The Skating Lesson have a 'secret source' at Toyota, and they've got some very interesting things on their twitter about it.

E.g:

https://twitter.com/SkatingLesson/st...22621570916352
https://twitter.com/SkatingLesson/st...22405593624576
https://twitter.com/SkatingLesson/st...22505598398464


Most interesting thing for me is Mirai's triple axel. Wow, I guess it would give her an edge! Would be very interesting if she included it this season. Has she ever tried it before?

(https://twitter.com/SkatingLesson)

The ISU has announced the new technical minimum scores for ISU Championships and the Olympic Winter Games:

http://isu.sportcentric.net/db//files/serve.php?id=4529

ISU European and ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2014 and Olympic Winter Games 2014:

MEN SP 25.00 FS 45.00
LADIES SP 20.00 FS 36.00
PAIR SKATING SP 20.00 FS 36.00
ICE DANCE SD 18.00 FD 28.00

ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2014*):
MEN SP 20.00 FS 40.00
LADIES SP 20.00 FS 35.00
PAIR SKATING SP 20.00 FS 30.00
ICE DANCE SD 18.00 FD 28.00


ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2014:
MEN SP 34.00 FS 63.00
LADIES SP 26.00 FS 46.00
PAIR SKATING SP 24.00 FS 41.00
ICE DANCE SP 28.00 FS 38.00

SP=Short Program – SD=Short Dance – FS=Free Skating – FD=Free Dance

The Minimum Total Technical Score (not including Component Scores) is a Technical Score and must have been reached in an ISU recognized International Competition (as per Article 38, paragraph 7 of the ISU Constitution and Rule 107, paragraphs 1 to 9 of the ISU General Regulations) during the ongoing or immediately preceding season in both segments, Short Program/Short Dance and Free Skating/Free Dance (See ISU Special Regulations Single & Pair Skating Ice Dance 2012, Rule 378, paragraph 3).
While the Minimum Total Technical Score must be reached separately in each segment (not a total of the two segments), the Minimum Total Technical Score for each segment may be reached at different competitions.

*) the required minimum Total Technical Score for the Short Program/Short Dance and the Free Skating/Free Dance segment to participate in the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships can only be obtained in registered International Junior Competitions/Championships.

Are the turns (From forward to backward or backward to forward) which are done whilst doing power pulls considered 3 turns?

E.g. - Going from a forward power pull to a backward power pull consecutively.

I had an argument with a friend and I told them they are 3 turns because you can turn while doing power pulls on the inside or the outside edge. They said they weren't considered 3 turns, just a high-level turn.

http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/...yutsya-v-sport
http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/...ciyu?playeri=2

Surprised that no one has mentioned this here yet, but Marina Anissina is supposedly coming back to Ice Dance for Sochi at the request of the French Federation after Pechalat and Bourzat placed 6th at worlds. :laugh:

Morozov's comments: http://rsport.ru/figure_skating/20130615/667996410.html

Zhulin's comments: http://rsport.ru/figure_skating/20130615/667991644.html

Averbukh's comments: http://rsport.ru/figure_skating/20130615/667983811.html

Rostelecom Cup will be in Moscow anyway - said Alexander Gorshkov.

http://www.itar-tass.com/c20/773894.html (Russian)

Problem is that the Megasport Palace is repaired now. If it will not be ready, Rostelecom Cup will be at other skating ring, but in Moscow.

And thus underscored? I know little re iced ance and love the top three NA teams most. I am in awe of the judges...hard job...can someone say what Shibs lack to become WC ice dancers? I think they're wonderful.

Or am I missing something? I checked the USFS page on all the GP events and TEB was the only one that didn't have any ice dancers.

Of course, I have a vested interest, since I am going this year!

Anyone?

If at the Olympics Kim, Asada, and Kostner all skate cleanly what would the order of finish between the three have been. It is interesting as before Vancouver nobody would have asked this question. All 3 skating cleanly at that event would have always been Kim >>>>>> Asada >>>>> Kostner (with probably several others above Kostner in that scenario too). Yet despite Kim's dominant win at Worlds, it seems the general feeling this time around is it would be much closer in that hypothetical scenario than Vancouver ever would have been. It is also believed it is unlikely we will even see Asada or Kostner skate cleanly to find out, so the only place this scenario might play out is in the hypothetical discussions about it anyway, but just in the unlikely event it were to occur what would the final order of finish of the podium be this time around.

Of these three it is clear Asada would receive by far the lowest PCS and GOE of the trio if all three went clean, yet her planned base value is quite a bit higher isnt it. So that would still make it close.

BTW the other skaters need no consideration in this thread as if Kim, Kostner, and Asada were to all skate cleanly, nobody else woud have a hope to medal at the Sochi Olympics even with 9 triples, so the hypothetical thread title shuts out all other skates automatically and they need no discussing in this thread, only these three (eg- please no crazy Sotnikova fans saying well what if Adelina skated cleanly too, lol).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENK-xXoCkQY

Ok, let me see if I can follow her instructions. Arms go up...

But can she do it in competition? Yes! At the 2013 Ladybug, pre-preliminary (slight hand down).

Hello everyone.

I don't know if I am posting this in the right place...

But, I just saw a beautiful and stunning(clean and flawless) long program skated by Valentina Marchei. We all know how Valentina has been improving in the last seasons and I really admire her for not giving up and keep skating.

Maybe the new "Akiko"? Who only got better with the aging.

I am not a fan of her, but, she has been growing on me and I have to say that her "The Artist" program is beautiful.

Please, give your thoughts about the program...

You can watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W3-MbkdFOM

Another angle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0FaiuCNdkg

Note how she can get height and distance in her jumps. Also, she is fast and has good skills.

Hugs from Brazil.

This is a thread inspired by something in the thread about what music we would wish to see skated to, and by whom.

Some music gets used and overused - while other pieces, equally skateable, barely are used, or even not at all.

Why is this? Thoughts?

This is inspired by and dedicated to a great mod called Mathman.

I'd like everyone to consider what true figureskating touches them and pick one skate from each discipline. Choose wisely as the aliens know nothing of what comprises great skating. I'm still thinking, and ladies will be hardest for me. What skates do u want seen by the ETs?:biggrin:

Vocalise by G&G. Best Pair, truly one skater, my favorite performance-easy for me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcDY_TfiaNY

This was tougher, but Lyra Angelica -everyone knows/loves this skate...i'll link it anyway.

