Figure Skating
World Team Trophy offers Sochi sneak peek
The World Team Trophy is the template for the Team Figure Skating Event that will premiere at the upcoming 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
Figure Skating
Canada's Nexxice heartbroken at synchro skating worlds
It was pure heartbreak for Team Canada 1 aka Nexxice, from Burlington, Ont., as gold eluded its grasp at the world synchronized skating championships in Boston.
Figure Skating
Worlds show Patrick Chan has his work cut out for him
The thing about the World Figure Skating Championships is you can never
take anything for granted. This year's event in London, Ont., brought us
some of the most surprising results and skates that we've seen in a
long time.
Figure Skating
Judge For Yourself: Score the figure skating worlds
For the second straight year at the World Figure Skating Championships,
we're helping you score the singles events for yourself at home or in
the stands in London, Ont.
Figure Skating
Men's title up for grabs at figure skating worlds
If there was ever a time when a crystal ball would come in handy, this
would be it. Trying to pinpoint who is headed to the top spot of the
podium at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships next week is
proving to be more difficult than usual.
Figure Skating
Top 12 performances at figure skating worlds in Canada
In no particular order, here is CBC Sports figure skating expert Pj Kwong's Top 12 list of most memorable performances from the world championships that have taken place in Canada.
Figure Skating
Figure skating superfans span the globe
People are always trying to convince me that there are no figure skating
fans left. Nonsense, I say. The following blog is devoted to all of
those devoted fans out there in figure skating land.
Figure Skating
Glimpses of future stardom at world juniors
Winning the world juniors is no guarantee of success on the senior circuit, but it cannot hurt. The skaters who took the titles this past weekend in Milan, Italy, may have opened the door to becoming household names. Time will tell.
Figure Skating
Canada has good history at junior worlds
Canada has historically done very well at the junior world championships with a total of 32 medals, including three men's titles, a women's crown, three pairs gold medals, and one ice dance championship since the inaugural event in 1976.
Figure Skating
Canadians Wing, Lowe the wizards of ice dance
If we want to talk about home grown ice dance in this country one of the places we need to look at is Vancouver, B.C. Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe are well-known Canadians in the ice dance world, and aren't having any problems keeping busy.
Figure Skating
Italy showing off figure skating prowess
The only thing left in the skating season for the senior ranks is the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ont. in March, and it appears like it might be Italy's turn to revel in some depth in their skating pool.
Figure Skating
Contenders emerge at Four Continents
The Four Continents Championships should have been a chance to get a final look at some the big names heading to worlds. But as Pj Kwong writes, it seems the Osaka event has only increased the number of skaters vying for the big prize in March.
Olympics
Fresh faces will shine at Sochi Olympics
The 2014 Sochi Winter Games are one year away, and it's fun for
me to think about the podium possibilities in figure skating that
haven't really been discussed yet. One thing's for sure: there are a number of skaters that weren't on the radar last time around, in 2010 in Vancouver.
Figure Skating
Four Continents last chance to impress before worlds
The upcoming Four Continents Championships in Osaka, Japan, are a final chance to see many of the skaters who will be competing at the world championships next month in London, Ont.
Figure Skating
Standout performances at Europeans
There were definitely some standout performances at the 2013 European
Figure Skating Championships held over the weekend in Croatia.
Figure Skating
Canadian championships: A changing of the guard
The Canadian figure skating championships did not disappoint, and in many ways this competition indicated a changing of the guard.
Figure Skating
Virtue & Moir, Chan are locks to win Canadian titles
I think the gold medallists are pretty much foregone conclusions in the dance
and men's events at this week's Canadian Figure Skating Championships, but who else will end up on the podium across the
board has me wondering.
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10: Canadian champions, 1980-present
With the national championships set for next week, CBCSports.ca's Pj Kwong takes a look at more of her favourite Canadian figure skaters champions from 1980 to present.
