Ice Dance Champ or Unstoppable SuperHero? Ben Agosto Isn't Human

Summer is in full swing and man I am excited! I’ve already been camping once in Nebraska for the 4th of July weekend. I mean, who doesn’t love being in all the glory of nature, building fire-pits, playing beach volleyball and swimming in a giant lake?! Many of you may be cursing your respective heat waves and swamp-cooler/Central AC units malfunctioning, but try and enjoy this fleeting season, because the weather will change quickly (especially here in Colorado… We savor the slightest glimpse of weather-related normalcy) and before you know it you’ll be cursing the freezing sleet and snow and ice build-up on your windshield that the stupid scraper you have never fully removes and your heater barely works so all it does is fog up the inside of the window. Look on the bright side…The 2010 Winter Olympics will coincide with this malaise of weather.

So here’s a little glimpse at one of the contenders and my other favorite skater and all around awesome dude.

Ben Agosto-
Champion figure skater, rock-climber and guitar-hero, part Puerto Rican and part Jewish. The devilishly handsome Agosto can perform a flawless Tosca routine and then fake an entire interview in Spanish (He did it at the 2006 Olympics). Check out his interview with Urban Latino Radio talking about his roots and skating and so much more. (www.urbanlatinoradio.com) The interview will be up soon. Follow me on Twitter and you’ll know as soon as it’s posted (http://twitter.com/Extreme_Twizzle)

The 27 year old rock star of the ice has a list of professional accolades to his name with ice dancing partner Tanith Belbin, including being the 2009 World Silver Medalist in Ice Dance, 2009 World Team Trophy Gold winner, 2006 Olympic silver medalist, 2004–2006 Four Continents Champion, and 2004–2008 US National Champion. I could retire on that list of accomplishments…but this guy just keeps going. I wish there was a good metaphor to describe Ben’s un-stopability (not a real word but I don’t care) If there was only like a small animal that just keeps going and going and going that perhaps plays an instrument…eh, oh well.
But this isn’t his only talent or passion. He has a musical side too. The first time I saw him lay down a couple licks backstage at a Disson Skating show in Los Angeles, I was thoroughly impressed. And not to toot my own horn (here I go) but I know good players, having shared the stage with members of the James Brown Band and numerous phenomenal musicians you’ve probably never heard of. With an all-too-familiar musical inception, Agosto played in a high school jazz band, like many would-be guitar gods and champions of the six-string.
The formative first concert- when a musician sees their first live show and the planets seem to align and everything sonically melds into a beautiful gelatinous blob of audio, visual and all-encompassing sensory theater…everything seems to just make sense. Ben’s first concert was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Technique, grace and passion, but his idol of the music world embodies raw emotion, pain and soul…The blues my friend and the man that made it all so good, Stevie Ray Vaughn. When I discovered my band Other Side of Clearview is on Ben’s Olympic Ipod playlist, I nearly soiled myself with delight.
From jamming back stage on the road while skating around the globe to rocking Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” live on the ice, Ben is a solid player. A man who can take seemingly polarized passions, excel at each and in many cases join them together.

With all of Ben’s free time (that preceding statement is dripping with sarcasm) he’s picked up rock climbing too! He describes it as “…both an adrenaline rush and a spiritual experience. There is a serene escape of entering a world where it is just you and the rock face. Everything is usually very quiet and climbing is never something you want to rush. That feeling of ‘oneness’ is then punctuated my moments of exhilaration and danger (or perceived danger :)”

Back to skating- Despite a back injury that took Tanith and Ben out of some major qualifying competitions (I think it was a publicity cover-up…Back injury? He was probably climbing K2 so he could shoot a music video of him ripping a monster solo at the summit), they bounced back at the World Figure Skating Championships in March and are now potential contenders for the 2010 Winter Games.
To top it off Ben is an all around nice guy. He’s not full of himself like a lot of celebrity athletes or getting himself wrapped up in scandals. Luckily the sport of figure skating is generally full of nice people that have their acts together. Of course there are always a few bad apples like the recent downfall of 2005 US Champion Nicole Bobek.

