Friday, March 18, 2011

This and That



Tara Lipinski's return to the ice on the Today show.  Tara looks good, but her choice in song is a bit curious.  While it may help relax her before bed, the song just doesn't lend itself to an exhibition.  Tara referenced the skating camp that is listed on her official site, but she sure didn't sound convincing about it actually coming to fruition when asked about it.  As always, Tara without jumps is just not the same experience.  The girl is jumping again and it is understandable that she wouldn't want her first time performing them again to be in the tiny rink at 8:45 AM on live national television.

Viktoria Komova is out of the European Championships due to a reoccurrence of her ankle injury.  It certainly explains why the starlet was missing her usual consistency at the recent Russian National Championships.  The Russian Coaches are saying that they are just being precautionary and are hoping to avoid surgery that would (give her scar tissue) and keep her out for two months.  Given my obvious admiration for Komova, I am lighting candles nightly and praying that this will pass.  The Russians will be represented by Mustafina, Nabieva, Dementyeva and newcomer Yulia Belokobyiskaya.


I've thought about what to say about the World Figure Skating Championships.  Out of respect for the tragedy, I've tried not to get into the situation too much.  I obviously don't feel it is fair to the skaters to keep them in limbo or to postpone them until October.  If the ISU decided to just cancel them, I would've understood.  As it stands, numerous countries have offered to hold them immediately and say they can get it done.  Through all of his statements and actions, Ottavio has proven just how inept he is at running the sport.  No one says it better than ice dance maestro Igor Shpilband in this article. The man already killed the sport's popularity, but now he being utterly unfair to the athletes as he avoids upsetting the Japanese Skating Federation, one of the few federations to financially support his bullshit sport and judging system.  I loved hearing how he ignored the USFSA, as it was far from shocking.  Given the situation, it is absolutely ridiculous and irresponsible (but not uncharacteristic) of the corrupt Japanese Skating Federation to hold onto the World Figure Skating Championships with all its might despite the obviously more important domestic matters at hand.

One of best quotes at illustrating his utter disregard for skaters came in this ice network article:
Asked how the drastic change in timing could affect skaters' training, Cinquanta replied, "You cannot always listen to what the skaters want. These are exceptional circumstances. Some of the skaters are even minors."


Izbasa training clips.


Kendra and Louis van Amstel could be the team to beat on DWTS.  Oddly, the producers set up a questionable front runner (in terms of viewer appeal) to one of the lesser-known pros on the show.

Ask The Bruins

Sasha Cohen article.  As usual, her quotes make her sound disinterested in skating in general.  Word is, Sasha will be attending college in NYC next year.  I'll certainly be getting my tickets to see the Cohen in person before she has enough of life on the road.

A Chinese Judge was determined to have cheated at the Asian Games.  It is hardly shocking from a federation that has had an utter disregard for rules for years.

Local Jordyn Wieber article.

25 comments:

  1. Tara without jumps is nothing to behold although most of the time her jumps weren't technically sound either when she did them. Doesn't sound like she has a actual camp yet.

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  2. The JSF must have spent a fortune to host Worlds, so it's not surprising they're not letting go of hosting rights that easily. The federations have always acted behalf of their own interests. If the other federations had the power/influence of JSF, they'd probably react the same way. Maybe JSF will relent if there was a way to cover their financial losses.
    Either way, I feel sorry for the skaters since they're the ones overlooked in this situation.

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  3. 'The federations have always acted behalf of their own interests. If the other federations had the power/influence of JSF, they'd probably react the same way'.

    This.

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  4. "it is absolutely ridiculous and irresponsible (but not uncharacteristic) of the corrupt Japanese Skating Federation to hold onto the World Figure Skating Championships with all its might despite the obviously more important domestic matters at hand."

    Well said. They are insane.

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  5. I think it's hysterical Ottavio favors avoiding exhibition conflicts more than uhm, every one of the practical issues inherent in the appalling October plan. If nothing else, he definitely understands money.

    You guys can defend JSF all you want. Fact is, what they're doing right now is unbelievably selfish and impractical, and the ISU shouldn't tolerate it.

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  6. To be fair, Cinquanta is also quoted saying that the ISU has to keep the skaters' best interests in mind... He says that numerous skaters have emailed him saying that they wouldn't be able to attend Worlds in April/May, and he recognizes that the summer is the skaters' offseason/time to prep for next season. Of course this is all about the JSF and how pissed they will be if Worlds is somewhere else this year, and I actually understand how Cinquanta could be in a real limbo over trying to please everyone. Ultimately, JSF needs to just accept that they can host Worlds in the near future and that this year, it's just not going to happen.

