Amanda & Mark have been my favorite US pairs team since we first saw them live @ 2005 Skate America in Atlantic City, NJ. I'm sad that they will no longer skate together, but I wish them both all the best. They are lovely people.
BTW, back in 2009, it was a travesty that NBC did not show their free skate from Cleveland Nationals. They finished 4th with the pewter medal and they were superb, followed by a well deserved standing ovation.
I, too, will miss them and wish them both the best. They had an authenticity about them and their love of the sport always shone through. I will never forget Amanda, with tears streaming down her face, declaring that "dreams do come true" when they made the Olympic team.
ITA with this!Originally Posted by iluvtodd
Shame they were a nice couple.
I wonder if Tracy Tanovich would be an option for him. She and Michael Chau won Nationals as juniors and then skated 1 year as seniors before breaking up. They skated at the same rink as Mark and Amanda and with the same coaches. I'm not sure why they broke up but I suspect it was because Tracey was growing and Michael is pretty short. Tracey isn't at that rink anymore but still lives in the area. If she's willing to come back it might be an easy fit.
Watching them and speaking with them very briefly at Four Conts, I had to wonder if this wasnt the end for them. She looked tired. They are wonderful people and I wish them the best. Mark has excellent people skills in his quiver and I think he would like some sort of position in the skating world in some capacity. He will excell at whatever comes along for him. Perhaps he will continue to skate till that position opens itself up to him so he can keep his hand in. Good luck guys and thanks for the memories.
(Its kinda ironic that its their picture on the Official USFSA calender page for this month.....sigh)
Last edited by CoyoteChris; 04-12-2012 at 11:29 PM.
Tweets this week from E/L:
Amanda Evora @Amanda_Evora
Thank you @USFigureSkating and all of my fans for your overwhelming support. #livingyourdreams
11:29 PM - 11 Apr 12
Mark Ladwig @LadwigMark
Thanks for the many kind words. Great @USFigureSkating blog http://skatingmagazineblog.com/2012/...g-in-pictures/
8:51 PM - 10 Apr 12
I'm so glad Evora and Ladwig are able to see fans' reactions and support. They deserve to know how many people have loved and admired their skating. Thanks for the Twitter report!
Didn't some guy win the Olympics in pairs at 37?
Good point! And not only was Zhao 37, but he had recovered from a torn Achilles tendon and surgical repair, if I recall correctly. Never set limits!
Didn't some guy win the Olympics in pairs at 37?ITA: "Never set limits!" Go, Ladwig!
That said ... for the record, Zhao was 36 and Shen was 31 when they won the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
blue dog, were you referring to pairs skater Walter Jakobsson of Finland?
According to what I have pieced together, his partner was his wife Ludowika (sorry, I'm not sure if the correct spelling is Ludovika?), who was only two years younger.
- When Walter was age 38, the Jakobssons won the gold medal at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp.
- When he was 41, they won the silver at the 1924 Olympics in Chamonix.
- When he was 45, they placed fifth at the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz.
[Although the ages and corresponding dates might seem a bit incongruent, please note that Walter was born in Feb. And back in 1920, the Olympics did not have separate Winter Games; the Jakobssons won their Antwerp gold in April.]
The Jakobssons are Finland’s only Olympic medalists in figure skating. And their gold medal was the first in any sport for Finland as an independent nation under her own national flag.
Last edited by golden411; 04-13-2012 at 06:04 PM. Reason: Factual tweak
Actually, I was referring to Hongbo Zhao, but I forgot that he was 36, not 37. Wow--the Jakobssons are amazing!
I remember Alexei Tikhonov competing until he was around 36 too, although I have to admit he wasn't in his best shape by then.
The Jakobssons sound fantastic. We tend to forget that Olympic history didn't start with Peggy Fleming. There's a lot of interesting lore back there before World War II.
Lotsa nice stuff about Evora in new IN blog post today. Excerpts:
"Further down the road, Evora aspires to some kind of a role with U.S. Figure Skating. 'I've applied to start trial judging to see if that's something I would like to do in the future, as well as coaching,' she said."
" 'But I really am finishing school. I haven't planned anything except seeing my friends and doing what I couldn't do before, like cutting my hair.' "
I would love to see her coach or teach a masterclass.
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