"Ice Castles"

[SkateFan4Life]

True...Tara Lipinski was totally packaged to win the Olympic gold medal. Her parents hired an agent for her at the age of 12, and she received major publicity when she won the Olympic Festival as a 12-year-old.

"Ice Castles" featured a young skater who was absolutely unknown outside of her local area. No established reputation.
No agents. No media frenzy. Nothing.....then, bamm! -- she's "discovered", moves to Colorado Springs, and there are magazine cover articles, television interviews, all sorts of hype.

 

[Grgranny]

I do remember someone talking a number of years ago saying that Dorothy Hamill could skate in the dark. Evidently not many can.

 

[RealtorGal]

HYPE, PUBLICITY

No matter how great the hype, if a skater doesn't deliver the goods when it counts, there will be no Olympic gold medal. I don't know anyone who has had more publicity than Michelle, and both times she has, unfortunately, failed to deliver the goods when it counted.

 

[NanSinger2]

Cinder, that's so cool that you got to be a part of the Ice Castles hype, even in a small way!

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

There is a difference between paid hype and unpaid news items.

Regardless of which, the best skater that night wins the medal.

Joe

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Lexie won the Midwestern Sectionals, and she injured herself while skating outdoors that every evening. While everybody else was celebrating at the post-competition party, she put on her skates and, while skating outdoors, tripped on one of the chairs and tables.

After she went blind, she resumed training, with Robby Benson acting as her "coach". She returned to Nationals and skated a great long program. The movie did not give us a definitive answer as to whether she won the title, but she very well may have. Then, as she was skating to center ice to take her bow, she tripped on some of the flowers that had been thrown onto the ice, and the crowd emitted a collected gasp, as they realized she was completely blind.

Truly a two-Kleenex box movie!

 

[dlkksk8fan]

If I recall right I remember see Lynn-Holly Johnson at Knott's Berry Farm in around 1990 skating on their small stage rink in a holiday show.

 

[Ice Princess]

Ice Castles

I love "Ice Castles" & "The Cutting Edge"! I bought "Ice Castles" & want to buy "The Cutting Edge"! Cinder, that's so awesome that your mom knew Lynn-Holly Johnson!! And, dlkksk8fan, I love your avatar! When I can have an avatar here, I wanted to use one of Ekaterina Gordeeva!

 

[Linny]

Where are they now?

Someone wanted to know where Lynn-Holly is now. I don't know. But Robby Benson played a college professor on last season's TV drama American Dreams.
Linny

 

[peachstatesk8er]

True...Tara Lipinski was totally packaged to win the Olympic gold medal. Her parents hired an agent for her at the age of 12, and she received major publicity when she won the Olympic Festival as a 12-year-old.

"Ice Castles" featured a young skater who was absolutely unknown outside of her local area. No established reputation.
No agents. No media frenzy. Nothing.....then, bamm! -- she's "discovered", moves to Colorado Springs, and there are magazine cover articles, television interviews, all sorts of hype.

In the movie, after she's discovered by the coach the coach uses her "in" with the television guy to get Lexi hyped. She created her own little drama. Back then skaters didn't have agents until they turned pro, there was no need, you were not allowed to make money.

 

[SkateFan4Life]

"Ice Castles" featured a "Sports Illustrated" cover story on Lexie, with a full-color cover picture with the caption, "Cinderella Champion?"

It was a fairy tale story of shooting up from absolutely nowhere to national prominence within the space of a few weeks.

Tara Lipinski came up quickly, but she was well known and quite famous before she won her US, World, and Olympic titles.

 

[gkelly]

The closest parallel I could think of would be Caryn Kadavy. Didn't Carlo Fassi see her skating at regionals and suggest that he train with him in Colorado, after which she went on to qualify for Nationals for her first time at the senior level?

Of course, she never went on to become "the one" top US skater, but a world medal is pretty impressive for someone who hadn't been on the national radar at novice and junior levels.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Caryn did indeed redeem herself as a Pro Skater. This makes me think of how figue skating could be elevated from the amateur rankings. (No other sport fixes itself on their amateur counterpart like fs.)

Joe

 

[SkateFan4Life]

I remember the "Ice Castles" scene in which the coach followed Lexie to her Iowa town to ask her if she could become her coach.
She asked Lexie's age, and her then-coach, portrayed by Coleen Dewhurst, said, "16". The first coach collected her gloves and started to leave, saying, "Sorry, she's too old." Dewhurst reminded the other coach that figures are only 30 percent of the overall score. And the rest was history, according to the movie.

I watch this movie once a year or so. I would have loved to have seen Lexie overcome her blindness to skate in the Olympics, but I guess that's another movie!