Send Ben your best wishes as he prepares for the 2010 Games through Twitter (http://twitter.com/Ben_Agosto)

I see these Winter Games going like this: Tanya Harding will be strapped for cash and tired of appearing a guest on shows like “World’s Dumbest Criminals” (I find it very ironic that she is a host of a show about stupid criminals) and as a publicity stunt will club her own knee outside of the Olympic torch ceremony. Nicole Bobek, to avoid a potential 10 year prison sentence for her links to a New Jersey meth ring will offer to clean every Olympic venue in less than 24 hours…All will wonder how she managed to do it. After that, Kimmie Meissner will take Gold for the US ladies, Evan Lysacek for the men and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto in Ice Dance. That’s all I can predict right now. I’m sure I’ll have others soon.

For more info on Ben Agosto go to his official website: http://www.tanithandben.com/

Cheers! Ciao! y Hasta Luego!

Kimmie Meissner: Road to Redemption & A Year of Comebacks

For all of those cheering for Kimmie’s great comeback, you can see all of the impressive steps she is taking as a mature and serious competitor. She has a string of amazing accomplishments including becoming the 2006 Ladies World Figure Skating Champion, the 2007 Ladies U.S. National Champion, and the 2007 Four Continents Champion(she is the first American and the first lady to simultaneously hold the World, Four Continents, and National titles), becoming the second American woman to land a Triple Axel in national competition in 2005 and securing a spot on the 2006 U.S. Olympic team(also being the youngest American athlete to compete at those Winter Games). She finished 6th at the Olympics in February 2006 and won the World Championships the following month. To top that off, she’s the co-founder and spokesperson for Cool Kids Campaign (www.coolkidscampaign.org/), a non-profit organization helping children facing cancer. Quite a lot to accomplish at the age of 19. Did I mention Kimmie is the seventh-youngest ladies World Champion in history?
Meissner has had a rough spell with getting into a groove recently, with routines seeming mechanical, injuries and her center of gravity changing as she’s gone from Kimmie the kid to Kimmie the woman.
With all this said she’s taking serious steps in her road to redemption…Redemption doesn’t even feel like the right word. Everyone I’ve ever talked to in the figure skating world loves Kimmie Meissner and is hopeful she will reclaim what is rightfully hers…There I said it ladies and gentlemen. I want Meissner to win the Gold in Vancouver! Nay, I demand it! You can give your words of support directly by following Kimmie on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/kimmiemeissner)

What’s her arsenal you might ask? Well, besides a wicked roundhouse kick (word on the street is she nearly took of Todd Eldrege’s head the other week when he jovially slapped her sun-burned back) Kimmie made a major change of location and coaching after the 2008 US Championships moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and working with Richard Callaghan and Todd Eldredge (1996 World Champion and a six-time national champion) She’s now added a new choreographer who, with a quintessentially warm grandfatherly smile makes clear he has no background is skating…What?! Maybe this mysterious Hungarian is exactly the type of person required to shake things up a bit. Who is this new member of Team-Meissner? The man travels the U.S. in a heap of a Jeep pushing a quarter million miles (bungee-corded tarp for a roof and all) and keeps his clothing in a waterproof box. He sounds like a troubadour or a dancing Hungarian version of James Bond. Mysterious, well-spoken and hard to find any information about through google. Gyula Pandi is a ballet icon. And for those who forget their geography Hungary is the quaint nation crammed right in the center of Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Austria to name of few of its physical borders, the birthplace of Harry Houdini and home of yet another European tri-colored flag (The region’s lack of insignia originality is slightly discouraging, but the goulash is to die for!). Pandi was a trainer and performer with the Hungarian National Ballet, but retired in 2003 and besides training Kimmie is a sought after guest ballet instructor. See the entire Baltimore Sun article on Kimmie and Mr. Pandi with video (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/olympics/bal-sp.meissner21jun21,0,2593031.story)

Along with Meissner’s note-worthy comeback, a few other notable skaters are lacing up with Olympic Gold in mind including Sasha Cohen and potentially Michelle Kwan who’s first public appearance on the ice is scheduled to be August 14-16 for her friend and fellow skater Kim Yu-Na’s skating special in Seoul South Korea. Not to be confused with the Super Class '09 on Ice show August 1-2, 2009 at the Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea. This show will feature reigning World Champion Evan Lysacek, former World Champion Jeffrey Buttle & more!

Let’s Kick Some Ice & Make Some Tweets!

