#ThrowbackThursday (Ice Skating edition) | Golden Skate

#ThrowbackThursday (Ice Skating edition)

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Feb 27, 2012
Awesome, Doris. :bow:
Had never seen the great photo, and I learned a lot from the fascinating explanatory text. I had been only vaguely aware that the Secretary once was a skater, and all the details are so interesting. Thank you.

Although not about skating, this snippet was new to me too:
"At fifteen, she became a student at the university. She graduated from DU when she was only nineteen years old." :cool:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I don't always agree with Dr. Rice politically, but I admire her accomplishments. She is also a fine pianist and performed a few movements from different chamber works, including this challenging movement from a Brahms piano quintet. Brahms didn't compose any easy music. Every instrument works like crazy in his chamber music, and Rice more than holds her own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq6_nHyFSrc

I'm sure Michelle got invited to that White House luncheon with the Chinese president (president? can't remember) because Rice as a skating connoisseur was a fan. After all, there's no shortage of talented and distinguished Chinese-Americans. And that's the day that gave Michelle a new direction and eventually led Michelle to a meeting with Clay Pell.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
I'm sure Michelle got invited to that White House luncheon with the Chinese president (president? can't remember)...

If you get stuck, just ask yourself "President Hu?" :)

By the way, Clay Pell is a big China guy himself. At one time he studied law in China and has been involved in joint Coast Guard exchanges with Chinese counterparts as part of military diplomacy programs. In the past he has been critical of the Chinese government on human rights issues. When the about-to-become new Chinese President Xi takes office, I bet Mr. and Mrs. Pell get invited to a lot of White Hpuse luncheons and such. :)

For those who like vintage photos, here's a nice one of a graceful young skater whose name happens to be Vera Wang ;):

Nice dress! :yes:
 
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ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Off topic, but as long as we're talking about the intersection of national security and skating:

Tanith Belbin ‏@TanithJLB
I'll always be grateful to Senator Hagel for being the first Member of Congress to sit down w/me while I was pursuing my citizenship.
7:54 PM - 31 Jan 13​
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
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Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
LOL, unsurprising that a beautiful, overtly sexy woman can get a Senator to sit down. ;)
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
^ :) Hagel gave a terrible performance yesterday in Senate confirmation hearings over his appointment as Secretary of Defense. House Republicans raked him over the coals for being against the Iraq war.

The congressman who actually pushed Belbin's application for U.S. citizenship through the House was Michigan's Thaddeus McCotter. McCotter had to resign his seat last year because his staff submitted fraudulent nominating petitions for his re-election bid. Instead of circulating petitions they just Zeroxed some old signatures that they had laying around from previous elections and changed the dates. :laugh:

But President Obama likes Meryl Davis the best.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3333/4555054134_1b0ce1f2ab_z.jpg
 
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Joined
Aug 16, 2009
If you get stuck, just ask yourself "President Hu?" :)

By the way, Clay Pell is a bug China guy himself. At one time he studied law in China and has been involved in joint Coast Guard exchanges with Chinese counterparts as part of military diplomacy programs. In the past he has been critical of the Chinese government on human rights issues. When the about-to-become new Chinese President Xi takes office, I bet Mr. and Mrs. Pell get invited to a lot of White Hpuse luncheons and such. :)

President Hu! Thanks.

I had read that Clay Pell was fluent in Mandarin (and also I think Arabic and Spanish). All in all, he sounds like a man who does his utmost to earn his keep.

If we're talking about public officials who have helped skaters, Condoleezza Rice, who first gave Michelle a job (though unpaid) in Washington, would certainly be on the list. I know that Michelle would have come to the capital anyway after her M.A. from Tufts, but being already active in public affairs certainly gave her a leg up on the competition.
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Who was the tallest ladies singles medalist ever? (Olympics, Worlds, GPF, Euros and 4CCs and Nationals all included)
Any country's Nationals? If so, maybe Karen Venhuizen. Candice Didier is also quite tall for a skater; also Jennifer Robinson. The tallest female skater I can think of, in any discipline, is Oksana Domnina; it's quite noticeable in podium pics (note that Tanith Belbin is pretty tall for a skater, and even Isabelle Delobel isn't that short). The tallest female pairs skater I can think of is Vanessa James.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
The tallest skaters I can think of are Lisa Marie Allen, about 5'8", who always came in second to Linda Fratianne nationally in the U.S., and Lucinda Ruh, 5'9", who was the Swiss champion.
 

