Time To Bust Out The Fall Gear & Vote For Kristi!!!

It’s officially fall! School is back in full swing for many Americans. I myself am back in the sea of freshman students, so fearful and confused, running through an array of educational mazes, searching for the elusive passing grade, the cheese at the end of their proverbial collegial laboratory labyrinth. Like little lab mice scurrying from class to class, so small, nervous and kinda cute from a distance, but full of bacteria and communicable diseases like H1N1- the dreaded Swine Flu! I started my Master’s program this semester and am amazed at how many competitive figure skaters continue their education and compete at the same time.
Kimmie Meissner went from being a full time high school student (and competitor) to attending Delaware University, 2009 U.S. National Champion Alissa Czisny attended school at Bowling Green University while competing and recently graduated. There’s a ton of other skaters doing the juggling act of either attending universities or high school while being topnotch athletes. Michelle Kwan almost came back to competitive skating but decided to put her focus on school as she begins her Master’s in International Affairs at Tuft’s University. (Read a great blog about it by LifeSkate)
Fall also means the Disson Skating show season is here! See all the dates and locations at (http://www.dissonskating.com/) Including the upcoming Improv-Ice show October 6th in Anaheim California, hosted by Kristi Yamaguchi and featuring live musical guests the Goo Goo Dolls. I’ll be at the Halloween show in Omaha Nebraska October 18th (the only one that didn’t conflict with my school schedule) ready for a holiday celebration like no other!

We’ve got some amazing pictures from the NBC photo shoot with your favorite skating stars that I’ll be posting soon. Keep checking back…

The 2010 Winter Olympics are just around the corner. I’ve been sulking (frequently) about the fact I can’t go. Rumor has it my boss gets to go as a skating consultant. Lucky! Well, maybe it has less to do with luck and more to do with the fact she is considered one of the most powerful people in the figure skating world…I’m going to continue to sulk and call it luck :)

Here’s some recent news regarding one of my personal favorites Kimmie Meissner:

“Former world and national champion Kimmie Meissner will not have to qualify for the 2010 U.S. championships. The nationals, scheduled for Jan. 14-24 in Spokane, Washington, will determine which two women will go to the Winter Olympics. Despite being assigned to two international Grand Prix events this season, the skater from Bel Air was going to have to qualify at the South Atlantic regionals in early October in Rockville because she withdrew from the nationals earlier this year because of injury. And she missed by one day the bye granted to skaters whose Grand Prix assignments and travel would create a conflict with regionals. Meissner, who trains in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is to compete in the Cup of Russia on Oct. 22-25 in Moscow and the NHK Trophy on Nov. 5-8 in Nagano, Japan. U.S. Figure Skating officials granted her a bye because of the short time frame and extensive travel involved.” (Courtesy of Candus Thomson-Baltimore Sun)

Finally, vote for skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi in the Dancing with the Stars “Design a Dance”
Voting will be open from 6PM PST on Tuesday, September 29th and close at 9AM on Tuesday, October 6th.

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.

2009 World Figure Skating Championships Are Here!

OK so I’m frantic right now. It’s all come down to sorting out my life and prioritizing what is truly important to my daily survival…Venti Starbucks Americano. Check…No I don’t want any room for cream! Do I look like I want to dilute my piping-hot espresso/boiling water mix (sweet nectar of the gods)…of course not. Now I can get down to business. Do I work on the three research projects/papers that I’ve been procrastinating on and pontificating about for weeks (It’s just Grad-School right?), do I see who’s advancing into the Sweet 16 for this year’s March Madness and begin my predictions for the advancement to the NCAA final four! What about the World Figure Skating Championships in L.A.?! Do I take my dog on a walk who’s been staring at me with his sad droopy eyes and half-cocked head for 25 minutes straight! Stop staring at me Cody, I’m thinking!!! Sorry, this is a hectic week; flipping channels from ESPN to ESPN2 to ESPN8 “The Ocho” (Sorry, had to throw a Dodgeball reference in there) and most importantly Oxygen Network. I have to be honest…It took me 5 minutes of channel surfing to finally cave on my “mantuition” (that’s dude-speak for man-intuition) and stop for directions (T.V. guide).

The 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championships are under way as I live and breathe! There’s a record number of skaters competing this year- 216 skaters from 52 ISU members have been entered. Brazil, Ireland and Montenegro (the sovereign independent state located just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy) will participate for the first time in a World Championship. This is the last, I’ll say it again, the last top major global skating event until the 2010 Winter Olympics next year in Vancouver. Will the U.S. ladies be able to clinch three spots for the Olympic team? Rachael Flatt and Alissa Cizny need a combined placement of 13th or better (for example placing 6th and 7th or say 4th and 9th…You catch my drift). So here it is ladies and jelly-spoons, the skinny on the competition and the stats so far.