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10: Canadian champions, 1930-80
With the 99th Canadian Figure Skating Championships unfolding next week
in Mississauga, Ont., it's time to take a look at Canadian skaters whose national titles spurred them on to Olympic
and world greatness.
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10: Noteworthy national champions
In the coming weeks both Canada and the United States will host their
national figure skating championships, while Russia and Japan, to name a couple, have
already decided theirs.So it's a good time to list my top 10
noteworthy non-Canadian national champions.
Figure Skating
Top 10 figure skating game changers
Skating has had its fair share of scandals. Some personal, some funny and some reveal the origins of lesser known rules. On another level, Pj Kwong counts down 10 figure skating moments that have prompted rule changes.
Figure Skating
Even great skaters make puzzling costume decisions
How many times have we all heard the expression, 'the clothes make the man?' The same can be said for figure skating costumes.
Figure Skating
Carolina Kostner leaving her mark on figure skating
Reigning women's world figure skating champion Carolina Kostner has been busy. She had a great season last year, so I had to find out from Carolina why she was choosing to bow out of the Grand Prix competitions this season.
Figure Skating
Grand Prix Final teaches skaters to be prepared
The conclusion of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final has made one thing very clear and that's if you aren't prepared to win, then you won't. Patrick Chan is a great example. He left points on the table with a bobbled jump combination in the short program leaving him to fight his way out of second after the short program.
Figure Skating
Patrick Chan in tough at Grand Prix Final
Reigning two-time world champion Patrick Chan of Toronto remains the men's skater to beat in the Grand Prix Final at Sochi, Russia, even with all the big guns expected to compete.
Figure Skating
Weaver & Poje go back to drawing board
Rejection is never easy, but popular Canadian ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje are determined to overcome early season disappointment by revamping their free program.
Figure Skating
Grand Prix figure skating season a head-scratcher
I have to be honest, the Grand Prix season left me scratching my head on more than a couple of occasions. My biggest issue is the fact that the fields are so small now that if there is a withdrawal during the event, it can compromise the quality of the competition for the viewers.
Figure Skating
Impressive men's field to battle at Japan's NHK Trophy
The NHK Trophy at Sendai, Japan is the final of the six-event Grand Prix series and in many ways, at least where the men's event is concerned, it feels like it's saving the best for last, with a field that includes Spaniard Javier Fernandez as well as native sons Daisuke Takahashi and Yuzuru Hanyu.
Figure Skating
Men's competition at Trophee Eric Bompard was fascinating
There were plenty of surprises as well as impressive performances at the second last Grand Prix stop in Paris, writes CBCSports.ca figure skating commentator PJ Kwong.
Figure Skating
Trophee Eric Bompard offers mixed bag at best
With French hopeful Florent Amodio favoured to win, the men's competition at this week's Trophee Eric Bompard figure skating event in Paris promises to be a mixed bag at best.
Figure Skating
Canada's Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir thrilling in Moscow
The Cup of Russia proved that the skating this season still has as many questions as it does answers. One thing is for sure, though. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's interpretation of Carmen for their free dance was as thrilling in Moscow as the one I have been replaying in my mind since seeing it at Skate Canada.
Figure Skating
Patrick Chan looks to rebound in Russia
The Rostelecom Cup (formerly known as the Cup of Russia) takes place this weekend and I am secretly wondering
what surprises will be revealed in a Grand Prix season that has had more
than its fair share so far.The men's competition is going to be the most interesting, with the matchup between Canada's Patrick Chan and Skate America winner Takahiko Kozuka front and centre.
Figure Skating
Favourites given run for money at Cup of China
Mao Asada captured the women's title at the Cup of China this past weekend, but Russian teenager Julia Lipnitskaia, the reigning world junior champion, gave her a run for her money.
Figure Skating
Mao Asada tries to pick herself up at Cup of China
After struggling at times with issues both on and off the ice last season, Japan's Mao Asada seems to have turned the corner heading into her Grand Prix season debut this week at the Cup of China.