Buttercup

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Joined
Mar 25, 2008
The tallest skaters I can think of are Lisa Marie Allen, about 5'8", who always came in second to Linda Fratianne nationally in the U.S., and Lucinda Ruh, 5'9", who was the Swiss champion.
Oh right, I'd forgotten that Ruh is so tall. She's taller than quite a few men's skaters.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
That's a great photo, Golden! Is that Mirai on our right? I love that this tiny lady decided to wear ballet flats. Meryl and Charlie look especially wonderful. I'm so thrilled that they skate for the U.S. It's a new experience for me to find my favorite ice dancers right here at home. (And my other favorite ice dancers just over the border in Canada.)
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
^ I think it’s, front: Emily Samuelson, Rachael Flatt. Meryl Davis, President and Mrs. Obama, Amanda Evora, Mirai, Caydee Danny, Tanith Belbin.

Back (help me out here), Mark Ladwig, Evan Bates, Charlie White, Ben Agosto, Jeremy Abbott, Jeremy Barnett

Missing: Lysacek and Weir (too busy to come to the White House. ;)) Now, with Mrs. Michelle Pell running things at the State Department, skaters won’t dare miss an invitation.

Amanda Evora in heels is the same height as Mirai in flats. :)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
You're right! Evora must be so petite. Look how tall Tanith is compared to all the other ladies, even Meryl.

I really miss Evora and Ladwig. I have a long-distance Filipino acquaintance (well, yeah; she's in Manila) whom I linked to some YT videos of the pair skating together (including that lovely Pocahontas program), and while watching them I started longing for the pair again.

Rachael has such a great smile. It always draws me in.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
^ I think it’s, front: Emily Samuelson, Rachael Flatt. Meryl Davis, President and Mrs. Obama, Amanda Evora, Mirai, Caydee Danny, Tanith Belbin.

Back (help me out here), Mark Ladwig, Evan Bates, Charlie White, Ben Agosto, Jeremy Abbott, Jeremy Barnett

Missing: Lysacek and Weir (too busy to come to the White House. ;)) Now, with Mrs. Michelle Pell running things at the State Department, skaters won’t dare miss an invitation.

Olympia, the credit for posting the White House portrait belongs to our prolific Mathman. :thumbsup:
Thanks, MM, and I agree with all the names that you put to the faces (except for a couple of typos: Denney, Barrett).

Will be intriguing to see who will have the honor of returning to the WH next year for a post-Sochi celebration.
Nagasu? Abbott? Bates (with new partner Chock)? Denney (with n.p. Coughlin)?
If(?) Lysacek and/or Weir are on the 2014 team, hope that they will be available for the photo op with the Obamas.
Don't want to jinx Davis/White, but a question mark for their names seems quite unnecessary.

Unrelated comment re Sec. Rice:
Wonder whether she is in New Orleans for the Super Bowl today. She has said in the past that a dream job for her would be NFL commissioner.
[Not that she has not already held other dream jobs in real life, I would say. ;)]
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Yes, I remember hearing that Rice coveted the job of NFL Commissioner. But I'm glad she's also a skating person. I have no capacity for football at all and am trying to calculate when the Super Bowl ends tonight and the special episode of Elementary airs.

Can you imagine how exciting it must be to be invited to visit the White House? How could Lysacek and Weir be too busy? I'd have canceled weddings, surgery, even my own funeral to go. If I had expired before being able to visit, my wan little ghost would have shown up. (Though I'm sure that in such a case, I wouldn't have shown up in the group photo.)
 
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