Things are kicking off in a major way for U.S. and World Figure Skating. Is this the year that the glory days of old return? The days of Yamaguchi and Hamilton; the days when asking “What would Brian Boitano do?” was a serious technical skating question and had nothing to do with him breathing fire and saving the maidens oh so fair (still a personal South Park favorite). With the 2009-2010 competitive season approaching fast the skating world is a-buzz with talks of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the upcoming U.S. Championships and the World Championships…It feels like just yesterday Evan Lysacek was crowned the men’s 2009 World Champion. It’s an annual sports anomaly that I witness every season with the Superbowl, Stanley Cup, Figure Skating Worlds etc. There’s a penchant for jumping to the next big event as soon as the winners are announced.
The NBA Finals are over (stupid Lakers) and its as if everyone already forgot about it, talking about next year…Let’s savor, nay, lets marinate on, then savor these major feats of sports prowess before hurtling our eager selves towards the next thing…It was only Sunday that I was punching the couch cushion and yelling at my dog that “If Howard could just make a gosh-dang (edited for content) free throw and if the Magic would actually play some defense we wouldn’t be in this mess!” (I know, I’m crazy…My dog doesn’t like the NBA, he’s all about the Stanley Cup…Makes absolutely no sense).
We are a fast-paced culture that revels in instant gratification but intimate connections. The social networking platforms that have popped up faster than the terrible celebrity couple names plaguing our news like Brangelina and Spidey (who the heck are they!?)
Twitter is the newest fad and one I’m still learning about and had a slight aversion too initially. But looking at how fans can link with their favorite, respective athletes is awesome. Take a look at this article on how the NBA is using social media (with much room to grow) http://is.gd/13uVG You can follow Gail on Twitter @PUBLISIDE

Here’s some skaters to follow on Twitter:

Ben Agosto: @Ben_Agosto

Kimmie Meissner: @kimmiemeissner

Tanith Belbin: @TanithJLB

Evan Lysacek: @EvanLysacek

Parker Pennington: @skateforlife13

Yuna Kim: @Yunaaaa

Rachael Flatt: @RachaelFlatt

Emily Hughes: @EmHughes26



Here’s a few great skating fanatic/expert tweeters to follow:

@figureskatenews

@skating102

@Extreme_Twizzle (Me!)

@OSC_rock

This has nothing to do with skating…It’s my rock band!

A Season of Opportunity:
This is a season of opportunity for skaters and skating fans alike to connect through the wonderful world of social networking. Got a question for your favorite skater? No longer do you need to go through all sorts of channels, just ask them yourself (see the above list of skaters using Twitter and many have Facebook). So let’s all just reach out and digitally touch someone!


A Season of High Stakes:
The top four skaters in singles, pairs and ice dance at the Novice, Junior and Senior level will advance to the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Washington, beginning January 14th. Since this year is an Olympic year the aforementioned competition will help decide who represents the U.S. at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver (starting February 12th) as well as the athletes who will be eligible to compete at the 2010 World Championships, beginning March 22, 2010, in Torino, Italy. Che il divertimento!

A Season of Comebacks:
2006 Olympic Silver Medalist, Sasha Cohen recently announced her return to competitive skating, shooting to be a member of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team.
Kimmie Meissner- Personally, one of my favorite skaters (her and Ben Agosto are neck and neck) is making her own comeback. America’s sweetheart Meissner, the 2006 World Champion, 2007 U.S. National Champion, and 2007 Four Continents Champion. (FYI- she is the first American and the first lady to simultaneously hold the World, Four Continents, and National titles) has recently changed scenery, moving to Florida, and is training hard while finding time to be the spokesperson for the Cool Kids Campaign helping children with cancer.

2-Time Olympic Silver Medalist and 3-Time World Champion Elvis Stojko Returns to the ice after a long hiatus. The outspoken and powerful skater is back. The king is reborn! Named for the King of Rock & Roll, this kung-fu master, adrenaline junkie is very passionate about the need for the power and masculine side of skating to be acknowledged. His first appearance will be at a KFC holiday special.
Xue and Hongbo- China’s most prestigious pairs team are making a grand return. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo are once again gracing the ice after a retirement of two years. The 3-time figure skating world champions have their eyes set on the 2010 Winter Olympic podium.
Michelle Kwan-The recent college graduate with her political science still may make the biggest comeback of all and shoot for the 2010 Games (it’s still a long-shot, but one can hope). If she decides not to spend more time traveling around the globe through the State Department she’ll have to begin her comeback trail at the Southwest Regional Skating Championships, to be held in Scottsdale, Arizona beginning October 23rd.


A Season of Coach Changes:
Caroline Zhang, Mirai Nagasu, Jeremy Abbott, Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker have all made recent coaching changes.


