North Korea Figure Skating Festival

[iloveaxel]

I felt quite surreal while reading the following piece of figure skating news from North Korea...

http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2007/200702/news02/19.htm

The 16th International Paektusan Cup Figure-Skating Festival was held from Feb 15th to Feb 17th in Pyongyan. This figure skating festival was held to celebrate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's birthday.

A closing ceremony was held at the Ice Rink on Feb. 17.
Present there were Choe Thae Bok, Choe Yong Rim and Kim Jung Rin and Vice-premier of the Cabinet Kwak Pom Gi, Kim Yong Dae, chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party, Mun Jae Dok, chairman of the Korean Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission, and Pang Chol Gap, chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, officials concerned and working people and sportspersons in Pyongyang.
A ceremony of awarding prizes to successful skaters at the festival took place. They are Chinese Zang Min, Russian Oxana Kazakova, Bulgarian Sonia Illieva Radeva, Belarusian Sergei Davydov, Hungarian Julia Sebesteyen, Swiss Jamal Othman, Uzbek Olga Akimova and Olexandre Shakolov, Ukrainian Alla Beknazarova, Volodymyr Zuyev, Elena Grushina, Ruslan Goncharov and Oxana Baiul, French Stannick Jeanette, Frederick Dambier, Marina Anissina and Gwendel Peizerat, U.S. Suyra Bonaly and Korean Sung Mi Hyang, Jong Yong Hyok and Kim Yong Suk. Mun Jae Dok in his closing speech expressed the belief that all the participants in the festival would meet together in the future, too, to brilliantly adorn the ice rink celebrating the February holiday in the idea of independence, peace and friendship.
Then followed exhibition performances by skaters who participated in the festival.

Some photos of this festival:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6146/73467634uk2.jpg
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4294/01ii3.jpg
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/7875/70vb6.jpg

Maybe 'Dear Leader' is an avid figure skating fan. Based on his voracious appetite for American culture, I'm pretty sure he reads golden skate forum on a regular basis. Which skater does our 'Dear Leader' prefer? Kimmie Meissner or Emily Hughes? My bet is Emily Hughes.

If George W. Bush is smart, he should dispatch a U.S. figure skating delegation to North Korea. Watching world-class figure skating live is definitely the best theraphy for Kim Jong-il' nerve. As a result, he will be far less likely to detonate another nuclear bomb.

I found a couple of youtube links of North Korean figure skaters' performances. This can be considered GS fans' birthday gifts to 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-il.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7QUlA5Zf1A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUVU6xpMc6Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=217d1dmSY70


Figure skating for peace! :chorus:

 

[Spun Silver]

This is the funniest skating post I've ever read. Surreal is right - the event seems to be in a time warp. Kim Jong-Il is quite the Cupid.

 

[gio]

Well, Surya Bonaly is an US citizen. If they let her come, it means that the diplomatic relations between the USA and North Korea are a little bit better now, than were in autumn of 2006.
The North Korean leader is a spoiled and unpredictable dictator, so calming his nerves with FS is a good idea, I think.

 

[Mathman]

Sounds like a job for U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy #1!

 

[Zanzibar]

Sounds like a job for U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy #1!

You know, it DOES Mathman! And I think she might need a special attache to accompany her...someone very, very knowledgeable on the sport...and good with math, I mean um, numbers....hmmm....who could we send, who could we send....

 

[Dee4707]

...someone very, very knowledgeable on the sport...and good with math, I mean um, numbers....hmmm....who could we send, who could we send....

I've been thinking for a couple of hours too of who we could send.........hmmmm...someone good in math.........darn.......I'm at a loss.

Dee

 

[Mathman]

My Michelle fantasy #2904:

While Michelle distracts Kim Jong-il at his birthday party (her Vera Wang gown actually has illusion fabric up to the neck, but it's dark in the cabaret, old chum), Mathman and Jack Bauer sneak around and download the plans to the nuclear bombs...

 

[visaliakid]

My Michelle fantasy #2904:

While Michelle distracts Kim Jong-il at his birthday party (her Vera Wang gown actually has illusion fabric up to the neck, but it's dark in the cabaret, old chum), Mathman and Jack Bauer sneak around and download the plans to the nuclear bombs...

Heaven forbid... Don't feed Kim Jong-Il's delusional fantasies with tales of figure skating subtrefuge at State Department level.

 

[Spun Silver]

That fantasy fits perfectly with Michelle's competition glare! She's a perfect spy type! :chorus:

 

[IDLERACER]

I found a couple of youtube links of North Korean figure skaters' performances. This can be considered GS fans' birthday gifts to 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong-il.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7QUlA5Zf1A

Man, I sure hope that "Dear Leader" doesn't have this poor sod either imprisoned or beheaded for singling his first axel and putting a hand down on his combination jump. I must say, on that final spin at the end, he gets into a position that I don't believe I've ever seen before. It starts out as a camel, and looks like he's about to sink into a sitspin, but he only goes down half-way and sticks out his free leg in a manner that defies description.​

 

[blue dog]

Man, I sure hope that "Dear Leader" doesn't have this poor sod either imprisoned or beheaded for singling his first axel and putting a hand down on his combination jump. I must say, on that final spin at the end, he gets into a position that I don't believe I've ever seen before. It starts out as a camel, and looks like he's about to sink into a sitspin, but he only goes down half-way and sticks out his free leg in a manner that defies description.​

At first when I read your description, I thought you meant the Hamill Camel--but it's a strange variation of that. Emily Hughes does a similar sit spin variation, but hers is better--even though I think that sit spin position is ugly--it looks like a dog peeing.

 

[Hsuhs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7QUlA5Zf1A

What an odd mix of Yagudin, Takahashi, Joubert, Lambiel and Eman!
But I liked his jumps.

 

[Ravyn Rant]

Figure skating for peace! :chorus:

I want this on a bumper sticker! Blades, not bombs!
xoxo
Rave

 

[Spun Silver]

I want this on a bumper sticker! Blades, not bombs!
xoxo
Rave

Agree in principle but I think maybe "skates, not bombs" would sound better. Picky, I know.

 

[Mathman]

Agree in principle but I think maybe "skates, not bombs" would sound better. Picky, I know.

A couple of years ago my sister-in-law asked me what I wanted for a birthday present, so I said, a subscription to Blades (on Ice) magazine would be nice. She signed me up for this:

http://www.blademag.com/

 

[Spun Silver]

I would work hard to stay on the soft side of a sister-in-law like that!

ETA: Back OT, the "poor sod" is doing pretty well - I hope the Great Leader is proud of him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ri_Song_Choil

 

[IDLERACER]

http://www.blademag.com/

"Blade, the world's #1 pocket knife publication." Like there could possibly be more than one. I wonder if there are also magazines devoted entirely to wristwatches and keychain ornaments.​