- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
Kristi Yamaguchi Family & Friends at Phoenix, AZ on 9/29/07
We were lucky that this show took place in Phoenix. It will be shown on NBC on Nov.25th.
The first thing I noticed was: there were a lot more kids in attendance, than usual, and they were all SCREAMING! It was great for the skaters but I had to cover my ears (LOL), that’s how loud they were. I am curious to see how it comes out on TV.
The live music was by the Cheetah girls and Corbin Bleu (he received the loudest screams). I don’t know much about this type of music, and I did not know any of the songs, although some of them sounded pretty good. If someone knows what songs they skated to, please let me know.
What I really liked about the show was- the kids with their parents, and the love between them. The kids were very cute. Some of them seemed to be training and others just knew how to get on the ice, but it was fun regardless. The very young ones were adorable. Seeing the skaters being loving parents was really nice. Kristi has done this type of show twice before this one, and I think it is such a great idea to bring the families on the ice. I was hoping to see Kristi's Keira but she was not there. The younger one must be just a baby.
The show began with Kurt Browning alone, but Kristi joined him soon, and they MC’ed the show together, except when Kristi was skating, which was not very often. She looked great though.
The opening number had everyone wearing red and a little black outfits, that is 6 men (Viktor Petrenko, Michael Weiss, Ilia Kulik, Marvel, Todd Sand, Josef Sabovcek) and 6 ladies (Kristi, Katia, Rory Flack Burghard, Jeni Meno, Nancy Kerrigan, Isabelle Brasseur).
The first number was by Viktor Petrenko and his daughter Victoria. I don’t know how old she is, but she looked pretty good for her young age. She landed a couple of double jumps and did a Biellman spin. She and Viktor did some sbs skating.
Next it was Michael Weiss and his two children (Annie May and Christopher). He did one move with each (a lift with Annie and his son did a ‘blades’ move with one skate- I am forgetting what it’s called. Weiss does it with his special blades, with heels on the ice). He is a pretty good show skater. He doubled the Lutz, so he came back in the ‘redo’ part after the show to land a 3 lutz. He did 2 back flips, and crowd seemed to love every back flip by any skater (there were more to come).
Rory Flack Burghard skated without the live music. As always, she had great Russian splits, a back flip, a double jump, etc. Rory was never a strong 3 jump skater, and she too is a good show skater.
Next was Josef Sabovcek. This is the first time I saw him skate live and I was fairly impressed. He covers the ice very well, and I love his delayed axel. He skated to a very upbeat music and the crowd really got into it. He did two back flips which he landed on one foot (although the first one was a little on two feet). IFAIK, Surya Bonaly is the only other skater that can land a back flip on one foot (actually she does this best of anyone).
Nancy Kerrigan came on the ice in a baseball uniform (white and red) and baseball bat. Her two sons were on her ‘team’. The older kid (Matthew?) skated with her. The young one was just adorable. He looked like he was two year old. It was very sweet to see the three of them together.
Jeni Meno & Todd Sand skated a pairs number. They did BODS, throw single axel, some dance spins and lifts.
Next it was Ilia Kulik with a black hat and a mustache. It was hard to recognize him until he started landing triple jumps like there was nothing to them at all (3lutz, couple of 3toes, can’t remember if it was a double axel or triple). He skated to “It’s too darn hot” which sounded very appropriate in Phoenix (the temp was in the 90’s during day). Ilia is an incredible skater, and he has become such a complete skater. He still has the jumps, the footwork, the musicality and creativity. He can skate to any music. His second number (after the intermission) was amazing (skating to live music).
Next, his family showed up- Katia with the two girls (but Ilia left the ice before they got on). I was surprised to see how big Daria looks now. She must be about 15. She did some nice spins but she did not seem to have the jumps (may be she only does them in competitions). Liza looked very tiny and she seemed like the most popular kid in the show. She is very good for her age (she may be 5?). She did a single jump, and her scratch spin was really good for her age. She looks like a future star. Katia wore a green/blue dress. The girls wore pink. It is always a pleasure to watch Katia’s beautiful, quiet skating. She did a few double jumps. She slipped on the landing on one, so this was done again after the show. Her second number (after the intermission) was more dynamic and I liked it a lot.
INTERMISSION
Rory and her son Remington came on the ice and skated together to Corbin Bleu. They did single jumps, spiral together, camel & sit spins. The audience response was great, with everyone waving arms to the music.
At this point Kurt said to the audience- do not leave. You are going to see something very special. He introduced Isabelle Brasseur, her husband Rocky Marvel and their little daughter Gabriela (may be 6 years old?) in a pale pink outfit. Isabelle and Rocky did a few very daring tricks. Rocky did a daring move with Gabriela, spinning her, lifting. At times the three of them did a move together. It was very well done. Gabriela seems like a daring girl like her mom. In a few years they may have to find her a pairs partner. She seemed to really enjoy skating before an audience (Liza Kulik too). The audience really loved this routine.
Next it was Nancy Kerrigan in a dark green dress- very pretty. It was a solo number. She did a double axel, a triple toe (IIRC), her trademark spiral, etc. She skated quite well. Her two kids sat in a chair off the ice and watched her.