Is something missing? With all the recent skating buzz including Evan Lysacek’s fiery win at the Figure Skating World Championships in March and ice dancing pair Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto just missing gold by a hair and the 2010 Winter Olympics rapidly approaching, the air is electric…But what ingredient is missing? Perhaps a reality skating show that follows skaters around as they prepare for the Winter Games? A Bizarre Foods skater spin-off, where champion figure skaters explore all the exotic locations they visit and partake in local dishes of the exotic, extravagant and down-right weird?
Or maybe we just need to patent some fresh one-liners for the Olympic hopefuls like this gem from prior master of the ice…“I hope you brought your silver polish MacElroy, cause that was gold” (Chazz Michael Michaels-Blades of Glory). Either way this season is on! Let the games and tweets begin.

I've Got A Fever...Of the Skating Variety...

...And the only prescription is champion figure skaters coupled with a dose of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons!

Kristi, the other half of this skating insider dynamic duo, will be blogging, twittering, texting, phoning, emailing and more from this fantastic skating event. So stay tuned.

As I sit at my kitchen table (my make-shift home office) in four layers of shirts and sweats, a ski hat and gloves, typing away in the early morning light of yet another beautiful Colorado fall day; I watch as the sun slowly rises from the East, gently kissing the earth, blanketed in the slightest layer of frost, creating a mysterious vapor effect that dissipates like a cloudy dream. As the vapor rises in unison with the condensation leaving my breath I realize two things: I really need to invest in a heater of some sort, and the 2009 skating season is upon us!

As I giddily shriek this last statement, jumping out of my seat and voraciously clapping my hands, my dog Cody lifts his head with great effort and grunts a long sigh of annoyance at my childish display that has disturbed his third nap of the morning.

Just to be clear about the above outburst, I'm generally a “dude’s, dude” as they say. I like to drink beer and confabulate about the fairer sex and sports…Granted I’m a fair-weather fan that only watched last year’s World Series because my home team, The Colorado Rockies, were in it for the first time, and hearing east coast commentators scramble to have info on Colorado was hilarious… “Well John, I didn’t even know Colorado had a baseball team until today and I believe this quaint little state just transitioned from horse-drawn carriages to motorized vehicles in the past month…” OK that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point.

I’m not huge into sports but skating is definitely doing it for me. There I said it…I love figure skating! I'm learning, through research and meeting these amazing athletes, all there is to soak up about the sport. I can rattle of names and titles like no other and it’s particularly hilarious to throw in skating ice-breakers during football gatherings at my home that go something like this: “So fellas, who’s pumped for the World Skating Championship in LA this March..." (awkward pause) "...I mean this is the best of the best in the competitive figure skating world! I hope Lysacek nails a quadruple axle for the US…high five? Anyone?”

I could care less that my friends don't get figure skating. I'm pumped that things are kicking off in full swing for this amazing sport.

Here's the layout of some of the major skating events so you can mark your calendars accordingly:

Saturday, October 25, 2008: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Tribute on Ice
This spectacular Disson show is at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Tickets are still available and range from $42 to $162 seats on the ice. The skating cast includes Olympic Gold Medalist Brian Boitano, 3-time US National Champion Michael Weiss, World Champion Yuka Sato and much more. Get your tickets at the Sears Center Box Office or at www.searscentre.com
or by calling 1-888-SEARSTIX. See all the upcoming Disson shows at www.dissonskating.com


Thursday October 24- Sunday October 26, 2008: 2008 Skate America
This weekend long show at the Comcast Arena in Everett, Washington, is the first of six events in this year's Grand Prix Series and will showcase the talent of 60 top skaters from 15 countries.
For more information go to: www.2008skateamerica.com

March 23-29, 2009: 2009 World Championships
This event, to be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California is a qualifier for the 2010 Winter Olympics. L.A. beat out bids from Budapest, Hungary, and Helsinki, Finland to host the event. For more information go to: www.usfsa.org

January 14-24, 2010: US Figure Skating Championships
Spokane, Washington will host this electric night of skating performances just 18 days before the Winter Olympic Games. For more information got to: www.spokane2010.com

February 12-28, 2010 & March 12-21, 2010: 2010 Winter Olympic Games
Vancouver, Canada is hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Only 16 months (466 days to be exact) remain until the world comes together once more to witness the greatest display of skill, strength, teamwork from top athletes from around the globe. For more information go to: www.vancouver2010.com

Tis the season to skate!