Men's skate would be Brian Boitano's skate in Alaska. I forgot the music. I will link -think it is called Water Fountain. I envy Brian just being on the glacier-by far his most moving work for me.

Ice Dance has a few -cannot decide at present-so please prepare your space capsules as launch time approaches!:laugh::laugh:

I am looking for some advice on stretches to help with spirals.... It seems practically impossible as a guy, not to mention an old one, but I've been told there are some things I can do to gain the needed flexibility??? I can extend my left high enough (not great but at least passable) but the right just doesn't seem to want to cooperate.

Or will they have a game of public relations chicken?

I recently have wanted to start figure skating, and was wondering what I could focus on in my personal classes I take now. I am sorry I have no video but I will try to explain how I do skate, hopefully someone can give me general tips on how to improve my skating.

I generally push off with my right foot, usually this foot will sweep a bit to the back as I lean at about a 10 degree angle forwards. I usually then glide, and the push again when need be. My feet seem to be turned the slightest in at the ankles. I do have used, size 8 American Athletic figure skates. They do not have much padding, if any at all. I was wondering if it is normal to have your ankles bent the slightest bit or are your feet supposed to be straight up an down, also are your knees supposed to be bent? Because my cousin said not to, and this caused me great trouble so I went to bending my legs and having a slight ankle bend too. Anyways, I was hoping someone could give me tips on technique and exercises to increase ankle strength?

I just realised we don't have a Max Aaron thread. Rectified!

To start us off, here's his interview with The Skating Lesson. 50 minutes of fantastic Max, talking Carmen, hockey, a broken back, the two rings he really wants (one of them is NOT what you think ;) ), life after skating and working on the whole package.

http://www.theskatinglesson.com/max-aaron-interview/

Me again, with another skating music request.:)

I'm trying to find the individual tracks used in these programs.

1) Elvis Stojko - The Mummy - 1999-2000 LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbCjKpvY8l0

(I just need the last minute or so - I found the rest of it)

2) Elvis Stojko - Merlin - 1998-1999 LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvOPisSQreI

I need the first few seconds - the vocal part - and then the last half.

3) Tara Lipinski - Sense & Sensibility/Much Ado About Nothing - 1996-1997 LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBrMZxhjWVY

4) Paul Wylie - Henry V - 1991-1992 LP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nLhA7CVIok

Does anyone know which individual songs these skaters used? I've found most of the other routines I wanted, but these programs seem to elude me.

Thanks so much in advance.

I think we find Yu-Na Kim so superior compared to the others skaters is because, she act like a «Queen». And, unfortunalety, I think the others skaters need to work this, if they really want to be at her level.

Theses are my impression about Yu-Na Kim that make her in a higher level skating.

1. She looks confident in her skating, we see no doubt in her eyes.
2. She wears dresses with long skirts who gives impression to look more mature.
3. She doesn't skate with cute and junior music, it's always somes musics selections who are powerful, masterful and bring emotion.
4. She express the music with her face and her body espress the music as well perfectly.
5. She try always to bring the audience in her performance. She looks at her audience like a star and at the right times.

I think even if you do perfect triple/triple or triple axel, if you don't have all of theses 5 statements, I think you miss the opportunity to catch Yu-Na because theses littles thing make the person looks more mature and better when you act like a «Queen».

I think that Why Tatianna Tarasova bring heavy music to Mao Asada at 2010 Olympic, because a soft and sweet Mao, will never look strong and superior even if it is beautiful.

Imagine if we see Yu-Na Kim skating to a princess and delicate program, this would not give the impression that she looks strong because it would not be powerful and impressive.

And having a dress cut in the butt doesn't look mature at all, it looks like a girl who doesn't want to grow up. Carolina Kostner need to bring something better if we want to consider her at Yu-Na level.


What do you think ?
What distinguishes Yu-Na Kim compared to other skaters? and Why we find her superior ?

2013 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic: Sep 11-15 [Salt Lake City, Utah]

Official website:

Official announcement (7-page PDF):

The event will feature the following disciplines:

The Organizer will preferably accept skaters and couples having taken part in the finals of the Senior or Junior ISU Championships of the last two (2) seasons.
As the host organizer, U.S. Figure Skating reserves the right to enter a maximum of four (4) entries in each discipline.
Additionally Canada will be invited to enter a maximum of two (2) entries in each discipline with all other member nations invited to enter one (1) entry with alternate entries listed in case of openings.

The preliminary entries must reach the Organizer by Friday, July 12, 2013 and all final entries no later than Friday, August 2, 2013 at the latest.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE (subject to change)
The final schedule of all the events, with practice sessions and practice groups, will be given upon arrival.
Official practice sessions will begin on Wednesday, September 11.


Again in 2013:

Mods (same question that I asked in the Skate DownUnder competition thread OP):

If so, was it painful and were you happy with the results? My friend had it done and it took a decade off her face. She said it HURT! On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 9. The gal in the office said it's not painful. I was there getting skin tags removed from my neck and had a mini consultation. My friend used Juvedurm.

My friend sure did look good--no more dark circles and bags. She looked so rested. And much younger than me afterwards.

IM me if you want to remain private.

Cheryl Peake: 30th March 1966 - 12th June 2013

Just saw on Lorna Brown's Facebook profile that English Pairs skater Cheryl Peake died yesterday!

http://www.facebook.com/lornaskater/...51479053773947

To make sure this was right, I hunted down the profile of Andrew Naylor (Cheryl's skating partner), and unfortunately, it was on there too:

http://www.facebook.com/andrew.naylo...51983515803975


Cheryl Peake and Andrew Naylor were the dominant force in British Pairs Skating for most of the late 80's/early 90's. In that time they won the British Senior Pairs Championships 7 years in succession, from 1986 to 1992.

This earned them regular appearances at the European Championships from 1986 to 1992, and every year they finished in the top 10. Their best results were 5th place in 1987 and 1989 (the champions both those years being Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov).

They also competed at the World Championships from 1986 to 1991 and, with the exception of 1990 (when Catherine Barker and Michael Aldred represented Britain instead), every year they finished between 9th and 12th. Their best result was 9th place in 1987 (the champions that year being Ekaterina Gordeeva and the much-missed Sergei Grinkov).

In 1988, they competed in the Winter Olympics in Calgary, finishing 12th in both programmes, and 12th overall! I just had a look on YouTube, and here is a video of their Short Programme from Calgary.

