Your words to skaters~

[Kwanford Wife]

Everytime I've met a skater its always been in a work context - and as a woman in sports marketing, gushing was NEVER the way to go... However, I did get a chance to speak with Michelle Kwan after a COI performance as a fan and I was able to thank her for introducing me to Eva Cassidy... Simply one of the greats and what a shame that her life ended so young... I'd suggest to anyone to get her Songbird cd... the best way to end a long day...

 

[fenway]

Honestly? I don't think I would talk to most skaters about their work on the ice. For instance, if I met Scott Hamilton I think I'd want to thank him & talk to him about his committment to helping to find a cure for cancer before a discussion about the 84 Olympics.

 

[Tonichelle]

Hehehe. Well, my justification for my constant brain freeze while talking to skaters is that I'm shy and I have a hard time coming up with stuff to say to *any* stranger.

Yeah, I don't approach skaters without being with friends... I wouldn't have gone to talk to Kurt by myself lol...

 

[OldSkaterMom]

Living in Newark, DE, where a lot of skaters train, it is not unusual to have opportunities to meet them. I just remembered a time I was standing in line at Blockbusters and realized Oksana Baiul and Alexie Yagudin were in front of me. I was so startled I just said, "Oksana!" She turned around and my husband said, "We enjoy your skating." She just said, "Thank you," and turned back around.

Two of the very nicest people I have ever met are the Propovovs. They came to UofD one summer and coached during the summer training program. They were the most gracious, pleasant, friendly, down-to-earth people you could ever imagine. All the young skaters wanted to take a lesson with them, and they tried very hard to accomodate everybody.

 

[Tonichelle]

yeah Alaska can't even get skaters to come up for a show (because no one in AK cares for skating apparently... Scott Hamilton and Michelle Kwan's names aren't big enough or something cuz they couldn't fill the arena in Anchorage! ) so I'm jealous of all of you living in and around skating meccas lol

 

[calica]

The only word that i can to say:

THANKS

 

[OldSkaterMom]

That is a real shame. My daughter skated in the National Synchronized Skating Competition that was held in Anchorage back in the '80's. That was a long, long way from Delware. She really liked Alaska. Believe it or not, we had a cousin living there at the time.

That is too bad there are no skating fans in Anchorage. You would think winter sports would be popular.

 

[NJSk8Fan]

Oh my, much like Toni's response, I think I'd be so afraid of making a big goof of myself by getting tongue tied, I don't know if I'd be brave enough to go up to a skater to speak with them. Shaking hands when on-ice for SOI is a little different. I said to Jamie Sale "Thank you so much" and she looked me in the eye and said "oh no, thank YOU". The others I've shaken hands with (Kristy, Yagudin, Elena and Anton, I just said "great show" or something silly like that).

I'd like to tell many skaters that I appreciate their hard work and am so thankful for all the entertainment, excitement and happiness they have brought me.

 

[mycelticblessing]

Wow. It seems that most of you had the lucky opportunity to speak and/or even SEE skaters with your own eyes. *sighs* I've never had such a privilege, but I do hope that after I have an income, I'd fly over to any competition (preferably Worlds ;D) and see them skate.

couldn't help noticing you're from singapore too yeah, i know what you mean. it's so sad that figure skating is so unpopular here that it only shows on TV only during the olympics:disapp: I really hope i do get to see a major skating competition live someday though:yes:

 

[kwanette]

Honestly? I don't think I would talk to most skaters about their work on the ice. For instance, if I met Scott Hamilton I think I'd want to thank him & talk to him about his committment to helping to find a cure for cancer before a discussion about the 84 Olympics.

fenway, I had the opportunity to do just that at Skate America this year. Scott, more than anyone else, is the reason that I became a fan of the sport. I thanked him for being an inspiration on and off of the ice...and for all of the work he has done for cancer research.

 

[Daniel_Craig]

Evgeny Plushenko: Hate to be nosy, but that's one hell of a honker you got.
Sasha Cohen: How are things going in Kazakhstan?
Johnny Weir: What did you give Nicole for her babyshower? And how are those wedding plans with Paris going?

~ DC

 

[Tonichelle]

That is too bad there are no skating fans in Anchorage. You would think winter sports would be popular.

Outdoor winter sports are very popular... skiing, snowboarding, dog sledding ( ), etc... we have guys in the olys almost every time in those events...

but if you want to be a champion skater you go outside to train... there's just not enough interest.


1999 was the last year a 'major show' came up here, and it was basically a watered down version of SOI headlined by Scott Hamilton and Katarina Witt... the arena didn't have enough people to fill the bottom bowl - they asked EVERYONE to move down so that the skaters could see someone

the company that helped bring them up (big Oil co.) had a section roped off for the employees and their families... and most didn't show. It was incredibly frustrating for me a fan, and I can only imagine Scott and the others feeling like it was a waste of time....

so many great skaters and most didn't even know who they were save for Scottie and even most had him confused with Boitano or some other male skater who was a big name around the same time (and Steven Cousins of course was mistaken for Robin lol)

 

[JonnyCoop]

There was a time when I would have told Fumie Suguri, "Honey, if you ever show up at a competition with that blue eye shadow ever again, I am going to fly out there and come after you with a cotton ball and some makeup remover", but she's gotten much better in that department the last couple of years....

 

[bubbleyum]

i saw shen and zao at the mall foodcourt in phipps plaza quite a while back... might have been over 5 years ago. it was late afternoon on a weekday, and the foodcourt was like totally deserted. hongbo was getting food for him and shue shen while she was sitting at a table waiting. they are both so tiny in person, and they had baseball caps on i almost didn't recognize him while we were getting our food (chinese fast food lol).

so i stared at him and finally asked if he was hongbo zao. he smiles shyly and says yes, and then i was like "wow, what are you doing in atlanta? is there a skating show?" (i think it was the coi tour or something), then " you guys are great! you should have won the world championship this season!! robbed!" (this was right after worlds where they got silver. can't remember who got gold)

haha. don't know if he understood everything i said. they were both very nice, quiet, and shy. i wasn't sure if they were a couple before i saw them then, but after that, i knew. he's very sweet to her.

 

[icedancingnut31]

There was a time when I would have told Fumie Suguri, "Honey, if you ever show up at a competition with that blue eye shadow ever again, I am going to fly out there and come after you with a cotton ball and some makeup remover", but she's gotten much better in that department the last couple of years....

Tell that to Oksana Domnina.
To Roman Kostmarov: WIll you marry me?
To Tatiana Navka: OMG I love your skating and your gorgeous!!!!