Pair Skating: German Pair Skaters, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy (the defending champions) received 72.30 points last night, putting them roughly three points ahead of the Russians (Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov) going into today’s free skate. China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao finished third with 67.42 points. U.S. champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker (making their senior-level debut) landed ninth with 53.62 points, while Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett (52.74) placed 10th. McLaughlin/Brubaker are only in their third season together and Denney/Barrett, less than 10 months, so not too shabby at all.
Ice Dancing: Russia's Ice Dancing team Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin won the compulsory dance with 40.77 points, clinching an early lead in the ice dance competition. The Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are holding on to second place with 39.65 points. This is their first competition since Ben injured his back in South Korea. Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are third. Injury has plagued ice dancing with the French team and reigning World Champions out due to a shoulder injury and Agosto’s herniated disc nearly keeping the U.S. pair from qualifying for Worlds. But the U.S. duo is resilient as Ben himself noted in an online post, "There's nothing like a little adversity to light a fire under your butt," It’s anyone’s game right now, but I’m confident Belbin and Agosto will shine. They’ve made it clear in recent interviews that they aren’t looking for a spot on the podium, but fighting for the gold. The original dance is Thursday, and the free dance Friday.
Ladies: Everyone is wondering if Japan’s Mao Asada (reigning Grand Prix & World Champ) or South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na will enter next year’s Olympics as the world champion. The two have fluctuated back and forth with placement in preceding international events. But Canada’s Joannie Rochette could upset both. She’s managed to defeat Asada twice this season and is a formidable opponent.
Men: With the 2008 World Champion and Canadian skating extraordinaire, Jeffrey Buttle, retiring, there definitely will be a battle for the new World Champion crowned in L.A. this week. 18-year-old, Canadian, Patrick Chan, won his first ISU Championships title in February with a new season best of 249.19 points (the highest score any skater has achieved this season so far). Grand Prix Figure Skating Final Champion Jeremy Abbott (United States) is a strong podium contender as well. Another big question is can the charismatic, Two-time World bronze medalist Evan Lysacek (United States) make it to the podium in his home town of L.A.?

Here’s the schedule of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2009 (Caveat- I hear there’s some sort of 3 hr delay on airing so keep that in mind when looking at posted schedules):
Tuesday, March 24: Compulsory Dance, Pairs Short Program
Wednesday, March 25: Men’s Short Program, Pairs Free Skating
Thursday, March 26: Original Dance, Men’s Free Skating
Friday, March 27: Ladies Short Program, Free Dance
Saturday, March 28: Ladies Free Skating
Sunday, March 29: Exhibition Gala

For more information, full entry lists and results please see: www.isu.org and http://www.isuworlds2009.com/



Cheers!

Matt

"On The Edge" With Stars On Ice

It’s refreshing when kids surprise you with insight that you generally reserve for adults. So to all those nay-sayers that think our youth is hopeless, clueless and solely obsessed with Hannah Montana (who can blame them…those songs are catchy) you are dead wrong. Granted, when I was ten I think the only things I cared about was Oreos, dinosaurs and Playmobil (for those of you who don’t remember that wonder of play-set…It was basically the biggest competitor of Lego and freaking cool…sorry, I should refrain from digressing about and regressing to my childhood).

What does this have to do with figure skating you ask? I’m getting to it…It’s a dramatic build-up. So here we are at the Denver stop of the 2009 Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour here in my home state of Colorado. The tour consists of many of the skaters you already love and cherish, or just fell in love with on the 2008 Disson Skating tour. The tour this year is helping raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America by donating a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales. Here’s where the insightful and awesome kids come in…
A group of Denver Boys & Girls Club members came to the show and were treated to a meet-and-greet with the skaters and an exclusive rink-side rehearsal show. Watching the group’s eyes light up and jaws drop in amazement at the speed and skill of the amazing athletes of this tour was fantastic. It’s really hard to appreciate danger factor that goes into figure skating until one of the athletes comes screaming by (backwards), then rocketing through the air into a triple lutz. My mouth was gaping just like the kids...Child-like wonder is a great thing. Two of the ambassadors of the Boys and Girls Club present won an essay contest, writing about who there respective hero’s are. None of them had been to a Smucker’s Stars on Ice show and boy, were they in for a treat. But we’ll save the show highlights for a later…

One of the girls asked a poignant question I never thought to ask myself...and I pride myself on a penchant for asking obscure questions in most situations. With a look of real concern she asked where all of the ice goes when the show is over, and more importantly does it get recycled? She was adamant that it should be. We’re in an age where environmental conservation and sustainability practices are being ingrained in our children at younger and younger ages. It’s awesome. I think Al Gore is partially to thank for his ground-breaking documentary “An Inconvenient Truth" and for creating the internet…Thanks Al! You’ve helped lay the groundwork for an environmentally friendly and globally connected youth…I’m being a bit facetious about Gore, but nonetheless, this group of friendly and mature pree-teens took me back a little.
I followed up on the inquiry of the young environmentalist in training, partially because she was so concerned and equally due to my own curiosity, and discovered that the Pepsi Center keeps the ice for the Colorado Avalanche hockey games. The ice melts slowly and the run-off goes into the event centers main drainage system. I learned an additional interesting ice fact that you can quiz your skating friends on, or better yet your friends who claim to be hockey buffs: Figure skaters need substantially thicker ice at a warmer temperature than hockey players. Why? The reason is, they need to be able to pick into the ice for landing those sweet quads and triple-salchows. So, for the Avalanche game the following night they shave some layers of the ice and keep it at a cooler temperature than before.