Figure Skating
Virtue & Moir debut dazzling 'Carmen' at Skate Canada
There was plenty of good news for skating fans coming out of the Skate Canada International Grand Prix event this weekend in Windsor, Ont., especially for the Canadian team.I'm still replaying ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's Carmen free dance in my mind. Since learning that they would be using this perennial skating favourite, I was intrigued to see how they would make it memorable. They exceeded my expectations on all fronts.
Figure Skating
Virtue & Moir go Carmen vs. Carmen at Skate Canada
Skate Canada International is being held in Windsor, Ont., this weekend, and figure skating fans will have the chance to see three of the four
current world champions unveil their new programs.Ice dance champs Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are set to skate their highly anticipated Carmen free routine for the first time. In an interesting twist, so are Italy's Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte.
Figure Skating
Skate America an intriguing start to Grand Prix season
Skate America, the first of the six event Grand Prix series, wrapped up
in Kent, Wash., with more than its fair share of intriguing stories.The
good news is that a new world record score of 95.07 was set in the
men's short program by Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu. The bad news is that he
wasn't able to follow it up in the free, falling on both quad attempts.
Figure Skating
Teen Hanyu looks to show new skills at Skate America
Several big-name skaters have opted to skip this year's Grand Prix season, but that doesn't mean there won't be great competition.Looking
at the men's field for this weekend's season-opening Skate America event, one name in particular jumps off
the page: Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.
Figure Skating
Figure skating season features some old faces
It struck me that there are a couple of things that will define this season: returning skaters and a significant rule change.
Figure Skating
Good news, bad news for Virtue and Moir
The fact that Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir withdrew from the Finlandia event and not a Grand Prix
competition was the good news. The not-so-good news was that their
withdrawal was due to a light muscle strain Moir had sustained in his
neck.
Figure Skating
Memories of Barbara Ann Scott
For many people, Barbara Ann Scott was just a name, albeit a famous one. For me, she embodied many of the qualities I admire -- tenacity, intelligence, excellence, charm, humility, eloquence and a killer sense of humour.
Figure Skating
Canadian skaters ready after lengthy off-season
Sometimes I'm like a big kid. This goes double when the start of a new
skating season is concerned. I'm as excited as any 8-year-old looking
forward to seeing their friends again on the first day of school after
what seems like an interminable summer.Welcome to my sense of
delicious anticipation just prior to Skate Canada's High Performance
Camp in Mississauga, Ontario over the weekend.
Figure Skating
Canada's top figure skaters ready to raise the bar
CBCSports.ca figure skating analyst Pj Kwong catches up with Canadians Patrick Chan, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir at the Skate Canada High Performance training camp in Mississauga, Ont.
Figure Skating
World Team Trophy 2012 wrap-up
I will start off on a positive note: hats off to the ISU for trying to find a way to expand the sport by creating a team event in the World Team Trophy. This event was held for the second time over the weekend in Tokyo, Japan.
Figure Skating
Canada's Nexxice takes silver at synchro figure skating worlds
What could be more exciting than watching a pair of skaters in close
proximity dazzling us with dramatic, creative and high-risk programs
like we see in ice dance and pairs events?
Try 16 skaters doing the same thing. That's what we saw from each of the
21 teams competing at this year's ISU World Synchronized Skating
Championships in Gothenberg, Sweden, where the goal for Canada was to
return to the top of the podium for the first time since 2009.At the end of the day, Team Surprise from Sweden took their sixth world title, and Canada's Nexxice earned a silver medal.
Figure Skating
Canada on top of the figure skating world
Canada enjoyed an especially sweet week at the 2012 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Nice, France. The ice dance team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and men's skater Patrick Chan each claimed their second world title, marking the first time since 1993 that Canada won two gold medals at the world championships.
Figure Skating
Who can challenge Patrick Chan at the world championships?
