.'"
I have difficulty believing that Rachael actually wrote that herself, but the sentiment is there. Rachael's career seems to be really taking off in the States;
In addition to working with Hamill, the sixteen-year-old partnered with MAC Cosmetics, who will be providing her makeup through the Olympics, and Reading Is Fundamental, the nation's oldest children's literacy organization.
The new Kerrigan, Kwan or Cohen? I think for Rachael this is definitely within the realms of possiblity.
Program of the Day is her LP from Nationals. It's a technically strong performance, but hopefully working with Hamill will develop her artistry, posture and speed in her spins. Props to her for the absolutely gorgeous dress though!
Sarah Meier recently did a very interesting interview with Absolute Skating around the time she was doing the Art on Ice shows. The main subject of discussion is her health, and unfortunately, it's not great news.
How is it going with your injury?
It’s Ok. Now it is not getting worse which is already a good sign.
The problem was with your spine, right?
No, actually the problem is in my right hip. First doctors thought that it’s in my back, but now they are sure that it’s in the hip.
I also heard that you might need a surgery...
Yes, maybe. But we’ll really try to avoid this if it’s possible.
It's awful that she probably won't be at Worlds; her presence was really missed at Europeans, as personally I think she's the best European ladies skater; so graceful yet with all the technical ability. Sarah comments quite frankly on the results of this year Europeans in the interview:
I liked pairs’ competition, Alyona and Robin… I also enjoyed watching ice dance. But I didn't enjoy singles much. I think Carolina had to win this. No, I’m really happy for Laura, too, but I think that Carolina should have won. The judgment decision was really strange.
Program of the Day is Sarah Meier's LP from last year's Worlds. Her artistry and emotion in the performance is just incredible, and at a level that is rarely seen in skating nowadays. Also an inspired music choice, which suits her perfectly.
Program of the Day goes to Sasha Cohen, who posted a new journal a couple of days ago. She sounds really happy and in a good place, and it sounds like she's doing well with training for her possible comeback. She says:
I’m in good shape, and I feel strong and happy with what I am doing in my workouts. I’ve gotten my consistency back and I'm getting into jumps the way I was when I was competing. I do a lot of off-ice training and have improved my body core conditioning.
In May and June I will weigh everything and announce my plans for the next season. Right now I am living in the moment and focusing on getting into good physical shape and getting quality rest.
Program of the Day is a bit of a different one today; it's Sasha from 1994, when she was only tiny. It's always great to see skating stars when they were younger and not so, ahem, polished. I defy you not to say "Aw.." as you watch it.
French sports magazine L'Equipe said today that 2006 Olympic champion Evgeny Plushenko of Russia has announced he is making a comeback to figure skating, with intent to compete at the Vancouver Olympics a year from now.
Plushenko, a three-time world champion, hasn't competed since he won the gold medal in Turin and has been busy with other ventures.
I think this is great; Plushenko will definitely liven up the mens' competitions and it'll be great to see whether he's still got it.However, it's very difficult to see him motivation behind coming back. He had double knee surgery in 2007, with complications, and doing quads on top of these can't be good for his long-term health. He claims his return to aid Russian figure skating, but the article from globeandmail.com is not convinced.
Shortly after Russian male skaters bombed at the 2007 world championships in Tokyo, Plushenko announced that he was returning to the competitive wars to because he was concerned that Russians would lose three spots for the following world championships - and maybe even the Vancouver Olympics - if he didn't come back and bridge the gap until younger Russian men found their footing.
But he didn't come back.
For the past couple of years, he's had no Grand Prix assignments.
First, he'd have to win his way back onto the Russian team by competing at his national championships next December.
L'Equipe says “local media” - assumed to be those in Russia - say he's decided to defend his Olympic title.
Program of the Day goes to Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, who have announced that they are fighting fit again and will be at the World Championships later this month.
Belbin and Agosto had to withdraw from this year's U.S. championships because he had a back injury. They petitioned for a place on the World team and were granted that wish with the provision that they prove their fitness before the competition, which begins March 22.
Belbin said by phone Friday the duo had performed for a panel of judges Thursday at their rink in Aston, Pa., and had no difficulties. She said they will perform again March 12 for a larger group that will include members of U.S. Figure Skating's international committee, and she's confident the final decision will affirm their readiness to compete at Staples Center.
