Colorado-trained athletes on edge of world success

The Denver Post just published an article about some of the biggest threats to veteran skaters; Jeremy Abbott, Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker,Brandon Mroz and Rachael Flatt, who all train at the World Arena in Colorado. It must be a real fight for space on the ice with all five of them skating around, but imagine how amazing and motivating it must be for the other skaters!

"The atmosphere at the rink, I don't know if there's something in the water or what," Flatt said. "It's just great motivation for all of us to watch each other, push each other and do good programs."

As well as sharing ice space, many of them share a coach.

The coach who hit the mother lode is one Tom Zakrajsek, who coaches Abbott, Mroz and Flatt.

"In one respect it's not a surprise to have three skaters on the world team because they all work very hard," Zakrajsek said. "And we kind of plan for success, as crazy as that sounds."

The article also talks about McLaughlin and Brubaker specifically:

McLaughlin and Brubaker defended their national championship and won the 2007 world junior title. The difference this year is that McLaughlin, at 16, is finally old enough to attend senior worlds.

"And I'm getting my license next month!" said the Tarzana, Calif., native.

Brubaker is 22, and they've been together only three years, about half the time most teams take to reach the world championship level. They will be the youngest pairs team in L.A. yet have raised their components to fit the competition.

"It's been challenging," Brubaker said. "We've been learning so much, too. We're still considered the young kids."

The rest of the article can be read here.
Program of the Day is M/B's SP from Cup of China last season. They have some beautiful lifts and are showing definite improvement on their throw jumps; however, there is obvious development needed for their side-by-side jumps.

Evan Lysacek gets confidence boost in Toronto

After his disappointing performance in the US Nationals where he finished in third, Evan Lysacek has just one more chance to perform his program as well as he can. And where better than in his home town, LA? An article about Evan has just been published on the LA Times site about his

Lysacek, twice a world bronze medalist and twice a U.S. champion -- but a dispirited third at this year's national competition -- believes she [Lori Nichol] worked her magic again during their sessions.

"She said a big thing this season is freedom," he said Thursday after a practice session at the Toyota Center. "There are so many intricacies in the program now that there's really few people who go out like 'I'm free as a bird and so glad to be out here.' Because you're constantly thinking and nitpicking at each and every element as you're going through the routine.

"But she said that's really important, so that's what we worked on, pushing out everything and gaining speed whenever I can."

Their labor seems to have paid off.

His coach, Frank Carroll, said Lysacek's ice coverage is much better. So are his speed and footwork. Those upgrades could lift Lysacek's program component scores, the marks generally referred to as the artistic scores.

Hopefully this is the boost that Evan needs to get him back on the Worlds podium; he's such a great skater than it seems disappointing that he's currently not performing his best.Nichol, along with David Wilson, is one of the most talented and well-known choreographers out there and Evan has the technical ability, so hopefully this will pull up his PCS and get him the placement he deserves.

The rest of the article is available here.

Program of the Day is Evan's FS for this season, a Gershwin medley from the US Nationals. The music isn't the strongest piece he's ever picked, but the newer costume is definitely better than the sparkly penguin he wore at the beginning of the season. If Evan can nail that quad, and if he has really improved his PCS as the article claims, he'll have a good shot in LA.

Gregory/Petukhov to work with Plushenko

News just in; Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, the 2004-2007 U.S. ice dance silver medalists, are going to be choreographing Plushenko's long program for the 2009-2010 season. Plushenko has been training every day apparently and with Melissa and Denis's choreography he will definitely increase the hype around his comeback. He really sounds serious this time, despite the fact that he has been "announcing his comeback" a few times now.

Program of the Day is one example of the extraordinarly beautiful cheoreography that Melissa and Denis have done, in the exhibition program they did with Johnny Weir to "Fallen Angels". To make three skaters work together so seamlessly in a program requires real talent; Plushenko is in good hands.

Program of the Day

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.

Program of the Day

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.

Program of the Day

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!

Program of the Day

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.

The rest of the article can be found here.

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

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.

The rest of the article can be read here.

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.

Plushenko has announced his comeback

No, really.

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.

We'll see.

Program of the Day

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.

Junior Worlds - Ladies

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

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.

Johnny and Evan: Is the rivalry over?

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.

No Delobel/Schoenfelder at Worlds

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.

Program of the Day

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!