Other videos I found are their Free Skate from the 1986 Skate America, and their Free Skate from the 1988 Skate America. There is also a video of them doing an exhibition in St. Ivel in 1987, but I should warn you that the quality of this particular video is not great.

Cheryl and Andrew retired from competitive skating in 1992. I am afraid I do not know what has been happening with either of them in the intervening years until now.

My thoughts go out to Cheryl's family and friends.

CaroLiza_fan

Philip Hersh ‏@olyphil

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fou...now-2013-06-12

http://www.whosay.com/evanlysacek/photos/357698

Thanks to posters on the Michelle Kwan Forum. :love:

It was announced today that the venue for the event would be the Syma Event and Congress Centre. So far I could only find Hungarian soursec. They say that the ISU has approved of it.

Five favorite things with Zhang and Bartholomay
Both skaters agree on favorite city ... favorite food, not so much



And from http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news (Jun 6)

I keep flat footing my axel! I don't have this problem on any other single jumps, or my under rotated double loop. I don't feel scared to do the axel at all, and it's rotated to my knowledge, but I just can't get rid of this bad habit!

Does anyone have any ideas on how to avoid flat footing?
Thank you in advance :)

Skate DownUnder 2013: Aug 20-22 [Sydney, NSW, Australia]

Official announcement from Ice Skating Australia (8-page PDF):


Also:

Mods:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHfgjszz_Tk#t=3m31s

Or does she rock back toward the flat but not go quite to an inside edge?

Worlds 2016: ISU gives Boston provisional allotment

Here's a challenge. Choose one performance you think deserved high scores (whether or not you think the official panel rewarded it sufficiently) and explain what you think was so good about it from a competitive standpoint. Were many of the elements especially well done or otherwise worthy of extra rewards? Was the program especially well constructed strategically or artistically? Did the skater give an exceptional performance in some ways? Were there aspects that transcended the written rules and gave it something extra that isn't officially captured in the scoring criteria but maybe should be?

Acknowledge weaknesses if you see any, but don't make that your focus.

Make a case for why this was a special performance. You might not change the minds of others who aren't fans of this skater or didn't think this performance should have scored as high as it did, but if you point out all the strengths that you see, maybe it'll help the rest of us to appreciate more good points that we missed the first time.

We each have different qualities that we look for in a performance, so let's share our appreciation with each other.

Also, feel free to make requests if there's a performance you think was overscored and would like insight into why others think the judges rewarded it. Or one that you love but just can't put your finger on why.

when is next ISU concil to decide next cities for next figure skating competitions ?
do you know ?

Dan Thompson, an Olympian in swimming, has been hired as the chief executive officer of Skate Canada.

More

Swallowing a large dose of reality is never fun. It doesn’t matter how young, beautiful, or rich you may be, ultimately there will be things beyond your reach. You’ll want them so desperately, and there’s no way to attain them.

More

SEOUL (Reuters) - Kim Yuna will not be around when the Winter Games come to Pyeongchang in 2018, but the South Korean figure skating queen has promised to give her all in the defense of her Olympic title in Sochi next year.

More

Congratulations to Class of 2013 graduates! (high school, college, etc.) :bow:

Kaetlyn Osmond graduated from high school a few days ago. [Quite an eventful year she has had. :)]

A few weeks ago, Emily Samuelson and Lynn Kriengkrairut graduated from the University of Michigan.

Who else is a new graduate? Must be others.

Kanako Murakami and Jason Brown, I believe?
Maybe Evan Bates??

http://fsrussia.ru/upl/ckeditor/5378478.pdf - Russian

2013 Sept 12-16 Russan Cup I, Perm, Senior, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2013 Oct 02-06 Russan Cup II, Sochi, Senior, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2013 Oct 20-24 Russan Cup III, Sanara, Senior, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2013 Now 12-16 Russan Cup IV, Yoshkar-Ola, Senior, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2013 Dec 01-05 Russan Cup V, Moscow, Senior, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2013 Dec 22-27 Senior Nationals, Sochi, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2014 Jan 22-25 Junior Nationals, Saransk, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2014 Feb 26 - Mar 02 Russian Cup Final, Novgorod, Senior, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance
2014 Mar 21-25 Nationals Younger Age (Zhuk Memorial), Stary Oskol, Novice, Men, Ladies
2014 Apr 02-05 Nationals Elder Age, Nizhni Novgorod, Junior, Men, Ladies, Pairs, Ice Dance

Russan Cup Events are qualifying cometitions to Senior and Junior Nationals. System is like GP and JGP Events.
Skaters earn points for places of Events.

Skaters with highest sum of points of two Events (Senior) are qualified to Senior Nationals together with GP Events and JGP Final participants.
This season only skaters of age 14 years and elder can take place in Events as Seniors and Senior Nationals.

Skaters with highest sum of points of two Events (Junior) are qualified to Junior Nationals together with JGP Events participants.
This season only skaters of age 13 years and elder can take place in Events as Juniors and Junior Nationals.

Final of Cup of Russia is not a real Final. It is "one more qualifying" Event for Team Russia and something like test skating before Worlds.

Are there any pieces of music you would love to see skaters skate to? For me:

1) As mentioned on this thread I'd love to see Alissa Czisny skate to the 'Downton Abbey' suite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ULKKJ5UpI

2) Alissa Czisny skating to 'My Sweet and Tender Beast'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvUg7KLAclA

3) Virtue & Moir skating to 'My Sweet and Tender Beast'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvUg7KLAclA

4) Kim Yu-Na to 'Carmen' (Habanera, Toreadors, etc). Yes, it's over skated to, but Kim Yu-Na is so spectacular so I'd love to see how she presents it.

Would love to hear your thoughts :)

Since you asked, I would like to recommend the theme from Downton Abbey for Alissa Czisny. Am I crazy that it would not be perfect that Czinsy, in a costume inspired by the character Lady Mary Crawley, skate to this trendy yet classy—crazy-classy—theme, as far as figure skating judges go? Don’t you think it would be awesome—AND—that the judges would eat it up for her short program?

Here’s the music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ULKKJ5UpI

(Bibliography: The idea of a ladies’ program to the Downtown Abbey theme was not mine. I know someone else said this first on GS, I think maybe skateluvr, but god who knows. It was first suggested as a LP for Ashley Wagner months ago, for whom, I think, the music is too interesting.)