It was kids time again.
The three Sabovceks showed up. Josef’s older son Blade looks just like his father, with long blond hair. They wore jeans with a small red scarf on the pocket. It was like watching a double. The third Sabovcek may have been 2 or 3 years old, with a similar outfit. He was very cute, though he could barely stand on the ice. Again, a huge audience response.
Jeni and Todd came out with their two little boys (I did not know they had two). One could wear skates and be on the ice. First Jeni skated alone. Todd sat on a chair with the kids. The younger one was just a baby and had to be held (off the ice). Jeni carried him on to the ice, while Todd sat. Then Todd and the older kid got on the ice while Kurt held the baby. The kids were adorable. Jeni & Todd did some lifts, BODS, etc.
Viktor skated a solo to Mac the knife. He actually carried a very long knife (looked like a sword), wore a hat and a black jacket. It was a nice number, and required special skills to jump and spin with a sword in his hand. He landed two triple toes, almost at the same spot on the ice. Viktor can still perform, but I felt that he had lost some of the power and charisma in his performances. It was still a pretty good performance though.
Next Katia skated a solo, wearing black/orange/yellow dress. Nice Ina Bauer that was held for a long time. She did a double loop and a single axel. Her edges are so good. At one point she pulled the orange part of the outfit into a very long skirt (partial). I am not sure I understood the significance of that, but it was a well skated number.
Michael Weiss skated to a serious song, while his kids sat in a chair and watched. His 3toe and 3lutz were good. He did a shoot the duck into a 3toe but he slipped on the landing. So he did the retake at the end and nailed it.
Kristi came alone on the ice, but in just a minute Rory, Isabelle and Nancy joined her. They skated to the Corbin Bleu group (Corbin sang while 3 others danced). Each shook hands with one member of the group at the end. Kristi looked great, as always.
Ilia skated his second number to live music and it was great. He is such a musical skater!
For the finale the Cheetah girls came out again. First the 6 ladies came out, wearing colorful jackets that were too big for them. Next 5 men and then Kulik (he needed some time to change) came out. The jackets on the ladies were ‘transferred’ to the men. At the end all the kids got on the podium, with the singers and they were one big happy family. Daria held the Sand baby. I could not see other details.
Kurt had the skates on but he did not skate at all. He just MC’ed the show. He used some humor and was OK overall. I wish he had skated at least a little.
The choreography was by LeeAnn Miller. It was a very good show. Normally I am not that fond of show skating, but I loved watching the kids, and watching the skaters as parents. I really enjoyed the show.
We were lucky that this show took place in Phoenix. It will be shown on NBC on Nov.25th.
The first thing I noticed was: there were a lot more kids in attendance, than usual, and they were all SCREAMING! It was great for the skaters but I had to cover my ears (LOL), that’s how loud they were. I am curious to see how it comes out on TV.
The live music was by the Cheetah girls and Corbin Bleu (he received the loudest screams). I don’t know much about this type of music, and I did not know any of the songs, although some of them sounded pretty good. If someone knows what songs they skated to, please let me know.
What I really liked about the show was- the kids with their parents, and the love between them. The kids were very cute. Some of them seemed to be training and others just knew how to get on the ice, but it was fun regardless. The very young ones were adorable. Seeing the skaters being loving parents was really nice. Kristi has done this type of show twice before this one, and I think it is such a great idea to bring the families on the ice. I was hoping to see Kristi's Keira but she was not there. The younger one must be just a baby.
The show began with Kurt Browning alone, but Kristi joined him soon, and they MC’ed the show together, except when Kristi was skating, which was not very often. She looked great though.
The opening number had everyone wearing red and a little black outfits, that is 6 men (Viktor Petrenko, Michael Weiss, Ilia Kulik, Marvel, Todd Sand, Josef Sabovcek) and 6 ladies (Kristi, Katia, Rory Flack Burghard, Jeni Meno, Nancy Kerrigan, Isabelle Brasseur).
The first number was by Viktor Petrenko and his daughter Victoria. I don’t know how old she is, but she looked pretty good for her young age. She landed a couple of double jumps and did a Biellman spin. She and Viktor did some sbs skating.
Next it was Michael Weiss and his two children (Annie May and Christopher). He did one move with each (a lift with Annie and his son did a ‘blades’ move with one skate- I am forgetting what it’s called. Weiss does it with his special blades, with heels on the ice). He is a pretty good show skater. He doubled the Lutz, so he came back in the ‘redo’ part after the show to land a 3 lutz. He did 2 back flips, and crowd seemed to love every back flip by any skater (there were more to come).
Rory Flack Burghard skated without the live music. As always, she had great Russian splits, a back flip, a double jump, etc. Rory was never a strong 3 jump skater, and she too is a good show skater.
Next was Josef Sabovcek. This is the first time I saw him skate live and I was fairly impressed. He covers the ice very well, and I love his delayed axel. He skated to a very upbeat music and the crowd really got into it. He did two back flips which he landed on one foot (although the first one was a little on two feet). IFAIK, Surya Bonaly is the only other skater that can land a back flip on one foot (actually she does this best of anyone).
