New Figure Skating School in Armenia

Along the lines of my post last week about skating in unlikely places, a new $5 million skating school is opening up in Yerevan (that's the capital of Armenia). And two-time Olympic Champ Irina Rodnina was involved, so it certainly has auspicious beginnings.

Hope it takes off!

ISU Dismisses Korean Skating Union Complaints over Sochi Results

So I guess it's official now, the ISU will not entertain any suggestion that the ladies competition in Sochi was rigged. They've rejected all the official complaints from the Korean Skating Union over the results.

The ISU essentially said one complaint was without merit and the other was filed too late after the competition.

The Russian judge at the center of the alleged controversy offered a statement of her behavior - she was seen hugging and congratulating gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova before the awards ceremony - saying  (as per the NBCSports article I read):

“After the end of the Event I walked in the arena and had to stop at the mixed zone because the flower ceremony was going to start and the hall way was blocked by TV crews, ceremony stuff, skaters, and a lot of other people. Adelina Sotnikova was there. She was very excited and she was hugging everybody around whom she knew. This can be seen on the mentioned YouTube piece- that she ran to several people whom she knew. But this YouTube piece shows only 3-4 persons. In reality there were much more. For example, she was whipping of happiness on the shoulder of the Russian Assistant Team 5 leader for more than a minute before she approached me and this episode was shown a lot on TV including the closing ceremony video but was not shown on the mentioned YouTube piece. And as I said the skater was so excited that she was running to everybody whom she knew. She also approached me and embraced me. Of course, I congratulated her with her performance.” 

If you ask me, the judge shouldn't even have been down there, let alone let the girl hug her (though seriously, that doesn't look like a reluctant hug to me). Judges and skaters should not be mingling anywhere. Whether or not there was some rigging, the situation destroys the credibility of the sport.

#tbt Throwback Thursday

It has been 30 years since British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Olympic Gold in Sarajevo. Their thrilling Bolero remains one of the most iconic routines in skating history. I can watch it over and over again, and get goosebumps each time without fail.

Surfing my FB feed today, a skating friend posted this short film "Mass Bolero," a tribute to the Olympic gold medalists by the people of the city of Nottingham, where they're from. People from all walks of life in Nottingham joined in, with a step-for-step recreation of Bolero (on land). I'm fairly certain the entire town participated. I'm also pretty sure one of the scenes was shot at Hogwarts. Behold the amazingness:

Did you see the Torvill and Dean cameo? And since it's Throwback Thursday, here is the video from the original Bolero in 1984, that earned them a history-making 12 6.0s (across the board for presentation). Phenomenal doesn't even begin to describe it. We truly have yet to see its equal in figure skating since then.

A new fun fact I just picked up about this routine...Torvill and Dean were told that the 17-minute-long Bolero could only be cut down so much, so the music was about 18 seconds longer than Olympic regulation. But they totally ripped the system, not placing their skates on the ice for the first 18 seconds (only when blades hit the ice did the judges start the official count back then). Genius! 

Wednesday Recap

Well, there really isn't much to report about last night's practice, because it didn't actually happen. I drove to the rink all set to enjoy the confidence buzz that always follows a successful performance, only to find it shuttered and locked up tight. Don't know why, but I suspect the weather (flash floods all over the region) or a refrigeration malfunction complemented by gross humidity. The rink website said practice was on as usual, but I suspect they don't update their website much, if at all.

Alas, my first practice post-show will have to wait. In the meantime, I can dwell on some of the things about my skating that I noticed need work, based on the video of my performance. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Make movements bigger.
Much like stage acting (in contrast to film acting), projection is important on ice. Big, purposeful movements are essential, so that every last person in the stands (and more importantly, the judges) gets what you're trying to do. Otherwise, your performance looks flat, slow and uninspired. Not that I think my performance this weekend was all that bad, but I can definitely see parts of my presentation that can be "bigger." Longer extensions, bigger arms, bigger smiles!

2. Skate faster.
One of the comments my husband made about my performance (in addition to a slew of accolades, of course, honey!) was that it seemed like I was skating slower than usual. I don't think I was, but I can see how it might appear that way. It relates to my previous point about making movements bigger. When you're all alone out there on the ice and you're not projecting enough, your speed doesn't translate well. Even the best skaters in world competitions seem to be skating slower, and cameras tend to two-dimensionalize, which makes it worse. That said, everyone's skating can always benefit from a little more speed.

3. Jump higher.
While it feels like I'm jumping high, I'm not really jumping that high. If I want to start nailing triples again, I gotta seek more altitude. Supplemental strength training helps a lot with this, but sadly I'm low on free time. Gotta improvise...maybe I'll strap the baby to my back instead of pushing her in the stroller as I go about my daily business...