Here are my recommendations, matched to the artistic abilities, of other US female skaters:

For Agnes Zawadzksi, something sultry: my recommendation is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu2NzXb4x1s

For Ashley Wagner, something demographically tested and safe: my recommendation is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGQ6zhEwWo

For Gracie Gold, something teenage emotions can understand : [link to “Call Me Maybe,” a bit hard to find on YouTube for free. Ha ha.]

Do I mean to start some debates on Golden Skate with this post? You betcha!

Hi, so I'm not quite sure if this is the correct place to post a thread like this, but recently, a friend of mine and I started a web comic! We're currently posting on three sites: deviantart, facebook, and tapastic. A quick description of the comic's plot:

"Tale of Two Princes (or as we call it TTP) is about two young princes facing a lot of problems in their kingdoms. Both come from incredibly different backgrounds but after a twist of ill fate and a bunch of conspiracies, they will need each other to solve the problems facing each other's kingdoms."

Updates will come on a weekly basis on Fridays. Currently, the first two pages and cover page are up. If you have time, please do drop by one of these links:

https://www.facebook.com/TTPComic?fref=ts
http://tapastic.com/series/920
http://ttp-comic.deviantart.com/#

*Note, i am not talking about the choreographed sequence element. This is about the main step sequence element.

Instead of one step sequence, why not give a skater (or a pair team) the option to:
-Do the normal whole step sequence

OR
-Allow them to have two partial step sequences (in other words 2 'half' step sequences, with the GOE and Base Value of each worth half the value of a full step sequence) to allow for more variety and choice for skaters. With the inclusion of vocal music in singles and pairs after the olympic season (bring on pop music! :/ ), this might be a nice option as the structure pop music is quite tight and constrained.


Other ideas which the ISU can make to make skating more interesting/somewhat better (which were brought up in previous posts)
-Mandatory deduction of PCS for obvious mistakes and stumbles

-More elements with a fixed base value- or GOE only elements (Especially spins- if i see another butt spin....)

-Alternation between the Short Dance and the Original Dance each year in Ice Dance (it will be stilled called the short dance but it alternates between the SD structure and the OD structure)
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...nate-each-year

Chan, Virtue & Moir, Duhamel & Radford, Osmond

Plushenko, Bobrova & Soloviev, Volosozhar & Trankov, Sotnikova

Aaron, Davis & White, Denny & Coughlin, Wagner

Does anyone have a list with the dates of all the major summer competitions in the US and abroad for this summer?

So Far I have

Liberty Open July 16-July 20
Broodmoor Open June 26-29, 2013
GOlden West Dates
Glacier Falls August 1-4, 2013
Skate Detroit July 23-July 27

Any other competitions?

I was going through chemo for lymphoma over the winter. I'm all done with that now, in complete remission (hurrah!). And now comes the next step in this journey: the bills! I've started a project to bring in extra income that will help pay off the balance-- my goal is to get commissions to paint childrens portraits.

I set up a blog page about the project. I would appreciate anyone who wishes to, to take a look, and if you like the project, share it or show someone who may be interested in participating. I'm just trying to get the word out.

http://www.defyinggravityproject.blogspot.com/

Many thanks! :)

I always love reading about siblings who share the skating "gene." So many great examples out there. :love:

Have not seen this article about Isabella and Anastasia Cannuscio posted elsewhere on GS yet:

According to this interview, Evgeni Plushenko plans on competing in both team and individual events in Sochi:
http://www.team-russia2014.ru/article/figur/10700.html

Keypoints from the interview:
- He thinks there is enough time in between the events to recover for the individual competition.
- He said it's great to have a team event.
- He is planning to compete in the GP in Moscow and some other national and international events, and also the European Championships
- He is now preparing his new programs at the base in Novogorsk, but didn't yet give any information about them
- He is not travelling to Israel for a scheduled check up by the doctor who did the back surgery as this doctor is coming to Russia and will see him there

A few days ago astronomers discovered a new planet that is only 300 light years away. If the aliens set out for earth at a speed of 99.9998% of the speed of light, they could make the trip in 7.2 months (their time), just in time for the Sochi Olympics.

Then yesterday yet another one was discovered, this one 700 light years away. Both of these are right in our back yard. The second bunch of aliens could make the Olympics, too -- only they would have to travel at 99.99996% of the speed of light to make it in time. :)

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/...,3875547.story

http://www.dispatch.com/content/blog...net-found.html

This planet is in the constellation Coma Berenices, so I assume they are Mae Berenice Meite fans. :)

Belmont Park. 1 1/2 miles dirt.


1. Frac Daddy 30/1--last start was 16th in KY Derby. 7(1-3-0) Last win was a maiden special weight in 2012.

2. Freedom Child 8/1--last start was 13 1/4-length winner of the May 11 Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) on a sloppy Belmont main track, Before that 10th in Wood Memorial.

3. Overanalyze 12/1 last start was 11th in the KY Derby. 8(4-0-1)

4. Giant Finish 30/1 10th in Derby. 6(2-1-1)

5. Orb 3/1--won the Derby; 4th as heavy favorite in Preakness. 9(5-0-1)

6. Incognito 20/1 last start was 5th in Peter Pan. 6(2-1-1)

7. Oxbow 5/1--won Preakness. 11(3-1-1)

8. Midnight Taboo 30/1 3(1-2-0) only win was a maiden special weight.

9. Revolutionary 9/2--3rd in KY Derby.. Still MY pick and can run on slop. 7(3-1-0)

10. Will Take Charge 20/1 7th in Preakness. 9(3-1-0)

11. Vyjack 20/1 6(4-0-1) 18th in Derby.

12. Palace Malice15/1 7(1-3-1). Last win was in 2012 in a maiden special weight.

13. Unlimited Budget 8/1--a filly (female) 5(4-0-1) Last start 3rd in Kentucky Oaks.

14. Golden Soul 10/1--2nd KY Derby. Last win was maiden special weight in Dec. 2012.

Vanessa Lam ended up the only Sr Lady after Caroline Zhang withdrew. Vanessa showed she is on her way back from injury with a FS score of 110.47, landing 6 clean triples. Her only negative was a fall on the 2nd 2A in sequence.

http://www.examiner.com/article/peti...-top-officials

Why no progress on GP prize money?

Although no longer on the skating beat after her departure from The Detroit Free Press, @JoAnnBarnas posed the question yesterday:


Her tweet has received no replies. But surely GS members will not be shy to express their opinions here. ;)

1. They will win their first grand prix event, the gold at Rostelecom Cup, upsetting the favored Bobrova & Soloviev on their home ice. This combined with a 2nd place finish behind Virtue & Moir at Skate Canada will easily qualify them for the Grand Prix final after missing out last year.

