A champion figure skater's embarrassing moment

How does it feel to moon 1,000 Canucks? There’s only one person that would know the answer to this and that’s eight-time British champion Steven Cousins. Video camera in hand, Rockne Brubaker filmed for icenetwork.com this morning while his partner, Keauna McLaughlin, posed the question to Steven. He laughed a little sheepishly (as I imagine he did when the incident happened) and sarcastically said he was glad Keauna asked.

The performance was Skate Canada. Steven was out on the ice and slipped during his routine, falling to the ice. “I got up, finished the routine, and did my bows,” he said. “I bowed to one side of the arena and they all clapped, while the crowd behind me laughed and I couldn’t figure out why… so I turned around, bowed to the other side and they clapped while the people behind me started laughing.” It wasn’t until Steven left the ice that he found out he had torn his pants during his fall and when he bowed, he mooned the arena full of fans. Not knowing what to do, he ran into quick change and asked around to see if anyone had something he could wear for his next routine. He was in luck, Kurt Browning had one, but it had a maple leaf on it. “That’s okay, I live in Canada now,” Steven said he thought to himself. He donned the outfit and headed back to the ice.

It was a rough night for Steven and he missed another landing, falling to the ice. And once again, split Kurt’s outfit down the back, exposing his backside. Steven quickly changed and headed back to the hotel, ready for that night to be over.

“Thankfully it happened before YouTube was around,” Steven said, and I’ll admit I was a little bummed because I wouldn’t be able to see the incident myself on my computer.

Steven had a great sense of humor about it and Keauna, Rockne, Viktor Petrenko, Jozef Sabovcik and Jeffrey Buttle laughed nearly the whole way to the Nutter Center. Jeffrey admitted he’d had a similar experience. He fell back on his blade once and cut his outfit along with his thigh. “I still have the scar on my thigh,” he said, but never realized he cut himself “because of the adrenaline.”

“Wow, you’re flexible,” Keauna said to Jeffrey, which made ME laugh because just the day before I’d watched Keauna and Rockne rehearse, and thought exactly that – “wow, you guys are flexible.”

It’s getting close to go-time here at the Nutter Center in Dayton, OH, so I’ll wrap this post up before I miss the show! Tonight’s “Skate for the Heart” show with the music of Kenny G promises to be an amazing one! I caught a glimpse of the steamy tango routine with Shae-Lynn Bourne, Steven Cousins, Jeffrey Buttle and Viktor Petrenko and can’t wait to see what’s in store…

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

(Nancy Kerrigan skates and poses with excited kids from Easter Seals in Las Vegas)

...I'm talking about the holidays of course! There is nothing that says "it's Christmas!" like a figure skating show with headliner Amy Grant and two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan in the middle of a desert. Okay, that is going to need a little bit of explaining I think.

On Tuesday, 11/11, some of the greatest figure skaters (and most well-loved!) descended upon the city of sin, Las Vegas, to bring a little holiday cheer for "Amway presents Holiday Tribute on Ice." The show took place at The Orleans and while it was a toasty 70 - 80 degrees outside, the cast, crew and sponsors bundled up inside to set up Christmas trees, rehearse for the show and make sure everything was in working order for a fabulous show! And it was well worth it... the show came together magically! Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith performed Christmas classics flawlessly and the skaters did amazing. If you missed the live show, fear not, you can enjoy it on NBC Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008 from 4 - 6 p.m. EST. It will also be aired on the Style Network on the following dates:

December 21, 2008
10 - 11 a.m. EST
December 22, 2008
4 - 5 p.m. EST
December 24, 2008
2 - 3 p.m. EST

Part of what made this show so great, had nothing to do with the actual show and everything to do with holiday spirit. On Monday morning, the skaters were honored to serve lunch to and spend time with troops and their families from Nellis Air Force Base to show them how much they appreciate their dedication to our country. Kentucky Fried Chicken provided the food and the skaters provided the waitstaff... themselves! After lunch, the skaters returned to the ice while the troops and their families took front-row seats to watch the dress rehearsal and returned Tuesday to watch the show!

Later in the day, Easter Seals rounded up a group of kids and brought them to the arena to meet the skaters and get the opportunity to skate out on the ice with them! Hand-in-hand with some and holding others, the skaters shared their love of skating with each child. Kids bounded off the ice with big smiles and excited eyes to tell their friends and parents what it's like to ice skate with a champion... as I laced up skates for the kids, I couldn't help but smile myself as each one gave me different reasons for being so excited to try it out. There were plenty of cameras and media there to document the special day... and I think it's safe to say that everyone left the rink a little happier than when they arrived.

What's next on the list? Looks like I'll be headed to Dayton, OH for "Skate for the Heart" with Kenny G. This exciting show is aiming to raise awareness for heart disease. What am I most excited about? Well, it looks like Kenny G was nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards for his newest CD and there is nothing that makes a skating routine hotter (or more fun) than a Latin groove... check back and I'll keep you updated!