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  7. lol Geddert thinking the better known you are, the better chance you have of getting good scores. Yeah okay. See Shawn Johnson, Aliya Mustafina, Nastia Liukin, etc, etc, winning World titles their first year as Seniors. A better response would have been that more competitions will make his pupil more experienced and comfortable in Sr Intl competition. Difficulty+Execution is the key to getting good scores

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  8. Way to make people think gymnastics is a joke Geddert.

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  9. I love how they say Tara's record as youngest gold medalist "still stands." It still stands because skaters of her age in '98 are no longer eligible! Her performance was pretty basic. She'd better keep on training if she wants to return to show skating.

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  10. Speedy is so inept. Not to offend anyone, but so European, as in having little regard for popular opinion. I guess he is trying to make figure skating as popular as speed skating!

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  11. Hard to believe Lipinski is 28. She looks like a teenager. She has nice presentation. No, not the best spins, or lines, but she understands carriage and knows how to hold her arms. I wonder if she'll be jumping and will appear in shows eventually?

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  12. I agree Anon@10:09am. I think she wants Scotty to put her in SOI. I wonder what happened to her tell all book about SOI. She had to come back to the only thing she knows since I can't imagine she has millions anymore. She is a decent commentator minus going on and on to see if someone out there remembers she won Olympic gold. Not sure if she has a lot of fans either and right now SOI has Sasha who a way more appealing skater. I think Sarah's trying get back to SOI too. Kind of weird.

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  13. Well ...I was skating at the same rink she was practicing at the other..I asked her if she was skating because she wants to do shows again...She said no she is just enjoying being on the ice again. And not like she needs the money or something...(Insider info) She was driving a huge new range rover!

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  14. Why does Tara's hair look like she just rolled out of bed?

    As for Cinquanta, the JSF, and the whole ISU--no one seems to be considering what is good for the credibility of the sport. Worlds at the beginning of next season certainly is not.

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  15. Ugh, Cinquanta. He is ISU prez for life? Because it feels like he's been there forever. Don't they have term limits? He's such a corrupt bastard.

    Re: Worlds, it's a tough situation. But the October idea is not a good one. Either it has to happen now at an alt venue if that can actually be pulled off, or be cancelled, IMO.

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  16. yes, Tara' hair look like she was caught in a bad windstorm. why not stick with a simply ponytail or bun?

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  17. Cinquanta needs to watch this!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8STAkMl4Wg

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  18. Tara comes from oil money---she never has to work a day in her life.

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  19. You said it...Anon 3:30 Her daddy is the Ceo of an oil company...reportedly he is worth 60 million.
    But I have to say not a Tara fan but really enjoyed her performance..so much more mature than the way she used to skate. I would actually say very artistic..interesting
    Dont want to say this but I might become a closet Tara fan.

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  20. Well I guess it's good that Tara's Dad has money. Not sure if she has anything left from her competitive days unless she invested it. By the way what endorsements did she get. I think she had a Barbie doll thing but what else. Michelle got the big Disney contract, television specials etc.

    Tara's performance was decent. I guess I expected more but jumps were her thing I guess.

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  21. Tara made a lot of money in her day: DKNY, Snapple, TV Special, Pro Competitions, Champions On Ice, Stars On Ice, Two Books, Chevrolet, she used to be in ads in IFS for her boots, she was on Minute Maid containers before and during the Olympics, she was in that TV movie Ice Angel, Mattel, Capezio, Charles Schwab, Coca Cola, Cambell's Soup, Kleenex, McDonalds, Hallmark, Target, Smucker's, Office Depot, Kodak, etc.

    Even if she only invested some of it, she is likely doing just fine.

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  22. She had a cbs deal that was worth quite a bit. More than that she has two homes and one by the beach is estimated at 15 million. She invested very well. Dad was prob smart

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  23. Does anyone know Cinquanta's nickname is Speedy?

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  24. whoops, I meant, does anyone know why Cinquanta's nickname is Speedy?

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  25. His nickname is Speedy because he was a Speed skater and has no knowledge or concern for the world of figure skating---he just uses it to finance speed skating, which is also governed by the ISU.

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