2. They will easily qualify for their first Olympics with an overwhelming 2nd place finish at Canadians, far above all those behind.

3. They will not medal in Sochi, most likely finishing around 5th place.

4. They will medal at the post Olympic Worlds, maybe aided by a Virtue & Moir WD, but even if V&M are there, they will win the bronze. Olympics are not in Europe, friendlier environment for them.

5. They will win their first Grand Prix final medal, a bronze.


I look forward to bumping this thread when I am right, like I do many threads I am right on every year it seems.

http://vernonhills.patch.com/groups/...he-starz-event

Glacier Ice Hosts 'Skating with the Starz' Event
Posted by Cristel Mohrman (Editor), June 2, 2013 at 04:00 am

Excerpt:

Just noticed that US Figure Skating has posted its assignments for the first three JGP events:

Tweets today from Armin Mahbanoozadeh @Armin_hammer:


Best wishes to him. :bow:

I thought I start this thread with our new interview with pair skaters Maylin Hausch/Daniel Wende, who sat out the past season mostly beause of injury. They talk about coming back and they are getting married this Thursday (June 6)!
The interview is available in German and English:
http://www.figureskating-online.com/hausch-wende.html

I can't find Moiseeva/Minenkov silver-medal winning performance (at the Innsbruck Games) video on YT... :confused: There is the video of their 75-76 program, but that was performed in December 1975, I would like to have that specific Olympic performance, since we can watch P/G, O'C/M and L/K FDs and I would like to compare them... Thanks! :)

is it really tomorrow 1 st june ,we'll know ?

Do you have a link to a skate that moved you, thrilled you, maybe is of the older or forgotten variety? Many wonderful skaters never had a long career yet had that one great performance. I thought we could link to skates on youtube many have never seen or forgot amongst the superstar skaters. Any offerings in the off season?:)

Browsing the USFS website only to see that they must be in progress of updating the team envelopes for 2013-2014.

Link: http://www.usfsa.org/Athletes.asp?id=209

Some of the new-to-envelope skaters still lack biographies. Also, I noticed a split Novice team still listed (Middleton/Hennings) on the C team.

What's up there pretty much matches Sylvia's unofficial projected Envelopes seen here: http://unseenskaters.wordpress.com/2...n-in-progress/

By now, if you're not familiar, Wikipedia has become the most frequently used source of basic information on a vast, comprehensive variety of topics. And it got this way because it's an open-source encyclopedia: anybody can edit it, and millions have. Of course, people sometimes disagree on things. This leads to instances on Wikipedia where an entry on a topic is changed one way by one editor and then reverted back by another editor, and so on and so forth. A study has come out using the amount of those reversions, weighted towards editors who are more active on the site, to come up with a list of the most controversial entries on the website in a variety of languages.

For a summary of the study and a top ten list of controversial entries in each of the languages used, read this blog entry by one of the study's authors.

A name in the top ten lists immediately popped out to me. It seems in addition to dominating women's figure skating and lists of the most bankable South Korean athletes, Queen Yuna also tops the list of the most controversial individuals in the Japanese Wikipedia! Kim comes out ahead of Mizuho Fukushima, an anti-nuclear activist/politician in Japan, and Shintaro Ishihara, the former governor of Tokyo who may be best known in the US as the co-author of the book The Japan That Can Say No that drastically and hilariously altered US/Japan relations in the 80s/90s. You'd have to go down to #25 to find Yuna's long time rival, Mao Asada. Although it's predictable that Asada would inspire less controversy among her fellow citizens. For a long list of the most controversial entries in Japanese and other languages, refer to this site. Sadly, Korean isn't one of the languages used in the study, so we don't know if Yuna is similarly controversial on the Korean Wiki, or whether her counterpart, Mao, occupies a similar spot.

That Yuna can inspire so much debate and passion among internet posters who speak Japanese probably isn't a total surprise to us skating fans. We've seen plenty of Kim-bots and Mao-bots descend on even our tiny forum during Olympic years to dazzle us with their passion and vitriol. Any skatefan who tried to search for skating related clips around the time of Vancouver were probably bombarded by pro/anti Yuna/Mao clips instead of what they were looking for. As long as no one is really hurt (and no one has been, as far as I know), I think it's pretty wonderful that skating can inspire so much passion in so many people in at least one part of the world.

In recent months we have had threads on this forum concerning (upcoming) births and (unfortunately) deaths within the skating community. So, I thought I would complete the set and start a thread concerning a marriage! ;) :biggrin:

Just wanted to let you know that Karla Quinn, the 2008 British Junior Ladies champion (and 2009 British Senior Ladies Bronze medallist), is getting married tomorrow (1st June) to her boyfriend, Gareth.

I don’t know where the wedding ceremony itself is being held (I would assume that it is somewhere near the Co. Antrim village where Karla lives and works), but the reception is being held in my hometown, Cookstown!!!

To be honest, I am not sure whether Karla still skates or not. I saw in a local newspaper that Karla took part in a ice dancing competition in her village last year (Given her height, I’ve often thought Karla would make a good Ice Dancer. So, it’s reassuring to know that I’m not the only one to think that! :laugh: ) But, I think that was just a one-off thing. Karla’s got her own fitness business now, and from what I’ve seen, it is VERY popular. So, she’s probably busy enough with that.

But, even though she may not be competing any more, us figure skating fans in Northern Ireland are still proud of what she achieved. ;) :biggrin:

All the best for the future, Karla and Gareth!

CaroLiza_fan

A new video interview with Yuko Kawaguchi/Alexander Smirnov (RUS), in Russian with English translation provided on our homepage:
http://www.figureskating-online.com/...i-smirnov.html

We also published two video clips from Worlds
Aljona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER): http://www.figureskating-online.com/...-szolkowy.html
Denis Ten (KAZ): http://www.figureskating-online.com/denis-ten.html

Twitter:

Tanith tweeted this today:

https://twitter.com/TanithJLB/status/339795865189363713

They haven't performed since perhaps 2011. I'm so glad to see them coming back!

in a documentary I saw on youtube a few years back that in twenty years Kwan would be called the greatest skater to have lived. I assume she meant ladies single skater. Yay or nay and why? Th sport changed so fast as MK was a 6.0 skater.