At this week's World Figure Skating Championships, the only discipline with a clear favourite is the men's event, with
world record holder Patrick Chan of Canada looking to defend his title in Nice, France.Chan's biggest opposition figures to come from
former world champion Daisuke Takahashi of Japan. Takahashi's strength
is in displaying the same joie de vivre and technical prowess
that Chan shows in his skating, but he will have to be flawless in both
the short and the free to really challenge the champion.
Figure Skating
Lacoste can bolster Canadian Olympic hopes at worlds
For Canadian skaters, there's a lot riding on the results at the World Figure Skating Championships in Nice, France. Patrick Chan is defending his men's title, while dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are trying to re-claim
theirs after finishing second in 2011 to Americans Meryl Davis and
Charlie White.But I think in some ways the most challenging
competition will be for Canadian champion Amelie Lacoste, who's the
country's lone representative in the ladies' event. In order for Canada
to be able to send two women next year, Lacoste has to finish in the top
10.
Figure Skating
Judge For Yourself
When a fan sent me a note recently asking for clarification on the scoring system in figure skating, I figured: What better way to learn about it than to do it yourself in a fun and interactive game I'm calling "Judge for Yourself."Here's your chance to be the judging and technical panel from the comfort of your own home!
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10: Shock & awe moments at worlds
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships are unique in that no points
are carried into the event. What happens on the day of competition
determines the result. It's an all or nothing scenario.In no particular order, here are my top 10 "shock and/or awe" moments at worlds.
Figure Skating
Chinese junior pair could be skating's next big thing
Last week's World Junior Figure Skating Championships showcased some glorious skaters who will undoubtedly make the grade when they hit the senior ranks to stay.The Chinese team of Wenjing Sui and Cong Han were head and shoulders above the rest of the pairs competition on their way to their third consecutive junior world title, and if they continue to evolve they may be one of those teams that come along to redefine the sport.
Figure Skating
Junior Worlds showcase Canada's next figure skating stars
The upcoming ISU Junior World Figure Skating Championships are going to
be interesting to watch. Why, you may ask? Now more than ever, the
Junior Worlds could hold the clue for Canadians fans about who to watch
out for in the future.
Figure Skating
Catching up with Sale, Pelletier 10 years after defining Olympics
It was 10 years ago Friday that Canadian pair skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier stepped on to the podium to receive their Olympic Gold medals. In the back hallways of a rink in Peterborough, Ont., earlier this week in preparation for the Rock The Ice show, Sale and Pelletier shared some thoughts with me on their special time.
Figure Skating
Four Continents ice dance sets up battle royale at worlds
If the fierceness of the competition in the ice dance at this past weekend's Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Spring, Colo., is any indication, look for that event to be the battle of the year come worlds in Nice, France, in March.
Figure Skating
Canadians could dominate Four Continents event
Since 1999 skaters from non-European nations have been vying for titles at the ISU Four Continents figure skating Championships. This year is no exception with the championship heading to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the third time.
Figure Skating
Depth lacking in European figure skating
It's not that there aren't skating stars in Europe. There are. It is more a case of there not being a lot of depth in any one area.
Figure Skating
Patrick Chan sizes up the competition
Patrick Chan knows that he is considered the man to beat at this year's world championships. He also knows that
there are other men out there who are making their own headlines.
Figure Skating
Fernandez's star rising for European Championships
The skating world is clearly eager for stars and Pj Kwong thinks you needn't look any further than Toronto, the training location of two-time Spanish men's champion Javier Fernandez.
Figure Skating
Magical Chan makes history at Canadians
The city of Moncton, N.B., was hopping over the weekend as the host city for the Canadian figure skating championships.
Figure Skating
13-year-old figure skater could turn heads at nationals
The 98th Canadian Figure Skating Championships take place in Moncton
this week, and it promises to be one of the more interesting
competitions in a non-Olympic season.There is no doubt in my mind that Patrick Chan will claim his fifth consecutive men's title, but Nam Nguyen is a name you're going to want to remember. The 13-year-old
phenom from British Columbia is the youngest to have won the national
junior title, doing so at the age of 12 in 2011.