On to the show! The power-house cast kept the energy peaked in the mile-high city throughout the production. Reigning World Champion Jeffrey Buttle’s routine to Jamiraquai’s “Canned Heat” (The song from Napoleon Dynamite…if that helps) was electrifying. He’s not only one the top male figure skaters, with amazing technique coupled with grace, the emotive qualities of the choreography and music resonate from him. He’s one of the most expressive male skaters I’ve seen. The lights and sounds were of the caliber that any rock star could appreciate. Speaking of rock stars the heart-throb of the rink, John Zimmerman showed he is the epitome of a rock star on blades. First, he broke the hearts of four of the ladies in the cast, skating with one and going to the next in a fantastic and seductive routine. Secondly, his presence made all the ladies in the audience scream as he performed to Led Zeppelin’s “I’m Gonna Crawl”, and thirdly, anyone who performs an ice skating routine to Led Zeppelin is a rock star…Plain and simple. Just like Evan Lysacek is a rock star for being one of the most innovative and exciting male skaters, but also because he does a stellar routine to Michael Jackson (moon-walk and all).

The 2010 Winter Olympics arrive in Vancouver in just under a year! Be a part of the best opportunity to see former Olympic champions and current Olympic hopefuls perform as Smucker’s Stars on Ice continues for the 23rd season. The all-new production “On the Edge” promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats as the best skaters in the world show their amazing moves on the ice. Featuring Olympic Silver Medalist Sasha Cohen with special guest skaters, including reigning World Champion, Jeffrey Buttle, World Champion and six-time U.S. Champion, Todd Eldredge, 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist, Ilia Kulik and much more. What more could you want!
Keep up to speed on the rest of the tour stops by going to the
Official Stars on Ice website.

Until next time, this is Matt signing off from the greatest show on Earth (not the circus...Stars on Ice)

An Olympians' Patriotic Field Trip

When you’re an Olympic figure skater or Olympic gymnast in Rapid City, South Dakota the week before Christmas, what is the first thing you do? (Hint: it has nothing to do with figure skating or gymnastics…)

Throw on your warmest socks and boots and head to Mt. Rushmore of course! And I do mean WARMEST clothes – it’s been between minus six degrees and 18 degrees all weekend. And don’t even get me started on the broken thermostat in my room, or how I forgot to pack pajama pants and had to borrow someone else’s long underwear to sleep in, or how I forgot deodorant, and had to buy Old Spice men’s deodorant to use from the gift shop. It’s all part of life on the road – or as sound guy/production manager and all-around go-to guy Eric puts it, “There ain’t nothin’ like show business.” He of course, was talking about more than just forgotten clothes – he was talking about travel troubles that plagued the show from the very beginning, but that is for another post.

Anyhow, three vans full of Olympic, world and national champions loaded up today for a field trip to Mt. Rushmore before kicking off a day of rehearsals at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. There was U.S. champion Evan Lysacek cuddling with his girlfriend, ice dancing champion Tanith Belbin in one car while friends Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson and Samantha Peszek giggled in the backseat of another car. Their names should sound familiar but in case they don’t, think back on this summer’s 2008 Olympics:

Nastia Liukin: 2008 Olympic individual all-around gold medalist, 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars. She is tied with Shannon Miller as the American gymnast having won the most World Championship medals.

Shawn Johnson: 2008 Olympic women’s balance beam gold medalist, individual all-around silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion.

Samantha Peszek: an American national team gymnast and member of the U.S. 2008 Olympic women’s gymnastics team.

The gymnast list is decorated with many top male and female athletes, too many to describe here. The figure skating list is equally as long and decorated. 2008 U.S. bronze medalist Caroline Zhang makes her first appearance in a Disson show, and she is working her tail off to nail her routines. She and her mom joined our Mt. Rushmore excursion and I couldn’t help but wonder how she wasn’t freezing in her thin – yet adorable! – little coat. She’s only 15, not much younger than many of the gymnasts, and I can usually find her playing games or texting friends on her Iphone.

The trip to Mt. Rushmore included a lot fewer historical facts, and a ton more fun. Everyone giggled in the cold as we made the trek to the viewing area. The gymnasts hopped up on the wall and did hand stands for the cameras in front of the monument. Lucky bystanders who got to see these inspiring Olympic champions strike goofy poses in front of the monument snapped pictures of their own. As the group headed back to the cars, I lagged behind for a moment to appreciate the wintry forest and rolling hills around me, wishing I knew a little more about the monument. I couldn’t help but appreciate a rare, proud patriotic moment – it seemed perfect to picture the chiseled faces of some of our country’s most influential leaders looking over some of our country’s most inspiring athletes.

A bitter breeze brings me back, and I head down with some of the crew to get rehearsal started for what is going to be the best show of the season: “Progressive presents Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular” tomorrow night at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center! There are just a few tickets left and you can visit www.gotmine.com to purchase them!