Nancy Kerrigan came on the ice in a baseball uniform (white and red) and baseball bat. Her two sons were on her ‘team’. The older kid (Matthew?) skated with her. The young one was just adorable. He looked like he was two year old. It was very sweet to see the three of them together.
Jeni Meno & Todd Sand skated a pairs number. They did BODS, throw single axel, some dance spins and lifts.
Next it was Ilia Kulik with a black hat and a mustache. It was hard to recognize him until he started landing triple jumps like there was nothing to them at all (3lutz, couple of 3toes, can’t remember if it was a double axel or triple). He skated to “It’s too darn hot” which sounded very appropriate in Phoenix (the temp was in the 90’s during day). Ilia is an incredible skater, and he has become such a complete skater. He still has the jumps, the footwork, the musicality and creativity. He can skate to any music. His second number (after the intermission) was amazing (skating to live music).
Next, his family showed up- Katia with the two girls (but Ilia left the ice before they got on). I was surprised to see how big Daria looks now. She must be about 15. She did some nice spins but she did not seem to have the jumps (may be she only does them in competitions). Liza looked very tiny and she seemed like the most popular kid in the show. She is very good for her age (she may be 5?). She did a single jump, and her scratch spin was really good for her age. She looks like a future star. Katia wore a green/blue dress. The girls wore pink. It is always a pleasure to watch Katia’s beautiful, quiet skating. She did a few double jumps. She slipped on the landing on one, so this was done again after the show. Her second number (after the intermission) was more dynamic and I liked it a lot.
INTERMISSION
Rory and her son Remington came on the ice and skated together to Corbin Bleu. They did single jumps, spiral together, camel & sit spins. The audience response was great, with everyone waving arms to the music.
At this point Kurt said to the audience- do not leave. You are going to see something very special. He introduced Isabelle Brasseur, her husband Rocky Marvel and their little daughter Gabriela (may be 6 years old?) in a pale pink outfit. Isabelle and Rocky did a few very daring tricks. Rocky did a daring move with Gabriela, spinning her, lifting. At times the three of them did a move together. It was very well done. Gabriela seems like a daring girl like her mom. In a few years they may have to find her a pairs partner. She seemed to really enjoy skating before an audience (Liza Kulik too). The audience really loved this routine.
Next it was Nancy Kerrigan in a dark green dress- very pretty. It was a solo number. She did a double axel, a triple toe (IIRC), her trademark spiral, etc. She skated quite well. Her two kids sat in a chair off the ice and watched her.
It was kids time again.
The three Sabovceks showed up. Josef’s older son Blade looks just like his father, with long blond hair. They wore jeans with a small red scarf on the pocket. It was like watching a double. The third Sabovcek may have been 2 or 3 years old, with a similar outfit. He was very cute, though he could barely stand on the ice. Again, a huge audience response.
Jeni and Todd came out with their two little boys (I did not know they had two). One could wear skates and be on the ice. First Jeni skated alone. Todd sat on a chair with the kids. The younger one was just a baby and had to be held (off the ice). Jeni carried him on to the ice, while Todd sat. Then Todd and the older kid got on the ice while Kurt held the baby. The kids were adorable. Jeni & Todd did some lifts, BODS, etc.
Viktor skated a solo to Mac the knife. He actually carried a very long knife (looked like a sword), wore a hat and a black jacket. It was a nice number, and required special skills to jump and spin with a sword in his hand. He landed two triple toes, almost at the same spot on the ice. Viktor can still perform, but I felt that he had lost some of the power and charisma in his performances. It was still a pretty good performance though.
Next Katia skated a solo, wearing black/orange/yellow dress. Nice Ina Bauer that was held for a long time. She did a double loop and a single axel. Her edges are so good. At one point she pulled the orange part of the outfit into a very long skirt (partial). I am not sure I understood the significance of that, but it was a well skated number.
Michael Weiss skated to a serious song, while his kids sat in a chair and watched. His 3toe and 3lutz were good. He did a shoot the duck into a 3toe but he slipped on the landing. So he did the retake at the end and nailed it.
Kristi came alone on the ice, but in just a minute Rory, Isabelle and Nancy joined her. They skated to the Corbin Bleu group (Corbin sang while 3 others danced). Each shook hands with one member of the group at the end. Kristi looked great, as always.
Ilia skated his second number to live music and it was great. He is such a musical skater!
For the finale the Cheetah girls came out again. First the 6 ladies came out, wearing colorful jackets that were too big for them. Next 5 men and then Kulik (he needed some time to change) came out. The jackets on the ladies were ‘transferred’ to the men. At the end all the kids got on the podium, with the singers and they were one big happy family. Daria held the Sand baby. I could not see other details.
Kurt had the skates on but he did not skate at all. He just MC’ed the show. He used some humor and was OK overall. I wish he had skated at least a little.
The choreography was by LeeAnn Miller. It was a very good show. Normally I am not that fond of show skating, but I loved watching the kids, and watching the skaters as parents. I really enjoyed the show.
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