Figure Skating
Q & A: Cynthia Phaneuf
Defending Canadian ladies figure skating champion Cynthia Phaneuf sat down for a Q & A session with Pj Kwong to preview this year's national championships and talk about her new training environment, coach Brian Orser, and her goals for the rest of the season and beyond.
Figure Skating
Ice dancers Poirier, Gilles bring fresh look to nationals
If you haven't figured it out, I love ice dance. There is nothing I like
better than an event where the skating is top notch and the dancers
roll out interesting , creative and distinctive programs one after the
other.The 2012 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, taking place in Moncton next week, promise to deliver just that, with fresh teams testing themselves against old favourites.Skating
in their first national championships together are ice dancers Paul
Poirier, who won last year's national title with former partner Vanessa
Crone, and new partner Piper Gilles.
Figure Skating
Virtue, Moir victims of scoring error
To err is human. To own up to it, divine.The International Skating
Union has acknowledged that, if not for a computer glitch, Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
actually won the free program segment of the ice dance competition at last month's Grand Prix Final by 0.45 points, as one of their lifts was
accidentally undervalued by .50 points.The Canadians still would've finished second behind Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, but this was still a significant admission by the ISU. I talked to vice president David Dore about the mistake and its implications.
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10 Performances: Pairs
Figure skating pairs mirror the challenges and successes that we all share. There are lots of worthy pairs from generations before mine, but I wanted to focus on skaters that I've actually seen.This final instalment of my top 10 lists of favourite performances may have been the toughest one of all.
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10 Performances: Ice Dance
I am a sucker for a good story. Ice dance captures the idea of possibilities for me. Whether it's a relationship between a man and a woman, the pursuit of a common goal, or the expression of a theme from the past, present or future - ice dance lays it all out for me. I believe that there could be as many top-10 lists in ice dance as there are ice dance fans!
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10 Performances: Men
How do you narrow down legendary figure skating performances to just 10? It isn't easy. When posed with this challenge, I decided I would have to give myself some guidelines. I was going to use only performances that I have seen live. There is something about a performance in the building where both the skater and the spectator are 'in the moment,' that can be magical.
Figure Skating
Pj's Top 10 Performances: Ladies
Often, the first image that springs to mind when someone says figure
skating is a white skate boot on top of a shiny silver blade. Many of
the iconic images in the sport come from the women who wear them.Choosing
my top 10 favourite performances of all time meant I had to come up
with some guidelines, so the ladies' programs that made my list are all
ones that I saw either live in the building or on TV.
Figure Skating
Wild weekend at Grand Prix Final
As figure skating championships go, the ISU Grand Prix Final was a wild
one. From the moment my eyes opened on Thursday morning until the end
of competition on Sunday, there was something going on worth mentioning.
Figure Skating
Exclusive: Patrick Chan explains Canada comments
Patrick Chan made headlines Thursday with his controversial interview with Reuters, in which the world champion said he sometimes feels unappreciated in Canada, where he feels figure skaters aren't adequately supported.
The story makes for an interesting read, but there's one flaw: the views presented don't match up with the Patrick Chan I know.That's why I called Chan on Thursday for an exclusive interview by phone
from Quebec City. Here are my questions and his answers.
Figure Skating
Ice dance battle too close to call at Grand Prix Final
I can't wait for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final to begin this week in Quebec City, where all four events will feature a significant pair of competitors going head to head.Take ice dance for example: defending world champions Meryl Davis and
Charlie White of the United States will go up against 2010 Olympic and
world champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada for the first time
this season.
Figure Skating
Japan earthquake still resonates with junior skater
Marika Steward is the 14-year-old Junior Ladies Northern Ontario
Sectional Champion and is one of 500 skaters descending on Regina this
week for the Skate Canada Challenge event, where she's hoping to qualify
for the Canadian nationals in January.