I, for one, am absolutely delighted; it would have been awful for them to miss the Worlds, especially when they're being held in the US of A. Their free skate this season is also amazing, so I'm glad to get the opportunity to see it again, and see how they fare again the other contenders. Their free skate from last season's World Championships is today's POTD. Great interpretation of the music, and beautifully understated costumes. The opening lift is just incredible.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch the Junior Ladies competition; however, I feel compelled to write about the results. After the short program the results looked as follows:
1 Elene GEDEVANISHVILI
2 Ashley WAGNER
3 Alena LEONOVA
4 Joshi HELGESSON
5 Katrina HACKER
6 Ivana REITMAYEROVA
7 Francesca RIO
8 Isabel DRESCHER
9 Sarah HECKEN
10 Caroline ZHANG
Caroline Zhang had a disaster of a free skate, and nobody would have predicted her placing lower than Katrina Hacker, the reserve for the USA. This led Phil Hersch to write a characteristically scathing article about Zhang.
So here was Zhang, fresh off a solid fourth at Four Continents in a field in which the top three finishers could also be the top three at worlds. And then, to put it simply, she fell apart.
Her short program score, 47.64, was the lowest Zhang has recorded in a short program at an international event since her debut, on the Junior Grand Prix, in 2006. The two previous lows, 51.76 and 53.28, came at senior Grand Prix events this season.
Zhang’s technical score Friday was so poor it was beaten by 19 other skaters. Nineteen!
However, Mr Hersch is going to have to eat his words after he claimed:
Zhang was world junior champion in 2007 and world junior silver medalist in 2008. Now it will be very surprising for her to win any medal. Such regression raises a lot of questions -- coaching, commitment -- she will need to answer before next season.
Instead, Caroline managed to successfully defend last year's silver medal by pulling herself up eight places with an excellent free skate. The final scores were:
1 Alena LEONOVA RUS
157.18 3 2
2 Caroline ZHANG USA
154.67 10 1
3 Ashley WAGNER USA
153.57 2 3
4 Joshi HELGESSON SWE
139.89 4 6
5 Katrina HACKER USA
139.68 5 4
6 Elene GEDEVANISHVILI GEO
138.32 1 11
7 Sarah HECKEN GER
135.83 9 5
8 Ivana REITMAYEROVA SVK
129.40 6 8
9 Oksana GOZEVA RUS
126.70 15 7
10 Isabel DRESCHER GER
126.65 8 10
Now who would have predicted that? After the event, Caroline spoke the reporters and revealed her disappointment.
“I made a lot of mistakes (in the Short Program). It was kind of like it gave away most chances for the title. But I think I did well in the long program, coming back. So I’m happy with my performance today”, the 15-year-old said. “I tried to refocus after the Short Program, tried not to think about it, because all I wanted was to give the best I could today and I think I did it pretty well. I’m still disappointed; I think it was stupid, all the mistakes in the Short”, she sighed.
Congratulations to Alena; she is the first Russian Lady to medal at Junior Worlds since Kristina Oblasova in 2001, and she was definitely not expected to win in Sofia, after placing sixth last year. Elene Gedevanishvili must be disappointed not to get on the podium after leading in the short; however, her season is not yet over, as she will be competing at Senior Worlds for the fourth time in March.
Today's Program of the Day goes to Caroline Zhang; her long program from US Nationals in January. Definitely shows her development, and spins and spirals are exquisite, as always.
Program of the Day is a spoiler for the Mens event at Junior Worlds, so look away now if you don't want to know.
It's Adam Rippon! Congratulations; he had a stunning free skate and won by a huge lead of around 18 points over the Czech Republic's Michal Brezina, who also skated great. Props to Adam for defending his title so well.
American figure skating fans have always tried to play the two biggest names in US figure skating (at least, until this season) off against each other; but after the US Nationals Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek apparently decided to put it all behind them.
"Evan Lysacek and I sat down at Nationals and had a conversation," Johnny said. "We decided to bury the hatchet, become friends and support each other. We've formed an alliance."
Johnny says he'll be rooting for Evan at the World Championships, as well as for his friend Yu-Na Kim.
I think that's great to hear, but I'm not so sure that they were mortal enemies in the first place. It all seemed a bit staged and media-friendly to me; America is going to have to come up with a new pair of rivals before Vancouver!