Is MK already an orange from the past not to be compared to IJS apples? What of Peggy's prophecy?:confused:

Hi:
I am new here.
I want to have your inputs on whether my daughter should stop now or move on.
She is an intermediate skater, skated for 4 years and now is 7.5 yrs old.
Strength: good foundation, with some Star 1 to Star 3A silver and gold reports.
She like skating, at least I am not forcing her into it.
Weakness: inattentive, easily being distracted by other skater in the rinks.
don't have the initiative to push herself. Layback is the average situation of her practice.
Don't want to give out all she had: coach knows what she can do and she just don't think that she need to give it all out, even in lesson.

Lately: started her axel and take a very slow pace in making progress. Thinking about whether she fear about fall that she always stretch her arms out instead of squeezing it tight.

I asked her: from 0 (no fear) to 100 ( scare to death), what is her rating in trying an axel in afraid the fall and pain. Her answer is 59.

Should I stop boldly now? As we all know that figure skating down the road is about how you can make it through all the pain, injuries and still can press forward.

I understand this kind of fear and I never can swim before I can conquer the fear of water, and "feet can't touch the pool ground"

Figure skating is such an every aspects ( time, money, commitment) expensive sport, I should humbly ask more of you folks in what you think.
inputs, please.

thanks

Bill

Are there skaters who do you think can dominate in both of systems?
That skaters have to have all of these - consistency, high quality jumps, high-difficulty jumps, artistry etc etc.

Here are another topics.
Who do you think are most friendly skater with IJS, and most weak or having the disadvantage under 6.0 ? Or who do you think are most friendly skater with 6.0 system, and most weak or having the disadvantage under IJS?

Not your best guess but who you truly hope for in your heart of hearts.

Slightly diff idea.

Ladies: I wanna see Mao get that gold if Gracie cannot, or if Wagner cannot.

Those are my wildest wishes. Caro fourth, Osmond 5th and Yuna sixth. Only cuz she won it all, has it all. I think Yuna would have to blow both 3x3 combos to finish off podium.

Whoever of these 6 plus Akiko that skate best deserve to be the final flight. All can skate to podium easily w/out bad nerves please!

I have my vets podium and it is Mao, Caro, and Akiko. Yuna likely to win so Im sending hope vibes to my other faves. Then my babies program is Wagner (ok no kid) Gracie and Osmond.

Men are Dai, Hanyu then a flawed Chan, then Javi, Max and Florent for six. It bothers me I can no longer dream Abbott on podium. Also, if it were just old fogies night, Id feel /////brian deserves it and wish Plu a great skate-no medal though, unless he can deliver, I'm sure he wants no pity points.

Ice dancers pretty equal so Marlie this time, Voir the Shibbs-dont care 4-6. All good.

Pairs prefer V/T over S/S but whoever has the programs should win. Yuka cause she worked so hard with Smirnoff. I actually like others better. I hope Kaydee and John pull fouth. A Canadian pair would be nice in fifth.

Hi everyone! I was wondernig if anyone here has/know where I can find he gala exhibition of the event (including the gala finale). I looked on Fsvids, but most of the videos there were taken down :(

And if you're wondering, I'm going to watch this to my professor who's also a figure skating fan. :laugh:

Since I just posted the transcript for their Piers Morgan interview, I just thought I would let you know that Torvill and Dean were on ITV's breakfast TV programme "Daybreak" on Tuesday (21st May 2013), and they announced that the 2014 series of "Dancing On Ice" would be the last.

Here is a link to the story on the "Daybreak" website:
http://www.itv.com/daybreak/showbiz/...ancing-on-ice/

The page on the "Daybreak" website also includes a video, but I am not sure if it is geo-blocked.

And here is a link to the official announcement on the "Dancing On Ice" website:
http://www.itv.com/dancingonice/news...o-finish-2014/


Here is a link to the story on the Daily Telegraph newspaper's website:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...l-be-last.html

And here is a SHORT video on YouTube of the part of the interview where Jayne and Chris made the announcement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifYqb5skiKk


I have never watched "Dancing On Ice", but it will be a shame to see Skating leave mainstream TV in the UK. Two former skaters summed up the impact of the show perfectly in their contibutions to "Life Stories":


I hope I am wrong, but I suspect that Figure Skating will return to being an obscure sport to the UK public once "Dancing On Ice" ends.

CaroLiza_fan

Isn't it sweet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_MMh...54ZF71NjqtSzCQ

After some 10 years skating, I came to realize that I can skate much "harder" with an edge discrepancy. It was that way in the beginning as my sharpener would sharpen so the skate would stand on its own and now (have been sharpening my own) tried that myself and found an improvement in power skating. I am 6'3" tall and realize at the distance my feet are naturally apart may have influence.

My question is, should I switch to a thinner blade so the transition between edges is shorter? Can you give a synopsis of what will change if I get a thinner or shorter blade? Maybe some need the shorter inside edge, do any popular skaters use this?

Short video interview with Tomas Verner (CZE) from Denis Ten's show in Astana, Kazakhstan.
http://www.figureskating-online.com/tomas-verner.html

We are 9 months out from the Games. What would your early top 10 and podium predictions be for the Games. Here are mine:


Men:

Gold- Fernandez
Silver- Takahashi
Bronze- Hanyu
4th- Chan
5th- Aaron
6th- Ten
7th- Abbott
8th- Reynolds
9th- Joubert
10th- Amodio



Ladies:

Gold- Kim
Silver- Kostner
Bronze- Suzuki
4th- Asada
5th- Wagner
6th- Gold
7th- Lipnitskaia
8th- Sotnikova
9th- Osmond
10th- Murakami




Dance:

Gold- Davis & White
Silver- Virtue & Moir
Bronze- Capellini & Lanotte
4th- Weaver & Poje
5th- Bobrova & Soloviev
6th- Chock & Bates
7th- Pechalat & Bourzat
8th- Ilinykh & Katsapalov
9th- Hubbel & Donahue
10th- Paul & Islam


Pairs:

Gold- Volosozhar & Trankov
Silver- Barazova & Larionov
Bronze- Pang & Tong
4th- Savchenko & Szolkowy
5th- Duhamel & Radford
6th- Moore Towers & Moscovitch
7th- Kavaguti & Smirnov
8th- Denney & Coughlin
9th- Peng & Zhang
10th- Berton & Hotarek




This will be a fun thread to look back on 9 months from now and see who did the best predicting the results early on.