Every skater can tell you stories of sacrifice and training challenges. But Marika's story is unique.
Figure Skating
Davis, White serve notice at Moscow Grand Prix
The most interesting thing that came out of the ice dance event at the Rostelecom Cup Grand Prix event in Moscow is that
it's clear that reigning world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White
of the United States are not going to give up their title to anyone
without a fight.Their Die Fledermaus free dance continues to dazzle.
They look prepared and polished and ready to go head to head with their
biggest rivals, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, at the upcoming Grand Prix
Final.
Figure Skating
Fernandez hungry for Moscow Grand Prix win
The last of the six Grand Prix events, the Rostelecom Cup (former the
Cup of Russia), takes place this weekend in Moscow. This is the last
chance for skaters to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City in
December.
The competition across the board will be intense, particularly in the men's field, where Spain's Javier Fernandez is polished, prepared and hungry now that he knows he can go toe-to-toe with the big boys.
Figure Skating
Pj's all-time top 10: Ice dance
Ice dance was the final figure skating discipline to get in the
Olympics. Some might say "best for last." Even though it's only been a
part of the Games since 1976, ice dance's contribution to the popularity
of the sport is undeniable. That being said, here are my top 10 ice
dance teams of all-time. At the outset, it was impossible to imagine
narrowing the field down to just 10 teams would be as tough as it was.
Figure Skating
Skaters not quite up to snuff at Trophee Eric Bompard
The Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris, France, provided some food for thought. The level of competition, in many cases, still seems to be a little weak. It could be just this time of the season. It could also be the skaters are trying to accomplish more than they are ready to at this point.
Figure Skating
A chance meeting with Dick Button
As a seven-time US champion, five-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion, Dick Button has the skating goods. In a recent run-in, CBCSports.ca's figure skating analyst convinced the on-ice legend to discuss Canada's top men's skater.
Figure Skating
Toronto's Chan wants better showing in Paris
Canadian and reigning world champion Patrick Chan is one of the men taking the ice this weekend at the Trophee Eric Bompard event.
Figure Skating
Pj's all-time top 10: Pairs
Trying to come up with my top 10 pairs of all-time and then ranking them has given me a headache! There are so many more teams that could be included on this list than my buddies in CBC webland have given me slots. In any event, here are is my list, and as usual I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
Figure Skating
NHK Trophy event filled with hits and misses
Let me put my impression of the NHK Trophy this way: you had to pay attention through the whole event. Like a spectacular murder mystery, if you didn't pay attention you missed a key part of the story. What I mean by that is that the competition and the competitors were playing for keeps with no holds barred.
Figure Skating
Redemption the theme for NHK Trophy
Figure skating's elite are in Sapporo, Japan this week for the fourth stop on the Grand Prix circuit, the NHK Trophy.
Some of the best skates are the ones for pride, and there should be plenty of those to go around this weekend.
Figure Skating
Sandhu making comeback
The upcoming British Columbia/Yukon sectional qualifying event just got a
lot more interesting, as three-time Canadian men's champion Emanuel
Sandhu, who's been retired since 2007, will be competing.
If my Twitter account (@skatingpj) is any indication, you're all as surprised as I am!
Figure Skating
Pj's all-time top 10: Men
After last week's list
of the best ladies' figure skaters of all time, my colleagues at
CBCSports.ca have challenged me to come up with another top 10.This time I'm ranking the greatest men's skaters ever, in order of how I
think they'd finish in a fantasy competition where I'm the only judge.
Figure Skating
Cup of China proves many skaters still finding form
With the conclusion of the Cup of China, one thing's for sure: more than
a couple of skaters are still trying to find their footing.
Take the men's event, where the eventual winner from the United States,
Jeremy Abbott won on the total points from two 3rd place performances.