4. Spin longer.
Spins always feel way more spinny than they look. Like what feels like eight revolutions is only actually two. Gotta work on increasing revolutions and refining position. And need to seriously work on my flexibility.

Got my work cut out for me. Gonna be a busy summer on the ice!

Unrest Leading Up to ISU Annual Congress

I read a sobering piece in the Trib this morning (from yesterday) that asserts the sport of figure skating is at an all time low, and that it's all ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta's fault.

To quote the article:

Never has that sport’s appeal been weaker – in terms of ongoing talent and appeal – in North America than it is now. Figure skating also is all but dead in most of Europe and, with the retirement of Yuna Kim, likely to become insignificant again in South Korea, from which the ISU recently has been getting some $2 million a year in rights fees.

A grim scenario for the sport, which in the early 1990s was at an all-time high in both interest and talent. Cinquanta took over the ISU in 1994, and network interest went from $22.5 million then to zilch today. Want to watch figure skating these days? Pay to watch on icenetwork.com. Ask a layperson who is at the top of the sport right now, and they'll have no idea (well maybe with the exception of Meryl Davis, but that's thanks to DWTS, not thanks to the popularity of figure skating).

I don't claim to know enough about ISU politics or the precise details of what the organization has done with regard to its governance of figure skating in the last 20 years to make any sort of comments on its leadership. So I'll refrain from bashing Cinquanta, the former speed skater who is up for re-election in 2016.

But I do know that there is a palpable dissatisfaction in and around the figure skating world. I'm not talking just about endorsement deals or network interest. I'm talking about skaters and coaches becoming disenchanted with the competitive system, and the proliferation of rigid technical requirements that have basically squashed the life out of the sport. Something has to change...

That's why I'm going to pay particular attention to any news that comes out of the upcoming annual ISU congress in Dublin, which starts June 9. To make things even more interesting, there's a change.org petition circulating that calls for Cinquanta's resignation, and there are lingering questions about the results of the ladies competition in Sochi hanging over the ISU's head.

I'll post updates as I get wind of them!

Big Dreams for Big Rinks

As I've said a few times before, I grew up skating in a region where there were no less than five skating rinks within a 20 mile radius. I never actually did the measurements, but I may even be underestimating that figure. Finding ice time to train was never a problem.

Rinks are abundant in the United States, especially the Northeast. And apparently, they are about to get a lot more abundant, with green-light announcements left and right for the construction of multiple-rink mega-facilities like this proposed four-rink complex in Tampa, Florida.

And every skater in NYC is buzzing about the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, a privately funded ~750,000 square-foot complex which will have, count them, NINE rinks.

Funnily enough, even with an abundance the rinks and ice time up here, we usually still have to fight with hockey leagues for ice time. Imagine how much easier it would be to not have to do that when you have nine freaking rinks to choose from?

At the same time, does the world really need a nine-rink facility? Is it really the best use of space, especially in the Bronx? I don't know the answer to this, and I have no alternate suggestions. And I sincerely hope it serves the community well--it certainly looks like it will. I just know that rinks need a lot of upkeep to stay in good, safe condition for figure skaters.

The Big Show

Well, I skated in the show last night. And all I can say is...

NAILED IT.


It's not going to win an Olympic gold medal, but I stayed on my feet and enjoyed every second. So, nailed it. The music, in case you're wondering, is Shirley Bassey's version of "Big Spender." My synchro team skated to it two seasons ago when I was red-shirted w/ pregnancy. I was so bummed I didn't get to skate to it then, I made it my routine this time around.

I was super nervous going in, because it has been about 8 years since I performed solo on the ice in front of people. So nervous beforehand in fact, that when I was getting ready, I forgot I had a huge glob of of ivory foundation in my hand and slicked back my hair. So I had a big, chunky blond highlight in the back of my head. Not ideal, but at least it didn't get on my outfit.

Also, so nervous that I forgot to warm up my death drop and it ended up looking more like I was doing the dying giraffe during the routine. Maybe that should be my signature move?

But whatever it was I got it out of my system before the performance. It was a big boost that my family was in the crowd, and my little lady was sitting quietly watching (sitting still is not her thing right now). That and my coach was wearing a giant lady fat suit from performing in the group number that went before me. I told him he has to wear the fat suit every time I perform from now on...it really helped, seriously. I'll go into the role of sports psychology in figure skating in another post...One could write a novel about it.

What's next? A summer of practicing and perhaps another show in the fall!