Below are Johnny and Evan's long programs from this season. My personal favourite? Evan's; his jumps are looking great, and the music really works for him.
On an interview on French TV, Isabelle said that it is 99% certain that they will not be in LA due to her injury. It's such a shame; their Great Gig in the Sky was absolutely breathtaking and it would have been likely that they could have defended their World title. Get well soon, Isabelle.
Program of the Day is their GGitS FS from the Grand Prix Final this season; a great performance, with the final moves slightly altered due to the fact that Isabelle was suffering from a stomach bug.
Today's Program of the Day comes courtesy of Mirai Nagasu. After suffering all the way through US Nationals and ending up in fifth, she's finally admitted that it's time for a rest and has withdrawn from Junior Worlds. However, she won't just be sitting at home, as Phil Hersh has reported on the Los Angeles Times site that she will be part of the broadcast team for Japan's Fuji TV.
Nagasu, a Japanese American from Arcadia, will spend her time at Staples Center doing interviews. She is to work from a position in the stands.
Not a bad gig for someone who doesn't turn 16 until April.
And if Nagasu is as effusive in Japanese as she is in English, the TV audience should get quite an earful.
It likely will be a huge audience, given the popularity of skating in Japan since Shizuka Arakawa won the 2006 Olympic gold medal and countrywomen Miki Ando and Mao Asada (both on the 2009 Japanese team) followed by becoming the 2007 and 2008 world champions. In 2007, when the world competition was in Tokyo, Fuji got a 38% share for the women's final.
"I haven't been on the ice since U.S. Championships" in late January, Nagasu said in the Feb. 12 announcement of her withdrawal from junior worlds. "I'm not going to step back on the ice until we are confident that my pain is gone.''
Watch the highly talented young skater's SP to "I Got Rhythm" from last season's Nationals below. Incredible flexibility, and great expression shown throughout. Get better soon Mirai!
...the Paso Doble! Great compulsory, which certainly brings out some dramatic costumes. And, in light of this, our program of the day is the Paso Doble, as skated by two of the best ice dancers out there, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. It's very expressive, with huge technical strength.
Elene Gedevanishvili - not a name you forget in a hurry. ElGed has had a hugely varied career so far; she was fifth in Europeans in 2006, but dropped to 25th place this year and so failed to make the free skate at all. However, according to her biography on ISU, she has decided to switch coaches in light of her result at the Europeans, and so now will be coached by Robin Wagner. I think this is a good move; she definitely needs a change of direction, and with Wagner's past success rate hopefully Elene will start seeing some good results - she's scheduled to skate at Junior Worlds in Sofia this week.
Golden Skate recently published a very interesting article about Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, the Canadian ice dancers.
The pressure is on for Canadian ice dancers Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, who won the silver medal in senior dance at the 2009 Canadian Nationals.
Along with Canada's world silver medalists, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the teenagers are responsible for placing high enough at the 2009 World Championships in Los Angeles in March to give Canada three dance teams for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.
"Obviously, there will be a lot of pressure on us at Worlds," Crone stated, "but we'll just put ourselves out there and do what we can. If we make the top ten, that's great. Otherwise, we'll readjust and try to improve for next season."
It's just exciting that there will be three ice dance teams in Vancover; the way things look now, between Virtue/Moir, Chan and Rochette the Canadians are going to come away with some seriously good results at the Olympics in their own back yard.
The article with Crone/Poirier is interesting, highlighting their training schedule and their commitment to their individual skating as well:
Both Crone and Poirier have continued to compete in singles even as they have risen in the dance rankings. Poirier finished 11th in senior men at Canadian Nationals in 2009, while Crone placed about the same in junior ladies at Divisionals.
"I'll definitely skate singles again next season," Poirier offered. "I'm almost there on my triple Axel and I'll definitely be working on it again this summer."
"I don't think I'll continue competing in singles next season," Crone said, "but I'll continue my singles training."
This has to be admired; the amount of energy and time that they must spend on their ice dance together is so great that to do singles training on top of all that is really quite an achievement.
Crone and Poirier were excellent when I saw them at Trophee Eric Bompard, but not overwhelmingly so; with a few seasons to develop, I think they will really go far. Their style is similar to both Virtue/Moir, as well as the Italians Capellini/Lanotte. The rest of the article can be found here