Figure Skating
Pj's all-time top 10: Ladies
Let's face it, I've seen more than my fair share of skating in my life,
which may be why CBCSports.ca challenged me to come up with a list of
who I'd choose to skate in a fantasy competition between the 10 best of
all time in each of the four disciplines.
To make it even tougher, I've ranked the skaters in order of how they'd finish in this magical event if I were the sole judge.I'll start the series this week with the ladies.
Figure Skating
Plenty to prove at Cup of China
As the skaters hit the ice for the Cup of China - the third leg in the
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series starts Friday in Shanghai - I'll
be looking to have a few ideas either confirmed or denied.The first is whether or not Maia and Alex Shibutani of the United States
have done enough work during the off-season to seriously threaten for
the ice dance podium when the world championships roll around this spring.
Figure Skating
Skate Canada proved quite an event
The Skate Canada International in Mississauga, Ont., proved to be quite an event. Clearly, not only do I know this is the year to make your mark while starting the climb towards the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but the skaters know it too.
Figure Skating
Russian teen could steal Skate Canada spotlight
While most Canadian fans are looking forward to the season debuts of Patrick Chan and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Russian junior champion Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, 14, has the potential to set the world on fire in her first senior Grand Prix appearance this week at Skate Canada International.
Figure Skating
Patrick Chan's new program: A sneak peek
At a packed session Tuesday on a rink in suburban Toronto, reigning men's figure skating world champion Patrick Chan was getting in some last-minute practice ahead of this week's Skate Canada International Grand Prix event.This year Chan's free program is the inspired work of the legendary Lori Nichol, Chan's longtime choreographer, who was also working with a student during this session. The music is Adagio from Concierto de Aranjuez by Joachin Rodriguez, and to say it is rich in texture would be an understatement.
Figure Skating
At Skate America expect the unexpected
At the conclusion of the 2011 Skate America event on Sunday, it's safe to say that the only thing we can count on is things not necessarily going according to plan.
Figure Skating
Pairs battle highlights Skate America slate
For me, the start of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series every
fall brings the sport into sharp focus. The speculation about what
people are skating to or including in their programs stops, and the
results from each event begin to reveal parts of what I call the
season's "who are the real contenders?" puzzle.The first stop in the six-event series is this weekend's Hilton HHonors Skate America in Ontario, Calif., where the competition I would pay money to see is the
head-to-head battle in pairs between world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy and four-time world medallists Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang.
Figure Skating
Grand Prix Season Preview: Ice dance stacked
I have said it before, and I will say it again: the climb to the Sochi 2014 Olympic podium starts this season, and the jockeying for position in ice dance is going to be fierce. Of all of the disciplines, ice dance is maybe the most difficult to quantify and yet the most accessible to the casual viewer. From the outside, ice dance seems to represent best the ideal of human connection and relationships where nothing is forced.
Figure Skating
Grand Prix Season Preview: Chan's big challenges
There is just over a week before the figure skating season starts with the first of six ISU Grand Prix events taking place in Ontario, Calif. From a Canadian perspective there will be four men participating at different times in four of the six competitions, including 2011 world champion Patrick Chan.
PJ Kwong
PJ is a self-proclaimed Word Broker who goes by the motto: I read them. I write them. I speak them. A degree from the University of Toronto studying Modern Languages has been put to good use as a bilingual PA announcer for, among other things, the last 5 Olympic Games, the FIFA U-20 2007 Men's World Cup and numerous international figure skating events since 1993.
Working as a figure skating coach for the last 25+ years led to commentating opportunities from CTV/TSN, ABC, Tokyo Broadcasting, CBC, Fuji TV, Seoul Broadcasting and CCTV among others. CBC has been home to Pj's skating voice, writing and commentary opinions since 2007. She would tell you that although working in skating is where her passion lies; she is the voice of lots of commercial projects, a blogger on her own site, a public speaker and with "Taking The Ice: Success Stories from the World of Canadian Figure Skating" a published author. You want opinions? She's got them. Follow her on Twitter to see.