Great Britain have been awarded three figure skating places for the 2014 Winter Olympics by the International Skating Union.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-sports/22611151

Hello, I have enjoyed Laura Lepisto's commentary a lot that was translated by Glam
a month ago. I'd like to thank you again Glam for your time and effort. :)

I have another set of Yuna's videos in non-English that I'd like to be
translated to English. Hopefully this allows people like me who can understand
only English to get a glimpse of how she is regarded in non-English speaking
countries. Also, the translated videos might serve future figure skating lovers
to get a chance to be introduced to one of the greatest.

I hope this doesn't cause too much trouble for the kindhearted person who
is willing to help. :biggrin: I would appreciate all your help. And thank you in advance.


1. German, 2013 Worlds Short
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJpiG...layer_embedded

2. Italian, 2013 Worlds Short
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=z3jlYDZHtqE

3. Spanish, 2013 Worlds Short
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7jAG...layer_embedded

4. Spanish, 2013 Worlds Gala
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXUOT...layer_embedded


On a side note, if you want to help, would you please put some timestamps
(like minute and second) in your translation. This is for the case
your translation is added to the video as subtitles. Thank you again!!!



If you still try some more, here you go.

5. Russian, 2013 Worlds Free Skate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xESAd...layer_embedded

6. Italian, 2013 Worlds Free Skate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqUDK...layer_embedded

7. French, 2013 Worlds Free Skate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ubEP...layer_embedded

8. German, 2013 Worlds Free Skate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9K54...layer_embedded

9. Polish, 2013 Worlds Free Skate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUmAw...layer_embedded

10. Czech, 2013 Worlds Free Skate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=194Dk...layer_embedded

I'm desperately hoping someone can help me here.

Years ago I found a great figure skating book at our public library with some really interesting information on editing music and choreography. Since this is a field I would love to get into one day, I found it fascinating and I had intended to take notes. Unfortunately, it didn't happen and I returned the book without making a note of the title. They have since gotten rid of it and I want to find it again - through Amazon or Interlibrary loan if nothing else.

It was about the size of a coffee table book, one inch thick, with a yellow dust jacket. I remember there was a chapter on figures patch ice, as well as an extensive chapter on editing on a reel-to-reel recorder. It was a general book on skating, not a biography.

Does anyone know what this book is?

On-ice and off-ice seminars in Simsbury with Ilia; also private coaching - for a few special days in July!

http://www.isccskate.com/pdf/2013_kulik.pdf

MOSCOW, May 21 (RAPSI) – The Moscow prosecutor’s office will not to pursue a criminal investigation against a television commentator who figure skating star Evgeny Plushenko claims slandered him earlier this year, a law enforcement source told RAPSI on Tuesday.

More

ChinesepairShenXueandZhaoHongboclaimedthecountry'sfirstOlympicgoldmedalin figureskatingatthe 2010 VancouverWinterOlympics, bringingtheperfectendtotheir 20-year careerontheiceaswellastakingthecountry'sfigureskatingtonewheights.

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So far, I think the auditions have revealed some very fine dancers. A few of them actually brought tears to my eyes.

This guy auditioned last year and got me teary... and I loved his audition again this year.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n8lwVdPwlw

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/artic...&vkey=ice_news

Hm....I wonder if Mirai would consider returning to him?

Cheltzie Lee of Australia captured the nation's hear at the 2010 Olympics with a 20th place finish in the ladies' event only after being told of her qualification less than two weeks from the start of the Olympics. She later went on to place 17th at 2010 worlds and 10th place at 2011 4CC

Since then, injuries concerning her back have plagued her. Since the Olympic season, Cheltzie has only competed in half a season's worth of competitions. This interview talks about he injury, what she has been getting up to and the battle to get Australia's only ladies' spot to the Nebelhorn Trophy (against Chantelle Kerry, Brooklee Han and Stephanie Zhang) which serves as the Olympic qualifier.

++ALSO the article confirms that Skate downunder will be held at Canterbury Ice Rink in Sydney Australia.


http://corporate.olympics.com.au/new...ve-up-on-sochi

The ISU has announced a new Ice Dance development seminar to be held in Torun Poland this August. This seminar is for coaches and their novice/junior couples from nations that:
-Used to have prominent Ice Dance couples but now have little to none
-are interested in growing ice dance in their nation.

Announcement found at web link below

http://www2.isu.org/vsite/vnavsite/p...0.html?id=1320

I found this video in another forum and am watching it over and over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8u61RBss8s

Midori is 43 years old now. The music is from a Japanese TV drama called "Atsuhime" (aired on NHK and my favorite music all the time btw). SHE IS AMAZING!!

My favorite choreographers are:

David Wilson
Sandra Bezic
Lori Nichol
Christopher Dean
Shae-Lynn Bourne
and of course I must add:
Jeff Buttle's name to the list.

Of course, there are many other names I could add here, but I always enjoy programs created by these choreographers.

I just found out that Battle of the Blades is returning to the CBC! Hooray! It was a lot of fun to watch. Cant' wait!

:agree:

Michelle Kwan spoke at Global Diaspora Forum

Mathman had mentioned the event in the "Figure skating needs CPR" thread http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...l=1#post740602.

Links for anyone who is interested in what Kwan and others said at the forum, which had nearly six hundred attendees from over one hundred countries :):

(I apologize in advance if I come across as overzealous in using adjectives and verbs and then just sounding nonsensical. I had the idea of writing this post for a while now, but never actually put it into motion.)

Much has been said over the years of skaters' pushing both technical and artistic boundaries, one such case being Torvill & Dean with their unforgettable Bolero program. While newer skating fans like me might scratch their heads and be puzzled as to why people still use that program as a standard of perfection, it's easy to see why if one looks at other programs of the same period.

These days, there are two ice-dancing couples that are compared to T/D from time to time, those being Virtue & Moir and Davis & White. While I don't usually watch ice dancing, I've noticed lately that when speaking of these two pairs, fans always make the case that V/M push the envelope more than D/W do, an example being V/M's "Carmen" FD. This is a program that has been successful in making people actually (strongly) care about it, with opinions from two distinct sides. One side says that it is a glittering artistic gem as they have invigorated a tired ol' piece of music, while the other insistently dismisses it as a shock-value program in an attempt for V/M to shed their "puppy love" image.

But what about Davis & White's "Indian/Bollywood Medley"; did that program not push artistic boundaries as well? If V/M's "Carmen" did not exist, would the pair still be considered pushing artistic boundaries with their sweet love stories (Symphony No. 5) and implied kisses on ice (As the Waltz Goes On)?

And then there are the veterans of the Japanese national team, Daisuke Takahashi and Akiko Suzuki. Daisuke has been touted as an artistic genius, and many of his programs have been considered as masterpieces (e.g. "La Strada", "Blues for Klook", and "Garden of Souls"). The audience seems to get the feeling that while he is counting points, that aspect is merely secondary to the fact that he is putting the audiences first. His programs, if given to a lesser artistic skater, would still have been gems, but the way he performs with both subtle nuances and with his whole body takes them to a whole 'nother level. But while he is a truly gifted artist, is he pushing artistic boundaries too?

Lacking transitions in a program does not mean that the choreography of a program suffers, like in Akiko Suzuki's "O". That program, even with its "lack of transitions" exudes a strong feeling of flight that no other skaters have done for me since one particular skater left the sport behind. Does this masterpiece push artistic boundaries or it is just a brief flicker of light among various bird-themed programs?

Of course, there is also Yuna; her programs always bring such passion out in skating fans. While "Kiss of the Vampire" wasn't spectacular compared to some of her previous programs, it was a program skated to a piece of music that was never really used before in ladies' figure skating. Her renditions of "Scheherazade" and "Piano Concerto in F" were regarded as two of the greatest long programs in the history of the sport and were performed in such classy ways. On the other hand, I've heard fans say that she pushed artistic boundaries simply by wearing her hair in cornrows, as in her "Bulletproof" exhibition.

And what about Carolina Kostner? Her Bolero program had been earning raves all throughout the season because of the way she would perform it. The Italian diva did it in a passionate way with such careless abandon that no other skaters or teams have performed to that music in the years after T/D--like a woman among girls.

Anyway, the whole point of this long-winded post was to ask: which of the skaters today are pushing the envelope artistically? What constitutes as "pushing artistic boundaries"? Do such programs have to be considered as "masterpieces" or can they just be lukewarm programs with fans acknowledging that there is something there that hasn't been previously seen?

Hard-working Aaron aims to modernize 'Carmen'
Reigning U.S. champion moves full steam ahead with little break, plans five total quads

Another quote: "I'm doing a lot of work with ballet and ballroom." :)

"Kevin" mentioned above is Kevin Reynolds :), in case anyone else was not sure of which Kevin (I was not until I clicked on the link).

Additional cast members are:

• Weaver/Poje
• Narumi Takahashi/Ryuichi Kihara
• Satoko Miyahara, Japan's ladies bronze medalist

(And as already alluded to in other posts: Kanako Murakami, Kovtun, Sotnikova.)

What little offseason there is in figure skating is long finished for 2012 U.S. national pairs champions John Coughlin and Caydee Denney.

"The time off for the injury was our offseason," Coughlin said recently. "We have been working full-time now to be ready for the coming season and getting ready for (the 2014) nationals."

The pair skipped the 2013 U.S. national championships after it was determined Coughlin required surgery to repair a torn hip labrum....

http://gazette.com/2012-u.s.-figure-...rticle/1501026

I just wanted to wish Caroline Zhang a happy 20th birthday!

Pechalat/Bourzat switch to Shpilband (May 20)

Per P/B's Facebook page:

Aljona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy and coach Ingo Steuer celebrate 10 years of their successful partnership and teamwork this May. Congratulations to them!
I think Aljona and Robin deserve their own thread.
A video collage celebrates the 10 years of their amazing career: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=2&theater

Savchenko/Szolkowy spent two and a half weeks in Florida (at Silvia Fontana and John Zimmerman's rink) and started their preparation for the season with a training camp/vacation as they did in the past.
No news yet of what their programs might be, but hopefully we'll find out in the near future.

Been spending a lot of time on YouTube lately. :) I like finding these little treasures.

All videos have english subtitles, with the exception of the Patrick Chan documentary (which is in English).

Patrick Chan: Team Behind the Scenes (2011-2012 season - 23 min, 23 sec) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKBUMs9kkk8

Daisuke Takahashi: Nikkei Fan Interviews (2011-2012 season - ~ 1 hour total)

1. Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vepp1NwplA
2. Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ZGqMKKidA
3. Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6-oDdPSpMU
4. Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL8zzZRdDsc
5. Part 5 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku-v3Gy2Rbg
6. Part 6 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4rnfXwFg_o

Daisuke Takahashi: Gladiolus (2012-2013 season - ~ 1 hour total)

1. Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2yh-8qWHGM
2. Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTnxaCgaI40
3. Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=262_jgs_pOU
4. Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEcaRl2e-c0

Yuna Kim: Another Challenge (2012-2013 season - 55 min, 37 sec) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO74wiYBfwM

*** Much credit much be given to the coaches and parents of all skaters. (And obviously to the skaters themselves.)

Video interview No. 2 on figureskating-online.com, with Adelina Sotnikova:
http://www.figureskating-online.com/...sotnikova.html

(in Russian, with written translation)

Please find a little video interview with World Junior Ice Dance Champions Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin (RUS) on our homepage:
http://www.figureskating-online.com/...ova-bukin.html

The interview is in Russian, but a written translation is provided.

More video interviews to come!

I know maybe this won't happens but I really wish that thoses skaters comeback for the Olympic season, it would make Nationals competition more exiting to watch!! :popcorn:

So, I hope that some of thoses skaters decide to comeback, it would be amazing :yay: :

Cynthia Phaneuf (I wish that she comeback and finish her career in a good note, even if she doesn't make the Olympic team, I wish to see her happy of herself and her accomplishment)
Mira Leung ( For the same reason, like Phaneuf, I wish that she present herself like a woman who is proud of her career and finish in better way than she did)
Emanuel Sandhu (because he is a wonderful artist and I like his unique style on the ice)
Shawn Sawyer ( because he is such an amazing skater who own the ice and is entertainment)
Jeffrey Buttle ( He is capable of comeback, I think he has all his triple jump and his strenght is his artistry)
Sasha Cohen (A wonderful skater who can rival Yu-Na Kim if only she skate 2 clean performance in a competition, and also, she is the music when she skate, I miss her a lot)
Michelle Kwan ( She is beautiful to watch, I miss her skating)
Laura Lepistö ( Because I find that she quit figure skating to soon, and doesn't have accomplish her best. To me she could have been better in other season after that she won the bronze medal at the 2010 world)

What about us, which skaters do you want to comeback and why ?